HAVE A LAUGH: THE RIDING LAWNMOWER

This was sent to us by a neighbor. It may get the writer a smack behind the ears, but it did seem funny at the time. Enjoy it, especially you guy's who still own these things up North.

Soon after my wife and I met, she mentioned how she really wished that she could afford a riding lawnmower.

She was a gal that worked all day and was often tired in the evening when she got home from work.

So, being the handy sort of guy that I was, I made her a riding lawnmower.

I guess I thought she would squeal with delight, and give me a big hug.

To this day I have never been able to understand

..........................why..................

women are so hard to please!

SPECIAL NEEDS ALERT

With Hurricane Season starting next month  residents are encouraged to take precautions in the event of a storm. Most of our people have attended various seminars and know what to do in order to be safe.  Unfortunately some people need help because of a special need. They need to know the information below.

Collier County has addressed the issue of “special needs” citizens. This concern is assigned to County Staff in the Emergency Management Department.

Emergency Management Staff will send help to “special needs” individuals if they are registered.  This requires that the person complete an initial data form, and then update it yearly. Further information may be obtained by calling:  252 8060 or using the web site below:

www.collieremergency.org   

In VeronaWalk there are residents who have “Special Needs.” These individuals need to “self report,” who they are, first to the Emergency Management Staff, and then to our Town Manager. Their “needs” should also be identified. 

GOOD TIMES AT COOK OUT

Roughly 150 friends and neighbors showed up for the Memorial Day Cook out at Town Center a couple of days ago.

The Lady was able to actually get out and be with a large group since getting her shoulder repaired. It was good to see her out and enjoying things.

The gang enjoyed themselves and especially the entertainment by one of our own residents. He played music from days gone by and made a lot of people happy.

MEMORIAL DAY - LET US NEVER FORGET THOSE WHO SERVED OUR COUNTRY

A neighbor here, in Verona Walk, sent us these facts a couple of days ago. With his permission the story is posted below. Thanks for this appropriate Memorial Day contribution.

In alphabetical order... just Europe:
1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne , France . A total of 2289 of our military dead.


2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes , Belgium . A total of 5329 of our dead.
.

3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France .. A total of 4410 of our military dead.


4. Brookwood , England American Cemetery. A total of 468 of our dead.

5. Cambridge , England . 3812 of our military dead.

6. Epinal , France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.


7. Flanders Field , Belgium . A total of 368 of our military.

8. Florence , Italy . A total of 4402 of our military dead.

9. Henri-Chapelle , Belgium . A total of 7992 of our military dead.

10. Lorraine , France . A total of 10,489 of our military dead.

THE YOUNG MAN'S BIRTHDAY

The kid loves to read, and it was he who let us know that "Hey, I have a May birthday."

The young man threatened not to read this blog unless he gets "his time" on the web. I guess since he knows how to fix our computer, find our missing phone, and work the remote for the TV he is deserving of a couple of lines. Then again he shouldn't be spoiled.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

LITERARY FIRE - CERT STORY CLARIFICATION

On May 15, 2009 this blog posted a story titled: YOUR CERT TEAM PRACTICES TO HELP. The story was intended to be 100% positive however a couple of tongue in cheek words apparently diminished the posting for some readers.

V.W.Resident has been asked to make it clear to all that both victims were given treatment at the scene, and eventually transported to a local hospital. The scenario was a planned event designed to test volunteers skills so that in the event of a real emergency they will be prepared. At the end of that story were the words "Thank you guys for your efforts," which again should be noted. The TEAM did, and does, do a good job trying to be an asset to this community. It is hoped that they are appreciated.

Readers should note, and it has been stated repeatedly, that this is a private blog. It does not pretend to be an "official" source of news. It is for family, friends, and neighbors. Please read the description to the right. There is also an email address listed at the bottom of the description column for one to express concerns directly, or to view the official website.

Neighborly participation is always welcome from the readers who hopefully will join in with the words: "Thank you guys for your efforts."

SHERIFF'S REPORT - CAR BURGLAR CAUGHT

A report posted on our Collier County Sheriff's Department's Web Page states that: "Deputies arrested a 19-year-old man early Tuesday as he was leaving an East Naples gated community where they say he had just broken into at least two vehicles."

This story is well worth reading. Hopefully we all take steps to protect our vehicles, and be well aware of our surroundings. The Deputies did a great job, as did our neighbor who reported suspicious activity.

Our Sheriff's Officers advises residents to "Always lock their vehicles – even when they’re parked in the driveway – and to always take valuables with you."

