Venue change for our annual Terrace pizza party

The day, date and time remain the same: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 27, 2014.

However, struck by fears engendered by the local TV weather geeks, we have moved the venue of our annual summer pizza party from the common area near the mailbox gazebo to the front lawn of No. 15, the Gordons' manse, inside which we may seek shelter from the storm -- if there is one. The spillover area is next door at Terry Page's residence.

Bring your own lawn chairs and beverages, and any snacks you wish to share, and be prepared to have a good time. As always, we'll decide on pizza toppings once the crowd arrives.

Considering how many new residents we have on the Terrace, this will be a great time to get together.

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The Birth(day) of a Nation

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Holiday week garbage pickup day remains the same

Despite the Fourth of July falling on a Friday -- our normal garbage pickup day -- this year, the City of Troy says to treat it like any other week.

The Department of Public Works dispatcher informed me today that plans are for the staff to work a half-day Friday in an attempt to handle all garbage and recycling pickup.

That means, according to city regulations, you can place your receptacles roadside any time after 7 p.m. Thursday, and no later than 6 a.m. Friday.

Here are a couple of excerpts from the city website that might be of interest to you, especially if you are a fairly new resident of the city:

Weekly Household Garbage Collection

• Garbage or moist or liquid waste is to be placed in watertight wooden, plastic or metal covered containers or heavy duty plastic bags tied at the top or specially treated paper bags. If animals manage to break open the trash container, it is the responsibility of the resident to clean up the trash. ... Household garbage is primarily food or other organic waste and food packaging.

• Items such as furniture, appliances, carpets and mattresses may be picked up by making an appointment with DPW at 270-4579. A pickup truck quantity or less may be picked up from an owner occupied one- to four-unit house at no charge. ... Bulk refuse items include old furniture, appliances, carpets, doors, mattresses, scrap metal, tires, etc. All metals shall be separated from all other bulk items. Collection of a pickup truck quantity or less from an owner-occupied single, two-, three- or four-unit residence shall be collected at no charge to the homeowner or tenant. Collections that exceed a pickup truck quantity from an owner-occupied single, two-, three- or four-unit residence shall be collected and an appropriate charge shall either be immediately collected from the homeowner/tenant or be billed against the property.

Here are a few more that may be of periodic interest:

Recyclables
Troy has mandatory recycling in a single-stream process which means all recyclables are placed in one or more City of Troy blue containers and placed at curbside before 7 a.m. on the once-a-week pickup day (which will be the same as your garbage pickup day). Plastic, metals and glass can not be intermixed with newspapers and cardboard. Recyclables can not be placed in plastic bags. You can call or stop by City Hall to pick up a container. All items should be cleared of food. The following commodities are recyclable: junk mail, magazines, newspapers, telephone books, corrugated cardboard, 1,2,3, and 5 plastics, metal food and beverage containers, glass bottles and jars (all colors). For more information on recycling, call 279-7156.
Yard Waste
Yard waste (grass clippings, leaves, brush, branches, etc.) is collected on a call-in basis throughout the year. Set yard waste out to the curb in biodegradable bags on the evening before your scheduled day for pickup. Curbside location must be easily accessible from the street. Do not set yard waste behind cars, fire hydrants, poles, and bushes or on top of sewer vents. Do not place yard waste in the street or on the sidewalk. Because yard waste is recycled into mulch, all other materials must be removed. Trees and limbs that have been cut by contractors must be removed by the contractor. Tree trimmings and hedge trimmings must be secured in tied bundles not heavier than 75 pounds, not more than 5 feet in length nor more than 18 inches in diameter. Leaves and lawn clippings should be placed in biodegradable paper yard-waste bags, which are available at most hardware and home improvement stores. Setting yard waste curbside during any day/week other than the specified day/week of the residence will result in fines.
Construction and Demolition Debris
Collection available for residential projects performed by the property owners only. A minimum charge of $75 will be assessed and that amount will go up depending on the load size. Call DPW at 270-4579 to schedule a pick up appointment time.
Solid Waste Violations/Penalties
Any solid waste material including construction and demolition material set out to the curb at other than scheduled times is considered illegal disposal. For these violations, the Litter Officer will issue a court appearance ticket and fines will be imposed.

