Lots of love shared around Valentine’s Day events
Valentine celebrations were with us all week. We started off at the Leon Mathieu Senior Center on Monday.
Monday morning is Wendy’s day to visit the center. As our visit was ending, we were reminded that the garden club under the direction of Annette would be making hand lotion for Valentine Day. Annette had collected lavender branches from the center garden at the end of the flowering season and dried them out at her home. She then made lavender accentual oils with them. She purchased a jar of unscented lotion and small contains. We each took a container, filled it with the lotion and then added the lavender oil and mixed it together. We then wrapped the container in a valentine mess and red ribbons. We ended up with a great smelling hand lotion that we could give as a gift or keep for ourselves. Wendy spent most of her time under the table, I think the lavender smell relaxed her.
Valentine’s Day was my exercise day at the center. Just as we were finishing our class, we were surprised by the Community Policing Unit of the Pawtucket Police Department with what turned out to be a full Valentine party. We had heard they were going to stop by with coffee but never expected what they did. We were treated with yogurt cups, tiramisu, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, cake, and sandwiches. All thanks to Hazel Origin Coffee. It didn’t stop there. The police officers had gifts for everyone. Each gift bag was a little different. Mine included a stuff animal (a little dog), valentine marshmallow cookies, a bag of mix of candy, and three Valentine Day cards. Others included chocolate roses. The gifts were Donated by Darlington Early Childhood Center, and the cards were made by members of the community.
We also had a very special guest join us, K9 Watson, Pawtucket’s police therapy dog, and his handler Sargeant Lefebvre. Watson was his usual super friendly dog giving everyone some love and poising with everyone for a special picture. Watson was not the only one who had his picture taken the ladies wanted pictures with the police officers too. There was a lot of love in the room that day.
We didn’t get to stop at Fallon on Valentine’s Day because the school had no heat and was closed. Wendy had Valentine’s Day cards for her friends, so we headed over to school on Thursday. When I told them I was sorry they were a day late they told me not to worry they did their in-class cards late too. The kids seem to get a big kick out of getting a card from Wendy.
Friday was our last celebration day. We started off at Fallon celebrating the attendance records of the school’s children. Over 190 students had not been absent more than 4 days since the start of school. The students that were getting their certificates were called down to the main area by grades and were presented their certificates. The group then had their picture taken with their certificates and Wendy. It was a fun time, and we were happy to be part of it. Attendance is so important to the learning process. We hope at the end of the next semester we have even more students getting certificates.
As soon as it was over, we headed back to the center for their annual Valentine Day party. We were late but we still had enough time to enjoy the refreshments and the music. Our friends knew we were going to be late, so they saved us a seat. Wendy was a bit tired, but she still managed to give some love to everyone.
Have a great week and if you see us “Around Town” be sure to say Hi!