March is finally here! Time for flowers to bloom and people to enjoy the outdoors again. Soon we will smell the BBQ firing up cooking Ribs, Burgers, Hot Dogs and Steaks. The grass will be green again. The sounds of Spring will fill the air, buzzing bees, chirping birds and the breeze rustling through the new leaves on the trees. These are the things that we look forward to all winter long.
Along with all the fun outdoor activities we do, we will notice the higher pollen counts in the air, oh yes and on our homes, cars, boats and every other thing that we store outdoors! This pollen is sticky and hard to remove if you let it set very long, so it is a good idea to wash your car, boat, trailer and RV to keep the pollen from staining or marring the finishes.
We encourage everyone at Aripeka West to take a day this month and clean the outside of your home. There is the mold and mildew there from the winter and now adding to the mess is the tree pollen.
While we are on the subject of flowers blooming, grass growing and exterior house cleaning, please don't forget the the mowing season will also start again in March. In order to properly mow and maintain your lawns, please remove anything that will prohibit the mowing of your lawn. Things like hoses and dog stakes and leads are particularly bad since in many cases they cannot be seen. These types things really take a toll on the parks lawn equipment. Anything hidden in your lawn can become a projectile if hit by the blades of the lawn mower. Additionally, please remove all toys and lawn furniture from your lawn when they are not in use. Take a minute everyday to look around your yard for trash that may have blown in or tree limbs that might have fallen. Place the trash in the dumpster and place the tree limbs near the road and they will be picked up.
February 2016 ...
It was cold this past month, at least by Florida standards, but at least it stayed above freezing at night with daytime temps running in the 50's and 60's. Also last month there was more rain than usual for our area, guess we can thank "El Nino" for that part!
In February our Ground Hog Day Potluck Dinner was lots of fun, we had live music (Deuces Wild), heard lots of jokes (from our parky guests), saw a skit was very funny (put on by a previous RV Park residents Bill & Cathy Jasper and their friend), ate some good food, danced a little in the grass and otherwise enjoy a beautiful warm day with temps in the 60's.
On the 14th, we celebrated Valentine's Day with a Wine and Cheese Party. The party was held in early afternoon to allow everyone to enjoy a Romantic Dinner with their Sweetie after the party.
February had many not so well known "holidays" like on Monday the 22nd, National Margarita Day. We celebrated in the Park with a Taco Dinner and bring your own Margaritas. The weather was kind to us on this day too.
Hope the weather is as cooperative for the events we have planned for March as it was for our February events.
St. Patrick's Day...
The Luck of the Irish is soon to be with us again! On Sunday March 13, 2016 we will have our Annual St. Paddy's Day Festival! Beginning at 3 PM we will celebrate with music and food. Deuces Wild will be entertaining us with music that will include some traditional Irish songs. We will be having a Traditional Irish Dinner to include Drunken Irish Stew, Beefy Shepherd's Pie, Dublin Bangers and of course there will be Corned Beef and Cabbage! This will NOT be a Potluck, instead we will do as we did last year and charge $5.00 for residents of Aripeka West and $8.00 for invited non-residents. RSVP's will be delivered to you door on March 1st and must be returned to the office by March 7th with the number in your party and the funds to cover the dinners. All non residents must be invited and accompanied by a resident of Aripeka West.
Time to "Spring Forward"...
Yes, it is that time of year again. One hour of lost sleep, not to be recovered til November! At
2 AM on March 13th or before you go to bed on March 12th, set your clocks forward one hour. The reasons for the time change are varied, there are those that love Daylight Saving Time and those who hate it. Mostly it is a matter of whether you are a morning person who likes to get up early and watch the sunrise or someone who would rather play late into the evening!
Here are a few facts about Daylight Saving Time you might not know!
Bombing Thwarted
In September 1999, the West Bank was on Daylight Saving Time
while Israel had just switched back to standard time. West Bank terrorists
prepared time bombs and smuggled them to their Israeli counterparts, who
misunderstood the time on the bombs. As the bombs were being planted, they
exploded--one hour too early--killing three terrorists instead of the intended
victims--two busloads of people.
Halloween
Trick-or-Treaters
Through 2006, Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. ended a few
days before Halloween (October 31). Children’s pedestrian deaths are four times
higher on Halloween than on any other night of the year. A new law to extend
DST to the first Sunday in November took effect in 2007, with the purpose of
providing trick-or-treaters more light and therefore more safety from traffic
accidents. For decades, candy manufacturers lobbied for a Daylight Saving Time
extension to Halloween, as many of the young trick-or-treaters gathering candy
are not allowed out after dark, and thus an added hour of light means a big
holiday treat for the candy industry. Anecdotally, the 2007 switch may not have
had much effect, as it appeared that children simply waited until dark to go
trick-or-treating.
Chaos of Non-Uniform
DST
Widespread confusion was created during the 1950s and 1960s
when each U.S. locality could start and end Daylight Saving Time as it desired.
One year, 23 different pairs of DST start and end dates were used in Iowa
alone. For exactly five weeks each year, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia
were not on the same time as Washington D.C., Cleveland, or Baltimore--but
Chicago was. And, on one Ohio to West Virginia bus route, passengers had to
change their watches seven times in 35 miles! The situation led to millions of
dollars in costs to several industries, especially those involving
transportation and communications. Extra railroad timetables alone cost the
today's equivalent of over $12 million per year.
