THe Village gazette Volume IV, Issue X1
NOVEMBER 2010
TM
News for the Residents of the Villages at Western Oaks AND Legend Oaks I
FINANCIAL FOCUS Be Prepared for Return of Estate Tax There’s never really a bad time to do estate planning. But in the months ahead, you may have an extra incentive to look at your estate plans. Why? Because changes are coming to estate tax laws — so you’ll want to be ready. Change is nothing new in the world of estate taxes, which have been in a state of flux for years. As the law now stands, there is no federal estate tax in 2010. Then, in 2011, the estate tax is scheduled to return, with an exemption amount of $1 million and a top rate of 55 percent. Yet, these figures are highly likely to change; ultimately, we may see a return to what existed in 2009: a $3.5 million or $5 million exemption and a top rate of 45 percent. Of course, your susceptibility to the estate tax will depend on the size of your estate. But no matter what your level of assets, you’ll want to have your estate plans in order. First of all, you almost certainly need a will. You’ll also need to make sure you’ve named the proper beneficiaries in all your legal documents. Now, let’s return to the estate tax issue. Specifically, how can you help reduce any potential estate tax burden your heirs may face? Here are some ideas to consider: • Take Advantage of Your Exemptions You and your spouse each receive an exemption from the federal estate tax. As mentioned
Local Businesses Helping Schools The newly created Southwest Vertical Partners is a partnership that empowers local businesses to help our community’s schools. By networking schools and local businesses together, we’re able to quickly find out about and meet schools’ needs; from sports equipment, to school supplies to volunteers. Currently, the Partners in Education coordinators for Baldwin, Clayton, Kiker and Mills Elementary Schools and Gorzycki Middle School are posting school needs on the SW Vertical Partners website (www.swverticalpartners.com) and local businesses are invited to visit the site to find out how they can help. If you’re a small business owner interested in helping the schools in your community, visit www.swverticalpartners.com or contact Melinda McKenna at 512.288.8088 - melinda@ austinreps.com for more info. Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
above, this exemption could be anywhere from $1 million to $5 million, starting in 2011. To maximize these exemptions, you may want to create a credit shelter trust. In a nutshell, here’s how it works: When you die, you fund a credit shelter trust with assets equal in value to your available exemption; if you have other assets, you can leave them to your spouse, free of estate taxes. Your surviving spouse can draw income from the trust’s assets while he or she is alive. Upon his or her death, the trust disperses the assets to your children or other beneficiaries, taking advantage of your original estate tax exemption. Your spouse’s estate will also disperse assets to beneficiaries, using his or her exemption to reduce or avoid estate taxes. • Use Life Insurance If you owned a $1 million dollar life insurance policy, and it was subject to an estate tax rate of 55 percent, your beneficiaries would receive a death benefit of just $450,000. But if you established an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) with a new insurance policy, the trust would own the policy and distribute the proceeds to the beneficiaries you’ve chosen. By using an ILIT, you’d keep the life insurance out of your taxable estate. • Give generously. You can give up to $13,000 per year to as many individuals as you like without incurring gift taxes. And the more you give, the lower your taxable estate. You can also reduce your estate by making gifts to charitable organizations. Keep in mind that estate planning can be complex. You will need to work with your legal and tax advisors before establishing any type of trust or other estate-planning mechanism. And with the looming return of the estate tax, there’s no time like the present to get started.
