Over The Hill Gang Self-funded Senior Center
3407 Ranch Road 1869 Liberty Hill Texas
(behind Parker's Corner) Recreation, Socialization, and Education for seniors 50+.
Author Archives: Tom
husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and Santa
From the time we reopened on June 2nd, many of our long time members have returned. We have also added many new members. Please say howdy to: Philip A., ‘Charlie’ A., George B., Margie B., Gwen B., Gloria C., Nancy C., Diane F., Anna G., David H., Diane M., John and Connie M., Pat N., Bea R., Pat R., Gracie R., Peggy R., Carla S., Lisa S., Jannett and Craig T., Isabel V., Joe and Kelcie V., and ‘Josie’ W. And in August we added Odena J, and Bev H.
There was an article about us in the July issue of Liberty Hill Digest
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We had our very first FIRST FRIDAY POTLUCK AND GAME NIGHT on July 1. We ate some good food and had lots of laughs.
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We started the month off with the traditional fried chicken and fixings on our first Thursday meeting of the month..
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The nice red, white, and bluetable decorations were courtesy of the folks at Our Village, who share the building with us.
We all had a good Independence Day with no loss of fingers.
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We had a reporter from the Independentnewspaper interviewing us Over The Hillers about the club. And as a surprise treat, she played some music on the piano for us.
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Beef stew, red beans and rice, salad, fruit and fresh baked biscuits. Yum!
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On July 18th OVER THE HILL GANG officially turned 24. We celebrated on Thursday 21st with cake and ice cream. Baked potatoes with lots of toppingsCinnamon Apple slices and lettuce saladAnd, of course, some pinto beans.
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On July 27th Tom and Ella met with the city manager to discuss the use of the building and in preparation for the new yearly contract which takes effect on September first.
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July 28th we began taking orders for new Over The Hill Gang shirts and hats.
The 28th found us with meatloaf, potatoes and gravy, pea salad, and Mandarin oranges.
Honestly, I never stick to recipes. They are there as a starting point on which to build.
Then there is clean up. Doing dishes wash, dry/drain, and put away. Wash or wipe down tables and counter tops. Begin setting up trays and silverware for next week. Give bathrooms a once over. Gather trash and take out to garbage cans.
During the week there is shopping for food, supplies, and prizes.
Your board stays in constant (daily / multiple times a day) touch by phone, email, and text messaging to make sure that we are on the same page and pulling in the same direction.
If you are of a mind to pitch in and help, it’d be appreciated.
Meatloaf, mashed potato, gravy, pea salad, andMandarin oranges.
Extra charge for the steak tartar. I’m sorry, you had to be there to understand
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Today’s Games
Games: Scrabble, Five Crowns, Canasta and a domino game of which I didn’t take photos.
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This week’s announcements
Remember your name tags
Ella and I and representatives from Our Villagemet with the city manager yesterday to discuss the use of the building and in preparation for the new yearly contract which takes effect on September first.
What is the most under used piece of equipment that the Gang owns? I gave the answer in a previous post. The piano! Do we have any musicians in the club? Do you play an instrument and/or sing? Would you enjoy getting together with like minded folks to exercise your gifts? One of our newest members wants to do something special.
Sign up to order your t-shirt and or ball cap. $12 each. The shirts are pre shrunk so there is no need to order a size larger.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: if you want a shirt and or cap, we need to know soon – very soon. Do that, so we can place our order.
Merle has some game ideas for maybe attracting more people or more use of the building. Merle tell us what is on your mind.
Janet collecting money for the meal. Wait a minute … wait just a darn minute … Who’s hand is that in the till? Merle is that you?
Now for something serious. I want to address a subject that was recently brought up. In years past, when people brought a dessert, side dish, or salad – they could eat for free. This is a long answer to that short question. As you may have noticed, the price of food has skyrocketed. We have not yet raised the price of the meals.
I think you’ll agree that $6 is a darn good price for the meal we serve. As a matter of fact, we often lose money on the meals. We would need to raise the price for everyone so that a few could eat free. So, cutting to the nitty gritty, “no” you no longer get a free meal for bringing something to share. Most of us bring something to share because it is the neighborly thing to do.
The moneythat you pay for the meal has to buy more than the food. Plates, bowls, cups, napkins, toilet paper, storage bags, trash bags, dish soap, hand soap, air fresheners, disinfectants, and on and on. Here is the hard truth, folks, as expenses rise the income has to keep pace. We receive no government funds. We are self-funded. We are organized as a “Not for profit” organization. But we are not a charity either. The money received for the meals is our primary source of income.
For transparency – We will also gain a little income from the shirts and hats that you purchase. But that’s not all gravy either because the club will be purchasing more shirts than you all are ordering because there is a minimum order limit. So, until the extra shirts that the club is buying, above and beyond your orders, are sold, it is a net lossand not income.
If you have a good idea for an additional revenue stream, we’d like to hear them. Keep in mind we are not for profit. Just need to meet our expenses.
