Fresh air

At the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of  Commerce Mardi Gras Business Expo in February, I signed up to win a Rainmate II.

I didn’t have a lot of time to visit the booths, but at the Water Works table, I was hit with a blast of fresh, scented air. I stopped to talk and filled out the slip to enter the drawing for one of 10 Rainmates.

The Rainmate II is a device that adds a little humidity and your choice of scent to the air. An electric motor circulates the water. It cascades down the sides of the plastic bowl. A bulb inside will turn it into a night light. You add a few drops of essential oil, and voila – fresh air.

The Rainmate II operates in the Hilltop office.

When I learned I won one, I told my co-workers I was bringing it to the office. We can use the fresh air here. Our office is smaller than rooms at my home, too, so it should work well. We also can use it in our sensory room, with supervision.

I haven’t used essential oils, but I know a little bit about them. Different oils have different properties. I went to Family Natural Foods to see what was available. I bought a pre-mixed blend called Peace & Harmony. It has peppermint, patchouli, orange, lavender and basil oils. It has a minty floral herb scent. The bottle lists its benefits: centering, calming, balancing.

We turned the Rainmate on the other day after adding a few drops of oil to the water. My co-worker and I stood over it. We smelled … nothing. We both have colds that have rendered our sinuses pretty much useless. Everyone else who came into the office or down the hall commented on the nice smell. I let it run until the end of the day.

We turn it on for an hour or so here and there. The motor is a little noisy, but I can tune it out. Today, for the first time, I can faintly smell it. My cold must be improving. I’ll be happy when I can fully appreciate our fresh air machine.

Typing is not just for journalists

I’ve been doing a lot of typing.

I always do a lot of typing. My co-workers tease me when I get going. It sounds like I’m really whizzing along. What they don’t know is while I can type fast, it’s not terribly accurate. Thank goodness for spell check and autocorrect in Word. There is a reason I got a C in typing in high school.

At least accuracy wasn’t a job requirement. You just had to be able to type. Seriously. When I was interviewing for my first reporting job, the city editor sat me down in front of a manual typewriter (yes, we still had those) and told me to write a weather story. “Just make it up?” I asked a little incredulously. I thought they’d make to go interview somebody before I started writing. “Yeah, just type something,” he said.

So I did. I put in made-up quotes and really tried to make it a good weather story.

I didn’t need to bother. They didn’t even read it. They just wanted to know if I could type, and it’s obvious when you put your hands in the right place and plunk away that you can type. I got the job. I wonder if it was just my typing skills. I hope not.

One of the tools of my trade.

But after 20-plus years as a journalist, I got pretty good at typing – fast, anyway. I used to have to type in copy that people would drop off. Toward the end of my journalism career, I coordinated the community pages, which involved a lot of contributed copy. Not all of it was submitted by email. I’d get fliers and hand-written notes, copies of the previous year’s program with changes penciled in for this year. I’d have to type them all, put them into a readable format, all prepped for print.

I don’t have that kind of typing these days. Mostly my typing involves emails, the occasional letter and this blog.

But the past few weeks, I’ve been typing a manual for our home care business. We have a hard copy, but we need it edited and available electronically to make changes in the future.

It’s actually pretty mindless to just type, to look at the copy and recreate it with your keyboard and monitor. It’s a little more challenging to edit as you go and make sure you don’t introduce any errors that spell check won’t catch. 

I’m busy with other stuff, or the manual already would be done. But there are other parts of my job that pull me away, and the typing gets pushed to the bottom of the pile – literally.

I feel a little guilty that it’s sitting there right now at the bottom of my stack while I’m typing away on this instead. But this is more fun. And maybe, unlike my weather story, someone will actually read it.

See inside Hilltop Grand Village's construction

It was cold, but not as cold as standing outside. Walls and windows blocked the wind. But the chill seeped up through the concrete into our feet.

We were standing in what will be a one-bedroom apartment at Hilltop Grand Village, looking at walls, counter top placement, outlets, light fixture locations and cable drops – among other things. The owner and her team were doing a walk-through to make decisions before wiring begins. I was along to take pictures and video inside.

I try to get to Hilltop Grand Village once a week to take video, but I’m usually just getting quick shots of the building going up from the outside.

But being inside is pretty cool. It’s neat to see it become real from a picture on a page. I’ve looked at the blueprints enough I know where the “shops” will be on Broadway, and I can see them in my mind. Actually walking through makes it all more real.

It was loud as compressors and machines ran, hammers rang out and saws cut wood. The smell of fresh-cut wood hung in the air. Someone swept up, pushing sawdust, dirt and dropped nails into a pile. Someone worked in the rafters to install pipes for the sprinkler system. Workers framed interior walls, finished floors and worked a crane and forklift to set up exterior walls. From high atop the two-story peak, workers paused in putting on sheets of plywood as I took pictures below. They didn’t want to risk dropping anything on my head, even with a hard hat.

