The Informer December, 2023

The Informer

December 29, 2023

Informer Updated Distribution Schedule

The monthly edition will be distributed on the last Friday of each month. Submissions will still be due the Friday before publication. jschmidt@mayflowerhomes.com

January Menu Link

UnLOCKINg the Power of Philanthropy:

Place These Gifts Under Your Tree …. A Year from Now

“Visions for 2024”

New Year’s greetings! Fast forward one year, and here are things I hope to celebrate at the close of 2024.

Meeting Newer Residents.

I hope for a brief “get acquainted” conversation with every Mayflower resident whom I have not yet met. If that is you, here is what I mean:

· You tell me as much or as little as you want about yourself and your journey to Mayflower;

· I describe how philanthropy enriches life for all Mayflower residents and how we promote the opportunities. Bluntly, no request will be made.

· I tell you that Mayflower also provides my time, without cost or obligation, to help you explore financial and estate planning issues unrelated to philanthropy.

Generous Fundraising Totals.

Mayflower’s fund development priorities are consistent year to year.

· Health care for residents who have exhausted their resources: you can provide immediate support through the Resident’s Assistance Fund or long-term support through the Human Needs Endowment Fund.

· Gifts of appreciation that provide Mayflower staff a meal while on duty, assistance with comfortable shoes, or continuing education opportunities, all through the Care for the Caregivers Fund.

· Keeping campus buildings and grounds fresh and beautiful through the Jack & Jackie Morrison Maintenance Fund.

Mayflower also seeks gifts for a “wish list” of Special Projects that enhance life for all residents. Heading into 2024, that list includes:

· Composting equipment and a process to combine Mayflower kitchens’ food waste with grounds’ material to produce rich soil.

· Renovations to the common areas (lounges, hallways, stairwells, etc.) in Montgomery, Buckley, Pearson, and Health Center lower level.

· Two easily accessible transportation vans to take Mayflower residents on various outings.

· Strength training equipment to complement other workout opportunities in the Obermiller Fitness Center.

Legacy Giving Exploration

Yes, “exploration” and not fundraising! Fulfill dreams you have for Mayflower and other favorite organizations. Discover how to impact beyond your lifetime without compromising personal or family needs.

Renewing the “Fellowship of Givers’ Dinner.”

A yearly tradition has been set aside for the past three years because of the pandemic. It was a joyous evening celebration of Mayflower supporters and all their gifts made possible.

There is more, but if we get these accomplished, Voila! Please let me hear from you at any time with your thoughts or questions.

New Year’s blessings!

Doug Lockin, CPA, Mayflower Gift Planning Specialist

515.210.6603 or dlockin@mayflowerhomes.com

Apartment Sales

The last few months have been busy in the Mayflower Sales Department, with 19 sales. Kellie McGriff and the team have been busy. Below are sold homes and apartments.

528 Broad St.

527 State St.

531 State St.

528 Mayflower Lane

916 1st Ave.

Altemeier 104

Altemeier 105

Buckley 101

Buckley 201

Buckley 209

Buckley 211

Buckley 215

Buckley 218

Buckley 308

Montgomery 10

Montgomery 11

Pearson 212

Watertower Square 103

Edwards 1

The Mayflower has no available apartments/homes at this time.

Happy New Year!

Sunday, Dec. 31, 6:30 pm

Kiesel Theater

The movie is followed by champagne or sparkling grape juice.

No RSVP, and no charge to residents

Friendly Persuasion with Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire. For two years, the Civil War has been elsewhere. Now, the Confederate forces are nearby, looting and burning. It is time to fight back, Jess Birdwell's neighbors insist. Yet, a Quaker, Birdwell knows there must be a better way to settle things. 137 minutes. English subtitles.

Kiesel Theatre Saturday Afternoon

Movies at 2:00 pm

January 6, Air Force One. It is a gripping thriller about a U.S. president who has just told the world that he will not negotiate with terrorists. Now Russian neo-nationalists have hijacked Air Force One, and the President is faced with a nearly impossible decision – give in to terrorists' demands or sacrifice the country's dignity and the lives of his wife and daughter.

