Jester Estates - August 2021 by Peel, Inc.

Jester Estates

Official Publication of Jester Homeowners Association, Inc. August 2021

Volume 16, Issue 08

Hello Jester Neighbors, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and the return of some normalcy after last year's struggle with Covid19. I know many Jester residents are enjoying traveling this year, so please keep a watch out for your neighbor's home when so many houses are empty due to vacationing residents. Austin has been very fortunate to have had a mild and wet start to Summer, but wildfire danger remains. The wildfire news from the west coast of the US is grim and frightening. Please be aware of Jester's unique vulnerability to wildfire and arrange for your home to have a Firewise Home Evaluation with Carol Philipson. Many thanks to Carol for her expertise and hard work in educating Jester concerning fire dangers. Even though JHOA does not have a presence on Nextdoor, many Jester residents do, and they find it a quick, convenient way to send out alerts, to ask for help for lost pets and to buy, sell or donate items among other things. JHOA does have a Facebook page and Jester residents can also post information there. As many of you know, there is a problem in Jester with mailbox thefts and vandalization— a recent Nextdoor post gave a Consumer Affairs telephone number of 210-368-8498 as a number to call with concerns. JHOB will continue to keep Jester residents informed of happenings in the neighborhood. The next meeting of the JHOB is Tuesday August 31, 2021 at 7 pm at 7117 Foxtree Cove.

By Carol Philipson Three years ago, an agreement was made between Jester Residents and the Austin Department of Transportation that six “monitored” speed signs would be installed "in lieu of the speed humps." These “monitored” speed signs record speeds 24/7 and report these speeds continually to the ATD literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If we don't honor our agreement by exceeding speeds over 30mph, speed humps WILL BE REINSTALLED. Please relay this information to your friends, relatives, repairmen, landscapers, and anyone you know who may drive along Jester Blvd.

poisonous or venomous?

Everyone have a safe and fun summer, Eva Wisser Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) Often used interchangeably when describing some plants and animals, in reality poisonous and venomous mean two different things. Poisonous describes plants or animals that are harmful when consumed or touched. Venomous refers to animals that inject venom into their prey, by means of a bite or sting, when hunting or for self-defense. To add to the confusion, all venoms are a poison but not all poisons are venoms! Poisonous species typically produce a toxin that can range from irritant to fatal. Plants such as Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and some members of the Spurge family are considered irritants when they come in contact with skin, but this effect is produced through different mechanisms. Nearly all parts of the Poison Ivy plant contain urushiol, which is a substance that gives us contact dermatitis, or a severely itchy and painful inflammation of the skin. Continued on Page 4 Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

The Jester Warbler - August 2021

Jester Estates

The Jester Warbler - August 2021

Board of Directors www.JesterHOA.com

President Eva Wisser....................................................... eva@jesterhoa.com Vice President Eric Cohan..................................................... eric@jesterhoa.com Treasurer Phil Ponebshek...............................................phil@jesterhoa.com Landscape Committee Chair Margaret Hutchinson............................. margaret@jesterhoa.com Social Committee Chair Teresa Gouldie............................................ teresa@jesterhoa.com Safety Officers Carol Philipson............................................ carol@jesterhoa.com Phil Ponebshek...............................................phil@jesterhoa.com Architectural Control Committee Chair Ron Herzfeld.................................................. ron@jesterhoa.com Firewise Officer Carol Philipson........................................... carol@jesterhoa.com Board of Directors Charles Wolchansky................................. charles@jesterhoa.com

