Courtyard - September 2022

Thank you Anna & Amer Delic, Suzanne McMahan, Joany Price and Jen Harold for organizing the Back to School Playdate on August 13th. The HOA provided breakfast goodies and a piñata filled with candy and fun school supplies. New neighbors were welcomed and new friendships were made among children and families. Cheers to a new school year!

Author Charles Yu won the 2020 National Book Award for this work of Thefiction.Courtyard Book Club meets at the home of its chair, Lou Blemaster, 5612 N. Scout Island Circle, at 1 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. To receive monthly book club emails, contact Lou at LouBlemaster@gmail.com. Even those who haven’t read the monthly book are welcomed to join your neighbors for some interesting discussion. And if you have friends in other areas of Austin who would like to join a book club, feel free to include them.

COURTYARD BOOK CLUB

Interior Chinatown, a deeply personal novel by Charles Yu, examines issues of pop culture, race, immigration, assimilation, and escaping life’s roles that we are forced to play. It is the book selected for discussion at the October meeting of the Courtyard Book Club, Tuesday, October 4, at 1 p.m. Willis Wu feels he is relegated to bit parts in a procedural cop show as well as in life and aspires to “be more” as his mother urges him. The story is told with humor and poignance about a man who confronts racial stereotypes on and off the set.

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

September 2022 Volume 18, Number 09

Back to School Playdate

Travis County Courtyard (aka "Backcourt") Terry Edwards t.edwards54321@gmail.com

At no time will any source be allowed to use The Courtyard Caller Newsletter contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in The Courtyard Caller Newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Peel, Inc.

* Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction.

SUB-HOA CONTACTS Center Court: Amanda Gilliland mandagilliland@gmail.com, 512-927-7118

DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser.

Villas at Courtyard: Thomas Hoy Thomas.Hoy@freescale.com, 512.231.1270

2 Courtyard Caller - September 2022 Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc. Courtyard Caller CHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Denise Hogan.......denise.1.hogan@gmail.com, 214.403.4454 Vice President Konavis Smith.................. konavis@gmail.com Treasurer Jim Lloyd jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855 Secretary Waneen Spirduso ....spirduso@utexas.edu BOARD MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Janet Wright HenryMeredith..........................................................................469-387-5632..............mightywrights@me.comMassey-Kloetzer......................meremass@gmail.comMistrot512.459.7313 COMMITTEES Environmental Control (ECC) Diana Apgar ..............fd1966fd@aol.com Community Park Terry Edwards t.edwards54321@gmail.com, 214.392.4627 Welcome Erik Maye erikmaye@gmail.com, 512.626.2404 Social & Decorating Joany Price joanyprice@gmail.com, 512.775.8942 Landscape & Decorating Ed Ueckert 512.345.6137 Security Jim Lloyd jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855 Communications, Editor – Courtyard Caller Jen Harold.......... harold.jennifer@gmail.com, 281.773.2880 Compliance Goodwin & Company, 512.502.2115 Kayak Jim Vence jimvence@gmail.com, 512.436.5678 Fire Safety Richard Stelzner arebeess42@gmail.com Area Development and Zoning Liaison Goodwin & Company 512.502.2115

* The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising.

* Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

Wolf Court: Susanne Doell ................... Drdoell@gmail.com, 512.454.3400

Passings

We acknowledge with sadness the passing of our friend and neighbor, Bob May. Bob lived in the Courtyard for decades and served his community throughout the years on many committees, assisted with countless Park clean-up days, and even served as Board President. He will be missed!

FIREWISE AUGUST SPEEDING BOATS ON BULL CREEK

Things have changed since 2011; fire behavior has been studied extensively, firefighting strategies and tactics have improved along with predictive technologies, such as, localized weather forecasting and satellite observation. The Austin Fire Department has a Wildfire Division and created a Wildfire Battalion. The National Fire Protection Association sponsored the Firewise Alliance, of which The Courtyard is an active member, and Fire Adapted Community organizations and alliances were established.

Firefighters have to make immediate decisions about which houses can be saved and which can’t. A house with defensible space may hold a fire off longer and enhance its survivability.

