1. Art and Diseño

FALLS
RUN
February 2015
www.fallsrun.org
GAZETTE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
A Day in the
Life of Falls Run
To help document the people and
events that occur at Falls Run, the
Gazette will sponsor a photo contest
to tell the story of the seasons through
“A Day in the Life of Falls Run.” The
winter date will be Friday, March 20.
Everyone is encouraged to particpate.
Watch for details in the March Gazette
and on the Falls Run website.
Indoor Pool Closing
As part of the Desert Aire
replacement project, the indoor
pool will be closed for replacement
of the dehumidification unit from
approximately February 6 through
March 10. This schedule is subject to
change.
Photographers
We have a Gazette opening for a
staff photographer to take photos
in support of newsletter articles. If
interested, contact the editor.
Valentine's Day Lunch
The Social Committee has a fun
day planned for the February 14
Valentine’s Day. There will be a
luncheon, with a special performance
by the Falls Run Men’s Chorus,
and then a fashion show featuring
Chicos. Price is $10. Sign-up with the
concierge. For any other information,
call Kit Wilkinson at (540) 371-3569.
Amazon Free $$$
Remember that when you purchase
from Amazon, go through the Amazon
link on the Falls Run website. Falls
Run gets a commission. It’s not a
lot, but it’s “free money.” There is
no additional charge added to the
purchases.
Falls Run Gazette
1
February 2015
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Chadwick Art in State Assembly
By Elizabeth Clements
Barbara Chadwick has always
loved art. She was a docent for 10
years at the Phoenix Art Museum
and then a docent in training at
the DeYoung Museum in San
Fransisco.
However, she didn’t start
painting with watercolors until she
was 60. Then, about seven years
ago, after taking a class while
visiting England, she became
interested in botanicals.
Chadwick belongs to the
Central Virginia Botanical Artists,
whose members were asked to
submit two pieces of art each,
from which several were selected
to hang for a month in the General
Assembly building in Richmond.
Two of Chadwick’s renderings
were chosen; a watercolor of an
artichoke and a color pencil drawing
titled “Pumpkin Madness.”
Chadwick also teaches a Falls
Run watercolor class on Thursdays
at 10 a.m. There is no fee for the
class and beginners, as well as
experienced painters, are welcome.
Barbara Chadwick displays her
‘Artichoke’ botanical watercolor.
Anyone interested in joining the
class can sign up by calling her at
(540) 310-4177.
Falls Run residents who are
in Richmond before February
28 should stop by the General
Assembly building at 910 Capitol
St. on Capitol Square to see the
many botanicals on display.
Birthday and Wedding Anniversaries
Are You Celebrating a Milestone?
Every wedding anniversary is special and each couple is unique, but certain
milestones do stand out. The Gazette would like to acknowledge wedding
anniversaries from the 25th on up. If you are about to reach your 25th, 30th,
40th, 50th and every five years after that anniversary, please alert us.
Birthdays are inevitable. They also are tributes to life and occasions to
celebrate accomplishments. When your age reaches three quarters of a century
or 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 and every year after that, be proud and let us give you a
shout out.
Falls Run residents can have their significant birthday or wedding
anniversary recognized by contacting Connie Block by phone at (540) 374-9370
or by e-mail at [email protected].
2
Falls Run
Gazette
The Falls Run Gazette is the
official publication of the
Falls Run Community. The
newsletter, distributed to
all Falls Run residences, is
published 11 times per year,
monthly with a combined
July-August issue.
Interim
Editor in Chief
Peter Martin
[email protected]
Contributing Editor
Susan Smart
Staff Writers
Connie Block
Barbara Chadwick
Elizabeth Clements
Jeanette Doolittle
Joan Frank
Art Gabler
Donna Kappler
Judi Neumann
Judy Rao
Sue Silvers
Contributing Writers
Steve Beasley
Chuck Heath
Mary Mork
Advertising Manager
Keith Marine
[email protected]
Falls Run
Community Association
President
Don McCreary
General Manager
Julie Hebdon
(540) 899-9958
[email protected]
Activities Director
Keith Marine
(540) 371-4563
[email protected]
© 2015 Falls Run
Community Association
Falls Run Gazette
February 2015
Activities Director Report
One Step at a Time
By Keith Marine
One step at a time. There are so many projects and ideas, but so little time to
complete them all. The Activities Director position requires so much repetitive
month to month tasks that time management is critical. Working smarter, not
harder, applies in this case and is essential.
My next major focus will be to create a survey for the Falls Run community.