But I think we’re a little old for selling cookies door to door or donning swimwear and hosting a carwash. 😁
Here is a JOKE and it’s only a joke: While answering a clinician’s questions about my medical history I was asked, “How’s your love life?” “I don’t know,” I said. “I’ll ask my wife.” I got up, walked into the hallway where my wife was sitting, and shouted, “Hey, the doctor wants to know if we still have sex.” My wife shouted back, “No, the only thing we have is Medicare and Blue Cross.”
Oh, boy, now I really need to PRAY: Blessed are you, LORD, maker of heaven and Earth, Who causes the rain to fall, to water the fields, that makes the grain grow, with which we make our bread. As you have blessed us with this meal, make us also a blessing for the world. Amen
We are are working on the August calendar. Do YOU have anything to add to the calendar or any suggestions or comments? This is your club. We are here to serve you
August 2022 01 MONDAY National Friendship Day 02 TUESDAY Over the Hill Over the Coffee 8:30-?a.m. 03 WEDNESDAY 04 THURSDAYOTHG Lunch and games 11-? Fried chicken, corn on the cob, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and ham and Navy beans. New BINGO game introduced. August Birthdays celebration Order shirts and/or hats 05 FRIDAY First Friday Potluck And Game Night 7-9p.m. 06 SATURDAY 07 SUNDAY Purple Heart Day, 08 MONDAY 09 TUESDAY Over the Hill Over the Coffee 8:30-?a.m. Mahjong and bunco game purchased. 10 WEDNESDAY 11 THURSDAYOTHG Lunch and games 11-? King Ranch Chicken, biscuits, mixed salad, jello with fruit, and pinto beans Hat Day – wear your best/favorite/funniest/strangest 12 FRIDAY 13 SATURDAY 14 SUNDAY 15 MONDAY 16 TUESDAY Over the Hill Over the Coffee 8:30-?a.m. 17 WEDNESDAY 18 THURSDAYOTHG Lunch and games 11-? Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, cucumber/cherry tomato salad, and fruit Shirt Day – wear your OTHG shirt. Don’t have one? Order one! 19 FRIDAY 20 SATURDAY 21 SUNDAY 22 MONDAY 23 TUESDAY Over the Hill Over the Coffee 8:30-?a.m. 24 WEDNESDAY 25 THURSDAYOTHG Lunch and games 11-? Meatloaf, deviled eggs, green beans, mandrin oranges with bananas, and of course pinto beans Free Friends Day invite a senior (50+) friend or friends and you & they eat free. 26 FRIDAY 27 SATURDAY 28 SUNDAY 29 MONDAY 30 TUESDAY Over the Hill Over the Coffee 8:30-?a.m. 31 WEDNESDAY
Menus subject to change
What are your favorite games? Chess, checkers, Chinese checkers? Card game, canasta, spades, bridge, cribbage, rummy, UNO, 5 Crowns, Dominos, Mexican train, 42, chicken foot board games, Sorry, Wahoo, parcheesi, Fast Track, Scrabble, Yahtzee, farkle,
What is the most under used piece of equipment that the Gang owns? I gave the answer in a previous post. The piano! Do we have any musicians in the club? Do you play an instrument and/or sing? Would you enjoy getting together with like minded folks to exercise your gifts? Let me know in the comments below – or on Thursday.
There were plenty of toppings for today’s baked potatoes.
We also had lettuce salad and cinnamon apples.
We can’t forget a pot of beans. However I did forget something, to get a picture of the cake and ice cream.
There was plenty of time for games after lunch.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
OTHG 07/21/2022Q • Today is our Birthday Party. OTHG, We are officially 24 years young. We will be having cake and ice cream. We are celebrating the July birthdays today also. If you have a July birthday, this song is for you. (Sing)
• Last week I mentioned that we would really like to see y’all use this facility more. I suggested maybe card Games or the like. Possibly just to gather for coffee, and you don’t even need to drink coffee. Well it is starting. As of August 2nd there will be a Morning Coffee Club (We need a better name — something like Over The Hill Over The Coffee) meeting every Tuesday at at 8:30.
• Speaking of coffee. You may notice that we made no coffee today. For the last several weeks nobody was drinking coffee so we didn’t make any. If y’all want some we can make a pot in a hurry
• Now an update. A few weeks back I’d reported that I had received an email from the mayor saying that the county wanted to use this building for the November elections. This week she responded that a church has volunteered to host voting. Yay! Thank you mayor Liz.
• You old-timers will remember that we used to have monthly Hat Day and Shirt Day. We are restarting them in August. Check the calendar here and on our website. And we adding a special Friend Eats For Free Day. More to come on that later.
• Speaking of shirts … is there any interest in having shirts printed for the group,? We have choices. The existing design or something new. (Sample) $12 for either shirt or hat. We will begin taking orders next Thursday. The shirts are pre shrunk so there’s no need to order a size bigger than normal. You will pay on receipt rather than prepay. Cash or check made out to Over The Hill Gang.
