Highlands at Gann Ranch - April 2016

Copyright © 2016 Peel, Inc. Highlands at Gann Ranch - April 2016 1

HigHlands at gann RancH

HIGHLANDSat Gann Ranch

APRIL 2016 | VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

If you are not aware, there are some easy ways to get connected to neighbors in Gann Ranch. None of these are directly maintained by the HOA, which is probably best. These apps/websites are a great ways to chat, message, and connect with your neighbors!

Facebook: The Highlands of Gann Ranch does have a facebook group page. It’s not highly visited or updated, but when there is an event or need to communicate it is one place where we will post things. Please “friend” us if you are on Facebook: Highlands at Gann Rann

Nextdoor “app”: online or on your phone you can access this app. https://nextdoor.com/ When you join you become connected to the “neighborhood” for Gann Ranch, as well as surrounding neighborhoods if you like. Currently we have around 118 folks in the Gann Ranch group. So we are finding this to be a good way to stay connected to a larger number of you-all! If you are interested in joining please do!

And of course – if you need to contact our HOA management – here is their info:

HOA Management contact info:Goodwin Management

Customer [email protected]

512-502-7515

Important Contact Information – Stay

connected! Hey Neighbor. Are you an experienced garage saler? Are you interested in helping the neighborhood in planning out upcoming neighborhood garage sales event?

We’re looking for someone or a team of folks to take the lead on planning and executing the garage sale event. That would include helping with ideas for advertising the event as well as helping coordinate the common sales area we plan to have this year near the pool for folks with handfuls of items. Advertising could mean helping us know where to lace ads in print and online. And leveraging apps such as Next Door to ensure our neighbors who want to join get the word – and that the app helps to ensure we facilitate routing buyers to the homes participating on the day.

Garage Sale Leader(s) Needed!!!

We are thinking through the details of having a kid’s triathlon!Would your kids participate?It would be open for neighborhood kids age 5-12. We would

have 2 programs with different distances for a Bike, Run and Swim. It would take place in the area near the school / track and our community pool.

The event would likely take place one weekend in May. We’re reaching out to see if folks would be interested in participating. So – PLEASE let us know. Email: [email protected]

The event is May 7th – so we need to get things started! Please – if you want to help – email [email protected]

Call for Participation in a Kids Triathlon!

2 Highlands at Gann Ranch - April 2016 Copyright © 2016 Peel, Inc.


EMERGENCY NUMBERSEMERGENCY ..................................................911Ambulance / Fire .................................................911

SCHOOLSKnowles Elementary ........................... 512-570-6200Running Brushy Middle School ......... 512-570-3300Leander High ..................................... 512-570-1000

OTHER

City ..................................... www.cedarparktexas.govCedar Park Post Office ...................... 512-260-7585

NEWSLETTER PUBLISHERPeel, Inc. ............................................ 512-263-9181Article Submissions .......... [email protected] ......................... [email protected]

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Teenage Job Seekers

Baby Pet House YardName Age Sit Sit Sit Work PhoneDoe, John ...................... 15 .........• ......... • ........• .................. 111-1111

*-CPR Training +-First Aid Training

Attention Teenagers The Teenage Job Seekers listing service is offered free of charge to all Highlands at Gann Ranch teenagers seeking work. Submit your name and information to [email protected] by the 9th of the month!

Highlands or Gann Ranch – Calendar of Events!

April 15Pool Opening!

May 7Neighborhood Garage Sale

MayNeighborhood Triathlon (kids and

adults events) Date TBDOctober 1Fall Fest

October 17Pool ClosingChristmas

House Decorating Contest

mailto:[email protected]



Chronic stress, lack of sleep, overworking, and poor diet are just a few factors that can contribute to feelings of decreased energy and fatigue. Our bodies rely on adequate nutritional support and quality sleep to repair and restore cellular function on a daily basis. Usually, our system is able to keep up with the demand but sometimes a buildup of cellular waste can occur if this repair process is compromised or overburdened.

A proper sleep regimen to promote regular cycling of sleep-related hormones is extremely important. This involves maintaining a consistent sleep/wake cycle, avoiding eating within 3 hours before bed, and turning off all electronic screens 15-30 minutes before bed. Even small amounts of artificial light produced by these screens can pass through the retina into an area of the brain that controls several sleep activities, delaying release of the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin.

Poor dietary choices of highly processed foods stripped of key nutrients, excess calories (particularly carbohydrates and sugars), and high amounts of alcohol and caffeine can add to the stress and buildup of waste in our bodies. A well balanced diet of nutrient- rich foods along with supplementation of key vitamins, minerals and herbs can help the body function at maximum capacity.