I welcome your suggestions for questions to ask and incorporate into the
survey. My goal is to have this survey completed by the end of February and
available for the residents by the beginning of March. Residents will have
about two months to submit their responses. This information will go a long
way toward planning events, activities and trips for 2016. Your voice will be
heard, but only if you speak.
Communication is the key. I’m constantly working on ways to improve
our ability to disseminate information about events, activities and schedules.
Learning the nuances of how the residents of Falls Run gather and search
for information about the community can be very confusing. What I have
discovered is that everyone uses a different source and that we need to be
consistent with the information and provide it to all the outlets: the Center,
e-mail updates, Falls Run Gazette and the website.
Note that the staff
does not use the Yahoo
group to disseminate
information. That is for
residents to use.
As we continue
to
improve
our
communication
techniques, understand
that if we forget
something, omit a
particular outlet in
providing information,
it was not done
intentionally nor was
it done to exclude
anyone. We are human
and we can make
honest mistakes.
Lastly, let me leave
you with a thought for
Valentine’s Day:
Life is too short
to worry about stupid
things. Have fun. Fall
in love. Regret nothing,
and don’t let people
bring you down.
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
3
Who Knew?
Sue Silvers:
The Undercover Cook
By Susan Smart
She retired in 2008 after 26 years with
Have you ever wanted to be a spy? I
the CIA.
did, but never got to be one. Neither did
Sue decided last year to move north
one of our residents, Sue Silvers—but
to be closer to many of her good friends
she did work for both the FBI and the
in northern Virginia and to enjoy the
CIA, although not at the same time!
cooler temperatures and snow.
Sue was born in Fall River, Mass.,
She knew she wanted to move to a
and grew up in Warren, R.I. After high
55+ community and was glad to find
school she went to Hartford Airline
Falls Run and loves the Villa that she
School in Hartford, Conn., to become
found.
a stewardess, but there were no jobs
Sue loves to cook and bake—and
available when she was finished.
we’ve enjoyed her baking at the Gazette
A friend she met at the airline school
and at travel committee meetings! That
who had a job with the FBI convinced
love has translated into her “Chef’s
her to come to Washington, D.C., and
Corner” column in the Gazette.
apply for a job at the Bureau, where
Sue has also taken over the Welcome
she met her husband, Gene Silvers, in
Sue Silvers (Rachael Nieves photo)
Wagon volunteer position for the Villas
a fingerprint class. Sue worked as a
fingerprint technician for a year and a half. This was and is enjoying it very much. She also loves going to
before scanners did the work and when the technicians movies, eating out and visiting friends.
She has many friends throughout the United States
had to use magnifying glasses to read the prints.
Sue couldn’t see herself peering through a and still corresponds with two friends in Japan. Sue is
magnifying glass for the rest of her life, so she quit and, generous to a fault, well traveled, and is very much a
people person who enjoys the residents and amenities
later, so did her husband.
He then got a job at the CIA as a logistics officer in at Falls Run.
1973 and, in 1980, they and their two children moved
to Yokosuka, Japan, for two years before returning to
Dale City, Va.
In 1983, Sue got a job with the CIA and, in 1985,
she and her husband were assigned to Tegucigalpa,
Honduras, for two years. When they returned to
Virginia, Sue’s husband had mental health issues as
a result of his time in the Vietnam War and he was
medically retired in 1991. They divorced and, from
1991 to 1994, she and the children went to Bonn,
Germany, for her assignment to the Bonn Embassy.
While in Germany, Sue went on several bus and
train trips to Paris, Luxembourg, The Hague, Holland,
and Belgium and took car trips to Berlin, Dusseldorf,
Cologne, Weisbaden and Frankfurt.
In 1998, Sue went on an assignment to the embassy
in Tokyo and met Mike Piazza, Jesse Ventura, John
Glenn and President Clinton.
Sue’s last assignment was in Williamsburg in 2005.
4
Falls Run Gazette
February 2015
Health Notes
The Straight Skinny on Senior Skin
By Connie Block
The body’s largest organ, the
skin, protects against heat, sunlight,
injury and infection. It also helps
control temperature and stores
water, fat and vitamin D.
Our skin ages along with the rest
of us. Most damage results from the
sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light breaking
down elastic tissue in the skin
and causing stretching, sagging,
wrinkling and blotches.
Other factors are loss of fatty tissue
between skin and muscle, stress, gravity,
smiling and frowning, and obesity.
Older skin roughens or dries due to the
loss of oil glands. To combat dry skin, take
tepid baths or showers, pat versus rub dry
and moisturize immediately. Use creams
rather than lotions, which contain drying alcohol. A
humidifier will help decrease evaporation from the skin.
