TX

Coming on the NorthEast corner of Florence & Henness.

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I copied some video and comments from NextDoor about Coyotes being spotted on our golf course.  I suppose some people panic at the thought but I think it's exciting to see them.   You can't blame the coyotes for wanting to be here.  There's beautiful soft green grass, plenty of water instead of the parched desert, and FOOD with a smorgasbord of ducks, doves, rabbits, and maybe feral cats.  Just a reminder that it's up to us to be extra careful with our pets.

Julie Wolf

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Palm Creek Golf Resort

I had two of them just off my back patio a few nights ago (caught a look at both of them with my flashlight). On the east side of the 3rd green. They can be awfully loud at night. This is the second time they've been that close to my patio in the evening.

Debra Harrison

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Palm Creek Golf Resort

There were three this morning on the front nine. All very large. Two together and one by its self. All

around 10:00 am.

Take Out Meals, Striping, Promotion

I just came back from buying a bunch of tickets for the upcoming Take Out meals being planned by Robin Perry and team.  These meals are so good so I signed up for a bunch.  (pardon my scratched up copy)

Close up image you can hopefully read.

Our January Activities calendar.  

(so sad!)

I'm glad to see that we're still going to try and support our local Firefighters with their annual spaghetti dinner.  They certainly help a LOT of us creekers during the year.

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BIG NEWS!!

Congratulations to Terri Wellman!!  Terri was promoted to Activities Supervisor just this morning.  We can always count on Terri for great customer service with a smile.

Maybe you only recognize her when wearing a mask?

Activities bulletin board.

Getting to the office this morning was a bit of a chore as many streets are roped off due to the fiber optic line coming into the park......finally.  

Crews are also painting and striping all the streets and parking spaces.

The fresh white paint really dresses up the streets.

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Non-pet people must think that Don and I are looney tunes for all the time, MONEY, and effort we put into our two cats...........but they are definitely our source of entertainment in these Covid times.  We really enjoy their antics.  This week we got an extension to their tunnel so it was super fun to watch them race through the tunnel, hunt for treats, chase each other, etc.  At least this all folds up and can be put away should we ever decide to have company once again.

Sometimes they entertain themselves with a good old fashioned wrestling match.  These wresting matches usually wind up with a fast chase through the whole house.

Christmas Dinner

WOW............I can't come up with enough words to describe the superb job Marion Nelson, Robin Perry, and the whole kitchen staff did to make our Christmas dinner so delicious and successful.  

Think about what it takes to make an event like that so successful for over 200 people.  (I'm trying to get an exact ticket count).

• Plan a menu
• How much food to order (those advance ticket sales are so important!)
• Meat, potatoes, carrots, buns, lettuce, cheesecake, shrimp, lemons,..........and all the fixings like butter, sour cream, horseradish sauce, shrimp sauce, salad dressing, etc.

Details:  How are we going to serve it.  What kinds of containers are available.  How do we package it per meal to speed up service.  

How to distribute the meals and make sure we keep legal safe distancing and not make people stand in line.  

Well done staff!!!  Thank you!!

Enter the front door with mask

Get your temperature taken

Present ticket and get a number

Be seated safe distance from others that are waiting

Your number will be called and packaged dinners brought to you

Well organized under all the Covid rules!

Tickets said 2:00.  Don and I arrived about 2:15.  We were there less than 15 minutes and left with hot meals in hand.  Amazing!

I've been told that folks at the corporate level read my blog so I hope our staff will be recognized for their great accomplishments under a Covid black cloud.

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We managed to celebrate the holiday with a few friends via Messenger.  The special effects created by the app added to our entertainment.

The "boys" just curled up together to nap through our noise.

They were worn out from playing with their new Christmas cat trees.  Love watching their gymnastics.

Plenty of new scratching posts to help save our furniture!

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I sent an album to our housewatch customers to highlight what we've done for the past few months.  It shows us repairing irrigation lines, covering toilets with press and seal, checking thermostats, monitoring storm damage, etc.  Plus....there are lots of cat pictures.   The photos received raving reviews so will post them here as well.  

Link:  Hepler review 2020

Christmas Carols

Merry Christmas to All

Just a quick note to say THANK YOU to our Palm Creek Chorus for the night of good cheer as they went throughout the park to share their songs.  There was a good size audience at all locations and everyone cooperated nicely with social distancing.

Covid Christmas 2020

Happy Christmas 2019

Christmas Music

Just a reminder!!

