NIAGARA, Wis. — Since we are spending so much more time at home these days, I thought it would be worthwhile delving into the topic of the meaning of that word. What does home mean to us? Is there a difference between house and home? Must a home be a real physical place or does it transcend the need for an actual location?

I received an interesting Monday Morning Memo earlier this month that contained some thoughts about the meaning of “home” from a gentleman by the name of Bart Giamatti. Mr. Giamatti was not only a professor of English Renaissance literature and the president of Yale University, but also the commissioner of Major League Baseball. It was in his ponderings of why home plate in baseball was not simply called fourth base that he had some rather profound thoughts on the meaning of “home.” Here is his definition.

“Home is an English word virtually impossible to translate into other tongues. No translation catches the association, the mixture of memory and longing, the sense of security and autonomy and accessibility, the aroma of inclusiveness, of freedom from wariness that cling to the word ‘home’ and are absent from ‘house’ or even ‘my house.’ Home is a concept, not a place; it’s a state of mind where self-definition starts. It is origins, a mix of time and place and smell and weather wherein one first realizes one is an original; perhaps like others, especially those one loves; but discreet, distinct, not to be copied. Home is where one first learned to be separate, and it remains in the mind as the place where reunion, if it were ever to occur, would happen.”

My childhood home was Ripon, Wis. — yes, I was a “Ripon good cookie.” Growing up, I got very tired of answering that question. At about 7,000 people, we always considered it a small town with small-town values. It was a safe community, so we were free to roam. It was also in the heart of beautiful, rich farmland — flat fields filled with the blackest dirt around. We gauged the seasons by the farmers’ progress in those fields. And we gauged the weather by the condition of the crops. We were vigilant about watching out for tornadoes and knew the weather conditions that spawned them. As much as I dearly love the forests I have become accustomed to as an adult, I still experience a certain tug on my heart strings whenever I drive through farm country. Knowing I came from hard-working farmers will always be part of me; my roots began in that rich, dark earth.

Our childhood homes certainly hold many memories for all of us. It is where we learned right from wrong and how to get along with others in a broader world. Home was where it was safe to make mistakes, and when they were made, we learned to own up to them; we were forgiven but were held accountable. As we grew, we became more confident; we spread our wings and flew from that nest into a world ready to teach us more lessons. Armed with the confidence learned from our childhood home, we are able to build a new home for our own family as an adult.

My husband and I moved our young family “up North” in 1977, and there were certainly many adjustments to make; I must confess we thought we would most likely “move back home” eventually. For the first nine months, we rented a little house a mile into the woods in Pembine. We had never lived in a house without a street light outside so learned the true meaning of darkness very quickly. We had never lived in a location where spring mud was more of a challenge than winter snow. And we most definitely were not accustomed to having to watch for deer everywhere we drove. We hit seven deer inside of the first six years we lived here!

We also were not at all familiar with the deer hunting culture. The first job I had was at a local construction company. It was hunting season, and the office was buzzing with camp talk. My co-workers kept referring to the practice of “driving for deer,” and I was confused. I just could not picture that, so finally I asked, “Isn’t that awfully hard on your cars?” Well, you can imagine the laughter that comment caused!

Since 1978, home for us has been Niagara, Wis. After living in the woods that first year, we decided we did not need quite that much adventure. We moved into town and put down roots, making a new home nestled within the beautiful bluffs. Our home was a blend of customs and traditions of our two families, as most homes are. Our boys grew up surrounded by forests instead of farm fields but still within a small-town neighborhood. They were on their own a lot and free to safely roam, finding secret places and building forts and tree houses. They have fond memories of those boyhood adventures, of shooting baskets at the neighbor’s house and playing kick the can until the sun went down on hot summer evenings. Saturday meant weekly chores with dad, and Sunday morning meant pancakes after mass followed by the Packers game.

Eventually, they both spread their wings and left the nest, just as their dad and I had. While they were shaped by the values of small-town, rural living, they both chose to build a life in the city. Our oldest son and his wife met in college and had fond memories of dating in Green Bay. So, they put down roots there and have built a life with their three boys. Our youngest son felt that Green Bay was even too small so headed to Minneapolis/St. Paul, where he eventually put down roots with his wife and two children. While they both love their homes and have definitely become “city mice,” they do enjoy coming home and reminiscing.

As parents, we enjoy hearing them talk of their boyhood days and learning about their most vivid memories of growing up in simpler times. We get a peek into their formative years through their eyes and understand we must have done a few things right after all. We watch them now as adults, and as parents, and see them pass along to their children the same lessons we taught them, which of course were the same ones we learned from our own homes growing up.

