C11 woods park cover by MHBgroup

The Pinecone

Millennium Memo

What’s the best way to kill weeds without spraying an herbicide? According to a horticulturalist from Colorado State, “pour boiling water over the weeds.” Bet you never thought of that.

Apparently, it’s even better if you use water in which you boiled pasta or potatoes, as the starch in the water kills weeds even faster. Given how weeds at The Woods are flourishing after all that rain, this counts as News You Can Use, doesn’t it?

Consider this our annual Spring request that you take back control of your yards, removing what this professor calls “spontaneous urban vegetation.” The weather is warmer, you can use the exercise with a little effort, your yard will look great!

Did you Know?

On March 24, 1976, the first “smiley face” trademark was registered.

The creator earned just $45 and had no idea it would become a global symbol.

Boiling water sounds risky, however. Maybe try using a mixture of soap and vinegar, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, or you can go old school and just pull them by the root.

One resident showed me the new weed whacker he purchased. “It’ s cutting hedge technology,” he bragged. Whatever works, I guess.

• SPARC doesn’t have anything planned for March, but Stacee is hoping to have a “Healthy Movers” event on April 17, with Chair Zumba and Healthy Snack demonstrations, among other lessons. Stay Tuned for details.

• Recent expenditures: the final payment on the $66K Pool Project

and a $6K Water Main repair. With luck, the $20K asbestos removal should be done by the time re spend-

Your Annual Income Certs will be sent out in the next month or two, as soon as we get the numbers from the State. When you get yours, please complete and return it as soon as you can, so we

With the College Basketball Playoffs About to Begin…

Q. People are named after April or May, why not March? A. Because that would be madness.

Have a great St. Patrick’s Day.

George Turk

Manager’s Corner

Super Bowl LX

The Social Club hosted a great Super Bowl party in the clubhouse, with around 40 residents enjoying the game together. The celebration also featured a chili cook-off with three entries. The winner of both the Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice was Rosie, Sp 178. Congratulations, Rosie! Congratulations to the winners of the Super Bowl Pool Buck, Levy, Richard, and Gary! And a big congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on their Super Bowl LX win.

Library Remodel

We are currently on track to reopen the library on March 23. While this date is subject to change, let’s stay positive and hope for the 23rd.

New Calendar Events

 Croquet

Have you ever played croquet or would you like to learn? Jerry, Sp 5, invites you to join him on Thursdays at 1:00 pm. As the weather warms up, games may begin earlier in the day.

 Community Exchange

Toni, Sp 55, and Sandy, Sp 224, are organizing a resident-only community exchange where you can swap items with no money involved. This event will take place on the first Thursday of each month from 1:00–4:00 pm. Please contact Toni or Sandy for details.

 Community Gathering

The next Community Gathering will be held on March 16 at 11:30 am. Reach out to Toni, Sp 55, or Sandy, Sp 224, for more information.

Social Club Event

Mardi Gras will be celebrated on March 21 and will be catered by our very own Chef Kevin. Stay tuned for more details!

Green Waste Reminder

Please remember that the following items cannot be placed in green waste bins: plastic bags (including compostable bags), raw meat, palm fronds, or plastic of any kind.

Weeds and Carports

We will be conducting space inspections. Please make sure your carports do not have debris, weeds are cleared, and meters have a 3’ clearance per HCD.

Hope you enjoy the Super Bowl photos and have a great month!

Sarah

The Woods Super Bowl LX Party

Go Rosie!!

What You Need To Protect: Sensitive Personal Information

The FTC estimates that 10 million Americans are the victim of identity theft each year. Do what you can to avoid that statistic while decluttering by guarding your sensitive personal information.

Sensitive personal information that could be contained on documents include:

• Social Security number

• Account numbers

• Your signature

• Date of birth

• Phone number

• Email address

• Driver's license number

• Passwords

• PIN numbers

• Medical information

• Financial information; or

• Legal information

Can you throw away your decades old tax returns?

If you’re like many Americans, you may have tax returns from a decade ago languishing in a filing cabinet. But you don’t need to hold on to tax documents for as long as you might think.

In almost all cases, you can shred any documents such as W-2s, 1099s or other forms or receipts three years after you file your tax return.

The IRS recommends keeping returns and other tax documents for three years—or two years from when you paid the tax, whichever is later. The IRS has a statute of limitations on conducting audits, and it’s limited to three years.

There are some exceptions. Keep documents for seven years on worthless stocks or bad loans you’ve made.

maintain records, plus exceptions to the three-year rule.

Keep tax records for three years if:

• No fraud was committed and all income was reported.