1997, R, 125 Minutes, English subtitles

January 13, Brooklyn. A young Irish immigrant is navigating through 1950s Brooklyn. Although her initial homesickness soon leads to romance, when Ellis's life is disrupted by news from her hometown, she is forced to choose between two countries and two men on opposite sides of the world. Brooklyn is a warm and wonderful story about falling in love..and finding your way home. 2005, PG, 111 minutes, English subtitles.

January 20, Vertigo. Vertigo is a dreamlike thriller from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Set in San Francisco, the film creates a dizzying web of mistaken identity, passion, and murder after an acrophobic detective (James Stewart) rescues a mysterious blonde (Kim Novak) from the bay and must unravel the secrets of the past to find the key to his future. 1958, PG, two hr. eight min., English subtitles

January 27, High Crimes. Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd are sensational in this head-snapping chiller". Judd stars as a competent and sexy attorney whose perfect world comes crashing down when the FBI charges her husband Tom (Jim Caviezel) with the murder of innocent civilians during a covert Army operation fifteen years earlier. Aided by a shrewd ex-military layer (Freeman), Claire fights to clear Tom's name but gets too close to exposing a government cover-up. Now, she must risk her career – and even her life – to find the truth.

2002, PG 13, 115 minutes, English subtitles.

Armchair Travels

American Experience U.S., Illinois, Lincoln Assassination 1/4/2024
Nova Haiti, Deadliest Earthquakes 1/11/2024
Mayflower The Building of Watertower Square 1/11/2024
Iowa Public Television U.S., Pennsylvania, Gettysburg Horses 1/18/2024
George Bauer Mexico, Ancient & Colonial 1/18/2024
Dan Kearcher U.S., Iowa, Clear Lake, Independence, Ft Madison 1/18/2024
Rick Steves Spain, Andalucia, Gibraltar & Tangier 1/25/2024
Iowa Public Television U.S., Montana, A Blackfeet Encounter 1/25/2024
Iowa Public Television U.S., New York, Fort Niagara 1/25/2024

Coming in January to the Treasure Chest

Who in the world needs an Inkwell?

Well, that would be me.

I am always drawn to glass items in antique and thrift stores. Years ago, I started with a few clear glass items - I am partial to the classic sugar bowl and always looked for more. I found a glass inkwell among some other desk items, and I bought it just because it was clear glass! Later, I found similar ones, and when I ended up with four, I became a collector. I began using one of the inkwells on my desk to hold pens, pencils, paper clips, etc. It just was what it was meant to do, minus the actual ink.

An inkwell is a small jar or container made of various materials — such as porcelain, silver, pewter, brass, or metal — that holds ink for writers to dip their quills or pens into when writing a note, letter or other document. They often have hinged or other lids to keep the ink from evaporating.

I have discovered many different types of inkwells and inkstands in my searches. I have examples made of glass, ceramic, pottery, brass, bronze, pewter, silver, and wood. Some are small, some are large, some hold two or more inks, some are plain, some are painted, some are old, and some are new. Most of my inkwells date from the 1880s to the 1930s. Manufactured inkwells are more often reproductions of Victorian models, and I have some of those.

Fast forward to the present day, and you will see the result of my falling in love with inkwells in the bookcase in the Pearson office area after January 12, 2024.

Inkwells were essential when writing was accomplished using ink and a tool to make marks on papyrus or parchment. Ancient Egyptians and Chinese scribes used primitive inkwells or palettes made of stone or wood and wrote with reed or quill pens.

As literacy became more common, inkwells and quill pens remained small and functional and were commonly used through Medieval times. During the 1600s and 1800s, they became more decorative and were often marks of status made of expensive materials. Inkstands became common and very popular in Victorian times. An inkstand has one or more places where a pen can be stored, along with one or more containers for ink.

Dip pens with replaceable metal nibs were an early adaptation of the quill pen. As with the quill pen, they were dipped into ink for writing. Inkwells needed to be easily accessed with removable or hinged lids, as a dip pen could only write a line or two before needing to be dipped into the ink again.

After fountain pens with ink reservoirs were invented in 1884, the inkwell became an ink bottle repository. Additional changes in communication technology brought us the typewriter and the ballpoint pen, leaving the inkwell a thing of the past – and a collector’s passion.

Ann Igoe, Resident