el dorado Gazette
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- Kitchen & Bathroom Remodels
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- Siding, Skirting & Subfloor Repairs 855.906.6077
EL DORADO GAZETTE
THIS & THAT
Hot! Hot! Hot! When I was typing up this column over Mother’s Day weekend we were just coming off 109º temps…a brief glimpse of our pending summer. Hopefully it won’t be like last year, which many old-timers have described as the worst ever…well, maybe that was just me. Anyway, things are definitely quieting down around our village and around El Dorado. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to do. June is Pride month and El Dorado is planning a Pride Happy Hour on June 7th, this will follow Bingo on that day. Then in July we will celebrate our country’s 249th birthday. Festivities will begin at noon in our clubhouse auditorium and is FREE to residents but you will need to give Vince Scalise a call to reserve your spot so that we have a head count. Flyer appears on page 10.
But there are still quite a few things going on in our desert, beginning with the Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week which runs from May 30-June 8. This is your chance to try a new restaurant or revisit a favorite and they usually run specials. Check it out at visitgreaterpalmsprings.com. The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films runs from June 24-30. For more info call 760-322-2930. The summer’s hippest pool party, Splash, is scheduled to occur August 8-10 and August 15-17 at various hotels including the Riviera. Village Fest will continue on Thursday evenings in downtown Palm Springs as will the Certified Farmers Market on Saturday from 8 a.m.- 1 p.m., although it will move indoors.
If you’d just like to get out of Dodge for a few hours you can take a trip to the top of the Tramway. Summer passes are now on sale for $85 for adults and seniors. With these passes you can cool off up there everyday if you so choose. Passes are good through August 31st. And, of course Idyllwild is only about an hour away. The Idyllwild Summer Concert Series takes place every Thursday night at the Butterfield Amphitheater starting the first Thursday after July 4th and continuing for eight consecutive weeks.
These are a few options but, of course, you can remain right here and enjoy water aerobics every weekday morning, play an early game or two of Pickleball, exercise in our air-conditioned gym, stroll the greenbelt or take in Bingo and Karaoke. You can even curl up with a good book in our library…or venture out to see what’s happening at the Rancho Mirage Library and the Palm Springs Library. And before you know it our Snowbirds will be returning and we’ll be once again back in the swing of things.
Our Cuatro de Mayo celebration was quite a success and thanks go out to our creative and energetic Recreation Committee, with special thanks to RoseMarie Warshaw who again made a delicious cake for the event. And much gratitude to DeLon Gabelli who surprised us with deviled eggs. Unfortunately they were all gone by the time I passed through the line…you snooze you lose. All these events involve a lot of time planning, shopping, decorating and un-decorating. More often than not it also involves cooking and our top notch chefs, Michael Vaticano and Clarence Franks are heavily involved. They got a little break from kitchen duties this time. Jill Cotner has brought a smile to many a 50/50 winner’s face…Deborah Franks was one of those smilers at our last event. And of course, thanks go out to Mercedes for all her help…we’ve discovered that we can’t do these without her. Event photos can be found on pages 12-14.
Try to stay cool over these next few months and don’t forget to check TownSq and the The Eldorado Palms Estates FB page as well as the El Dorado Palms Recreation FB page to keep up to date on what is happening in and around our community.
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
By Joseph Ratliff, Vice President
Hello, everyone. Just a short message. Everything is going along pretty smoothly as we transition in a couple of new board members. We have changed the board meetings around a bit to get them a little more under control. I feel this will bring more people to the meetings if it’s a safe place without vulgar outbursts. I look forward to working on the clubhouse and ADA requirements as we have lined up everything to finish the laundry room. Please come out or listen online to our meetings so you are informed with the correct information concerning what’s going on in our community.
Thank you.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE, by Gene Brake, Chair Hello neighbors,
The architectural committee has had another busy month. First off there is no news on the lot sales by the developer. Yes, we hear rumors too. :) We are attempting to work with the developer’s contractor to at least finish the home under construction for over a year at 57 Las Flores. The prior new home application expired. We requested a new application and the submission didn't meet our requirements but we are working with HCD (the state agency that oversees manufactured homes in Palm Springs) to approve a footing plan that does meet our requirements. It's a time consuming process, but the good thing is once we get an approved plan, it can be utilized for other lots when they begin selling them again.
