The Orchard Residents Association GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT
Last month I wrote to you about two vacancies on the TORA Board. I am thrilled to report we have two volunteers who have stepped up!
Patty Grimm has volunteered for the Secretary position. Patty has been Secretary in the past, so she will have no trouble stepping into the role. According to the TORA Constitution and Bylaws, the Secretary is one of the four Elected Officers of the Board. The Bylaws further state that elections of Officers shall be in January or June. Patty will officially be an “Interim Secretary” until an electi on is held at the June Social Hour. If anyone else would like to be nominated for the position, please let me know.
Many thanks to Carol Reinke who stepped back in to act as Secretary for a couple of months.
A second valiant volunteer has stepped up! Eileen Ioffredo has volunteered to be the Community Affairs Chair. Eileen is already on that committee as the Database Administrator. Her work in that position involved managing all the information needed to produce the Annual Directory and providing Birthday and Anniversary information for the Grapevine. In her new role, Eileen wants to focus on the Welcome Committee (formerly Hospitality Committee). There are already two new TORA members who have volunteered to join the effort to welcome every new resident to the Orchard and inform them of all the great TORA activities.
I have often written here how grateful I am to live in the Orchard. Let me tell you about my day yesterday to emphasize that point.
One kind friend/neighbor was at my house yesterday afternoon to help me solve some computer issues (which she successfully did!) About a half-
hour into troubleshooting my laptop, my tablet and my phone, I got a text from my husband, Tom, who had gone to bed about an hour earlier, not feeling well. The text was “I’m freezing!”
Sure enough, he had a temp over 100 so I gave him two Tylenol, an extra blanket and said I’d check on him in an hour.
When the computer troubleshooting was finished, I checked again. Now the temp was 101.7. Tom was asleep so I called my nurse sister. She advised that I take his blood pressure as soon as he woke up. About two hours later I heard him calling me. “Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth!” I found him on the floor unable to get up. I couldn’t get him up either, so I called on another friend/neighbor who came to my aid. As we tried to get him up, he said he was dizzy. I called 911 and asked for a lift assist. Soon ther e were about six paramedics in the house. One of them said to me, “His temp is 103. He should go to the ER, but he doesn’t want to go.
I went into Mama Bear mode and told him he was going no matter what!
To make a long story short, after two days int he hospital Tom will be fine. He is home now continuing to recover from a staph infection. I have to give my heartfelt thanks to these two selfless people who dropped their own matters and came to my aid.
You might be able to guess who these two people are, but I shouldn’t say. When you fall into a spot of trouble you can call me. If I can’t help, I’ll reach out to other friends/neighbors to try to take care of you. We are a community, after all.
Elizabeth Anderson, TORA President
TORA Responsibilities
I. Executive Board
II. Committees
Please
7.
8.
16. Rose
21.
2. Gail Plass
3. Leslie Dale , Travis Runyan
6. Dot Vandergoot
Pat Smith , Beverly Wells
Stephen Campbell, Cindy Towner, Debra Walter 14. Donna Klise
Do you know that TORA’s recycling efforts earn about $2,000 per year? That’s more than the income from membership, raffle tickets and events, combined.
Thank you everyone who diligently saves your plastic and aluminum throughout the month and leaves them curbside for pickup.
Special thanks to Sharon Willard, Diane McDowell, Bob and Barb Gilmore, Linda Ebright and other volunteers for doing the monthly collection and delivering the bags full of plastic and aluminum to the recycling center on Santa Rosa Avenue.
Here’s What Happens
When the team arrives, they pull up to a pair of dumpsters. One is designated for clear plastic, and one is designated for aluminum. They slice open the garbage bags and empty the bag into the appropriate dumpster.
Plastic only
Aluminum only
If a bag has co-mingled plastic and aluminum, they must go through the wet, sticky bag and separate the items one by one. Major ick factor! So please, separate your items!
It also helps to crush the cans and plastic as much as you can. We are paid by total weight, not volume. We want to reduce the volume of the bags so they can all fit in their vehicles for a single delivery.
The dumpsters are weighed before and after our “dumping.” Plastic and aluminum are paid at different rates, ergo the separation.
