September 2015 Timbergram by Timbergrove Manor Civic Club

The Timbergram SEPTEMBER 2015

TIMBERGROVE MANOR CIVIC CLUB ○ PO BOX 70977 ○ HOUSTON, TX 77270-0977

General Meeting Tuesday, September 8  7:00 PM

Sinclair Elementary School Cafeteria Guest Speaker

City Council Member  Ellen Cohen HPD Q&A Neighborhood News   and Discussions Committee Reports come early: pizza and social time at 6:30 PM door prizes:  $25 gift certificates from AJ’s Urban Petals

Coming to Timbergrove – Private SEAL Security by Chris Ochterbeck & Jennifer Vickers

Starting in November, families in Timbergrove Manor start to get especially busy. Residents are coordinating family vacations, shopping for holiday presents – and criminals are watching our every move. But this year, TMCC residents will have extra protection thanks to additional neighborhood security monitoring by SEAL Security supplementing the dedicated patrollers of Citizen Patrol b e g i n n i n g i n m i d - N ove m b e r a n d continuing into January. In addition to having SEAL Security patrol, which has helped nearby Oak Forest and Garden Oaks subdivisions significantly reduce and deter crime, a resident — or their neighbors or alarm company — can call SEAL’s 24-hour dispatch number to get response times as fast as 2 minutes or less. SEAL Security will be contracted to provide 40 hours per week of patrolling coverage, primarily during weekdays but will rotate and randomize the schedule based on crime statistics and trends and to keep criminals on their toes.

Donations Needed While the TMCC Board of Directors is dedicated to helping with funding of additional security patrols this security can’t be done without your donations! Donating members receive additional security benefits, such as: Vacation Watch While you’re out of town, SEAL Security officers will check on your home

INSID E THIS

ISSUE

WWW.TIMBERGROVE.ORG

The annual Independence Day Ice Cream Social was a cool time on a hot day.

multiple times per day including checking the house perimeter with a K9 officer. Priority Alarm Response Add SEAL Security to your alarm monitoring service and benefit from response times starting at less than two minutes Package Relocation Deter package theft when SEAL Security Officers are watching for orders being delivered to your porch and relocating parcels to more discrete locations. Home Security Review SEAL Security Officers will inspect your home to decrease vulnerabilities. Check with your insurance agent to see if this can save on your annual rates! How to Help Yo u r fi n a n c i a l s u p p o r t i s critical. Suggested donations are $50 per household or $35 for seniors. However, gifts of any amount are welcome and needed. Moreover, we need your pledge of financial support to continue security year-round. Complete the donation and pledge form on the back page of this edition or logon to timbergrove.org/security to make a donation, see a list of FAQs and learn more about the program. Ready for hands-on involvement? Join Citizen Patrol to supplement professional monitoring efforts. Email security@timbergrove.org to learn more.

SouthWaste Permit Update TMCC needs your continued help to ensure the nearby waste processing facility doesn’t get a permit to expand until they clean up their act!

