BULLETIN

BOARD

HIGHLIGHTS

NOTES & NEWS

The Greens and the Meadows At Northridge

1050 Claire-Taylor Court • Culpeper, VA 22701

Phone: (540) 825-6300 • Fax: (540) 825-8893

MAY 2014Fresh Sealed Salads

Thanks to fresh produce available ingrocery stores and farmers’ markets,salads are a go-to meal this time of year.Use a canning jar to prepare a salad thatwon’t be soggy by lunchtime. Pour thedressing in first, and then add heaviervegetables and toppings, saving thelightweight greens for last. When you’reready to eat, just empty the jar into a bowland stir. With the lid sealed tightly, the jarof salad will stay fresh in the fridge forseveral days.

Deal of the MonthAs warmer weather lures many

exercisers outdoors, you can likely get agood deal on a gym membership duringMay. Even if deals aren’t advertised, don’thesitate to ask for a discount if you’replanning to join.

Switch on ColorColored lamp shades can make a bold

design statement. Use only one per room,selecting other shades in neutral tones.

Pay AttentionOne way to enhance your ability to learn

and remember is to pay close attention.You must learn something before you canremember it, and you won’t learnsomething if you don’t pay enoughattention to it. It takes about eight secondsof focus to process a piece of informationinto your memory.

Celebrate the SeasonWe’ve made it through winter and April’s

showers. Now it’s time to enjoy May’scolorful flowers!

A Little Something ExtraWhen you want to enhance boxed

macaroni and cheese, stir in one or more ofthese ingredients: broccoli, ham, bacon,peas or canned tuna.

Break Out the BanglesUse jewelry to give yourself a fresh,

modern appearance. Try wearing agrouping of bracelets and rings instead ofsingles. Stacks of matching, similar ortotally mismatched rings and bracelets addpersonality and a contemporary look toyour hands and wrists.

Fitness Tip: Schedule for SuccessIt’s less tempting to skip a workout when

you have a fitness calendar to tell you whattype of exercise to do on which day. Byscheduling cardio, weight training and abworkouts throughout the week, you can besure to work your entire body and avoidgetting stuck in a fitness rut.

Your Friendly StaffYolanda Cropp Community ManagerJ Hoover Sales and Marketing MangerCarl Lukkes Maintenance ManagerBill Wright Maint. Tech.website www.northridgeapthomes.com

Fall HoursMonday–Friday

9 a.m.–5 p.m.Saturday

10 a.m.–2 p.m.SundayClosed

TRIVIA

WHIZ

experience fresh spring blossoms in

their full glory. Bring along a camera to

brush up on your photography skills.

Take a swing at spring fun.

Miniature golf is a great way to

get a group of friends or relatives

together, and it’s entertaining

for all ages and skill levels.

Shop for the season. Farmers’

markets are back in business,

so treat your taste buds and

your table to fresh produce and

fl owers from local vendors.

Wonder at wildlife. Take a trip to

the zoo; with the weather still mild,

the animals will likely be more active,

and you may even get a chance

to see some newborn critters!

Savor the taste of spring. A

blanket, a basket of goodies, and

some loved ones are all you need

to take part in a traditional picnic.

Pack a ball, Frisbee or kite for an

extra serving of fun after the meal.

Spring Into Outdoor Fun

With cold winter days long behind

us and the stifl ing summer heat still

weeks away, now is the perfect time

to get outside and enjoy some fun

spring activities. Here are a few ideas:

See where it all begins. Search

for nearby farms that offer tours

showing how foods such as milk,

cheese and honey are made. Kids

especially will get a kick out of

seeing cows, pigs, goats and other

barnyard favorites in person.

Stop and smell the roses. Visit

a botanical garden or arboretum to

Fascinating Flyers

Early Spanish explorers in the

Americas called hummingbirds joyas

voladoras, or “fl ying jewels”—a fi tting

description for the tiny fl yers with the

iridescent feathers. Here are more

facts about these amazing little birds.

• Hummingbirds are only found

in the Western Hemisphere,

from southcentral Alaska to

southern Chile. There are more

than 320 species, most of them

in the tropics. About a dozen

species spend summers in

North America.

• Depending on the species, a

hummingbird’s wings can beat

up to 90 times a second. This

creates a “humming” sound,

giving the bird its name.

• Hummingbirds have the highest

metabolic rate of any animal and

must eat up to three times their

body weight per day. Their diet

consists of fl ower nectar, pollen,

tree sap and insects.

• Like bees, hummingbirds play

an important role in pollination.

Some may visit more than

1,000 fl owers daily.

• Hummingbirds are the only birds

that can fl y backward, due to

their ability to rotate their wings

in a full circle. They can’t walk

well, however, and spend most

of their day resting on a perch

between feedings.

• To save energy at night or

when food is scarce, some

hummingbirds go into a low

metabolic state called torpor,

which is similar to hibernating.

“A fl ash of harmless lightning,

A mist of rainbow dyes,

The burnished

sunbeams brightening,

From fl ower to fl ower he fl ies.”

—John Banister Tabb

Satisfy Your Senses

With Fresh Salsa

A Mexican staple for centuries,

salsa is now found almost everywhere.

