SENIOR CENTER NEWS: Music During Lunch?

We’ve heard from our community that they’d love to have musical performances a few times a week to accompany our delicious and nutritious from scratch meals. The Senior Center currently has a piano that is in need of repair and we’d like to eventually undertake that repair (volunteers are welcome to help) to bring music back to the dining hall. In the interim we invite the community to reach out to us and schedule a free musical performance to serenade the seniors and community during lunch time. While take out and grab in go are very popular among our community we want to remind the community that we are open four days a week for dine in services and we are hoping to sweeten the deal with music and community connection downtown in our dining hall at the Ross Aragon Community Center. Stay tuned for a future schedule, we look forward to showcasing some of Pagosa’s local talent. If you are musically inclined/talented and would like to share your gifts, please contact rosa@psseniors.org.

Senior Conversations — New In-Person Group
Join us Monday March 27 at 9:00am for a series of “Senior Conversations” with local Bill Salmansohn. He will lead the group through a mindfulness exercise and discussion of various topics pertaining to aging in Archuleta County. Explore and discover for yourself answers to your questions and concerns. The meeting will be held at the Pagosa Senior Center in the dining hall.

Pagosa Springs Scrapbooking Club
The Pagosa Springs Scrapbooking Club holds monthly meetings the second Saturday of each month at the Pagosa Senior Center. This creative tradition has been happening since 2005, started by Melissa Bailey and continued by Kathy Ruth through the years. The group met in the Senior Center dining room until 2020, took a break due to Covid and then resumed meetings in the Community Center. They are truly excited to be meeting in the Senior Center dining area again. They will meet each month from 10:00am – 3:00pm to be creative, share ideas, connect with friends, learn new techniques, share supplies and indulge in a potluck lunch together. Bring your scrapbooking projects – or any crafting project that you may want to work on with the group! If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please send your request to copenhavercreative@gmail.com and you will receive notification each month of the upcoming meeting along with hand tips & tricks for scrapbooking.

Healthy Aging & Yoga Therapy Class Series Continues
Gather with local yoga practitioners AJ Connors and Will Sechrist for a series of evidence based healthy aging and yoga therapy classes at the Pagosa Senior Center geared for adults and older adults of all ages. Start 2023 with a yoga series for healthy aging individuals with therapeutic classes offering yoga tools and education for strength, resilience, and wellness. Classes are designed to address different aspects of healthy aging and are geared towards accessibility and gentle practice. The themes for the class will include physical and mental well-being utilizing movement, meditation, and breathing practices. Mats and chairs will be provided; it’s optional to bring a blanket, and please wear comfortable clothing. Classes are free but donations are welcomed. Class is offered Mondays 2:30-3:30pm throughout the Spring.

Free Seasonal Art Class in March
Next FREE art class at the Senior Center will be Tuesday, March 28 at 1:15pm. No reservations are required but space is limited so be sure to be there by 1:15. The class will last approximately an hour and a half. Have you ever wondered how lilies came to be at Easter? In this class we’ll be exploring that answer as well as making some lilies from paper. No art skill is required for this class – just a desire to have fun and learn something about the history of the Easter Lily while making your bouquet. All materials will be provided including the scissors, paper and glue. Templates will be provided to trace and cut out the various parts that go into making this lovely lily. All ages are invited so find a friend and bring them along. Our teacher will again be Denise Fisk, who is a retired elementary art teacher from Iowa. So come and hear about the traditions around the lily and help us bring Springtime to life in this special way.

Bridge
The longest played bridge game in Archuleta county takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:15pm every week. (We have eliminated Monday bridge due to lack of consistent participation and have replaced it with different programming.) Bridge is a four-player card game with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. It is a trick taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. Come alone or bring a partner.

Community Cafe Menu

Thursday, March 23 – Beef Cottage Pie with Roasted Butternut Squash, Garden Salad, Fruit, Milk.

Friday, March 24 – Pistachio Crusted Cod Fish, Cannellini Beans, Garden Salad, Fruit, Milk, Mississippi Mud Pie

Monday, March 27 – Vegetarian Tamale Pie, Cooked Greens with Onions, Garden Salad, Fruit.

Tuesday March 28 – Beef Stroganoff w/ Egg Noodles, Peas & Carrots, Garden Salad, Fruit, Milk.

Wednesday, March 29 – Southern Fried chicken & Waffles w/ Country Gravy & Maple Syrup, Garden Salad, Fruit, Milk.

Thursday, March 30 – Carnitas Tacos with Refried Beans, Sour Cream Cheese, Salsa, Garden Salad, Fruit, Milk.

Friday, March 31 – Baked Tilapia with herb Garlic Butter Sauce, Jasmine Rice, Garden Salad, Fruit Ambrosia Salad.

Grab-N-Go Meals
Reservations and cancellations are required. Please call or text by 9:00 am the morning of the day you want to pick up a meal. A suggested donation of $10.00 helps to sustain our program. No one will be turned away for their inability to donate. For ages 59 and younger, the cost is $10.00 also. Please call or text us at 970-264-2167 to make a reservation.

Meals on Wheels
We deliver fresh Meals on Wheels five days a week (and provide frozen Meals on Wheels for weekends) to homebound Archuleta County residents. Call or text us at 970-264-2167.

We are located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd., in downtown Pagosa Springs. For more information about ASI, please visit http://www.psseniors.org/.

Rosa Chavez

Rose Chavez is Executive Director for Archuleta Seniors, Inc. and Public Health Consultant at Archuleta Food System/Food Equity Coalition.