Workers atop the roof peak at Hilltop Grand Village.

The floors throughout the building’s core are still mostly covered with snow and ice, packed down by workers. When they are ready to prep for concrete, they cover the area with some sort of black material and pump heat in to thaw the area. The core is still too open for this – they need to install windows and at least temporary doors to enclose it. They are working methodically, from one end to the other, allowing many workers to spread out and get the work done.

It’s amazing how quickly the build is going. The supervisor on site is pleased with the progress in the month he’s been back on the job. He had started on this work site but was put on another job for a while before returning to Hilltop Grand Village.

He should be pleased. It’s progressing nicely. As far as I know, we are still on target for an Aug. 1 move-in for residents – or members as we will call them. In some ways, August seems a long way away – we’re not even to spring yet. But in other ways, that time will fly by. Marking the building’s progress is a sure way to speed up the calendar.

Alzheimer's Association conference a must-attend event

I sent in my registration for the 30^th annual Wisconsin Network Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.

Don’t let the long name fool you into thinking it’s going to be boring. The annual event sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association is a great opportunity to learn a lot about Alzheimer’s, caregiving, research and more. It is billed as “one of the largest education forums in the United States dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”

This year’s event will be May 1-3 at Kalahari Resort Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells. It’s close enough for us that we can go down for a day – or two or three. The Kalahari also offers room deals, if you’d like to stay over.

If you are a family caregiver, that might not be feasible. But maybe you can get away for a day. There are sessions geared specifically for people caring for loved ones at home. There are sessions for professional caregivers, administrators and anyone interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s. I especially like going because of working with the Alzheimer’s Support Group in Wisconsin Rapids. As a co-facilitator, I am responsible for planning guest speakers. This conference provides lots of ideas for speakers and discussion for our members. We bring back brochures and information to share with them.

One of the most difficult parts is figuring out which workshop sessions I want to attend. There are five sessions, each featuring eight workshops. A couple repeat, but most only are offered once. Choosing five from 40 is tough -- there are so many I’d like to attend.

Then, there is the expo, where providers of all sorts of products and services set up booths and offer giveaways. I think some people go just for the goodies. I actually like to see what’s new in the industry and if there are things we can implement at our facilities or partnerships we can make. This is often where I collect information to share with our support group.

There is plenty of time for you to register for this event, too. The deadline is April 10. You can register online or download the brochure and registration materials at http://www.alzwi.org.

If you are a caregiver – family or professional – or someone who works in the industry, you should attend this conference. I highly recommend it!

Squeals for Hilltop Grand Village

The word is getting out about Hilltop Grand Village. The work being done on the building every day must be helping.

I am amazed each time I go out. I make a point to get there once a week to take pictures and video. Invariably, I am delighted by what I see. There even have been times I’ve driven by and squealed out loud! “Ooh! A wall!” “Ooh! The roof is going on!” “Ooh! Trusses!”

Well, you get the idea.

I don’t usually squeal when I actually go there to document it. I’m too cold. It’s often a frosty, chilly or windy day when I make time for a visit. I’ve been out in the snow, tromped through snowbanks to get from the parking lot to the walking path and frozen my fingers trying to get my iPhone to zoom.

I even bought gloves with the touch-sensitive finger tips so I don’t have to take them off – but it doesn’t always work.

It doesn’t take too long, though. I know where my marks are to get the same overall shots, and then I do detail stuff, depending on where the action is at.

It’s about time I got a peek inside, too. The windows were going in last week, and as soon as the doors are in, they can heat the south wing and start interior work. Last time I was actually onsite, about half the roof trusses were up. Now the south wing even has shingles. As the snow melts, you can see the green roof!

Last week, the walls were starting to go up on the one portion of the building that will be two stories. Our offices will be on the second floor in the main section of the building. I also could see the metal frame of the port cochere – the covered driveway at our main entrance.

August is coming quickly. We’re still operating under the assumption we’ll be open for residents by Aug. 1. Look at how quickly January flew by! And there is a lot for us to do on our end, too, to be ready.

The port cochere frame is visible in front of the second story, where
offices will be located. The dining room gets a roof, at the right.

If you get a chance, take a drive past on Highway 54. Or, stay warm and watch our videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6H-73YAFm0KKsj23UW-LaA or follow our progress on our Facebook page by liking us at https://www.facebook.com/HilltopGrandVillage.

Getting it right for Google

Like Alice, I feel like I’ve gone down a rabbit hole.

It started with an Internet search. Anyone who’s ever done an Internet search knows it can lead you right to your destination, or take you so far off track you don’t remember what you wanted in the first place.