A wall of flames may not careen through the Courtyard. The real danger will probably be a blizzard of flaming embers blown through the neighborhood. The less there is to ignite around your home the better. To sign up for an HIZ evaluation email: fire-safety@ courtyardhoa.org. They are free and without obligation. Also, check with your neighbor, we offer twofers.

Per City of Austin and LCRA, all of Bull Creek is a NO WAKE ZONE. If you are operating a watercraft, please be aware of this and take all precautions to protect the shoreline and the safety of swimmers and those using paddleboards, kayaks, etc. While on the water please be vigilant for boats passing through the cove and Bull ToCreek.report a boating accident, call 911. You may also report an accident to the local game warden, or by calling Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour police communications operator at (512) 389-4848.

But it is important to be aware that not every street will have a fire engine and firefighters won’t be able to save every house. That’s where homeowners come in. There are actions we can take to make our homes more defensible. The fire safety committee articles in the Caller and the information on the www.courtyardhoa.org website emphasize how to prepare homes and properties to potentially keep fires small up to 30 feet and possibly further from the house. Home Ignition Zone Evaluations offered by the Fire Safety Committee can help identify areas on which to focus.

Seems like conversations are starting with the weather and ending with the weather. If you were born here or moved here, even recently, the heat and dryness seem ridiculous. If you lived here in 2011 or heard about it, the comparison to 2022 seems…well as Yogi would say, “Deja vu all over again.” Plants, bushes and trees are heat stressed and for some watering doesn’t appear to help. There’s another comparison to 2011 that raises concerns. The Bastrop and Steiner Ranch fires that year were catastrophic, with Bastrop being the worst in Texas history. That year Megafires burned all over the state prompting a Texas Fire Service spokeswoman to say, “We’re actually seeing Texas burn from border to border.”

Courtyard Caller

COMPLIANCE UPDATE

As you may know, Goodwin Management has just taken over the compliance function for the Courtyard HOA. Until very recently, those duties were handled by the Board. We are very happy that Goodwin can see to these issues going forward, and we think it will serve to keep our neighborhood the prime community it has always been. As with any new procedure, however, there are some kinks to be worked out. We are interacting with Goodwin in terms of the interpretation and timing of violations. Please be patient with us as we work to find the right balance and keep our neighborhood beautiful and friendly.

• Avoid sitting on the ground

• Target infested areas with residual pesticide sprays

Chiggers are the first stage out of the egg of a particular type of mite. They climb onto people and other animals walking through infested areas, crawl upwards, and wander around the body seeking a good site to settle down and feed. Feeding preference for these mites on humans is in areas where skin is thinnest (behind knees, armpits) or where clothing fits tightly, such as the ankles, waist, and the groin area. Chiggers do not burrow into skin as many people believe, so “smothering” them with nail polish is useless. When chiggers feed, they inject a digestive enzyme that breaks down skin cells which are then eaten. Itching and redness is caused when our body reacts to the enzymes injected into our skin. Itching typically begins 3-6 hours after being bitten, peaks at 24 hours, and can last up to two weeks.

• Keep lawn trimmed • Maintain vegetation; do not allow weeds to grow up & keep brush cleared

• Tuck pant legs into socks and boots

• Use an insect repellent with DEET or picaridin before entering an infested area

• Wear protective clothing- tightly woven items that fit loosely; including long sleeves & pants; shoes or boots

The best way to avoid getting chiggers is to avoid infested areas. Since this is not always possible, here are some other things to try:

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is Theimplied.Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides equal access in its programs, activities, education and employment, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

• Oral antihistamines or topical anti-itch creams to relieve itching sensation

For chigger bites: • Do not scratch pustules; opening pustule might lead to infection

• Shower/ bathe after being in an infested area; scrub vigorously with a washcloth To treat chigger infestations around the home, try the following:

Courtyard Caller Chiggers

• Remove & launder clothing ASAP after being in infested areas

Courtyard Caller PRSRT STD U.S.PEEL,PAIDPOSTAGEINC.PO Box 1148 Round Rock, Texas 78680 CY

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook