The Pinecone
Millennium Memo
Last month’s class on phone scams was so successful that SPARC decided to put on an expanded Scam Seminar, set for Oct. 22 at 9 AM.
As the Flyer describes, there will be an all-star cast, highlighted by the County of Fresno, State Dept. of Financial Protection and the Valley Caregiver Resource Center. Also included: a Medicare Presentation, just in time for open enrollment.
Medicare is complicated, so a refresher course might be worth your time. Thanks to Stacee & the folks at SPARC for bringing these programs to The Woods.
More News
Did You Know?
Secretary of State, William Seward negotiated the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million (less than 2cents per acre) in a deal nicknamed Seward’s Folly. The formal transfer took place on October 18, 1867.
• Apparently I got ahead of myself in my last Memo, as the $70K Pool Project isn’t starting until Oct. 20. In the meantime, we bought $6K worth of Gym Equipment and did $10K Tree Trimming.
Next up after the Pool: $25K for the RV Storage Area. Your Rent Dollars at Work!
• After reading about Darrell & Von’s 70th Anniversary in last month’s Pine Cone, we have to award them this month’s Kudo, don’t we? Can you imagine 70 years? That’s so long that they might be on their 2nd bottle of Tabasco by now.
Congratulations, you two!
Millennium Memo Cont...
• As you may have heard, Corina is leaving her post in the Office to commit to her schooling. Per Sarah: “She was an amazing assistant and will be missed, but we wish her all the best.” Thank you for your service to the Park, Corina.
This Again?
Several of you asked that I talk about speeding yet again, but do I really have to do that? You know it’s dangerous, it scares folks that like to walk our beautiful streets…please be careful at least while you’re driving in the Park.
In some cases, it’s a guest that’s the speed demon. Please make sure your guests, family members and anyone else you invite knows the 15 MPH rule.
This reminds me of my late father, and how slowly he would drive so slowly, in fact, that when we were on the freeway, even Amish people would honk. OK, you can go a bit faster than he did, but please Drive Safely!
Belated congratulations to Darrell & Von, watch your speed…and have fun at Halloween Carnival!
George Turk
Space Inspections
Manager’s Corner
I really hope that everyone was able to use the community clean-up to the fullest. Remember, according to the rules and regulations, we are not allowed to leave debris in the carport. Also remember, you invested in a home in this community because of how nice it is. We like that you are here, so let’s continue working to keep it nice.
Halloween Carnival
Social Club requests, no full faced, scary masks, please. We don’t want to scare the little kids.
This year’s Halloween Carnival has new games and new decorations for you and your guest to enjoy. Please come out on Saturday, Oct 25th for The Woods 7th Annual Halloween Carnival. I can tell you that the Social Club puts a LOT of time, thought and effort into their events; you are all in for a treat.
Things to do:
*Get your costume ready for the costume contest.
*Bring candy/treat donations that can be dropped off to the office or given to Peggy at Sp 185. Thank you for your support.
*A dish for the potluck – finger foods preferred.
*Bring cakes, cookies, muffins, etc. for the cake walk – These can be dropped off the day before or the day of the carnival to the office or Peggy at Sp 185. We really appreciate your support.
Volunteers
If you would like to volunteer for the carnival, we need you! We need decorators, people to run games, sell tickets/collect money, and help clean up/take down decorations. Please call the office or Peggy if you are interested in helping. We can always use the
help! Thank you.
Clubhouse Events
Do you have a great idea for an event here at the clubhouse? We would love to hear it! The ladies will be hosting the Community-Gathering featuring soup only once in December vs every Monday. Throughout the year, we have Mugs & Muffins, Ice Cream Socials, and the Community Gathering, but if you have an idea that you would like to do, we are interested. We are also looking for someone that might like to make soup on a Monday in December. If interested, call for details on how the event is run.
Photos
We had our Sock Hop and y’all really know how to have a good time!
We also had a great turn-out for the Ice Cream Social. The ice cream was very tasty!
Lastly, we had to say farewell to our beloved office assistant, Corina. After two years at Clovis City College, she was accepted to California State University Fresno where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies to be a teacher. She really wants to teach 2nd grade. I wish her ALL the best. She was wonderful to work with and will be missed. Thank you to everyone who called, stopped by, or came for her farewell to show her how special she is. It’s my hope that by the time you read this, we will have a new assistant in the office. Stay tuned!
Stay tuned for the Social Club’s Thanksgiving Dinner details.
Sarah
It was great having you here. We wish you all the best!
The Woods Sock Hop
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
The Dance Off Winners
Peter and Evelyn
Congratulations to all the winners!
Costume Contest Winners
Tex and Sherla
Renee and Patricia Judith
Ice
Anyone who lives in California can attest to the uncertainty, destruction and scariness of “wildfire season.”
Watch Duty is operated by real people not machines or crowdsourcing. The people operating Watch Duty are retired wildland firefighters, dispatchers, first responders and reporters. These people collaborate in real-time, gather information from official sources, and radio communication to distill just the facts. If an incident Watch Duty is monitoring has a threat to life or property, they notify the public via the Watch Duty app.
Here’s the nitty gritty of how that works:
• A 911 dispatch center receives a call about a vegetation fire.
• Watch Duty’s automated monitoring system hears that 911 dispatch and alerts the Watch Duty team.
• All available Watch Duty reporters in that region begin monitoring their radio scanners, wildfire cameras, satellites, and other public sources such as official announcements from law enforcement and fire services.
• The team vets all available information and awaits for on-seen personnel to give an official report on conditions.
If the Watch Duty team perceives a threat to life or property, they will notify the affected public via the Watch Duty app. Watch Duty reporters follow a strict code of conduct when notifying the public.
• Reporters will continually monitor the incident and update the public along the way until it is extinguished or no longer a threat to life or property.
• Watch Duty is FREE no account required and Watch Duty does not collect personal data.
Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake Tasty
Tidbits
Ingredients
Streusel:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Cake:
1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (such as Libby’s)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Combine brown sugar, flour and pumpkin spice in a medium bowl. Cut in 4 tablespoons cold butter using a fork or pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set streusel aside.
3. Beat cake mix and 4 tablespoons softened butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add pumpkin puree and cinnamon; mix until well blended, about 3 minutes. Stir in pecans.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle streusel topping over batter.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool cake before serving for about 5 minutes.