The Village Gazette - November 2010
The Village Gazette Important Numbers EMERGENCY NUMBERS EMERGENCY........................................................... 911 Fire.............................................................................. 911 Ambulance.................................................................. 911 Sheriff – Non-Emergency............................512-974-0845 Schools Elementary Clayton....................................................512-841-9200 Kiker........................................................512-414-2584 Mills........................................................512-841-2400 Patton......................................................512-414-1780 Middle Bailey.......................................................512-414-4990 Small........................................................512-841-6700 High School Austin......................................................512-414-2505 Bowie.......................................................512-414-5247
NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE
Utilities Water/Wastewater City of Austin...........................................512-972-0101 City of Austin (billing)............................. 512-494-9400 Emergency................................................512-972-1000 Texas State Gas Customer Service...................................1-800-700-2443 Gas related emergency............................1-800-959-5325 Pedernales Electric Cooperative New service, billing...................................512-219-2602 Problems...................................................512-219-2628 ATT/SBC Telephone New Service...........................................1-800-288-2020 Repair....................................................1-800-246-8464 Billing....................................................1-800-288-2020 Allied Waste................................................512-247-5647 Time Warner Cable.....................................512-485-5555 Other Numbers Oak Hill Postal Station.............................1-800-275-8777 City of Austin Dead Animal Collection............................512-494-9000 Abandoned/Disabled Vehicles...................512-974-8119 Stop Sign Missing/Damaged.....................512-974-2000 Street Light Outage (report pole#)............512-505-7617 Newsletter Publisher
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THe Village gazette Time Management & Exercise: Making the Most of Our Time
By Sarah S. Jordan, MS (This is Part II from Sarah’s series on “Tools for a Healthy Lifestyle.”) Do you wish that you had more time? I would venture to guess that almost everyone would say, “Yes!” In today’s world, we seem to be taking on more than ever and rarely finding the time or energy that we deserve to focus on our health and the health of our family. The important thing is to always keep trying and to value health as a consistent priority in our lives. In Part I of this series, we identified commitment as the first tool for living a healthy lifestyle. To begin, a commitment to healthy living should be made, and the next step is to evaluate our time and schedules in order to identify realistic ways to fit in more movement and exercise. I have become very aware of the importance and benefit of exercise for physical and mental strength in my life’s journey of being a fitness director, business owner, and most of all, in becoming a mother. I have also realized that any exercise is better than none! Finding time to exercise is challenging, and the key is to make every
Christ The King Church Invites everyone to a Christmas Eve
Lessons & Carols Service
and Food Drive
7:00 to 8:00 PM December 24, 2010 Kiker Elementary School
minute count. If baby is napping and mom has just 15 minutes to exercise, those 15 minutes can equal big improvements in weight control and energy levels over time. If work has required us to sit at our computer all day, just getting up for 20 minutes of outdoor activity or stepping onto a cardio machine might just change our day and stress levels completely! Here are a few tips for making the most of your workout time. Increase your intensity. If the duration of workout is short, intensity should be high. Include intervals! On an elliptical machine, set resistance to something that feels challenging (not easy), but something you are able to push through without compromising your form. Do three-minute intervals. Minute 1: Somewhat easy / recovery. Minute 2: 75% of your fastest speed. Minute 3: Sprint! Repeat several times. 21 minutes of intervals (followed by a cool down) is an incredible workout! (Continued on Page 4)
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Youth Basketball Registration through Nov. 21
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The Village Gazette BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS LESS THAN A PENNY: You can run a business classified in the Village Gazette newsletter and reach all of Villages at Western Oaks and Legends Oaks I for only a penny per home. Call 512-263-9181 for details.
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Personal classifieds (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to Village at Western Oak and Legend Oak residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail
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Time Management - (Continued from Page 3) Add a 60-second interval to your walk. Power walk for three minutes and then jog or do walking lunges for one minute. Repeat several times. The interval challenges different muscle groups and adds a new element to your routine. Find something that allows you to get cardio and strength training in one hour. I started a group exercise class format at UT and Pure Austin called Dynamic Strength, and people love it! Participants get their strength training, but they also get cardio intervals, flexibility, and relaxation too! Total body workout. And most importantly, remember that ANY exercise is better than none. Even if you just have 15 minutes, take it. Your body and mind will thank you. Good time management is key in so many areas of life. We have all heard the saying; “Time is of the essence.” Let’s take a moment, evaluate our time, and see how we can incorporate more movement into our lives. What is your essence? You have the power to make it great! Stay tuned for Part III coming next month.