Light Up Your Christmas

With Palm Creek Caroling

 Wednesday, December 23 

Palm Creek Chorus invites you to choose any of 5 locations for old-fashioned caroling. Chorus members will be singing familiar Songs of the Season, and you are welcome to come to any location and sing along.

Please help us with the “maximum 50 people” gathering guideline. If you arrive at a location and see that there are already approximately 30 people there, please join us at one of the other locations. Thank you in advance for helping us remain in compliance.

We will be singing for about 10 minutes at each location. Here are the caroling locations and approximate times we will be singing on Wednesday, December 23:

 5:30 to 5:40 p.m.        Sports pool near the ball field (Cole Circle & Flowering Cactus Drive)

 5:55 to 6:05 p.m.        Northwest Dog park (Cole Circle & Copper Spirit Lane)

 6:20 to 6:30 p.m.        Tennis Courts (Cole Circle & Putter Placer)

 6:45 to 6:55 p.m.        Intersection of Cole Circle & Mica Lane

 7:10 to 7:20 p.m.        Intersection of Cole Circle & Wolfberry Drive (east of Oak Drive)

 7:30 to 7:45 p.m.        Northeast corner of Palm Park parking lot

Three of our talented Palm Creekers are going to share their music.

On Saturday Dec 26, Marti Freund, Mary Hansen and Betty Preston are going to be at Palm Park at 1:00 p.m. and will be playing violin, flute and harp Christmas music. If you care to stroll by and listen for a few minutes (physically distanced, masked, and being mindful of the maximum 50 people in one area, please)  you are welcome to stop by.

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    It might be cruel to post this but it appeared on the front page of today's CG Dispatch.  Thought I'd post it for our Canadian friends who are being held hostage.

Chorus, Internet, Cats

The Palm Creek Chorus is going to light up our Christmas with musical song!!

Light Up Your Christmas

With Palm Creek Caroling

 Wednesday, December 23 

Palm Creek Chorus invites you to choose any of 5 locations for old-fashioned caroling. Chorus members will be singing familiar Songs of the Season, and you are welcome to come to any location and sing along.

Please help us with the “maximum 50 people” gathering guideline. If you arrive at a location and see that there are already approximately 30 people there, please join us at one of the other locations. Thank you in advance for helping us remain in compliance.

We will be singing for about 10 minutes at each location. Here are the caroling locations and approximate times we will be singing on Wednesday, December 23:

 5:30 to 5:40 p.m.        Sports pool near the ball field (Cole Circle & Flowering Cactus Drive)

 5:55 to 6:05 p.m.        Northwest Dog park (Cole Circle & Copper Spirit Lane)

 6:20 to 6:30 p.m.        Tennis Courts (Cole Circle & Putter Placer)

 6:45 to 6:55 p.m.        Intersection of Cole Circle & Mica Lane

 7:10 to 7:20 p.m.        Intersection of Cole Circle & Wolfberry Drive (east of Oak Drive)

 7:30 to 7:45 p.m.        Northeast corner of Palm Park parking lot

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Lots of activity and big trucks up near the 4-way stop today.  I stopped to chat and confirm what their project was.  Yes!  They are bringing lines from Cox Communication to give us the long promised faster and secure WiFi.    With all the Covid slowdowns and extra regulations, the project has taken longer than expected but it IS coming!  

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Our cats lead a rough life when their toys get stuck in tight places.  Poor Kat spent at least a full half hour trying to get his favorite toy from inside the furnace vent door.  You will recall that some time ago Don finally screwed that door shut to keep the cats from destroying our furnace filters.

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Have you seen this brilliantly colored little bird?  He is a Vermillion Flycatcher.  I see them occasionally on our Palm Creek golf course.  I couldn't get a close up with my cell phone so copied one from the net.  Sure is a pretty little thing.

Mouse

Mouse is having a bad day.  His favorite toy got stuck under the refrigerator.......again.  This is just a short clip of his hour long struggle.

(If you can't open the video, go to YouTube and search for Sue Hepler.  All my videos are posted there and will open.)

Drone Day

Thought we'd fly the drone over the park so you can see how many rigs are here.  We definitely miss our Canadian visitors.

New Steakhouse

 

The City Planning Council has approved plans for the Texas Roadhouse to be built at the corner of Henness Rd and Florence Blvd. 😊In addition to that, there is also approval for another steakhouse to come to the Promenade Mall. 😀 It will be Hideout Steakhouse at 269 N Promenade Pkwy, Suite #121.   I believe that is on the corner by Tilleys.  I'll try to get some pictures next time I'm out that way.  (Of course that may be a while as I seldom venture out these days. 😒)

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**On a personal note:  Don bought me a new bike for Christmas.  It even has a basket on the back so I can take a cat or two for a ride.

