LAUREL ESTATES SOCIAL CLUB

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January 2008

FROM YOUR PRESIDENT: Here we are — another year almost gone … Makes you think of the old saying regarding the roll of toilet tissue—the closer the end the faster it goes…..So, what are they trying to tell me??
We are looking forward to another busy and productive year here at Laurel Estates. I especially want to thank the officers of 2007 for their excellent service to you and me; most of them will continue to serve us in the coming year, 2008. We welcome Kathy Jones as our new Treasurer, with special thanks to outgoing Treasurer, Jill Lincoln, for a job well done. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the Chairs of all the Committees and all the volunteers who step forward to lend a helping hand. We would not have a Social Club here at Laurel without the many willing volunteers who assume responsibilities or simply lend a helping hand whenever and wherever needed. And now I hope you are sufficiently “buttered up” to be ready to jump right in and help us get through 2008. We gotta GET-R-DONE.
BOB L J

LAUREL ESTATES SOCIAL CLUB OFFICERS FOR 2008
President………………..……….…....Bob Livensparger
First Vice President………………...…..Beth Thompson
Second Vice President……………...….......Earl Harvey
Secretary…………………………………….Pat Myrom
Treasurer………………….……..……...….Kathy Jones
Due to the request from Nancy Williams to be removed from the slate of officers, a new nominee for the office of Treasurer was presented at the December 14 general meeting. The motion was made, seconded and passed to accept Kathy Jones as the new Treasurer for LE Social Club.

NEW COPY MACHINE
Yes! We do have a new copy machine! You may make copies for your own personal use for a small charge of 10 cents per copy.
Please stop by or call to make an appointment that will be convenient for both of us.
Thanks.

SOCIAL CLUB DUES.
HELENE LIZOTTE AND CATHY MORRISON WILL BE COLLECTING SOCIAL CLUB DUES AT THE CLUBHOUSE FROM 9 TO 11 AM ON MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS BEGINNING JANUARY 7, AND EACH SATURDAY MORNING BETWEEN 8:30 AND 9:30 AM. PLEASE GIVE THEM YOUR HELP BY PAYING YOUR SOCIAL CLUB DUES FOR 2008 PROMPTLY. DUES ARE $5 EACH.

RESIDENT DIRECTORIES Janice Ignatowski
will be handing out the new LE Resident Directory after the Lot Owners meeting January 18. Please note the phone changes/additions below and make the necessary changes to your copy as some changes/additions were too late to make it into the new directory. If you are unable to pick up your copy, call Jan.

WELCOME — TO OUR NEW
LAUREL ESTATE OWNER/RESIDENTS
Richard & Jane Bacon

PHONE DIRECTORY: Please make the following additions/changes to your directory:
(See the printed newsletter for address and phone number information.)
Bordo, Sylvia
Brink, Bob & Joan
Ronald & Laura Hagenbarth
Jones, Larry & Kathy
Pelletier, Roger & Plourde Gay
Please notify Jan Ignatowski of all directory changes.
Thanks!

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LAUREL ESTATES SOCIAL CLUB

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
OFFICERS OF LAUREL ESTATES SOCIAL CLUB
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Please note the time change for the Social Club Board Meeting on your January calendar. We have moved the meeting up one-half hour to accommodate those who leave the park early. I encourage all Chair Persons to attend this meeting. If you need to leave early, we will schedule your report and comments first.
Robert Livensparger

WE HAD ANOTHER SEASON OF GIVING!
Many thanks to everyone who helped make this possible. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both very successful and I’m sure we’ll be blessed in some way by giving to the needy. It’s great to know we live in a caring community with helping neighbors.
Earl Harvey

SUNSHINE REPORT:
Please notify your block captain of hospitalizations or deaths in your neighborhood so they can notify the Sunshine Lady.
HOSPITALIZED:
November 24 to December 20
11/21 Don Leas—Cape Coral Hospital
11/21 Jill Lincoln—in and out same day
11/23 Leslie Utter—Shoulder surgery
11/23 Bill Hine—stroke
11/28 Marie Antonelli—Consulate Rehab (Tandem)
11/29 Flora Harvey—Cape Coral Hospital
12/11 Grace Walters—Cape Coral Hospital
12/13 Joe Cook —Back Surgery —Southwest Regional
DECEASED:
12/01 Elmer Jones, Ohio, 8-1-07
(Just received this in formation)
12/05 Geraldl Brancieri—former resident
12/10 Don Utter’s Father-in-law (New York)
12/13 Bertha Wilson (Julie’s Grandmother)
12/21 Grace Walters
NOTE: Please do NOT remove cards and obituary notices from the bulletin board. This is the responsibility of the Sunshine Lady, Mary Louise Filer.
Thanks!

