News and Posts

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Message From the President

The Fourth of July parade was a hit with the kids in the neighborhood and many adults also participated. Neighbors supported the kids by cheering them on as they circled the subdivision. The line-up began at the front entrance park and the parade picked up additional participants along the way. The kids decorated their bikes and wagons and others marched along. It ended at the back park on Silk Oak Drive where a jumping castle arrived at 10am. Erica Taylor did face painting which was a smash hit and I tied balloons for the kiddos. There were good eats and treats, along with sausage wraps and lots of covered dishes your neighbors brought. Everyone visited until about 12:30. We even had a few folks sign up with the home owners association.
We could sure use some more members. Their dues support activities like the July Fourth Parade, National Night Out, Easter Egg Hunt for the kids, Halloween awards, Christmas light awards, and upkeep of our beautiful front entrance. We are in dire need of new lights for the front entrance and they are expensive. Keeping that entrance attractive keeps your property values up and welcomes your guests to a neighborhood that is proud of itself. Dues are only $60 a year, that’s only $5 a month! Please consider supporting your neighborhood.
There is a Neighborhood Watch program planned for August 7, Tuesday at 6:30 pm at the Police Station at 404 Ralph Albenedo. This is just north of Slaughter and west of Congress. Officer Ristow will be presenting a slide presentation and talk and answering questions on keeping your neighborhood safe and recognizing suspicious activity. We have not had one of these in a few years and would be a good opportunity to brush up on your observation skills.
The next major activity planned for the neighborhood will be National Night Out and we would like to have one house on each street host a get together. Contact any of the Board members if you would like to do this. The Cherry Creek on Brodie Lane Association will furnish refreshments and will be letting you know the exact date as it gets closer.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your President. Sam Taylor

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9316 Silk Oak Cove

It’s all about the details. Yard of the month for July is picture perfect whether it is December or the dog days of summer. Erica Bonner of 9316 Silk Oak Cove keeps her yard ready for inspection at all times. Unlike some of the previous YOM yards, this yard has very manicured, traditional landscaping which enhances the red brick traditional home. And the house is as well kept as the yard with lots of energy efficient upgrades like a storm door and solar screens. The front of the house has precisely trimmed shrubs that extend right up to the front door. Limestone pavers neatly edge the flower beds and red mulch (reflecting the house color) provides a pop of color while completing the manicured look. The yard is shaded by two large trees, an ash and an oak. A large, prettyflowergardensurroundstheoaktree. Vibrantcoordinatingcolors are provided by roses, oxalis, dusty miller, purple verbena, Hawthorne, Shasta daisies, begonias and more.

But like all great yards, this one has small surprises at every turn. A pretty urn overflowing with asparagus fern, begonias, and other flowers greets visitors at the front walk accompanied by a welcome sign bedecked with turtles.. Erica is obviously a bird watcher as evidenced by the two whimsical bird feeders, blown glass hummingbird feeder, and bird bath. But Erica isn’t the only bird fancier in the family. Blinds in the front room are left open so her cat can watch the bird feeder and daydream.

The yard didn’t always look this way though, when Erica bought the house in 2009 it had been a rental and the yard reflected it. Erica says she met many of her neighbors for the first time when they stopped to visit while she worked in her yard. Neighbors on Silk Oak Cove were thankful for all the hard work she put in and the lovely improvements. After talking to Erica, it is clear she knows her plants and has a great love of all things outdoors.

Like all the YOM homeowners I have met, Erica’s backyard is even more beautiful than her front yard. She has created a haven for plants, wildlife, and especially people. A couple of interesting things I learned were to look for plants in non-traditional settings; she especially recommends the Lavender Festival in Fredericksburg. She says you get interesting species at great prices. The other take-away was not to sweat the little things, she will try different species in various locations and see what works. It’s the process not the destination, just get out and enjoy!

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Annual 4th of July Parade

Come and join us for the Annual 4th of July Parade – Parade route – 9:00 a.m. starting at the front park, make a right turn on Tea Rose and a left on Silkgrass Bend. Then left on Lightwood Loop, another left on Silk Oak to the main park in the back. Please join us in the parade or show your support by cheering us on from your lawns.

After the parade we will be serving sausage wraps, drinks, and all neighbors are encouraged to bring their favorite side dish. Decorate your bike, wagon, baby stroller, or self. LOTS OF FUN!!

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3323 Slik Oak Drive

Mike and Barbara Tankey (along with Paddy their playful 2 year old golden retriever) recently converted their ailing front yard into a beautiful and refreshing shade garden. Like many of us in the neighborhood, last year’s drought took its toll on their lawn. Another factor that was working against them was the increasing shade provided by the Bradford pear tree that they planted approximately 14 years ago after buying their new home. Every spring they put sod down in the increasingly large bare patches in an attempt to keep their lawn lush, but it soon became a losing battle. This Spring they tried a different tactic. They portioned-off the densely shaded section of their front yard and rotatilled the remaining grass into the soil. After stripping out the grass roots and leveling the soil, they mulched the entire area, then added splashes of color by planting clusters of shade-loving plants and flowers. Several pieces of yard art and pottery further enhance the setting.

