"There's another one of my friends," said Dorothy Ziegenfuss. "I'm lucky. I've been here a long time."
Yes, Dorothy Ziegenfuss has been here a long time. She just turned 106, and she's still going strong; spending five hours every Wednesday morning, along with her friend Doris, manning the snack bar at the Garden Spring Center nursing home in Willow Grove.
"Oh, I enjoy this, and Doris and I sit here and chat. I thorough enjoy this. This is one day of the week I look forward to," said Dorothy.
Dorothy was born in 1905 and went to school in a two room schoolhouse in Glenside. The widowed great-grandmother has outlived two brothers and two sisters, none of whom made it past 80.
"I never thought I'd live past 100," Dorothy said.
But Dorothy's no feeble old lady. She still enjoys a good book and good conversation.
"I've been blessed," Dorothy said. "I still can see. I can hear. I can think, and I'm past 100 years of age. God has been good to me."
So what's Dorothy's secret? She does have a special ritual.
"Every night before I go to bed, I have a glass of wine," Dorothy said.
But more important may be Dorothy's outlook on life. She says she has no regrets, no bucket list and that she spends little time thinking about the past.
"I wouldn't have any special wish, and I mean that sincerely, because I'm content here and now," said Dorothy.
"She's always positive. Everything is tomorrow. She doesn't think about what happened already, and she looks forward to tomorrow. So, it's great," said Doris Decandro.
In fact, Dorothy intends to offer up pretzels and candy, with a side of smiles and friendship, for many tomorrows, all the way to 107 and beyond.
