Flutter By: I’m Happy to Be Part of Our Communities’ Efforts to Save the Monarch Butterfly

Posted on May 12, 2022

Amazing residents live at every Front Porch community. But let me tell you about a particular group of resident gardeners who believe that getting dirt under their fingernails and planting milkweed seeds - the monarch caterpillar’s only source of sustenance - is the best way to save the endangered butterflies.  This group inspired the "Front Porch Monarch Butterfly Collaborative" project. When I brought all our monarch butterfly enthusiasts together, I was in for a treat! I…

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Memory Care Neighborhood at Walnut Village Offers Unique Life Enrichment Opportunities

Posted on March 14, 2022

It's 9 a.m. on Monday morning at Summer House, Walnut Village's memory care neighborhood, and Life Enrichment Specialist Julie Rosenthal is excited for a new week of exploring possibilities with the dozen or so residents she engages with daily. For those living with, or caring for someone with memory loss, providing meaningful inspiration and joy is both a primary goal and an incredible challenge. Julie uses every bit of her 30 years of experience of caring for others to engage with…

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Judy Phillips Doesn’t Miss Much at Walnut Village

Posted on March 14, 2022

At Walnut Village and beyond, resident Judy Phillips wears many hats and has many passions. Once a month you can find her in the community's billiards room taking lessons. Then she puts those lessons to use three times a week with her classmates. She plays in the Walnut Village chime choir and is a singer in both the Walnut Village Chorale and the Long Beach chapter of the "Sweet Adelines," a group of female "barbershop" singers. She played the double bass as a member of the Boulder Phil…

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Butterfly Garden Adds to the Serenity at Walnut Village

Posted on March 14, 2022

In many ways resident Phyllis Fryer is a pioneer among her neighbors. Phyllis is one of the charter residents who moved to Walnut Village when it debuted in 2009. "We reserved our cottage before the community was built," Phyllis remembered. "We saw the artists' drawings and were excited about the village concept. More than a  decade later, it's as wonderful as ever to live here." In 2021, Phyllis was a catalyst for creating the community's butterfly garden, waystation and monarch…

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Walnut Village Residents Lead Great ShakeOut Drill

Posted on January 18, 2022

Walnut Village in Anaheim knows what to do in case of an earthquake. For the past four years, the resident-led Earthquake Committee has maintained twice-yearly earthquake drills for the full community. Most recently, the community participated in the Great Shake-Out, an earthquake preparedness program held each year on the third Thursday of October, the anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Although Walnut Village is not on any fault lines, it was constructed to withstand earth…

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Adventure Awaits Residents as Excursions Return to Walnut Village

Posted on January 7, 2022

Travel, adventure, friendship and fun. Who wouldn't love to enjoy the majesty of the Alaskan shore, the beauty of autumn at our national parks, the music of Branson, Missouri, the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, and the excitement and glamour of Las Vegas - all with an enthusiastic group that shares your love of travel? Trips like these, as well as many others are commonplace at Walnut Village, Anaheim's award-winning, continuing care retirement community. Life Enrichment Director Judi Mar…

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Walnut Village Hand Chime Choir is Music to Residents’ Ears

Posted on December 27, 2021

When retired school teacher and amateur musician Dee Morrison moved to Walnut Village a few years ago, she made a delightful discovery that was literally music to her ears. She found a set of Suzuki Tone chimes in storage that were donated by another retirement community. "They needed a little love and refurbishment but I was excited," she said. Dee has a long history of making music with this elegant instrument. "Years ago my church wanted to start a chime choir and asked for volunteers…

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Demystifying Resident Contracts

Posted on September 21, 2021

For people who are considering moving to a community, many of the benefits are obvious: a beautiful location, friendly neighbors, great amenities, and supportive staff. But moving to a senior community is a big decision, and one that can raise many questions - especially when it comes to signing a contract or resident agreement. The resident agreement may seem imposing at first, but it also holds the answers to many questions prospective residents may have, such as: What's included and n…

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Gloria Schlaepfer is a ‘Natural’ Volunteer

Posted on August 18, 2021

As an environmentalist, naturalist, author and avid volunteer, Gloria Schlaepfer began her life's journey in Livingston, a small, rural town in New Jersey. As a child, she often ventured into the nearby woods to enjoy the natural surroundings. One day while there, she came across a nest where she saw a mother bird feeding her young. "I don't know what prompted me to do it but I ended up helping the mother bird feed the babies," Gloria remembers. "That was my earliest recollection of unde…

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Dining Room and Bistro Welcome Back Residents

Posted on July 19, 2021

Residents say dining experience is just as much about camaraderie as it is about the food When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, one of the first precautions Walnut Village took was to close its dining room and bistro to indoor dining. Although residents enjoyed the same well-prepared meals delivered to their homes, for many, the food was only part of the dining experience residents loved about the community. "Dining here definitely goes beyond just the food," said resident Eve…

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