Resident Newsletter August 2023

Bulletin Board

Limestone Courts Saturday, August 5th, 2023, beginning at 12 noon until 3 pm, the Concord Baptist Church and Baylor's Care will host its annual Back-to-School giveaway. During this event, Blessing bags and shoes will be given to all students whose parents completed an application.

Lifelong Knowledge

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -Xun Kuang

Notes and News

Important Office Closing Dates

Attention, GHA Residents!!! The Gaffney Housing Authority Staff will be out of the office Monday, August 28, through Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Property Managers will be attending a Staff Development Training Class at this time but will resume normal office hours on Thursday, August 31st. The answering service will still be available during normal business hours to answer any questions and you will still be able to call in work orders for maintenance. All rent change requests must be made no later than Thursday, August 10, 2023, to be effective September 1. No Exceptions: your rent will not be changed if information is not in the office by August 10, 2023.

Nutrition Times a Melon

For a sweet taste of summer that's healthy, too, load up your plate with melon. Cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon are full of nutrients, including vitamin C and potassium. Thanks to the fruits' natural sweetness and high water content, snacking on melon is a great way to quench thirst and stay full without excess calories or sugar.

DIY Ice Balloons

Going on a day trip and packing a cooler of drinks? Before summer draws to an official end, make use of this fun ice hack: Fill water balloons and stick them in the freezer until solid; then, use those in your cooler instead of ice. They'll stay frozen longer and won't leak, so you can say goodbye to soggy drink containers and wet hands after grabbing a refreshment. The best part? After they've completely melted, you can have a water balloon fight!

Universal Hue

Though outer space appears inky black, astronomers have determined that the average color of the universe is ... beige!

Combining all the starlight in the galaxies with the visible clouds and dust in space produces a composite color that has been dubbed "cosmic latte."

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

Truth in Science Fiction

From driverless cars to robot vacuum cleaners, science fiction has envisioned many technological advances that have since become reality. Whiz through this list of everyday products that got their start in the world of sci-fi:

Credit cards. In his 1888 novel "Looking Backward," writer Edward Bellamy envisioned a future where f f'lf citizen has a credit card-a \ ·""term at the time-that they can use to purchase anything, anywhere, anytime. Sound familiar?

Automatic doors. How many times have you gone through an automatic door-too many to count, right? Before sliding doors were invented in 1954, they appeared in H.G. Wells' 1899 story "When the Sleeper Wakes." In that tale, though, they slid upward into the ceiling.

Mobile phones. Beloved sci-fi series "Star Trek" is known for predicting many inventions, including a device that most of us own: a cellphone. When Motorola director Martin Cooper developed the first mobile phone in 1973, he credited the "communicators" used by Captain Kirk and company as inspiration.

Wireless earbuds. The "thimble radios" in Ray Bradbury's iconic novel "Fahrenheit 451," published in 1953, bear an uncanny resemblance to modern earbuds. Using wireless technology, Bradbury's devices fit inside people's ears to deliver "an electronic ocean of sound, of music, and talk."

Featured Recipe

Citrus Watermelon

Summertime is sweet when you're sipping on this fresh and fruity beverage.

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
6 cups cubed watermelon, seeds and rind removed
2 cups orange juice
1 cup grapefruit juice
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup lime juice
2 to 3 medium oranges, peeled and diced
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Directions:

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and heat on low until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until chilled.
In a blender, puree 4 cups of the cubed watermelon until smooth. Pour into a larger pitcher. Add the chilled sugar syrup, orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemon juice and lime juice. Stir until well combined.
Add remaining 2 cups of cubed watermelon, diced oranges and mint leaves to pitcher. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve over ice and garnish with an orange slice and fresh mint, if desired.
Find more recipes at FloridaCitrus.org.

Wit and Wisdom

"My connection to the Earth is reinforced through the rhythm of the waves." -Mike Dolan
"Life is strong and fragile. It's a paradox ... It's a particle and a wave at the same time. It all exists all together." -Joan Jett
"If you want to enjoy good music, watch the faces of those who are listening to it, and try to compute the thousands of memories that never ride anything but sound waves." -Henry Stanley Haskins
"Life is a series of waves to be embraced and overcome." -Danny Meyer
"Meditation is like going to the bottom of the sea, where everything is calm and tranquil. On the surface there may be a multitude of waves, but the sea is not affected below." -Sri Chinmoy
"The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave." -Thomas Jefferson
"I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows." -Drew Barrymore
"Beauty sleeps on the calm dreamy bosom of the ocean, or lives in the dance of its wild waves." -Thomas Clark Henley
"The winds and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators." -Edward Gibbon