MHBGROUP Custom Community Magazines Since 1974
Chumash Village
smoke signals
REGION 6
CHUMASH VILLAGE
Smoke Signals 3057 South Higuera Street | San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
SEPTEMBER 2026 In This Issue Board of Directors, Officers, Committees, & After-Hours Emergency Numbers Calendar Announcements & News Crosswords Word Search Sudoku
2 3 4 18 19 20
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COMMUNITY DIRECTORY Chumash Village Office Telephone: (805) 543-4272 Office Staff: Aaron Street On site: M, W, F (8am-noon) & T, TH (1-5pm)
Unity Property Management (833) 462-1100 (M-F, 8am-5pm) support@unitypm.com After Hours Emergency: (559) 228-0606
Board of Directors & Officers board@chumashvillage.com President: Duane Livingston (805) 701-2662 | duane@chumashvillage.com Vice-President: Roberta Orzechkowski roberta@chumashvillage.com Secretary: Candace DeGeare candace@chumashvillage.com Treasurer: Robert Akelian robert@chumashvillage.com Member at Large: Kathy Moon kathy@chumashvillage.com
Committees Information Ambassadors Mary Pollock, Christine Escartin, & Gary Menke Architectural Control Committee Seeking qualified members
Common Area Maintenance Committee Duane Livingston (Board Liaison) Finance Committee Robert Akelian & Jim Halls Seeking additional members Infrastructure Duane Livingston (Board Liaison) James Sievert Landscape Committee Donna Shanske, Rob & Cinde Tedford Library John Kabonic Pool Committee Cynthia Pretzel, Eva Zayha, & Tom O'Connor Safety and Emergency Preparedness Candace DeGeare (Board Liaison), Christine Escartin, & Mary Rash Social Events & Volunteer Coordinators Vacant, seeking members Smoke Signals Bethany Winslow bethanywinslow@gmail.com *Seeking contributions, email 6 wks in advance with subject line: CHUMASH Sunshine Cards Michel Waddel (951) 834-6276 Please notify of illness or death
After-hours Community Emergencies From 5pm to 8:00am weekdays, and all day on weekends, call the Unity Support Team at (559) 228-0606. This pertains to common areas outside your home, including the meters. From the meter to inside your home is the owner's responsibility. For frequent electrical blackout outages call PG&E at 1-800-743-5002. 2
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
September 2026 Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
1 Arts Class
2
3
9
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
4
5
6
10
11
12
13
16
17
18
19
20
23
24
25 TGIF Party?
26
27
10:00-11:30 am
7 Labor Day
8 Arts Class
(All Day)
10:00-11:30 am
Strength & Balance 10:00-11:00 am
14 Strength & Balance 10:00-11:00 am
21 Strength & Balance 10:00-11:00 am
28
15 Arts Class 10:00-11:30 am
22 Arts Class 10:00-11:30 am
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5:00 pm * Look for confirmation via sandwich board!
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Looking Ahead: ● Meet the Board Candidates Night - Wednesday, October 7th, at 5pm in the clubhouse. ● Arts & Crafts Sale - Saturday, November 14th, in the clubhouse.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS & NEWS
Psst…About Those TGIF Parties Aloha! Have you noticed? The TGIF parties have been happening lately. Judging from the most recent one, people are glad to see them! These casual get-togethers are planned for the last Friday of the month starting at 5pm. The recent Hawaiian themed one had a great turnout, fabulous decorations, and as usual plenty of good food and conversation. There were even some hula shenanigans! So thanks to everyone who helps make these still happen! The next TGIF party should be on Friday, September 25, at 5pm. Look for the sandwich board, however. These are not officially on every single month, but it seems we’ve got a good sized group that likes to keep these going. Hope to see you there!
