December 2001 E-mail News Update
This issue is particularly early since I expect the next few weeks for us to be a bit busy. The January issue may not come out until January. This is my tenth issue of the WW E-mail News Update and as it is the Thanksgiving holidays, I'd like to thank a few people in the association for for helping the newsletter and helping the neighborhood. There are many that deserve to be thanks and I know I've forgotten. Please send me a note one those that I mistakenly overlooked. However, let's start with the following:
- Denese Holden - for her ceaseless efforts in so many ways for making this a desirable place to live from helping the common area, walking newsletters, performing numerous board activities, continual encouragement and appreciation of everyone else pitching in.
- Bill Furnas - for his planning, vision and endless drive to improve our Common Area for all. The difference between now and a few years ago is amazing. For years this incredible community asset was ignored.
- The whole Common Area gang from that put the wood behind the Bill's arrow to improve and make useable our private park. This includes Jack Arnold for building and rebuilding the foot bridges and Peggy Butler's work with the minutes and reminders and Terri Hawkyard for organizing the family event to spread wildflower seeds, and all the others such as John Whitmer and Jim Billings that put in the muscle to make the changes.
- Victoria Hall for continuing to brave the poison oak week after week to eradicate this pest.
- Alan Johnston and the water works team to keep our taps flowing. It's a tough job where you're ignored when everything is going well and only thought of when something goes wrong. Thanks Alan!
- Cindy Fuzie to make sure we have the opportunities to celebrate and have some fun.
- Gail Sillers for patently and persistently driving the CC&R updates through the process. Also to the Novak's who opened up their home week after week to provide a meeting place for this work.
- Gary Grenfeld for his thrilling work as Treasurer to handle expenses, billing, financial records without taking anything off the top.
- Chris McAfee, our own Walden Woods Web Master. From the very beginning, if it weren't for Chris, there wouldn't be a Walden Woods Web.
- The Kenneys for their all around help from the Garage Sale to Architectural Committee to board member responsibilities and on and on.
- Netti Johnston who performs an editor role on this newsletter.
If you see any of these folks, give them a high five and your personal thanks!
Vandalism
Unfortunately, I am saddened to report that vandalism is occurring in the common area. The latest are the two foot bridges. Check Photo 1 and Photo 2.
We have volunteers that work hard to improve the common area for all then find their work damaged or destroyed. It's got to hurt when you see the hard work you put in destroyed. Our entire neighborhood will lose out if the volunteers are discouraged as their efforts become for not.
Talk with your families about the impact caused by vandalism. If your children have been involved in the vandalism, talk to the board about an opportunity for them to help repair the damage. If you discover any vandalism taking place, please report it to the board.
And again, when you meet one of the volunteers, given them your support!
Children's
Fund Raisers
As a reminder, I'll pass on information about kids funds raising for school activities, clubs, sports, etc. such as Entertainment books, Christmas cards, cookies, magazines, chocolates (my favorite) and such available. To help support this, if a child is planning to sell these types of items, they can send me a note and I will forward it to the WWHO distribution list. To avoid daily messages, and make it easy on myself, I will group these together twice per month or include in the next newsletter. The messages must be created by the kids selling (maybe with a little help from Mom or Dad.) However, it must come from the parents e-mail account, or at least copied to the parent's e-mail account. I will include as much of their message as I can. It should include:
- Name and contact info of the child selling the product
- Product the child is selling
- Organization and activity being promoted
- When product is available
- Any sales pitch THE CHILD wants to create
Folsom Lake Mutual Water Company Annual Meeting - Nov 13th
FLMWC annual members meeting was held November 13th at the Granite Bay Library meeting room at 6475 Douglas Blvd.
Highlights include:
- All board members re-elected to the same positions for another year
- Currently running $1900 over budget - everyone please all turn off your sprinklers!
- PCWA is raising water rates ~4% next year, your conservation efforts will help prevent FLMWC from raising our rates.
- The PCWA financial statement is on the web page. It's part of a PCWA forum in the WW Web pages.
Franklin Elementary School Science Camp Dear Walden Woods,
Hi! I'm doing a fundraiser at Franklin Elementary School for the 6th grade Science Camp. We are selling See's Christmas candy. All profits from this fund-raiser goes to the 6th grade science camp.
