Lake Bosse Oaks
January.February 2012
WILLING TO DANCE , by Debi Walter
Meetings.
They are a necessary part of life. We attend them on a regular basis at work, at school, at church or civic groups. Going to a meeting is where ideas are tossed around and plans are confirmed. It is where conduct is accessed and salaries are determined. Meetings can help us overcome obstacles, whether physical or spiritual. Without meetings life wouldn’t operate very smoothly, if at all!
Good meetings require good communication skills and a willingness to not only speak, but more importantly to listen. A meeting also doesn’t take place unless people actually show up. This is the first and foremost characteristic of a good meeting. But there are other important factors to consider.
I recently attended a meeting where I was able to observe all kinds of people. There were teachers, realtors, writers, planners, and even a photographer. There were singles, marrieds, parents and grandparents. It was a diverse group to say the least, but they had one goal in common - to attend to their responsibilities and do them well.
The work needed was laid out and the tasks were assigned to those best able to handle the job. The group shared only one common denominator--they all call Lake Bosse Oaks home!
Yes, the meeting I attended was our first board meeting of 2012, and it was like watching a well orchestrated dance. They made the discussions and the delegation of tasks look easy. They were polite, engaged and willing to do their part to make this year a successful and productive year.
Meetings are not always fun, but this one was full of laughter, food, friends and a shared interest - the betterment of our neighborhood. And I, for one, am grateful for their willingness to dance!
PRESIDENT'S CORNER, by Donna Kress
Happy New Year! We are just a few weeks into 2012, and the HOA has hit the ground running! At the first meeting, held on January 9th, the Board voted the officers in, and has begun carving the path for this year. If I were to state a New Year’s Resolution, it would be that this year, we are taking better advantage of the “strength in numbers” power that we have with a 10 member Board. We will assist one another, leaning on the strengths or areas of expertise of the individual members. As with any project, team work equals success.
The biggest change in this years’ Board is the office of Secretary. Prior to 2012, Mike McKee has served the HOA as Secretary; he helped bring us into the 21st century technologically, and it often takes a person leaving a position to realize all the roles that they provided. Whew, Mike did a lot!!! I am happy to say that he will remain involved with a few of his prior roles, such as the Neighborhood Watch Committee. Thank you Mike for your years of service and your willingness to continue to support us!
The next meeting is February 13th, all are welcome, and I look forward to seeing you.
Donna
"ARB" WIRED, by Jasmine Perris
Hello Neighbors!
There are so many simple and affordable ways to create curve appeal! In the winter, our homes can look dull and blue. And the grass, well it has seen better days. LOL.
But with a little effort and a small budget we can bring spark back to our front yards! Here are a few ideas.
1. Paint or replace the fence
2. Dress up the front door
3. Dress up the mail box by staining or painting the wooden post to match the house's trim and woodwork.
4. Install outdoor lighting
5. Paint the front door
6. Add shutter or accent trim to windows
7. Replace gutter and downspouts
8. Plant ground cover to areas where grass is tough to grow
9. Rake the lawn, trim bushes, blow the driveway, and remove dead branches and Voila - a clean yard! Makes an instant impact and not a penny spent!!
Kindest Regards,
On behalf of the ARB Team!
Jasmine
GEOGRAPHY OF HOME, by Akiko Busch
(An excerpt from the book by the same name. It can be purchased HERE.)
I would argue that in our increasingly pluralistic, and often chaotic world, finding this sense of fit is ever more important. It may be as simple as the graceful coexistence of technology and nostalgia. And we may need to recognize that there is no necessary dissonance here. My children watch Terminator movies on a TV set that is housed in a Shaker-style cabinet. There is a certain postmodern charm to that. But such confusions can also be more jarring. We tend to reject the formal ceremony of the dining room and put the computer on the dining room table, or sort the laundry there. Then, missing the sense of ritual in our lives, we turn to the ceremonies of Native Americans...Such incongruities can confuse our lives. But I would argue that they are also the very basis for finding comfort at home. If anything, where we live can be a place that celebrates and thrives on these incongruities that have, in one way or another, been gracefully resolved. If anything, we can find a way to make them fit...
...An image of perfect fit that lingers especially clearly in my mind is that of my neighbor, a widow in her late seventies. She lives alone, and beyond her TV, has never displayed much interest in modern technology. On a stormy day last winter when I went to visit her, I was expecting her to be sipping hot tea by the fireplace. Instead, she was sitting in her living room, listening to a tape of the ocean. I listened with her to the sound of the surf and the gulls. “I find it so peaceful,” she told me.
Designers and architects often talk about the beauty of multifunctional space, but I can’t think of anyone who has achieved this more gracefully than my neighbor who managed to fit the seashore into her little inland bungalow.
A SPECIAL THANKS!
Trisha Walker wants to offer a special thanks to Donna Kress for thinking of lighting Brian’s Memorial Bench with luminaries during our Light Up Lake Bosse event. In addition, whoever planted the beautiful flowers by his bench recently she wants to thank you as well. Each kindness is a reminder of what a wonderful place Lake Bosse Oaks is to live.
SHIP BOUND FOR TARSHISH, a blog by Bonnie Anderson (click title to go to website.)
Football – what a weird game! I’ve learned just enough about it to keep me from being totally lost while watching, though it messes with me big time when the uniforms are close in color. There really should be some kind of rule about that. Anyway, I can’t wait to tell you what I learned.