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BOARD ELECTION
Meet the Candidates Night
Mark your calendars now. All park residents are invited to Meet the Candidates Night, for the upcoming Chumash Village board election. The Election Committee will host this event on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 5pm in the clubhouse. This is not a voting meeting. It is a chance to meet the candidates, learn more about those running for office, and ask questions before making your decision. Candidates (listed alphabetically): Robert Akelian, Duane Livingston, Mary Rash, and Cathy Veley As members of this community, we all have a vested interest in the direction of Chumash Village and the makeup of the board. Please mark your calendar and come learn more. 5
HEALTHY LIVING
Strength & Balance Class
The Strength & Balance Class continues to get a good turnout each week. This friendly Monday morning class is a great way to stay active, build confidence, and enjoy time with neighbors. If you can’t make it every week, don’t worry. Just come when you can. Equipment is available to borrow, so residents can just bring themselves. A big thank you to Christine Escartin and June Smith for leading these classes and helping make them such a welcoming part of life here at Chumash Village. Dress comfortably and drop in anytime! Mondays from 10-11am. 6
COMMUNITY CREATIVITY
Arts & Crafts Sale
The Chumash Village Arts & Crafts Sale is still scheduled for Saturday, November 14. This is a wonderful chance to support our creative neighbors, enjoy handmade items, and get a head start on thoughtful seasonal gifts. Don’t miss the raffle which will feature items made by our local artists from our community. Tickets for the raffle will be $1 each, or 6 for $5. Calling all Artists & Crafters! Get your table by contacting Susan Taber. There is no charge for a table. Call Susan at (805) 329-1587 or email SLOpaper1@gmail.com
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CENTRAL COAST GARDENING
Small Garden, Big Habitat
A small, water-wise garden bed can add seasonal color, support pollinators, and stay manageable in a compact yard. Late summer is a good time to look at the garden with fresh eyes. Across the Central Coast, many gardeners are moving toward smaller, lower-water “pocket gardens” that mix native plants, mulch, stones, and pollinator-friendly flowers in spaces as modest as a patio edge, entry path, or sunny corner. The idea is simple: instead of redoing the whole yard, choose one small area and make it work harder. A narrow bed near the front walk can become a colorful entry garden. A fence line can become a living wall with shrubs and vines. A few containers can support bees, butterflies, and 8
hummingbirds while still being easy to maintain. For San Luis Obispo’s Mediterranean climate, fall is often the best season to plant California natives. Cooler weather and winter rain help roots settle in before next summer’s dry months. Good small-space choices may include yarrow, seaside daisy, California fuchsia, sage, manzanita, ceanothus, and native bunchgrasses, depending on sun, soil, and available room.
Helpful Website Resources ● UC Master Gardeners SLO: https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-san-luis-obispo-county ● California Native Plant Society - Fall Planting: https://www.cnps.org/fallplanting ● CNPS-SLO: https://cnpsslo.org/resources/growing-natives/ ● Calscape: https://calscape.org
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CHUMASH PARK PUZZLE
Find Our Street Names TIP: Words may run forward, backward, horizontally,vertically, or diagonally.
The answer key is on page 15. 10
SENIOR SAFETY
Understanding AI What it is, why it matters, and how to stay safe Artificial intelligence, often called AI, is showing up more and more in daily life. You may hear about it on the news, see it mentioned on your phone, or notice it in customer service, health care, banking, cars, shopping websites, and even photo apps. In plain language, AI is computer software that can recognize patterns, make suggestions, answer questions, write text, create images, translate languages, summarize information, and more. Most importantly, however, it’s important to know that AI can even sound or look like a real person. It used to be easy to spot AI generated content; the photos looked a little off, or the AI voice sounded fake. That is NO longer the case. Nowadays it’s very easy to create images, audio, and even video that cannot be distinguished from reality. Artificial intelligence does not think like a human being, but it’s modeled after the human brain and has a digital neural network that is incredibly complex. It can process huge amounts of information, and it can do so very quickly. It’s also evolving at an exponential pace; faster than what was expected even by many experts. For many people, AI can be incredibly useful. It can help write a letter, explain a confusing topic, enlarge or organize information, translate a menu, or summarize a long document. It also has tremendous power to improve every area of our lives, with many breakthroughs in research, science, medicine, and more that are on the horizon. Why AI Can Be Confusing While this technology is powerful and useful, it can still make mistakes, leave out important facts, and will often sound confidently authoritative even when it is 11
wrong. And like any powerful tool, it can also be deliberately misused. Scams Are On the Rise Scammers can use AI to write believable messages, make fake photos or videos, and even copy a person’s voice from a short recording. The goal is usually the same: get you to send money, share a password, reveal personal information, or click a dangerous link. A Good Rule - Stop, Check, & Protect Scammers using AI may make their messages sound more polished, but it does not change the best defense: stop to verify information, and don’t take action until YOU initiate a conversation with a real person that you trust. ● Do not use the phone number or click any links a suspicious caller gives you. Hang up and call using a number you already know (like one on a physical statement or document you have on file. ● Consider setting a family code phrase for emergencies. Make sure it’s something that isn’t known or posted online. ● Never share passwords, verification codes, Social Security numbers, or bank information by phone, text, or by email. ● Be suspicious of ANY requests for gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or payment apps. Helpful Resources FTC scam information: https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: https://www.ic3.gov
National Elder Fraud Hotline: https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/stop-elder-fraud/providing-help-restoring-hope
CISA multi-factor authentication guidance: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/cybersecurity-best-practices/multifactor-authentication Saslow, E. (2026, June 14). The world’s leading deepfake expert no longer trusts his own eyes. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/us/ai-deepfake-hany-farid.html 12
COMMUNITY REMINDERS
A Sharing Community Smoke Signals welcomes submissions from the community. Share your creative writing, poetry, or related ideas to contribute to our community newsletter. Email bethanywinslow@gmail.com with CHUMASH as the subject line.
