When you think of doing a puzzle, you might picture someone relaxing, sipping tea pulled up to a card or coffee table, pondering the pieces and where they fit. 

Recently, a group of Harvest Hill residents engaged in a whole different approach during a “Puzzle Competition” activity. Three teams, of three residents each, were given the same 300-piece puzzle, a timed start and their own space to put it together as quickly as possible with a goal to be the first to complete their puzzle.

The idea came to the activities team via Martha Doolittle, a Harvest Hill resident. Martha had tried a contest at a church competition, an event with six tables of teams. Martha also mentioned that her sister’s brother in law, Bob Armstrong, is a Puzzle Master so she has been doing puzzles for a long time. She saw a documentary called “Wicker Kittens” about teams of people who do puzzle contests. She knew Anne Williams, who was in the film. Martha reached out to Anne for guidance about how to set up contests and where to get puzzles and other ways to host a successful event.  Anne was a great help providing guidance and resources.

The winning team at the Harvest Hill competition completed their puzzle in about two hours. Teams had to work together (which can be a challenge) but Martha said you figure out a strategy. For example, on her team they had a “border” person and one to sort and organize prominent colors. The winners went home with boxes of chocolate truffles, and all the teams got to keep their puzzles. Congratulations to Martha and the activities team for “putting it all together.”

Born in Garwood, New Jersey, and raised in Union, Janet Bantly, a 90-year-old resident at Harvest Hill, lives with a commitment to community involvement.

Janet grew up attending a private all-girls school before earning her Bachelor’s in Dietetics from Simmons College in Boston. After completing her MS degree at RPI, she spent 24 fulfilling years as a nutrition consultant for the Connecticut State Dept. of Education, overseeing school programs and ensuring students received nutritious meals, reflecting on it as “the best job she’s ever had.” It was also the state of Connecticut where she met and married her husband, Neil.

Her career took her far beyond the United States though. Traveling internationally, she led groups of school nutrition professionals to countries that had or wanted to begin feeding children at school. The organization, called People to People, was started by President Eisenhower while he was in office.

Literature, Quilting and Community Spirit

Influenced by her daughter, Amy, and grandchildren living in the area, Janet came to Harvest Hill and was instantly drawn to a courtyard apartment on the first floor, which offered convenience and proximity to everything she needed. With a grandson and great grandson nearby, Janet found comfort in the community immediately.  

Not only is Janet deeply involved in the community at Harvest Hill, but she is an advocate for her fellow residents. From serving on the board to contributing to the newsletter with stories, event coverage, and book reviews, Janet’s passion shines through. She is active in Harvest Hill’s book clubs and volunteers at the library, where she’s spearheading efforts to revitalize their collection. With Nikki’s (Executive Director at Harvest Hill) support, Janet successfully secured a budget for the library, allowing for upgrades. Janet excitedly shares some of the most influential books she’s read, including “1984” and the works of Alexander McCall Smith. She shares, “I read 1984 in high school, and it still feels so relevant, especially today.”

Additionally, Janet is a dedicated crafter, working with a group for knitting and crafts. This is natural for her given her entrepreneurial experience of owning a fabric store for ten years. “I’m very busy. I have a packed schedule,” she admits. It’s this energy and enthusiasm for her community that inspires fellow residents.

From Nutrition Consulting to Community Engagement

As a registered dietician, Janet’s feedback of Harvest Hill’s meals warrants a level of respect. She shares, “The meals are extremely tasty,” reflecting the community’s commitment to providing nutritious and delicious food options. She notes that discussions about food are actively encouraged, as demonstrated by the upcoming food meeting where residents can provide feedback and ask questions.

Exploring what the community “stands for,” Janet describes a range of community members from independent living to those with more specialized needs. No matter one’s background or circumstances, she’s forged many meaningful connections and has numerous friends. She admires the diverse backgrounds of her fellow residents, many of whom have excelled in business or education.

So, what makes this community exceptional beyond its diversity? “The attentive care provided by the staff, who have been responsive and supportive throughout my time at Harvest Hill,” states Janet. It’s this supportive, yet autonomous, environment that makes Harvest Hill a place you can call home.

For Becky Lynn, Harvest Hill is more than just a residence; it’s an active community where she is known by her first name, participated in staff hiring, welcomes new residents, and engages wholeheartedly in activities that challenge and inspire her. Having spent 1.5 years at Harvest Hill, Becky’s journey here is woven with threads of familiarity. 

