Resident Newsletter April 2023

Office Closed

The office will be closed on Monday, April 10, 2023, for Easter Monday.

Journal Prompt: Emotions

Emotions are healthy, but sometimes they can be overwhelming or confusing. Writing down how we feel helps make sense of all that goes on in our heads. Journal about your emotions today. Whether you are feeling happy or sad, describe your reasons.

Notes and News

Indoor Spring Décor

You don't need a green thumb to bring the benefits of nature inside your home. Botanical-themed décor can have the same energizing effect as live greenery. Start with something simple for the season: Frame a springy print or an empty seed packet for some instant art. Choosing a larger frame with a mat can elevate the look even more.

Get Fit With LIIT

You may have heard of high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, which involves bursts of vigorous exercise alternated with short cool-off periods. Now, meet the training regimen gaining fans for its gentler approach: low-intensity interval training, or LIIT. The concept is similar, but instead of pushing you to the max, the exercises are lower-impact and slower-paced, and the recovery time is longer. Fitness experts say the versatility of LIIT workouts makes them ideal for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Fancy PB and J

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a childhood favorite, but the tasty fun doesn't have to end when we reach adulthood. In fact, President George W. Bush proudly stated that PB and J was his favorite sandwich. Jazz up your sandwich by using raisin bread, grilling it, or turning it into French toast. Or add in a new flavor with a swirl of cream cheese, crunchy potato chips, crisp fresh fruit, brie cheese, or toasted coconut flakes.

National Park Week

Did you know that the U.S. is home to 63 national parks and 423 protected sites? With so many opportunities to view Earth's natural beauty as well as historic locations and monuments, it's time to take advantage of National Park Week, held in mid-April. Kick off your adventure with this fun fact: California has the most national parks at nine, and Alaska is right behind it with eight.

Important Numbers

Central Office 864.489.3193
Emergency Maintenance 864.489-3193
TTY# 864.487.9460
Fire, Police, Ambulance 911
Lisa Dewberry - Property Manager
Beltline Courts 864.489.3193
Colonial Heights 864.488.1085
Geraldine Bullock - Property Manager
Limestone Courts 864.489.1042
Bonnie Sanford - Property Manager
Granard Courts 864.488.1179

Marbles Keep on Rolling

When you hear the word "marbles," do you have nostalgic memories of playground games? Or maybe you or someone you know has a vast collection of colorful orbs. No matter what comes to mind, marbles have been around for a very long time, yet continue to entertain.

People have been playing with marbles as far back as 2500 B.C., based on the discovery of small cylindrical stones at an excavation site in modern-day Pakistan. However, it wasn't until 16th-century Germany that the playful objects were given the name marbles. That's when artisans were beginning to polish them from bits of marble rock.

Many marble-based games have evolved over the years. One of the most famous is Ringer, aka Ring Taw. Gameplay is similar to billiards: 49 target marbles are placed within a large ring on the ground. Teams of six players have a slightly larger "shooter" marble, which is used to knock the rest of the marbles out of the ring. The first team to knock out 25 target marbles wins.

Legend says Ringer began in 1588 when two young suitors from Tinsley Green, England, used the game to win the hand of a milk maiden. The contest was revived in 1932; now known as the British and World Marbles Championship, welcomes players from all over the globe to Tinsley Green every spring for some good old-fashioned fun and competition.

Featured Recipe

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
2/3 cup walnuts
1 can (16 ounces) cream cheese frosting

Directions:

Heat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream oil and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the carrots and pineapple, as you continue to mix.
Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and beat until smooth. Fold in the walnuts. Pour batter into two greased 8-inch round cake pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool completely, then remove from pans and slice off the tops to make them level. Spread frosting over the top of one cake and stack the second cake on top. Frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting.
Find more recipes at Culinary.net.

Wit and Wisdom

"The sky is always beautiful. Even when it's dark or rainy or cloudy, it's still beautiful to look at ... and it'll be there no matter what." -Colleen Hoover
"Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky." -Kahlil Gibran
"The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the color that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again." -Ram Charan
"I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings." -Gustave Flaubert
"Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky actually begins at the earth." -Diane Ackerman
"I like the sky. You can look at it forever and never get tired of it, and when you don't want to look at it anymore, you stop." -Haruki Murakami
"Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life." -John Updike
"Every time I see the sunshine in the bright blue sky, I cannot help but think how blessed I really am to see another day." -Donna Karan
"We touch the sky, not to soar above the clouds, but to show respect to the earth beneath our feet." -Anthony T. Hincks