Lake Bosse Oaks

March.April 2010

Proof Positive, by Debi Walter

It took nine years, but now that it’s finished I believe the conclusion is - it was definitely worth it!    
Our son, Jason, graduated from U.C.F. in December with a Bachelor’s Degree in English.  He worked hard for nearly a decade.  This was no small feat for in that time he changed majors once, changed jobs two times, went from part-time to full-time employee, got married, moved twice and had two daughters.  But he didn’t quit; he finished his goal.  And I couldn’t be more proud of him.
As I sat in the audience at the UCF Auditorium with my camera in hand, I wasn’t prepared for the wave of emotions about to sweep over my mind.
Once Pomp & Circumstance signaled the graduates to enter, the video of memories began to roll from my heart, as did the tears from my eyes.  
Here is my first child and only son, the one who first made me a Mom.  He broke his leg skiing when he was 5, yet bit his lip trying not to cry.  He played all sorts of sports, but turns out he’s a better sports fan.  No one knows the stats like Jason - he doesn’t forget anything he reads!  I homeschooled him for 10 of his 12 years, so there were always piles of library books, science projects, experiments and lots of messes to clean around the house.  We had goldfish, guinea pigs and two adorable cats.  He loved wiring his bedroom with string so the lights and music would come on if anyone opened his door.
One time, he shot a BB gun point blank at a metal army man causing it to ricochet just skimming the surface of his eye.  We sat in the ER not knowing if it had bounced off or lodged.  Tom told the doctor if he saw anything in the X-ray the size of a BB it was most likely his brain!  There were jet-ski accidents, court appearances, speeding tickets and lots of late night conversations about the need to grow in wisdom.  
Here was my son, standing among the throng waiting to hear what we all came to witness:  

“Jason Thomas Walter - Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree - Congratulations!”

He is the first college graduate on Tom’s side, and now employed as of last week with Full Sail University as an Editor!  Somewhere along the way Jason became a man.  His dreams have finally come true.  He no longer edits only billboards he drives by, he edits textbooks on subjects that matter.  
I am amazed beyond words that all those years of praying, talking and encouraging has paid off.  He did the hard work, learned much the hard way and God helped him finish!  I think that’s proof positive his brain is larger than a BB, and my heart is far too small to contain such joy!

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President's Corner, by Ethan McCain

Hello all!
We are working hard for you getting the neighborhood in shape for the Spring season. The normal maintenance is on schedule, the wall payments are reducing our debt, and everything is running smoothly.
I invite you to our next board meeting on Monday March 8, 2010, at 7:00 pm at Ken Barber’s house. We will be discussing details regarding the neighborhood and events that are forthcoming. In addition,  we provide a Treasurers report showing the details of the dues and progress of the wall payments. Please join us if you would like more information.
We would welcome more of your input. After all this is your neighborhood too, so come and share your thoughts and ideas!

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"ARB" Wired, by Ethan McCain

The Architectural Review Board has been formed, and we now have volunteers covering each section of the neighborhood to help with this necessary responsibility.

It is important to keep our property maintained as we end this Winter season by cutting out all the dead foliage around your yard  Maybe consider planting a few flowers if you’d like to brighten things a bit.

There are some concerns that junk and other debris are being left out in the front and side yards easily seen by others. Please realize it is not acceptable for our property and homes to be left in dissarray.   

This includes our homes as well. Wood facing, garage doors, chimneys, screen porches, fences, shingles and the paint on the house all need to be kept in good condition. Even though the economy is tough we each need to do our part to insure our  beautiful neighborhood stays this way.

Thank you for your help and committment to Lake Bosse Oaks.  We all benefit from the hard work invested.

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Florida Move Over Law

Florida's Move Over law requires drivers to move over, away from stopped emergency vehicles where ever possible or to slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit or to five mph when the speed limit is 20 mph or less. The "Move Over Act", passed during the 2002 session of the Florida Legislature, was signed by Governor Jeb Bush on May 1, 2002.

Fallen Officers Struck By Vehicles:
        
        2008        14
        2007        18
        2006        15
        2005        16
        2004        13
        2003        13
        2002        14
        2001        24
        2000        16
        1999        10
        TOTAL          154

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Spring Pancake Breakfast / Easter Egg Hunt

It’s time for our
Spring Pancake Breakfast
and Easter Egg Hunt

When:  Saturday, March 27th

Where: At the Lakefront

Time:  9:30a - 12:00p

Bring: a dozen filled, plastic eggs ready to hide, along with your lawn chairs and blankets.  

Cost: FREE, but donations accepted.