Click on the link below to view the entire article, its from the Collier County Sheriffs on line newsletter.

http://ccsoblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/deputies-nab-suspected-car-burglar.html

THE SHOULDER STORY

Well kids, and friends, as you know my Lady Friend beat up a suitcase a couple of weeks ago. In the process she cracked her shoulder. The good doctor said it was cracked like an egg shell.

Last Wednesday she had it surgically repaired. There are nine screws in upper arm and shoulder. She was released from Hospital on Friday and is doing well.

The Lady says thanks for your good wishes and concern.

STIMULUS CHECKS

It was recently reported that a Man received a stimulus check. One was expected, but this one was a little different.

The check sent to the man's home was payable to his mother. She was no longer living !

The man reported that his mother had died over twenty years ago. This was a mistake obviously.

When the man checked with the U.S. Treasury Guy's he learned that there were over 20,000 checks sent to people who were deceased. Can you believe it.

YOUR CERT TEAM PRACTICES TO HELP

Neighbors who have volunteered to be a CERT Team were out practicing last week and one of the neighbors caught a couple pictures up near Town Center by the Lake.

Looks like they had a good turnout.

Reports that circulated the community indicate that, although there were no survivors, the golf cart was fixed, and the team made it home with plenty of time to enjoy their day. Thanks guys for your efforts.

FIRE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fires all around us for months, and a couple of days ago they got closer to home - real close.

V.W. Resident's first thought was someone had the grill up and running. A quick check across the water clearly showed that, this was the wrong conclusion.

Judging from the smoke "behind" those homes the fire could have been inside our community.

A closer look shows that it was outside on Sable Palm Rd. But even inside we felt its impact. Some streets were closed off by Collier County Sheriff's Department as the helicopter's filled the huge water bag in our waterways.

One neighbor reported that he timed the helicopter's route to and from the fire. They were doing the task in runs of 2.5 minutes. The best time was 2:21 seconds. It took hours but finally the fireman got it under control.

MOTHERS DAY

Happy Mothers Day.

Town Center had a very nice buffet for Mom, and all the other Mom's in the community.

As you can see we had a good time. It was nice to mingle and meet new neighbors, as well as chat with old friends.

SAFETY TIP: DON'T LEAVE SUITCASE OUT

Holly Cow what is this one all about? V.W. Resident thought he read every safety tip ever written, but not this one: Put it out of the way!!!

It seems The Lady put the suitcase "out of the way" intending to put it in the car "tomorrow" to go to Disney. Sounds "safe" to me. She is usually very careful and a "pro" when it comes to being safe. So what happened?

Truth be told the burglar alarm went off, because the motion detector was not disabled. One false move is what it took. She jumped to check out the sliding door in bedroom, tripped over the "safely stored" suitcase and cracked her shoulder like a hard boiled egg - shattered.

The team at Brinks was on the job and offered to call for medical help, but it was refused. The car was the fastest route to the emergency room. The treatment there was great, as was the follow up the next day. Best of all the doctor said it was "OK" to go to Disney, but stay off the bumpy rides, and "Don't go near the suitcase."

Thank God Disney had a flower festival going on. She managed to get a couple of nice pictures for the gang.

CERT TEAM TO DO PRACTICE DRILL

Our local CERT TEAM will conduct a practice Drill this Saturday Morning.

Team members are volunteers from our community, and are giving their time to learn how to best help each other in the event of an emergency. The event will take place outside the pool area.

Lets hope this is a meaningful exercise. Good luck everyone. Also check out the team's blog site at: http://veronawalkcertteam.blogspot.com

AN EYE ON REAL ESTATE

There was a recent story in the print media suggesting real estate sales are up. In fact there was a headline stating the recent trend in sales was "positive." That sounded like good news. At least it was enough to put my glasses on and read the whole thing. I needed to hear some good news.

The story clearly pointed out that sales price were up in Collier County 113% for the first quarter of this year. This was based on sales of 964 homes that sold for less than $300,000. The number of homes sold alone is impressive. It inspired the writer to read the rest of the good news. None was to be found.

Data supplied by Sunshine MLS reported that there were 169 sales of homes between $300,000 and $500,000. The sale prices in this range were down from a year ago by 27%.

The "down" figure was worse when looking at homes sold for over $500,000. There were only 111 such sales. They were down from the previous year by 32%.

Nobody really knows what "tomorrow" is going to be like, but judging from these numbers the "turn around" that we all want is going to be from the bottom up. At least there just might be something brewing "down below."

MAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Even the lady can't keep up with the count so it looks like no major birthdays this month. That means the gang has to wait. Besides the neighbors don't want to see all of those routine birthday things.