toscana
JANUARY 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
The past year was full of uncertainty and 2021 will continue to be a learning-experience both in our personal lives and here at Toscana, as well. Over the next year, the team will be focused on providing educational opportunities for residents to prepare for the upcoming transition of the Association to homeowner-control. Right now, we have an amazing election going on, where nine of your neighbors have answered the call to run for three open positions on the Board of Directors. But the fun doesn't stop there! We still need YOU. Not only are we looking for residents to join our Board, we are looking for residents to get involved, get educated, and be part of the team through our resident advisory committees. PAGE 3
Toscana has three advisory committees that all report to, and work for, your Board of Directors. These committee members will be invited to take place in training sessions, workshops and roundtables. They will be working on projects such as landscape changes, reserve study updates, budget planning, and project planning. We are looking for residents to expand their knowledgebase and involvement with the community and join one of our three committees: Budget & Finance, Landscape, or Lifestyle. By being involved with your community at the committee level, it enables
you to be part of the process of keeping Toscana the amazing place that you all call home. We hope to see more of you join in the coming weeks and look forward to working with you. To be a committee member: Be an owner in good standing with the association Available to meet once a month either in person or virtually Be able to keep confidential or preliminary ideas confidential Be a neutral party and stand with committee decisions Willing to attend and present to the Board of Directors Will be required to apply and abide by the committee charterÂ
toscana by Mark Gatchell
Time to Renew What a year we have all had! After the trials and tribulations of 2020, I'm sure many of you, like me, are looking for a little brighter year in 2021. I wanted to start out with a huge "THANK YOU!" to all of our amazing Toscana residents. So many of you have sent kind words and encouraging messages to our team over the past year and we cannot express how grateful we are for all your support as we work tirelessly to keep spirits high during this "new normal" (is anyone else tired of hearing that phrase?). We have had to pivot on a dime, recreating many of our signature events and coming up with all new events. While we haven't been able to see you as much as we'd like, our online and pick-up events, such as Zen Boxes, Zoom Friendsgiving, Bingo, and Trivia Nights, have enabled us to stay connected! The Brusters ice cream kits have had an overwhelmingly positive response, and we appreciate our new relationship with a family-owned and operated, local business. With the New Year upon us, you must "harness your energy by focusing on the things you’ve done that have put you in, what Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi has called, “flow.” What is “flow?" Can you recall a time when you were doing something and you PAGE 5
totally lost track of time, felt completely immersed in what you were doing, and, at the same time, felt a great sense of satisfaction and meaningfulness? That, in a nutshell, is flow. Be creative as you begin to think about what you want to do next, and get a bead on the things you do that put you in flow. Flow can be achieved through many activities—gardening, knitting, writing, playing sports, helping others, and almost anything else—and try to think about those activities in more abstract terms. What parts of them put you in flow? Is there a way of incorporating some of those experiences into where you’re going next?" Read more about getting a fresh start here. I want to continue bringing you the events you know and love, while staying creative and opened-minded with your suggestions and ideas on new events. We encourage you to participate in the Lifestyle Committee meetings to share your thoughts and ideas as we go forward.
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
JANUARY SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU DEC 31
4
5
6
JINDO 7pm-8pm
10
1
11
12 PARKADE
7
OFFICE CLOSED
8
LUNCH TIME BINGO 2pm-3pm
13
CLEANING B14/26 BAGELS AND BREW 9am-10am
9
JINDO 7pm-8pm
14
NATIONAL DRESS UP YOUR PET DAY 5pm
15
16
STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM KITS 10am-6:30pm JINDO 7pm-8pm
JINDO 7pm-8pm 17
18
19 RESIDENT
20
WORKSHOPGET TO KNOW YOUR CC&R's 6pm-7pm
BALLOTS DUE 7pm
21
TRIVIA NIGHT 6pm-7pm
22
NEW YEAR MIXOLOGY NIGHT 5:30pm-6:30pm
25
GOURMET TEA KITS 10am-6:30pm 31
26
27
JINDO 7pm-8pm
23
JINDO 7pm-8pm
JINDO 7pm-8pm 24
SAT 2
OFFICE CLOSED
Association Events
3
FRI
28
BOARD MEETING 10am-11am
29
JINDO 7pm-8pm
30
CONNECTION
community
by Katie Lucas
As we enter into the new year, many of our residents and visitors are looking for ideas to enjoy the cooler weather and get out of the house for a while. Here is a list of outdoor activities that are open, as of the writing of this article. Of course, residents are encouraged to follow all safety protocols set forth by government and public health officials, as well as additional restrictions implemented by the businesses.