This year we’ll be starting the morning by having a dedication ceremony of the Memorial Bench in honor of Brian T. Walker.  It will be a chance for our neighborhood to remember what a contribution Brian made to Lake Bose Oaks.

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Kim and Jason

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Beginner Vegetable Garden, by The Farmer's Almanac

If you're a beginner vegetable gardener, remember this: It's better to be proud of a small garden than to be frustrated by a big one!

One of the common errors for beginners is planting too much too soon and way more than anybody could eat or want. Unless you want to have zucchini taking up residence in your attic, plan carefully. Start small.
The Very Basics

Here are some very basic concepts on topics you'll want to explore further as you become a vegetable gardener extraordinaire:

    * Vegetables love the sun. They require six hours (continuous, if possible) of sunlight each day, at least.
    * Vegetables must have good, loamy, well-drained soil. Most backyard soil is not perfect and needs a helping hand. Check with your local nursery or county extension office about soil testing, soil types, and soil enrichment.
    * Placement is everything. Like humans, vegetables need proper nutrition. A vegetable garden too near a tree will lose its nutrients to the tree's greedy root system. On the other hand, a garden close to the house will help to discourage wild animals from nibbling away your potential harvest.
    * Vegetables need lots of water, at least one inch of water a week. In the early spring, walk around your property to see where the snow melts first, when the sun catches in warm pockets. This will make a difference in how well your vegetables grow.

Deciding How Big

A good-size beginner vegetable garden is 10x16 feet and features crops that are easy to grow. A plot this size, planted as suggested below, can feed a family of four for one summer, with a little extra for canning and freezing (or giving away).

Vegetables that may yield more than one crop per season are beans, beets, carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, radishes, rutabagas, spinach and turnips. For the plan below, your rows should run north and south to take full advantage of the sun.

Make your garden 11 rows of 10 feet each of the following veggies:

    * Tomatoes — 5 plants staked
    * Zucchini squash — 4 plants
    * Peppers — 6 plants
    * Cabbage
    * Bush beans
    * Lettuce, leaf and/or Bibb
    * Beets
    * Carrots
    * Chard
    * Radish
    * Marigolds to discourage rabbits!

Leave 2 feet between bush beans, 1/2 foot between bush beans and lettuce, and 1 foot between all of the rest.

(Note: If this garden is too large for your needs, you do not have to plant all 11 rows, and you can also make the rows shorter. You can choose the veggies that you'd like to grow!)

If you're interested in planting potatoes, just remember that tomatoes and potatoes are not ideal companions and need "distance."

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God's Amazing Answer, by Helen Roseveare

One night, in Central Africa, I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward.  But despite everything we did to save her, she died leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying, two-year-old daughter.      We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive.  We had no incubator.  We had no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities.  Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.      A student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and for the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.  Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle.  She came back shortly, in distress, to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst.  Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates.  "It was our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.
    Well, as they say, it's no good crying over spilled milk, or in this instance, a burst water bottle.  They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
    "All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can.  Sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts.  Your job is to keep the baby warm."  

     The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with many of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me.  I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby.  I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle.  The baby could easily die if it got chilled.  I also told them about the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
    During the prayer time, a 10 year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt consciousness of our African children.
    "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle.  It'll be no good tomorrow, God.  The baby'll be dead.  So, please send it this afternoon."
    While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, " ...and while You're at it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"
    As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot.  Could I honestly say, "Amen?"  I just did not believe that God could do this.
    Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent to me that there was a car at my front door.  By the time got back home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel!
    I felt tears pricking my eyes.  I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.  Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot.  We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly.  Excitement was mounting.

Some thirty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.  From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out.  Then, there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children began to look a little bored.  Next, came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - - that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend.
    As I put my hand in again, I felt the... could it really be?  I grasped it, and pulled it out.  Yes!
    "A brand-new rubber, hot water bottle!" I cried.  I had not asked God to send it.  I had not truly believed that He could.
    Ruth was in the front row of the children.  She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!"
    Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out a small, beautifully dressed dolly.  Her eyes shone -- she had never doubted!
    Looking up at me, she asked, "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"      That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday School class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.
    One of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child -- five months earlier in answer to the prayer of a believing ten-year-old to bring it, "this afternoon!"

Helen is a retired missionary from Northern Ireland, and she included this true story in her book, Living Faith published in 1988.

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Edible Easter Nests

You will need:
Shredded Wheat (or similar cereal)
Cooking chocolate
Mini eggs

Combine crushed Shredded Wheat with melted chocolate and shape into nest shapes and place on cooling rack. Once the chocolate has set, place 2-3 mini eggs into your chocolate nests.

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