Thanks again for all your help with this very lucrative fundraising effort. If you have any questions about this program, please call one of the ladies on the team. Their numbers are in the directory. If you don’t have a directory, call Elizabeth Andrson at 707-328-3836 and leave a message.
On the Orchard Green
Let’s kick off Spring!
Bring your lawn chairs, picnic and favorite beverages
Try your hand at all kinds of lawn games
Saturday, April 25. 2 pm Free to all!
New Date
Garden Walk 2026
Spring is here! Explore beautiful gardens, followed by lunch.
Saturday, May 9
Come to the clubhouse at 10:00 a.m. to get your map.
Followed by lunch in the clubhouse!
If you would like to invite your friends and neighbors to visit your garden, please sign up in the clubhouse or let Entertainment Chair Diane McDowell know (707-484-7078).
Lunch will be BBQ sliders with chips and water. You may also bring your favorite beverage. Free to TORA members, and $5 for non-TORA members and guests.
Thursday Night Social Hour
Reconnect, Relax, Revive
Get to know your friends and neighbors and find out what’s going on in the neighborhood. The fun starts at 5 and lasts as long as you want to stay. So come on over and join the fun. Bring a snack to share, whether it’s savory or sweet and your own beverage.
Thursday, April 9, 5 PM
Solution
Tuesday, April 21 11:30 a.m.
2630 Cleveland Avenue
Santa Rosa
Tentative TORA 2026 Special Event Calendar
Keep your eye on the Grapevine and on TORA’s Facebook page for information and updates.
Saint Patrick’s Day Baked Potato Bar
Spring Lawn Games
Tuesday, March 17, 5 pm
Saturday, April 25, 2 pm NEW DATE
Garden Walk with Lunch After Saturday, May 9, 10 am
Membership Drive
Mother’s Day/Father’s Day BBQ
Co-hosted by TORA and Hometown America
Ice Cream Social
First Week of June, TBD
Friday, June 5, Noon
Saturday, June 27. Noon
Social Hour Red/White/Blue June/July TBD
Music on the Green June/July TBD
Hot Dog BBQ & Silent Auction
Social Hour Music/Jazz Trio
Garage Sale
Halloween Party
Saturday, August 22, Noon
Thursday, September 10, 5 pm
TBD
Co-hosted by TORA and Hometown America Friday, October 30, 5 pm
Friendsgiving and Veteran’s Day
Co-hosted by TORA and Hometown America Friday, November 13, 4 pm
Social Hour for the Holidays with Ugly
Sweater or PJs
Gift Wrapping-benefit for Meals on Wheels
New Year’s Eve Party
Thursday, December 10, 5 pm
Wednesday, December 16, 10-2 & 2-6
Thursday, December 31, 5 pm
VITA
Free Tax Return Preparation for
Qualifying Taxpayers
Sponsored by the United Way and the IRS
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $79,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRScertified volunteers provide free income tax returns with electronic filing to qualified individuals.
In addition to VITA, the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program offers free tax help for all taxpayers, particularly those who are 60 years of age and older, specializing in questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors. The IRS-certified volunteers who provide tax counseling are often retired individuals associated with non-profit organizations that receive grants from the IRS.
You can call 211 after January 15th and get an appointment at a VITA site. You will need to bring your tax documents, your social security, and photo identification. There will be an interview form to fill out once you arrive at the site.
Carol Reinke, Space 195, is a certified VITA volunteer and can electronically file your tax return for free. She will be available on Mondays from 11:00 am – 11:45 am at the clubhouse starting on February 16. If you have any questions, you can contact her at 707495-4564 or e-mail her at cjreinke@msn.com
The Orchard Residents Association has a private Facebook Page. If you live in the Orchard or care for someone in the Orchard or are a family member who does the Internet for a resident, then sign up at TORA The Orchard Residents Association. If you currently do not have a Facebook account, it is easy to sign up.
