www.westlakevillagenw.com 2016 Issue #3

Manager: Nadine Luikart 541-479-6020 nadinel@charter.net

Activities: Michele Pedraita 541-295-8278 michelepedraita@yahoo.com

Chairperson

Nancy Bankston, 941-585-2331 nbankston09@aol.com

Secretary/Treasurer

Sales: Jeanne Simington 541-226-7172 geeknee@westlakevillagenw.com

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY Ireland is a beautiful land, very green, with good beer and wonderful music. The people are

delightful too and so are their folk stories dating back centuries. I wanted to find out more about St.

Patrick since March 17th is coming up so I did a little investigating and found his story fascinating.

St. Patrick was a fifth century Bishop in Ireland and the Patron Saint of Ireland as well. According

to the Confessio of St. Patrick he was captured by pirates at the age of 16 from his home in Great

Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland where he looked after the animals. He lived there for six years

before escaping and returning home to Great Britain. After becoming a cleric he returned to northern

and western Ireland. By the seventh century he had already come to be revered as the patron saint of

Ireland. St. Patrick day is celebrated on March 17th which is said to be the date of his death. Legend

credits St. Patrick with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by showing people the

shamrock, a three leafed plant, thus using it to illustrate the Christian teaching of three persons in one

God. The shamrock has since become a central symbol for St. Patrick's day. So many Irish folk legends

involve St. Patrick along with the color green and the shamrock still to this day.

And what of corned beef and cabbage? It surfaces in writings from the late 1600's as a specialty, a

costly delicacy, expensive because of the salt "corns" or pellets of salt some the size of kernels of corn

were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and preserving it. Today, brining has replaced the

dry salt cure, but the name corned beef is still used. When the Irish immigrated to America where salt

and beef were cheaper, they treated it the same way as back home and soaked it to draw off the excess

salt, then boiled it with cabbage and served it in its own juices. It has become a traditional favorite to

serve on St. Patrick's Day here in America and even in Ireland because the tourists request it.

News & Events

about

Our Village

March, 2016

“When the Moon Hits your Eye like a Big

Pizza Pie”

It's back!! The 2nd Annual Pizza Party at the Club house on Friday, March 11. It will be hosted by John Pace, Robert Meredith and Richard and MIchele Pedraita. Remember last year? Wonderful, hot, gooey, pizza bursting with tantalizing flavors made with love. You just have to bring the salads and desserts for a not to be forgotten evening with friends. See you at 5:00. Don't forget now!!!

KICKIN’ UP DUST AND SLINGIN’ MUD!

Well… there won’t be much dust this time of the year, but Paul Stein, Mark Cornett, Dale Honea and others may be slinging some mud (aha! You thought I was talking about politics) as sites for two new homes at the end of Bentley Drive are prepared for their arrival. Lakeshore and home improvements on Kingsley Drive for a home that is being offered for sale are underway, also. Of course, the two new homes, arriving in February and March, will be as stunning as other homes we’ve added to the Village over the past three years. Call Jeanne if you’d like more details (541-226-7172).

FAREWELL TO FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS….. There will be more movin’ and groovin’ going on, too! Both Peggy Thomas and Nadine Newhouse will soon be on their way to live with family members out of state, much to their delight! Their two homes will be going out of Westlake Village to parks in White City where they’ll become much-needed homes for others. Of course, that means we’ll be doing some site preparation and design for the new homes going onto these two sites to be ordered soon. Peggy and Nadine, we wish you lots of happiness and enjoyment as you embark upon new adventures with your loved ones!

MORE GOOD NEWS! A few sunny days (or even hours) will make it possible for Environmental Landscape Management (Mike, Kelly and Zack) to get back to the many projects underway

here: various homeowners’ projects, the water-feature by the clubhouse, and the south bank which will become a beautiful park one day. Those mountains of dirt will be enriched to make verdant soil for the many trees, shrubs and plants planned for our very own park. Record rainfall has had its impact on all kinds of projects, but Westlake Village is high and dry, even if the ground is saturated and the occasional downpours make run-off seem a little slower than usual. We’re glad to look forward to a green summer and no worry about drought!