Webmaster’s Blog

Timbergrove Manor Civic Club Leadership

by Chris Ochterbeck, webmaster@timbergrove.org

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS President

Bill Morfey

832-651-0112

president@timbergrove.org

Leslie Hillendahl

281-236-6345

vp@timbergrove.org

Secretary

Peter Davies

713-861-1550

secretary@timbergrove.org

Treasurer

Paige Ochterbeck

214-435-6293

treasurer@timbergrove.org

Director

Kirk Guy

Director

Darlene Wayt

713-385-4465

directordwayt@timbergrove.org

Director

Lorraine Cherry

713-869-4445

directorlcherry@timbergrove.org

Director

Forrest Andrews

713-328-9848

directorfandrews@timbergrove.org

Director

Gary Nordstrom

directorkguy@timbergrove.org

directorgnordstrom@timbergrove.org

CHAIRPERSONS - TMCC COMMITTEES Activities

Tim Louque

activities@timbergrove.org

Beautification

Leslie Hillendahl

281-236-6345

beautification@timbergrove.org

Block Captains

Carolyn Bryant

281-723-9810

blockcaptains@timbergrove.org

Deed Restrictions Enforcement

Traci Riley

Design Review

Dana Whitney

Environmental Affairs

Lorraine Cherry

Membership

Tim Louque Gary Nordstrom

membership@timbergrove.org

Security

Chris Ochterbeck

security@timbergrove.org

Timbergram

Jennifer Vickers

713-240-9671

timbergram@timbergrove.org

Timbergreeters

Carolyn Bryant

281-723-9810

timbergreeters@timbergrove.org

Web Site

Chris Ochterbeck

Yard of the Month

Leslie Hillendahl

deedrestrictions@timbergrove.org

drc@timbergrove.org 713-869-4445

environmentalaffairs@timbergrove.org

webmaster@timbergrove.org 281-236-6345

yardofmonth@timbergrove.org

Solid Waste Collection Schedule Tree Waste:

Recycling - every other week:

Wednesday, September 16  Wednesday, November 18

Thursday, September 10  Thursday, September 24  Thursday, October 8  Thursday, October 22  Thursday, November 5  Thursday, November 19

Junk Waste/Heavy Trash: Wednesday, October 21  Wednesday, December 16

During the first week of August we changed hosting providers to enable a faster website experience and save TMCC additional money. Initial results are showing a 4-12x improvement in loading times (depending on the time of day). This is great news! With this migration completed we can now support a streamlined home page and the new section of the website dedicated to Neighborhood Security (keep your eyes out). Also, did you know you can share posted articles directly from them? Just click on the “Share” button in the bottom righthand corner of the article. And in case you missed it, Meeting Minutes are now ONLINE! We’re currently working to get archived minutes up also, but until then you can investigate back through 2014.

Trading Post SAT/ACT/PSAT Tutoring for 2015! Parents, help your teen get a jump on the new school year and improve their standardized test scores. Experienced, friendly college professor available for individual tutoring. Available all evenings/weekends; can work with your schedule. Contact Prof. K at 832-746-1265 or e-mail at alex@hirelearning.net for rates and more info.

Block Captain Update A great big thanks to the following new block captains: Cheryl Nolan, Cesar Ramirez, Amanda Hamelers. The following blocks are still in need of block captains. It is a volunteer position that takes very little time. Please contact Carolyn Bryant at 281-723-9810 if you are interested in one of these positions. 1103 – 1255 Clovis 1302 – 1526 Foxwood 2202 – 2331 Haverhill 1302 – 1318 Jeannine 1302 – 1338 Seaspray 6002 – 6047 Woodbrook

Call to Action! – An Update on TMCC’s Opposition to SouthWaste Permit by William Morfey, TMCC President As many of you are already aware, the SouthWaste Services (SouthWaste) waste processing plant at 6407 Hurst has fi l e d a r e q u e s t w i t h t h e Te x a s Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an amendment to its waste processing permit that will allow it to process nearly 50% more. SouthWaste processes materials such as grease trap waste and septage (from porto-potties, etc.). Due to SouthWaste’s terrible track record of disbursing nuisance odors into the surrounding area, as well as other nuisance-type activities including creating traffic problems around its facility, TMCC is on record as opposing this permit application. On July 30, TCEQ held a second public meeting on the application. A number of people showed up to voice their opposition to the per mit amendment, including TMCC representatives, affected neighbors and business owners, and a representative from the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services. Although TCEQ has not yet announced a decision on whether or not the application will be granted, many of the meeting attendees expressed concern and displeasure with TCEQ’s lack of acknowledgment of the existence of an odor problem. To the astonishment of many, when asked if it acknowledges the existence of an odor issue, the TCEQ representatives answered by stating to the audience that TCEQ had not been able to confirm the existence of an odor problem. Huh?

Speak out! Sign the petition to stop SouthWaste’s expansion at timbergrove.org/southwaste Let’s put that last item into perspective. Despite receiving at least 56 formal complaints since 2013; despite receiving nearly 700 comments in opposition to the permit application during its roughly two year pendency; despite being told by a City of Houston

engineer that the City has previously cited the SouthWaste facility for violations and issued nuisance fines, all the while receiving odor complaints on at least a weekly basis; despite being told by SouthWaste that at least a quarter of a million dollars is being invested by the facility in an effort to curtail odors; and despite the fact that this facility, which handles large quantities of some of the smelliest materials generated by human activity, is located in close proximity to re s i d e n c e s, ch u rch e s, a n d o t h e r businesses, TCEQ does not believe there is an odor problem.

diligently making these reports, so that TCEQ and others cannot ignore us! Some of you may find yourselves making multiple reports each week or even each day, but that is what needs to be done if the nuisance is that frequent.