REMINDERS:
Computer Classes—Jim Rudolph will be teaching a computer class, beginning in January. We will be posting details and a sign up sheet on the bulletin board at the Club House early in January.
Saturday Morning Café — Come one, Come all!! Have a fresh cup of coffee, breakfast roll, lots of smiles and friendly conversation. Saturday mornings 7:30 to 9 AM.
Pancake Breakfast — Make sure to get a ticket for the pancake breakfast Saturday, January 12. The guys put out a great breakfast—for only $3.50. (Food prices are going up.) It’s still a great deal for a great meal!
See Jim Morrison, Don Lizotte, George Lincoln, or Bob DeLane for tickets.
New Year’ Eve Dance — Dennis Love will provide our music for the evening. It’s BYOB and please bring snack foods for our continuous buffet. Ice and water will be available. A champagne toast will be provided. See Don or Helene Lizotte for tickets. $ 5 per person. Also, a gentle reminder to purchase your ticket before you sign up at a table…….thanks.
Carolyn Luke would like to remind you that dart baseball will begin January 6. Come on out and give it a try!
Everyone is welcome!
Carry-In Dinners —Joanne Maul says the first potluck of the year will be January 14 at 5:30 pm and will always be the second Monday of the month. Bring good food and especially your smiling faces!
Blood Drive — Earl Harvey reports the BLOOD DRIVE will be Thursday, January 17, 2008, at the Club House from 1 to 3 PM. PLEASE GIVE!
GOOD NEWS CLUB— Friday, January 4, 1:00 pm. marks the beginning of Bible Study. Spend an hour looking into God’s Word in order to deal with the issues of today. Subject matter will be a book of the Bible yet to be determined. Any questions can be addressed to Jim Rittsema. Invite your friends
Trash & Treasure— You may think it a bit early to remind you of the trash & treasure March 1. BUT it is not too early to remind you WE WANT YOUR TRASH! Seriously, your trash may be someone else’s treasure. NO CLOTHES, PLEASE!
For pick up, please call:
Bob Livensparger
Bob Schlundt
Don Lizotte
They will pick up all items you wish to donate. Thanks.

LAUREL ESTATES SOCIAL CLUB

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THANK YOU!
to: JACK GOODWIN for sponsoring the End of Summer BBQ —and Jack wishes to thank all who helped him.
to: John and Linette Parrish for their monetary contribution towards our Christmas dinner.
to: EVERYONE who participated in lighting the luminaries on Christmas Eve and those who gathered them up on Christmas morning.
to: the CAROLERS who joined voices in rendering Christmas carols to shut-ins and stay-homers. We may not have been top contenders in “Clash of the Choirs” but we sang lustily and joyfully and all had a wonderful time.
to: BETH THOMPSON for stepping forward to chair another Christmas dinner. Thanks also to all her helpers. The club house was decorated beautifully, the center-pieces were so pretty and Christmassy, and last but not least— the food was wonderful. A great heartfelt thanks to everyone who made it possible.
to: JAN ZYLSTRA and BETH THOMPSON and all who helped with the Christmas/Birthday party. A wonderful time was had by all. Yummy good snacks!!
to: BOB LEDANE for making the arrangements for AARP to present the safe driver’s course. Bob has also made arrangements for this class to be conducted next winter. Details to be made available at a later date.
To: EARL HARVEY for all the time and effort he puts forth in collections for the needy of our community.
to: JILL LINCOLN for serving as Treasurer of the Laurel Estates Social Club for the past year. Good job, Jill!
to: KATHY JONES for the new whimsical graphics used on the new and improved Laurel Estates website. The very skinny and pregnant flamingo wandering among the Laurel Estates palm trees comes from this talented lady. Really good job, Kathy.
to: JIM RUDOLPH we cannot thank Kathy without thanking Jim. He must have spent hours working on the LE website. If you have not been there, please take a couple of minutes to check it out.... You will be thrilled with the “user friendly” technology and up-to-date information. While you are there, take note of the “Contact Us” page and form you can complete to send your comments, thoughts, complaints or compliments to any of the Social Club Officers or to the Newsletter Editor. Your comments will be acknowledged, forwarded to the appropriate party if necessary, and will be printed in the newsletter if you so desire and specify.

JOHNNY & CAROL’S VARIETY SHOW
GOLDEN OLDIES—COMEDY—SING ALONG —IMPERSONATIONS
Mark your calendar for January 20, 2008 at 7:00 PM for an evening of special entertainment. Johnny performed here at Laurel last year and several expressed a desire to have the pair perform this year. They have quite a portfolio—check the bulletin board for information. They also performed at Arrowhead last month to a full house. They are good! This is a money-making project for our park. All block captains have tickets for sale. If you do not yet have your ticket—call your block captain. Tickets will be made available to other parks after Christmas. Support your officers and your club while enjoying an evening of fun and entertainment. Please come! Tickets are $5 each.

