Purge Project

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Marion Lorence

I love this feeling of freedom and anticipation as I rid myself of the stuff around me that serves no purpose for the present or future adventure I am anticipating.

One room at a time and I started in the bathroom. It took, can you believe, THREE hours! I sorted out stuff to throw, give away, store and take with me to Germany.

My past as a hair design artist meant I had lots of stuff related to that business. Those were very good years when I worked in a lovely salon with a lot of creative colleagues. Each day was devoted to making beautiful hair for the many clients I served and I loved it. But now, most of the tools of that trade are no longer relevant to the present and in fact those tools might be well used by another. The give away category took the majority of those items. Continue reading →

Seniors Sharing

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Marion Lorence

Sharing is for seniors who like living on Reality Street. The key ingredient for success is to share with someone you know and trust.

The key ingredient for success is to share with someone you actually know and trust.

Sharing is a “senior season” idea that needs to receive thoughtful consideration for seniors who like living on Reality Street. The big picture is to create a lifestyle that allows for maximum independence for as long as possible. The key ingredient for success is to share with someone you actually know and trust.

Transportation is an ongoing need for seniors, but lots of seniors find our lovely, low mileage well maintained cars in the garage 95% of the time. Finding a way to share the car and all the expenses associated with driving is a great idea and one that is working for seniors living in close proximity to one another.

Take the example of Mary and June who are neighbors again in an independent senior living apartment home community in a Twin Cities suburb. Continue reading →

Home Share

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Marion Lorence

Several home share landlord experiences were the tipping point on my resume when I entered my second career as a resident property manager at age 65.

Sharing space in my home was a good idea. It still is.

While still raising 4 children I found myself alone with lots of years left to bring them to adulthood.

One of my financial solutions was to rent out part of my house to others, home share style while getting ready to sell my large property. Several home share landlord experiences were the tipping point on my resume when I entered my second career as a resident property manager at age 65.

Now at 70 I am entertaining the home share idea again for retirement. I have an eye toward a high end senior building with good amenities for maintaining health such as a pool, and properties of that type always come with hefty rents. Continue reading →

Prayer Helped

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Marion Lorence

…let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

When I was 40, after 23 years of marriage I was served with divorce papers and left to care for 4 young children on my own. Over half of the money I had from the sale of our house was immediately handed out for rental housing that would accommodate our needs.

I was working as a self-employed hair stylist. With less than 1 year of history in that position my income possibilities were not great but I was willing and able to work hard and I was good with hair.

At the time my Church, in obedience to the direction of James 5 in the bible, invited those who needed special prayer to be anointed by the elders (appointed leaders of the church) and to receive prayer for their needs. Continue reading →

Kindness – A Good Rule

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Marion Lorence

Decide to treat all your neighbors with consideration and respect. Be a resident ‘ambassadors’ to help welcome newcomers as they transition into the community.
Aspire to live by the Golden Rule.

Today we often read about cyber bullies among young people, but bullying also plagues seniors. The behavior being referenced would be incidents of name-calling, bossy behavior, loud arguments, snubs and aggression.

Causes and strategies
Fear can be one reason for bullying, says Renee Garfinkel, a Washington, D.C.-based psychologist who specializes in aging issues, but it’s also “that human phenomenon of the strong picking on the weak. It’s not a function of aging. It’s a function of pathology.” Continue reading →

Readers Theatre

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Marion Lorence

My hope is that we can produce a program that will serve as our holiday entertainment at Christmas time. The story I am hoping to use will of course be, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

“Readers Theatre” is an idea that I want to introduce as a new kind of community enjoyment to the friends and neighbors here at Glendale Place.

Readers Theatre connects oral reading, literature, and drama in a group setting. Using only voices and facial expressions, each reader interprets the emotions, beliefs, attitudes, and motives of the characters in a story. A narrator conveys the story’s setting and action and provides the commentary necessary for transition between scenes. Continue reading →

Smile Anyway!

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Marion Lorence

Smiling is a good idea for lots of reasons. A sunny disposition and demeanor favorably colors the interactions of my days for the most part… but not every time.

“Hi Smiley” was the greeting I recently received from a business associate while attending a lovely event in glamorous surroundings. It was early in the day and the mood was festive and pleasant. It was interesting to think about the notion that I must come across as a person who is smiling and cheerful a good bit of the time. As I considered this thought, the words to a song taught to me by my parents came to mind.

Let the sunshine in, face it with a grin.
Smilers never lose, and frowners never win,
So let the sunshine in, face it with a grin.
Open up your heart and let the sunshine in. Continue reading →

Uninvited Knock

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Marion Lorence

I want everyone to VOTE!

I am all for voting and I make it my personal business to find out about the people who are running for office and the issues that are going to be decided by the voters. As the resident manager of a large apartment complex, I include voter information regarding registration and our poling location for residents in my newsletter that goes out to the people who live in my community here at Glendale Place. I want everyone to VOTE!

Dealing with the campaigns however, has turned out to be a huge disappointment. Continue reading →

Eagle Project

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Marion Lorence

Everything about scouting is handled by volunteers, and the Scouts working on these projects are young developing future leaders of the community.

This week I met with a young man who is working to become and Eagle Scout. This soon to be 10^th grader is interested in pursuing an Eagle Project, which I have learned is no small undertaking.

A quality Eagle project takes time. The Scout must do all pre-planning, design, any fundraising, and go through a multi-step review process with the end user of his work, property owners, his scout troop and the scouting district. Most Scouts plan 6-9 months for an Eagle Project, taking it from a concept to a fully fledged plan, getting it reviewed (which often involves changes), reviewed again until it is fully ready, and then to implementation. Continue reading →

The Financial Pinch

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Marion Lorence

Here’s the thing… we all have some money, but that is not the only “spendable” thing we have to work with.

Feeling the financial “pinch”? If so, you have lots of company. When you start talking to people there is never any shortage of complaints and the old adage if often heard, “The money ran out before the month.” We’ve all been there.

I recently heard of a cost cutting measure that is working like a charm for some of my elderly friends. Granted, these folks are already living in a financially affordable apartment home, having left the big expensive setting behind as their children grew up and established their own families, but the “pinch” is still felt, even by these careful proactive people. Continue reading →

Minnesota Marion

Senior Season Solutions

Category Archives: Apartment