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The Village Gazette - November 2010
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THe Village gazette Austin Currents BCP Hike & Lecture Series
Looking to enjoy the wonderful fall weather with the family? How about a guided hike in some of the most pristine wildland areas around town? The Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP) maintains several of the open spaces you see around Austin, around 27,000 acres in total. These are not parks, they are preserves. Access is limited, and no pets or bicycles or large groups are allowed. As you may be aware, the BCP is not just one single tract of land but a system of preserves that exists as a multi-agency conservation effort with Travis County under the Endangered Species Act through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFW). This hike and lecture series is a partnership among several local agencies and organizations that manage land dedicated to the BCP. A hike is offered the 2nd Saturday of every month. The City of Austin is supporting the partnership and this program by handling registration for events on its website. Lectures will be posted on the calendar but do not require registration. Your field biologist will point out birds, animals, plants, insects and invertebrates. And you may see the habitats of native and nonnative plants and animals and you will learn about how they impact
the environment. You might even get lucky and see a turkey vulture, armadillo, grey fox or some roadrunners. The best part is you can ask your guide all the questions you want. This is great for kids and adults too. Here is the Hike & Lecture Series calendar for the fall: • Sat. 9/11 9a-11:30a Birding Habitat of Westcave Preserve (Westcave Preserve - easy) • Sat. 9/25 1:00p-3:30p Exploring Wild Basin (Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve- easy) • Sat. 9/25 9:00a-11:30a Exploring Wild Basin for Kids and Families (Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve- easy) • Sat. 10/9 10a-1:00p Rediscover Hamilton Pool (Hamilton Pool Preserve – easy) • Sat. 11/13 9a-11:45a A Bird’s Eye View of Stillhouse Hollow (Stillhouse Hollow – easy) To Register, visit http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/wildland/ bcphikelectureseries.htm. For more information contact
[email protected] Rich Keith, (512) 632-0162. - Submitted by Rich Keith
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The Village Gazette - November 2010
The Village Gazette
Nature Watch
Leafy Treasures
Flame-leaf Sumac in fall Photo by Sally and Andy Wasowski
Fall is the time when the quiet, green palette of summer gives way to the crisp reds, vibrant oranges, and mellow yellows that paint the natural landscape. During the growing seasons of spring and summer, our trees and shrubs use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide from the air into sugar. Called photosynthesis, this process begins to wane in November in Central Texas, and the leaves on some plants begin to change color in preparation for winter’s rest. Pigments are natural substances formed by the cells of leaves which provide the basis for leaf color. Most familiar is chlorophyll, which produces the color green, and is vitally important as it is required for photosynthesis. Carotenoid, which produces the colors
yellow, orange, and brown, is a common pigment in many fruits and vegetables, as are anthocyanins, which produce the color red. Both chlorophyll and carotenoid are present at the same time in leaf cells, but the chlorophyll covers the carotenoid and hence the leaves appear green in the spring and summer. Not all trees can make anthocyanins, however, and most are produced under certain conditions and only in the fall. As the days grow shorter, the decreasing amount of sunlight eventually causes trees to stop producing chlorophyll. When this happens, the carotenoid in a leaf can finally show through, turning the leaves into a myriad of yellows, (Continued on Page 7)
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THe Village gazette Nature Watch - (Continued from Page 6) oranges, and browns. Red, on the Fall leaf color can easily be used other hand, is an entirely different to help identify local tree and shrub matter. Affected by temperature species. The most notable reds and and cloud cover, red fall colors can oranges in our area are produced vary greatly from year to year. A by Texas Red Oak and Flame-leaf lively showing of reds depends upon Sumac. Dotting the hillsides, warm, sunny autumn days and roadsides, and upper reaches of cool, but not cold autumn nights. wooded canyons, they contrast This type of weather pattern triggers well with the surrounding greens the production of anthocyanins, of Ashe Junipers and Live Oaks. which the tree produces as a form Golden yellows are represented of protection. Anthocyanins by Eastern Cottonwood and allow trees to recover any sugar or Escarpment Black Cherry, whose nutrients left in the leaves, moving color transforms the low-lying them through the leaf veins and areas near creeks and streams. down into the branches and trunk, and its presence generates the red color before the leaves fall off. Rainfall during the year can also affect fall color, with too much lowering the overall color intensity, and too little delaying the arrival Texas Red Oak in fall of color.
While a tree’s trunk and branches can survive the colder winter temperatures, many leaves cannot. Made up of cells filled with water and sap, these tissues are unable to live throughout the winter, and the tree must shed them to ensure its survival. As the days grow shorter, the veins that carry sap to the rest of the tree eventually close. A separation layer forms at the base of each leaf stem, and when complete, the leaf falls. Some oak trees are the exception, with this layer never fully detaching and the dead leaves remain on the tree until new spring growth pushes them off to the ground. Once on the ground, the leaves slowly decompose with the help of earthworms, beneficial bacteria, and fungi, creating the soil necessary for the continuation of the cycle of life.
Eastern Cottonwood in fall Photo by Benny Simpson Send your nature-related questions to naturewatch@ austin.rr.com and we’ll do our best to answer them. If you enjoy reading these articles, look for our book, NatureWatch Austin, to be published by Texas A&M University Press in 2011. - By Jim & Lynne Weber
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The Village Gazette - November 2010
The Village Gazette Austin Newcomers Club
November Luncheon
Austin Newcomers is a social organization dedicated to introducing residents to the Austin Community and giving them the opportunity to meet and make new friends. Join us at our monthly luncheon as well as take the opportunity to learn about and become involved in many varied fun Interest groups. Time: 11:00 AM Social - 12 Noon Luncheon Date: November 17, 2010 (Reservations required by Thursday, November 11th) For Luncheon Reservations email: LuncheonDirector@ AustinNewcomers.com or Diane Israelson 512-467-4979 For other Newcomers information visit www.austinnewcomers.com or call 512-314-5100 November Program: Dave Reilly and Bill Elsey from the Duchman Family Winery November 17, 2010 The Growth of the Texas Wine Industry… To speak to us about the Texas wine industry as well as their own work are two people who know the Texas wine industry and the making of wine, intimately.