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It's dues time once again

A gentle reminder: Third-quarter 2014 dues must be paid by next Tuesday,  July 1.

As always, you can save the cost of a stamp by dropping your payment in the white lock box below the mailbox gazebo bulletin boards.

Checks should be made payable to THCA. Treasurer Jerry Gordon has sent out an e-mail to all of you who make use of that new-fangled modern communications form explaining the various ways to pay -- quarterly, semiannually, annually, etc.

Thank you.

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Summer activity means exterior washing, too

A typical case of mold.

Summer is here, and most of us will be spending more time outdoors. When we do, we may notice something unsettling about the exteriors of our homes.

Mold and mildew.

Given the frequency of such growths visible on many residential exteriors at the Terrace, it would be smart to include the outside of your house on the summer to-do list.

The telltale signs of exterior house mold include fuzzy or powdery spots, usually brown, black or green in color, or less commonly in a range of purplish reds.

It usually begins on the portion of your siding that gets the least sun, but once it takes hold it can quickly spread. Some molds creep into the insulation, some are even more invasive and can cause respiratory and all sorts of other illnesses.

Some homeowners try to remove mold with a non-commercial power spray, but the results are rather iffy. Better to hire an experienced commercial power-washer who can do the job of obliterating the mold without damaging the aluminum siding that covers Terrace homes. 

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Thanks, and a guide to spotting stroke

Our gratitude to our neighbors who sent notes and cards and/or called to wish me the best during my unexpected hospital stay. And, to those who expressed support for April during my treatment for a stroke before I returned home today (Thursday).

Luckily, I have no apparent lasting effects from the attack, and I had successful surgery on Wednesday to clean out a carotid artery that was more than 95% blocked, thus cutting off oxygen to my brain. (Which may explain a lot of my inherent weirdness.)

It continues to be wonderful to live among caring people.

-- Bill Dowd 

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WARNING SIGNS OF STROKE

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• From strokeassociation.org

The first four most common signs, forming the acronym F.A.S.T., are --

Face Drooping –- Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?

Arm Weakness –-  Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

Speech Difficulty –-  Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?

Time to call 9-1-1 -– If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared.

Beyond F.A.S.T.

Sudden numbness or weakness of the leg, arm or face.
Sudden confusion or trouble understanding.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

If someone shows any of these symptoms, immediately call 9-1-1 or emergency medical services. F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs and symptoms of stroke.

More information on stroke prevention and recognition is available online.

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Annual spring meeting scheduled

The annual spring meeting of the Terrace at Highpointe Community Association will be held Monday, May 5, at Faith Lutheran Church on Leversee Road (Route 40), opposite the city's Buckley Water Plant.

Please plan to attend. If you cannot, please give a neighboring homeowner your written proxy. That helps us have an official quorum.

As always, there is only one vote per residence.

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2nd quarter dues deadline is Tuesday

A gentle reminder: Second-quarter 2014 dues must be paid by Tuesday,  April 1.

As always, you can save the cost of a stamp by dropping your payment in the white lock box below the mailbox gazebo bulletin boards.

Checks should be made payable to THCA. Treasurer Jerry Gordon has sent out an e-mail to all of you who make use of that new-fangled modern communications form explaining the various ways to pay -- quarterly, semiannually, annually, etc.

Thank you.

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Let there be light -- on a different schedule

“My first memory is of light ... the brightness of light ... light all around.”  
-- Georgia O'Keeffe

 

Tired of the dark and gloom of winter?

There's not much anyone can do about it, weatherwise, but the powers that be can fiddle around with when we see daylight.

At 2 a.m. this coming Sunday (March 9) we go from Eastern Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time (note there is no "S" at the end of "Saving").