Desert Botanical Gardens With over 50,000 desert plants on display in their 140-acre venue, the Desert Botanical Gardens has your "fresh air" covered. They have added additional safety measures, such as one-way entrance and exits, touchless bottle refillers, mask any physical-distancing requirements, and capacity limits. Advanced ticket purchase is required to ensure you are able to enter the gardens.
Japanese Friendship Garden The Japanese Friendship Garden was built with the purpose of providing an escape from the everyday pressures of life - in other words, it's the perfect time to visit! They are also following mandates and guidelines including capacity limits, face covering and physicaldistancing requirements and additional sterilization of surfaces. You can also purchase tickets online to minimize contact.
Out of Africa Wildlife Park If you're looking to get up-close-and-personal with exotic wildlife, head on out to the Out of Africa Wildlife Park! See exciting shows like Tiger Splash and Predator Feed, ride on a zipline or take an immersive tour with free-roaming animals of the African plains. Masks are required on tours, and guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online.
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Reeder's
DIGEST
by Chris Reeder
Happy New Year Toscana! As we ring in the new year, it’s a good time to talk about pets within the community. We’ve seen fur family members out and about within Toscana more than ever with so many of our residents continuing to work from home. Part of being a responsible pet owner is cleaning up after your buddy, and ensuring your pet is comfortable (and quiet) while you are away. These are two topics that repeatedly come up, and can cause friction between neighbors. The Association continues to communicate the pet policy through the website, in email communication, on door signage and in the monthly newsletter. If you would like a pet policy refresher, it is available on the ToscanaLiving.net website. With the high population density at Toscana, there are pets being walked at all times of the day. Dogs can easily contract disease from coming into contact with the droppings from infected animals. In fact, infected animals can cause intestinal diseases (giardiasis or "beaver fever," and cryptosporidiosis). Roundworm (including hookworm and whipworm) larva can migrate throughout the body to the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, or eyes. Roundworm larva can cause blindness. Dog droppings are not only an unsightly nuisance, they can be unhealthy to your fur family. There are many pet waste stations throughout the community to assist residents in fulfilling this responsibility. If you are unable to pick up after your pet, there are dog walking and pet sitting services available for a nominal fee in your VIP guide. It’s important we all do our part to keep the community clean for the health of our neighbors and our pets. For many of us, our dogs are used to us being at home more often these days. When we leave it can be stressful with all of the sounds a multiple unit building naturally has. If you know your buddy is sensitive to neighborly noise, it can help to leave the tv or radio on. Personally, I’ve found a sound machine helps mask ambient noise and keep my dogs (and neighbors) happy. Some folks find a video chat with their pet calms both pet and owner. We love our pets, and it is our individual responsibility to keep them safe while fostering an environment of community at Toscana. PAGE 8
WADE'S WORLD by Wade Longworth
As the New Year begins it’s always a time to reflect on what happened over the last year and look forward to how we can improve in the upcoming year. Most of us are routinely creating and completing goals throughout the course of the year. However, every January seems to be the most prominent goal-setting month in our lives, as it gives a chance to move on from what happened last year and start fresh. It also one of the most exciting months with a lot of entertainment events like the Super Bowl, and with events like that we might need to be looking at some at-home work outs to get back in shape. The forecast of at-home workouts seems to remain strong and it’s important to have the necessary equipment* to achieve success. The following are a list of items you will need followed by a short workout that will work for that piece of equipment. Jump rope: If you can safely step outside, a jump rope is a go-to for warming up or getting in a quick cardio workout when you're strapped for time. Dumbbells: Weights are pretty much a must-have for a home workout routine. Foam roller: As you ease into a new workout routine, take care of your body by caring for its mobility with these tools. This lacrosse ball will relieve tension in your feet and back while this foam roller can be used throughout your body. For jump rope, do this circuit twice with a 30 second break in between. Basic jump (20 seconds), rest (40 seconds) Push-up (20 seconds), rest (40 seconds) Basic jump (20 seconds) rest (40 seconds) Squat thrust (20 seconds), rest (40 seconds) Basic jump (20 seconds), rest (40 seconds) For dumbbells complete four of the next five workouts with a 30-60 second break in between. Dumbbell single leg deadlift: 8 reps (alternate between sides in different sets) Dumbbell one arm row: 8 reps (alternate between sides in different sets) Dumbbell curl: 8 reps (do 8 on each side in one set) Dumbbell side lateral raise: 8 reps Dumbbell bench press: 8 reps PAGE 9
For the foam roller there are multiple different ways to utilize this item. The following is an example of how to use it to massage your shoulders. Lie on your side with the foam roller underneath your right shoulder. Your lower body can be resting on the ground comfortably with your left arm out in front to guide movement. Roll slowly up and down over your deltoid muscle. Repeat for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat on your left shoulder. All of this equipment is friendly on the wallet and can be done without having to leave the comfort of your home. Please follow this link for even more exercises that can be performed at home.
