Cindy's Job At The Birch Street Nursing Home

Because of the illness and the recent deaths at the Birch Street Nursing Home, I wanted to do something to cheer up the remaining patients for Halloween. So I stopped by the store on my way in and picked up some candy. However, most of the patients were not feeling up to celebrating. When I got to Hazel's room, she was in her usual spot by the window, but there was a terrible smell and Hazel was not looking good. Mrs. Lieberman was the only patient out of bed, so I asked her to check on Hazel. After a few moments, she came back and told me that Hazel was dead, and probably had been for at least a day. I called the head nurse from the office to give her the news. She didn't answer, so I left her a message, and then went back to doing my rounds. Though Mrs. Henley was not feeling good enough to get out of bed, she was feeling good enough to eat some candy. When she saw that my pumpkin pail was still nearly full, she offered to eat whatever candy the other patients didn't want. I left the pail on her bedside table.

Grandmother Winsome's Birthday Message

Kiddies, I just want to thank you for all the birthday wishes. And yes, I am having a great day. I took a nice long walk this morning, disposed of a little evidence along the way, and now I am back at Winsome Headquarters, enjoying a big piece of chocolate cake.

A Halloween Tip From Grandmother Winsome

Because of the ongoing pandemic, do not let trick-or-treaters reach into your bowl of candy this year. Instead, make them stand several feet away from your porch and throw the candy at them from your door.

Grandmother Winsome's Legal Advice: Halloween 2020 Edition

Kiddies, be aware that there will be a full moon this Halloween. Your nighttime activities will run a greater risk of being seen because the sky will be brighter.

An Update From Winsome Headquarters

Kiddies, the coronavirus pandemic continues to be a problem, and there was even an outbreak at Cindy's school that led to its closure. But on the bright side, having Cindy at Winsome Headquarters with me the last few weeks has really been a bit of good fortune. In fact, with her help I was able to finish one of my experiments nearly a week ahead of schedule. Some of the results have been surprising. Who would have thought that squirrels, even those deprived of sleep, could detect the presence of tiny amounts of mercury on acorns and walnuts?

Fanny Mail: A Grave Concern In San Jose

This morning I received an email from Denise Jones-Martinez of San Jose, California. Denise writes: "Dear Grandmother Winsome, recently my wife's favorite aunt died, and we are worried about grave robbers. We've had a couple of family plots disturbed before, and this seems like a year for grave robbing, particularly now as Halloween is approaching. How can we make sure Aunt Guadalupe rests in peace?"

Well, Denise, I recommend purchasing one of those little doorbell cameras and placing it on the headstone. You can monitor any graveyard activity from your smart phone. The better doorbell cameras include speakers so you can scare away any intruders from the comfort of your home, and know that Aunt Guadalupe will have a restful Halloween.

Cindy's Job At The Birch Street Nursing Home

This morning I was sad to find that most of the patients at the Birch Street Nursing Home were sick in bed. Mrs. Kunkle wasn't feeling good enough to do even a single round of touching all the windows and light switches. When I was distributing the medicine, Mrs. Patterson shouted at me from her bed to close her door. She said that if the door was left open, Mrs. Shimshack could get in more easily and steal her away, like she did with Mr. Oliveras and Mrs. Lowe. I explained to her that Mrs. Shimshack has been dead for seven years, and now so are Mr. Oliveras and Mrs. Lowe. But I still closed the door on my way out of her room. I hope everyone is feeling better by Halloween.

A Halloween Tip From Grandmother Winsome

 

 

Kiddies, because of the pandemic, remember to disinfect the headstones before doing your gravestone rubbings this year.

Cindy's Job At The Birch Street Nursing Home

I learned there was more sad news at the Birch Street Nursing Home. Mrs. Lieberman told me that Mrs. Lowe died Wednesday evening. The other patients weren't feeling up for poker today, and most of them stayed in bed. When I was doing my rounds distributing the medicine, Mrs. Henley told me Mrs. Lowe died of a broken heart, but now she and Mr. Oliveras are able to dance together again. She then asked me to make her a cup of tea to help soothe her throat. I ended up making several pots of tea, because Mrs. Macmillan and Mr. Pearlman were also coughing a lot. The head nurse left a note for me to call back the local newspaper to change the classified ad to say there are now two vacancies.

A Halloween Tip From Grandmother Winsome

Remember, your coronavirus mask does not constitute a Halloween costume, so don't expect to get any candy if you're not willing to put in more of an effort.

Edward's Traveling Haunted House

I have once again refitted my ice cream truck for Halloween, turning it into a frightening haunted house. I know that parents are concerned about their children's safety this Halloween because of the pandemic, but I want to assure everyone that I will be thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting my traveling haunted house after each child exits. And only one child will be in the vehicle with me at a time. So no one should have any worries.

Grandmother Winsome's Tips For Better Living

Kiddies, these days lots of people are having to move out of their homes because of unemployment, and you may have friends or family who are in the process of moving. But remember, with the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, you have the perfect excuse to avoid helping them with their move.

Cindy's Job At The Birch Street Nursing Home

There was sad news today at the Birch Street Nursing Home. When I arrived, I found a few of the patients gathered in Mrs. Lowe's room. Mrs. Lowe was sobbing. I asked her what was wrong, but that made her cry harder. Mrs. Lieberman then took me aside and told me that Mr. Oliveras had died on Thursday. I was surprised because last week Mr. Oliveras said he was certain he'd be feeling better for the next poker game. I made a pot of tea for Mrs. Lowe and for the other patients who were feeling down. Because of the sad news, I told the patients I would complete today's list of chores myself. In addition to the usual tasks, the head nurse had included two extras – putting the vacancy sign out front by the road and placing an ad in the local newspaper's classified section.

Cindy's Remote Learning

I wrapped up my first week of homeschooling here at Winsome Headquarters, and I learned a lot. Late this morning, Grandmother had me close my computer and help her in her laboratory. She taught me that mixing certain chemicals works to remove blood stains from burlap.

Another Surprise At School

This morning at school there was an announcement that all students were to gather their books and other belongings to take home. There was a coronavirus outbreak, and several students and a couple of teachers are sick. Looks like I'll be homeschooling at Winsome Headquarters for a while.

Cindy's Job At The Birch Street Nursing Home

Today when I arrived at the Birch Street Nursing Home, I saw that Mrs. Lieberman had set up only one poker table in the activity room. She told me that Mrs. Lowe, Mr. Oliveras and Mrs. Henley wouldn't be joining us because they were sick in bed. It just wasn't the same without them, and whenever there was a break in the action, I took some tea up to their rooms. Mr. Oliveras said he was certain they'd all be feeling better for next week's game. During one of the hands today, Mrs. Lieberman asked me how my school poker club was going. I was happy to tell her that I got three new members this week. That meant more lunch money in the pot for each game.

Grandmother Winsome's Tips For Better Living

Kiddies, before you rent a cabin deep in the woods, be sure to read the rental agreement carefully. There may be a hefty cleaning fee for scrubbing the blood from the wood floors.