We are genetically adapted to live an extremely physically active lifestyle. Exercise works at a cellular level to help improve cardiovascular health, regulate hormones, improve quality of sleep, and boost energy and mood. There is simply no substitute for the restorative properties and proven health benefits of moderate exercise. Target at least 30-45 minutes of exercise four days per week.

FIGHT FATIGUE1. How to clean a dishwasher: run the dishwasher empty but with a cup of vinegar in the top rack. Follow that with a cycle that has baking soda sprinkled on the bottom.2. Remove pet hair from furniture by running a damp rubber dishwashing glove over the furniture. The pet hair will collect for easy removal.3. Pull out the refrigerator and vacuum the coils at least once a year.4. Put 1 cut up lemon, some salt and a few ice cubes down the disposal while running. This will eliminate odors and clean the disposal.5. Check the expiration date on fire extinguishers. Replace any that have expired.6. Change the filter in your heating system.7. Change the batteries in ALL smoke detectors.8. Clean out your pantry and check the expiration dates on canned goods. Donate items that have not expired but you do not plan to use.9. To determine if you have a leaking toilet tank, add red food dye to the tank. Check after an hour to see if the water in the bowl is pink, which indicates a leak.10. Use a dollar bill to check refrigerator seals. Close the door on a dollar bill and try to pull it out. If the bill comes out easily, replace the seals.

Contributed by Stephanie Biggs

Home Tips: Spring Cleaning Tips

Spotlight Your Skills Neighbors!

Are you a business owner, contractor or someone who offers other skilled professional services? Your neighbors would love to know what services you offer! At the annual HOA meeting a neighbor suggested the idea of gathering the contact information and details for the various business owners and contractors in the neighborhood so we could make some connections:

Work needed? Here are your Local neighborhood skilled professionals!

We’d love to start that today!If you live in Highlands of Gann Ranch and own a business or

provide services – we’d love to highlight you in our newsletter as well as start to create a contact list that we can post and maintain on our Facebook page.

If you are interested – please email [email protected].

With summer quickly approaching (the two seasons of Texas - summer, not summer) I thought the perfect recipe to feature would be something cool and easy to make. Avocados and grapefruits are two fruits that people usually love or hate, but for those of you who love these separately here is a quick, easy, and stove-free recipe that combines the two into a healthy and light treat.Ingredients (serves 4):2 Ruby Red Grapefruits (Ruby Sweet and Rio Star are two of the sweeter varieties)2 Avocados¼ small red onion1 head of butter lettuce• Peel,pit,slice,andplaceavocadosinabowl• Thinlychoponionandaddtobowl• Peelgrapefruits.Makesuretoremoveasmuchofthewhite“skin”as possible. This is very bitter and the more you can remove the better. Slice the segments and separate the meaty part from the membrane. The juice is very sweet so you should take care and cut the grapefruit over the bowl holding the avocados and onion.• Tosstheitemsuntiltheyaremixedwell.Thisshouldbedonegentlysince both the avocado and grapefruit are delicate. The flavor won’t change, but it will be much more messy if you’re not gentle.• Arrangethelettuceonyourservingplatterandspoonthesaladontop.

There are plenty of variations of this salad available on the internet, but this is one of the quickest and easiest so I hope you enjoy. If you have a recipe you would like to share with the community please use this link, http://www.peelinc.com/articleSubmit.php , and submit to HGR!

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad



Not all of these are Must Do's. The most important items on this list are:• When to fertilize• Crabgrass control and other common lawn weeds• When to start watering

Keep in mind...the goal of your spring lawn care is to encourage maximum root volume and depth to prepare the grass for summer heat and drought. Healthy soils, fertilizing, watering and mowing practices will help you achieve this.

Spring Lawn Care Checklist:• Wait until the soil dries out before you start working in your yard.• Sharpen your lawn mower blades and change the oil.• Have your soil tested if it has been more than three years.• Mow low to remove the dead grass tops.• Aerate your lawn if it didn't get done in the fall.• Overseed bare spots.• Apply crabgrass preventer (pre-emergance) around Easter.• Light nitrogen fertilizer application around Memorial Day.• Wait to water your lawn until late spring/early summer.

Early Spring Lawn Care Tips:1. Take It Easy on the Soil. Don't be in a hurry to start working

in your yard. Let the soil thaw and dry out before beginning your spring lawn care chores.

Foot traffic on wet soils will cause soil compaction problems. Even worse damage is caused by walking on lawns where the soil has thawed on top and is still frozen underneath, shearing roots in the frozen soil from the grass plants on top.