Pet Reminder Please remember to pick up after your pets when walking through the park. Keeping our park clean helps Chumash Village stay pleasant for everyone.
Planning Exterior Work?
Smoke Signals Seeking Contributions
Before beginning exterior changes or improvements, please check the Architectural Committee process and make sure any needed approval is in place. A little planning ahead helps projects go more smoothly.
Have an idea, you’d like to see?
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SAN LUIS OBISPO
Local Area Happenings Here’s a few nearby calendars and recurring events may be of interest this month. Please confirm details before heading out, since times and venues can change. Times, locations, and websites are listed below. Downtown SLO Farmers' Market Thursday evenings on Higuera Street, with produce, prepared food, and live community energy. Every Thursday, 6-9pm | Higuera Street | downtownslo.com/farmers-market Art After Dark A relaxed first-Friday art walk with participating galleries and arts spaces around SLO. Friday, September 4 | sloartscouncil.org/art-after-dark San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden Check the garden calendar for walks, talks, classes, and seasonal outdoor programs. 3450 Dairy Creek Road | slobg.org/calendar San Luis Obispo Museum of Art Exhibitions and public programs are a good low-key outing near downtown. sloma.org/events/ Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo Concerts, speakers, and stage events are listed by date. September offerings include TajMo, Arturo O'Farrill Trio, and Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam. 1 Grand Avenue | pacslo.org/events SLO REP Local theatre performances and ticket information are posted on the theatre calendar. slorep.org
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CHUMASH PARK PUZZLE
Answer Key
15
Healthy Living
Late Summer Eating: Fresh & Simple September is a good time to enjoy the foods that make late summer feel especially generous: ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, zucchini, peppers, berries, peaches, and fresh herbs. These ingredients are flavorful on their own, so a meal can be satisfying without relying heavily on salt, rich sauces, or complicated preparation. For healthy aging, a practical plate includes colorful vegetables and fruit, a protein food, and a whole grain or other nourishing carbohydrate. Protein is especially important as we age because it helps support muscle; beans, eggs, fish, yogurt, poultry, and soy foods are all useful choices. Drinking water throughout the day also matters, particularly in warm weather. The National Institute on Aging suggests choosing a variety of foods, adding protein across the day, flavoring with herbs or lemon rather than excess salt, and staying hydrated. (Source: National Institute on Aging) A simple September approach: build meals around what looks best at the market, then add one easy protein. A tomato-and-corn salad can become supper with white beans and whole-grain toast. A peach can be paired with plain yogurt and a handful of nuts. Leftovers are useful, too: cooking two servings and refrigerating or freezing one can make tomorrow’s meal much easier. (Source: American Heart Association) General nutrition information only; individual dietary needs vary. Late-Summer White Bean, Corn, and Tomato Skillet Serves 2 | About 20 minutes Ingredients ● 1 tablespoon olive oil ● 1 small zucchini, chopped ● 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels ● 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved ● 1 can no-salt-added or low-sodium white beans, rinsed and drained 16
● 2 eggs ● 1 tablespoon lemon juice ● 2 tablespoons chopped basil or parsley ● Black pepper to taste ● 2 slices whole-grain toast, optional Directions 1. Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. 2. Add corn and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes soften, about 4 minutes. 3. Stir in beans, lemon juice, herbs, and black pepper. Warm through. 4. Make two small spaces in the mixture. Crack in the eggs, cover the skillet, and cook until the whites are set, about 4 to 6 minutes. 5. Serve with whole-grain toast. Why it works: Beans and eggs provide protein, while the vegetables add color, fiber, and late-summer flavor. Rinsing canned beans and using lemon and herbs helps keep sodium modest without making the dish bland. Easy Cooking Resources ● AARP Food: recipes and food ideas for adults 50+. https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/food/ ● The Ethel by AARP Recipes: especially useful for simple meals and cooking for one. https://ethel.aarp.org/lifestyle/recipes/ ● American Heart Association Recipes: searchable recipes, including low-sodium, high-fiber, one-dish, and quick options. https://recipes.heart.org/en/
NOTE: Various AI tools are used to support the creation of this newsletter, directed by, and under the quality control of, the Smoke Signals human editor.
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