Saguaro News. Yard Sale November 7. Election News. Newsletter of the SKP Saguaro Co-op Benson, Arizona. November 2015

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1 Saguaro News Newsletter of the SKP Saguaro Co-op Benson, Arizona November 2015 Yard Sale November 7 The Yard Sale is November 7. Last year s Yard Sale brought in over $2500 to the Cactus Wren s treasury. It looks like this year s sale could be even bigger. For those of you who are new to the park, the annual SKP Park-Wide Yard Sale is one of the bigger money makers for the Cactus Wrens. This money helps pay for the free entertainment we enjoy here at our Co-op. Volunteering to help with the Yard Sale is a great way to meet your new neighbors and keep the fun flowing. Here are a few of the jobs we need done to run a successful sale: distribute sale announcements to area businesses move sale goods from storage to the Club House price goods greet the public at our Co-op entrance and give them parking passes help pick-up larger items and deliver them to the Clubhouse help with clean-up at close of the sale Please consider joining our Yard Sale Crew (it s one of the most fun groups in the park). Look for sign-up sheets on the bulletin board near the pool room. Pam Sanor and Susan Phelps Yard Sale Co-Chairs Election News The Election Committee is actively seeking candidates for our upcoming election. Please consider being one of the candidates this year. If you are interested, don t wait to be asked. See one of the committee members and we will get you started. Shirley Younts Election Committee Chair

2 One View from the Board The first Board Meeting of the season is Tuesday, October 27. We will have a busy year as always. Please remember that although this is an meeting of the Board, we want you to come and hear first- hand what is happening. Spencer has set the rules for speaking from the floor at these meetings. If you plan to speak about an issue, sit in the chairs in the center of the room. He will not recognize those sitting at tables on the sides. Board members get to speak first and Spencer will recognize those from the floor with the right to set time limits. A leaseholder may request that a specified matter be place on the Board agenda, provided that a written request is received by the president or secretary by 9 a.m. the Saturday prior to the meeting. The agenda will be posted on line and on the Board section of the Bulletin board no later than Sunday morning prior to the meeting. An abbreviated agenda will be posted on Channel 5. The Board section of the Bulletin board is next to the pool room and easily identified by its bright yellow cover sheets. Would you believe, as I am trying to gear up my secretary responsibilities, the Annual Report has come front and center for me. The cover is designed and the section dividers are printed. Committee chairs: I will be putting a memo in your folders Nov 1 about a meeting with me sometime in November to discuss deadlines for your annual reports and to set up your reorganization meetings. Community volunteers, what a great community section we had last year. Please submit your reports as early in December as possible. Organizing and proofreading takes awhile. Want to learn how this Co-op really works? Run for the Board! I have learned so much and have a renewed appreciation for those who have made this Co-op what it is. Come be part of what it will be. Share your vision. A couple of weeks ago I was feeling a little down after hearing some not so nice comments about the Board and some of our committees. A very wise original leaseholder reminded me that this park has been here for 26 years now. No one person, one committee or one Board has managed to destroy it. There have been many changes to committee guidelines and rules and sometimes we complain without checking to see if there has been a change. Changes will continue to happen as we evolve and I am very thankful for the foresight of so many who came before me. One thing has not changed. This is still considered the best park for the money in the system. Because of our great facilities we are able to have great entertainment, space for many crafts, movies, workshops and card games for free. We pay for great meals but don't have the extra cost of tips. We don't have to leave the park for Bingo. I could go on and on but the bottom line is we have all of this because of volunteers! Our guests provide a lot of volunteer hours to this Co-op and we are very thankful to have them. Without all of our volunteers, we could not afford to live in this Co-op. The next time we get upset with someone who is trying hard to do a good job, please remember we are all volunteers, even the Board. Treat each other with respect and we will continue to flourish! Carole Melander, Board Secretary Leaseholder's Notebook Our Leaseholder's Notebook is in the Clubhouse, in the puzzle room on the table under the TV. Our goal is to have a page with picture for each leaseholder. Are you in it? If not, grab a blank page, fill it out as much as you want and join our notebook! Questions?? Contact me on Lot 89, or call me at Ann Meilicke November 2015 Page 2 Saguaro News

