SHERWOOD OAKS NEWSLETTER

December 2013 “For the residents, by the residents” Vol. XIV No. 12

Photos by Joe Asin & Sally Donnell

“I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus!”

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10. “Inspire the preparation of food to be less spicy and have less salt and sugar.”

Jere N.

11. “A new bus for trips that is bigger, quieter and handicap accessible.”

Kathleen S.

12. “A larger stage in the auditorium.”

Al S.

13. “Make us aware of other people's needs and the willingness to respond to them.”

Merle W.

14. “Provide a year's supply of Choco-late Moose Tracks ice cream.”

Ellie C.

15. “A winning Power Ball ticket.” Ruth B.

16. “The resources to open the Cranberry Lake Grill for daily dining.” Jim D.

“ All I want for Christmas is my ...”

1. “Provide mechanized carts for the housekeepers who have to push heavy carts up hills.”

Janet P.

2. “Supply all needed items for the paint-ing studio.”

George M.

3. “New lilac bushes to replace those which have been lost. They smell so good!”

John L.

4. “Tell Santa we don't need a thing. Give it to others.”

Jean G.

5. “A million dollars for the Subsidy Fund for those who run out of money.”

Ed V.

6. “More and quieter dining space.”

Bill and Leslie

7. “Bring kindness and understanding that will produce cheerful residents.”

Ann W.

8. “Inspire more programs like the one for Veterans Day...oh, and provide more time for the nurses in Skilled Nursing to eat.”

Kim G.

9. “Send us enough people to fill the pa-tio homes.”

Agnes P.

QUESTION: "WHAT GIFT WOULD YOU LIKE SANTA TO BRING TO SHERWOOD OAKS?"

...as collected by Elf Ellie C.

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RESIDENT CHRISTMAS PARTY DECEMBER 19

This year’s theme for the ever-so-popular resident Christmas party is a Season to Celebrate. The party will be held in the card room/auditorium on Thursday, December 19, 4:30-6 PM. There will be music, charm-ing decorations, an array of mouth watering appetizers and, most importantly, the com-pany of fellow residents. Save the date!

Bobbie Cleland

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 9 PM-12:30 AM

We are having a party at the Center!

Music by the Jeannie Allen Trio

Bingo ** 10 PM Buffet ** Dancing Hats & Noisemakers & Balloons

And of course—lots of fun and fellowship. Plan to join us and celebrate with our Sherwood Oaks friends. Bus transportation will be available.

* * *

12:00 Midnight Champagne Toast

Father Time and Baby New Year will make an appearance.

Tickets on sale December 15 at the recep-tion desk—$8.00 per person.

Bev Sanker

DECORATE THE CHRISTMAS TREES DECEMBER 3

Gather in the lobby at 10:00 AM.

Sally Hollister

UNDER THE STARS CHRISTMAS CONCERT

DECEMBER 3

Come one, come all -- to the auditorium on December 3 at 7:15 pm. to hear the chorus and handbells ring in the Christmas Sea-son. It will be a joyous time of ringing and singing, including audience participation.

Jean McLaughlin Bell Ringer

EGG NOG PARTY

DECEMBER 6

Friday night, December 6th, is drawing near and the Eggnog Committee is looking for-ward to seeing all of you at the annual party. We have all been busy with prepara-tions and decorations. We give a shout-out to Ken Mundell for his clever, re-vamped "save the date" letter and a Very Special Thanks to our unsung hero, Ed Alo, who produces our wonderful invitations. We shall see you on Friday when the doors open at 4:30 PM.

Pat Stephen

SORA QUARTERLY MEETING DECEMBER 10

7:15 PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

New residents will be introduced.

Holiday Happenings

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SANTA’S HELPERS by Jean Wasniewski

The Trolls and the Elves are just having a fit to see who can win over good ol' St. Nick.

They both want the job of helping Santa out, and you've never seen such a toss and a bout -

Of who would go with St. Nick to the pole; who would hammer the shoes to the soles,

or who would be cooking the candies and cakes; and both had a fight over all that it takes.