Dave Reilly began his career in the Texas wine industry over nine years ago as co-founder and grape grower at Limestone Terrace Vineyards in Wimberley, Texas - located inside the designated Texas Hill Country American Viticulture Area. Along with growing his own grapes and selling to local wineries, Dave also installed and maintained several vineyards throughout central Texas. In 2006, Dave met winemaker Mark Penna, a 20-year Texas winemaking veteran – upon the planting of the vineyards at the Mandola Estate and Duchman Family Winery. Dave brought his knowledge of the vineyard into the winery and as an understudy to Mark Penna, soon learned winemaking on his own. In 2008, Dave became Chief of Winery Operations and Winemaker at the Duchman Family Winery where he works today. Bill Elsey serves as the Director of Sales at the Duchman Family Winery. He manages the tasting room and wine club as well as works as a production assistant in the cellar alongside Dave Reilly. Bill is a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators and a Certified Sommeliér through the Court of Master Sommaliérs and is pursuing higher levels of certification in both. Please join us for an enlightening afternoon and meet new friends.
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[email protected]
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THe Village gazette CHAPARRAL WOMEN’S CLUB Is Proud to Announce The Third Annual Babes in Toyland Market November 6th, 2010 –9am to 5pm Old Settlers Association Hall (across from Dell Diamond) Following the success of last year’s event, The Chaparral Women’s Club is excited to once again offer an exclusive shopping event that helps to raise funds for Williamson County charities. Unique vendors from the surrounding area will have everything you need to get all of your holiday shopping done. Tickets are available at http://www.rrchaps. org/ and are $10. Children 10-14 are $5 and children under 10 years old are free. Chaparral Women’s Club is a non-profit service organization that has served the Williamson County for over 36 years. Funds raised by the Chaparral Women’s Club go to
non-profit organizations that serve residents of Williamson County. Chaparral Women’s Club has volunteered countless hours towards projects such as Coats for Kids, Round Rock Serving Center Annual Food Drive, Round Rock Volunteer Center, YMCA of Greater Williamson County, Meals on Wheels, Any Baby Can, Texas Baptist Children’s Home, Literacy Council of Williamson County, and Blue Santa. Please come shop and have some fun while helping raise money for charity! Thank you for your support, Chaparral Women’s Club To contact us please email or call Erica McDonald:
[email protected]/(512)258-8775
Oak Hill United Methodist Church Welcomes You!
Prayer & Healing S E R V I C E
Taizé Worship
7815 Highway 290 West, Austin, Texas 78736
What is Taizé Worship? Each and every Sunday we come together as a community of faith to worship collectively. We share songs, respond as a group to the Call to Worship, hear the reading of scripture and listen to the sermon. Taizé is more personal. Not much is expected from you. YOU may sit in silence, listening to repetitively soothing music; YOU can chose to participate in the lighting candles in honor of your loved ones; YOU can pray in your seat. • The sanctuary is lit by candles and it is beautiful. • The experience is soothing and you leave stress-free. • The scriptures are thought-provoking and the silence gives you time to contemplate the message God has for you and you alone. • Communion is an elegant response to that personal message. The service is only one hour each month on the third Thursday. The next service is on November 18th, at 7 p.m. and we extend a personal invitation to YOU. Join us SUNDAYS for Vibrant Worship with Inspiring Music and a Positive Message 8:45 A.M. Blended Worship Service 10 A.M. Pathways Contemporary Praise Worship Service 11:15 A.M. Traditional Worship Service
Oak Hill United Methodist Church is located on Hwy. 290, just west of the Hwy. 290/Hwy. 71 split (“the Y”) in Oak Hill. We are directly across from the ACC Pinnacle Building. Visit our website at www.oakhillumc.org or call 288-3836 for more information. Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
The Village Gazette - November 2010
The Village Gazette NOVEMBER EVENTS At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
NATURE NIGHTS: ASTRONOMY Friday, November 12, 6 to 9 p.m. A wonderful way to learn about constellations with help from McDonald Observatory experts. $1 admission. PAPER SCULPTURES Saturday and Sunday, November 20 & 21 Paper sculptures by the inimitable Shou Ping and new accessories from Leaf Leather in the store. THE WILDFLOWER CENTER WILL BE CLOSED Thanksgiving Day, November 25 PRE-CHRISTMAS SPECIALS. Friday through Sunday, November 26 through 28 Save on selected cards, ornaments and gifts. Informal lunchtime modeling in the café.