Folks, something stinks here. And it isn’t just SouthWaste.

1. REPORT to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Houston Regional Complaint Center  Call 713-767-3641 or;  File online: http://www2.tceq.texas.gov/ oce/complaints/index.cfm

The TCEQ mission statement reads, “The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality strives to protect our state's public health and natural resources consistent with sustainable economic development. Our goal is clean a i r, c l e a n w a t e r, a n d t h e s a f e management of waste.” It seems clear that TCEQ is failing us in their mission. As of the date of authoring this article, two Houston City Council members (Ellen Cohen and Stephen Costello) have told TMCC that they also object to the permit amendment without a viable solution to the odor problem. The Council Members indicated that they will be looking into what the City can do to help the situation, but at a minimum they will be issuing a letter to TCEQ stating their opposition. But understand that TCEQ is a State agency that is not under the jurisdiction of City officials. While it is great to receive assistance from our local elected representatives, we need to support their efforts by documenting and making odor/nuisance complaints with TCEQ (and others). Accordingly, this is a request to all neighbors to make for mal complaints about any and all nuisance activities concerning the SouthWaste facilities, including but n o t l i m i t e d t o o d o r a n d t r a f fi c complaints. We must help ourselves by

Report! Report! Record! Each time a nuisance condition is detected from SouthWaste, it should be reported to both TCEQ and the City of Houston, and should also be recorded in your personal Odor Log as follows:

2. REPORT to City of Houston Health and Human Services Dept., Bureau of Pollution Control and Prevention  Use the 311 Smartphone App or;  Call 311 during normal business hours (832-393-5730 after hours) or;  File online: http://www.houstontx.gov/ health/Environmental/ bpcp_complaints.html 3. RECORD in your Odor Log  TCEQ provides an Odor Log form at www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/ compliance/odor-log-public.pdf or;  Create your own log noting date, time, duration, wind direction, temperature and your location. Please copy TMCC with your written communications, or forward your Odor Log data, to southwastecomplaint@timbergrove.org so that TMCC can keep a master record of everything, for later use, as necessary. Although this process is tedious, it is important. It gives this issue maximum exposure and documentation. Thanks for your help!

Ice Cream! Watermelon! And Firemen! Oh My! by Tim Louque, Activities Committee Our Annual Independence Day Ice Cream Social turned out to be everything that we had hoped for! Children love a parade … and ice cream and award medals and toys and fire trucks. We had them ALL at last month’s Independence Day neighborhood celebration. Add to that neighbors, friends, flags, watermelon, lemonade, iced tea and puppies and, well, you get the idea. It was a sensational time, fun fun fun for all! Please, say thank you to our incredibly generous event sponsor, realtor Sharon Ettinger with Keller Williams Realty. photo credit: Jeff Wayt

And to our VO LU N T E E R S , T H A N K YO U s o v e r y m u c h f o r everything you do. And to our star Boy Scout, Wilson Barlow … way to go! Thank you.

Elizabeth McCormick

Neighborhood realtor

832.661.7300 elizabethmccormickrealtor.com

2014 - 2015 TIMBERGROVE MANOR SALES STATISTICS

# Homes Average Ave. Days Sold Price On Market

2015 QRT. 1 QRT. 2 JULY

7 18 6

$468,783 $486,302 $478,166

30 44 80

●

2012-2015 Texas Monthly Five Star Agent

●

2011-2014 Top Producer

2014

●

Master Certified Negotiation Expert

QRT. 2

$479,047

●

Relocation Certified

QRT. 3

$462,291

QRT. 4

$462,377

heritagetexas.com

I’ll sell your home for more and make a donation to W. 11th St. Park, Jaycee Park or Sinclair Elementary!