Radio Stations
AM radio signals propagate much further at night than during
the day. During daytime, more stations in neighboring areas can broadcast on
the same frequency without interfering with each other. Because of this
situation, there are hundreds of stations licensed to operate only in the
daytime. Daylight Saving Time can affect the bottom line of these
daytime-only radio stations: during parts of the year it can cause the stations
to lose their most profitable time of day--the morning drive time. The gain of
an hour of daylight - and thus broadcast time - in the evening does not fully
compensate for the morning loss.
Voter Turnout in
Elections
Through 2006, the Daylight Saving Time period has closed on
the last Sunday in October, about a week before Election Day, which is held the
Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The extension of Daylight Saving
Time into November has been proposed as a way to encourage greater voter
participation, the theory being that more people would go to the polls if it
was still light when they returned home from work. The U.S. law taking effect
in 2007 pushes the end of Daylight Saving Time to the first Sunday in November.
In some years (2010, 2021, 2027, and 2032), this will fall after Election Day,
giving researchers the opportunity to gauge its effect on voter turnout.
Amtrak
To keep to their published timetables, trains cannot leave a
station before the scheduled time. So, when the clocks fall back one hour in
October, all Amtrak trains in the U.S. that are running on time stop at 2:00
a.m. and wait one hour before resuming. Overnight passengers are often surprised
to find their train at a dead stop and their travel time an hour longer than
expected. At the spring Daylight Saving Time change, trains instantaneously
become an hour behind schedule at 2:00 a.m., but they just keep going and do
their best to make up the time.
Violent Crime
A study by the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration found that crime was consistently less during periods of
Daylight Saving Time than during comparable standard time periods. Data showed
violent crime down 10 to 13 percent. It is clear that for most crimes where
darkness is a factor, such as muggings, there are many more incidents after
dusk than before dawn, so light in the evening is most welcome.
Antarctica
In Antarctica, there is no daylight in the winter and months
of 24-hour daylight in the summer. But many of the research stations there
still observe Daylight Saving Time anyway, to synchronize with their supply
stations in Chile or New Zealand.
Indiana
Indiana has long been a hotbed of Daylight Saving Time
controversy. Historically, the state's two western corners, which fall in the
Central Time Zone, observed DST, while the remainder of the state, in the
Eastern Time zone, followed year-round Standard Time. An additional
complication was that five southeastern counties near Cincinnati and Louisville
unofficially observed DST to keep in sync with those cities. Because of the
longstanding feuds over DST, Indiana politicians often treated the subject
gingerly. In 1996, gubernatorial candidate Rex Early firmly declared,
"Some of my friends are for putting all of Indiana on Daylight Saving
Time. Some are against it. And I always try to support my friends."
In April 2005, Indiana legislators passed a law that
implemented Daylight Saving Time statewide beginning on April 2, 2006.
Oil Conservation
Following the 1973 oil embargo, the U.S. Congress extended
Daylight Saving Time to 8 months, rather than the normal six months. During
that time, the U.S. Department of Transportation found that observing Daylight
Saving Time in March and April saved the equivalent in energy of 10,000 barrels
of oil each day - a total of 600,000 barrels in each of those two years.
Likewise, in 1986, Daylight Saving Time moved from the last
Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April. No change was made to the ending
date of the last Sunday in October. Adding the entire month of April to
Daylight Saving Time is estimated to save the U.S. about 300,000 barrels of oil
each year.
Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time commenced on the
second Sunday in March and ended on the first Sunday in November, thereby
saving even more oil.
Births and Birthdays
While twins born at 11:55 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. may have
different birthdays, Daylight Saving Time can change birth order -- on paper,
anyway. During the time change in the fall, one baby could be born at 1:55 a.m.
and the sibling born ten minutes later, at 1:05 a.m. In the spring, there is a
gap when no babies are born at all: from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.
In November 2007, Laura Cirioli of North Carolina gave birth
to Peter at 1:32 a.m. and, 34 minutes later, to Allison. However, because
Daylight Saving Time reverted to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m., Allison was born
at 1:06 a.m.
Speeding in the Park...
Again it is necessary to remind everyone that the speed limit in the park is 10 MPH. We do not want anyone to be hit by a speeding vehicle while walking on or crossing the roads in Aripeka West. Please be courteous of your neighbors and obey the Speed Limit. Also remember that YOU are responsible for your guests when they visit the park. Please make sure they are aware of the park rules when they visit.
Your guests...
When you have guests at your home, you are responsible for their behavior when they visit, not just with regard to our Speed Limit, but all Aripeka West Rules. The rules are in place to allow everyone living in the Park to enjoy and feel safe their home. Please remember not to enter the yard of any resident uninvited. If you walk in the Park use the roads and the fields. do not cut through the lots, even the vacant lots.
Sunwest Crab and Shrimp Festival...
32nd Annual Arts in the Park...
Tom Varn Park Brooksville, Florida
Coffee with Friends....
Our breakfasts will continue through March, weather permitting.
Aripeka Commuinity Club Potluck...
The monthly Aripeka Community Club Potluck Dinner will be on Monday March 7 at 6PM. Please bring a dish and join in the fun!
Calendar of Events...