To create a Facebook account:
1. Go to www.facebook.com/r.php.
2. Enter your name, email or mobile phone number, password, date of birth and gender.
3. Click Sign Up.
4. To finish creating your account, you need to confirm your email or mobile phone number.
To join TORA’s group, click on the three lines on the bottom right of your screen (that’s the menu button) and then select Groups. You will see the magnifying (search) icon in the upper right of the screen. Search for TORA the orchards… and you will see it. Select it.
Because this is a closed group, you will be asked a security question. Once you answer it, the FB administrator will allow you to join.
When you join the TORA group you can see photos of events. Get updates on Orchard issues. Ask a question. Propose an idea. Make a comment. Upload your own photos. Or just enjoy the read.
Join the Conversation. Get Connected.
Puzzles and Word Games you
Paul Revere Southern Flower
Adams Belfry
Boston
British
By land
By sea Church
Concord
Dawes
Firing
Grenadiers
Hancock
Horse Lantern Lexington March Midnight North end Patriot Paul Platoon Revere Revolution Ride Signal Silversmith Troops
Warren
Across
1.Computer memory units
5.High school class
8.Need for fishermen
9.Regrets
11.Jason’s ship
12.“Cogito, ___ sum”
13.It isn’t silver or gold
15.Long, long time
16.Some baby toys
21.Cosmetic additive
22.Hokkaido people
24.Poet Angelou
25.___ tide
26.Battle of Britain grp.
27.Opens a door
Down
1.CEO’s degree
2.Make, as money
3.Garbage in, garbage out
4.Unhearing
5.Largest island in the world
6.Circular domed
dwelling
7.Prefix with phone
10.Costa del ___
14.Jersey call
16.Battering device
17.Winged
18.Spanish painter
19.In ___ of
20.A breeze
23.Bull markets
How to solve sudoku puzzles
April Sudoku
No math is required to solve a sudoku. You only need logic and patience.
Simply make sure that each 3x3 square region has only one instance of the numbers 1-9. Similarly, each number can only
appear once in a column or row in the larger grid. The difficulty on this puzzle is easy.
The headline is a clue to the answer in the diagonal.
TRIVIA TEASER
I Feel Like a Number
1.What actor was offered the role of 007 for The Living Daylights, but lost out due to his contractual obligations for the TV series Remington Steele? a-Colin Firth, b-Tom Selleck, c-Pierce Brosnan, d-Stellan Skarsgard.
2.What number was assigned to the captive title character on TV's The Prisoner? a-2, b-3, c-5, d-6.
3.Zero, Plato and Killer are friends of the title character of what comic strip? a-"Beetle Bailey," b-"Betty Boop," c-"Little Iodine," d-"Zippy the Pinhead."
4.Who played the former Borg, Seven of Nine, on Star Trek: Voyager? a-Jeri Ryan, b-Roxann Dawson, c-Jennifer Lien, d-Suzie Plakson.
5.Who played Number Two, the head henchman of Dr. Evil, in the Austin Powers movies? a-Will Patton, b-Bill Campbell, c-Robert Wagner, d-Samuel L. Jackson.
6.What rock band had a 1980 hit with the song "Hey 19?" a-Blood, Sweat & Tears, b-Steely Dan, c-The Edgar Winter Group, d-ZZ Top.
7.In 1963, Charles Schulz added a new kid to the "Peanuts" neighborhood whose name consisted of what number? a-3, b-4, c-5, d-7.
8.Zero Mostel won a Tony Award for his performance as the title character in which Broadway musical? a-Jesus Christ: Superstar, b-The Music Man, c-Pal Joey, d-Fiddler on the Roof.
9.Which title TV character had a best friend named Six? a-Hannah Montana, bBlossom, c-Punky Brewster, d-Moesha.
10.Maxwell Smart was Agent 86 on TV's Get Smart. What was the number assigned to his partner-wife, played by Barbara Feldon? a-13, b-24, c-36, d-99.
QUOTES
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.
Martin Buber
No idea is final.
Taika Waititi
I would unite with anybody to do right; and with nobody to do wrong.
Frederick Douglass
I feel that we're all lighthouses, and my job is to shine my light as brightly as I can to the darkness.
Jim Carrey
Happiness is a simple, frugal heart.
Nikos Kazantzakis
In a dark time, the eye begins to see.
