Resident Newsletter January 2023

Bulletin Board

Limestone Residents' Recertification - Beginning Tues., Jan 3rd, through Thur., Jan 5th, 2023, recertification's for Limestone Courts will begin. You will receive your recertification packets in your black mailbox along with your rent notice at the end of December. It is very important that you report any changes in your income immediately!

Please have these forms completed when you come to your appointment.

Notes and News

Attention residents, beginning January 1, 2023, per Lieutenant Poole, citations will be given out on all Gaffney Housing Authority properties if anyone is caught disregarding "Stop" signs posted on the premises.

Decorate with String Lights

You may have started seeing little strings of lights year-round instead of just during the holidays. They are the latest thing in home décor. They're an easy way to add ambiance to an accent wall or around windows, doorways, and mirrors. Create a focal point by running them over your headboard or along some shelves. You can even DIY new centerpieces by filling a glass bottle or jar with battery-operated fairy lights. You'll find string lights in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so grab a box and some adhesive tabs and get to jazz up your home.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday

Highlights

Wake Up Happy

"Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart." -Roy T. Bennett

Protect Your Privacy Online

Data Privacy Day on Jan. 28 reminds us how important it is to keep our personal information secure, especially in this digital age. Use these tips to protect your data online:

On all your devices, keep apps and software up to date.
Use long, unique passwords for different accounts. Change them occasionally or whenever there's a security breach.
Enable multi-factor authentication for important accounts like banking and social media.
Turn off location and activity tracking on mobile apps, and regularly clear cookies on your browser.

Manifest the Best

You've set a goal for the new year. Now what? It's time to manifest the results you want. While some descriptions of manifestations may sound a little out there, at its core, this self-help method is simply taking small steps every day to achieve your goal. Common manifestation techniques include making a vision board, practicing gratitude, journaling, or meditating to focus your thoughts.

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

Frosty Facts About Chilly Critters
While winter weather makes some of us shudder, to these animals, the coldest season is "snow" big deal!

Snowshoe Hare. This astonishing little hare, residing within North America, changes color for the seasons, wearing a white coat in the winter and a brown coat in spring and summer. Snowshoe hares are identifiable by the very tips of their ears, which always stay black, and large hind legs that keep the critters from sinking in the snow.

Snowy Owl. This striking bird is always on the move. As arctic summers are full of extreme daylight, these owls have learned to hunt during the day as well as at night. They travel far, too; one snowy owl, tracked in 2012, made a 7,000-mile round trip through Massachusetts and the Arctic.

Snow Monkey. Also known as the Japanese macaque, these monkeys live on three of the four main Japanese islands. The primates located in the colder areas often bathe in thermal springs heated by volcanoes. They also make snowballs just for fun!

Snow Leopard. At home in the Himalayas and other mountain ranges of Asia, snow leopards are solitary and elusive, earning them the nickname "ghosts of the mountains." the cat stays cozy by wrapping its long tail around its body like a blanket.

Arctic Ground Squirrel. This is the only ground squirrel that dwells in the northernmost regions of Russia and North America. These mammals hibernate for seven to eight months and have a rare way of doing it: their body temperature drops below freezing, and they can spend 12 to 15 hours shivering in their sleep to stay warm.

Inspire Your Creativity in the New Year

Are you stuck in a creative rut? Or maybe you are just beginning your creative journey, and you don't know where to start. Don't fret! The good news is that creativity is more of a learned skill than a born talent. This means you can boost your creativity and improve your craft.

Make Time for Creative Thinking. Our lives can get busy, but frazzled brains and packed schedules don't lend themselves to a creative flow. Steven Kotler, an author and expert on human performance, suggests scheduling regular "non-time," which is essentially time that is your own. To get creative in this non-time, allow yourself to daydream, brainstorm, or journal. Reward your curiosity; follow that thought down the rabbit hole without worrying about wasting time.

Get happy! When you are in a good mood, your brain is more sensitive to out-of-the-box thinking, meaning you are more open to fresh ideas and creative solutions. Building your confidence will also aid in your artistic journey, helping you overcome the fear of failure when exploring new creative outlets.

Just get started. Creativity can stem from creativity: Pick up an instrument and begin learning; grab a canvas and draw or paint freely; sling that camera strap over your head and take a walk outside. Even exercising or playing chess can improve creativity levels.

In Style with Argyle

You have most likely seen argyle socks or sweaters while watching golf, or maybe on a cycler or soccer player. With overlapping diamond shapes and intersecting lines that help create texture, movement, and a 3d effect, argyle is a dynamic design that has stood the test of time.

Argyle originated with the tartan pattern of Clan Campbell, a highland clan from the county of Argyll in western Scotland. The design has been worn on kilts and socks since the 17th century. In the early 1900s, the knitwear company Pringle of Scotland developed its signature argyle pattern, the basis of many modern argyle motifs.

