Lake Bosse Oaks

Our Info: Newsletters > March.April 2012

March.April 2012

Singing A New Song, by Debi Walter

I had missed their singing, but didn’t realize it until I heard the familiar variety as it came wafting through my window. The mockingbird is Florida’s state bird. It isn’t colorful or noticeable in the least. Its brown markings allow it to hide easily from predators as well as admirers, but they are not ones to go unnoticed; their song can be heard above all other birds. It’s not only their volume, but the variety of the songs they sing that stands out.

Mockingbirds mimic every sound they hear, and they never stop learning. It has been said that the male mockingbird will learn over 200 songs and sounds in its lifetime.

Mockingbirds always sound happy. They even sing throughout the night when the moon is full. I don’t know if they are always happy, but by their song you wouldn’t know it if they weren’t.

We could learn a thing or two from these amazing birds. Whenever we are faced with something unexpected, instead of flying away--so to speak--what if we were to learn all we could from the experience? And, like the mockingbird, remember the lesson for the rest of our lives? What if we learned to sing a new song as a way to bless those who hear us, rather than complain about what we don’t like or don’t have?

Change will always be a part of my life--your life. I tend to resist change. Having this mindset only hurts my perspective and my joy. What if I were to celebrate change for the newness it brings, rather than mourn it for what has passed? I believe those who live this way learn how to sing a new song that captures the attention of those who know them, and maybe even of those who don’t.

I think I’ll open my windows today and let the mockingbird inspire me to sing a new song--how about you?

President's Corner, by Donna Kress

Here we are already in the 3^rd month of the New Year! By the time you read this we will have already adjusted our clocks, which signal the move into spring! Cross your fingers, we have had a mild winter, and hopefully we have seen the last of it.

Our beautiful trees are in bloom again! Don’t you just love the pollen? Remember, it’s all part of a process, without it we wouldn’t have new growth or the beauty that comes with it! Stay diligent with your yards and all the leaves of the changing season.

Speaking of trees, you may have noticed the dead ones near Rinn Way, and a few others throughout the neighborhood. I want to let you know that your Board is aware, and we are looking into the cause. Unfortunately, the 2 at the end of Greenfern, near Rinn Way are on abandoned properties that are in the foreclosure process, and we, as an HOA have no authority to have them removed! We haven’t given up though, and continue to look for remedies.

I want to remind everybody to continue be vigilant with the Neighborhood Watch, report any incidences as soon as they happen. A special thanks to board members, Caroline Dales and Jackie Birket. Their expeditious efforts in contributing to the safety of the neighborhood have resulted in new “No Soliciting” signs, and closing an opening in the fence between our neighborhood and Cobblestone.

Great Job!

"ARB" Wired, by Jasmine Perris

Hello Neighbors!

Welcome to spring and the wonderful weather it brings us! Spring is the time to wake up our yards

Begin by surveying your lawn. Check for persistent weeds, dying trees, overgrown sidewalk edges, the gutters for leaves, rotted fences and deteriorated mailboxes. Prune back your perennials and clear the lawn of winter debris to aerate your grass.

If you’re adding plants and want to save money use:

Ground covers such as vines or low growing shrubs instead of grass.
Buy young perennial plants; they cost less.
Select plants that duplicate or can be divided as they grow.
Add plants that have a history of hardiness.
Tend to your lawn and garden regularly in order to preserve the initial time and money you invested.

A favorite nursery of many LBO residents is, “Green Acres Nursery.” They are just around the corner andhave great prices!

Enjoy spring 2012, and thanks for helping our neighborhood look beautiful!

Kindest Regards,

ARB Team

Food Truck Gladness

Have you visited one of the many food trucks parked around town lately?

We had the pleasure of visiting one food truck pod located in the parking lot of the Winter Park Diner. This is a new venue every Wednesday night from 5p - 8p. The food truck we visited was Fork In The Road. The chef who operates it we’ve known since he was little. What a wonderful surprise to enjoy his food.

We ordered many things on the menu to get a broad idea of his talent. Wow. One of his signature dishes is Mac & Cheese. Each night he offers a different twist on this American classic; Tom had the Lobster Mac & Cheese and I had the Roasted Tomato Basil Mac & Cheese. It was sliced into squares, rolled in Panko crumbs then flash fried to make the outside crispy. They served it like a lollipop on a fork, of course. The symbol of his eatery.

We love his by-line: When you come to a fork in the road, stop and eat!

We encourage you to give it a try. We enjoyed it and think you might too.

Helpful Tips You Can Use

Prevent Moldy Berries: When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.
Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.
Use magnetic strips to store bobby pins, tweezers and clippers, behind a vanity door.
Store bed linen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.
Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can find them in just about every hotel.
Install a tension rod underneath your bathroom or kitchen sink to hang your spray bottles.
For those who can’t stand the scrunching and bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

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At recipe.com, you can find local stores with sales on items you need. For example, you can type in “Beef” and it will show you which stores in your area have a sale on which cuts and at what price. They also note if you can print coupons to go along with the deals. Lastly, it will even show you recipes you can use to cook the item you selected.
Plasticjungle.com, cardpool.com and giftcardgranny.com let you purchase gift cards for less than face value. If you combine them with current coupons offered by the stores, you can really save some good money. Apparently they ship them for free and it looks like they do not expire. You can also sell your unwanted gift cards to them.
Target stores have a national schedule for the markdowns. Watch the end caps of aisles for marked down, clearance, and discounted items. Mark downs take place every two weeks and items will continue to be marked down every two weeks until sold or reaches 75%. Target rarely marks non-holiday items lower than 75%.

Below is the full markdown schedule:

Monday: Electronics, Kids Clothing, & Stationary
Tuesday: Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, & Grocery
Wednesday: Men's Clothing, Toys, Health & Beauty, Lawn & Garden
Thursday: Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, & Luggage
Friday: Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry

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Our Condolences to:

Gail Byrd (and family) whose Mother recently passed away.
The family of Mary Jakubowski - 4110 Greenfern Dr., a long time resident of Lake Bosse Oaks, who recently passed away.

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