January Landscape Blog: Planting Seeds for 2015

By: Thom Morgan, Springmoor Landscape Manager 

Thom Morgan

  

Each year the big nurseries offer up new plants that they think will be the next big thing in the landscaping industry, and each year I get excited to try all of their new specimens.

For 2015, those that are considered “new” have actually been around for a few years as trial plants in places like North Carolina State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum. There, staffers graded the trial plants on whether they performed as promised, and if the plants were marketable. If a plant made the grade, it became available to you and me.

This year, we have a group of more compact and disease-resistant forms of our old favorites.

Here is a list of the various growers that contributed and their new specimens:

Why Springmoor? The Neighborhood Feel

Find yourself walking along the many paths that weave between the tidy homes and beneath the towering evergreens on Springmoor’s 42-acre campus in Northwest Raleigh, North Carolina, and you’d have trouble convincing yourself that you’re at the center of a continuing care retirement community. With friendly neighbors, gorgeous grounds and helpful staff, it’s no wonder Springmoor residents have no trouble calling our inviting community home.

Neighborly Welcoming

Like moving to any new neighborhood, those who move to Springmoor often worry about meeting new people and making new friends, but their fears are immediately quashed when they discover Springmoor’s Southern hospitality. Residents are very welcoming to newcomers, going out of their way to meet their new neighbors and include them in their lives. They enjoy going to dinner regularly with large groups and out to nearby events and their favorite restaurants. Around the holidays, residents come together to help decorate trees and get everyone in the holiday spirit.

Springmoor Wellness Blog: Thanksgiving Tips

Stuffed: Fill Your Holidays with Activity to Curb Unwanted Weight Gain

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

Kari Richie

The holiday season can be a time of celebration with family and friends, but it can also be a time of stress and weight gain. Avoid the anxiety and pounds this year by focusing on a healthy balance of food, activity and fun. By implementing a few simple mantras and trying a few simple moves, you can make sure you’re prepared to start off 2015 the right way:

1. Be realistic. Don’t try to lose weight during the holidays; try to maintain your weight instead.
2. Put exercise on your calendar. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Make exercise fun by including family and friends. Grab a relative after the holiday dinner and take a brisk 10- to 15-minute walk together, or start a new tradition by holding a competition to see who can do the most jumping jacks in one minute. Going shopping on Black Friday? Park farther away from the mall and take the stairs instead of the escalator. Is watching football part of your tradition? Do squats on commercial breaks, or, better yet, toss around the ball with family outside.
3. Don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack to curb your appetite like a few raw vegetables or a piece of fruit. You will be less tempted to over-indulge.
4. Look at all the buffet options before filling your plate. Though the temptation is there, you don’t have to eat every item you see. Stick with your favorites and skip the rest. Try to include some fruit and vegetables for a balanced plate.
5. Don’t eat until you are stuffed. It’s not a holiday requirement. You can still savor your favorite holiday treats in small portions. Instead of immediately taking your plate back to the buffet for seconds, talk with your family and friends first; this gives you time to digest your first serving and determine whether or not you are actually full.
6. Be careful with beverages. Alcohol reduces inhibitions, but can induce overeating; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic holiday beverages are typically full of calories and sugar.
7. Don’t let one “bad” or “heavy” meal ruin all of your holiday eating. It takes 500 calories per day (or 3,500 calories per week) above your normal consumption to gain one pound. It is impossible to gain weight from one piece of pie!
8. Take your focus off of food. This may seem harder than it sounds. Instead of focusing on what’s for dinner (and dessert), spend time with family and friends by playing games, making a holiday wreath, or volunteering in the community. 

We can all enjoy the holidays without ruining our waistlines by planning for activity and incorporating healthy recipes into our holiday meals. Don't restrict your favorite holiday foods; just restrict the portion size. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Springmoor Residents Express the Benefits of Not Owning a Home Anymore

Curtis and Barbara Freeze

Baby, it’s cold outside! When you’re a homeowner, colder temperatures can make a mounting list of home maintenance chores that much more difficult to tackle for aging adults: shoveling snow, sealing cracks, clearing dead branches and disposing of piles of leaves—all can take a toll on your back, hands and ticker. At Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, residents don’t have to lift a finger in winter! Crews clear the sidewalks (and cars) of debris, leaves and snow and make all of the repairs! You won’t find Springmoor residents bundled up outside, trying to navigate and clear slick walkways. They’re all indoors, sipping hot cocoa, sitting by the fire, visiting with new friends and enjoying winter from the comfort of their homes or common areas at our beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina, community.