We have spent many hours on the clubhouse design for use in a long range plan. We are close to finalizing it and the good news is the color selections will be utilized first in the Laundry Building remodel being worked on by the Maintenance Committee. We have worked with the Maintenance Committee to come up with a very inviting space that can grow into a potential multipurpose space for our community.
To that end goal, we are working to redesign the Central Parklet just outside the front door of the laundry building to be a more inviting gathering spot for our community that is comfortable and safe for those with mobility issues. We are working closely with the Maintenance Committee on this redesign to make sure that it meets those accessible goals.
As always if you have any questions, please reach out via email at genebrake01@gmail.com. See you around the neighborhood.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
(cont’d)
FINANCE COMMITTEE
, by DeWayne Musick
Due to not receiving the April Financials from the Management Company, no meeting has occurred as of yet.
MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE
, by Diane
Graham
EDPE Maintenance Committee Report
The HOA Board will choose this year's Maintenance Committee members. The volunteers are Craig Harris, Rey Bermudez, and Diane Graham. Board members Joey Ratliff and Pete Carroll will also be part of the committee. We look forward to helping create a safe, attractive and well maintained community for all of us. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Diane at brierdiane@frontier.com.
Also, you are welcome to attend our next meeting on Friday, June 6, at 1:00 in the Multi-Purpose Room or online (see TownSq for information).
Here are the projects we are currently working on:
Laundry Building Renovation
Our goal is to update and refresh this 50+ year old building and provide 2 new washers and 2 new driers available for your use. The old appliances will be removed on May 20. Construction is scheduled to begin shortly thereafter. Please check TownSq for updates.
ADA Access to Shared Spaces
We will seek out an ADA Specialist to guide us in what we need to do to make our shared spaces accessible to all. We can then create a plan to phase in prioritized projects. The shared spaces under consideration are:
1. . The Clubhouse which includes the Office, Library, Gym,
2. . Bathrooms/Saunas, Multi-Purpose Room and Pool
3. . The Auditorium including the Kitchen and Bathrooms
4. . The Greenbelt
5. . The Laundry Building Plaza
Landscape
We are working with Sunshine Landscaping every 1st and 3rd Tuesday to keep our grounds weed free and beautiful. We are also, however, looking at other Associa properties to learn about which landscaping companies they use and their level of satisfaction with them.
Pools and Spa
The pools and spa are constantly being cleaned and repaired. Recently, there was a leak in the spa, both pools needed repair/replacement of the water heaters and the drainage of the rear pool needed to be changed. I hope that by the time you read this, you are fully enjoying these amenities!
(Cont’d. Next page)
COMMITTEE REPORTS
(cont’d.)
RECREATION COMMITTEE, by
Cheryl McFadden
The heat is on and the pace is definitely slowing…almost to a crawl. Your Recreation Committee is coming off a very successful season. In January we held the Reigning Cats & Dog fund raising event in which we raised over $2000 for the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. In February we chowed down on another popular Spaghetti Dinner. In March the Prickly Pear Band definitely activated our Irish roots, even if we don’t have any. April saw us displaying our favorite caftans and enjoying an assortment of appetizers. We ushered in May with our annual Cinco de Mayo…technically Cuatro de Mayo. The turnout was great despite the fact that most of our snowbirds had flown the coop…so to speak. Eve Holmes got the crowd moving and grooving with her Latin tunes. And, of course, party goers got to take out their frustration on the piñata releasing a cascade of treats. And thanks to Vince Scalise, Lunch Bunch was resurrected with dining at Bambinos, New Fortune, Blackbook Bar, and El Portal. This event is likely to disband for the summer but stay tuned for further announcements beginning in the fall.
Now comes the “slowing down” part. In June we will hold a Pride Happy Hour…check out the flyer on page 10. And the season finale will most likely be our annual Independence Day celebration on July 4th with an indoor picnic, of sorts. The committee will go dark during the month of August, or at least dim. But that doesn’t mean we are completely shutting down, Dave Nyberg will continue with Bingo and Karaoke so be sure to check TownSq and FB for updates. Might as well enjoy the a/c in the clubhouse and possibly come home with a little more money in your pocket.
