Fuse boxes-40 years old time for a change

A couple of weeks ago, as I attempted to roast a chicken my oven kicked off.
I tried to turn it on again and it would not kick on.
The electronic ignition just did not seem to have enough power.
I checked the fuse , it did not look right.
I thought maybe the fuse was loose- went to turn it and burned my fingers.
It was very hot.
Using a paper towel, I managed to remove the fuse.
The socket was corroded and full of metal fragments.
Needless to say I did not put the fuse back.
I checked a few other fuse sockets and found similar conditions.

It was time for a change-
I checked out a few electric companies, found one I liked and had the work done.
There was some extra work that had to be done- but I was not charged for it.
Their motto is "your never pay more than the original estimate.
if we need more time or more work we will not charge you."

I am quite happy with the work.

Baby it's cold outside

Man, what a weekend- howling wind. extreme cold weather and no power.

Some of Americana Finnmark residents lost total power, partial power and I believe everyone lost heat this past weekend.

The electrical power problem was a PEPCO problem and was resolved the following day(Monday)
The staff of Americana Finnmark had the hot water problems resolved by Monday afternoon.

Thanks for their quick work.

Now some hints for the future-
1). If there is a power failure call PEPCO first- do not call CMI or members of the Board of Directors or previous members of the Board- there is nothing we can do- we are not magicians and more than likely we are having the same problems.

2).If you call CMI, call them only once- do not keep calling them. They got the message the first time and they know what to do.

3). There is no need to call Heidi after hours or on weekends.
She is not in the office- and she will be getting calls from CMI and probably from Cornel and Billy. There is no need to call her office if there is only a machine to answer.

4). Use your head, do not panic and be polite to whomever you speak to.

5). We have an excellent staff and they will do their best to take care of any problems .

6). When you see our staff walking around or in the office- be sure to "Thank Them" for the work that they do, and thank them for keeping everything in running order.

We have an excellent staff and I am sure they do not get enough thanks from the residents.

John Harrison

I do not know too many people who refer to other people as "he's a cool cat", or refer to someone as a "Hipster".

John Harrison however was one cool cat who still spoke jive.
I met John through his neighbor Ron La Count.
John and I became friends, and eventually served on the Board of Directors together.
Johns had expertise in property maintenance- boilers, A/C, construction, etc. so he was always keeping a keen eye on any property repairs that was going on . Before any major contract work was planned he would go over the cost of the repair work - trying to find ways to save the community money.

Just like Ron La Count ,John cared about Americana Finnmark and was always looking for ways to keep the property looking nice.

But John had another side of him that few people knew about.
He was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need and he liked jazz .

I use to sit with him on the stoop in front of his building and talk music- and I enjoyed hearing him speak about the old days when people were hipsters and cool cats and his young days and the wild life he led.

He also spoke about his children and how proud he was of them.

He and Ron La Count were two oldtimers who really cared about Americana Finnmark. They were also neighbors and good friends.

It seems fitting that John Harrison would die within days of the anniversary date of Rons death.

Perhaps they had more things to talk about--

End of Summer

Well the pool is now closed, and soon the rest of the trees will lose their leaves.

As the weather cools down one may see less people out walking, playing tennis, basketball.
Well don't think the community has gone into hibernation.

There are the budget meetings coming up, monthly Board meetings, Architecture meetings and of course our Christmas Party in December.

So don't hide, come to the meetings, say hi to your neighbors, have a potluck dinner and invite people over.

Your neighbors and community residents are still around, your friendships should extend beyond the pool days.

Ron La Count--

Ron La Count- a long time resident of Americana Finnmark died about three weeks ago.

Ron been involved with the community for many years, either on the Board of Directos as treasurer, vice-president, or director, or as a resident when not serving on the Board.

Everyone knew him, and everyone saw him everyday as he walked his dog, and when not walking his dog- Ron would hold court on his patio.

He was a helpful neighbor who would lend a helping hand whenever needed.
At times he would come across as gruff and mean- but once you got to know him yourealized he was just a gentle soul- who did not put up with stupidity or rude behavior.

A memorial service and a celebration of his life was held at the VFW in Wheaton- the stories that were told by his family and friends only made Ron seem bigger than life.
His wife and two children told stories about their younger days- it appeared that Ron had a little bit of Indiana Jones in him.

Everyday when I leave my condo I look toward his patio- hoping to see him puffing on his pipe and reading-he was truly an amazing person.

Another view from the balcony

As I sit on my balcony in the morning reading the paper and drinking coffee, I become aware of the number of critters living on our grounds..

We have the famous Eastern Gray Squirrel and his relatives, the black squirrel, and of course chipmunks.

Having watched Chip and Dale when I was young, I was under the impression that chipmunks lived in trees.
It appears that the ones in Americana Finnmark, live underground.

Earlier this summer we had a fox roaming the grounds.

Perhaps the biggest population of animals are the birds.

We have the usual sparrows, robins, crows, wrens and Cardinal(male and female)(The male is the bright red one), blue jays..

We also have birds that I was not familiar with- and so I had to buy a bird guide in order to identify them.

Thanks to the guide I have been able to identify-- the house finch, a junco, the Eastern bluebird,a cowbird, the mourning dove, and a grackle.

I haven't seen the ducks, the geese or the deer lately-perhaps they have moved on.

As one can see, Americana Finnmark is not only a city within a city, but also a nature center.
When the weather is cool- sit on your patio or balcony and enjoy nature.

We have an array of insects-flying and crawling- but that is a subject for another article.

Beyond the Gate

As I sit on my balcony, around 5 in the afternoon, a mysterious sound floats through the air.

It is a musical sound, sort of like a caliope of old. The tune changes every few minutes.
I close my eyes and I picture a small town on the other side of the gate- one with no crime, no litter.
A town where everyone says hello, and men tip their hats when approaching a woman.
The children are well mannered, and near the gazeebo is a carousel and the caliope playing that old time music.

People are walking through the park, and in town, The Olde Malt Shoppe is serving ice cream sundaes.

My mind wanders a lot on theses spring evenings as I sit on my balcony.
I dream of homes with big backyards, and screen porches, and neighbors watching for each others kids.
I dream of those days when you could leave the roof down on your convertible when you did your shopping.
I dream of those days when you could leave your door unlocked and sleep the night away without fears of crime.
I dream of those days when you felt safe shopping at the mall with out fear of being robbed.
I dream of all these things when I hear that mysterious music from the other side of the gate.