*please do not remove equipment from Toscana gym facilities
MAINTENANCE
by John Raabe
report
WORK ORDERS The maintenance team here at Toscana strives to keep your home looking and operating as is expected of "the Ultimate Address." However, the team can't be everywhere at once, so we rely on residents to let us know if something isn't quite looking, sounding or even smelling right, in order to address concerns before they turn into major problems. There are a couple ways residents can reach out to us let us know when they see something that needs attention. The best way for residents to inform us of issues is to go onto the ToscanaLiving website and fill out a work order request. Not only does this method allow you to file your concern at your convenience, but it also allows you to see updates on the project directly from the maintenance staff, including when work is complete. When the resident goes on and fills out a work order, it is instantly forwarded to the team and we are able to contact you via email through the system, should we need further clarification. The maintenance team uses the website to track all work orders, determine if a certain area has consistent maintenance concerns, and even helps us keep a log of how long each concern takes to be rectified.
The next way is to contact the office by phone or email. Any member of the office staff is able to create a work order on your behalf for the maintenance team to address. This method still allows the Association staff to track your work order, but does not provide you with updates on the project. Residents should try to avoid informing staff of maintenance concerns in passing when you see us around the property, as the team is likely already on their way to address another concern and may not be able to get to a computer to input the work order for quite some time. This can lead to delays in addressing your concern, and it could even get overlooked, if the teammember is particularly busy.
Of course, if there is an emergency concern (such as an active water leak, smell of natural gas, or the like) please make our team aware however you are able. The most important thing is getting things fixed in a timely manner. We need the help of the residents who are on the property every day that might notice something that has been missed. So, any way you let us know is greatly appreciated. These are just some ways to submit a maintenance concern, which allows the staff to track, prioritize and plan community maintenance items. Let's all work together to keep Toscana looking (and operating) beautiful.
QUICK TIP! Mailbox maintenance is the responsibility of the homeowner. So, what should you do if the lock starts to get sticky? Before changing out the lock (which the Association maintenance team can do for a $25 fee), try putting some lubrication in the lock. The best way to accomplish this is to obtain your favorite lock lubricant, such as WD40 or a resident-favorite graphite lubricant, and place some on the key itself, as well as inside the lock. Insert, remove and twist your key a few times to help the lubricant fully coat the space. This has helped many residents add extra years to the life of their locks.
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s ' n o r f f a S ircle c
by Saffron Caudle
Towards the end of the year many of us take the time out to think about what New Year’s resolution we’d like to make, but have you ever wondered where the tradition began? Some 4,000 years ago, Babylonians acknowledged their new year with an 11-day festival in March, and ancient Egyptians celebrated the advent of their new calendar during the Nile River's annual flood. By 46 B.C., Roman emperor Julius Caesar had moved the first day of the year to January 1, in honor of the Roman god of beginnings, Janus. The origin of making New Year's resolutions rests with the Babylonians, who reportedly made promises to the gods in hopes they'd earn good favor and resolve debt in the coming year. With so many people making resolutions, what are some good tips on keeping them? Turns out, simply wanting to
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make changes is not enough; you need to make them stick. One way to do this is to share your resolution with others. When you keep resolutions a secret, no one is going to check up on you. You're only accountable to yourself. In addition, don't overwhelm yourself with a list of "to-do's." Stick to a few (or even just one) specific goals that are challenging, but manageable. Overly ambitious goals can drain a person's confidence when they're not met. Build on small, observable victories and possibly achieve bigger goals down the line. Don't try and do everything at once; take things on one at a time. Finally, monitor your progress. If your resolution is to exercise more, start slow by taking walks around your neighborhood. If it's to save money, begin keeping a log of where you spend your funds. Monitoring those few goals you set will dramatically improve your success rate. Whatever your New Year goals, give yourself some time to make them a reality. While most people believe that new habits can be formed in 21 days, new research is suggesting we may actually need an average of 66 days to do something different and stick with it. I wish everyone the best of luck with your New Year’s resolutions this year!!