Upon moving from Middlebury, Connecticut, a place intertwined with her family’s history, Becky’s roots run deep. Her decision to choose Harvest Hill was influenced not only by the fact that she found it superior in the region but also because of the support and proximity it offered to her son and his wife. 

Her story unfolds from Amherst, Massachusetts, where she attended high school and reflects on being the ‘facility brat.’ College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, opened doors to explore her enthusiasm for education.

Continuing her greatest purpose, she pursued educational classes at the University of Vermont, Burlington, eventually culminating in a fulfilling career teaching 3rd grade in Connecticut for several years. 

In 1960, she married her first husband. Reminiscing about cherished moments, she fondly recalls incentivizing her children with 50 cents each for looking after one another, offering her a break, while marveling at their inherent goodness. “They were always such good kids,” she reflects.

Life, however, presented its share of challenges. Becky overcame the loss of her first husband due to cancer, spending a decade alone until she met John. Sharing a love for plants, their time centered around traveling the country attending conferences where Becky was introduced to botanists and horticulturalists. When John passed away in January 2022, Becky made the decision to seek a sense of community.

Empowerment, Unity, Collective Engagement 

Becky has discovered many unexpected joys, activities like Bingo—an entirely new experience that is a source of laughter and camaraderie.  As a member of the hospitality group, she welcomes in new residents, sharing insights that only insiders would know—further creating a sense of comfort and belonging in the community. Now she is also an integral reporting team for Hillwinds, a publication put out every two months.

Activities are diverse; she shares a stimulating brain fitness class where the entire group was challenged to spell out Fahrenheit–a word she’ll never forget how to spell again. The show-and-tell session offers a time to bring out cherished family artifacts. For Becky, it was a Civil War water bottle and Velvet box, in her possession since she was just 5-months old. 

When it comes to meals, Becky cites the seafood options including scallops, East Coast fish, and the occasional lobster tail with drawn butter; a cherished New Year treat this year. 

Above all, she shares how the warmth among residents and staff makes the community unique. The acknowledgment of her by name in the hall, while once being a part of the hiring decision-making process give Harvest Hill its ‘resident-first’ appeal, sharing how residents came together to interview and select their current Executive Director, Nikki Fortier.

Becky’s time at Harvest Hill has shown her what the community’s spirit is all about. Shared stories, strong bonds, activities and beyond give residents a renewed sense of belonging, community, and home.

Dr. James (Jim) Hughes has lived and worked all over the United States as a physician specializing in pediatrics. He and his wife Gillian are enjoying retirement at Harvest Hill where he can be found walking the beautiful trails surrounding the community every morning at dawn.

Dr. Hughes graduated from high school in Exeter, New Hampshire and earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford before joining the United States Navy. After primarily serving on an aircraft carrier in the Far East for three years he was discharged and attended Harvard Medical School, graduating “cum laude.”

After graduating Dr. Hughes joined a Johns Hopkins University project as an assistant professor in the medical school and school of public health while studying pneumonia in children in Calcutta (now known as Kolkata), India. He returned to the United States, spending two years with Dartmouth Health before leaving to run a private clinic. He also helped develop a new HMO in East Lansing, Michigan and joined the Georgetown University HMO in Maryland which Kaiser Permanente bought. He spent 18 years with Kaiser Permanente in Washington D.C. and found time to earn a Master’s of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Dr. Hughes and his first wife of 56 years had four children, a daughter, and three sons. Together he and his wife Gillian are the parents of five children including her daughter. After retiring from medicine he and Gillian moved to Vermont and built a house on Lake Fairlee where they lived for 25 years before making the move to Harvest Hill in 2022.

Dr. Hughes and his wife have always been interested in the arts and Gillian is an original founder of the Parish Players theater group in Vermont. He has been in over a dozen performances with Opera North and did a reading of the play “Copenhagen” with other Harvest Hill residents at the First Congregational Church in Vermont where he is a member.

Dr. Hughes combined his love of pediatrics, theater and the arts into entertaining children reading from the “Harry Potter” book series, over Zoom to an elementary school in Vermont.

“My greatest pleasure is reading to children. I have been reading aloud to school kids for over 20 years,” Dr. Hughes said. “When I put the offer out to read books aloud at Harvest Hill the residents who said they were interested chose ‘Harry Potter,’ too. I have a pretty faithful following here, “ Dr. Hughes said.

If you are considering a new retirement lifestyle Dr. Hughes says there is so much to love about Harvest Hill from the beautiful natural surroundings to the great dining options, numerous activities, and all the live musical performances.