There may be benign skin growths, such as seborrheic
keratoses and angiomas, along with loose facial skin
(“laugh or worry lines”), thinned or transparent skin,
increased bruising and brown “age spots.” A seborrheic
keratosis is a slightly elevated brown, black or light tan
growth on the face, chest, shoulders or back. Seborrheic
keratoses come in multiples, normally are painless and
don’t become cancerous. Angiomas, also noncancerous,
are small, cherry-red growths of blood vessels.
Nothing undoes skin damage, so keep skin healthy.
Use sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more and wear
a broad-brimmed hat plus sunglasses that block UV
rays, also linked to eye conditions such as cataracts.
(Sunglasses that fit over prescription glasses are a great
invention.) Cover exposed skin with long sleeves and
pants. Avoid tanning booths and sunlamps.
UV rays are present year round, even on cloudy
days, and are strongest in our area in late spring and
early summer. They reflect off water, cement, sand
and snow. Avoid prolonged exposure during midday
hours—10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some common prescription
and over-the-counter drugs, including antibiotics, can
make the skin more sensitive to sunlight. Ask about
medication side effects and take extra precautions about
avoiding the sun if sensitivity is one of them.
Sun exposure (UV radiation)
is the most common cause of
precancers and skin cancer.
A million Americans each year
will develop a skin cancer by age 65.
General risk factors for developing
skin cancer include: light skin, blue
or green eyes, and blond or red
hair; family history; sun exposure,
especially sunburns in early life; and
indoor tanning.
Basal cell and squamous cell
carcinomas are the two most common types
of skin cancer. Also called nonmelanomas,
they usually are on skin exposed to sun.
Most can be cured, but they can be
disfiguring and costly. Melanomas arise in
the pigment cells, are more dangerous and
cause the most deaths.
Be alert to a change in the skin: a new growth, a sore
that doesn’t heal, or a change in a mole. Seek medical
advice for any of the signs of melanoma below:
• A – Asymmetrical (irregular shape with two parts
that look very different)
• B – Border (jagged or irregular)
• C – Color (uneven)
• D – Diameter (mole or spot larger than pea size)
• E – Evolving (changed during the past few weeks
or months)
Melanoma can develop anywhere on the body. In
men, it most often is on the face or trunk. In women,
melanoma most often develops on the lower legs.
In both, melanoma can occur on skin that hasn’t
been exposed to the sun. In people with darker skin
tones, melanoma tends to occur on the palms or soles,
or under the fingernails or toenails.
Most melanomas can be seen by the naked eye.
They usually grow for a long time under the epidermis,
allowing time for the melanoma to be found before
spreading to the dermis or other parts of the body.
In the United States, the number of cases of both
nonmelanoma skin cancer and melanomas seems to
have increased in recent years. Part of the reason may
be that people are more aware of skin cancer and have
exams and biopsies that diagnose skin cancer.
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
5
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded
that there is not enough evidence to recommend for, or
against, routine screening (total body examination by
a doctor). The USPSTF recommends that doctors: be
aware that fair-skinned men and women aged 65 and
older, and people with atypical moles or more than 50
moles, are at greater risk for melanoma; and that they
look for skin abnormalities when performing physical
examinations for other reasons.
Informative Websites
www.epa.gov/sunwise/UV-index
Developed by the National Weather Service and the
Environmental Protection Agency, the index forecasts
the expected risk of overexposure (in minutes) to UV
radiation. The scale goes from 0 (low) to 15 (extremely
high). It takes into account clouds and local conditions
affecting the amount of UV rays. Calculations for cities
across the United States are available.
www.mayoclinic.org (Diseases and Treatments)
Clinical information about seborrheic keratoses,
actinic keratoses, angiomas and skin cancers.
www.Bing.com/images/search
Good images of keratoses, angiomas and skin
cancers.
“Now I see better than ever,
thanks to Crystalens.TM ”
Correct Your Cataracts + See Better Than Ever!
Graham Nash,
Legendary Musician
Learn about all the new FDA-approved lenses that can eliminate or dramatically reduce the
need for glasses after your cataract surgery. Call or stop by to speak with a surgical coordinator to discuss your options.
Now Offering Hearing Healthcare Services
Signi�cant vision and hearing loss often occur together. As part of our comprehensive eye
examinations, our staff may perform a quick screening to see how our patients’ eyes and
ears are functioning together. All diagnostic hearing tests are complimentary. Based on
that screening, your doctor may suggest a more complete exam.