Everybody loves candy and See's is the best! Take a look at your holiday list and see who might like to receive a delicious gift.
There is something for everyone~ Maybe something for a baby sitter, piano teacher, school teacher, phone friend, or e-mail buddy, tutor, gardener, coach, office buddy, neighbor, nail lady, doctor, dentist, dog sitter, mail carrier, company gifts, hostess gift or even your secret Santa. Might even want a bigger one for friends, and family! If possible I would like you to call or e-mail me by December 2nd, but the final date is December 3rd! PLEASE contact me at 652-9158.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING and a MERRY CHRISTMAS
THANKYOU,
~SANDRA HALL~
Halloween
Watch
I hoped everyone enjoyed this year's Halloween. Thanks to the help of Nancy Whitmire and all the volunteers, it was a safe one as well.
We opened up our haunted house again this year. Kept it a bit less scary and focused on the younger kids. Seemed to be a hit with about 40 kids that night! Here's a daytime shot and a nighttime shot.
Denese, our WWHO President, was is the spirit! Check out her picture.
Common Area:
Take a walk: in our private wooded park. The scenery changes with the season. This time of year grasses are turning green and the moss is coming out on the rocks and the ponds are filling un around the center trail bridge.
Reports: Several Walden Woods Annual reports are now available on line. You can browse the Nov 8 Committee Meeting report thanks to Peggy Butler. Her report covers topics on Common Area encroachment, moguls, Poison Oak control and improvement plans. Also the 2001 Common Area Report and the 2002 Common Area Maintenance Plan reports are now online
Improvements: Tons of effort went into preparing the ground for the wildflower seeding family event (see below). Also a new footbridge was built by Jack Arnold and put into place. It's on the middle trail. If you don't have a map, you can go to the web for a map of the trails
Erosion Protection: If you house borders sections of the Common Area where the Fire Abatement work was done and you would like to plant wild flowers there, see Bill Furnas for seeds and a rototiller. This will reduce erosion problems.
Children - Spread Wildflower Seeds In Our Common Area!
Thanks to Terri Hawkyard and Bill Furnas for organizing the Walden Woods Family event to spread wildflower seeds in the common area. Also lots of thanks to the volunteers who spent the prior two weekends preparing the ground for this marvelous event.
Here are a few of the pictures from the event - the group, marching to work, Terri planting seeds, others planting seeds (Photo1, Photo2, Photo3, Photo4), distracted by a pile of dirt and refreshments afterwards. There are lots more photos from the event, so if you were there and want a copy of the the pictures, come on by and you can borrow the CD's with the photos.
Walden Woods Photos
I've consolidated the digital photos I've taken of Walden Woods changes, events and activities into a binder of CD's and thumbnail prints. These include the Common Area moonlight walk, Easter egg hunt, block parties, annual meetings and more. If you wish to borrow the CD binder to make some copies, let me know.
Printing of next
WWHO Directory
The new Walden Woods Directory will be available imminently. If you don't get your copy within a week, let Denese Holden know.
What information is included in the directory?
- Names, addresses of owners listing their lot number, fax and normal phone numbers, and e-mail address(es).
- General information about the association including board members and phone numbers, property improvement forms.
- Map of the common area showing trails and suggested walks.
- A list of kids interested in baby-sitting, pet-sitting, house-sitting, yard work, and tutoring.
If you find something incorrect in the directory, send me a note. While we won't be able to re-print the directories until next Nov, we'll let as many as possible know via e-mail about the correction. Each household will have to make changes by hand.
News Updates:
If you have something you would like to include in the WW News Update, drop me a note.
Do you know ...
Q: Need a baby-sitter, pet-sitter, tutor or yard work done?
A: Many of our neighborhood teens want to help you. Consult the list in your new printed directory, or e-mail directory@waldenwoods.org for an updated list. You'll get great service and our kids get that vital cash for living!
This distribution is going out to people on the Walden Woods e-mail information update list. If you would like to be dropped from this list, reply back indicating so and Guy Hall will personally remove your name from this list. If you know someone who would like to add their name to this distribution list, forward this message to them and have send their information to directory@waldenwoods.org.