Part of my job is digital. I set up social media for Hilltop Affiliates Inc. and keep it updated regularly. I set up Google+ pages for our facilities. I’ve optimized our listings in the obvious places. But I was floored by the number of websites out there with business information.

One leads to another -- to another. I found a list of a bunch. Then I found a list of a bunch more.

My current list stands at 45, and I know there are more. These are the easy ones.

Fortunately, we’ve not had our main phone number change. And generally, the business listings contain Hilltop in the name. But it’s my goal to get Hilltop Affiliates Inc. listed accurately in every place I can.

Most of the time, it’s just a matter of my time to claim a business and correct or add the appropriate information. There are a few that are linked to a paid-only option to correct content. I bristle at that, on principle, if nothing else.

So why bother with all of these websites when most people just Google or use the search bar in their favorite browser to search online?

Because they all are connected.

Google just doesn’t use Google to determine your placement in a Google or, apparently, even what information is shown. It also searches dozens of other sites to filter your information and determine what is most accurate about your business. If you don’t have updated information on every website, you might be confusing Google and hurting your business in the process.

Sometimes I wonder where the information came from originally. I see the same misspelling of Hilltop Ravenwood over and over. The website often is close but not quite right.

One downside to all of this is having to register with all of these websites to claim our listings. I started a spreadsheet to keep track of them. It’s easy to forget which ones I’ve worked on and which still need attention.

There are businesses that will do this for you. But they charge up to hundreds of dollars per month. I’m also hopeful that once I have them corrected, they’ll stay that way.

It does seem to be a never-ending process, though. Once I’m done with Hilltop Affiliates, I’ll start on Hilltop Home Care. And then it will be time for Hilltop Grand Village. My adventure down this particular rabbit hole will continue for the foreseeable future.

Walking for work

I walked almost 5 miles one day this week – and most of it was for work.

I try to walk the dog both in the morning and evening. When the weather and roads are good, I try to do 2 miles a day with her. When it’s so cold it hurts my face, we don’t walk. Call me a wimp. I’d like to keep my skin intact.

But when it gets up above 10 degrees, I feel compelled to get us out for some exercise. It’s the only way to combat her winter weight gain. I can eat healthier, but she’s on a pretty limited diet, without a lot of treats and people food. She already looks like a sausage. Exercise is her only hope.

Mocha dog on a walk in December.

So on one particular day, the dog and I walked about a half mile before work. A co-worker asked me to take a resident to the bank and shopping, so I got more steps in at a local store.

Then I set about delivering brochures. CQ Graphic Design (http://cqgraphicdesign.com/) created nice brochures for our new home care business, and I wanted to get them out. I had a few places on my list from last summer where I hadn’t yet made the time to deliver our Hilltop Affiliates Inc. brochures.

I also stopped at the building site for Hilltop Grand Village and took some photos and videos. I try to get out there once a week to record the progress for our Facebook page. I wound up talking to some guys from the gas company who were putting in lines and valves with the help of GPS.

The result of all my running (not literally, it was all walking) was almost 4 miles. Another couple shopping stops Thursday night put me at 8,873 steps, or 4.82 miles. Not too shabby for a work day – or any day. And I finally got the box of brochures out of my trunk. It was a good day all around.

Security at work

Drilling. Pulling. Positioning. Checking placement. Setting in place.

No, we didn’t turn into a dentist’s office this week. We installed security cameras.

Anthony Walter from All Electric LLC with help from Randy Neibauer installed cameras at our facilities. It meant climbing into the attic on a super cold day, but Anthony said it still was better than being outside on a sub-zero day.

To install cameras, you choose your location, check to be sure you can reach it through the attic, drill holes to run the cords, pull the cords from the office to the location, mount and connect the camera. You can adjust the camera to get your desired angle and view. We used cellphones and shouting to give direction. “A little to the left. Now down. Good!”

Installing cameras also became a group activity. Everyone wanted input on location, angle and technique for installing. Anthony was patient with all of us and got the job done.

He did so well, that when he installed at our second location, he put up more cameras in half the time.

The system we purchased is pretty intuitive. What I couldn’t figure out with the electronic manual I was able to find in the online forum. There’s one aspect I have yet to master, but it’s not absolutely necessary. I think I need another cord to get it to work.

This little device is all it takes to run a security system.

We wanted a security system to better track who is in our facilities. It could help if a resident tries to exit. It provides a layer of security.

It also captures one of our employees who joked she’d dance when she was in view of the cameras. So far, I’ve seen a couple of moves. It’s good to have fun when you can. We even used it to figure out the mystery of who took the fire extinguisher off the wall.

Hopefully, we won’t need to use the recorded footage often. We’d like smooth sailing at our facilities. But it’s good to know it’s there if the need arises.