Some recipes call for salsa to be

cooked or canned, but you can make

a fresh salsa by just chopping or

blending the ingredients. Here are a

few things to keep in mind:

Building blocks. There are many

different types of salsa, with endless

possibilities for ingredients. A basic,

traditional salsa usually contains

tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, lime

juice, cilantro, salt and sugar.

Tomato talk. Tomatoes are the

foundation of a good salsa. Fresh, juicy

tomatoes are best, especially if you like

your salsa chunky. However, you can

also use canned varieties and combine

them with the other ingredients in a

blender for a thin, smooth salsa.

Taste test. Use your preferences

as a guideline. If you’re not a fan of

strong fl avors such as garlic or cilantro,

use less of those ingredients. The

spiciness level can be adjusted, too, by

removing the seeds and membranes

from the peppers or leaving them in for

extra heat.

Fun with fl avors. Once you’ve had

success with a basic salsa, experiment

with other ingredients and recipes.

Common additions include black beans

or corn. You can also try different types

of tomatoes and peppers, or replace

them with fruits such as pineapple

or mango.

WIT &

WISDOM

Roasted Caulifl ower

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray

• 1 head caulifl ower, cut into

small fl orets

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 Vidalia onion, fi nely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 cup ranch dressing

• 2 tablespoons chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon chopped

fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Spray a

baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine the caulifl ower,

1 tablespoon of oil, and salt in a large

bowl; toss to coat well. Spread the

caulifl ower in a single layer on the

baking sheet. Roast, stirring once or

twice, until the caulifl ower is just tender,

about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining

1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet

over medium-high heat. Add the onion

and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring until

fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the

ranch dressing and broth; bring to a

simmer. Add the caulifl ower, tossing

gently to coat well. Transfer to a

serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley.

For more recipes, visit

www.HiddenValley.com.

“Memories of our lives, of our works

and our deeds will continue in others.”

—Rosa Parks

“History is a cyclic poem written by

time upon the memories of man.”

—Percy Bysshe Shelley

“True scholarship consists in knowing

not what things exist, but what they

mean; it is not memory but judgment.”

—James Russell Lowell

“Literature becomes the living memory

of a nation.”

—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“The one thing I need to leave behind

is good memories.”

—Michael Landon

“Each day of our lives

we make deposits in the memory

banks of our children.”

—Charles R. Swindoll

“In memory everything seems to

happen to music.”

—Tennessee Williams

“The heart’s memory eliminates the

bad and magnifi es the good.”

—Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“Music evokes so many feelings in us,

memories, nostalgia, things that are

connected to our past.”

—Olga Kurylenko

“I have no memories I’m prepared to

share with you.”

—Peter O’Toole

“It’s surprising how much of

memory is built around things

unnoticed at the time.”

—Barbara Kingsolver

Back to Basics

Surveys indicate the majority of

people believe we, as a society, are

getting ruder. The second week in

May is National Etiquette Week—a

great time to brush up on the basics.

Etiquette is much more general

than knowing which fork to use

at a formal dinner party. At its

foundation, etiquette is simply basic

good manners, some of which you

may remember from childhood.

For example:

Magic words. Never underestimate

the power of “please,” “thank you” and

“excuse me.”

Forgive and forget. Just got cut

off in traffi c? Whether the other driver

didn’t see you or just wasn’t paying

attention doesn’t make it right, but

laying on the horn or making rude

gestures won’t help. Just take a deep

breath and keep going.

Phone fi xation. Since many of us

seemingly cannot function without

our phones, it’s important to use

them politely. Keep the volume of

conversations down, and don’t hold

up lines while texting or fi nishing a

call. If you’re spending time with a

friend or loved one, focus on them, not

your phone.

Practice politeness. Nearly

every day will present you with an

opportunity to practice politeness—

hold a door open for someone, or let

that person with just a couple of items

go ahead of you in line at the store.

Copyright © 2014 by Uhlig LLC

www.illustratus.com

1776: Rhode Island becomes the first colony to claim its independence from Britain.

1862: In the French-Mexican War, the Mexican army, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, defeats the larger and better-supplied army of the French. This date, the fifth of May, is commonly celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.

1883: Linking Manhattan to Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bridge opens for travel.

1911: The first Indianapolis 500, often referred to as the Indy 500, is held. Ray Harroun is the winner.

1933: President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, a plan to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation and economic development in the region.

1940: John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for “The Grapes of Wrath.”

1941: Considered by many as one of the best films ever made, “Citizen Kane” premieres at the RKO Palace Theater.

1959: The first Grammy Awards ceremony is held. Winners include Ella Fitzgerald and Perry Como.

1963: One of the most popular men to play the role, Sean Connery appears as James Bond for the first time in the film “Dr. No.”

1979: Margaret Thatcher is sworn in as the first female British prime minister.

1999: Soap opera actress Susan Lucci wins her first Emmy after 19 nominations.

2005: Mark Felt reveals himself to be “Deep Throat,” Bob Woodward’s secret informant in the Watergate scandal.

MAY

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