To be Santa's helpers, there was no doubt;

both want the job of helping Santa out. The Elves are good at hammering and tapping,

while the Trolls are perfect for snapping and cracking.

The Elves can drive sleds loaded with toys; they are quite light and make little noise.

The Trolls are much stronger and drive sleds all night; but at times they will stop to start a loud fight.

While the Trolls, for example, are up to their tricks,

the Elves are good workers, really pleasing St. Nick. Both are so good with whatever they undertake,

that St. Nick in a quandary begins to rave and to shake.

He decides to consult the Grand Wizard King, to see if he can help suggest anything.

The Grand Wizard King says, "You have a dilemma, I'll call on my friend, the great Mr. Schlemmer."

As Santa tells his story to both Schlemmer and King,

the Grand Wizard listens and begins wondering. "I know we can help; it's a question of time,

setting matters straight without losing our minds.

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What if we give them a task to perform, and see who is better; so don't look forlorn.

We'll figure it out, my dear ol' St. Nick, because we all know this might do the trick.

A contest to see which are men, which are mouses. May the best one win and we'll throw out the louses.

Call both Trolls and Elves - send them all in. I have an idea now, so let us begin.

We'll give them two houses to build and we'll see

which one is better; they'll never fool me." So they set out to build their houses so fine.

The Elves, all excited, came up behind.

They worked and hammered, painted and then sent for the Grand Wizards' house inspector men.

The inspectors were shocked when, much to their surprise, the Trolls' house was perfect but a big mess inside.

The Elves' house the same, only the reverse was true -

outside, a shamble, inside, perfect and brand new. The Elves can't carry heavy lumber and stone;

the Trolls can't decorate or make pots of their own.

The wise old Wizard says, "This is so simple for me, together we need both their talents, you see."

The Elves are good at hammering and tapping, while the Trolls are perfect for snapping and cracking.

So Santa decided to take both Troll and Elves, as they fit the bill perfect in spite of themselves;

so together they made a very good team to fill all the stockings and every child's dream.

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SEW & SO'S If you think SEW & SO'S is just a group of little old ladies clicking their knitting needles and complaining of their latest aches and pains...think again! We are about a dozen women who get together every Friday afternoon to turn in the latest items that we have made and sometimes exchange stories about our latest exciting adventures here at Sher-wood Oaks. Some bring knitted or cro-cheted caps for kids of all ages. Some bring blankets or small caps for newborn babies at Children's Hospital. These blankets are absolutely beautiful, all made with love in every stitch. Some people, who do not come to the Friday meetings, contribute and some contributors don't even live at Sherwood Oaks: a daughter of a resident or a friend of a resident, as well as a group of wom-en from a church outside of Cranberry Township. Everyone helps our cause. Do we knit BLANKETS FOR BRIDGES? No, we knit for real, live kids, from new-born infants to high school kids. It is a good feeling to know that our efforts will be helping a needy child. So far this year we have collected 624 caps and 25 blankets. I am proud to be a part of this group of women.

Mae DeVore

CAPS FOR KIDS This program was first promoted at Sher-wood Oaks by resident Ginny Newcom-er, who had a friendship with people in Zelienople who introduced it to her. The following is from a flyer circulated by Huckestein Printers in that town. "Help us with our community project of providing "Caps for Kids" again this year. There are so many children out there with cold heads and hands. We need you to donate your scrap yarns, time and finished project to make some child warmer this winter. In the past several thousand caps were donated to kids all over the country. Last year, we set the goal at fifty caps and/or mittens. Thanks to the generosity of our customers and their friends, we received 326 caps/ mittens/scarves. When you have completed your pro- ject, bring it in. We will tag it and dis play them later in the year before we donate them in December." Once upon a time…

…in the early years of Sherwood Oaks, there was a sewing room where the computer lab and a part of the library are now. That room held a large cutting table, several sewing machines, a large weaving loom and a cabinet filled with fabric, thread, buttons, etc. The room was open to all residents during the week and once a week, there was a gathering of menders, knitters, crochet-ers and quilters, led by Priscilla Patton.