If you get too aggressive with raking, mowing or aerating - any activity that will open up the turfgrass canopy exposing it to sunlight - you risk damaging fragile new growth and giving early germinating weeds the jump on your lawn grass. Wait until your grass is actively growing.

2. Sharpen Your Lawn Mower BladesEarly spring is a good time to give your lawnmower and other

power tools a tune up. Sharpen your lawn mower blades, change the oil, spark plug, and filters.

Spring Lawn Care Chores To Do When The Grass Starts Growing:3. Had Your Soil Tested Lately? Or at least in the last three years?

A soil test will tell you how much, if any, nutrients your lawn needs. It is the only way to determine whether or not liming is needed, and how much to apply. A soil test is also a valuable tool for diagnosing problems with your lawn, garden and landscape plants.

4. Mow Low To Remove The Dead Tops. Once your lawn starts to green up, give it a good short cut to remove the dead grass tops. This will give the newly emerging leaves the sunlight they need and get them growing. Take care not to cut it too short - scalping and damaging the crowns of the plants. If you are a 'grasscycler' it's OK to collect the clippings and excess debris this first mow of the year.

5. Core Aeration. Aerating benefits your lawn in several ways:

Nine Spring Lawn Care and Maintenance Tips to Prepare Your Lawn For the Growing Season

reduces soil compaction, controls thatch, stimulates new root growth and improves water, air and nutrient filtration.

Fall is the best time to aerate cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses should be aerated in the summer - when they are actively growing. If you missed out on aerating your cool-season lawn last fall, spring is the second best time to get this done. Just be sure you aerate before you apply a crabgrass preventer. A good time to topdress with compost is right after you aerate, all soils benefit from adding organic matter.

Thatch Control - Aerating will help control thatch and is less damaging to grass plants than power raking. If your thatch layer is over 1/2" deep, you'll want to consider dethatching with a power rake. Again, wait to power rake until your grass is actively growing and wait to apply crabgrass preventer until after you rake.

6. Overseed Bare Areas. Fall is the best time to seed cool-season grasses. However, there is a short 'window of opportunity' you can take advantage of in the spring... Grass seed will start to germinate when soil temperatures reach 50° F.

Get your seeding done early enough so the new grass plants have time to develop strong roots before the summer stress period. Overseeding works best when combined with aerating. Seeds will find their way into the aeration holes where they are protected, make good contact with the soil, and germinate quickly. Skip the crabgrass control if you overseed because it also works on grass seed.

Important Spring Lawn Care Tips:7. Crabgrass Control - Crabgrass prevention is a very important

spring lawn care chore. Spring is the time to prevent crabgrass. If your lawn is dense and vigorous, consider taking chemical weed controls off your spring lawn care list. A dense and vigorous lawn will not allow weeds to invade...its the best weed control.

Crabgrass is a prolific seeder. If you had crabgrass last year, expect to see it again this year and consider using a preemergence herbicide. These crabgrass preventers stop weed seeds from germinating, so you will want to apply them before seeds germinate to get the best control. This will be when soil temperatures reach 50° F. Many gardeners plan to apply their preemergence around Easter. Blooming forsythia is another good indicator - when you see the yellow blooms, the soil temperature is 50° F.

Don't worry if you are late applying preemergance - crabgrass and other weed seeds are germinating all season long and you'll still get some control...better late than never.

Preemergance herbicides will control a broad spectrum of weeds along with crabgrass and many products will give you three to six months control.

8. When Should You Fertilize and How Much? Go easy on the fertilizer in the spring. Too much will cause a flush of growth at the expense of the roots.

Cool-season grasses - including Kentucky bluegrass, fescues and



ryegrass - should receive the majority of their annual fertilizer in the fall, that's when they will benefit the most. Lawns that were fertilized in the fall will green up early and won't need to be fertilized until late spring. A light spring application - around Memorial Day - will keep them healthy and give them a nice green color boost. The amount of fertilizer that you apply in late spring should be less than 1/2 lb Nitrogen/1000 ft2. If you missed your fall fertilizer, make it up with a couple light applications. Wait until the grass is actively growing (around mid-April) and then apply 1/4 to 1/2 lb nitrogen/1000ft2. Make another light application six weeks later (Memorial Day).

Warm-season grasses benefit from summer fertilizer applications, that is when they are actively growing. Wait to fertilize Bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, and other warm-season grasses until they green up. At least 75% of the lawn should be green. Fertilizing too early in the spring can cause a flush of growth that can damage the plants if there is a late heavy frost.

9. Wait to Water. The last item on your spring lawn care list should be watering. It's tempting to start watering in early spring, but there is usually plenty of rain to keep your lawn healthy.

