LIVING
toscana
KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW
SO MUCH TO CELEBRATE FEBRUARY 2021
Our Staff. Community Manager Nicole Careaga ncareaga@toscanaliving.net Assistant Community Manager Christine Reeder creeder@toscanaliving.net Lifestyle Director Mark Gatchell mgatchell@toscanaliving.net Concierge Director Katie Lucas klucas@toscanaliving.net Administrative Assistant Wade Longworth wlongworth@toscanaliving.net Community Patrol/Admin Saffron Caudle scaudle@toscanaliving.net Facilities Director John Raabe jraabe@toscanaliving.net Maintenance Staff Daniel Renteria, Tyler Driscoll Night Managers Don Meeks, Jackie Hernandez 480.861.0875 Gate House Staff Chet Sanders, Joshua Oakley, Laura Taylor, MaryJane Vital, Emerson Glasgow 480.513.0602
ASSOCIATION OFFICE 5450 E Deer Valley Drive Building 2 Phoenix, AZ 85054 480.585.0808
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY 602.234.9288
toscanaliving.net
Nicole's Noteables by Nicole Careaga
Each year around this time, many folks are thinking about hearts, flowers, chocolates and diamonds. How can you not when the TV is littered with ads about obtaining the best of the best for your special someone. However, growing up here in the valley, this month always brings a different type of feeling for me. Fond memories of my youth, attending elementary school and enjoying what we so eagerly celebrated at this time, Arizona Week. See, I went to a school where we embraced our local heritage and celebrated the birthday of AZ each year. A birthday that little know actually falls on Valentine’s Day. We would celebrate by hosting square dancing contests, learning about the state and participating in fun activities as a school. PAGE 3
For those of you that are not aware, this year February 14, marks Arizona’s 109 birthday. In 1912, President William Howard Taft signed the declaration allowing us to become the 48th state. All this, after the residents of Arizona voted against becoming part of New Mexico. Growing up we were given the knowledge of our state bird; the cactus wren, or state tree; the Palo Verde, and even sang what one day became recognized as a state song, I Love You Arizona.
Many of you, either visited, had family here, or heard of the vast beauty our state holds and have come here to create a new home, or even a second home. I enjoy that I have been able to be a part, while be it small, in so many of you living in the place that my family has called home for three generations. Toscana embodies the idea of outdoor living, enjoying recreation, friends and family. Our beautiful desert landscape thrives in our climate, and enjoys our sunny days as much as we do. The view of the golf courses to the north has become a symbol of our city and state.
Now that I am older, being an Arizonan has a new meaning. It became the place I found love, my career, and we have another generation of Arizonans that will pass on the traditions of the past.
As we move into a new year, I hope you all will join the team and I in continuing to make Arizona and Toscana a fantastic place to call home. Be on the lookout for the dates and times of upcoming committee meetings, board meetings, and beautification projects.
E L Y T S E F I L
toscana by Mark Gatchell
Mardi Gras We celebrate many holidays and festivals throughout the year, but February brings one of the oldest and most colorful celebrations that can be traced back to March 3rd, 1699. The first American Mardi Gras began 10 years after French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d'lberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. The first recorded New Orleans Mardi Gras parade took place, which spawned a tradition that continues today. Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebrations! The traditional colors are purple, green, and gold, and a delicious dessert that is also a tradition is The King Cake, a glazed and frosted pastry that dates back to medieval times. Today, the cakes are fried and doughy, glazed and frosted, typically in the Mardi Gras colors. Visiting New Orleans was on my bucket list until December 2019, when I finally visited "the Paris of the South." Founded in 1718, the traditions, culture, and food are steeped in tradition. Walking the streets gives you a sense of awe, soaking in the architecture and music that can feel overwhelming at times. In an effort to bring a little bit of Mardi Gras to Toscana, not only in February but in the months to come, we will have some fun PAGE 5
treats, scavenger hunts, and so much more to bring music, colors, and celebrations back to life at Toscana. Food trucks will soon return, and small tailored events will bring back the events we have come to love. Our Lifestyle Committee meetings return this coming February 16th, and we hope to see many of our residents join in and express your ideas and thoughts for our 2021 events! Many familiar faces have been returning to Toscana, which is wonderful to see, and our participation numbers are increasing week after week. We look forward to even more of our family returning to Toscana in the coming days, weeks and months!