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When the building was renovated, the room was eliminated and the group dis-banded. Some five or so years ago, residents Ginny Newcomer and Nancy Mooney, avid knitters, moved to Personal Care. A few of us began to meet with them once a week to learn from them and enjoy their company. We named ourselves "Sew and So" and announced that any-one who wanted to join us was most welcome. The group has grown from four or five to as many as ten or twelve, not always the same people every week, but a dedicated group. Some make blan-kets for the Linus Project, some make prayer shawls for church ministries, some make caps and blankets for new-borns at Children's Hospital, and now and then someone works on projects for grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Agnes Peebles

Note: The Sew and So group is the re-cipient of a wealth of knitting yarn which is stored away now for any and all knitters, those in the group and those secret knitters who work at home. The yarn is a variety of colors, weights and size of skeins. To tap into the mother lode, contact Agnes Peebles (8324) and access the gold mine!

BAKE SALE

Preliminary proceeds of the Bake Sale were $1400. Buyers were waiting for the doors to open at 7:45 AM. The tables were chock full of all kinds of food and other kitchen items. With the upcoming holidays, buyers snapped up the food and gift items and hostess gifts.

Ten men made a variety of soup, candy, cake, bread, chili, nuts and cranberry relish. John U. Davis was the roving Host Chef of the day.

“Petey” Ehrenberger donated a water-color of a Sherwood Oaks winter scene. The high silent bid was $35.00 and won by Mary McCrea.

Leading up to the Bake Sale, Ralph Peabody created a cooking tableau in the lobby using antique cooking items and his 1910 Fanny Farmer cooking magazine: collections to pique the reviewer’s curiosity.

The Committee acknowledges gifts in kind from Cura Hospitality, John U. Davis and Jane Paul.

Committee Members were:

Rita Pinyot Harriet Burress Agnes Peebles Ruth Risch Kelley Noble Jane Paul Ginny Anguish Jeri Tyson Betty Polley Ann Tomlinson Sally Donnell Dorothy Dean Beni Downing

Linda Mamaux Chair

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ELAINE HARTSWICK 281

Interviewed by Betty Eichler

It was almost like a reunion when Elaine Harts-wick came to Sherwood Oaks – she knows so many people here already. She has friends and acquaintances here from her days as an educator and through the Hiland Presbyterian Church, where she has been a member all her adult life and is still very active. Elaine grew up along the Mon in Elizabeth, PA. She attended Slippery Rock State College where she studied health and physical educa-tion. There she met Don Hartswick whom she married soon after graduation. She says he was "the best thing I got at Slippery Rock". She first taught in West Mifflin Elementary School, then taught five-year-old pre-kindergarten at Hiland Pre-School. She did post-graduate work in early childhood educa-tion at the University of Pittsburgh. Don was also an educator who moved into ad-ministration, serving as assistant superinten-dent for North Allegheny School District, then as superintendent for Trinity School District and also the Washington (PA) School District. The family lived in McCandless Township in the same home for forty-seven years. Elaine loves music and is a member of the North Hills Women’s Chorale, which performs at various locations throughout the region. She says, "I’ve been singing since I was nine years old." She also enjoys playing hand bells and has just started to play with the bell choir here at Sherwood Oaks. She volunteered in an after school tutoring program for elementary stu-dents at Anchorpoint (formerly known as North Hills Youth Ministry). She and Don were also active in the Stephen Ministry program at Hiland Presbyterian Church, regularly visiting homebound members to keep them connected with the Church. Don was one of the leaders of that program.

