LAUREL CREEK May 2016
Official Newsletter of the Residents of Laurel Creek
LAUREL CREEK
Volume 3, Issue 5
All Neighborhood Summer Get Together To celebrate the end of school and to kick off summer for everyone, neighbors have organized a neighborhood Water Wars party for the kids on Friday night, June 3, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. at the gazebo park. We hope to have a few baby pools for the younger ones and tubs of water for the older kids to easily refill their water guns! While mostly the children will be using the water guns, this is an event for everyone! So, whether you have kids or not, we encourage all neighbors to bring a lawn chair and enjoy watching the fun while visiting with your neighbors. Also, the Kona Ice Truck is scheduled to come (so bring a few dollars with you to enjoy that delicious treat)! Be on the lookout on Next Door for more information and volunteer sign-up for those interested in helping with set-up and clean-up. We look forward to seeing everyone at the park!
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Laurel Creek - May 2016
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LAUREL CREEK COMMUNITY CONTACTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ann Murphree......................................................... President Greg Magness................................................... Vice President Linda Pirtle-Porras................................................... Secretary Nathan Overstreet.................................................... Treasurer Valerie Phelps............................................................ Director
NEWSLETTER INFO NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER Peel, Inc............................888.687.6444, www.PEELinc.com Advertising....................................
[email protected]
IMPORTANT NUMBERS Crest Management.................... www.crest-management.com .........................................................................281.579.0761 Association Manager Jennifer
[email protected] Assistant Manager Victoria
[email protected] .........................................................................281.945.4623 Call Before You Dig ...................................................................1.800.344.8377 Street Light Outage www.centerpointenergy.com (Have light number) ......................................................................713.207.2222 Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Service ............................................. http://records.txdps.state.tx.us Police Information If you witness a crime or suspicious activity call Pct. 4 Constable
......................................................... 281.376.3472 or 911 Police Emergency..............................................................911 Constable's Office Precinct 4.............................281.376.3472 ......................... Laurel Creek has a contract for faster response Cy Fair Volunteer Dept. (Ambulance) ........................................ (Non-emergency) 713.466.6151 Harris County Alarm (Permit) ..................................................................... 713-755-4660 TOPS (Water Issues) ......................................................................281.807.9500 Poison Center ...................................................................1.800.222.1222
Please remember: We do not live in the City of Houston but in Harris County. Inform the emergency operator of this to assure a more prompt response.
Parking Recently the trash company failed to pick-up the trash on one of our streets. A neighbor chased the truck down to tell the workers they had missed the street. The response from the driver was that he had to skip the street because so many cars were parked on it that it was too tight to drive the large trash truck down the street. Laurel Creek’s streets are narrow. Vehicles parked in the street could make it difficult for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles to get to their destination in an emergency where minutes count, as well as make it difficult for school buses and trash trucks to navigate. Cars parked in the street also make it difficult for neighbors to enter and exit their driveways, plus create a hazardous situation for pedestrians and children. Cars belonging to residents should be parked in the resident’s garage or driveway. They should not be parked on grass or in the street. Every resident has at least a two-car garage and a driveway that holds two to four vehicles. The garages are intended for the primary purpose of storing vehicles, not other items. Street parking should be reserved for visitors and not routinely used by residents.
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LAUREL CREEK
Neighborhood Workday at Shadow Gate Park Laurel Creek held its first annual Workday at Shadow Gate Park on April 2, 2016. Laurel Creek residents, Randy Parman, Amanda Davey, Negarin Nematzadeh, Marilyn and Ken Zavatsky, John Murray, Quoc Vu and Tom Tamborello, helped stain the wooden swing set and the other playground apparatus. HOA Directors Nathan Overstreet, Valerie Phelps and Ann Murphree also joined in the project. Everyone that participated met other neighbors and saved the subdivision several thousand dollars in costs of labor. In addition to improving the aesthetics, the new coat of stain should add several years to the life of the equipment. Special thanks to Ken and Marilyn Zavatsky for taking it upon themselves to replace two boards on one of the benches after the event. Although Tom Tamborello had to travel out of town on the
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actual day of the event, we are grateful for his efforts for doing both the prep work before the event and the touch-up work afterward. John Murray deserves credit for planting some African Iris at the Gazebo Park and maintaining the canna plants. If anyone missed the event but has interest in getting involved in future improvements, two of the residents who volunteered at the first Workday have expressed an interest in staining the equipment at the basket ball park. A date has not been set yet, but additional volunteers would be appreciated! If you are interested in helping with the basketball park, or want to volunteer to spearhead work on the park in Section 5, please contact Victoria Schoon at Victoria.
[email protected]. If you cannot devote an entire afternoon or morning, even one or two hours is a great help.
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Sudoku The challenge is to fill every rowLAUREL across, every column CREEK down, and every 3x3 box with the digits 1 through 9. Each 1 through 9 digit must appear only once in each row across, each column down, and each 3x3 box.