Hearing Aid Specialist Bert Ferren has joined our staff. We provide a large selection of the
�nest, most advanced, state-of-the-art digital, programmable hearing aids.
Your eyesight is precious.
Trust it to Access Eye Centers.
Bert Ferren
Hearing Aid Specialist
540.371.20/20
We welcome Tri-Care, VSP & most insurance.
www.AccessEye.com
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
6
Our Lifestyle
STARTS WITH A SMILE
at
CHA NCELLOR ’ S V I LLAG E
LET US TAKE
THE WORRY OUT
OF THE MOVE.
Call to talk with
our moving specialist
and let us take
care of the cost*.
CALL FOR DETAILS
888-239-4495
*Terms and conditions apply.
Live the life you’ve always dreamed
Upon your first visit to Chancellor’s Village, you might have to pinch
yourself. When you live on our beautiful campus, we take care of the
chores so that you can live your life pursuing your passions, or simply
enjoying a life of leisure. Our beautifully furnished common areas
include game rooms, an exercise room, an elegant dining room, library,
activity rooms, and more. We’ve designed our community for you to live
according to your desires—follow your passions at your own pace.
I N DE P E N DE N T L I V I NG | A SSI S T E D L I V I NG
12100 CHANCELLOR’S VILLAGE LANE | FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22407
WWW.SENIORLIFESTYLE.COM
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
7
In The Garden
Spring Planning
Lawn Services, Pruning and Tree Topping
By Chuck Heath
February kicks off the gardening season in
Falls Run. During this month, we need to do some
planning, think about using a lawn service, do some
pruning and plan for changes we want to make on our
property. Please remember that if you plan to renovate
trees, shrubs or hardscapes, or other major garden
undertakings, you need to submit an application to
the Modifications Committee before you begin work.
Applications are available from the concierge at the
Center and at www.fallsrun.org.
Lawn services—Now that the warm weather is on
our doorstep, many homeowners will be signing up for
lawn services to keep their turf grass, trees and shrubs
healthy and attractive. Competing companies will
solicit your business with promises of better products,
more attentive service or a lower price; so here are
some tips on finding a good service:
• Every lawn service is different, so ask questions
and determine exactly what each provides. A fullservice firm will offer lawn analysis, fertilizing and
seeding, weed and pest control and care for your trees
and shrubs. Their products will be applied four or five
times, from spring through fall. Some services also
offer mowing and even watering, if you wish.
• Tell your prospective or current lawn service that
you want them to precisely follow the Falls Run lawn
management program. Give them a copy. Don’t take
no for an answer.
• Before selecting a service, do your homework.
Talk with your neighbors to see which companies have
done a good job. Ask for references here in Falls Run,
and call them.
• Most services use pesticides to provide weed and
pest control. Do they post signs to alert you and your
neighbors? How long must you stay off the treated
area? In the Commonwealth of Virginia, all pesticide
applicators must be licensed by the state. Ask to see
their license.
Pruning—This is the right time to prune your oaks,
maples and crape myrtles. Pruning needs to be done
while these plants are dormant (sap is not running).
Virginia Tech has pruning calendars available for shrubs,
Tree Topping is not permitted in Falls Run.
deciduous trees and evergreen trees. Visit their website
at: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-460/430-460.html.
Tree Topping—is a shortterm solution with serious longterm consequences. Topping is
a very damaging practice that is
severely detrimental to a tree’s
health and natural beauty. There
are many reasons not to top trees
and there are alternatives to
topping. Topping is not normal, it’s not beautiful, and
it’s not cheap. Tree Topping is not permitted in Falls
Run.
Many homeowners have their trees topped when
the trees reach heights they consider unsafe. They are
afraid a strong wind will blow the trees down. What
they fail to realize is that they are actually creating the
very problems they are trying to avoid.
If the tree survives, many weakly attached branches
will just sprout back next year, usually higher and
bushier than the original limbs. Thus, topping creates
more, not fewer, hazardous trees.
Please contact a licensed arborist and have them
explain why you should not top a tree. This is a no-cost
phone call.
Monday morning plant clinics will resume
on February 23 at 8 a.m. in the Center. If you have
any questions before then, contact me by e-mail at:
[email protected] or call (540) 368-8113.
(Chuck Heath is a certified advanced master
gardener and tree steward.)