Elaine and Don shared an interest in garden-ing and she left behind a yard full of beautiful flowers. They loved flowering bulbs, especial-ly dahlias – the large dinner plate size. How-ever, after Don’s death, it was difficult for Elaine to keep up with all the work of mow-ing, tending the flowers and raking leaves. Elaine has a life-long interest in health and fitness and also cooking – she loves to make soups. But, she says, cooking is not always compatible with her health and fitness goals! She is already engaged in a fitness program here and is grateful for Bill Burtner’s guid-ance. She loves to read "just about any-thing", and is eager to explore our library. The Hartwicks raised a son and a daughter, Tim and Donel. Tim didn’t want to be known as the son of a teacher and the superinten-dent of schools, but Donel took advantage of the connections whenever she had an oppor-tunity. Both children inherited Elaine’s love of music and both participated in band and cho-rus in school. They both played in the Ameri-can Youth Symphony, although not at the same time due to the difference in their ages. Elaine and Don had the opportunity to be chaperones for several trips to multiple coun-tries in Europe. They especially enjoyed be-ing in Holland, where they stayed in peoples’ homes and developed lasting friendships. Many students they met there came to visit in the United States. "It was a wonderful cultur-al experience for our children and for us." Both Tim and Donel and their families live in Ohio, "not too far away". Although Elaine came to Sherwood Oaks of-ten to visit Madelin Clements, with whom she has had a close friendship since they were students at Slippery Rock, she wanted to visit other retirement communities as well. She did careful research, but didn’t find any place she liked as well as Sherwood Oaks. We thank Madelin for her part in Elaine’s deci-sion and welcome Elaine as our new neigh-bor and friend.

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WHAT’S NEW WITH SORA?

Reports and actions at the November SORA Board meeting included: Treasurers’ Reports – October contribu-tions to the Employee Appreciation Fund totaled more than $30,000. The Vanguard ETF stock fund experienced an excellent month, with a $25,000 gain. Liaison Reports Energy Conservation and Recycling – Sher-wood Oaks has applied to become qualified and recognized as a Healthy Cranberry Business. We expect to qualify by January 1, 2014. A request was made to install motion sensitive lights in the trash rooms of the Lakeside Apartments. Other lighting issues were discussed in hopes of Sherwood Oaks becoming more environmentally efficient. Welcoming Committee – The quarterly Wel-coming Dinners will begin at 5:15 PM, follow-ing a social gathering beginning at 4:45 PM. The next reception and dinner for new resi-dents will be held on Tuesday, December 10, in the card room. The new residents will be formally introduced and welcomed at the Quarterly Meeting at 7:15 PM that evening in the auditorium. Trips and Tours – Three Christmas-oriented trips will take place in December. The trip to Light-Up Night on the Gateway Clipper is sold out. A trip to Ogelbay Park, on Decem-ber 4, will include dinner and a tour of the Festival of Lights. An evening at the Strand Theater for a USO Musical is planned for December 13. There may be a 3 day/2 night trip to Niagara on the Lake in May, 2014. Dining Services – 20 new servers were hired this year. They usually begin as high school juniors and work for two years until gradua-tion and through the following summer.

Maintenance Committee – Installation of a hand rail in front of the handicapped park-ing area was approved and additional handicapped issues were discussed. A map will be prepared to show the full ex-tent of the work involved with the dredging project at the retention pond (upper lake). Management Report – Mark Bondi re-ported that there were eleven move-ins between July 1 and October 31, with three more scheduled for November. Occupan-cy in each area of the Health Center is about 90%. The new home construction is on track for completion in late December. The Master Plan Task Force, at a recent meeting, generated an idea that will be explored and developed in more detail. It involves extension of several existing fire lanes to provide access to some of the less accessible areas of the campus. These extensions might be used to pro-vide bus access and/or access to garages integral to some patio homes. The recon-figuration of some existing patio homes to include garages would not substantially change the appearance of the campus and would address a major need on the campus. New Business – Audit Committee Chair-person Betty Cecil read the report, which included audits of the Operating Fund, Sherwood Gifts, the Memorial/Special Projects Fund, and the Employee Appre-ciation Fund. Motion carried to accept the report. It was also noted that Tom Shep-ard was appointed Assistant Treasurer for Sherwood Gifts, to work with Treasurer Ken Mundell.

Betty Eichler

Reporter

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Working together, PLCC, SORA and SOF provide the life style which the founders en-visioned and Sherwood Oaks residents ex-pect and enjoy daily.

