Blog Posts

Since Easter Sunday, readers of The Philadelphia Inquirer have been following the tale of a middle-aged South Philadelphia woman who found "a late, unlikely love" on-line. Diane Muraglia struck up an email correspondence with a man from Yorkshire named Ed Kelly. This South(ern) Philadelphia-Northern England connection took off.

Emails led to phone calls, which led to cards and letters, which led to visits by Ed to Philadelphia, which led to romance and a marriage proposal.

Today's installment mentions Plush Mills, where Diane and her parents moved after all three suffered serious health blows.

Read the story HERE!

Tune in to tomorrow's Philadelphia Inquirer to find out how it all turns out. The series is written by Inquirer staff writer Kathy Boccella, first cousin of Diane Muraglia. 

Plush Mills is filled with stylish, carefully-chosen art. No piece is repeated anywhere in the building. Recently, a very special original piece of art was added to our second floor library and game room - this scene of the Grand Canyon. And it was created by Gunnar Plake. He is not only a well-known Western artist whose work is exhibited in Santa Fe, he is also one of the founders of Plush Mills. Here is a snippet of an interview with Gunnar Plake conducted by San Francisco Bay Area writer Maria Porges in August 2008: Maria Porges: The most unique aspect of your photographs is the first thing we notice: they portray a state of motion. How did you develop your distinctive technique? Gunnar Plake: It started in the darkroom. At 25 I taught myself how to develop and print pictures and was fascinated by the portions of inadvertent blur. My curiosity led to experimentation, photographing objects in motion. Eventually my style evolved to what you see today - the stroke of my camera on still subjects - which maximizes creative control of the image. Maria Porges: Could you talk about the relationship of time to your work as a photographer? Gunnar Plake: I have spent my life obsessed with the passage of time. As a child I felt I had to concentrate and work that much harder just to keep up so time was always at a premium. Moving the camera during exposure allows me to include more information, more time, in the image than can be captured when the camera is still. Most photography emphasizes a moment frozen in time, which is not my experience in seeing. I capture time itself. 

The weather could not have been more perfect for the first annual Family Easter Party at Plush Mills. Sunshine, cloudless skies, and a warm temperature made for ideal Easter egg hunt conditions. To protect the elaborate millinery, our Crazy Hat Contest was held indoors. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party Chapeau.

The Easter Egghead. The Balloon Top. 

The Pretty-as-a-Picture Hat.   It was like Ascot in Pennsylvania. And the winner: the classic Easter-Candy-Bonnet!  

Join us for our first annual Family Easter Party Sunday, April 5 at 3 PM. Kids will love the Easter Egg hunt and face painting. RESIDENTS: Don't forget to wear your Easter bonnet for the Crazy Hat Parade. The winner of the contest receives a surprise gift. This contest is for all Plush Mills residents: women AND men. So open up that old hat box, and we'll see you on Sunday!

Who needs Celebrity Chefs? The management staff of Plush Mills recently donned toques and aprons and prepared the following specials:

· Chicken Gaujillo - bold flavored Mexican dish cooked in a mild red sauce over rice

· Chilean Sea Bass with Braised Celery

· Denise DiCampli’s Famous Rice Pudding

What new tax laws affect seniors for tax year 2008? Are you taking all the deductions available to you? What changes will have an impact on tax planning for the year ahead? In a free presentation at Plush Mills Senior Living in Wallingford on Wednesday, March 25, Elder Law attorneys Dana and Bob Breslin of Pappano and Breslin in Brookhaven will address the special tax concerns and considerations of seniors.

The “Tax Tips for Seniors” seminar will begin at 7 PM. The public is invited to attend this fast-paced and lively session. Refreshments will be served; admission is free. For reservations and more information on the program, call Joan Sobel at 610-690-1630. Plush Mills is located next to Victoria Mills on Plush Mill Road, near the Community Art Center.

Plush Mills resident Dora Noble is a sculptress whose busts of family members and famous persons rotate on display in our lobby. Mrs. Noble created most of the busts in her London studio in the late 20th century. She and her husband relocated from England to Wallingford to be near their daughter and her family. In this photo, Mrs. Noble is shown with her bust of Placido Domingo.

To help inform Delaware County rail commuters about Plush Mills, we arranged to have banners installed at the nearby Moylan/Rose Valley train station. The banners are up for three months, and feature one of our signature images, already familiar to many from an earlier ad campaign - a warm portrayal of a man and a woman. The banners present a consistent, positive image of Plush Mills, and serve to remind train riders that our senior living community is right in the heart of their community.

As we head into spring, residents of Plush Mills are hard at work on their personal fitness through serious training programs, including chair aerobics. 

"Our residents have embraced the challenge of physical fitness," says activities director Adriana Valentine, shown here leading the class. 

Plush Mills' many fitness programs include Wii bowling, walking on nearby paths, working out in our weight room, and the new Senior Boot Camp, challenging teams of residents to reach new levels of physical fitness - and be rewarded with better health and some prizes.

Valentines Day fell on a Saturday, which meant it was a great day for families to visit and enjoy a holiday brunch and entertainment by the Mummers.

Shades of red and pink filled the lobby. We even had an impromptu Mummer's strut when one of our residents took to the dance floor with umbrella and walker!