Hey Knucklehead

On Friday July 2 2010 Montgomery County and WSSC asked the residents of the area to cutback on water usage , so WSSc could repair a damage pipe.

The cutback in usage would would help prevent a drop in water pressue at area hydrants .

This is necessary just in case there was to be a fire- the fire departments would have enough pressure to use their hose.

Simple enough to understand.

The WSSC suggested not watering lawns,, not washing cars, not topping off pools and cut backs on flushing and showering.

What the WSSC failed say is that one certain knucklehead would be allowed to wash their car.
Apparently the rules did not apply to this resident of Americana Finnmark.

Perhaps this resident is someone with special connections to the WSSC.

or
PERHAPS THIS PERSON JUST DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN!!

Pool Manners

Soon the pool will be open.

Everyone should have a copy of the rules by now- the rules are included with your Condo package when you move in.

But there are other rules that are not in the pamphlet.

1.. Do not disturb other people.
2. Do not be noisy- sometimes I hear a lot of screaming and yelling - usually parents trying to control their children.
3. The pool is not a daycare center. Do not leave your underage children at the pool and go off to do something else.
The lifeguards are not babysitters.

4. If you do not have a valid ID do not create a scene when you are denied access to the pool.

Get your pool ID updated.

5. Do not try bringing all your friends and relatives to the pool without first checking with the lifeguards or management.

6. Remember no eating, no alcohol no rude behavior.
7. Act civilize

Baby-its hot in here

Wow the thermometer in my condo says 86 degrees.

Another resident says their condo was 91 degrees.

Her baby is having trouble sleeping and is sweating at night.

Another resident wanted to have some friends over- but had to cancel- it was too uncomfortable in her condo.

I have been living here for over 15 years.

It seems that every year the residents have to suffer through unbearable heat before the air condition is turned on.
The excuse is always the same- even though it might be 85-90 degrres in April the temps will drop in a couple of weeks.
It might be true, but then-like this year- we have to endure more heat and more uncomfortable conditions.

Fans do not help.

It is time to change these rules.
There is no County or State law that says when we have to turn on the a/c.

If the temps were to drop in the last two weeks of April- and it has not dropped to anything close to freezing in years- the residents can put on a sweater or use an extra blanket at night.

Remember some of us lost heat this winter and some residents just dressed more warmly.

It easy to dress to get warm- but there is little one can do to get cool when your unit is 90 degrees and you can not sleep.

I went to a relatives house for a couple of nights.

Let us change this rule and have the a/c turned on by April 15 next year.

We should not have to suffer another year like this.


.

Barbara Carter

Americana Finnmark has lost another resident.

She may not have been well known- she never served on the Board.

She was a very private person- some might say eccentric.

But she was a friend.

I met Barbara Carter when I was the Treasurer on the Board of Directors.

I barely knew her, but I welcomed her input.

Over time we developed a telephone friendship.

She very seldom left her condo- I invited her to mine do go over budget details or other concerns but she insisted on discussing a variety of subjects on the phone.

Over the years we would talk about the danger of mold in the laundry room, the old water pipes, the dangers of using those cloth fabric softner sheets in the dryer.

But perhaps are best conversations were about the movie--"Soylent Green".

It came up in casual comversation and I had mentioned that it was one of my favorites.
Much to my surprise- it was also one of her favorites.

When we talked about the various going ons in the community. our conversation would eventually drift to a discussion of the government and the movie Soylent Green.

She had an interesting outlook on life- she was very private never talked about her life- and I knew never to ask.

If I called her- and she was not home- I would leave a message. Just once.
I knew not to call again- she would call at her convience.

Despite the distance in our friendship- never meeting in person except at a budget meeting or Board meeting- we stayed in touch for a number of years.

I last talked to her in February- she had called me about the water pipes and was wondering if the Board would ever replace them all or continue to do so in a piecemeal fashion.
I do not know what prompted the topic-but by the time our conversation was over we were back on the subject of Soylent Green.

That was the last conversation I had with Barbara- Heidi called me the other day to inform me of Barbaras passing.

I will miss her- even though I had not seen her in about a year-I looked forward to our conversations.

In her own private way Barbara Carter left this world.

I will miss her.

Is it Spring yet?

I finally dug my car out of its winter coat.

Started the engine-- perfect- it started right up.

Now- where should I go--
I had ordered some groceries from Peapod- but I had to get out and drive.

The parking lot was somewhat cleared but it was drivable-- I decided to go to the Giant.

I walked into the store, browsed- I did not really need anything and yet I wanted something.

Then I saw exactly what I wanted- melons-- a variety summer melons-

I purchased a honeydew and a small watermelon.

The minute I walked in my door I started to slice the melon- the aroma of backyard cookouts and picnics came to mind.

They were perfect- ripe, juicy and fragrant.

I cubed them and put them into a bowl.

I sprinkled a little salt and pepper on them- a strange thing to do- but I have discovered that the flavors are more intense when I do this--

As I bit into a cube of honeydew- my mind wandered to 70 degree temperatures, flowered trees and bushes and birds singing- it was Spring in a Bowl.

I looked out the window and reality set in- but for a brief moment I was transferred to a warmer climate- sort of a Garden of Eden.

Spring will be here soon and I can not wait.

Ghost Town at Finnmark

Whoa!

Where is the global warming?
Is Al Gore MIA?
Has someone issued an Amber Alert for Al Gore?

If Vancouver needs snow for the Olympics, let us start boxing the stuff up and mail it to Canada.

I am standing at the balcony door looking out at our beautiful property.

It is a pretty sight- everythig in white.

But it is also a ghost town- no footprints in the snow.
No sound of anything but the howling of the wind.

No one is walking their dog.
No one is out walking.
No sign of Cornell, Billy or Carlos walking around- waving at the residents.
No cleaning crew to say good morning to.
No Heidi to ask how her day is going.

Just the howling wind-blowing the snow up against the door and balcony door.

The only thing missing is the howling of wolves- like in those Dracula movies.

Cold, dark, and the howling of the wind and the wolves.

Where are ther wolves?

What to do on a Big Snow Weekend

Well it appears that global warming has missed this area this year.

Another major snowstorm has hit the area and the Metro area has come to a standstill.

This could be a good thing.

There is no need to run out to the malls, or send the kids out .
Instead this time could be spent doing family things- games. watching television or a DVD together, or how about talking.

How many times have parents sat down with their kids and talked about life in general?

I can see it now, everyone os sitting at the table having breakfast, then helping clean up the house.

Next, the family can sit down and watch television together, perhaps bake cookies, play a game.

Or you could go outside as a family and build a snowman or have a friendly snowball battle.

The best part of being cooped up together is a chance to get to know your children, they in turn get to know their parents and the family can act as a unit.

I recall when I was young my parents would spend this time telling us stories about the snowstorms they had when they were young and this would lead to a further discussion of family history.

So the gist of this blog is-- Get to know your family- relax and have fun.

Good Day.