Henry Herchenroether

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SHERWOOD GIFTS

It is December and Sherwood Gifts is dec-orated for the holidays. The shelves are stocked with lots of items for gifts. Small flashlights and erasable pens for writing on newspaper stock make nice stocking stuff-ers. The fruitcakes are here. Pecans have arrived just in time for your baking. You will find a large selection of boxed Christmas cards. Don’t forget to peruse the jewelry cases where the holiday jewelry is dis-played. One of the cases will be featuring discounted new jewelry that will make love-ly holiday gifts. The winter winds will soon be blowing; so check out our selection of scarves. For those with cell phones and tablets, we have fingerless gloves to keep your hands warm while the snow flies. A new item in the card selection this year is a holiday card made especially for Sher-wood Oaks. The cards will be sold individu-ally. They feature the aerial picture of the campus made into a greeting card with the message inside “Happy Holidays!” Perfect for those special people on your holiday card list. Sherwood Gifts is a friendly place. Stop in and visit. If you cannot find what you are looking for, tell the cashiers and we will at-tempt to get it for you. From all the volun-teers at Sherwood Gifts, we wish you - - - “A joyful Holiday Season”.

Juanita Manley

THE SHERWOOD OAKS TRIO

In the late 1970s, a few people got together to plan a senior retirement community in Western Pennsylvania. They formed them-selves into two committees: one committee to find a site and do all the things needed to design, build and finance the project; the other committee to plan the day to day op-eration of the community and the involve-ment of the residents in community life. The first committee became the Pittsburgh Lifetime Care Community, a Pennsylvania nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation which registered the name Sherwood Oaks. The other committee became the Sherwood Oaks Residents Association, another Penn-sylvania nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation, we know as SORA. In 2003 the Boards of Directors of PLCC and SORA approved the creation of the Sherwood Oaks Fund, a third Pennsylvania nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation. The pur-pose of The Fund is to benefit Sherwood Oaks by engaging in fundraising activities that support the capital and operational activities on the Sherwood Oaks campus. Soon after The Fund was created, The Fund board began the fundraising cam-paign to build the Oak Grove Center and to renovate and enlarge the Skilled Nursing facility. SORA moved the Employee Schol-arship restricted fund to The Fund for man-agement. The Fund has no unrestricted money to apply to other campus projects. Sherwood Oaks residents are officers and/or directors of each of the corporations: PLCC, three residents of the nine directors; SORA, twelve residents of twelve officers and directors; Sherwood Oaks Fund, four residents of nine directors, including one independent director.

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Photos by Joe Asin

NEW CONSTRUCTION

10/30/13 10/30/13

11/11/13

11/11/13 11/11/13

11/11/13

If I had a hammer…

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Worth the Time By Ed Vidt

Ship of Gold Gary Kinder (910.4 Kin) This book details an enormously complex adventure in treasure hunting in the Atlan-tic Ocean. About the same time as the wreck of the Titanic was found and then explored, another ship’s Atlantic grave was being searched for. The Titanic was of interest, of course, but the approxi-mately 1.5 million dollars worth of gold (an 1857 value!) in a ship lost in a fierce hurricane, was of far, far more interest. Several salvage groups, including one fi-nanced by the trustees of Columbia Uni-versity, are competing in this fascinating true-life tale. The World of Winslow Homer Thomas Flexner (759.1 Fle) The Time-Life Library of Art is part of Sherwood Oaks’ wonderful collection of large size books. The Winslow Homer volume presents some of the greatest wa-tercolor art ever by an American. It begins with Homer’s work for Ballou’s Pictorial, a Boston weekly magazine and continues to some of the most magnificent paintings ever created. Enjoy the collection of stun-ningly beautiful art. Centennial James A. Michner (F Mic) The way the West was won (and some-times lost), starting with dinosaurs and

ending with cows and sheep. Indians and beautiful maidens provided life and death to British dukes and buffalo hunters along the way. It has wheat, railroads, gold and lost rivers, all tangled up with how real people used and misused them. An en-gaging read!

