Resident Newsletter May 2023

Bulletin Board

Pay It Forward

Random acts of kindness can make someone's day. Say a simple hello to a stranger, leave a handful of quarters at the laundromat, or deliver treats to a hospital, the fire station or your favorite library.

Journal Prompt: Creativity

Creative works, like movies, books and games, keep the world interesting and fun! Try this creative exercise: Think of a dream you had recently and write or draw something inspired by it.

Notes and News

Memorial Day Holiday

The Gaffney Housing Authority will be closed on Monday, May 29, 2023, in observance of this day to honor all the men and women who have given their lives while serving our country in the military.

In Season

Incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet is important, and in-season produce is your best bet for fresh and delicious picks. Now that the weather is warming, it's time to enjoy asparagus, peas, radishes, fiddleheads, artichokes and morel mushrooms. Springtime fruits include mangos, pineapples, strawberries, apricots, kiwis, and cherries.

Stay Laughing

"If you're going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now." -Marie Osmond

Hugs and Quiches

Endlessly customizable, a quiche is the perfect dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Don't let the fancy French name fool you-this savory tart is quick to put together and calls for basic ingredients like eggs, milk and cheese, plus the proteins or vegetables of your choosing. For convenience, you can use a frozen pie crust and prepare the quiche the day before you plan to serve it. A quiche is a great method of sneaking in veggies, and mini versions, made in a muffin tin, are fun for all ages to eat!

Lucky Giants

Representing luck, prosperity, and wisdom, elephants are popular symbols in many cultures. The decorating technique of feng shui-intentional placement of items to direct energy flow-states that placing an elephant figurine just inside your front entrance, facing indoors, brings good luck into the home.

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

Soft Skills

A Guide to Soft Skills

Not all jobs require the same knowledge or technical skills, but something they do have in common is the need for soft skills. Also called people skills, this term refers to personal traits that affect how you work, as well as how you interact with others. Examples of soft skills include creativity, teamwork, and organization. Unlike technical skills, which are usually acquired through formal schooling or training, soft skills are more likely to be picked up through experience. They're not as easy to define as knowledge-based skills that have a clear right or wrong. But they are just as important, if not more so, than technical skills and can be applied to nearly every situation-not only in the workplace. When surveyed by career experts, a staggering 93% of employers said soft skills play a critical role in their hiring process, and they want to see these skills listed on resumes. In a cover letter or interview, talk about a couple of your strongest soft skills and how you've used them in the past. A list of employers' most desired soft skills include communication, time management, problem-solving, flexibility and a self-driven work ethic. Seek out opportunities where you can develop your soft skills further, such as with a volunteer group, career-building workshops and in personal relationships.

Featured Recipe

Rigatoni With Italian Sausage and Spinach

Ingredients:

8 ounces rigatoni pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
16 ounces ground Italian sausage
1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook following package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside.
In a separate pan, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften. Add Italian sausage and cook until done, breaking meat into small pieces. Add marinara sauce and bring to a low boil.
Add baby spinach and cook until mostly wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Add drained pasta to the pan and toss to coat. Garnish individual servings with Parmesan cheese.
Find more recipes at Bertolli.com.

Wit and Wisdom

"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises." -Pedro Calderon de la Barca
"Nature's first green is gold." -Robert Frost
"Green is the fresh emblem of well-founded hopes. In blue the spirit can wander, but in green it can rest." -Mary Webb
"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." -Doug Larson
"Scrub and polish, sweep and clean, fling your windows wide! See, the trees are clad in green! Coax the spring inside!" -Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron
"Green calm below, blue quietness above." -John Greenleaf Whittier
"I just need green. I need to wake up and see grass and squirrels." -Andre Leon Talley
"Never stay up on the barren heights of cleverness, but come down into the green valleys of silliness." -Ludwig Wittgenstein
"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come." -Chinese proverb
"For still there are so many things that I have never seen: In every wood in every spring there is a different green." -J.R.R. Tolkien