Jester Estates - October 2022

Jester Estates

Official Publication of Jester Homeowners Association, Inc. October 2022

Volume 17, Issue 10

Get Emergency Warnings Regarding Jester

By Carol Philipson

Jester HOA Social Committee in Need of Volunteers

And you don't have to be a member of the Jester HOA

By Carol Philipson Jester HOA used to sponsor many social activities for all ages, but these were postponed the past few years. Well, it's time to have some fun again, like we did at the recent 4th of July Parade. Meet Your Neighbors and enjoy more social activities. To be able to continue planning community events, the Social Committee needs a little help from YOU!

Do you know about the statewide emergency warning system? It is imperative that you know! www.WarnCentralTexas.org is an automated emergency notification tool which enables authorized public safety personnel to notify citizens, only in an emergency situation, where property or human life is in jeopardy in your area.

It will not notify you of silver, amber, etc. alerts.

Register today to receive alerts via text, email or phone. Early notification could make a lifesaving difference in case of a wildfire or other disaster. Register your cell phone, internet or otherwise. Warn Central Texas will only contact households directly that have a land line telephones. Find additional info here: http://www.traviscountytx. gov/emergency-services/emergency-notification.

Time spent with the committee is a lot of fun and helps you easily make new friends, plus it brings the entire Jester community together.

It doesn't take too much of any one person's time when we share the duties & responsibilities. If you can't help in one event, maybe you'd be available for another. Volunteers of any age are welcome to help too, including teenagers!

------- IT'S WHATEVER TIME YOU CAN SPARE-----We all know how wonderful Jester Estates is, so help bring us together again and make new friends of all ages!!

Email me at firewise@jesterhoa.com with contact information to volunteer or for more information.

follow us on facebook See more details on page 4.

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Annoucement: DUMPSTERS AT JESTER MARKET As a reminder, the trash dumpsters at Jester Market are privately owned and not available to the public. Information about the city provided trash and recycling program can be found at Austin's Residential Trash Recovery website https:// www.austintexas.gov/trash. Please. Do not use the dumpsters at Jester Market. Thank you!

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Jester Estates Welcome New Jester Social Committee Volunteers

By Carol Philipson

We are all looking forward to more Jester social events to bring our community together again, so let’s welcome Mari Rodriquez, Luma Simmons, Lee Sherwin and Johna Douglas to our Social Committee who have volunteered to help us get things going again!

Mari and her family, Rafael, Carlos and Rafa, moved to Jester two years ago from Mexico, and were warmly welcomed by Jester neighbors. Luma, her husband Jason with children Leo and Sofia, originally from Alaska, moved in 2019 from South Austin to be closer to their jobs. Great idea considering Austin’s traffic! Lee is a long time resident and neighborhood pet sitter who made Jester her home in the early 1990’s. Lee actually helped out this year at the 4th of July parade. She stepped up to the plate when we desperately needed help! Finally, Johna and her husband, Kevin, son Dax and their Great Dane, Brandy, moved from Dripping Springs in 2013.

After searching for a year, they finally found the perfect place to raise a family here in Jester. It was unanimous, “We were lucky we found Jester, and are so glad Jester is our home,” Johna shared.

We also need some “big and strong” and “not so strong” men and teens to help out too. How much time will you have to give? It’s up to you.

Whatever time you can spare is appreciated! Contact me if you would like more info or would like to help spread the fun—just send me at firewise@jesterhoa.com.

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Meet the Austin Mayor Candidates!

Join West & Northwest Austin neighborhoods for a non-partisan informational Zoom forum about the November 8 election Wednesday, October 19 @6:30-8:00 PM Moderated by award-winning journalist Tony Plohetski Register in advance: https://tinyurl.com/zoomformayor After registering, you will receive an e-mail with the zoom link.

