A Luncheon & Benefits of the Summer

Ibis in my pine tree

Two weeks ago I received an invitation to attend a luncheon given by Pauline Stabile. I hesitated at first, thinking that I shouldn't take the time away from work.  (For those of you who don't know what I do, and think that I am merely a "lady of leisure", I assure you, that concept could not be further from the truth.  I sell & design sign & display systems.) But I finally decided to take a time-out from business and go to the luncheon.

Pauline is a fabulous cook!  She treated the women who attended to home-cooked items, & made "from scratch" baked desserts.  The luncheon had a good turnout with lively conversations, & I came away thinking about what really nice women live here in Forest Villas.

Thanks again, Pauline.  It was a delightful way to spend a few hours during the summer!

Summer Rain & Heat

Now for one of the best benefits of the hot & wet summers down here.   Here are 2 pictures of the same Royal Poinciana tree that was planted in the Nature Preserve Area between my villa & the Simone's villa in 2009. Look at the difference in the size of the tree.  The first picture was taken in June 2010, the second July 2011.

Tree in June of 2010

The only disappointment is that the tree didn't bloom this year.  Early in the spring, Andy Simone & I thought the tree might not make it after the cold winter. But it rallied in May, & has been full & lush ever since.  

In the next few years, I expect the tree to spread to almost the full distance between the two villas.  The trees grow to 40 feet in height & 60 feet in width.

If you travel through the older portions of Fort Myers proper, you'll see ancient Royal Poinciana trees usually placed on the west side of many of the older homes. These trees were considered natural "air conditioning" for homes.  They provide dappled shade, and do well in hurricanes & wind storms due to their broad yet lacey growth pattern.  The trees bloom May - June, & can have either yellow or red-orange blossoms.  

Old Royal Poinciana in Fort Myers

And for a bit more comment on trees close to me.  Here is a picture of the Live Oak tree that my roofmates, Paul & Sandy, planted in their backyard back in 2006, & another picture of the tree today.

The Live Oak is that small tree on the far left of the picture

The Live Oak is that big tree on the far left of the picture

Really remarkable growth when you have pictures to compare.  The first picture was taken about 6 months after Hurricane Wilma blew through, so you can also see how the pine tree flourished after the damage of the storm.


Paul tells me that he always has little live oaks in his nature preserve area sprouting from the acorns the trees drop.  He's offering the small Live Oak saplings to anyone willing to do the transplant.  These trees would be great sun buffers for those villas exposed to that intense western light in the late afternoons & for those owners looking to put more "FOREST" into the Forest Villas.


Wishing you a great week!  bj

This is my personal blog NOT affiliated with the FVHOA

Welcome to "Notes from the Neighborhood"

Just thought I’d occasionally post some pictures & notes about what’s going on at Forest Villas.

Blogs are new technology, and I admit that I’m a novice at this, but they seem to be the current day version of neighbors talking over the back fence. 

Can't promise I'm going to post items on a regular basis.  You'll hear from me when some thing's happening in the neighborhood worth mentioning.  If you sign up, then posts will be delivered to your email each time they're published.

.Rain, rain, hope it stays, & comes back day after day

Although it arrived late again this year, the rainy season has finally started down here in Fort Myers.  Not getting the typical afternoon rains, but showers on a regular enough basis to keep the ponds full & the grass green.

Speaking of grass, after much spraying & attention, the lawns are almost free of Dollar Weed that plagued our yards for years.  The lawns are lush & vibrant due to the fertilizer in May, and now the almost daily showers.  However, a few lawns are being attacked again this year by cinch bugs. They are voracious!

Cinch Bugs cause huge brown patches of dead grass in the lawns

The first sign of the bugs shows up as portions of the lawn turning yellow. Then almost overnight the same patches turn brown and die.  The lawns are being treated, but it’s going to take some time to recover.

Cinch Bug damage can be extensive if not caught early

   
The bugs are pretty crafty.  Last year my front lawn was treated.  This year the bugs showed up in my side and back lawns where they feasted until the treatments began.  

Good News!.................New Roofs at Forest Villas !!

Tearing off the Old Roof

Dr. Goodroof is back in the neighborhood!  2 more residents have contracted for the new concrete tile roofs that most residents installed back in 2006.  Yep that's right......it's been almost 5 years since the majority of new roofs went on! 

For those of us keeping score, that means of the total 66 villas, only 8 villas (4 buildings) still remain with the old roofs.  3 of those villas are listed on the MLS as 'short sales" for $90-110k.  YIKES!

Third Day of Re-Roofing

Wishing you a great rest of the weekend.      bj

This is my personal blog NOT affiliated with the FVHOA.