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
FEBRUARY SUN
MON
TUE
1
2
8
9
Association Events
7
JINDO 7-8pm
JINDO 7-8pm
WED 3
TOSCANA ANNUAL MEETING 6pm
10
LUNCH TIME BINGO 2-3pm
THU
FRI
4
5
11
12
JINDO 7-8pm
FINANCE COMMITTEE 9:30AM
SAT 6
13
JINDO 7-8pm
14
SWEETS FOR YOUR VALENTINE GATEHOUSE 8am-7pm
21
28
15
B1 & B11 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
22 B14, B15 & B24 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
16
B1 & B11 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
LIFESTYLE COMMITTEE 2PM JINDO 7-8pm
17 B10 & B11 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
18 B10 & B11 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
19
20
CHERRY PIE DAY 1-6pm JINDO 7-8pm
23 B14, B15 & B24 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
24 B14, B24 & B26 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
JINDO 7-8pm
LUNCH TIME TRIVIA 2-3:30pm
25 B14, B24 & B26 PARKADE SECTIONS CLOSED
26
JINDO 7-8pm
27
CONNECTION
community
by Katie Lucas
Are you ready for Valentine's Day, yet? With everything going on in the world, some of you may be feeling a little overwhelmed trying to plan a romantic night in and may want to throw in the towel. Don't worry, I've got you covered with some simple ideas to help you and your partner enjoy the holiday, stress-free.
Set the Mood Pull out your favorite candles, grab some flowers (or have them delivered), turn on some soft music, and dim the lights. Maybe pick-up a spectacular meal from the Capital Grille to make the night extra special. Recreating your date-nights out is all about ambiance, and there's nothing more romantic than enjoying each other's company by candlelight! In fact, science backs this up, as the lack of light causes your pupils to dilate, just like they do when you gaze into the eyes of your loved one, and sends all those lovey-dovey signals to your brain, instantly starting your date off on the right foot!
Have Some Fun(due) One easy and fun activity to do on your date-night is to host your own fondue-party! Melt up some cheese or chocolate (or a pot of each), chop up your favorite dippers (such as bread, cooked meats, fruits, or baked goods) and grab a bottle of your favorite wine to capture the essence of one of the most popular Valentine's Day restaurants. Don't have a fondue pot? Don't worry! Amazon has tons available with two-day shipping for Prime members! These pots are pretty portable, too, so you can enjoy your night in the crisp, outside air, if you'd like (but just remember there are no open flames permitted on patios/balconies)!
Plan an Activity
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Whether it's snuggling up with a classic romance movie or trying out a new hobby, be sure you have some sort of activity planned to fill the evening with some love and fun. One silly thing my husband and I like to do are MadLibs, It's endlessly entertaining and inexpensive (you can even find free MadLibs forms online!). Another great option is to play a two-player board game. There are plenty of great options depending on how competitive or cooperative you like to get! For those who like to bask in the love and appreciation of the evening, consider making lists of the things about your partner you are grateful for. A great "next step" would be to box those lists up, without looking at each other's, with a bottle of your favorite wine and read them to one another next Valentine's Day!