8
Falls Run Gazette
February 2015
Construction on Route 17 to Improve Traffic Flow
By Susan Smart
While U.S. Route 17, known as the Ocean
Highway, runs through Fredericksburg it also winds
its way from New York to Florida. It is 1,206 miles
long and was constructed in 1926. In southeastern
Virginia and northeastern North Carolina it runs along
the Great Dismal Swamp where, at one time, George
Washington owned several thousand acres.
During the 1700s, slaves pushed loaded barges with
long poles up and down canals, creating walking paths.
This was probably how Route 17 came to parallel the
Dismal Swamp Canal. In 1796, work on the canal was
stopped and a road was built on the eastern bank that
opened in 1804 and evolved into today’s U.S. 17.
Sometime in the 1920s the road was paved,
drawbridges were added at Deep Creek and South
Mills (in 1934) and the road was widened from 20 to
30 feet.
Today, Route 17 in Stafford County is being
widened again, from four to six lanes west of I-95 from
McLane Drive to just north of Stafford Lakes Parkway,
a distance of approximately two miles. Construction began in June 2013 and will be
completed sometime in December 2016. The new lane
capacity is expected to reduce congestion leading up to
the merge with I-95.
The $48.9 million Virginia Department of
Transportation project is critical to accommodating the
anticipated future travel demand on Route 17, which
is expected to grow from 55,000 vehicles per day in
2013 to 96,000 vehicles per day by 2034. Truck traffic
represents 17 percent of the number of vehicles.
Additional features of the project include a double
left turn lane at key intersections, a five-foot sidewalk
northbound and southbound, upgraded traffic signals
and a realigned entrance to Berea Church Road.
The project includes eight intersections with traffic
signals, which will all receive traffic signal upgrades:
McLane Drive, Falls Run Drive/VDOT Park & Ride
Commuter Lot, Plantation Drive/Commerce Drive,
Litchfield Boulevard/McWhirt Loop, Banks Ford
Drive, Celebrate Virginia Parkway/International
Drive, Banks Ford Parkway/Berea Church Road and
Stafford Lakes Parkway.
In addition, the crossover at Powell Lane will be
closed and Fleet Road will be closed between Route 17
and Berea Church Road. In conjunction with the Route 17 upgrade,
construction on Route 1, Route 17 Business and Route
218 (Butler Road) will reduce the average wait time
for drivers at the intersection of these highways in
Stafford County. These intersections are being widened for new
turn lanes and through lanes. With more capacity for
vehicles to pass through the intersection on each traffic
signal cycle, the delay for motorists is expected to be
reduced.
For up-to-date information about the progress
of the construction, go online and visit: http://www.
virginiadot.org/projects/fredericksburg/route_17_
widening,_stafford_county.asp
Outside our neighborhood, the U.S. 17 widening
project in southeastern Virginia runs along the eastern
edge of the world-renowned Great Dismal Swamp
National Wildlife Refuge.
The project there includes a donation of 758
acres of wetlands, construction of a bear crossing
and installation of culverts that serve as crossings for
smaller wildlife like raccoons, opossums, coyotes,
groundhogs, cats and squirrels.
The road needed to be widened because it could no
longer handle the heavy traffic between North Carolina
and Virginia.
During the last decade, this stretch of road saw 256
crashes and 30 fatalities. However, the Commonwealth
faced a state budget shortfall and money for the project
was pulled during the late 1970s.
Although North Carolina built its portion of the
road more than 20 years ago, Virginia’s Route 17
widening project languished for years.
When it resurfaced, VDOT had to reinitiate the
National Environmental Policy Act process and prepare
an environmental impact statement, pursue all of the
permits again, deal with new and tougher regulations
and face increased resistance from environmentalists.
The combination of the historic and natural
resources of the Dismal Swamp area made this 12mile stretch of Route 17 a special case, where lanes
could not be added and a new road had to be built.
The Route 17 project in southeastern Virginia
has received national recognition from the Federal
Highway Administration for protecting wildlife and
preserving the swamp ecosystem. February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
9
Caption: The blue line indicates the current construction on Route 17 in our immediate area.
Adopt a Highway
A dedicated group of Falls Run
volunteers gathers regularly to pick
up litter along Plantation Drive.
During the winter months they
meet every other month. The day is
determined by the weather.
The group motto is, “Many hands
make short work,” and the group
is always looking for residents to
participate.
To make a difference and add your
name to the crew list, contact Linda
Brown by e-mail at: LLB1545@
gmail.com.
The Falls Run Adopt a Highway crew (from left): Linda Brown, Bill
Arnst, Donna McGee, Jim Carlson and Beth Kelley. Absent from photo
are: Bill Brown, Kit and Pete Wilkinson, Maureen Taylor, Sharon Higgins
and Suzanne Mercure.