SHUFFLEBOARD SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY
January 02/08 Laurel Estates Home……...…..Twin Pines
January 09/08 Laurel Estates Home…. ..Tamiami Village
January 16/08 Laurel Estates Home………. .Pioneer L.B.
January 23/08 Laurel Estates ………………………..Bye
January 30/08 Laurel Estates Home ……..Poinsettia Park

TIME TO KICK UP YOUR HEELS
Dance: Arrowhead
Entertainment: Holly Morris
Date: January 19, 7 to 10 PM
Price: $5 per ticket
Dance: Laurel Estates
Entertainment: Bobby Hub Cat
Date: January 26, 7:30 to 10:30 PM
Price: $5 per ticket

BOOK CLUB
The first meeting of the Laurel Estates Book Club will be held in the club house on Tuesday, January 22, 2008, at 10 am. We will read and discuss THE ORCHID THIEF by Susan Orlean. Books are available through Esther Ritsema.

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Laurel Estates Social Club Newsletter

NEWS FROM C.E.R.T.
The seven current members of Laurel Estates C.E.R.T. Team (Community Emergency Response Team) have been busy with on-going training and test taking. There are still three park residents who have to finish some classroom training and testing to be certified team members. They will take care of that in the coming months. There will be a new basic training course given in January (evenings). The dates have not been received yet. You can call Bruce and Jan Zylstra for more information.
During the summer months , we had residents fill out an Emergency Response Form which included information regarding who to call (relative, friend, etc.) in the event a disaster of some type should occur and affect our community. We realize that this is a duplication of information as you may also have this information on file with Flo Cummings. However, we feel it is important for the C.E.R.T. Team to have this on file and readily available in case it is needed. We will work with Flo to make duplications of any updated information you give her.
As we are a new team and a rather small team, in comparison to other parks, there are certain basic items we need to have in the event of a disaster. Flashlights/batteries, work gloves, duct tape, pens/pencils, scissors, wrench sets of different sizes, and first aid kits are just some of the needed items. The fire department of N. Fort Myers has already provided neck braces and will also provide a backboard for our use. If you should wish to donate any of these items or make a monetary donation to the team, please call Bruce or Jan Zylstra.

THANKS TO BILL FRANK
To commemorate her 69th birthday, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was “My Favorite Things” from the legendary “SOUND OF MUSIC.” However, the lyrics have been changed:
“Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting, walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, bundles of magazines tied up in strings, these are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs, cataracts, hearing aids, glasses; Polident, Fixodent, false teeth in glasses; Pacemakers golf carts, and porches with swings, these are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak, when the bones creak,
When the knees go bad, I simply remember my favorite things and—and I don’t feel so bad!
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, no spicy hot foods or foods cooked with onions. Bathrobes and heating pads, hot meals they bring, these are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin’, thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin’, and we won’t mention our short shrunken frames, when we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, when the hips break,
When our eyes grow dim, then I remember the great life I‘ve had —and I don’t feel so bad!
Submitted by Joan Maul

RED HAT JEWELS ……………..from Queen Helene
McGregor Baptist Christmas pageant was a hit as always. Sunday, December 9, eleven Red Hat Jewels attended the event, along with spouses and friends, for a total of 26. It was a great production and a great way to start the Christmas season.
In January, Edie Smith and Wilma Gibson will host a day on the water….they’ve booked a luncheon cruise for Friday, January 18, with Captain J.P. Details will be available at the January meeting of the Red Hat Jewels in the clubhouse on January 3, from 1 to 3 PM. Details and a sign-up sheet is also posted on the Red Hat bulletin board at the clubhouse. Remember, ladies, always check the Red Hat Jewels bulletin board in the hallway for postings/pictures. ( You never know what you will find. :-))
Also, On Sunday, January 27, some will be traveling to Tampa to view the much acclaimed musical, “HATS”. It’s joyous, provocative, and hilarious. It confirms there is so much more to life after the big 50 !!
HAPPY RED HATTING!!
Your Queen Mum,
Helene

ENTERTAINMENT: THE HARMONICA BAND

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS

JULY BIRTHDAYS

04 Pete Deloge
04 Cheryl Tobine
05 Tommy Thompson
09 Irene Wendland
10 Helen Onyett
11 Lois Fritz
12 Jim Powers
Jerry Forsythe
Joan Alberghini
14 Lillian Flanders
Carl Hammond
14 Harvey Luke
Sue Suhr
Jane Kohn
Harley Lowery
Madeline Clark
Dorothy Lowery
20 Judy Schlundt
Helen Gillis
22 Jack Swick
Robert Routzahn
29 Betty Stewart

01 Pat Borutzski
01 Grace Walters
04 Lee Lip
05 Carol Clark
05 Joyce Crites
05 Richard Menzel
09 Phil Trexler
Theresa Krieger
Tom Williams
Steve Smith
Karen Leonard
Gail Goad
19 Jean McMann
Nina Moore
19 Larry Trehan
Sandra Routzhan
Pat Myrom
Pat Hunter
Marci Conrad
26 Dan Wallace
Penny Smith
Sylvia Bordo
29 Bob LeDane
30 Laura Hagenbarth