Mayor candidates will respond to pre-submitted questions Inviting neighbors from Northwest Austin Civic Association, Highland Park West / Balcones Area Neighborhood Association, West Austin Neighborhood Group, Pemberton Heights, Bryker Woods, Shepherd Mountain, Montevista Condo, Greenshores, Courtyard, Glenlake, Jester, Canyon Creek, River Place, Lake Austin Collective, and more For information from the candidates for Austin Mayor: Anthony Bradshaw Phil Brual - https://www.philforaustin.com/ Celia Israel - https://www.celiaforaustin.com/ Erica Nix - https://picknix2022.com/ Gary Spellman - https://spellmanformayor.org/ Jennifer Virden - https://www.jenniferforaustin.com/ Kirk Watson - https://www.kirkwatson.com/ Early Voting Dates: October 24 – November 4 Election Day: Tuesday, November 8 See www.votetravis.com for information on where to vote, etc.

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Board of Directors www.JesterHOA.com

President Eric Cochan...............................................................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 Candace Wong.................................................... candace@jesterhoa.com Firewise Officer Carol Philipson....................................................... carol@jesterhoa.com Board of Directors Charles Wolchansky............................................. charles@jesterhoa.com 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

Jester Estates

Teenage Job Seekers

Baby Pet House Yard Name Sit Sit Sit Work Phone Anderson, Layla*+..............•........... •.....................................................512-496-6536 Anderson, River.............................. •.................................... • ..............512-502-2073 Beach, Annika.....................•........... •.......... •.........................................512-839-0387 Ferrens, Ashley ...................•........... •.....................................................512-767-3003 Fricke, Samantha+ .............•........... •.......... •.........................................512-948-2717 Gerrie, Jack.........................•........... •.......... •.........................................210-290-3842 Gerwels, Emily............................... •.....................................................512-795-9270 Gilliam, Ava*+....................•........... •.......... •.........................................512-633-3664 Hayes, Alice.................................... •.......... •.........................................512-952-0512 Hull, Carter*+.....................•........... •.......... •.........................................512-963-3254 Kellar, Allison.....................•........... •.....................................................512-902-1009 Moore, Kaitlin....................•....................... •.........................................512-739-7652 Orton, Claire......................•........... •.....................................................512-346-0434 O'Toole, Emily...................•........... •.....................................................512-917-9397 Pantaleoni, Nicholas...........•........... •.......... •.........................................310-200-6006 Parouty, Ava........................•........... •.......... •.........................................512-298-9160 Popps, Adrian................................. •.......... •......................... • .............512-960-7305 Reed, Emery.......................•..................................................................512-592-2141 Shafer, Owen.................................. •.......... •.........................................512-786-2378 Schoffler, Isabella* .............•........... •.....................................................512-804-8047 Thibodeaux, Medeline........•........... •.....................................................512-619-0291 Trautman, Colin.................•........... •.......... •.........................................512-342-2422 Tuttle, Morgan................................ •.......... •.........................................737-247-8558 Ware, Sonoma....................•..................................................................512-796-4013 Werth, Amanda* +.............•........... •.......... •.........................................217-398-2833 Wright, Brooklyn +............•........... •.......... •.........................................737-465-9459

NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE

*-CPR Training +-First Aid Training

If you would like to add your name, send email to hopeteel@gmail.com with the jobs that interest you,your age and phone number (MUST be a teenager).

BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS Classified Ads

Business classifieds (offering a service or product line for profit) are $65, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office @ 512-263-9181 or advertising@PEELinc.com.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS 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.

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

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Jester Estates Facebook Group Reminder Hello Neighbors, Just a friendly reminder to join our Jester HOA Facebook group if you haven’t already! The page is still growing, with over 300 members now. It is a great platform to help quickly spread time sensitive information in our community, to ask for or offer neighborly help and an overall resource intended for facilitating quick and easy communication. Just do a quick search for “Jester HOA” on Facebook, and please answer the questions in order for approval into the group.

Please understand that we need the questions answered in order to approve your request for the group as this is a private group to our community. Thank you!

At no time will any source be allowed to use The Jester Warbler 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 Jester Warbler Newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Peel, Inc. 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. * 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. * 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. * 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.

