Volunteer visitor to senior citizens

Sometimes the above photo shows how I feel when I think of seniors stuck in a nursing or retirement home and who have no visitors.
I am posting this to give other bloggers an idea about a volunteer opportunity.
I am a senior citizen myself and have long heard about people living in retirement homes who have no visitors and are lonely. That sounds SAD beyond reflection to me.

For the year 2016 I decided to find a lonely person in one of those homes who I could visit and bring my version of sparkle and joy to. I have a nice collection of fun socks to wear, and bought these for one of the ladies I visit.

You can find a person to visit through your church, or through a volunteer center in your county or city. I signed up with a county program, was fingerprinted, interviewed, and sent to a retirement/memory care home. I think memory care is a upbeat way of saying Alzheimers or Dementia.
The neatest thing happened. The activities director introduced me to two ladies. One had a stroke and can't talk, and the other lady is active in all ways, and deals with Parkinsons disease successfully.
For the lady who had a stroke I bought some fun children's books and read them to her. Her favorite which she points to is about teddy bears and picnics. Since she visited Africa some years ago I bought a book about animals of Africa and she likes this book too.
The other gal and I do some volunteer work in the home's library, putting the books back on the shelves in the right places, and adding new books. We also sit and chat, I help her with her laptop, and we check on the two tomato and cucumber plants they let her grow. Last week she gave me a hug and said thank you for coming, you are a bright spot in my day. I said that she is a bright spot in my day too. Today I surprised her with the socks, and she said she had been wishing for some like this. She put them on and showed them to two people while I was visiting.
Let's spread the joy around.
"We can not all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love." Mother Theresa.

Book beginnings, Linnea in Monet's Garden

"Just think - I've been in a famous artist's garden! And I've been in Paris!"
These are the first 2 sentences from this gorgeous children's book.
I am joining in on Book beginnings where we share the first sentence or two from a book.
"Linnea in Monet's Garden" is written for the 4 to 10 year old set, and all ages can enjoy it. The author is Christina Bjork and the artist is Lena Anderson. This colorful edition is the one I recommend and was published in 2012 as the 25th anniversary edition by Sourcebooks / Jabberwocky.
A girl of about 8 travels to France with her friend Mr. Bloom to have the adventure of seeing the gardens at Giverny, created by Claude Monet.
The colors in this book sing right off the page and it is a real spirit lifter.
I purchased this book to read to an older lady who has dementia. I am a volunteer visitor at an assisted living and memory care home, and she smiles when I read.
I am linking to Rose City Reader

Wordless Wednesday Camellias at Church and Retirement Volunteer

I took these photos of camellias growing at our church on February 5, 2016.

I saw this camellia on Sunday and couldn't resist bringing my camera with me a few days later to take photos to share with you blog friends.
Linking with Wordless Wednesday

I am starting my new volunteer path, being a visitor to one or two ladies at a retirement home. One I met on Wednesday February 24 and one I will meet today, March 2. I am looking forward to this new venture, and any tips you have on visiting with retirees in assisted living are greatly appreciated by me. The activity director said the gal I will meet today might enjoy me reading short stories to her.
I have a great book of compiled poems, "Poems to Learn by Heart", edited by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of JFK, that could work.
Any other ideas?

New books for me and retirement reading

Retirement has many things to recommend it and leisure time for reading is one of those things.
Last year I discovered my newest favorite author, Anthony Trollope, and in retirement I have time to enjoy reading his books, with plots which include love interests, the lives of humble people and nobility, people in love who are separated and yearn to marry, kind people and nasty people and many more themes. I read 9 of his books last year which is a real treat.
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I do buy books at a faster rate than I can read them, but it is a good feeling to stock up. Sort of like a squirrel gathering nuts.
Here are the ten books I added to our shelves within the period of a week. All are paper copies unless otherwise noted.
1-3.The first three books by Michael Dibdin, starring police detective Aurelio Zen. I read the first one right away, Ratking, which begins as Zen is a disgraced detective and is sent from Rome to Perugia to investigate a kidnapping.
4. Kindle book "Skywalker: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trial" by Bill Walker. I think I got this free; today it is $1.99.

5. By Its Cover by Donna Leon. This is about no. 23 in her series about a police detective in Venice. Venice seems to be a character in these novels, and food too. Brunetti investigates rare books being stolen. I read this and it is excellent, like all the others in the series.
6. The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch. This is set in London in 1866 with the gentleman and amateur sleuth, Charles Lenox and is the third in the series.
7. Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson. Dark humor about her life and struggles with severe panic attacks. I am reading this one. Apparently her second book, Furiously Happy, reveals her mental health issues are even more difficult than what she shares here.
8. Ralph the Heir by Anthony Trollope. Folio edition with slipcase. Set in England in the 1870s, the owner of an estate wants to leave it to his natural son, but the estate is entailed to his nephew. Both young men are named Ralph. I think this will have humorous aspects. Trollope is my favorite author.
9. The Right Attitude to Rain by Alexander McCall Smith. An Isabel Dalhousie novel set in Edinburgh.

10. My favorite purchase is "ESV Daily Reading Bible: The Bible in One Year." What a wonderful approach to help people like me read the Bible in one year. It makes it interesting as each day has readings from the Old Testament and the New, and I spend only 15 minutes reading the day's Scripture. The Scottish pastor, Robert M'Cheyne (1813-1843) who set up the readings left us a great gift. He lived only to age 30. What a brilliant legacy.
Oopsie, can a person accidentally buy books?
Yes, I have all the signs of a bookaholic.
Since writing this post a few days ago I visited the library and got 3 more books. Oopsie indeed.
11. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, about unleashing the creativity within us. I borrowed this book; the others were all purchased. I am reading this and it is rather disappointing.
These next two were purchased at the Friends of the Library used book store which is located in the library.
12. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. The author is Swedish, and he tells the tale of a man who escapes from his nursing home and has adventures involving nasty criminals, Sonya the elephant and is a "laugh out loud debut" according to the book cover.
13. The Hog's Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts. Written in 1933 by Crofts who lived 1879-1957, The British Library Crime Classics republished this one about a country house and mysterious deaths and disappearances.
Also, to let you know, I do not read all day. Ha ha. I keep busy outside the home, and write books and garden, attend women's Bible study, attend our Christian writers group, exercise at a health club 3 times a week, etc. but reading is a special quiet time for me.
I am signing up to volunteer at a nursing home. I will share more about this when I know more. Ah, the joys of retirement and choosing what we want to do, for the most part.