Whiteflies
Crossword Puzzle
Whiteflies are small, soft bodied insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts. They are creamy white and adults have a mealy wax coating their body and wings. Immatures, also called nymphs, are small, oval, flattened and wingless. Whitefly populations can increase quickly when temperatures are warmer. The insects like to be on the underside of leaves, often in clusters. Common species of whiteflies have a wide host range and can switch host plants. Whiteflies suck plant juices and large populations can cause foliage to turn yellow, appear to be dry or even fall off the plant. Some whiteflies cause plant distortion or foliage to turn silver in color. Whiteflies produce honeydew, a sticky substance secreted by some insects. Honey dew causes foliage to become shiny in appearance and can attract a fungus called sooty mold. Some whiteflies are capable of transmitting plant viruses. Try to encourage natural enemies to help manage whitefly populations in your garden. To do this, make wise pesticide choices. Try to choose pesticides to target specific pests and/ or specific areas. Also, you may need to manage ants that tend the whiteflies to obtain honeydew. The ants protect whiteflies from natural enemies that may normally keep the pest population at manageable levels. In vegetable gardens, you may want to try reflective mulches to make the underside of the leaves where whiteflies hide less habitable. As for chemical treatment, you can use high pressure water sprays, insecticidal soap, azadirachtin, d-limonene, botanicals or a synthetic product. Target your treatment to the underside of the leaves to get to where the whiteflies like to hide. For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urbanipm.blogspot.com The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied. Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status.
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View answers online at www.peelinc.com DOWN ACROSS 1. Incline 1. Tack 2. Change 5. Giant 3. Small particle 9. Philippine dish with marinated 4. Compass point chicken or pork 5. Night bird 11. Journalist's question 6. Body snatcher 12. Tiny insects 7. Cultivate 13. Cut of beef 8. Volcano 14. School group 10. Change into bone 15. South 16. Musical productions 17. United States 18. Canadian prov. 18. Bottle need 19. Palladium (abbr.) 20. Upset 20. Many 22. Cow's chow 21. Perfect 23. Year (abbr.) 22. Captain (abbr.) 24. Computer makers 24. Institution (abbr.) 27. Brews 25. Swain 29. Sleep disorder 26. African country 31. Parent teacher groups 28. Fast plane 32. Strong rope fiber 30. Pastry 33. Bend 34. Decorative needle case © 2006. Feature Exchange
SUDOKU
Sudoku
2007. every Feature column, Exchange and The goal is to fill in the grid so that every©row, every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Each digit may appear only once in each row, each column, and each 3x3 box.
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LAUREL CREEK At no time will any source be allowed to use Laurel Creek's contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in Laurel Creek is exclusively for the private use of the Laurel Creek HOA and Peel, Inc.
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DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.
NOBODY IS DROWNPROOF WATCH KIDS AROUND WATER
COLIN HOLST
14 Texas children have already fatally drowned in 2016 DROWNING IS PREVENTABLE THESE WATER SAFETY TIPS CAN SAVE LIVES
WATCH KIDS & KEEP IN ARM’S REACH
LEARN TO SWIM
WEAR LIFE JACKETS
MULTIPLE BARRIERS AROUND WATER
KEEP YOUR HOME SAFER
CHECK WATER SOURCES FIRST
PRACTICE DRAIN SAFETY
BE SAFER IN OPEN WATER
LEARN CPR
BECOME a Water Guardian for your child
TAKE the Water Safety Quiz PREVENT drowning www.colinshope.org/quiz LEARN more at www.colinshope.org 6
Laurel Creek - May 2016
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LAUREL CREEK
TENNIS TIPS By USPTA/PTR Master Professional - Owner, Manager and Director of Tennis, Grey Rock Tennis Club, Austin, TX
How to execute The Overhead “Smash”
In previous newsletters, I offered tips on how to hit a forehand groundstroke, a two-handed backhand, one-handed backhand, forehand volley, the two handed backhand volley, the serve, the forehand half-volley and the one-handed backhand volley. In this issue, I will offer you instructions on how to execute the overhead “smash” when players get a high ball and hit the ball above their head. In the illustrations, Matilda O’Connor, player at the Grey Rock Tennis Club, shows the proper technique to execute this stroke. Photos by Charlie Palafox. Step 1: The Back Step: When Matilda realizes that a ball is high enough to hit the overhead, she takes a step back on the side to hit the ball. The upper body turns, the racket starts the backwards motion by keeping the elbow at a 90-degree angle and the left hand is pointing towards the ball. Notice that her head is looking at the ball and she is keeping her chin up. Step 2: The Point of Contact: As Matilda prepares to hit the ball,
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her racket begins accelerating from the back position. She is making perfect contact on the upper part of the racket and the right wrist is "snapping" to get on top of the ball. Her left arm is still pointing to the ball to assure a direct hit on the "sweet spot" of the reacket. Her weight has shifted from the back foot to the front foot. Step 3: The Follow Through: After the ball has been struck by the racket, Matilda will continue the swing across the left side of her body. Her eyes are now focused on the path of her stroke. The left arm is at her left side. Her right foot still keeps her toes on the court to allow for maximum balance of the stroke. Step 4: The Ready Position: Even though the overhead "smash" is a powerful weapon, many times the opponents will return it back to the players. Here Matilda is ready for the next ball coming back towards her. By the looks of her smile, it appears that her overhead stroke was a success and that won the point. Look for in the next Newsletter: The Forehand Service Return
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