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed Saturday night. You know darned well you'll never live it down if anyone finds out you're an hour off until you realize it.

P.S. We stay on Daylight Saving Time until 2 a.m. Sunday, November 2.

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City's pickup promise was ... well, garbage

Apologies to all who were inconvenienced by our online and bulletin board notices that said the City of Troy's DPW crew would pick up our garbage on Saturday this week.

Although most people had their blue recycling bins emptied, the City failed to come through on the promise it made to get around to us on Saturday for garbage removal.

Usually we complain about elected officials reneging on promises. In this instance, it was unelected City employees -- i.e., people we pay to provide a service.

Add to that the poor snowplowing performance by City trucks and we've all been underserved.

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Garbage collection reset for Saturday morning

Our normal Friday-morning garbage collection has been switched to Saturday morning due to the heavy snowfall.

That information came in response to a call to the City of Troy's Public Works Department on Friday afternoon.

The dispatcher on duty told me she did not know an approximate time because all trucks had not yet been plowed out and some pickup routes would have to be doubled up.

-- Bill Dowd

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Is there someone you need to check on?

Don't forget to check on your elderly or shut-in friends, relatives and neighbors during horrendous weather such as this.

It only takes a moment, and there probably will be nothing wrong, but it nevers hurt to make the effort.

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Your board, committee members for 2014

Wondering who does what to keep our community moving?

Here's the current list of the "worker bees" volunteering their time and talents for 2014:

• The Board 
President Claire Steiner
1st Vice President Trent Cox
2nd Vice President John Victor
Secretary Colleen Walsh
Treasurer Jerry Gordon

• Architectural Committee
Claire Steiner
Bill Dowd
Jerry Gordon

• Grounds Committee
John Victor
Dick Harte
Sid Legg
Bob Malphrus

• Beautification Committee
Colleen Walsh
Paula Fox-Murphy
Florine Rogers

• Nominating Committee
Bob Hayward
Paula Fox- Murphy
Dick Harte
Trent Cox

• Rules Committee
Joe Claeys
Bill Dowd
Jerry Gordon

• Webmaster
Bill Dowd

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Paint the town red tonight, relax at home Thursday

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all on The terrace.

Your worker bees have checked with the U.S. Weather Service as well as our local TV meteorologists (the former was necessary because the latter tend to deal largely in Doomsday scenarios) and the consensus is:

Don't drive on New Year's Day or Thursday if you don't have to.

Temperatures are expected to dip as low as single digits, and some blustery winds may accompany the incoming snowstorm.

REMINDER: Although some trash collection routes in the City of Troy have had their pickup days changed in anticipation of the snowfall, ours has not.

You still need to put your trash cans and recycling bins out Thursday night for Friday morning pickup.

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In the spirit of the season, for you

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Scenes from our 2013 Holiday Party

Thanks to Jerry Gordon for providing these images -- and an alibi for the attendees -- from the Terrace Holiday Party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Get-well cards for Nadeen

Our neighbor Nadeen Thompson is a patient at Samaritan Hospital, being treated for double pneumonia.

If you would like to have a get-well card reach her quickly, you can drop one off with Claire Steiner at No. 3.

Thanks for you kindness.

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'Tis the time for giving -- to the Association

A gentle reminder: First-quarter 2014 dues must be paid by Wednesday,  January 1.

As always, you can save the cost of a stamp by dropping your payment in the white lock box below the mailbox gazebo bulletin boards.

Checks should be made payable to THCA. Treasurer Jerry Gordon has sent out an e-mail to all of you who make use of that new-fangled modern communications form explaining the various ways to pay -- quarterly, semiannually, annually, etc.

Thank you.

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Par TTTTTT -- Have you signed up?

A reminder: If you plan to attend the December 13 Terrace Holiday Party at Tammy's residence, be sure you have signed up.

The registration sheet, a bit worse for wear by being assailed by inclement weather, is on the mailbox gazebo bulletin board.

Hope to see you there.

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