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Reeder's
DIGEST
by Chris Reeder
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR Do you love your neighbors? Most people will respond with a resounding “Yes!" One of the ways your management team shows our love to residents is by equitably enforcing the policies that all residents agreed to when the unit was purchased (check out the Community Policy Reminders on page 10 for more info). Living in close quarters with your neighbors can present both advantages and disadvantages. Although everyone’s experience is individual, neighbors are what can make or break the way you perceive living in a condominium community like Toscana. We all have different standards of acceptability around noise, pets, cleanliness and many, many other lifestyle concerns. Below are just a few topics that have come up in resident conversations that will help you show how you love and respect your neighbors. Be Mindful of Timing: It's nice to coordinate your activities with the appropriate time to do them. If vacuuming at 2 a.m. helps you fall asleep, try reading a book or doing homework – either way you desperately need to find new means of falling asleep. Continually creating unnecessary noises may lead to conflict with your neighbor. The rule of thumb is if you can hear them, they can hear you just as well. Also keep in mind, as a community we do have “quiet times” from 11pm-7am each day. Of course, if you are a night owl or work the night shift, normal sounds of living in a condo environment are what they are- excessive noise and mindfulness of neighbors is the key here. Your Guests (and Pets), Your Responsibility: Neighbors don’t know your guests, but they likely know you. Even if you are absent while your guests or residents are at Toscana, you will be held liable for their actions. If you are hesitant of your guests behavior, there is a pretty good chance that your neighbors won’t approve of it either. For example: We have had guest run through the front gates or use foul language towards the gate staff when their name is not registered as a guest in DwellingLIVE. If you are unsure how to add a guest to your registration list, please reach out to Wade for guidance. Also, it’s a good reminder that your pet is your responsibility. We love seeing everyone out walking their dogs (leashed cats too!) Meeting new neighbors through your fur babies is awesome- although sometimes I remember their pets name better than the human! PAGE 9
Common Areas: With our variety of common areas, it’s easy to feel at home in the community kitchen, at one of the gyms, or in the pool areas. To show your love, be sure to pick up after yourself and leave areas the way that you would like to find them. One of our “hidden” common use maintenance spaces are the common plumbing pipes. Your condo plumbing does connect with your neighbors, so it’s critical to know what cannot go into the system. It’s not a fun way to meet your neighbor, having that phone call that your trunk line is backing up. It’s much more fun to meet your neighbors at the pool! Parking: With limited surface spaces available , finding parking for guests can become troublesome when the spots are incorrectly utilized. Your unit has designated parkade parking space(s)- make sure that when you park your car for the night, you are only using your designated spot(s). If you have more vehicles than designated spaces, be sure to check your community bulletin boards in each amenity space and on the ToscanaLiving.net website to see who may have a space or two available for rent (and if you have extra space(s), be sure to post them there to earn a little extra income on the unused space!).
As we spend more time at home, it’s important to keep these helpful hints in mind. Living at Toscana is so much more fun when you show how you “love thy neighbor!" PAGE 8
COMMUNITY A quick reminder of Toscana
POLICY
policies that are impacting your community.
REMINDERS What is the Toscana Violation Enforcement Policy?
The full Violation Enforcement Policy is available to residents at all times on the ToscanaLiving.net website under Documents->Governing Documents-->Policies. This policy provides your Toscana management company the authority to enforce the CC&R's, Design Guidelines, and Rules and Regulations of the community. The Toscana Violation Enforcement Policy also designates in what way and how often a violation, and even fines, can be placed on a resident account. The Association takes a stance of providing education first in the violation process, which is why residents in violation of these policies first receive a "Courtesy Notice," prior to being officially entered into the violation process. Once a letter has been sent, residents have 21 days to "cure" the violation, allowing ample time for the letter to be mailed, delivered, opened and action to be taken. If the Association office is not contacted and informed that the situation has been remedied or
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COMMUNITY POLICY REMINDERS CONTINUED provided with information on planned remedies, the violation is able to be "escalated" after those 21 days. Upon the second escalation, residents will start receiving fines in $50 increments. While most Toscana violations are closedout after the first courtesy notice, we do occasionally see "repeat offenses" in regards to policies such as: annual homeowners insurance policy updates, patio and parkade storage, and common area dĂŠcor. It is important to fully read and understand all your community CC&R's, guidelines and other policies to ensure you stay in compliance at all times. A great way to get an overview of the most-commonly addressed concerns is by reading the Toscana Living Guide, which is provided to all new residents upon their orientation and available to current residents at all times on the ToscanaLiving.net website under Documents-->Forms-->New Move-In. This document is regularly updated to reflect staff and policy changes, as well. Of course, another great way to stay up-todate is to keep an eye on the Association email communication, such as the Toscana Tidbit series, community meeting updates, and the Toscana Living Magazine. Please note: the Violation Enforcement Policy applies only to standard violations. There are separate enforcement policies available in the Policies section of the ToscanaLiving.net website for items such as: pets/pet waste, short-term rentals, and parking.