Springmoor Residents Curtis and Barbara Freeze moved to the community in April from Kannapolis, North Carolina, and are enjoying the perks of maintenance-free living immensely. They both are thankful for “the beautiful grounds to enjoy everyday, and the benefit of not having to keep it up.” Both of them grew up on dairy farms, so they know how hard it can be to get up in the mornings in cold weather and work outside.

November Landscape Department Blog: Holiday Lighting

Thom Morgan

How to Make Holiday Lights Liven up any Landscape

After the pumpkins have been thrown on the mulch pile and the Thanksgiving turkey is almost ready, it’s time to hang those holiday lights. Festive lighting can make a great accent to any well-designed landscape.

Choosing the Lights
LED lights last a lot longer than incandescent lights, and they last longer, and are more cost-efficient. LED lights also come in a variety of styles such as chains, snowfall, icicle and those that flash.

Making Connections
Please waterproof: Make sure that all of your connections are off the ground, and waterproofed by using silicone or petroleum jelly. I wrap grocery store bags around the two connecting cords for further protection and to ensure the connection is protected from the elements.

Life is a Marathon

What does it take to be able to run a marathon? Some may think it’s purely a physical feat, but I

learned it is much more than that. On Oct. 19, I ran my first marathon. It took four months of training and after five hours and 35 minutes, I crossed the finish line with tears in my eyes.

Kari Richie

   As I was running and enjoying the scenery of Detroit, Michigan, I had plenty of time to think. Many aspects of the race and training made me think of what we go through in our everyday lives.

    Physical challenge: Running is most definitely a physical challenge of endurance. We must train our body over time and it will improve. We are constantly faced with physical challenges throughout our lives including arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, depression and more. Each day we must face the challenge and choose to “train.” This could involve taking a 15-minute walk, going to physical therapy, taking an exercise class or making social connections each day. This mindset is especially helpful for seniors to embrace; the mantra “age is just a number” is often held by people who challenge themselves to do great things and ignore how many candles adorn their birthday cakes.

Springmoor Floorplan Feature: Two Bedroom Villa

If you are thinking that Springmoor is the right place for you, it’s now time to figure out what floorplan would work best for you. We offer multiple floorplans for prospective residents to choose from. This allows them to find the new home that will fit them perfectly. One of our popular choices is the two-bedroom villa.

 

October Springmoor Blog from the Landscape Department

Thom Morgan

Going Gray

As we get older, some of us consider the color gray a bad thing, but in the landscape Gray is Great!

Gray goes well with any color, so you can’t go wrong using it in any color scheme. If used with the warm colored plants, gray plants seem to make the red, orange, and yellow plants really pop. If used with cool colors such as green, blue, and purple gray adds to the softer, more relaxing color scheme.

Springmoor Management Profile: Executive Director, Fred Conner

"Leaders lead from the front."


Here at Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, our management take that quote to heart and strive to do anything they can to make our residents feel happy in their new homes and community.

One of these leaders is Fred Conner, the Executive Director of Springmoor. A native of Rockingham, North Carolina, Fred has worked at our community for seven and a half years and loves being able to help seniors transition into their new homes.

Zone Pushing

Thom Morgan

By Thom Morgan, Springmoor Landscape Manager

On the US Plant Hardiness Zone Map, I am in zone 7b so plants that are hardy in zones 9 and above need special attention if I want to keep them.

Why do I go through the trouble?  I like collecting plants no one else has, and I enjoy the challenge of pushing my zone.

"Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure"

By Kari Richie
Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

Kari Richie

Wellness is more than the absence of disease or sickness. It is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. If we embrace this process and educate ourselves, we are choosing to live a lifestyle of prevention rather than treatment.

One very easy, simple way to prevent disease is to keep on top of health exams and screenings that can help detect issues before they become serious problems. Checkups can also help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and a cure are better. By getting the right health services, screenings and treatments, you are taking steps that help your chances for living a longer, healthier life. Your age, health and family history, lifestyle choices (i.e. what you eat, how active you are, whether you smoke) and other important factors impact what and how often you need healthcare.