OF INTEREST TO ALL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please update any emergency contact information you have on file with Nadine. If you’ve had any changes as far as appointees to receive information about you, phone number, e-mail address, it’s good that our manager has this confidential information in her secure files. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SPRING INTO FITNESS!

Dan Feeley will be here Wednesday, April 20 at 10:00 to demonstrate our exercise equipment. Come on by to see him; his knowledge of the equipment and fitness will keep you safe AND supple. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NO PUSSYFOOTING AROUND ALLOWED!

Stray cats seen strolling through Westlake Village may not be strays at all, but residents of nearby homes. Please don’t leave food or water out for them. Unless you want to adopt them as your own house pets (remember, cats – like their canine friends - must be kept indoors or on leashes), any encouragement you give them keeps them hanging around.

Brain Teasers Courtesy of Young at Heart

1. What room can no one enter?

2. What is it that's always coming but can

never arrive?

3. What can travel around the world while

staying in a corner?

4. What has four eyes but cannot see?

5. What has no beginning, end, or middle?

6. Some months have 30 days, some months

have 31 days: how many have 28?

7. What happened in the middle of the

twentieth century that will not happen again for

4000 years?

Check for answers later

NEW ‘WATER FEATURES” APPEAR ON KINGS WAY With the unusually heavy rains we had in December and January, the pasturelands to the west of Kings Way quickly became a variety of ponds. The existing small pond behind the Harris home overflowed creating a temporarily larger version. The pasture behind the Cassady’s became a “water feature”, too. Suddenly, hundreds of geese and ducks discovered the haven. Since this occurred some have spent the night, but most fly in and out throughout the day, then head back to our 5-acre lake on the southerly side at dusk. As they enjoy the expansion of their “honeymoon suites” we are likely to see an abundance of ducklings and goslings in early Spring. The most memorable morning for us occurred on January 29th when a majestic Bald Eagle flew over the Harris’ new “water feature” behind their home. It soared overhead, circling the water three times. The beauty and inspiration of this magnificent bird is impossible to describe. Ann Harris

THE RECIPE CORNER HASH BROWN QUICHE (recipe courtesy of Paula Deen) 3 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained 1/2 stick butter, melted 3 large eggs 1 cup half and half 3/4 cup diced cooked ham 1/2 cup green onions 1 cup shredded Cheddar salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. In a 9-inch pie plate, toss the hash browns with the melted butter. Press them into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and starting to crisp. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top and puffed. Serves 6 to 8.

WLV BREAKFAST CLUB BISCUITS In small bowl mix and set aside: 1 pkg dry yeast 2 Tablespoons warm water Stir together in large bowl: 5 ½ cups self-rising flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 4 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt Cut in with pastry blade until small pebbles are formed 1 cup of Butter Flavor Crisco Add 2 cups buttermilk, reserved yeast mix and stir gently till soft ball forms. Turn out onto floured board, knead for a few minutes until all ingredients come together. Roll out to desired thickness (1” or more). Cut into squares or use round biscuit cutter. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME..

Do you really think spring might be on its way? I

certainly have been thinking it might be. Let’s see, I’ve

seen a few Robins in search of a possible nesting place.

There are some bulbs poking their tops out of the

ground. It looks like the Dogwood tree is working on a

few buds! Awww, I can hardly wait.

Spring means that one day soon, the yard will become a

garden, hopefully ablaze with color. A garden is not a

garden without a rose bush or two, or three, or maybe

even more! I LOVE roses. It is said that you can’t kill a

rose. Well, you may not be able to kill a rose, but you

can certainly neglect them. And if you are serious about

roses, and you expect them to produce beauty for you,

it is a wise gardener that prunes them back. When I

asked Jeanne Simington when to prune roses in Oregon,

her enthusiastic response was “Super Bowl” weekend.

So right after Super Bowl, I grabbed my clippers and

headed for the roses.