Bob loves football, so yesterday I decided to sit down and watch the playoff games with him. We watched the Giants vs. Packers and for some strange reason I was actually paying attention to the game. We have no allegiance to either team but I decided I wanted New York to win because I saw my friend Eric with his young son at church yesterday. They were dressed in their Giant jerseys and it was just cute. Also, Eli Manning is the quarterback – Manning is my maiden name and the name of my first grandson, so there you go – lots of good reasons.
Back to what I learned. Did you know that out of the ten players on the field with the quarterback, only half of them are allowed to have the ball thrown or handed to them? This blew my mind. “So that’s what they mean when they say ineligible receiver down field?” The lights started going on.
Bob is never happier than when he is explaining something and I am getting it, so he was elated right about then. It’s like he was Eli Manning and I was Hakeem Nicks (that’s right, that’s a real name and he is a wide receiver). I was “catching” on; I received knowledge!
But this offensive line thing was confusing. “So, they are just there for their bodies?” I asked.
“Sort of,” Bob explained. “They protect the quarterback when he’s passing and open holes for the running back to run through when the quarterback hands the ball off to him.”
“But they are not allowed to have the ball given to them.”
“Right. They are ineligible receivers.”
I continued, “So the center is only allowed to hold the ball to hike it to the quarterback. That’s it.”
“Pretty much – unless there’s a fumble then everyone goes for it.”
So now I’m picturing this poor offensive lineman trying to explain to his mama why he is not allowed to catch the ball. He plays football, but for all practical purposes, is not allowed to touch the ball. God forbid any of them catch a pass. Whistles blow and penalties are assessed. Bad Lineman!!!
So this is how I picture a conversation between a member of the offensive line and his mama:
Mama – “So son, did you have a good game? Did you make a touchdown?”
Lineman – “Remember Mom, they don’t let me run for touchdowns. I’m protecting the quarterback.”
Mama – “Oh yes – the precious quarterback. Everybody’s all worried about the quarterback. They just want you because you’re big and strong. Yes, they just want you for your body. That’s wrong – I taught you better. Next game you get out there and catch that ball. You can do it.”
Lineman – “Mom!!!!”
The only thing to which I can relate this is when my daughter Dena was young, I collected Barbie dolls. I collected the Holiday Barbies and a few others. Dolls are meant to be played with, but I would never allow these to be removed from the box (NRFB). “That’s right, Dena, you may play with the Barbies, but you may not physically touch them or whistles will blow and penalties will be assessed.” You gotta look for understanding where it can be found – that’s what I say.
SWANSTUFF, a blog by Rob Swanson (click title to access website.)
I’m a gadget guy. Love me that technology. I’ve got two Nooks and a KindleThe lure of the Kindle Fire is strong, but ultimately, it’s a content reader, not a content creation machine.
So let’s talk about the incredible lure of the Tablet PC. Okay, I’d love to have an iPad, but Apple price tags are too high. Love my iPhone, but a tablet must speak with my PC, so cost and functionality punt the iPad.
Fortunately, I love my wife more than tech, so when her schooling would be greatly helped with a tablet, we bought her the Acer wonder-tablet with Android OS.
What a boondoggle. The interface is confusing and it couldn’t handle the e-textbooks we got it for. I’ve sat down with it to play with it and couldn’t figure it out in the few minutes I had to throw at it. So punt the Acer Android.
Ah! But Acer makes a Win 7 OS version too. I was salivating to try it and fortunately CompUSA had one. It was ssslllloooowwwwww. It took minutes to open the browser and navigate to my website. Very disappointing. Punt. So I went down the line of tablets to benchmark the time it took to get to my website. The only decent one was the HP tablet, but HP was getting out of the PC manufacturing and support biz, so no-go there either. Highlight: All the tablets were displaying my website. J
Now I hear about the Toshiba Thrive. Very good reviews. All sorts of hookups. Still an Android, but the 40 page review on Amazon says the interface is easy and everything else is great… in exhaustive detail. I love my Toshiba laptop. Love love love it.
But do I NEED a tablet? No I do not.
But I want one.
Must. Resist. (Must look up CompUSA hours) Must. Resist! (could have watched the debate last night) Must. Resist. (could upload to my blog rather than post a bunch at one time) Must. Resist.
My willpower sucks. Fortunately, my checking account sucks more. No tablet.
For now….
THE ROMANTIC VINEYARD, a blog by Tom and Debi Walter (click title to access website.)
So many times when life is hard and the circumstances are difficult, we’ll say these four words – Let’s Take A Walk. Walking provides perspective. It provides much needed contemplation. It’s simply the best way to pull back and re-access the problem. No matter how large or how daunting the problem may be, walking not only exercises the body, but it exercises the brain. It helps you think clearer.
It’s important while you’re walking to talk, to listen, and to allow your eyes to focus in the distance. I have no idea if there is any scientific backing to my theory, but I know that when I take time to look at the horizon, whether at the beach…
or in my neighborhood, my soul is calmed and peace comes to my heart. When I look out my eyes are usually drawn up to the sky.
The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 ESV
Are you facing difficult times? Has it been a while since you’ve walked together for the purpose of finding perspective? Why not plan this weekend to walk, talk and let the heavens declare God’s glory to you. The heavens are always proclaiming, we just aren’t always paying attention.
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