Expensive Upkeep

I took a couple photos today so you could see and appreciate some of the "behind the scenes" activities in taking care of our beautiful park. The garbage truck was in the shop for some maintenance this past week but the landscaping crew can't stop trimming so all the palm fronds and yard debris piled up. After some expensive repair and a set of new tires, the truck is back at work and has a lot of catching up to do.

This big well digging truck is busy at work with some major repair as well. This is the well located betwen Sites 6 and 7. I don't know exactly what is being done, but it looks expensive. There are many repairs and routine maintenance items that we never think about when we're here enjoying ourselves. Thank you, Wendell and staff, for taking such good care of our comforts.

Still Hot

I know you must get tired of me commenting about the heat....but....it's really hot. Here's a headline page from today:

Scorcher weekend ahead for Valley
Excessive-heat warning in effect
by Lauren Misak - Aug. 29, 2009 12:00 AMThe Arizona Republic

Valley residents won't get a break from scorching temperatures today.
The metro Phoenix area remains under an excessive-heat warning, although lower temperatures are just around the corner.
The three-day warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. Temperatures today are expected to reach 112 degrees, just 1 degree shy of the 113 degree record in 2005.
Steve Sipple, a National Weather Service meteorologist , said excessive-heat warnings are announced when temperatures rise 8 to 12 degrees above normal. Thursday and Friday had record-tying highs of 113. The heat won't let up at sunset. Sipple said temperatures at night will remain unseasonably high.

Sunday will be partly cloudy, reaching a high of 110 degrees. Later in the week, Valley residents can expect the forecast to range from 108 degrees Monday to 105 degrees Friday with 10 percent chance of midweek showers, the National Weather Service said.
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Connie, my son Kevin, and I drove over to Maricopa today to play bingo at the Ak-Chin casino. We were quite surprised to get there and find the casino without electricity. The generators were going to keep emergency items alive but there was no air conditioning nor overhead lights. You can bet the slot machines were still working but it was so dang hot in there, I don't know how the people could stand it. We hung around while they handed out $25 off coupons for another game of bingo next weekend but then we were lucky to be able to leave. Those folks who came by bus had to wait till their bus leaves at 3:00. Yuck! I'm now back in my nice cool home and ready to cozy up with a good book and perhaps a nap. Life is good.

Weekend News

Good Morning, Readers:

After seeing the movie "Julie/Julia", I feel like Julie and share her curiosity at being a blog author wondering who all the people are that are reading this each day. We had 223 hits again last week. Who are all these people?? Every now and then someone will send an email my way to say hello ... which makes my day. Thanks! (Ken & Pat Hanson) I hope you'll all stop by to say howdy when you return.

By the way, if you haven't seen that movie yet "Julie/Julia", you must do so. Meryl Streep deserves a true academy award for her role. Wow. I dragged Don along with me and he said he really enjoyed it too because the acting was phenomenal. I can't say the same for the recent Harry Potter movie, however. Went to see it this weekend but there's no way they can make a movie as good as the books. I'm a true fan of JR Rowling. Her writing takes you away to "never never land".

Connie Morin, Billie, and I went to the American Legion Friday night for bingo. I won two games in a row! Awesome. There's obviously a hidden child in me somewhere who loves bingo and Harry Potter movies. The Legion has good bingo and they're some pretty serious players. I see the same people there every time I go.

Saturday Connie and I went over to the new high school to tour the school/city library. It is certainly a beautiful campus and I hope the kids appreciate what they have there. The library didn't have many books on the shelves as of yet but there were quite a few people doing the same as we were--just visiting out of curiosity. They have a nice big computer classroom with 30 on-line computers where they can hold classes or the public can come in for web access. All you need is a library card and you can use a computer for an hour. Alongside the classroom is another lab room with an additional 10 computers where people can access at all times the library is open. Students are not allowed in the computer rooms during daytime city library hours. I'm still upset with myself that I didn't take my camera with me. Sorry folks...no photos to post.

I think we were all wondering what affect the school would have on traffic in our Palm Creek area. To date, there is no effect at all. Maybe the fact that the school is only open for freshmen and sophomores has something to do with it because very few of them would have a drivers license yet. Cottonwood Lane is being completed as four lane which will help traffic patterns in the future.

