At The Hydrant

By Justine Fitzgibbons

SNOW DOGS

You’ve heard of Snow Birds, but how about Snow Dogs? Come by the dog park any day between 4:00 and 5:30 to see the Snow Dogs. They are back having a great time playing with all the year round dogs while all the snowbirds are having just as much fun reuniting with the year-rounders. The parking lot is full!

Speaking of parking--it is at a premium. Please park perpendicular to the fence or parallel park along the maintenance yard fence so people and dogs can all have easy access to the gate.

If you haven’t been to the park with your dog, come and see the fun they have. There is a large dog park and small dog park. Everyone is welcome.

If you don’t have a dog and are thinking of getting one, you might want to think about adoption. The shelters have a great variety of breeds and mixed breeds just waiting to be rescued by caring owners. Many breeds have their own rescues also.

HELPING HANDS CITES MANY REASONS TO ADOPT: 1. You save a life. All animals at our shelter are in need of a second chance. They have been lost, given up or abandoned. They are all unwanted and helpless. You are giving them a new life in a loving home.

2. You help break the cycle of pet overpopulation.

There are not enough homes for all the animals that are born every year. Adopting from a shelter helps weaken the pet overpopulation cycle. Each year 8 to 12 million dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are euthanized because there are simply not enough homes for them. 3. You help stop cruelty in mass breeding facilities.

Throughout the country, thousands of commercial pet-breeding facilities and backyard breeders produce millions of animals for sale in pet stores and through newspaper ads. Often known as puppy and kitten mills, these facilities repeatedly impregnate female dogs that spend their entire lives in cages without human companionship. These unfortunate animals are often in intolerable environments, forced to produce litter upon litter, and are destroyed after they become unprofi table assets. Adopting a shelter animal means you don’t support such cruel practices.

4. You take advantage of adopting an adult animal.

Adult pets are great! Often, they are already housetrained and some can even “sit” or “stay.” You won’t have to deal with the “puppy phase” or the “kitten phase” which means less of that youthful energy such as biting, chewing, clawing, etc. You will be able to see the personality of the adult animal and won’t have to wait to see what you get.

5. You get a lifetime resource with shelter employees and volunteers.

People who work at the shelter will be a great resource to help you fi nd information or resources for your pet. Our staff members work with animals every day and have a wealth of information on many different issues.

6. You choose from a great selection of animals.

Our shelter offers a variety that you won’t fi nd anywhere else. We have specifi c breeds and also the greatest mutts you’ll ever fi nd. We have more than 6,000 animals come through our doors every year!

7. You adopt a pet who has received good care.

All animals that come to the shelter are admitted by experienced staff. They are given vaccinations upon arrival and go through a behavior screening process. (Please ask your Adoption Counselor for details). We have several vet partners that come to our shelter weekly and are there to assist us with health care issues and concerns.

8. You support a valuable charity and community institution.

Sadly, every community in America requires an animal shelter. When you adopt a pet from our shelter, you assist a not-for-profi t organization, but also send a message to others who will be asking you for years to come where you obtained your adorable pet. Shelters improve the community by mandating that adopted animals be spayed or neutered. This requirement diminishes chances that more unwanted animals will enter the world.

9. You pay less. Low adoption fees (which cover a portion of our shelter’s costs) are much less than the cost of purebred puppies or kittens sold for profi t.

10. You encourage others to adopt animals from shelters.

When your friends ask where you got your amazing pet, you can tell them “at the shelter.” Your adoption may encourage others to do the same.

Adopt A Shelter Pet Today

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FLST# 39068 • CST# 2034468-50 • HST# TAR-7058 • WAST# 603-399-504 GAIL & LARRY HODGE DEL TURA RESIDENTS 239-202-0460 | 800-301-5485 www.sailwithgail.com gail.hodge@cruiseplanners.com Gail Hodge - Cruise Planners

Refl ections “With All My Heart” By Dianne J. Roderick

It has been said that the power of love can move mountains and at the same time destroy hearts. Such a powerful word! Emotionally it can take us to the moon and back or break our hearts and spirits. In our lifetime we have seen the power of love triumph over evil and pain, as well as give individuals the strength to do and endure impossible things. At each stage of our lives we will continue to experience “love” in various forms.

For most of us, our fi rst experience with love is what we sense as infants. Every one of us is born with an enormous capacity to receive love. The nurturing in those vulnerable stages of our lives will eventually mold us into who we are today. Will we trust? Will we be cautious, or protective? Will we wear our hearts on our sleeves? Our life experiences with this powerful emotion will determine the actions and decisions we make throughout each stage of our lives.

Love reaches far beyond symbols. A single rose may symbolize love but without sincerity, it is just a rose. To a small child a dandelion given from the heart represents a true sincerity, a love without reservation. (I still have those dandelions pressed in the pages of my old books. I bet you do too!) That kind of love melts cold hearts, opens closed doors and minds, and has been known to create miracles. You can’t beat that kind of love!

Remember those handmade hearts, and holiday cards, complete with original poems, your child made with love? I can still visualize the excitement on their little faces as they came rushing through the door holding on to that special surprise made just for you. Our refrigerator was always “With all my heart I wish you well, laughter outweighing tears. With all my heart I wish you love; the strongest gift of God, with all my heart…” covered with their artworks of love! Over the years we have received many gifts from our children and grandchildren, but the ones we will always keep close to our hearts, are the ones they made as young children.