E2= Excellent Eats by Lorraine Cherry

Southern fried chicken and   pie, oh my! Fried chicken! Over the last year or so, this tasty down-home delight has become the darling of the foodie world. It seems that every restaurant in town, from the most avant-garde bistro to the lowliest greasy spoon, is advertising that they have the best fried chicken in Houston. So, who really does have the best? A lot of people, including the foodies, would say that the honor goes to Barbecue Inn, serving barbecue and good Southern cooking at the corner of Yale and Crosstimbers since 1946. Walking into Barbecue Inn has an element of time travel to it. You’d swear you were back in the 1950s, with the fake leather booths, iceberg lettuce salads, and waitresses who have been there for 30 years (or more!). They will warn you that there is a 30-minute wait for the fried chicken, because every batch is cooked to

order. The chicken comes to your table crispy on the outside, juicy and perfectly seasoned on the inside. It’s served with a salad and French fries (baked potato with all the fixings for a little extra). And it’s so, so good. I try not to eat fried foods that often, but when I want fried chicken, get out of my way! I want the best, and I go to Barbecue Inn to get it. The restaurant got its start cooking pit barbecue, and there’s still a lot of folks that drive here for their brisket, St. Louisstyle ribs, or half-chickens. They do a fine job with fried shrimp, too. If you go, go early. They fill up quickly at both lunch and dinner, and you might not get in if you leave it too late. Barbecue Inn has beautiful pies for dessert, but I usually try to muster up the willpower to say no, especially after one of those big lunches. That willpower lasts about 2 blocks, or until you run into the Flying Saucer Pie Company on the north

side of Crosstimbers between Yale and Shepherd. Some of the best pie crust I’ve ever had (sorry, Mom!), with wonderful homemade fillings, everything made fresh every day with no preservatives. On the last outing, Texas peaches were in season, and the fresh peach pie they put together was something I still dream about. Ditto for the coconut cream, my husband’s favorite. You can buy any of their pies by the piece and take them home to enjoy later. That is, if you don’t have a fork, or a couple of kids, or an out-of-control husband in your car, in which case the pie may not make it all the way home!

Save the Dates Volunteer   Appreciation Dinner Our 2015 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner has been scheduled. And please say thank you to our NEW 2015 event sponsor, Heights Mobil Car Care. Join us on Sunday, Sept 20 at 5:00 p.m. at Spaghetti Western – 1951 West T.C. Jester Boulevard. Please join us as we say thank you, to YOU! ALL Timbergrove Manor Civic Club volunteers are invited and welcome. Without you, Timbergrove Manor would be not BE Timbergrove Manor. If you have volunteered your time, in any capacity, for the TMCC during 2015, please RSVP to attend your Appreciation D i n n e r- C o n t a c t T i m L o u q u e at activities@timbergrove.org.

Super Neighborhood 14 Meetings and Elections SN 14 will meet October 14 and December 9 at 6:00 p.m. at Heights Library, 1302 Heights Blvd., 77008. Topics include the Jaycee Park CIP and the Bryce Chemical Feed Station Rebuild. The positions of SN 14 President and Correspondence Secretary are up for election at the October meeting. Interested parties should review the Bylaws which are located at www.snc-14.org, under Resource Center. For any info, go to this website or contact the current Correspondence Secretary Megan Jackson at meganjackson79@gmail.com.

Call for Nominations Casino Night

Come to this adults only evening of meeting neighborhood folks, mingling with your friends, merriment for all and a little bit of Las Vegas, generously sponsored by Michelle Ray Properties. Residents of Timbergrove Manor have really enjoyed this event in the past - a night out close to home spending some relaxing down time with friends over appetizers, casino tables, live music and a cash bar. This year’s Casino Night will be at Rainbow Lodge on Thursday, Oct 15, 2015 from 7:00 until 10:00 p.m.

At the November TMCC General Meeting four officers and three directors will be elected for 2016 and two-year terms respectively. Are you interested in sitting on the board of directors or know someone who is? The Nominating Committee would like to know. TMCC Directors and Officers are responsible for leadership for the organization, manage the annual budget, oversee a variety of volunteer committees and deal with important issues that affect t h e n e i g h b o r h o o d s u ch a s d e e d restrictions enforcement, design review, environmental issues and more.