Following World War I, argyle's popularity soared thanks to Edward, the Prince of Wales, a fashionable trendsetter who often sported the pattern on his socks and jersey while golfing.

In the 1990s, champion golfer Payne Stewart was known for his flashy outfits and argyle socks. So far, the 21st century has seen the design woven into the uniforms of several sports teams and worn by celebs as a nod to all things '90s.

Celebrate argyle day on Jan. 8 by wearing the pattern on a sweater, knitting party or bake a dessert and decorate it with an argyle pattern using frosting or fondant.

Solutions for Cluttered Surfaces.

In many homes, flat surfaces are magnets for clutter. Keep your space clean and comfortable with these tips:

Keeping surfaces tidy starts with a simple rule: don't put it down; put it away. Clutter often accumulates because things don't have a proper place. Before setting an item on a surface, ask yourself where you would go looking for it if you suddenly needed it. Then, go put it in that spot.

A major source of tabletop clutter is unloading items when you arrive home. Instead of dropping bags to the floor or stacking mail on the counter, change your routine. Use hooks to hang keys, bags, and jackets as soon as you walk in the door. Sort mail immediately, filing what needs to be kept and tossing or recycling the rest.

Kitchen and bathroom counters can easily become overcrowded. Only leave out the stuff you use daily, and store other items in cabinets, on shelves, or on hooks.

Trays and baskets are attractive solutions for storing loose items, but they can quickly fill to overflowing if they're used as catchall containers. If objects in the container can go somewhere else, do that instead. Assign only certain things to a specific tray or basket so they stay organized, not just a tabletop version of a junk drawer.

Once a surface is decluttered, do your best to keep it that way by doing a quick cleanup every day or once a week.

Featured Recipe

Onion, Mushroom, and Bacon Pierogies

Craving comfort food on a cold winter's day? Whip up these savory dumplings.

Ingredients:

4 strips bacon, chopped
3 small onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 /2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 package frozen cheddar pierogis'
Sour cream, for serving

Directions:

Cook the chopped bacon over medium-high heat until tips begin to crisp.
With bacon and drippings still in pan, add onions, mushrooms, thyme, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until onions begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Set aside.
Melt butter in a clean skillet and sauté pierogies according to the package directions.
Top pierogies with caramelized onion mixture. Serve with sour cream.
Find more recipes at MrsTsPierogies.com.

Wit and Wisdom

"I don't need a big house ... Just a cozy one." -Brooke Lea Foster
"Words of comfort, skillfully administered, are the oldest therapy known to man." -Louis Nizer
"There's a different kind of comfort that comes from knowing that you are putting your best foot forward." -Tom Ford
"Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are." -Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
"All food is comfort food. Maybe I just like to chew." -Lewis Black
"There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers." -Deborah Norville
"Songs don't wear out. Good songs are good now. If they were a comfort during those hard times in the past, they'll be a comfort in today's age." -Levon Helm
"I'm a big believer in small, dark, cozy bedrooms ... I need the enveloping comfort of a little squirrel's nest when I have to retreat from the world to recharge." -Michael Bastian
"There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow creatures and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort." -Charlotte Bronte

January 2023 Calendar

January 1

New Year's 1

January 2

New Year's Day (observed) - Office Closed

January 6

Office Closed

January 8

Late Charge Added

January 13

Office Closed

January 15

Warrants Issued

January 16

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Office Closed

January 20

Office Closed

January 27

Office Closed

"This Month in History"
January

1908: Illuminated by 100 lightbulbs, the new year's ball drops in New York City's Times Square for the first time. There have been seven different times square balls since, with the current design bedazzled with over 32,000 LEDs.
1915: Rocky Mountain National Park is established in Colorado, ensuring the region's environment, habitat, and wildlife stay protected.
1929: The Seeing Eye, a training school for dog guides, opens in Nashville. The organization was originally founded to breed and train dogs for visually impaired World War I veterans.
1933: Work begins on the Golden Gate Bridge. The famous San Francisco Bay Bridge was completed four years later.
1942: Twenty-six countries sign the declaration of the United Nations, reaffirming their opposition to the axis powers of World War II.
1960: Senator John F. Kennedy announces his intent to gain the Democratic presidential nomination. Voters later elected him as the nation's 35th president.
1984: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that recording TV programs on home VCRs does not violate copyright laws.
1994: At 14 years old, Peter Leko becomes the youngest grandmaster in chess. Abhimanyu Mishra, who obtained the title at age 12, is the current record holder.
2007: Apple introduces the first iPhone, which features a 3.5-inch touchscreen, built-in microphone, and headset controls.