• You filed a claim for a credit or refund after your return was filed.

Keep tax records for four years if:

• You maintain employment tax records. Keep these for at least four years after the date the tax comes due or is paid, whichever is later.

Keep tax records for six years if:

• You could have underreported your income by more than 25% of the

case, the IRS can review your taxes from up to six

Keep tax records for seven years if:

• You filed a claim for a loss from worthless securities (including loser stocks or bonds) or a bad debt decuction.

Keep tax records indefinitely if:

• You purchased property, so you can show the amount that you originally paid for it.

• You do not file a return each year.

Source: www.irs.gov

FreeFile Home ~ Your Link To Free Federal Online Filing

FREE FILE SOFTWARE

If your adjusted gross income was 89,000 or less in 2025, you can use Free File Software to prepare and e-file your taxes online.

With Free File, you can...

• YouchoosefromIRSpartnertaxsoftwarecompanies

• Simplequestionstoguideyou

• Accuratemathcalculationsguaranteed

• Somefreestatetaxpreparationandfiling

• Spanishtaxpreparationandfilingavailable

• File your taxes any hour of the day or night.

Free File will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the IRS’ network of partners, but it’s important to remember that you must access Free File through the IRS website www.irs.gov.

FREE FILE FILLABLE FORMS

Foranyincomelevel. Youdothework

• Enteryourinformationintoonlineformsyouselect

• Forminstructionsguideyou

• Limitedcalculationsused

• Nostatetaxfiling

What is Free File Fillable Forms? Free File Fillable Forms is a simple electronic equivalent of paper forms. It allows you to prepare, print and e-file a free federal tax return, regardless of your age, income or state of residence. You choose the federal income tax forms and schedules you need, fill in your tax information, sign electronically and e-file your return. Just like completing a paper return, you will be responsible for the input of most of the information on the return. Get confirmation via email when the IRS has accepted your return. If your return is rejected, in most cases you can make the corrections and resubmit it electronically before the deadline.

Free File Fillable Forms Limitations:

• Step by step guidance not provided

• Limited basic calculations

• Filing for the current tax year only

• Does not support any state tax filing

IRS e-file ~ Filing Your Taxes Was Never Easier

Everyone can e-file their tax returns, regardless of income.

• Ask your tax professional about filing and paying electronically. Filing taxes online and paying electronically gets taxes done more accurately, quickly and efficiently.

• Electronic tax filing and paying ensures that your tax information arrives and that your history is safe and secure.

• Federal / State e-file You may be able to e-file your Federal and State income tax returns at the same time.

• Electronic Payment Options Electronic payment options are convenient, safe and secure methods for paying income taxes. If you have a balance due, you can e-file and pay in a single step by authorizing an electronic funds withdrawal from your bank account. Another option is to pay by credit card. The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) offers a third option for paying federal taxes. Through EFTPS, you can schedule recurring payments for withdrawal from your bank account.

Individual e-file Checklist

Over-the-counter software packages and those available through Free-File are basically alike. They ask questions and based on your answers, before you know it, your tax return is complete. However, whether you use purchased software or Free File, you need to get all your tax-related documents together. Don’t be overwhelmed, the following list (although not all-inclusive) can help you get prepared.

• Computer with a modem or internet access

• A copy of last year’s tax return

• Prior year Personal Identification Number (PIN), if applicable.

• Personal identification, So-

cial Security # for you and your spouse)

• Social Security #s for your dependents, if applicable

• W-2s from all of your employers

• Forms 1099-INT showing interest paid to you throughout the year

• Form 1099-G showing any refund, credit or offset of state and local taxes

• All receipts pertaining to your small business

• Forms 1099-DIV, 1099-R

• Income receipts from rental real estate, royalties, partnerships, S corporation, trusts

• Unemployment Compensation

• Social Security benefits

• Other Income

• Itemized Deduction (Schedule A)

• Medical and Dental expenses

• Receipts from taxes you paid such as state and local taxes, real estate taxes, personal property taxes

• Form 1098 for home mortgage interest and points

• Receipts for charitable contributions and gifts

• Casualty and theft losses

• Job expenses

Tasty

Tidbits

Baileys Brownies

Ingredients:

 Cooking spray

 1 box brownie mix, plus ingredients called for on box

 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

 1 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

 1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

 Pinch of Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8"-x-8" baking pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter according to box instructions. Spread in pan and bake brownies according to box instructions.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, Baileys Irish cream, vanilla, and salt. Place bowl over a pot of barely simmering water to create a double boiler and stir constantly until the chocolate is melty.

3. Pour fudge mixture over cooled brownies. Refrigerate until set.