CURIO CABINETS

Continue to enjoy the Let's Celebrate dis-play until Tuesday, January 7th. Serving on the Curio Cabinet Committee has given me an opportunity to get better acquainted with residents when they bring items to be displayed. For instance, did you know that Mamie Petroff has been working with ceramics for at least ten years and has made more than twen-ty nativity sets for family and friends…that Carol Caum could have completely filled one of the cabinets with antiques she has collected over the years…that Henry Herchenroether served on the Salvation Army's Advisory Committee for 50 years…that Barbara and Bob Ronksley bought that beautiful wooden nativity set in Bethlehem while touring Israel in 1996? Every item in the cabinets has a story. On January 9, 2014, the display theme will be Non-Political Tea Party; think about anything you might have that you would use for a tea party --- cups and saucers, tea pots, candy and cookie dish-es, flowers, etc. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Fran Borrebach

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BOOK REVIEW

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it," wrote Santayana. If you want an historical perspective on the current gridlock in Washington, you might want to read Jon Meacham's book. He provides a summary of our country's first years that includes a telling description of the hotly contested struggles for domi-nance among our country's founding fa-thers, a contest that has continued off and on down to our own time. Meacham covers Jefferson's remarkable life and career that place him as, perhaps, the most gifted leader of our nation's early years. He masterfully draws the reader in-to the contests that determined the kind of country we would become. Above all else Meacham provides a healthy balance be-tween extolling Jefferson's intellectual and political genius and acknowledging his very human foibles. More than any of the founding fathers, Jefferson, a Republican and a deist, advo-cated a broadly based democracy with checks and balances that limited the pow-ers of elected officials. In contrast, Alexan-der Hamilton, a Federalist and Jefferson's chief protagonist, advocated for a monar-chial government modeled on Great Brit-ain's. With Washington and John Adams caught in the middle, it was Jefferson's view that finally prevailed. As President, Jefferson engineered the Louisiana Purchase with France in 1803 which doubled the geographical size of the new country and transformed it into a potential international power.

Lest we idealize Jefferson beyond all re-ality, the author presents this American icon realistically and explores his earthy humanity and moral weaknesses. It sur-prised me to learn that Jefferson's brief time as governor of Virginia was thought to be a political failure and that later he ambitiously pursued personal power, basking in the acclamation that came with his political successes. When it came to slavery, Jefferson was ambivalent. In theory, he believed it was evil. During his lifetime, however, he, owning over 200 slaves, compromised his convictions and made peace with it. Late in life he acknowledged that, if the republic was to long survive, the slavery issue would have to be resolved by fu-ture generations. Thirty-four years after his death, the war between the states of-ficially, if not realistically, settled slavery at the cost of 620,000 lives. Jefferson kept his promise to his wife, Martha, that he would not marry after her death. As a widower, he fell into several illicit relationships with married women. With his slave, Sally Hemings, he fa-thered five children. It's no surprise that, from beginning to end, I found the book well written, histori-cally enlightening and fascinating in de-tail. I recommend it to anyone interested in our country's early history. Brown Uni-versity professor, Gordon Wood, praises it as "probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson ever written". I wouldn't argue the point.

Bill Paul

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Descent from Glory: Four Generations of the John Adams Family Paul C. Nagel © 1983. 929.2/NAG Everyday Life in Bible Times ©2000. 220.9/EVE The First American: The Life… Benjamin Franklin H.W. Brands ©2000. Bio/FRA Five Days at Memorial Sheri Fink ©2013. 551.55/FIN Great Recipes for Good Health ©1988. 641.5/GRE Isaac Bashevis Singer: An Album Edited by Ilan Stavans ©2004. Bio/SIN James Madison: A Biography Ralph Ketcham ©1990. Bio/MAD Monet's Table: The Cooking... Claire Joyes ©1989. 641.59/JOY Ninety Percent of Everything Rose George ©2013. 388.044/GEO Physics for Future Presidents Richard A. Muller ©2008. 530/MUL Robert Frost: A Biography Jeffrey Meyers ©1996. Bio/FRO The Seamstress: A Memoir of Survival Sara Tuvel Bernstein ©1997. Bio/BER The Smithsonian Book of Books Michael Olmert ©1992. 726.6/OLM The Tender Soldier Vanessa M. Gezari ©2013. 958/GEZ The Tenth Parallel Eliza Griswold ©2010. 297.2/GRI Thomas Jefferson's Monticello ©2005. 975/THO A Tribute to Roger Latham Ann Jenkins ©2009. 508.092/JEN Tyrannosaurus Lex Rod L. Evans ©2012. 793.734/EVA Decorating with Wreaths, Garlands, Topiaries and Bouquets Carol Endler Sterbenz © 1993. 745.92/STE Year Zero: A History of 1945 Ian Buruma ©2013. 940.53/BUR Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth Reza Aslan ©2013 AUDIO AND VISUAL: A Classic Christmas Ed Sullivan ©2000. 782.42/SUL/A.V.