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Recipe of the Month Pumpkin Cake Roll
Ingredients: • 3 eggs • 1C granulated sugar • 3/4 C flour • 2/3 C pumpkin • 2 tsp. cinnamon • 1 tsp. lemon juice • 1 tsp. ginger • 1 tsp. baking powder • ½ tsp. nutmeg • ½ tsp. salt • Powdered sugar • 1 C finely chopped nuts Beat eggs on high speed for 5 min.; gradually beat in sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Fold in pumpkin. Spread in greased and floured 15x10x1” pan. Top with nuts. Bake at 375° for 15 min. Turn out on towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Starting at narrow end. roll towel and cake together. Cool. Unroll. Filling: • 1 C powdered sugar • 2 - 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese • 4 T margarine • ½ tsp. vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread over cake. Roll and chill.
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The Village Gazette - November 2010
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THe Village gazette - Kids Stuff-
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Section for Kids with news, puzzles, games and more! You’ve been looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner all year — turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Mmm-mmm! But after you finish that second helping of turkey with gravy, you start to feel a little sleepy. As your Uncle George starts to explain why eating turkey makes people so tired, you suddenly feel like curling up in front of the TV and napping until next Thanksgiving. But is gobbling up all that turkey really to blame? The Usual Suspect: L-tryptophan Not exactly. Here’s why: Turkey meat contains a lot of an amino acid called L-tryptophan (say: el-trip-teh-fan). Amino acids are the “building blocks” for the proteins that make up our muscles and other important parts of our bodies. (L-tryptophan is just one kind of amino acid — there are many different kinds of amino acids in the foods we eat.) When we eat foods that contain L-tryptophan, this amino acid travels in the blood from the digestive system and later enters the brain. The brain then changes the L-tryptophan into another chemical called serotonin (say: sare-uh-toh-nin). Serotonin calms us down and helps us sleep. But scientists now know that L-tryptophan can really only make a person tired right away if it is eaten or taken by itself without any amino acids. And the protein in turkey contains plenty of other amino acids! Blame It On Blood Flow Most scientists think that there’s a different reason why eating a special meal might make you drowsy. Eating a big Thanksgiving dinner causes increased blood flow to the stomach (needed to help digest the meal) and less blood flow to the brain. Avoiding Drowsiness So just how do you avoid that sleepy feeling on Turkey Day? • Eat small, healthy meals (try to limit junk foods) throughout the day before you sit down for your big meal — don't starve yourself in anticipation of the feast to come. • Have small portions of foods that are part of your Thanksgiving meal (including whatever veggies are on the table). • Drink water and take breaks while you are eating to see how full you've become. • Stop eating once you're full — there will always be leftovers tomorrow. • Finally, take a walk outside afterward to digest your meal. This will make you feel better than crashing on the couch. Follow these tips and have a Happy Thanksgiving — gobble, gobble! Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD Date reviewed: August 2009 This information was provided by KidsHealth, one of the largest resources online for medically reviewed health information written for parents, kids, and teens. For more articles like this one, visit www.KidsHealth.org or www.TeensHealth.org. ©1995-2006. The Nemours Foundation Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
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WATCH LIVE services Sunday mornings or view any time at www.ghbc.org Sunday Morning Schedule 9:30 - Blended Worship 11:00 - Contemporary Worship 9:30 & 11:00 - Bible Life Groups (all ages)
Great Hills Baptist Church www.ghbc.org
10500 Jollyville Road . Austin, Texas 78759 | 512.343.7763
The Village Gazette - November 2010
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Now in South Austin Family Practice Doctors at The Austin Diagnostic Clinic
We know that timely appointments and a convenient location are important to you and your family. The Austin Diagnostic Clinic has expanded our family practice services to include physicians at our south location at 4315 James Casey St. Now, whether you live north, south or in Round Rock, there is a family doctor ready to care for you and your family. Just give us a call and we can schedule a same day appointment. And, if you need a doctor at night or on the weekends, check out our EasyCare services at our north location on Cedar Bend. See our website, adclinic. com, for details regarding all Family Practice physicians. Be sure to visit us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and health news. 12
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