The committee will be working on finalizing plans for the new season, beginning with a possible Biscuits and Gravy Brunch in early September. In October we are discussing holding a HowlO-Ween costume event in October but one for pet parents and their fur babies. Plenty of time for you to plan that one. Then in November we will once again hold our annual Friendsgiving Dinner with the abundant spread that we are famous for. And the Holidays just wouldn’t be the Holidays in El Dorado if we didn’t hold our dazzling year-end gala. We are presently in negotiations with Westwood Catering who catered last years event. You won’t want to miss it.
And that, my friends, is what the Recreation Committee has done and is doing for the community, but we shan’t be resting on our laurels. Stay tuned.
EDITORS NOTE: Thanks go out to our Board and committee members. Collectively they donate thousands of hours each year, making El Dorado Palms a wonderful place to live. So pat yourselves on the back and take a bow. Your efforts are appreciated!
ONE-PS,
by Cathy Liss
Hi Eldoradoans near and far,
We’ve arrived at summer and wishing all a safe, comfortable season. For our local residents, did you happen to feel the 5.2 earthquake at 10:08AM, Tuesday, April 14th? The epicenter was Julian in San Diego County, about 1 ½ hours away. Cell phone notifications of the quake came just seconds before we felt it! If you haven’t yet signed up for EVERBRIDGE through the City of Palm Springs website, perhaps now would be a good time? We’re hoping to include a flyer in this Gazette to give step-by-step instructions. On your computer or cell phone, you can simply type in Everbridge Palm Springs, click the red button and you’ll be given directions to enroll.
· Two new Palm Springs Police officer recruits are just completing their academy training and will soon be deployed.
· The Fabulous Plaza Theatre has completed extensive restoration to its glamorous past appearance, and has received installation of state-of-the-art sound and visual equipment; it will re-open December of 2025 with Lily Tomlin in the opening performance.
· Gene Autry Trail and other major thoroughfare road work may be scheduled dusk to dawn, simplifying traffic delays.
· Palm Springs Convention Center will soon begin a $100,000,000.00 renovation, and the city is passionately reaching out to Canadian visitors and residents to ensure they continue to feel welcome and appreciated here.
Did you know, last summer we had 151 days over 100 degrees and 83 over 110 degrees? Please consider gathering items for your home emergency kits and attending our El Dorado Palms Community ONE-PS events to receive loads of great information and cool raffle prizes.
Wishing a pleasant and healthy summer to everyone.
POETRY/PROSE
A TEARFUL PLEA
By Michael Troughton
Oh I bet you’re wondering’ why
My eyes are waterin’ night and day
But my throat is parched and my mouth is dry
Well it comes as no surprise
With all these vicious weeds
I’m hounded by bleary eyes
With a cough, a sputter, or a wheeze
It’s not just spring that’s in the air
“Cause all this pollen makes me sneeze
Please, I beseech, set me free
From all these dusty blowin’ winds
Heading ‘cross the sands and right towards me
This year I tried out something new
In spite of nature’s springtime plan
With mask and goggles I’d see it through
Don’t know how and don’t know why
This here’s my story I’m sad to say
My eyes still water and my throat’s still dry
They say a man ain’t supposed to cry
But I’m about to lose my mind
Oh where oh where is that clear blue sky
POOL MAN
By Jauren
In the first grey pocket of dawn, you kneel to water, skim its surface with your eyes, Terrible winds last night, shallow murky with leaves and Bougainvillea blooms
In the deep, sky and mountains reflect. You sift the rising day through your net, gather floating insects like gold. The net drips back into the pool, Grey light turns blue.
You kneel again at the edge, catch your reflection halfway up and shining.
This poem is one of many In the poetry collection “Homeless and Other poems” By Jauren
Available on Amazon
HEALTH & FITNESS
By Clarence Franks
TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF IN THERAPY
In therapy? You feel the need to be in therapy! That’s a caring thought. Because sometimes we have to help ourselves by knowing that we need help. Too many times we try to help ourselves on our own, thinking that we don’t need anyone to help us. That is just our fear talking. Admitting that you need help, well that’s the starting line. Seeking help that’s when the race begins. You don’t run just to win. You’re also running against time. The mind is amazing, it’s a labyrinth. Is it making sense yet? It’s confusing. Strategizing, navigating one’s mental health is one of the greatest challenges you can take on.
Therapy is the bravest and the scariest thing that you can do for yourself. You don’t know how hard it is to live life until you try to give it up. What’s normal? What’s not normal? Facing yourself is what is brave about therapy. Facing your truth is what is scary about therapy.