The space at this event is limited and it always fills up FAST! So get to it and please RSVP as soon as you can to Tim Louque at activities@timbergrove.org.

If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to assist next year, send details to volunteer@timbergrove.org.

TMCC Meeting

As we approach the final quarter of 2015, we are pleased to report that more than half of all TMCC residents have paid annual dues. Fortunately, thanks to the generosity of these members, we have raised nearly 90% of our financial goal.

Elizabeth Stinsman with the Harris County Precinct 4 Community Assistance Department for Commissioner R. Jack Cagle will attend TMCC’s Nov 10 general meeting to discuss Harris County services that benefit all taxpayers. Gary Bezemek with Harris County Flood Control will also join us to discuss Timbergrove’s 11 FEMA lots in Sections 5 and 6, their use, maintenance and future plans. They will also discuss Flood Plain Management risk maps and what it means to own property in a flood plain. Please send your questions for these speakers to directordwayt@timbergrove.org by Oct 22.

Membership Update

Now we need YOUR help to meet our goals and hopefully hit a new record for participation. If you haven’t contributed your $30 dues contribution, please mail a check payable to TMCC to PO Box 70977; Houston, TX 77270 or log o n t o timbergrove.org today to contribute.

Traces of Timbergrove Christ Daigle sends this picture from T.C. Jester Boulevard, named for Thomas Cleveland Jester (1884 - 1950) a minister at the Baptist Temple in the Houston Heights. Jester was a Baptist pastor since 1927 and civic leader, serving on the Houston City Planning Commission. Jester promoted the development of better streets, including T.C. Jester Blvd named after his death in 1950.

Jaycee Park Update by Darlene Wayt According to the Parks Program Manager, as of early August, the Ball Field Lighting Project plans have been permitted and a meeting has been held with the Job Order Contracting Team. The lead time for equipment is about 12 weeks. Some demolition activity may begin in late October. The completion target is still the end of 2015. Upon request, the Project Manager sent the site plan reproduced here. A copy of the permit set has been requested. When info is received, it will be on our websites, w w w. t i m b e r g r o v e . o r g a n d www.snc-14.org and posted to FB Jaycee Park. The TMCC will be accepting designated donations for the TMCCfunded porto-potty units on an ongoing basis so that the units can remain in the park not only for 2016 but for future years. Donate online at www.timbergrove.org; by mail to PO Box 70977, Houston, TX 77270-0977; at any TMCC meeting or event; to your block captain. Speaking of the porto-potty units . . . As you know, the park’s renovation was and still is largely due to private funds from private donors; private funds pay for some maintenance needs that the City does not fund; and the TMCC is counting on private funds to pay for the porto-potty units because the City will not provide these units. Recently, two very supportive, generous and consistent donors declined to donate for the portopotty units because of the condition of donor plaza across from the splash pad.

These donors paid for several pavers at a cost of $150 and $200 per paver depending on size. Children have been smearing sidewalk chalk into the paver i n s c r i p t i o n s. O u r n ow - fo r m e r supporters’ point being: why should I donate more when what I paid for isn’t cared for and my donation wasn’t appreciated? Please ask children to create their sidewalk chalk art work on the pavement and not imbed the chalk in the paver

inscriptions. If you are reading this and are part of a moms’ group, please pass along this request and the reason for the request. Also please mention this to babysitters, nannies, anyone who may be supervising your children while they are in the park. Let’s keep our children AND our private donors happy so that the park will remain in good shape for many years to come.

West 11th Street Park by Lorraine Cherry By the time you read this in September, the latest phase of work for the ongoing park trail project will have been c o m p l e t e d . Re p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m Landscape Arts are currently working on two sub-projects: 1. Build up and add additional culverts as necessary to 4 low areas on the main loop trail that have been retaining water after heavy rains. 2. Perform routine maintenance on the entire main loop trail. This will include cutting back the undergrowth at the edges of the trail to restore older parts of the trail to their original width. The original trail construction was done over 4 years ago, and the undergrowth has encroached so badly that some of the segments have been reduced down to 3 feet in width from the original 8 feet. The edges will also be sprayed w i t h a p re - e m e rg e n t h e r b i c i d e approved by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

Proud Timbergrove residents with more than 50 years of combined experience selling in the area.

