Author's Tea Aspen Elementary School

AUTHOR'S TEA 2011

I always feel so honored to be invited to this 4th grade girls' "rite of passage."

Dee Searing puts together an amazing "tea" with the help of many mom volunteers. Every year the decorations are different and the small gym is transformed into a special space.

You walk in and can't believe the work that has gone into this day. The tables are set beautifully with flowers and the first course: caesar salad and fruit kabobs. We look at our seats and there are colorful "garden/tea" hats for all of us to wear. I sat at a table of 7 beautiful and very well behaved young ladies. We discussed books and I told them the story from Fraser's Memoir about the four bears in our house. We laughed and felt so very special when the moms served us our tea, tea sandwiches and a variety of desserts.

I love living in Aspen and I especially love the yearly Author's Tea. Thanks to everyone for making me feel as if I'm at the Academy Awards!!

Maggie the Yellow Dog Visits the Hospital

Since Fraser has passed on to doggie heaven, Maggie has taken over his job as one of the pet therapy dogs at Aspen Valley Hospital. We certainly enjoy our job bringing smiles to the patients in the hospital. The children visiting parents love a visit as well. What a wonderful program Rita Cohen started years ago. We are so happy to be a part of it. People love the doggie photos on the wall just before entering the Patient Care Unit.

Besides the patients, the staff are always thrilled to pet our dogs. Maggie knows that at some point someone will give her a few treats so she is always very well behaved and patient. She loves it when a patient drops food onto the floor during their meal. She gladly cleans up so no sweeping is necessary!

After we make the rounds, we're off to the assisted living center to see the seniors. The seniors also love visits from the doggies. It sometimes really makes their day. Sometimes we are their only visitors and boy, they love having contact from others.

Really, we get as much out of our visits as the patients/staff/seniors do. Thanks, Rita, for establishing this wonderful program.

More later about my mentoring at the high school.....