If you want full vibrant blooms from your roses to make

your heart go pitter patter, here are some tips for you:

1. Don’t cut too much off. The experts say, 1/3 to 1/2 your bushes original height. You want your rose to have plenty of room in its center, so clear it out. You want an open centered plant, so get rid of all the crisscross canes growing up through the middle and any weak stems growing towards the center.

2. Be sure you use the right tool, a proper Rose clipper or curved shears.

3. Be sure you make an angled cut; slope the cut away from the leaves just above the bud.

4. Cut the cane until the center pith is creamy white and not brown. This is a healthy cane. A healthy cane will be green.

5. Do not fertilize immediately after pruning.

6. Give your rose time to recover, and to avoid early, tender growth that could be damaged in an unexpected freeze. Once you fertilize, the Rose says, “Let’s go to work.!”

7. Strip your bush of all old leaves. Don’t even

leave old leaves lying on the ground around

your plant. Old leaves can contribute to

disease and insects that tend to carry over and

infect your rose’s new growth.

Pruning your roses will give healthy growth, bigger

blooms and will help against disease. If you have any

other major questions, you can always call a Master

Gardener.

Shout out “Bunco”

Monday afternoon, February 1st, ten lovely ladies and one lucky gentleman showed up at the club house for the first Bunco game. The group was led by Dolly LaFlamme and had a fabulous time. There was much laughing and shouting of “Bunco” as the group played several rounds of the fast paced dice game. They will meet on the first Monday of the month at 1:00 p.m.at the club house. If you would like more information call Dolly at 541.244.1069 and she will be happy to tell you all about it.

MARCH GRANTS PASS HAPPENINGS

March 5th Growers Market resumes downtown on Saturday.

March 4-27th “Urinetown” A satirical musical comedy produced by Barnstormers ran on Broadway from 2001-2004.

March 11th Second Friday Poetry Reading in the Grants Pass Museum of Arts for info call 541-474-3290.

March 11th Rose Pruning Demonstration at Riverside Park. Call 541-878-2852 for more info.

Fascinating Boomer Facts

*The baby boomer generation of 79 million, born roughly between 1945 and 1964, accounts for 26 % of the total U.S. population *The typical boomer feels nine years younger than his or her chronological age. *Every day, 10,000 , people in the United States are turning 65 and this will continue until 2030.

Brain Teaser Answers:

1. A mushroom

2. Tomorrow

3. A stamp

4. Mississippi

5. A doughnut

6. They all do

7. The year 1961. It reads the same upside down. this

will not happen again until the year 6009.

MARCH BIRTHDAYS

03/01 Cynthia Lounsbury, Barbara Croy 03/03 Pamela Hall 03/08 Cathy Parker 03/10 April Mills 03/12 Robert Modde 03/21 Michele Pedraita 03/22 Robert Hall, Marygale Nelson 03/23 Carol O’Brian 03/26 Eddi Chaffee 03/28 John Dilazzaro, Jim Cassady

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVERYONE!!!!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

Westlake Village residents enjoyed a fabulous All You Could Eat Pancake Breakfast on February 13, 2016. There were pancakes galore accompanied by butter, syrup and a sunny mélange of market-fresh fruit that was jam-packed with succulent, ripe strawberries, fresh mandarin orange segments, huge blueberries and kiwi slices. Rounding out the breakfast was a bacon, cheese and egg scramble that many folks reported was “the best egg dish they’d had in town”! The volunteers who put the breakfast together did a fabulous job of serving coffee, clearing the tables and as several residents announced, “I felt pampered and I liked it”! The casual atmosphere and the opportunity to linger over coffee and chat with neighbors and friends makes this a great Saturday morning starter. The Breakfast Club will take a breath in March to enjoy the Pizza Extravaganza. The next breakfast is scheduled for April 16th and it will be sure to please the most discriminating palates. Mark your calendars to save the date for the “Best Breakfast in Town right here in your own back yard”!

DON’T FORGET- SET THOSE CLOCKS AHEAD

Daylight Savings time returns March 13th. Set those clocks an hour ahead.

AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!!

MARCH 27TH