Meet the Speaker: Council Member Cohen

This work was funded by a generous donation from the TMNA “Run the Grove” Fun Run. Additional support came from donations by park users. Many thanks to everyone who supported this project! The remaining project still pending right now is the construction of the entrance trail that goes from the kiosk on the Shelterwood side of the park in to the main loop trail. We hope to raise enough money from donations to be able to complete that early next year. If you love West 11th Street Park, if you walk the trails, if you enjoy the gardens, if you and your kids like learning about nature on the nature tour, please consider helping to support the park. Friends of West 11th Street Park is a 501(c) (3) organization, so your donations are tax deductible. Donations can be sent to: Friends of West 11th Street Park P.O. Box 7679 Houston TX 77270-7679

Ellen Cohen has lived and worked in Houston for the past 37 years. She served for 10 years as the Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee and for 18 years as the CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center. After serving two terms in the Texas Legislature beginning in 2006, Cohen decided to continue her public service career at home. She ran for Houston City Council, was sworn into office in 2012 representing District C, and is currently serving her second term. Cohen and her staf f have been instrumental in advancing two Capital Improvement Projects that directly affect our area: Jaycee Park and the Bryce Chemical Station Rebuild. She has worked with Parks & Recreation to keep our parks clean and safe and with Public Works to solve odor issues and water pressure problems. At the Sept 8 meeting, she will give a City Hall update, answer pre-submitted questions and impromptu questions.

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Neighborhood Expert

Wildflowers Lure Butterflies to Yard by Kristin Lucas, TMCC Resident Have you ever walked across from West 11th Street Park and admired the house with a front yard full of wildflowers? I certainly have, and I’ve always wondered just how much work went into that garden. So, one day I stopped and left a note. The gardeners, Helen and Robert, were kind enough to agree to talk with me so that I could write up a small article for the Timbergram.

themselves in the fountain, plus it provides a wonderful background notes. After years of using mulch and working the soil, her garden soil is good and rich, but her secret seems mostly to be to keep at it. According to Helen, a garden is never done.

Robert and Helen have lived in Timbergrove since 1994. They reworked the front yard a few years later. I asked Helen if she had always envisioned a front yard of wildflowers and she told me that, honestly, she just replaced the grass because she didn’t like to mow. She has never really had a planting that was a total failure, although she has had some plantings that got out of hand. Some of the wildflowers that grow in the garden are bee balm, horse mint, Indian blanket, c o r n fl o w e r, b l a c k - e y e d S u s a n , pipevine and of course, bluebonnets. In the spring, when they peek out their front window, they often catch a glimpse of p a re n t s t a k i n g t h e b a by - i n - t h e bluebonnets picture in their front yard. Then for our Texas hot months, they have native plants like yucca, various salvias and zexmenia that require minimal watering. All of these plants attract a bevy of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. To bring the birds to the front yard, Helen plans to add one of her favorite garden items, the ever-flow fountain. She loves watching the birds enjoy

photo credit: Kristin Lucas

How much work is it? I am not going to sugarcoat this; the garden has been a lot of work lately because they are in the process of re-designing and rearranging. When they are finished, the front two-thirds of the yard will be all wildflowers and Texas native plants, with some favorite cultivars like roses and day lilies in the back third. And, then, the garden should be pretty low maintenance. However, she added that wildflowers can be added to a yard on a much smaller scale and still have a similar effect.

When I asked Helen what she liked most about Timbergrove, she rattled off a long list, but first on the list was West 11th Street Park. While we were standing gazing at the garden, we saw two redh e a d e d woodpeckers swoop by and two big vultures park themselves in one of the skags (dead trees left in place in which woodpeckers and other birds nest). Helen and Robert have seen some of the resident great horned and screech owls as well. In the past, they have seen flying squirrels from the park.