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Don't Feed the Animals Speaking of community policies, we'd like to take a moment to address some concerns your neighbors have shared in recent weeks. First, we would like to remind all residents not to feed any animals that are not a member of your household. This includes birds, javelinas, and adorable stray kittens. Not only can feeding wild animals keep them coming back to, and defecating all over, the Toscana property, it also does not allow them to properly survive in the wild. Check out this article from the USDA on why feeding wild animals can be harmful to both you and the animals. If you are one of our well-meaning residents trying to keep the wildlife fed, please consider volunteering for, or donating to, local animal rescues rather than feeding them onsite. Be Considerate in Amenity Spaces As more of our wonderful Toscana residents return to the property, the usable space in your amenities is becoming limited. In an effort to avoid seating and other amenities being taken up by absent residents, we are asking that residents be courteous and avoid pre-reserving space in common areas such as the pool or gym. Towels and other personal items left unattended at the amenity centers will be removed and brought to the Palazzo Centro office for pick up at a later time. We appreciate your assistance in ensuring that all Toscana residents are given equal opprtunity to enjoy their amenities.
UPCOMING PARKADE RE-STRIPING & RE-NUMBERING We are excited to announce Toscana's parkades are scheduled to be cleaned and have parking stalls re-striped and renumbered this month! Please see the following pages for a map of scheduled restriping. During the cleaning and restriping process, highlighted areas of the parkade will be closed from 7am-5pm on the two dates listed for each section. It is recommended that residents park on the surface overnight on the night prior to service beginning in their section to avoid interrupting service. Residents will not be ticketed for parking on the surface overnight the day prior to their section's cleaning/restriping. Residents who are unable to move their cars for this process will be required to reach out the the Association offices to arrange for an alternate date for re-striping/ re-numbering of their parkade space.
B11
B1
B10
B15
B14
B24
B26
WADE'S WORLD by Wade Longworth
With the winter holidays behind us we turn to looking ahead to future celebrations. The month of February offers a couple different holidays that we can partake in. Depending on who you ask this month can be one centered around the love of a significant other or can be used to celebrate the Mardi Gras. In the traditional sense it’s a day to celebrate before the beginning of Lent. One of the more common things to give up during this period is meat. That means having one last big bash with some delicious food is in order. Not much can get more delicious than some New Orleans staples such as a Jambalaya with a piece of King Cake all washed down by the famous Hurricane cocktail. This article will give a brief description about these wonderful dishes as well as a link to a great recipe for making them at home. Jambalaya When Spanish settlers arrived in New Orleans, they began altering their traditional paella rice dish to incorporate locally grown ingredients. This later became its own tradition known as jambalaya, now a popular New Orleans staple and what thousands of consider their favorite comfort food. What goes in jambalaya is your decision. Most commonly, jambalaya contains sausage (likely Andouille), seafood, and beaucoup Cajun spices. If you have creole tastebuds, add more Tabasco. If not, be careful! King Cake King cakes are one of the earliest New Orleans Mardi Gras’ food traditions, dating back to 1870 when settlers brought this dessert to the Big Easy all the way from France. The original New Orleans King Cake is a ring shaped, cinnamon-dough creation usually iced with Mardi Gras green, yellow, and purple colors. If you have not had at least one king cake before Fat Tuesday, you have not experienced Mardi Gras to her fullest. Hurricanes This local libation was created with rum at Pat O’Brien’s bar during World War II when whiskey was hard to come by. The name for the drink came from the glass it’s served in that resembles a hurricane lamp. If you can’t make it to Pat O’s, you can still find Hurricanes at almost any New Orleans bar or you can make it at home with rum, lemon juice, and passion fruit syrup. It may sound like a standard mixed drink but remember it isn’t named after a natural disaster for nothing!