Teenage Jester Job Seekers Estates

Baby Pet House Yard Name Sit Sit Sit Work Phone Anderson, Layla*+......... •.........•...........................................(512) 496-6536 Beach, Annika................ •.........•..........•......................................... 839-0387 Ferrens, Ashley .............. •.........•.............................................512-767-3003 Fricke, Samantha+ ........ •.........•..........•..................................512-948-2717 Gerrie, Jack.................... •.........•..........•..................................210-290-3842 Gerwels, Emily.........................•.................................................... 795-9270 Gilliam, Ava*+............... •.........•..........•..................................512-633-3664 Hayes, Alice..............................•..........•......................................... 952-0512 Hull, Carter*+................ •.........•..........•..................................512-963-3254 Kellar, Allison................ •.........•.................................................... 909-1009 Moore, Kaitlin............... •....................•......................................... 739-7652 Orton, Claire................. •.........•.................................................... 346-0434 O'Toole, Emily.............. •.........•.................................................... 917-9397 Pantaleoni, Nicholas...... •.........•..........•..................................310-200-6006 Parouty, Ava................... •.........•..........•..................................512-298-9160 Reed, Emery.................. •.............................................................. 592-2141 Shafer, Owen............................•..........•..................................512-786-2378 Thibodeaux, Medeline... •.........•.................................................... 619-0291 Trautman, Colin............ •.........•..........•......................................... 342-2422 Ware, Sonoma............... •.............................................................. 796-4013 Werth, Amanda* +........ •.........•..........•..................................217-398-2833

NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE

*-CPR Training +-First Aid Training If you would like to add your name, send email to tgouldie@gmail.com with the jobs that interest you,your age and phone number (MUST be a teenager).

Restrictions Violations Committee Chair Cyndi Means ................................ cyndi.means@goodwintx.com Jester Club............................................................512-794-8867 ..................... jesterclubmanager@yahoo.com, www.jesterclub.org Homeowner's Association Mgmt - Goodwin Mgmt Cyndi Means..................................cyndi.means@goodwintx.com

Office: 11149 Research Blvd, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78759

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 203310 Austin, TX 78720-3310

Newsletter Information

Editor Hope Teel................................................ hopeteel@gmail.com Publisher Peel, Inc.............................www.PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181 Advertising.............advertising@PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

JESTERHOA.COM Visit www.jesterhoa.com for HOA documents and info on the neighborhood!

Interested in submitting an article? You can do so by emailing hopeteel@gmail.com or by going to: www.peelinc.com/articleSubmit.php. All news must be received by the 12th of the month prior to the issue. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

The Jester Warbler - August 2021

Jester Estates "Nature Watch" Continued from Cover

By Nicholas Pantaleoni

Director: Martin Scorsese With Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese develops a wondrous movie that dives into the inner workings of joining the Mafia at a young age. The occasional narrative by the main character Jimmy (Robert De Niro) serves as a familiar voice that gives the audience insight into the actions and mannerisms of each character. Moreover, the added narration sets the tone in scenes throughout the movie without feeling “overbearing”. The underlying story in the movie is the portrayal of the rise and fall of the Mafia syndicate with its many side characters who, in my opinion, deserve their own movie based on the level of detail given about them, i.e. Paul Cicero who is played by Paul Sorvino or Tommy Devito, played by Joe Pesci. What was especially enjoyable in the movie was the ability to see the progression of the protagonist (or antagonist depending on how you see him), as he encounters certain problems that people don’t normally have to face. Overall, I would highly recommend this movie if you have the time to watch it! Because there are a lot of minor details that come into play throughout the whole movie, I would not recommend watching the movie in two (or three) parts, but rather all at once.

