Happy Birthday Mavis! You keep us smiling!

Make sure to vote for your favorite scarecrow # Smittysscarecrowtrail #Smittyslawnandlandscape

Plant Bingo was a SUCCESS! Our Plant Bingo brought plenty of smiles, a little friendly competition, and some fun prizes! Along with our regular snack cart prize options, Christine had the wonderful idea to add small live plants as prize choices. Mums, spider plants, Peperomia, Coffee Plants and more!!! Because sometimes the best prize isn’t something you eat… it’s something you get to take care of! Residents could choose a little plant to bring back to their apartments, giving them something living to nurture, watch grow, and enjoy. It’s a simple way to add meaningful purpose, responsibility, and a little bit of nature to their day. And let’s be honest… Bingo + snacks + plants = everybody wins! Way to grow, Bickford!

It may have been a rainy day, but Leanna and Jess decided that was no reason to miss out on some quality outdoor time! We filled the hummingbird feeders and settled in to watch our tiny, speedy visitors zoom from feeder to feeder outside the resident’s windows. Apparently, one hummingbird has appointed himself the Head of Hummingbird Security. He spent his afternoon chasing EVERY other hummingbird away from the feeders like he was collecting rent. One would fly in… SWOOSH! Out it went. Despite the sprinkles, Leanna and Jess enjoyed some peaceful one-on-one time outdoors, watching the hummingbirds, filling feeders, and witnessing a little backyard drama unfold. Bickford: where even the hummingbirds have personalities.

Our new Kitchen Manager, Ira, kicked things off by bringing PIE and hosting Men’s Club. And let’s be honest… pie is a pretty solid way to make friends around here! The guys enjoyed plenty of good conversation, lots of banter, and probably a few opinions that definitely didn’t need to be fact-checked. And today’s rule was simple: NO LADIES ALLOWED! Just the fellas, some pie, a little friendly ribbing, and a whole lot of laughter. Welcome to Bickford, Ira! We think you’re going to fit right in!

Bickford residents have escaped the rain! Wednesday finally gave us a little break from the seemingly endless Iowa rain, so we rounded up the crew and headed out for a walk through the neighborhood! Teresa and Alex joined us for the adventure, and we took full advantage of those precious rain-free minutes! We stretched our legs, enjoyed the neighborhood scenery, visited along the way, and soaked up some fresh air. After all that rain, nobody was taking chances. We got outside before Mother Nature could change her mind and turn the sidewalk into a swimming pool! A little exercise, a little fresh air, and a whole lot of Bickford smiles! Now for more rain… ugh!

Happy Birthday dear Michael!!! Happy birthday to You!!!!

Make sure to check out our scarecrow at #SmittysLawnandLandscape #BickfordOfFortDodge

Monarch Magic at Bickford! We were so excited to welcome Erin Ford, Naturalist from the River’s Edge Discovery Center, to Bickford! Erin shared some fascinating information about the incredible migration of monarch butterflies. Our residents got to see something pretty special as Erin tagged monarch butterflies and explained how these tiny travelers make an amazing journey all the way to Mexico for the winter. We also learned about the important role milkweed plays in the monarch life cycle. It’s more than just a plant growing in a field. Milkweed is essential for monarch caterpillars and provides a place for them to begin their journey toward becoming butterflies. There were plenty of questions, lots of curiosity, and a whole new appreciation for these beautiful little travelers! What an amazing reminder that even the smallest creatures can make a BIG journey. A big thank-you to Erin for bringing the world of monarchs to Bickford!

Assisted Living Week 2026 - “Shining Through The Years” Today, in honor of assisted living week, we asked residents to share with us what advice they’d share with younger generations and what they e learned so far in their lives. This led to them sharing how different their lives were “back then” from they way things are done now and how hard their families had to work to get food on the table and to do the chores and every day things that we might take for granted. Marilyn shared a music box she had made. We put a beautiful mural on the wall of a shining sun and surrounded it with lightbulbs on which we had written our resident’s words of wisdom and we shared that wisdom along with some new advice. “ Eat Everything on Your Plate-There are People Starving Everywhere”,” Bird Nests Have Mites” were a few bits of wisdom that were shared!