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Blog archive

November 2024

Event of Remembrance
11/22/2024

Phishing Scams: What You Need to Know
11/22/2024

Pupusas Family Style: Another Adventurous Dining Winner
11/22/2024

Celebrating the Holidays
11/21/2024

Genealogy Group: Discovering Our Pasts
11/21/2024

Nathan Wolford – From Tragedy to Ministry
11/21/2024

Pasadena Village Board of Directors: A Brief Overview
11/21/2024

President's Message
11/21/2024

The Day of the Dead (Dia de muertos)/ Mexican Culture/Community
11/21/2024

Vintage Celebration: Aging Like a Fine Wine
11/21/2024

Review of Racism in Our Local Past
11/20/2024

Creative Juices Flow in The Village
11/19/2024

Checking In by Ed Rinderle
11/15/2024

Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo
11/15/2024

I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV) by Edna St. Vincent Millay
11/15/2024

Pictures From Brueghel by William Carlos Williams
11/15/2024

October 2024

ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
10/29/2024

Bill Wishner: Visual Hunter
10/29/2024

Can a Village Group Fix Our Healthcare System?
10/29/2024

Community Board Directors Strengthen Village Board
10/29/2024

Connecting with Village Connections: The A, B, C, & D’s of Medicare @ 65+
10/29/2024

Grief is a Journey: Two Paths Taken
10/29/2024

Message from the President
10/29/2024

Promoting Informed & Involved Voters
10/29/2024

What Will Be Your Legacy?
10/29/2024

1619, Approaching the Election...
10/27/2024

Beyond and Within the Village - A Star is Born
10/17/2024

Happiness by Priscilla Leonard
10/11/2024

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
10/11/2024

Unpainted Door by Louise Gluck
10/11/2024

In the Evening by Billy Collins
10/10/2024

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
10/10/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

As Our Organization Grows, Villagers Recall Personal Highlights

By Sue Addelson
Posted: 06/17/2024
Tags: sue addleson

Whether you are one of the original founders or just became an official member a few months ago, Pasadena Villagers take pleasure in hearing that our numbers are increasing almost every day. On a personal level, everyone can recall some special times, some new connections that, looking back, make each one glad they joined. Here are a few from this year:

Since joining Pasadena Village earlier this year, Ann Smith and her husband Gary quickly met five fellow Villagers, all of whom live within a couple of blocks of their house. “By this time, we weren’t surprised at how quickly we shared the most hilarious stories of life in Pasadena while growing old. We always are grateful at the level of mutual vulnerability and trust that grows without much effort, based on so many shared hopes and fears. Thank God for the Pasadena Village.”

Over the past year, Dave Folz slowed down his involvement in committees and events. He says he volunteered enough over the past 11 years and now he’s ready to relax and have fun. For him, Thursday ping-pong always delivers on fun. “There is something very irresponsible and childlike in our games. It's very satisfying to play again, and enjoy all the screaming associated with a good shot, and the momentary disappointment of losing a game. All the fun I remember as a kid, but without the arguments. We’ve all grown up. And I've made a lot of new friends that I look forward to seeing each week.” 

The real connection came for Suzi Hoge when she joined the Urban Walking group. At first she was nervous about the three miles. “I tried it once, and I made it. I felt accomplished,” she says. Now, she seldom misses a Friday walk. “Over time you get to chat with many members who are also in many different other groups you can learn about. An added bonus is walking through different neighborhoods in our larger community — Altadena, Eagle Rock, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre; learning history, landmarks, architecture, and plants in addition to learning about my fellow walkers.” 

At first, Peter Lamendola couldn’t choose just one highlight. He mentioned ping- pong, the Men’s Brunch and the hiking group, and especially, the annual activities the Village staff organizes, like the Volunteer Recognition Lunch at Farnsworth Park and the Older Americans Fair at Victory Park. But when push came to shove, he agreed that Ready or Not, a three-day workshop about planning for the inevitable, was his number-one highlight. “It’s not fun but much needed, and something I’ve worried about,” he says. 

Terry Chamorro is absolutely WOWed by the Cultural Explorations Group. She finds the reading material or movies they read and watch in advance of the next meeting interesting. But, it’s the discussions at the small dinner in one Villager’s home that really stand out, “I’ve never been around a group of such bright people. The discussions are wonderfully deep,” she says.

For John Jackson, it’s all about the Urban Walks. " I can't think of a better way to start my Fridays. I go for the camaraderie and can’t imagine what I would do without the stimulating conversations.” John is leading the Kern River trip, which may just top Urban Walks’ next year as a highlight, even if not so “urban.”

After 13 years in the Village, the Village Engagement Team, formerly Membership Committee, continues to hold Rosie Hooper’s attention. She wants every new member to find the Village as much fun and as meaningful as it has been for her. Her message to new members? “Don’t let anything hold you back from jumping into all the things that come to your mind; to determine where you will ‘settle in’ and find an area of the Village to help out. There is much in which to get involved, as well as much to enjoy.”

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