Theodore Roethke
Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier.
Sri Chinmoy
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
Kurt Vonnegut
If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.
George Harrison
The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on.
Julia Alvarez
I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way.
Carl Sandburg
For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.
Carl Sagan
The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't.
Richard Bach
The lighter side
Psychiatry seminar
Psychiatry students were attending their first seminar. It was on emotional extremes. The professor wanted to establish some parameters, so he asked what they would say was the opposite of joy.
"Sadness," replied Mr. Nichols.
Ms. Biggs defined the opposite of depression as elation.
"And Mr. Martin, what is the opposite of woe?"
Bubba replied, "I believe that would be giddyup!"
The speeder
A man is stopped by police for speeding and the officer asks him for his license.
"I don't have one," the man says. "It was taken away for drunk driving."
So the officer asks for the man's vehicle registration.
"I don't have one," the man says. "This car is stolen and I've murdered the owner and stuck him in the trunk."
At this point, the officer calls for backup and in no time 10 police cars surround the stopped speeder.
The sergeant on the scene approaches the car and orders the man to open his trunk. He does and it is empty. The sergeant then asks for the man's driver's license. The man pulls out a valid license and vehicle registration.
"I don't get it," the sergeant says, "My officer here says you told him you had no license or registration and that you stole this car."
The man shakes his head and says, "I bet that liar told you I was speeding too."
Answer to 'I Feel Like a Number'
1-c, Pierce Brosnan 2-d, 6
3-a, "Beetle Bailey" 4-a, Jeri Ryan
5-c, Robert Wagner
6-b, Steely Dan 7-c, 5 8-d, Fiddler on the Roof 9-b, Blossom 10-d, 99
April 2026 Calendar
Awareness Months
ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH.
AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH.
BEAVER AWARENESS MONTH.
DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH.
GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH.
NATIONAL CANCER CONTROL MONTH.
NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH.
NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH.
PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS MONTH.
STRESS AWARENESS MONTH.
Events
1, April Fool’s Day.
1, PASSOVER begins before sundown on Wednesday, April 1 and ends after nightfall on April 9.
3, GOOD FRIDAY.
5, EASTER.
5, GOLD STAR SPOUSES DAY. Since 2010, honoring surviving spouses of armed forces members.
5-11, MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL AND HULA COMPETITION. Hilo HI. Honors King David Kalakauna.
6-12, NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS RIGHTS WEEK.
6-12, THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT. Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA. Web: masters.com
7, INTERNATIONAL BEAVER DAY.
10-12 and 17-19, COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL. Empire Polo Grounds, Indio, CA. Music and arts festival. Web: coachella.com.
11, CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, 62nd anniversary.
11, NATIONAL PET DAY.
12, DOGWOOD FESTIVAL. Camdenton, MO. Spring carnival.
15, INCOME TAX PAY DAY.
16, NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY.
16-26, FIESTA SAN ANTONIO. Since 1891.
17, BAT APPRECIATION DAY.
19, OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING REMEMBRANCE, 1995.
19-26, NATIONAL PARK WEEK.
20, BOSTON MARATHON, 130th RUNNING.
21, AGGIE MUSTER. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Current and former students gather to honor fellow Aggies. Web: aggienetwork.com.
22, EARTH DAY
23, FIRST MOVIE THEATER OPENS. Apr 23, 1896, New York City at Koster and Bials Mustic Hall.
23, ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY.
25, ARBOR DAY. Since 1872. Web: arborday.org.
25, WORLD PENGUIN DAY.
25, FIDDLER’S FROLICS. Hallettsville, TX. Since 1971.
30, FALL OF SAIGON, 1975. Fall of Saigon: North Vietnamese tanks entered the city, and the communist flag was raised over the presidential palace, marking the end of the war.
30, NATIONAL RAISIN DAY.
International
2, Argentina: Malvinas Day. Public holiday honoring fallen soldiers of the 1982 war to regain the Falkland Islands.
4, Senegal: Independence Day. Marks independence from France in 1960.
6, Thailand: Chakri Day. Marks founding of the dynasty by King Rama I.