Falls Run Gazette
10
February 2015
Saturday is Game Night
By Elizabeth Clements
This is the first of many articles highlighting
the variety of activities offered in Falls Run.
Saturday Game Night is the newest of these.
Several months ago, after talking to many
people, residents Rita Pinion, Jeanne Sampson
and Mary Mork realized that it would be nice
to have a community-wide activity on a Saturday
evening.
Determining an interest and getting permission
from the board to extend the usual Saturday hours at
the Center, led to Game Night being born.
Game playing starts promptly at 6 p.m. Everyone
is invited to come and bring games of their choice or to
join others in a variety of pursuits.
Currently, the most popular activities are Shanghai,
played with cards; Mexican Train, played with
dominoes; Mahjong played with tiles and Sequence,
a board game. Some participants even enjoy a game
of pool.
The group envisioned many different games
being played but found that some people wanted to
play something that no one else did, so a list
of contact people for other activities is being
started. With a little advanced planning there
will be someone who will be playing what you
would like to play.
Points of contact for specific games are:
Bridge—Mary Mork, (540) 374-5676
Cribbage—Cindy Horan, (540) 361-4416
Mahjong—Brenda Dudley, (540) 374-1005
Pinochle—Jackie Richards, (540) 368-0901
Saturday Game Night is a wonderful opportunity
to enjoy the company of both new and old friends
while participating in a variety of fun, but challenging,
activities.
Keeping your brain active seems to increase
vitality and slow down the mental decline associated
with aging, according to research from the Alzheimer’s
Association.
For more information about these activities contact:
Rita Pinion and Jeanne Sampson at (540) 361-1090 or
Mary Mork at (540) 374-5676.
Chef’s Corner
Best of the B&Bs: An Amelia Island Cookie
I got this recipe in Florida when I
went to visit my friend and we went
to six Bed & Breakfasts on Amelia
Island. All of the B&Bs gave out
cookies and punch, along with the
recipe for the cookie. This one was
our favorite.
Ingredients
One cup butter softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
Two cups light brown sugar,
firmly packed
Two cups all-purpose flour
Two large eggs
12oz butterscotch chips
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
One cup pecans chopped
One teaspoon baking powder
Powdered sugar
By Sue Silvers
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter
and brown sugar together until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating
just until blended. Add vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder and
salt; gradually add to butter mixture
at low speed just until blended. Stir
in butterscotch chips and pecans.
Pour batter into a buttered 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
The center will be loose. Let cool in pan. Cut into
desired size and then refrigerate until chilled. Dust
with powdered sugar before serving.
(Editor’s Note: This recipe comes highly
recommended by the FRG staff who taste tested the
cookies at their recent production meeting.)
(If you have a great recipe that you’d like to share,
contact Sue Silvers by e-mail at: [email protected])
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
11
Staying Fit
Life is a Verb; Don’t Make It a Noun
By Steve Beasley
“I’m fine just the way I am.” This is
the most common thing that people tell me
when they wish to explain why they don’t
exercise. The irony in this is that it’s usually
a response to a question I never even asked.
As a certified personal trainer, I often
hear people explain their dietary habits or
lack of exercise as a sort of confession.
Sometimes, while training with a client, I’ll
get comments from someone saying that
they don’t exercise (or don’t exercise as
intensely) because “I’m fine just the way I am.“
Well, that might be true. But it’s only true for an
instant. You see, the only constant in life is change.
Nothing is static. Everything is affected by the forces
of time and nature. If you were to sit or stand perfectly
still, you would be doing so on a planet that is currently
rotating on its axis at a speed of 1,070 mph while
orbiting the sun at more than 67,000 mph. Nothing is
stopped. Nothing stays still.
When we were young, life gave us things. It made
us stronger, taller, smarter, and even hairier. Heck,
when you lost a tooth, a new one grew in its place. The
best part of it was that you didn’t have to do anything
for this to happen.
Sure, you could encourage some of these changes
with activities like reading, good dietary habits and
exercise; but even with poor exercise, dietary, or even
study habits, some version of these changes were
coming, like it or not.
For most of us however, we’ve passed the
threshold where life stops giving us things and starts
taking them. Things like strength, height, muscle tone,
bone density, memory, eyesight, hearing, hair, skin
elasticity, balance, flexibility, even teeth.
This is why there is no such thing as, “I'm fine just
the way I am” because that soon becomes, “I'm settling
for the way I am” to, “I wish I could do something
about the way I am.”