Home, then, is a word with a great depth of meaning. It is so much more than a physical location. Home gives us our history. Home is a starting place, a place where we are nurtured and from which we grow our own identity. We become our own person and eventually build our own home, which at heart bears a lot of resemblance to our childhood home. Locations may change, but values and traditions live on. Home, then, becomes a feeling of wholeness and contentment that can follow us wherever life may lead. City or country, farm or forest, streetlight or moon light — home is that tie to family, customs and memories that continues to nurture through time for generations. Home both grounds us and allows us to grow in new directions, while never losing our way back… home.

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The usual senior living activity calendars and senior center menus will not be published this week in an effort to avoid confusion. Due to the coronavirus and the vulnerability of the elderly population, daily life in the senior living facilities and senior centers has changed dramatically.

All living facilities have closed their doors to public visitation, and the activity calendars have been modified to allow for one-to-one room visits only and individualized activities to keep residents engaged and active as much as possible while remaining within the health and safety guidelines provided by state health experts. Group games are being substituted with individualized activities residents can do in their respective rooms. Staff are providing supplies as well as “overhead announcement bingo and trivia” games and “hallway games” that can be played in individual rooms or by sitting within individual room doorways. YouTube and DVDs are being utilized to provide religious services. A big dose of gratitude and appreciation goes out to all senior care staff for their creativity, caring and perseverance through a difficult situation.

All senior centers have also been closed to any center-based activity. Until they re-open, no information is being published that talks about activities typically available at these centers. Meals continue to be delivered. Some centers also are preparing meals to be picked up. Menus are printed below for those centers who either are preparing take-out or providing home delivered meals. Questions can be directed to the individual centers at the numbers listed below.

SENIOR CENTERS

Alpha-Mastodon Center

906-875-3315

Amasa Center

906-822-7284

Breen Center

906-774-5110

Crystal Falls Center

Head cook: Lucy Korhonen

906-875-6709

Crystal Lake Center – Iron Mountain

906-239-0278

Home-delivered meals only. Menu for the week:

Monday: Polish sausage, macaroni and cheese and green beans.

Tuesday: Cheeseburger, tater tots, peas and carrots.

Wednesday: Italian soup, carrot salad and dinner roll.

Thursday: Smothered chicken, mashed potatoes and winter blend vegetables.

Friday: No meals being offered to home-delivered clients.

Any questions regarding the program at this center can be directed to Christine McMahon at 906-774-2256.

Felch Center

906-246-3559

Home-delivered and/or take-out meal menu for the week:

Monday: Taco bake, corn and salad.

Tuesday: Ham, scalloped potatoes and broccoli.

Wednesday: Fish, oven-browned potatoes and coleslaw.

Thursday: Chicken and rice bake, California blend vegetables and dinner roll.

Aging and Disability Resource Center of Florence County, Wis.

715-528-4890

Director: Tiffany White

Home-delivered only. Menu for the week:

Monday: Cook’s choice entrée, vegetable and fruit.

Tuesday: Pasties with gravy, coleslaw, carrot sticks and fruit.

Wednesday: Pulled pork on a bun, potato wedges, western baked beans, fruit and bread pudding with raisins.

Thursday: Oven-baked fish, baked sweet potato, spinach and orange salad and fruit.

Friday: John Wayne casserole, bean medley and fruit.

Fence Center/Town Hall

715-336-2980

For meal reservations call 855-528-2372

Same as ADRC menu. Home-delivered only.

Florence Community Center/Town Hall

For meal reservation call 715-528-4261

Same as ADRC menu. Home-delivered only.

Tipler Town Hall

715-674-2320

Call for meals. Same as ADRC menu. Home-delivered only.

Hillcrest Senior Dining Center, Aurora

For meal reservations call 715-589-4491.

Same as ADRC menu. Home-delivered only.

Hermansville Center

Coordinator: Pam Haluska

906-498-7735

Iron River Center

906-265-6134

Home-delivered meals only. Menu for the week:

Monday: Cabbage rolls, waxed beans, breadstick and fruit.

Tuesday: Salisbury steak, cheese hash browns, carrots and fruit.

Wednesday: Turkey wrap, chips and fruit.

Thursday: Meat ravioli, green beans, garlic bread and dessert.

Niagara Northwoods Senior Cafe and Center

Meal site manager: Corrie Maule, 715-251-1603

Senior center director: Jill Anderson, 715-251- 4154

Norway Center

Director: Susie Slining

906-563-8716

The center will remain closed; however, take-out meals will be prepared for pick-up — must call ahead. Menu for the week:

Monday: Porcupine meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy, cream corn, salad, fruit, juice and dessert

Tuesday: Pizza burger, potato wedges, mixed vegetables, soup, salad, fruit, juice and dessert.

Wednesday: Breakfast bake, sausages, hash browns, salad, fruit, juice and dessert.

Thursday: Birthday Club — Beef tips, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas and carrots, soup, salad, fruit, juice and birthday cake.

Sagola Center

906-542-3273