Throughout our lives, love will teach us many lessons. It will break our hearts as well as give us hope and promise. Broken hearts can be mended by the power of love. A smile, hug, a kind word, or gesture can relay a glimmer of hope, or create a spark that can ignite a fl ame and rekindle the fi re within a person’s soul. Love will get us through the most diffi cult times and celebrate the happiest of times of our lives.

Love is powerful, healing, and

believing. Let us continue to

share our gifts of love with each

other every day. Together we can

create a kinder, loving world!

Welcome to Chinoiserie Great Opportunity

A Chinoiserie Painting Class will be offered on Thursday February 27, 2020 beginning at 1:00 PM. Chinoiserie is a copy of Oriental Art that became popular in the 16 th century. This art form is used today in many decorating details. Come learn how to paint your own unique box using Gold and Silver Powders and acrylic varnish. Participants need only supply their own brushes. The fee of $25 is to cover the cost of the prepared boxes and materials. The class will be taught by nationally known instructor Judy Diephouse (Distinctive Brushstrokes). Judy is a seasonal renter and is donating her time.

The class is limited to 20 participants. Call Marlene De Graaf at 239-599-4404 to sign up.

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Save Our Strays

By Sherry Plisch DISCOVER THE SECRETS BEHIND YOUR CAT’S WHISKERS Whiskers are a beautiful facial feature that enhance your kitty’s good looks, but they are so much more. They are the radar/early warning system that guides every step a cat takes. As a result, cats are capable of amazing feats such as walking on ledges, gauging and jumping distances and squeezing thru narrow spaces.

These long, stiff hairs project outward on either side of the nose and on the cheek area. There are shorter whiskers under the chin, above the eyes and also on the back of their front paws.

All whiskers are designed to send tactile signals to the brain and nervous system. They also respond to vibrations in the air. The kitty radar system allows them to detect even the smallest changes in their immediate surroundings, to make quick, safe decisions regarding their next movement, fi t in a narrow space and walk on a pencil-thin ledge, even in the dark.

When the cat’s whiskers point forward, it is a sign of going into hunting mode, even if the prey is a

favorite toy! Some people believe that if a cat loses a whisker, you will have good luck by picking it up and keeping it. Hmmm? Whiskers do grow back, too. Whiskers work to keep a cat safe and should never be cut or pulled on. So, cats prefer if you look but don’t touch.

No animal has an innate radar system quite like a fabulous feline! Meow! No animal has an innate radar system quite like a fabulous feline!

(taken from Catster Magazine)

Fish Fruit Tree Project

By Rick Rudzik and Sherry Plisch

October 2019 – December 2019 – FISH Fruit Tree Project We picked 759 pounds of avocados, star fruit and lemons during the months of October through December 2019. Those residents donating their fruit were: Shirley McGilvray, Millie Hanrahan, Frank Spinale, Art Keen, Hank & Margaret Zanger, Milt & Loretta Chamblin, Sandy Mulvaney and Vivian Gray.

We had six volunteers who put in a total of 31 hours. They were: Rick Rudzik, Barry Plisch, Sherry Plisch, Joe Pollock, Maria Soper and Diana Camp.

All of the fruit was taken to the CCMI Café/soup kitchen and gratefully received.

A GREAT BIG “THANK YOU” to the donors and the volunteers.

ASK US HOW TO SAVE

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Let Us Help You Buy or Sell a Home in Lee, Collier, Charlotte or Sarasota Counties on Owned Land

Kenneth & Patricia Bracher and Heather Todd Licensed Real Estate Agents and Broker Associate 239-910-2290 We do not sell in Del Tura or Tara Woods. Del Tura Residents 14 years.

New Year’s Eve Party Recap THANK YOU DEL TURA

A big thank you to everyone who attended the New Year’s Eve party in the Starlight Ballroom. Due to your generosity in purchasing tickets and participating in the 50/50 raffl e, we were able to return $1,710 to the Del Tura community.

The following donations were made with the proceeds: Choralaires ....................................................................................$570.00 Del Tura Christmas Light Fund ................................................................................... $570.00 Military/911 Memorial ...................................................................................$570.00 Again, a big thank you to all who attended and a special thank you to everyone who helped with setup, cleanup, and the 50/50 raffl e

Carolyn and Bernie Forsey Cindy and Ken Baron

239-542-9511 239-851-0982

Clifford Law Firm, LLC Trusts, Estates, Probate, Divorce Cape Coral, FL Ellen W. Clifford Attorney-At-Law ellenwclifford@gmail.com

264 Evergreen Road North Fort Myers, FL (A block east of Cleveland Ave. (Hwy. 41) (Sunoco) Sunday Worship : 8:30 a.m. 239-995-0988 Teaching the unchanging truth of God’s salvation through Jesus to all people!

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

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NORTH FT. MYERS 997-2414 1876 N. Tamiami Trail (Old Business 41 - Weaver’s Corner)

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Del Tura Country Club

Thurs. Feb. 27 th , 2020

9:00am-1:00pm Call Dennis Cottini for information

at (847) 707-1435

Please Help Us Make Our Goal of 35+ Units.