The Jester Warbler - August 2021

Spurges such as Texas Bull Nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus) and Betonyleaf Noseburn (Tragia betonicifolia) have raised structures called trichomes that are capable of ’stinging' animals and humans that brush against them. These plants have trichomes on their leaves and stems that have bulbous tips that break off and reveal needle-like tubes that pierce the skin. They can cause an itching, burning rash by emitting onto the skin a mix of acetylcholine, formic acid, histamine, and serotonin. One local native plant, Jimsonweed or Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii) goes well beyond irritant to hallucinogenic and even fatal if ingested. All parts of this plant contain toxic alkaloids, and the narcotic properties of this plant have been known by humans since before recorded history. They once figured prominently in important religious ceremonies of various southwestern Native American tribes. Animals that are poisonous include most amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts), that have some amount of toxins on their skin and within other tissues. Special skin glands produce useful proteins, some for use in respiration, others for fighting bacterial or fungal infections, and at least one in each species that is used for defense. For example, many toad species will release their toxins when they feel threatened, such as when they are caught by a dog or cat, and can trigger drooling, vomiting, and respiratory or cardiac problems. While some snakes are the most commonly known venomous animals, all spiders, some lizards, and many bees, ants and wasps are venomous as well. The venoms they inject through a bite or sting contain various classes of toxins designed to perform specific biological effects such necrosis or death in multiple cells (necrotoxins) or individual cells (cytotoxins), disruption of the nervous system (neurotoxins), or damage to muscle tissue (myotoxins). The venom of our Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) carries both necrotoxins and myotoxins, Black Widow spiders (Latrodectus macrons) carry both neurotoxins and cytotoxins, and Striped Bark Scorpions (Centruroides vittatus) and Texas Redheaded Centipedes (Scolopendra heros) carry neurotoxins. While the vast majority of snake toxins are transferred by bite, one exception includes garter snakes (Thamnophis sp.), which are small and harmless in terms of their bite but are toxic to eat because their bodies absorb and store the toxins of their amphibious prey. In our area, these snakes include the Black-necked Garter Snake (T. cyrtopsis) and the Western Ribbon Snake (T. proximus). It is important to keep in mind that many plants and animals that are poisonous or venomous are not necessarily a guaranteed threat to humans, as much depends on how the plant or animal is encountered, its toxicity level, and the amount of toxin absorbed. Regardless, respecting these species and giving them their space is the cardinal rule. Interestingly, the medicinal use of venoms for therapeutic benefit in treating diseases dates back to 380 B.C. in ancient Greece. Today, the venoms produced by different organisms, which contain hundreds of different bioactive elements, are isolated, purified, and screened, then studied to identify components that may have desirable therapeutic properties. This research is often the starting point for developing a therapeutic drug, and those types of drugs on the market today are used to lower high blood pressure, relieve severe pain, act as blood thinners, treat Type 2 diabetes, and stop bleeding during surgical procedures. Send your nature-related questions to naturewatch@austin.rr.com and we’ll do our best to answer them. If you enjoy reading these articles, check out our books, Nature Watch Austin, Nature Watch Big Bend, and Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies (all published by Texas A&M University Press), and our blog at naturewatchaustin.blogspot.com. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Do you have a fire extinguisher in your home? It may be a good idea, especially with the wildfire risk factor in Jester. Homeowners are not required to have them, but if you cook, clean, have a do-it-yourselfer living with you, or ever light a candle for a relaxing evening, it is strongly advised that you purchase one or more fire extinguishers for your home. The current make up of fire extinguishers is comprised of a chemical retardant rather than water under pressure, so while there are likely places in Austin that may recharge old extinguishers, its more common for them to be replaced. There are a few retailers in the area will accept old canisters, either ones that have been used or that just went stale, and

Jester Estates

then will discount a new one. The common logic is that if an extinguisher has been discharged, it needs to be replaced or recharged. Even if it was only a curious child that wanted to find out what happened when the pin was pulled and trigger depressed. Equally you should use the same logic if you find yourself in a kitchen fire that got a bit scary, but was quickly dispatched with just a few blasts. Even if the pressure needle is still reading in the green when the dust settles, you should not take that as a sign it will be ready to deploy to its fullest the next time you find yourself in an exciting situation. As the old saying goes, better to be safe than sorry!

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Continued on Page 6

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"Fire Extinguishers..." Continued from Cover

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Jester Estates

The Jester Warbler - August 2021

Jester Estates PO Box 1148 Round Rock, Texas 78680

The Jester Warbler - August 2021