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MAINTENANCE
by John Raabe
report
FIRE ALARMS As some of you are aware, we have had a few fire alarms on property lately. Luckily, the most recent alarms have been triggered by minor concerns, such as overcooked food and the dumping of unapproved material in enclosed spaces (p.s. make sure you aren't dumping out loose dirt/strong chemicals in the parkade elevator vestibules or trash rooms!). Of course, you can’t always count on them being "no big deal," and residents should always treat every fire alarm as if it is a real fire and can potentially be life threatening. This means that your first course of action should be to get out of the building, and await the "all-clear" email from the Association. Do not call the Association offices; the phone lines need to be left clear for staff members to communicate with emergency services. For those that don't know how the fire alarm systems work at Toscana, I would like to take a quick moment to give an overview of how they work. Each unit was built with smoke detectors, and some unit owners have chosen to upgrade their systems to also include CO2 detectors. The units on the interior of your condo are not tied into our system at all. If these detectors start to sound, they do not notify the management staff or emergency services; be sure to call 911 immediately if your alarms have triggered and an emergency situation is present. Also in your unit is an annunciator that is tied to our system, and is there to alert you of a potential fire in your building and serves as a signal to evacuate. It is very important that when doing remodels, or having any kind of work done, that these annunciators, and their wiring, is not damaged or removed because it will cause a problem in the whole system. Each unit also has fire sprinklers that will activate if the air around the sprinkler itself reaches a certain temperature. Only the sprinkler affected by the fire PAGE 15
will go off, not the entire system. Smoke and heat detectors are located in all hallway closets and common areas; these are tied into our system and are what actually report the potential of a fire and trigger the building alarm. This system is monitored by a fire monitoring service, which dispatches the fire department immediately and calls the Palazzo Centro office or Night Manager to notify the staff of a potential hazard. As stated earlier, when the fire alarm goes off in the building the most important thing is to evacuate the building and get yourself and your families to safe area. Please do not call the office to check whether it is a real fire or not, during this time everyone will be running around trying to assess the situation and assist wherever possible. When you call the office, the only person you will be able to get in touch with is the admin who will not have any information to give you, and my need to be making or receiving important phones call for other members of the team. You don’t want the phone lines to be tied up and prevent important information from being communicated to emergency services in the event of a fire. It is safe to re-enter the building once the alarm has been silenced. After assessing the situation, the Association will send an email to your building notifying everyone of what we found or what occurred. If you or a family member has a disability that will hinder their exit from the building, you can contact the fire department and register as a handicapped individual needing assistance. This adds you to a special list, where they will come to your unit first in the event of a fire to help you exit the building. The office staff will not enter the building if there is smoke or fire.
s ' n o r f f a S ircle c
by Saffron Caudle
Who is Saint Valentine? Valentine’s Day. A day that many across the world celebrate with candy, flowers and gifts which are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and where did these traditions come from? Let us go back in time to find out about the history of Valentine’s Day, from the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring to the card-giving customs of Victorian England.
So who is Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient practice? The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Seeing the injustice, Valentine, defied Claudius II and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When discovered, Claudius II ordered that Valentine be put to death.
around A.D. 270, while others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. According to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn and the city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. The tradition was later outlawed, as it was deemed “un-Christian”, at the end of the 5th century. It was not until much later, that the day became associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. An English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” writing, ““For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.” Although Valentine greeting were popular, written Valentines didn’t appear until after the 1400’s.
Another account states it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was also beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome. Stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. “Legend has it”, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “Valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.
When did St. Valentine Become Popular in the USA? Americans probably began exchanging handmade valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first massproduced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest cardsending holiday of the year with women purchasing approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
Origins of St. Valentine’s Day Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial, which probably occurred
How do you spend your Valentine’s day? A quiet evening at home with a nice home cooked meal, a nice restaurant, girls/guys night out, or perhaps just another day? PAGE 16
TEN
N A J
'S PLA T E
by Janet Dempsey, DLC Resources
With spring finally on the horizon, DLC crews are preparing your landscape for the busy growing season! We are continuing our seasonal pruning, trimming shrubs lower in order to help keep them at a manageable size and promote healthy regrowth in the spring and summer. We are also continuing with routine maintenance, including trimming plants and trees as necessary. The crew is
emphasizing priority areas where plants are encroaching on sidewalks and walls or are growing outside of their space. We are continuing to fertilize your winter Ryegrass and have applied a new round of liquid iron to ensure it stays strong during the winter months. We will continue to push the health of your Ryegrass until the annual transition to summer Bermuda in the late spring. During the winter, established plants don’t need as much water as they do when temperatures are higher. With this in mind, plus the added bonus of the recent winter rains, we have been able to reduce irrigation usage, which will save your community water and money.