Well, a wish is nothing but a dream without a plan.
Here’s your plan—get moving. Here is a scenario
that has never occurred in the history of the world: A
group of ladies are playing cards and one remarks to
the other, “Helen, you look great. You look like you’ve
lost weight and gotten some muscle tone. You even
seem to be getting out of the chair easier
and are moving with better balance. What
have you been doing?”
“Well, thank you for noticing. Actually
I haven’t done anything. Just one day my
body started improving more and more and
I love the changes.”
That conversation has never happened.
How could it? The human body doesn’t
improve with age. Your body is going to
change, but you can get out of the passenger
seat and steer it to where you want to go instead of
where life wants to take you. Because, if you don’t
start taking care of yourself, eventually someone else
will have to do it.
(Steve Beasley is a certified personal trainer who
has been working with Falls Run residents since 2008.)
Home Tips
10 Hints for Using Vinegar
By Judy Rao
1. Clean your wood floors with vinegar and
water to remove residue and avoid
chemicals.
2. Spray with vinegar and water to deter ants.
3. Spray vinegar and water to clean glass
and mirrors.
4. A cup of white vinegar in your laundry
will remove stains and keep colors bright.
5. Rinse your hair with white vinegar to
remove old build up and make hair shine.
6. Number five is good to do before applying hair
dye.
7. Spritz vinegar and water on houseplants to kill
bugs.
8. Run vinegar through your coffeemaker to clean it.
9. Water and vinegar on your vegetable garden will
keep down the weeds.
10.Vinegar is a great acid neutralizer to clean vomit
out of carpet.
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
12
The Roving Reporter
By Joan Frank
Photos by Rachael Nieves
What Would Your Valentine
Like to Change About You?
Your roving reporter interviewed 21 people, and some answers were duplicated. However, some folks came
up with some truthful and clever answers.
Since I’m pretty tough, she’d
like me not to lose my temper.
Sal Castro
Fawn Lane
My Valentine would like me to
keep quiet, and not be so loud.
Leon Feldstein
Gladstone Drive
She wants to know where my
hearing aids are.
Bob Gilbert
Covington Drive
My Valentine would change
just about everything!
Les Heagney
Lucketts Court
My Valentine loves me just the
way I am.
Joan Augustine
Brunswick Drive
She wants me to be a better
listener.
Frank Parker
Birchleaf Drive
After thinking for a moment,
Bob said:
Less Procrastination.
Bob Brown
Lucketts Court
I have no idea. I’ll have to ask
him.
Corinne Petross
Bridgewater Circle
Nothing, I’m perfect!
Dolores Renninger
Bridgewater Circle
Nothing my Valentine is crazy
about me.
Ricky Clark
Lucketts Court
She would like me to join the
Lion’s Club.
Walt Dudley
Aspen Hill Drive
She’d like me to be more
sensitive toward her.
Tom Mills
Chantilly Place
She’d like me to have more
hair.
Bill Von Geldern
Castlewood Drive
I’m too tight and a skin-flint. Larry Wright
Smithfield Way
Not to be so nervous; it causes
ulcers.
Mary Grace Niemi
Turtle Creek Way
To be more busy because I’m
loafing too much.
Reinhard Ortmann
Bridgewater Circle
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
13
We just may
hold the key
to your
new home.
Liz Pierson
Silas Shim
REALTOR®
(540) 903-0641
REALTOR®
(540) 532-8111
[email protected]
[email protected]
lizpierson.averyhess.com
www.averyhess.com
Your Professional Falls Run
AVERY HESS
REALTORS TEAM
If your property is currently listed for sale with another realtor,
this is not a solicitation for your listing.
Center for Skin Cancer Surgery
Treatments for:
Basal Cell Carcinoma
•
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
•
•
Malignant Melanoma
•
Other Skin Cancers
540-720-2220 or 1-800-264-2653
245 Hospital Center Blvd # 105, Stafford
(Behind Stafford Hospital in Medical Pavilion Building)
Dr. Amir A. Bajoghli is a board-certified & fellowship trained
MOHS Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist.
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
14
Home is where the Heart is!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Thank you, I am grateful for your
patronage & proud to be of
service!
Questions? Just call me!
MY SERVICES INCLUDE:
Providing information so you
can make an informed decision!
SOLD in 2014:
30 for Sellers
9 for Buyers
RENTED:
3 for owners
2 renewals
Staging & Home Improvements!
Contractors & Professionals
who understand how to
enhance without breaking the
bank!
540-229-9999 mobile
540-373-4717 office
Most costs paid at closing!