Courage and fear; courage and fear. Don’t be afraid to show courage to yourself. Remember, you are your own worst enemy and also your superhero. You can destroy yourself or you can save yourself. Are you the good guy? Yes, you are! Are you the bad guy? Yes, you are! Do you recognize when you’re the villain and when you’re the hero?
Knowing when you need to take a break from the job, from school, from life. Therapy is like a thumbprint. Everyone has a thumb, but each print is different. Think of therapy like going to your tailor to have a suit tailored to meet your specific needs. First, you have to pick your style, then your color scheme. From there, we start to measure your height your width, your length. And then the fabric, the texture, the smell. Does it say you? Is it a good fit?
The fear of therapy is not knowing enough about yourself to cope with your issues. You are the great unknown. What you don’t know about yourself is the journey you must travel. Understanding how much your mental health affects your life. Asking for help is the first step to getting better. There’s no shame in asking for help. When you finally get the help that you need stay with it. You will be needing to do the work for the rest of your life. Hang in there and work on yourself. Remember, there are no quick fixes for everything… everything starts in your mind with a thought.
Thoughts lead to action, actions lead to feelings, and feelings lead to emotions.
JUNE BIRTHDAYS
Gail Siegel 6/14
Tony Hill 6/16
Brian Paczesniak 6/16
Jose Goria 6/16
Diane Maggio 6/27
CUATRO
WHAT’S SO FUNNY?
PUNOGRAPHY
I tried to catch some fog. I mist.
When chemists die, they barium.
Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.
I know a guy who’s addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop anytime.
How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.
I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.
This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I’d never met herbivore.
I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I can’t put it down.
I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
They told me I had type A blood, but it was a Type O.
A dyslexic man walks into a bra.
PMS jokes aren’t funny. Period!
Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.
Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there’s no pop quiz.
Energizer Bunny arrested: charged with battery.
I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
How do you make holy water? Boil the Hell out of it.
What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.
When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.
What does a clock do when it’s hungry? It goes back for seconds.
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
Broken pencils are pointless.
INFORMATION FOR THE RESIDENTS OF EL DORADO PALMS ESTATES
CLUBHOUSE OFFICE HOURS
MONDAY-FRIDAY 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (closed one hour for lunch)
CLOSED SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND HOLIDAYS TELEPHONE 1-760-328-2815
Sam Rodriguez, Community Association Manager Alejandra Romo, Assistant Community Association Manager management@eldoradopalmshoa.com
HOA BOARD MEMBERS:
Randy Brown-President (randybrown.eldorado@gmail.com)
Joseph Ratliff-Vice President (josephratliff.realtor@gmail.com
DeWayne Musick-Treasurer (dmnotes@gmail.com)
Pete Carroll-Secretary (petecarroll@icloud.com
Ron Meddock-Director
UTILITY EMERGENCIES
Southern California Edison www.sce.com OR call 1-800-655-4555
Gas 1-877-238-0092 AND call the HOA office 1-760-328-2815
Water emergencies call the HOA office 1-760-328-2815
SECURITY
PALM SPRINGS POLICE DEPARTMENT:1- 760-327-1441 or 1-760-323-8116
OR call 911 if extreme emergency
FIRE DEPARTMENT: 1-760-323-8181
Or call 911 if extreme emergency
ANIMAL CONTROL
In-Progress or Emergency: 1-760-327-1441 or 911 Routine Service or questions: 1-760-323-8151
After-Hours Common Area Maintenance Emergencies 1-760-346-1161
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO 911
Puzzles and Word Games you can
COMMON MEDS SMALL INCREASES
ADDERALL AMLODIPINE ATIVAN
BENZONATATE BIKTARVY CYMBALTA DUPIXENT
EMTESA FARXIGA GABAPENTIN
HUMIRA
KEYTRUDA
LEXPRO
LYRICA MELATONIN METFORMIN NALTREXONE NAPROXEN NARCAN OPDIVO
OZEMPIC PREDNISONE TRAMADOL
VIAGRA XANAX
Across 1.Carbonium, e.g.
4.Charm
9.“Gimme ___!” (start of an Iowa State cheer)
10.Trowel wielder
11.Flexible mineral
13.Believed
14.African conflict of 1899-1902
16.Not out
17.Big Apple attraction, with “the”
18.In attendance
20.Shiver from fear
22.Chill
24.Big time?