How many of you have laminate flooring in your home?? We just tore out all the carpeting and laid new flooring..not wood...just a laminate flooring. I'm still experimenting and reading to find the best method of cleaning. Any suggestions?? I dust daily with a microfiber dry mop but haven't figured out the best way to "wash" the floor. The internet says laminate doesn't like water but we should instead use a light spray of vinegar and water. I'm finding that if I don't dry the floor, it tends to streak. Feedback from those with more experience would be appreciated. I gave my big beautiful Dyson vacuum cleaner to my sons for their apartment since I no longer need it and bought a tiny Hoover cordless Linx stick vac. It is the cutest darn thing, works like a charm, and easily fits in my closet. Does anyone use that new Shark steam cleaner?? Would love to hear your comments about it. Please email me at sue77hepler@yahoo.com

Thanks...and have a great day.

Summer Newsletter

Thought you might enjoy reading the September Newsletter. Looks like we have more fun events to occupy our time during this hot weather. No relief in sight yet. Weatherman still predicts over 100 everyday for a while.

Today's Dispatch News

There were some interesting tidbits in today's paper. Thought you might be interested.

I try not to shop at Wally World very often because the store is usually a mess, but my visit the other day was a pleasant surprise. Here's an article from today's Dispatch: (Pardon the fact that I got a little scissor happy down the left side of the page!)
Another story was about "Prickly Pear Season". The Boyce Arboretum is offering a one hour class so visitors can learn how to harvest the juicy fruit of the prickly pear without damaging their hands with painful cactus spines. I've tried several samples of prickly pear "stuff" before and always found it so tasty. It would be fun to attend the class and try to make some sauce. There are certainly plenty of the plants around!

The Dispatch is starting an "electronic edition" this week. The website will have an exact replica of the printed version. I checked it out this morning and it really is great fun. I found a few flaws but since its so early, I'm sure they'll work out the kinks. It is supposed to have a direct link so that if a website is listed in the paper, you just click on the link and it will take you to that page. So far, I found two links that didn't work, but need to give them time. The project is FREE until sometime in September, so check it out for yourself. www.trivalleycentral.com and click on the e-Edition link in the white navigation bar at the very top of the page.

Thank you to our troops

Kris Riedel (one of our house watch customers) recently forwarded this message. I thought it was great and want to share it with others. It's a quick way to say "Thank You" to our military when we pass them on the street or an airport. Take a moment and check it out.

Something well worthwhile to learn!!

This is pretty neat.....(30 second video)... Have you ever seen one of our military walking past you and wanted to convey to them your thanks, but weren't sure how, or it felt awkward?Recently, a gentleman from Seattle created a gesture which couldbe used to express your thanks and has started a movement to getthe word out..Please everybody take just a moment to watch..... The Gratitude Salute...and then forward it to your friends! THEN START USING THE SIGN.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSfFYxSdKdo


Asbestos Cancer

EVENTS NEWSLETTER

Okay Everyone: Here's the big news letter of the year.....where all our upcoming events are listed and ticket sales become available. Just received this in my mailbox today and knew you would be anxious to see it. The very last page is a detailed listing of 09-10 rental rates.

To read each page full screen, click on the first page and after reading it, hit your "back" button to return to the blog and select the next page. This seems to work best for everyone. Let me know if you have problems loading on your computer.

Tree Trim Time

I hopped in my golf cart and was headed to the pool for morning water aerobics when I saw tree trimmers in action so had to run back in for my camera.

The trimmed trees look scrawny as if they've had a bad haircut but new branches grow back quickly and look their absolute best when you return in the fall. Trimming all the trees in this park is no small project as you can imagine. After trimming, a crew has to follow behind and pick up all the branches and debris. Last year our handy dandy park garbage truck hauled over 100 TONS of palm branches to the local land fill.

Here is a good before and after view as you look down our street.

We haven't had a single day below triple digits in a long time. The weather man said we're only a few days away from having the hottest summer on record. Sure am glad my job is indoors with cool air conditioning as I don't think I'd last long out there picking up all those palm branches and loading them in a truck. Whew!!

August Newsletter

Click on a page to enlarge it for reading. Then click your "back" button to return to the blog. Be sure to read about new TV options Dish Network coming our way.