Pat McCord
Cell: 703-407-1947
Office: 540-907-0315
PatMcCordhomes.com
1910 William Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
David P. Wassenaar
Your Resident Falls Run Realtor
Certified Sr. Housing Specialist
[email protected]
www.davethemover.com
Since 1492!!
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
15
Bits and Pieces
allowance, which was known as salarium (sal is Latin
for salt).
“Bits and Pieces” is the new name for my column,
This is the origin of “salary” and anyone who earns
but it will include the same fun information with the their “salt,” therefore earns their salary.
hope that you come away glad you took the time to
One parting thought: “Find an aim in life, before
read “me.”
you run out of ammunition.” Glasgow
Charles Francis Rubin was my maternal
grandfather. He was a self-made man, a tool and die
designer. He invented something that everyone in Falls
Poetry
Run has or had.
He invented the beater brush bar in the
The Evolution of Love
Hoover vacuum. When he went to work for
Hoover it was known as the Hoover Suction
By Judy Rao
Company. After his invention, the company
became the Hoover Vacuum Company.
You used to hold hands to always be close;
Now you grab his arm to steady yourself and you need him
In England, when a room needs to be
the most.
vacuumed, someone will say, “I am going to
Hoover!” Fun facts.
Remember when he passionately unbuttoned your blouse?
This time of year, please remember to feed the Now you help button up the shirt of your spouse.
birds. The berries have been picked over and there are
no seeds for them on the ground or in the fields.
On dates you would coyly feed each other a bite;
When you break a glass, use fresh bread to pick up Now you must spoon in the food and keep it light.
the slivers and save your fingers.
eyes used to gleam when you sidled into his arms;
Saudi Arabia has the highest motor accident rate in His
Now that glint is from eye surgery—that’s okay, that look still
the world and no women drivers!
is warm
Mazda is the ancient Zoaroastian god of wisdom.
As young lovers you would motorcycle to parts unknown;
For you chess players, after just four moves
Now you ride your mobility scooters to roam.
there are 318,979,564,000 possibilities for the
game.
Loving and caring and yes, even sex, have a new meaning.
“Earning your salt” is an expression that comes You are closer and more happy; that makes for two better
from ancient Rome. Roman soldiers were paid an beings.
By Barbara Chadwick
In Memorium
The Falls Run community
extends sincere sympathy
to the families on the loss
of their loved one.
Esther Lillian
Best, 79
Wife of Glenn
Hugh Orville
Muir, 82
Husband of Phyllis
JJames Francis
‘Jim’ O’Neil, 89
February 2015
Falls Run Gazette
Rachael Nieves
16
Front row from left: Betty Martley, Rita Hagans, Paul Dick, Corinne Petross, Gillian
Chase. Back row from left: Theo Dobos, Wendy Donovan, Marie Noone, Mary Mork.
A Traditional English Christmas Tea and Scones
For the last four years at each Christmas season,
Mary Mork has held a gathering of wanderers from
across the Atlantic who have settled in Falls Run. It
seems that there are enough women from the United
Kingdom to keep busy chatting for an afternoon
over scones and English tea, in the great tradition of
Englishmen everywhere.
We find a wonderful togetherness, although we
grew up in varied settings from Scotland in the north
to Cornwall at the southern tip, closest to America.
It has been a special way for those of us from
“over there” to celebrate Christmas with a bit of trifle,
or sausage rolls, or cucumber and salmon sandwiches
(without crusts, of course). This year we indulged in
traditional Christmas cake with marzipan and white
icing.
Our friend from Scotland supplied some delicious
Scotch eggs, and another brought a Bakewell tart that
many of us remembered.
We chat about the “olden days” of wartime
shortages, ration books and experiences gaining
entrance into the United States; There were so many
personal questions and exams on the way to a marriage
license and a visa.
Citizenship hurdles have always been a popular
subject. One of us, memorably, became naturalized
in a Miami Courthouse at the very sad time President
Kennedy was shot. The ceremony was halted at the
Betty Martley
By Betty Martley
news, but continued after a pause and by the time it was
concluded Lyndon Johnson was our new president.
Of course, differences in the meanings of words
are always a popular subject. We giggle over them
and the misunderstandings they create with the native
born. Sometimes what is a bit naughty in the home
country is completely innocent here in the United
States and, sometimes, what would shock someone
here is commonplace there.
We find that being a little community within
the greater community allows us a slightly different
perspective on customs and events. We are all so
pleased that Mary has given us this opportunity to
gather together and reminisce about our girlhood in
another world.