• When you visit our website, please leave a comment if it’s nothing more than, “Hey, GANG” or “Wha’s up?”
• And how do you get to the website?
• I did notice that we have a stack of Trivial Pursuit games on the shelf here. Anyone up for a game of trivia some afternoon? (No takers)
• Here is a free trivia Q. What is Michale J Fox’s middle name? A. Andrew. The Screen Actors Guild already had a Michael A Fox. So his screen name became Michael J Fox.
• The Joke: Just before thanksgiving Jim and Eddie were out hunting for turkeys when Jim keel’s over and collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. Eddie gets out his cell phone and calls 911. He gasps, ‘My friend Jim is dead! What can I do?’ The operator says, ‘Calm down, I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.’ There is a silence on the phone, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, Eddie says, ‘OK, now what?’
Prayer:.
Let’s eat. Any who need assistance go first. Door prize:
There were 23 to eat and a couple who came later. Yay!
We’ve got the potatoes ready for baking, bunches of tater toppings, salad is all chopped, the fruit is ready, and best of all … the cake and ice cream are ready for the BIRTHDAY PARTY!
Over The Hill Gang turned 24
Y’all will be here, right? I don’t want to eat all this cake by myself.
The Liberty Hill Digest July issue has a nice article about the Over The Hill Gang.
Text of article is at bottom of this post.*
We also had a reporter from the Independent newspaper interviewing us Over The Hillers about the club. And as a surprise treat, she played some music on the piano for us.
That piano is the most under-used piece of equipment we own. Any of y’all “pie-ana“players that would like to play something that we might sing along to.?
NEXT WEEK’S LUNCH
There were twenty-four in attendance today. And nobody went hungry. My favorite was the red beans and rice. What was your’s? Do you have suggestions for future meals? Leave a comment
After lunch games were played. Five Crowns has become a club favorite. Dominoes and Canasta were also enjoyed. If you have a game you really enjoy, bring it and invite people to join you.
Tom’s Announcements In four more days OTHG will be officially 24 years old. So, next Thursday, we will have a Birthday Celebration. At that time we will also recognize all y’all who have July birthdays
Q. Who is using the Over The Hill Gang’s website? www.OverTheHillGangLHTX.com This is YOURwebsite. What can we do to make it better? What would you like to see on the site?
Again I’m asking you to Please add your email behind your name on the sign in sheet. Please print both your name and email. So that our secretary doesn’t have to guess what you’ve scrawled. 😁
New name tags. Did you take your’s home with you? Did you bring it back? If you left your tag, did you find it this morning? How convenient is it? Can we make it better? Suggestions?
I’d love to have this building in use by us Over The Hillers all the time. Just let one of the board members know in advance so that we can make arrangements to unlock the building. Be aware that the Our Village folks are in the front room on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 8 to 2. You can use the building during that time, just be aware that others R in the building also – please be a good and respectful neighbor to them.
Joke: A priest, a rabbi, and a blond walk into a bar. The blond took a long look around with a puzzled look on her face. Then said, “Um, I think I’m in the wrong … joke.”
Participation in group activities and community organizations is believed to be associated with better health status in our senior population. But don’t let the name of this group fool you-this is a lively bunch. The members of the Over The Hill Gang are never too old for good fellowship, fun times, and even better food.
The gang was founded in 1998 by Carl and Lorraine Williams after Liberty Hillian Chigger Gardner was looking for a good bowl of beans and some cornbread. Lorraine Williams told Chigger, “Next Thursday I’ll have you a pot of beans and some cornbread,” and that’s how this family-reunion-style Thursday lunch began. The thriving group quickly grew, and at one time had 150 members.
In 2020, the group took a hiatus due to pandemic concerns. Last month, they had their official re-opening with 28 attendees and 6 new members. “It’s about the care and feeding of people ages 50 or better,” group president Tom Williams (opposite page) says, “It’s about giving them something to do. We eat, we visit, and we play games like canasta or dominos, With aging often comes isolation, especially for single folks. This group gives them an outlet to come and socialize, We share a meal and break bread together.”
BE A PART OF IT
This fun group is looking to grow. Tom and friends offer a standing invitation to everyone 50 years or older who enjoys good fellowship, laughing until their cheeks hurt, fun games, and good comfort food all in the style of a family reunion, to join the gang.
Tom shared his thoughts on reaching this age of “maturity” at the June 9 meetup, “When we reach this age we finally understand that being over the hill beats being under the hill. Our idea of a hot time is holding a heating pad on our bad back. We and our teeth have decided that a separation is the best idea for our relationship, Getting high means that it’s time to take your blood pressure medication. Finally, we can now trust our friends more because we can’t even remember each other’s names let alone what we did in the past.” And before he put the mic down he reminded the group that their photo might appear in the Liberty Hill Digest, “So, if any of you have any outstanding warrants, let us know so we can blur your face.”
Over The Hill Gang Liberty Hill, TX 