COLETTA MCKENRY LIBRARY ACCESSIONS

FICTION INCLUDING LARGE TYPE: The Age of Innocence Edith Wharton © 1997.F/WHA The Best American Short Stories Stephen King © 2007.F/KIN Bright Star Gene Jannuzi © 1997.F/JAN Four Freedoms John Crowley © 2009.F/CRO The Goldfinch Donna Tartt © 2013.F/TAR The House I Loved Tatiana DeRosnay © 2012.F/DeR Identical Scott Turow © 2013.F/TUR Night Film Marisha Pessl © 2013.F/PES Nightwoods Charles Frazier © 2011.F/FRA The Ophelia Cut John Lescroart © 2013.F/LES/L.T. The Portable Hawthorne Malcolm Cowley © 1948.808.83/COW The Quest Nelson DeMille © 2013.F/DeM The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion © 2013.F/SIM The Signature of All Things Elizabeth Gilbert © 2013.F/GIL The Sixth Man David Baldacci © 2011.F/BAL Songs of Willow Frost Jamie Ford © 2013.F/FOR The Striker Clive Cussler © 2013.F/CUS/L.T.

Thankless in Death

J.D. Robb © 2013.F/ROB

NON-FICTION, INCLUDING BIOGRAPHIES: The Civilization of the Middle Ages Norman F. Cantor ©1993. 940.1/CAN Command and Control Eric Schlosser ©2013. 363.17/SCH The Complete Book of Herbs Lesley Bremnes ©1988. 635.7/BRE Conran's Basic Book of Home Gardening Stefan Buczacki ©1988. 635/BUC

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Women's Bible Study First and third Mondays

10:45-11:45 AM

Men's Bible Study Weekly, Wednesdays

10:00-11:00 AM

CHAPEL NOTES December 1, the day this issue of The Acorn arrives, is the first day of Advent on the Christian liturgical calendar. These weeks of Advent are filled with many activities - shopping, card-writing, parties and preparations for family gath-erings. We invite you to take a respite and join neighbors for worship in the au-ditorium, Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM. Leading the services during December are the following clergy: Dec. 1 - The Rev. Larry Ruby, Hiland Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh Dec. 8 - The Rev. Paul Cooper, New Life Anglican Church, Mars Dec. 15 - The Rev. William Dambaugh, North Hills United Presbyterian Church Dec. 22 - The Rev. Deane Lavender, Sherwood Oaks Dec. 29 - Our traditional service of Lessons and Carols, led by residents.

Agnes Peebles

Holy Communion, Episcopal Rite 1st Tuesday of the month

11:00 AM

Quaker Meeting for Worship Fourth Sunday of the month

10:30-11:30 AM

IN MEMORIAM

The special people who cross our paths in this life make the

journey more beautiful.

Patricia Schaper October 20, 2013

Marion Bryan October 31, 2013

Barbara Blackstone October 31, 2013

Phyllis Weigel November 13, 2013

Elizabeth Ridl November 18, 2013

ACTIVITIES IN THE CHAPEL

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NEW RESIDENT Elaine Hartswick

SALUTE TO SHERWOOD OAKS’ VETERANS NOVEMBER 11, 2013

The Acorn Co-Editors Ruth Becker

ruthbb@zoominternet.net Sally Donnell

donnells@zoominternet.net Profile Coordinator

Marianne Davis marianne.davis@zoominternet.net

Production Editor Tabby Alford

alfordtl@sherwood-oaks.com Staff Photographers

Joe Asin, Ed Borrebach Ex Officio

Mark Bondi bondi@sherwood-oaks.com

January deadline is December 13.

Joe Asin

Ed Borrebach