LANDING YOUR

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BUSINESS IN HOMES

EMAIL: ADVERTISING@PEELINC.COM

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Jester Estates NatureWatch-- Leave the Leaves!

by Jim and Lynne Weber

This time of year, as the days shorten and leaves begin to fall, we can’t seem to help wanting to tidy up our yards and gardens by constantly mowing, blowing, and edging. However, one of the most valuable things you can do to support pollinators and other beneficial species is to provide them with winter cover in the form of fallen leaves and dead plant material.

Leaves on the ground are not litter, which is unfortunately how most people see them. Rather, they are food and shelter for many species of bees, beetles, butterflies, moths and other native creatures. They are also habitat for beneficial snails, spiders, worms, millipedes, mites, and other small species that support the larger species such as birds and mammals that use them for food.

The vast majority of butterfly and moth species overwinter in the form of an egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, cocoon, or adult. Some tuck themselves into a pile of leaves for protection from predators or the cold. Others lay their eggs on fallen oak leaves, which becomes their first meal when they hatch in the spring. Cocoons and chrysalises are often disguised with dried leaves, keeping them safe by helping to blend in and avoid predation. Some species of lizard lay their eggs in fallen leaves, and many species of native bees and Sphinx moth larvae burrow into shallow soil for the winter, each attempting to survive the colder months covered in a protective blanket of leaves.

as not to destroy any overwintering species.

And if the human side of things is more of a motivator for you, consider that the U.S. Environmental Agency has reported that mowers, edgers, and blowers used to remove leaves emit 27 million tons of air pollutants each year, not to mention the noise pollution that they create. So do consider leaving the leaves this year, it’ll be less work for you and much better for the wildlife!

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, and Native Host Plants for Texas Moths (all published by Texas A&M University Press), and our blog at naturewatchaustin.blogspot.com.

Leaf litter is important to many species of wildlifeid So how do you maintain your property while leaving the leaves?

First, if you must keep your lawn free of leaves, use a manual rake (it’s good exercise, too) and make a leaf pile in a corner of your yard or pile them up around your trees, shrubs, and perennials. Don’t shred the leaves but keep them whole, let the leaf pile break down naturally, and leave the leaves that have already fallen in your beds and yard edges. This free mulch provides you with valuable organic matter, builds up healthy soil, insulates tender roots, retains moisture, and helps to keep weeds at bay. You can always decide to remove the leaves in the spring, once you wait late enough in the season so Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

Obscure Bird Grasshopper Leaf litter is important to many species of wildlife The Jester Warbler - October 2022

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Jester Estates Guidance Regarding Power Lines A few weeks ago a neighbor sent the following information: Austin Energy is still investigating the official cause of the August 14 fires on Shepherd Mountain, but for now, we know the first one originated after something, possibly a varmint, caused one of the utility poles behind a West Courtyard home to spark and ignite the grass beneath the pole. The fire quickly traveled from the grass to some nearby dead brush piles and with the drought conditions at that time, things could have been far worse were it not for the quick actions of the affected neighbor, his family, and of course, the Austin Fire Department (which included stations 47, 33 and 31).

In early October, several neighborhood group leaders will meet with City of Austin and Travis County departments whose work relates to fire safety around power lines and utility poles. In the meantime, given the current wildfire vulnerability, homeowners can help mitigate risk with some simple actions.

The actions we can take as homeowners are at least these: • If you have power lines going through your property, be vigilant about the trees growing near them. If tree limbs are near to or are touching the power lines, they might cause fire incidents during a storm. To request tree trimming, go to this web page: https://austinenergy.com/ae/residential/residential-services/treetrimming/tree-trimming • If you ever see utility equipment or utility poles spark or flame, immediately call 911 and call Austin Energy at 512-322-9100.

• If you have utility poles on your property, keep vegetation low and remove any dead brush around or near the poles. Austin Energy points out that maintenance of the vegetation and brush under the utility lines and around the poles is the responsibility of the property owner.