BUT.....Kat isn't thrilled with the adventure yet so we have to take things slow for a while.  He cries out as I ride down the street so I take him back home right away before I get arrested for animal cruelty.  I'm hoping he'll soon learn to enjoy the ride.

Our "Boys" look like they're posing.

Hey Readers:

Please write and let me know how you're surviving your winter away from Palm Creek.  I so enjoy hearing from you!!

From Pat Blakely, Site 92

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T’was a month before Christmas, 

And all through the town,

People wore masks,

That covered their frown.

 

The frown had begun

Way back in the Spring,

When a global pandemic

Changed everything.

 

They called it corona,

But unlike the beer,

It didn’t bring good times,

It didn’t bring cheer.

 

Airplanes were grounded,

Travel was banned.

Borders were closed

Across air, sea and land.

 

From March to July

We rode the first wave,

People stayed home,

They tried to behave.

 

When summer emerged

The lockdown was lifted.

But away from caution,

Many folks drifted.

 

Now it’s November

And cases are spiking,

Wave two has arrived,

Much to our disliking.

 

It’s true that this year

Has had sadness a plenty,

We’ll never forget

The year 2020.

 

December Happenings

Donna Cox (Mailroom Manager) wrote a short note in the December newsletter that I thought was noteworthy enough to post and make sure all residents were aware.  The mailroom team does a great job and they really worked hard during these past months with all that occured in 2020.  

 "At this time, I would like to thank the amazing Team Members of the Mail room: Peggy Aebersold-Fetzer, Gary Bluhm, Debbie Edgett, Glen Gier, Candy Konz and Dennis Miller. They have endured the mass exit of residents when Covid-19 struck, 10 mailings of Census each time 2000-2800 extra pieces of mail that had to be put in resident boxes or forwarded, the election propaganda and then the ballots. All of this during record breaking temperatures of 144 days of over 100, of which 53 were over 110, then recently the dust storm that hit when a couple of our Team Members were out stuffing boxes returning with their hair straight up in the air and covered from head to toe brown. They are the most incredible, amazing team which I am so very “Thankful for”. You are the very best.

THE MAIL ROOM The Mail room is thrilled to announce that we have received a new van. The new van not only opens from the back, but the side making it easier to load and unload all those packages and mail. Please go take a look at it behind the Ball Room in the designated Mail Truck slot. We are very proud of it.

 The Mail room will be closed Friday, December 25th for Christmas and Friday, January 1st for New Year’s. May we all have the "Happiest of Holidays."

**In case you haven't read the December newsletter yet, here is a link:  https://palmcreek.com/newsletter/

December Calendar

(Certainly is different from other years!)

No other "news" to report as I don't really go anywhere.  It is fun to watch a softball game though where we can be safe and enjoy the weather.

Happy Thanksgiving

It is sad indeed when Thanksgiving plans with family must be canceled.  I will so miss my son's fantastic cooking skills!!  Where ever you are....alone or with company, I hope you have a good holiday.

Things are still very quiet here at Palm Creek.  There are plenty of outdoor activities between golf, softball, water volleyball, horseshoes, tennis, shuffleboard, lawn bowling, etc.  Lots of people out walking or riding bikes.  

Due to Covid regulations, there are still no formal park activities.  It's a very quiet season without dances, concerts, events, games, etc.

The weather has been beautiful....in the 80s by day and 50s at night.  Perfect.  This coming week will chill slightly with highs in the mid to upper 70s.  

To all our friends who couldn't make the trip here yet, stay warm.  I know you miss our sunshine.

Just a couple cute photos of Mouse doing what he does best.  BEING CUTE!!

Activities

There are still some activities occuring in the park.  I copied these start ups from Nextdoor for you.

AND......don't forget the special meals that Robin Perry is cooking up for us from the Bistro.

 The number of meals will be limited so I suggest you call ahead to reserve yours.  Take home orders are available.  Call 520-371-5866 at the Bistro to place an early order.

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Among the most frequently requested postings are...of course...more cat pictures.  

Mouse enjoys watching nature shows with us.  He perches over the arm of the chair and watches for a LONG time.  

and sometimes he even chatters over the excitement.

Kat has discovered that the wifi router emits nice warm heat.

With this ugly Covid threat, I spend time pretty close to home but still like to join friends for a friendly poker game.  Mouse keeps me company at my desk.