Other things that she likes about Timbergrove are the great location, good neighbors, the calmness, and the range of ages of the residents. Me, too! Have you seen something cool in Timbergrove Manor? We’d love to hear about it. Send your article submissions to timbergram@timbergrove.org

Special Feature for Timbergram readers by Pamela Efferson Properties

8 Sleep Solutions For More Rest Millions of people rely on medication to go to sleep each night. To help avoid reliance on sleeping pills and get the sleep your body requires, try these ideas for common sleeping problems: If you have trouble going to sleep… • Exercise daily. Your body will be ready to rest at the end of the day. Some experts suggest light exercise a few hours before you try to sleep, but taking 20 minutes to slow down (reading or meditating) before you lie down. See what works for you. • Try Dr. Andrew Weil’s “4-7-8” breathing exercise. Search for the exercise (including a video) at www.medicaldaily.com. • Maintain a consistent schedule (same bedtime and wake-up time). • Keep the bedroom cool (between 60 to 67 degrees) and dark. Your body associates sleep with a drop in temperature. • Avoid large meals (especially high protein), alcohol and caffeine before bedtime. The glowing light • Put down the smartphone. stimulates your brain. Set rules about electronics before bed for your kids, too. An exception: There are Android and iPhone apps that may help you evaluate your sleep (Sleepbot) or provide lulling sounds (Sleep Pillow) to help you nod off. (See Page 3 for related websites.) If you wake up in the middle of the night… • After 15 minutes, get out of bed, go to another room and do something else (read, listen to music). Avoid your computer and TV and don’t watch the clock! • If worries keep you from falling asleep again, jot your concerns down in a notebook and clear your mind. If you have chronic insomnia, which could be caused by disorders such as restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea, talk to your doctor.

Best Video Streaming Services… Online video streaming is wildly popular – on your computer, smartphone, tablet, TV and gaming consoles. Consider these options: For movies… Netflix.com – The industry leader, it offers the most movies, as well as documentaries, for a subscription starting at $7.99/month. For current TV shows… Hulu and Hulu Plus – Watch up to the last five episodes of many TV shows the day after they air for free on your computer at www.hulu.com. If you subscribe to Hulu Plus ($7.99/ month), you can watch full current and previous seasons on other devices. Downside: You will see some advertising. If you frequently shop on Amazon… Amazon Prime Instant Video – It offers a growing catalog of movies and mostly older TV shows, but you also get free two-day shipping on Amazon products. A yearly membership is $99, which is $8.25/month. See www.amazon.com/prime and click “Browse movies and TV shows” for more details.

2015 H OLIDAY SEAS ON PRIVAT E SECUR IT Y FUNDR AISER Thank you for supporting SEAL Security private patrols of Timbergrove Manor. Your contribution will go toward neighborhood patrols starting mid- November and continuing through January. You can also indicate your financial commitment to ongoing security detail.

Neighborhood Patrol

CONTACT INFO:

Uniformed officers patrolling the neighbor in marked vehicles

Name

Street Address

Vacation Watch

Financial supports can have officers check on their homes while away

Alarm Response

Phone

☐$______

Add SEALS patrol to your alarm coverage and they’ll respond in minutes

☐$______

Home Security Review

ENCLOSED DONATION:

☐$50

☐$35 (senior)

PLEDGE FOR CONTINUED COVERAGE

☐$250

☐$150 (senior)

Pay online at timbergrove.org/security or make checks payable to “Timbergrove Manor” and mail to: Private Security c/o TMCC; PO Box 70977; Houston, TX 77270

Crime in TMCC by Lillian Jolliffe, Timbergrove Manor Citizen Patrol There were a total of 6 incidents in Timbergrove during July. Do not make it easy for someone to take your possessions. Leave nothing of value in your vehicle. Please remember National Night Out is Oct 6. Start making plans so we can get addresses to HPD by the first week of September. We stand a better chance of having HPD visit if we get request in early. Want to host? Email security@timbergrove.org. APRIL 2015

MAY 2015

DIST 2

TMCC

DIST 2

TMCC

Aggravated Assault

Auto theft

Burglary of Motor Vehicle

Burglary

3##

Theft

2**

2###

TOTALS

TYPE OF CRIME

^1100 Shirkmere *6200 Grovewood, 2400 Tannehill #2200 Willowby, ##6000 Woodbrook, 1000 Shirkmere, 2500 Droxford IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS, CALL HPD NON-EMERGENCY AT (713) 884-3131.

SEALS officers will inspect your home to decrease vulnerabilities