Pumpkin Soup Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, sliced 6 cups of pumpkin cut into large chunks 3 cups sliced potatoes 2-1⁄2 cups vegetable stock a good pinch of freshly ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon 2-1⁄2 cups milk 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper 1.

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Add the onion and fry for 4 to 5 minutes over low heat until soft but not brown, stirring frequently.

2.

Add the pumpkin and potatoes and stir well. Cover and sweat over low heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally to stop them sticking.

3.

Stir in the stock, nutmeg, tarragon, and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are completely tender.

4.

Leave the soup to cool slightly. Pour into a food processor or a blender and process until smooth. Pour back into the rinsed saucepan and add the milk. Heat slowly and taste, adding the lemon juice and extra seasoning, if necessary. Serve piping hot.

If we gather any further guidance in the upcoming meeting, I’ll provide an update.

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Jester Estates DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CWD? By Cheryl Conley You don’t have to get too far out of the city to see white-tailed deer.

They are highly adaptable and are thriving in most of the suburbs around Houston. I realize everyone’s idea of beauty is different but I believe most people think deer are beautiful. For me they represent gentleness. If you’ve ever seen a close-up photo of a deer face, you’ll notice the beautiful eyes and long eyelashes. They are among the most graceful of all hoofed animals. Even though I see them every day in my neighborhood, I still feel in awe when I see them. They give me a sense of peace.

Sadly, there is a disease that threatens many of our hoofed species including North American elk or Wapiti, red deer, mule deer, blacktailed deer, white-tailed deer, Sika deer, reindeer, and moose. It’s called Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD. It’s a neurological disease and is fatal. It was first recognized in captive mule deer in 1967 in Colorado and has since spread to captive and free-range deer in 30 states, in Canada, Finland, Norway and South Korea. It is believed to be caused by prions which are misfolded proteins that disrupt the nervous system of the host.There is no known vaccination or treatment for it. Scientists aren’t sure how the disease is spread but believe it’s spread through exposure to contaminated body fluids or tissue, or through food or drinking water. Once exposed, it may take years before the animal shows signs of the disease.

So what are the signs of the disease? The deer experiences drastic weight loss or wasting. You may see them stumble, have drooping ears and appear listless. They may drool, experience excessive thirst or urination and have a lack of fear of people. Based on these symptoms, it is still hard to diagnose the disease since these symptoms are also present in other diseases. To get a definitive diagnosis, laboratory testing is required.

State agencies in Texas are very concerned about the disease and how it could affect the $2.2 billion hunting industry. With no

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vaccination and no treatment, it could easily get out of control.

CWD has been found in 7 areas of Texas and hunters in those areas are required to bring their animals to a CWD check station within 48 hours of harvest.

Here is a link to help you determine the exact locations in the areas of concern. https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/ hunting/cwd/cwd-zones Hunters need to remember that it takes a long time before symptoms appear in the deer. The deer may look normal but could be carrying the disease. That’s why it’s a requirement to get the animal checked.

As new cases are discovered, more zones may be added. A hunter who is outside a CWD zone and wishes to have an animal tested for CWD should contact a wildlife biologist. Here’s a link to help you locate one. https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/technical_ guidance/biologists/ Researchers have found no evidence that CWD poses a risk to humans or domestic animals.

If you see a deer in your neighborhood or park and suspect that it may have CWD, you should report this to the nearest Texas Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Division or Law Enforcement Division office immediately. You can call this Austin toll free number if you need help finding the numbers. (800) 792-1112 and enter 5 for wildlife and 1 for general wildlife. Make sure to document the location and take photos if possible. If you’re a hunter, make sure you become familiar with information about CWD as well as practical tips you can use in the field to help prevent the spread of CWD. Here are two helpful links: www.cwd-info.org www.tpwd.texas.gov/cwd

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Jester Estates PO Box 1148 Round Rock, Texas 78680

JE

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The Jester Warbler - October 2022

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