The front yard transformation actually started a couple of years ago with Mexican feather grass and rosemary along the driveway. The recent additions include coleus, hostus, fern, Hawaiian ti, caladiums, vincas, and mondo grass. One plant that really loves the shade garden is the Japense aralia planted in the tall pots. Like finding Waldo, take a moment to search out the little surprises tucked throughout – look for the toads, fish, cats, and fossils among many others.

Beside its beauty, another benefit of the shade garden is that it requires much less water than the St. Augustine grass it replaced. Although the plants and flowers they selected are generally not native to Texas, they are well-adapted to our hot, dry environment. Being perennials they are cost-effective because they will come back year after year. Now the front yard matches the beauty and serenity of the backyard(where they previously concentrated their efforts). So thank you Tankeys for the inspiration and the lovely new addition to the neighborhood.

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News from the Board

Dear Neighbors:
Once again we had a successful Neighborhood Yard and Garage Sale the first weekend in May. Our thanks to all the neighbors who participated and to those of you who helped by placing signs advertising the event. Be sure to check further along in the newsletter for photos of the occasion !

2012 is flying by and I know all the young people are looking forward to their summer break after a long school year ! This is an especially good time to remind everyone to please keep a close watch on your speed when driving through the neighborhood since the number of pedestrians and bicyclists is always higher in the summer months.

As of May 15th, we have 50 dues paying member families. Our thanks to those of you who have joined us already in 2012 and we also wish to encourage everyone else to join. Without our dues income, we would not be able to maintain the landscaping at our entrance or have any social or special events we enjoy each year. The next event will be our Fourth of July celebration, so anyone who wishes to help plan this year’s event, please send an email to board@cherrycreekonbrodie.org or post your suggestions or offers of help on our Facebook page.

I also hope those of you who have recently received letters regarding the parking of trailers, RV’s, campers and/or boats in their driveways and on the streets in the neighborhood are giving serious thought to moving those eyesores into your garage or to a storage facility. As mentioned before, adherence to deed restrictions is one of the best ways available to us to maintain our neighborhood values and keep Cherry Creek on Brodie Lane an attractive and desirable place to live.
Sincerely, Barbara Statum, President

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Area School News

Be a part in knowing about and supporting your neighborhood schools. Even if you don’t have a student you can be a PTA community member. By joining the PTA you are helping support the school, teachers, and students. PTA membership is $8.00 at Cowan and Covington, $16.00 at Bowie.
Other easy ways of supporting you neighborhood schools is shopping.
• Office Depot – ask the cashier to donate 5% of you purchases.
• Randalls – sign up to have 1% of your purchases donated.
• Target – with your Target card 1% of your purchases is donated.

Cowan elementary

Cowan School Day ………………… 7:45-2:45
May 28………….Staff and Student Holiday
May 30 …………………… Last Day of Classes

Covington middle School

School Day……………………………. 8:15-3:30
May 28………….Staff and Student Holiday
May 30 …………………… Last Day of Classes

There are a few Life Scouts working on their Eagle Scout Projects at Covington Middle School. Their projects will go a long way to improve the school grounds for the enjoyment of the staff and students. Many KUDOS to these young men for their hard work and community service.

Bowie High School

School Day……………………………. 8:50-4:15
May 28………….Staff and Student Holiday
May 30 …………………… Last Day of Classes

Final Exam Schedule – Spring 2012
Thursday, May 24th
1st pd. final………………….8:50 to 10:50 5th pd. final………………….11:00 to 1:00
Friday, May 25th
2nd pd. final………………..8:50 to 10:50 6th pd. final…………………..11:00 to 1:00
Tuesday, May 29th
3rd pd. final…………………8:50 to 10:50 7th pd. final…………………..11:00 to 1:00
Wednesday, May 30th
4th pd. final…………………8:50 to 10:50 8th pd. final……………………11:00 to 1:00