Wait to water until the weather gets warm and dry. It's ok to let the grass show signs of drought stress - this will actually cause to roots to grow deep searching for water. Waiting until the weather turns hot and dry encourages deep rooting and that will prepare your lawn for the dog days of summer.

Read more from original site: Spring Lawn Care & Maintenance Tips http://www.better-lawn-care.com/spring-lawn-care.html#ixzz42A6Wgzg5

All proceeds will go to the LHS Band’s Fundraising efforts for GRAND NATIONALS.

ON-SITE DOCUMENT SHREDDING APRIL 16th$10 per box of 25 pounds or less of documents

Centex Shred has graciously agreed to team up with us and provide a SHRED-DAY event. It’s time to pull out all those old Tax Records that are taking up space in your garage or attic. Centex will be here at LHS with their truck to shred documents. Simply bring your boxes of documents to the school and we’ll get them shredded. Can’t make it on Saturday? That’s ok. We will be happy to receive boxes on Friday and shred them on Saturday when the trucks arrive. Why spend hours sitting and shredding when you can get the job done in minutes? You don’t even have to worry about removing the staples.

PET VACCINATION CLINICAPRIL 26TH

Leander High School Band – Upcoming Fundraisers



Do You Have Reason to Celebrate?

We want to hear from you! Email [email protected] to let the community know!

At no time will any source be allowed to use Highlands at Gann Ranch 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 Highlands at Gann Ranch newsletter is exclusively for the private use of the residents 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.

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We would like to start a new column for the monthly newsletter: Pets of the month. There are a lot of pets in our community, and we would like to know about yours. Please send us pictures and stories about your favorite pets.

This month, we will begin our Pets of the Month with one of our Board Members, Barbara Manley and family. The Manley’s have three small dogs that love to walk the neighborhood. The largest of the three is Gandolf. He was adopted in 2006 from Austin Pets Alive. Gandolf was at the shelter for about a month after he was found on the side of a busy road with a broken leg. When he was adopted, he had a cast on his leg, had just been neutered, and was being treated for kennel cough. A volunteer at the shelter had named all the dogs movie star names. He was named Gandolf, from Lord of the Rings. When we called him at the shelter to come to us, he came running. So, we decided that it was meant to be and to keep his name! He has been the best dog ever! He loves to be around people and go on his walks.

Our other two dogs are Sophie and Mamacita. Sophie is a “porkie”, part pomeranian and part yorkshire terrier. She came to our family as a puppy with a great bit of energy, love and some major cuteness! Mamacita is a small Chihuahua that was given up by a couple when they became pregnant with a baby. Chihuahua’s tend to favor one person and they had concerns about that. We are so fortunate to have the love of Mamacita. She is a very lovable dog.

April Pets of the Month Stars (L-R) Sophie, Gandolf, MamacitaIf you would like to have your pet featured please use this link,

http://www.peelinc.com/articleSubmit.php , and submit to HGR! Please include your contact information so that you can reached if your pet is chosen.

Pets of the Month

Honey bees are beneficial by producing honey, wax and pollinating crops. With warmer temperatures, honey bees are becoming more active and may soon begin to swarm.

Honey bee swarms look like a large clump of bees clustered together. The swarm may stay in a location from a few hours to a week. Swarms are produced as a part of the colony’s reproductive process. An established colony produces a new queen, causing the old queen and half the worker bees to leave the colony to search for a new nesting location. Swarming honey bees are usually gentle and unlikely to sting. Swarms are not protecting their home, food or offspring. Scout bees are sent out from the swarm to search for a nesting site. Colonies produce comb and honey and are defensive. Bees from a colony are more likely to sting as they are guarding their home, food and offspring.

Sometimes, honey bee colonies can be found in wall voids, chimneys, attics or sheds. If bees are in a wall void, DO NOT block their entrance; this makes them search for another way to exit and could lead bees into the structure. To keep bees from entering a home, seal any holes found in walls where pipes enter the home, cracks in window framing, knotholes, weep holes, or cracks between wood and brick junctures.

While many enjoy having honey bees around, some people are severely allergic to their venom. This, along with other situations, such as bees located near sensitive areas (such as playgrounds) may require removal or even extermination of the bees.

People should NOT try remove or exterminate bees on their own. Beekeepers and pest control companies have equipment to carry out these jobs in a safe manner. The city or county does not provide bee removal services.

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urban-ipm.blogspot.com

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 AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas AgriLife Research is implied.

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

Honey Bee Swarms



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Highlands at Gann Ranch - April 2016

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