25.Wuss
27.Chemical ending
28.“The Republic” writer
29.Darling Down
1.Poets’ feet
2.Part of “the works”
3.“Good one!”
4.Morning, for short
5.Gandhi’s title
6.Conniver
7.Fa follower
8.Terminate
12.Chair part 15.___ bit 18.Companionless 19.C.I.A. director under Clinton and Bush 20.Charlie, for one 21.Page 22.Software program, briefly 23.“For Me and My ___”
26.Rocky’s greeting
The headline is a clue to the answer in the diagonal.
Heliport Wordoku
How to solve wordoku puzzles
You only need logic and patience to solve a wordoku.
Simply make sure that each 3x3 square region has only one letter from the word HELIPORT. Similarly, each letter can only appear once in a column or row
in the larger grid. The difficulty on this puzzle is medium.
TRIVIA TEASER
Looking Glass
1.What weekly radio program has been hosted by Ira Glass since 1995? a"Car Talk," b-"This American Life," c-"All Things Considered," d-"A Prairie Home Companion."
2. What broken crystal animal is offered to Jim by Laura at the end of the Tennessee Williams play "The Glass Menagerie"? a-Unicorn, b-Swan, c-Deer, d-Alligator.
3.What architect designed the glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in Paris? a-William Burgess, b-I.M. Pei, c- Eliel Saarinen, d- Benjamin Latrobe.
4.What New Wave band had a #1 hit with the song "Heart of Glass" in 1979? a-The Happenings, b-The Dolls, c-Blondie, d-Wang Chung.
5.Father Time carries an hourglass in one hand, and what object in the other hand? a-Football, b-Flute, c-Beaker, dScythe.
6.What actress is accused of being a Soviet spy in the comedy film "The GlassBottom Boat"? a-Doris Day, b-Eleanor Powell, c-Judy Garland, d-Brigitte Bardot.
7.Which of the dwarves in Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" wore glasses? a-Happy, b-Bashful, c-Doc, d-Grumpy.
8. What was the last name of the police detective played by Ron Glass on "Barney Miller"? a-Meyers, b-OíHara, c-Harris, dRiley.
9. Who recorded the 1974 top 10 song "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)"? a-John Denver, b-Engelbert Humperdinck, c-Carl Douglas, d-Leo Sayer.
10.Selenium is used in glassmaking to create glass of what color? a-Red, b-Yellow, c-Violet, d-Green.
QUOTES
Less ego, more wealth. Saving money is the gap between your ego and your income, and wealth is what you don't see. So wealth is created by suppressing what you could buy today in order to have more stuff or more options in the future.
Morgan Housel
More people can be greater leaders than they think they can, but they need a purpose greater than themselves.
William J. Clinton, 42nd president of the United States.
Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
Frequently attributed to Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United State
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, "Press on," has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, from a sign on his desk.
Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.
Andrew Jackson, 7th president of the United States
Live without pretending, Love without depending, Listen without defending, Speak without offending.
Aubrey Drake Graham (Drake), Recording artist, songwriter
If Trivial Pursuit had been designed by economists, it would have had 100 questions and 3,000 answers.
Ronald Reagan
The Lighter Side
Rice Preference
The young woman really thought she'd been very patient through a protracted period of dating with no talk of marriage.
One night her steady boyfriend took her to a Chinese restaurant. As he perused the menu, he casually asked her, "So . . . how do you like your rice? Boiled? Steamed? Or fried?"
Without missing a beat, she looked over her menu at him and replied clearly, "Thrown."
Talking Clock
While proudly showing off his new apartment to friends late one night, one wag led the way to his bedroom where there was a big brass gong.
"What's that big brass gong for?" one of the guests asked.
"Why, that's the talking clock," the man replied. "Watch", the man said, giving the gong an ear-shattering pound with a hammer.
Suddenly, someone on the other side of the wall screamed, "F'gosh sakes, you idiot, it's 2 a.m. in the morning!"
Apples
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
"Take only ONE. God is watching."
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."
Answers to Looking Glass
1-b, "This American Life" 2-a, Unicorn 3-b, I.M. Pei 4-c, Blondie 5-d, Scythe 6-a, Doris Day 7-c, Doc 8-c, Harris 9-d, Leo ayer 10-a, Red