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9606 Kangaroo Lane

Our May 2012 Yard-of-the-Month winners are Mary and Mike Seberger of 9606 Kangaroo Lane. Sitting on their front porch is like stepping back in time. Their yard abuts undeveloped land south of the neighborhood and provides a touch of frontier living. A resident turkey is a frequent and bold visitor. Road runners, hawks, and cardinals are accompanied by larger mammals such as rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and fox. One of the more unexpected sights off their front porch was a couple of horses being chased down by a couple of errant cowboys. The horses still visit across the fence, but haven’t been seen in the yard since the last round up.
Mary used to have a vegetable garden along the fence, but the various critters pushed them out. That garden is now a flower plot replete with colorful poppies, blue bonnets, cosmos, irises, and lantana. The vegetables have now moved to the flower garden in the front of the house. Mingled in the colorful blooms you will find “hidden” pockets of acorn squash and tomatoes. What drew us to the yard initially was the early Spring blooms of bountiful blue bonnets accompanied by bold irises and amaryllis. A second look indicated that the color was going to go on all season long. Clusters of bold black-foot daisy, orange and gold cosmos, blue plumbago, red Mexican poinsettias, and native lantana will continue the riot of color all summer long.
Although mature trees shade the back yard there were no trees in the front yard, so about six years ago they adopted a 2-foot tall bur oak sapling donated by the City of Austin and it is now a beautiful, full 15-foot tall tree. While interviewing Mary and Mike, I enjoyed one of their favorite aspects of their yard…a peaceful sunset with abundant wildlife flitting about.
Mike and Mary purchased their home in 2001 and have put a lot of time and love into their gardens. This is their second YOM honor, though the first time they were October YOM due to the bountiful fall colors and late season blooms. Thanks to all the happy gardeners who bring color and wildlife to our suburban landscape.

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32 dozen eggs

Dear Neighbors

We had a great time at the Easter Egg Hunt and want to say thank you to everyone who helped. The children were all so adorable and they loved hunting for eggs and hugging our wonderful Easter Bunny, Romie, who made her 2nd appearance at this annual event. Luckily for us all, the weather cooperated and it did not rain on us ! It was cool, breezy and sunny. We had a bumper crop of little ones this year and were so happy to see all the new neighbors who attended for the first time.

Special thanks to the folks who stuffed and hid the 32 dozen eggs, including Carla Trautwein, Carmen Martin, Bonny Edwards and Erica Taylor. It was a great idea to include little toys and stickers so the children got to find more than candy! Be sure to check the newsletter website at Peel, Inc. to see the wonderful color photos commemorating the fun !

Another event we look forward to each year (which also can assist us all with our spring cleaning) is the Neighborhood Yard Sale. This is scheduled for Saturday, May 5th. Hope as many of you as possible will be able to participate. We will put out signs a few days before to help draw in some shoppers !

We want to also thank the members of the Landscaping Committee whose Work Day has made such a beautiful and instantly recognizable difference at the entrance to our subdivision. The knock-out roses are blooming in all their glory and the additions of new flowers and shrubs over the years has made a huge difference in the overall curb appeal of Cherry Creek on Brodie. For those of you who expressed interest in this committee via the forms you returned with your dues checks, we will be in contact with you this month to find out how you wish to participate and get you in the loop. The more the merrier !

Thank you again to all the neighbors who have paid their dues this year and hope to see more folks get involved with the Board and Committees. The greater number of participants, the more projects we can bring to completion. The next meeting of the Board will be on Thursday, May 3rd. As always, any suggestions or visitors are welcome. Just drop us an email or catch us when we’re out walking our dogs or changing the marquee! We will be installing some new Board Members at that time.

Sincerely, Barbara Statum

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Spring has sprung

Yards are coming alive with color, landscaping is looking good, and what better time with this wonderful weather?It is also a good time to do your spring cleaning. Anyone have those odds and ends you meant to get rid of? Well, here’s a great time for that. Our annual neighborhood Garage Sale will be on Saturday, May 5th so start collecting to make this profitable for you. As they say, One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Your HOA provides the signs and marketing for you to make easy money. Thank you for paying your dues.

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32 member families

Dear Neighbors:

Our thanks to the neighbors who attended the Annual Meeting on March 3rd. Several long time neighbors came for the first time and we were thrilled to have them. Also at the meeting, a brand new association member, Julie Gaitan, volunteered to become our new newsletter editor. This was perfect timing because Carmen Martin, who has been our editor since she moved to the neighborhood, recently volunteered to become the Secretary for the Board of Directors. Thanks to both of you ladies for stepping up to help us out.

We are now up to 32 member families ! Our thanks to those of you who have joined us already in 2012 and we also wish to encourage everyone else to join. Without our dues income, we would not be able to maintain the landscaping at our entrance or have any social or special events such as the Easter Egg Hunt coming up on April 3rd. See the notice elsewhere in the newsletter for more info on this very popular event. Anyone who wishes to volunteer to help stuff or hide eggs, please send an email to board@cherrycreekonbrodie.org or post it on our Facebook page.

Please also look for another article in this issue of the newsletter concerning the parking of boats, trailers and RV’s in driveways and on the streets in the neighborhood. Many folks completed their “Suggestions for Issues to be addressed by CCoBL, NA” with comments about the ever increasing number of boats and trailers left in front of homes or in driveways.

Hope to see you and your children at the Easter Egg Hunt.

Sincerely,
Barbara Statum for the Board