Myrdene, on the left, and Ivy, on the right, have always been close as sisters go, but never so close since they started sharing an apartment at our Alexandria, MN community, Vista Prairie at Windmill Ponds.
Ivy lost her husband 16 years ago after nearly 50 years of marriage. She lived alone for several years until she decided she needed a change. “On the 4th of July, we were having lunch together,” Myrdene recalls, “and she says ‘I’m gonna move in with you.’” Myrdene, who is 90, also had lost her husband of 63 years. He was a retired Alexandria Police officer. They agree, the roommate arrangement made sense to help lower the loneliness both were feeling.
Both women had their own careers, Myrdene at Douglas County Hospital and Ivy on the family farm and painting houses with her father. Without the worries and costs of home ownership, the sisters each have had time to pursue new interests. Ivy’s knowledge of agriculture led to a diversified vegetable crop in Windmill Ponds raised gardens.
“Everything just exploded this year,” Ivy says, “I’ve got one plant of zucchini, one plant of cucumber, one plant of buttercup squash, one pepper plant and two tomato plants.” At the age of 91, Ivy says she may learn how to bake a zucchini pie, following a recipe a friend gave her.
The sisters say they knew they’d made the right decision when they saw residents who they knew at Windmill Ponds. After Myrdene’s son started the ball rolling, both sisters took a look, “They showed us the apartment and I think we both kind of fell in love with it,” recalls Myrdene.
“We like to do the same things,” Myrdene says. “Sometimes we don’t even talk because we’re both busy crocheting or knitting or sometime like that.” The sisters also share Myrdene’s grandchildren, great grandchildren, and an active faith.
So, they complete each other, including each other’s sentences. “The only thing we ever fought about was clothes," starts Myrdene, “because we’re the same size, see?” Ivy finishes.
Call Cally at 320-244-0533 if you’d like to see more of Windmill Ponds, or perhaps meet Myrdene and Ivy for yourself. And click here if you’re interested in exploring the Windmill Ponds team as a career. The community offers assisted living in 65 one-and two-bedroom apartments, designed for seniors who enjoy an active social environment and expect high quality care.