3 From The Clubhouse The clubhouse is in full swing. Bingo and poker are being played on Tuesday evenings. Line dancing is back and pool tournaments take place on Saturday mornings. Tom Armstrong and his kitchen crew prepare great breakfasts on Saturday mornings and delicious dinners on Monday 14, The Bryants on November 21 and Cochise County Line on November 28. We will celebrate Thanksgiving with dinner at the Clubhouse. There you have it for the month of November. As always, please watch Channel 5 or read the white boards in the clubhouse for any changes to the schedule. Ingrid Kluegel & Linda Rubin Clubhouse Co-Chairs Terry Braatz, Ingrid Kleugel, and Debra Braatz at the Oktoberfest. Photo by Jack Stout. nights. Speaking of food, a big thank you to Carol and Emerson Dayton who prepared an authentic German dinner for Oktoberfest. Bev Bobo and Mary Ann Zaleski did an incredible job decorating the clubhouse for Oktoberfest, and we thank all of you. More decorations were done for Halloween. Thank you, Garry and Linda Buck, for taking over the responsibility of filling the clubhouse refrigerator. Jan Groth will give a Plant Presentation on Thursday, November 5 in the clubhouse. Our Annual Yard Sale will take place on Saturday, November 7, chaired by Pam Sanor and Susan Phelps. Put on your dancing shoes for The Old School House Band on Saturday, November Christmas Auction Christmas Auction is Dec 9. Donations for the annual Christmas Auction will be accepted from November 23 through December 8. Please bring new (not used) items to Lot 178. Look for the plastic bin, write your name on your donation and drop it in the bin. Then wait for December 9 when it will magically turn into $$$$$ for the Cactus Wrens! Ice Cream Social Our first Ice Cream Social for the season will be Sunday, November 1 at 7 p.m. We will be celebrating November and May birthdays and/or anniversaries. Those folks receive free ice cream while others pay 50 per scoop. Susan Phelps To reduce trash, please provide your own bowl and spoon. See you at the Clubhouse. Jan Petring Saguaro News Page 3 November 2015

4 Autumn is sneaking up on us. Despite continued higher than normal temperatures, there are hints such as the pyracantha berries which are turning from green to orange to (soon) red. Most of the hummingbirds seem to have flown south to their Central and South American destinations. Soon we will see a major splash of gold as the cottonwoods light up our Highway 80 road. Best places to see fall colors near here? Canyons that lead up into the mountains will usually put on a good show. Ramsey Canyon, Carr Canyon are good bets. Birds, butterflies, deer and visitor centers make them prime destinations. They are located south of Sierra Vista in the Huachuca Mountains off Highway 92. Parker Lake is surrounded by reds and yellows as the season progresses. There is a campground and launch ramp for boaters and fishers. The lake can be accessed from Highway 83 through Elgin, or from the east by way of the Coronado Monument. The latter route gives a grand view of nearby Mexico. Be prepared for rough or gravel roads. There is a Garden Canyon on Fort Huachuca which sounds intriguing. It is on my bucket list. Diverse flora and fauna plus pictographs from 600 C.E. and more. Any SKPS been there? Dancing Cranes by Vivian C Olsen Our Valley Another sight in the fall is the arrival of Big Birds, otherwise known as Sandhill Cranes in the playas south of Willcox. Driving through Tombstone on Highway 80, a turn onto Davis road will take you to the dusty gravel road which leads to the ponds of Whitewater Draw. Watch for a sign on the south side of Davis Road, about 18 miles from Highway 80. There are trails, observation platforms, parking (overnight with no facilities). The cranes take off or come in at various times so there could be a long wait or not. Next time, ghost towns and an organic farm. Jean Holloway-Burkhart Channel 5 As of October 15, Channel 5 has gone to regular updates every day. If you need something posted please fill out a slip in the office. We will be happy to put it on for you. Please check the back of the slip when you fill it out. There are some general guidelines there. We will be looking for one or two more people on our team if you are interested. Please call me at The Channel 5 team welcomes everyone back to the park. Allen Mohs, Channel 5 Chair Library Volunteers Would you like to be a volunteer in our clubhouse library? Join us for a brief meeting on Saturday, November 14 at 1 p.m. in the library. We will discuss our procedures and set up work schedules. If you are now a library volunteer or would like to become part of this group, please join us. Roberta Dempsey November 2015 Page 4 Saguaro News

5 It is wonderful to have everyone returning to the park to reconnect with friends, activities, and the desert beauty that surrounds us. It was a challenging summer with blistering heat and deep rains. We were fortunate that the vast majority of our spring plantings survived. Linda Mirenic watered the plantings at the Clubhouse and Diane Zaugg cared for new plants on the end caps. Nice work! This summer provided a perfect formula to bring forth a bounty crop of weeds despite KennyMartinez, our Facilities Assistant, putting down pre-emergent weed killer. Many thanks to our weeding wizards, Irene Morrison and Paula Harmer for their tireless efforts to keep these pesky residents in check. It is gratifying to see arriving lease holders immediately start working on the landscaping on their lots and banks. Plucking out weeds before they disperse their seeds benefits everyone and decreases the need for chemical control. As they say, Give weeds an inch and they will take a yard! Last spring landscaping member, Rita Kingma, helped do some plantings at the Benson historical museum. Our own Annette Tomek (Lot 163) is the museum director and an avid gardener. Gene and Maria Wakefield also pitched in and made a beautiful planter box for the museum s bistro area. The museum is another one of the many opportunities we have to contribute to our community. An exciting upcoming event is a garden tea party to be held on Thursday afternoon, November 5 at the clubhouse. We will have a special speaker, Jan Groth, who will be sharing her expertise about high desert gardening. Jan is a long time Sierra Vista resident and teaches the master gardener class for the University of Arizona Landscaping Cooperative Extension in Sierra Vista. She has had her own nursery and landscaping business, and is an enthusiastic speaker who loves to share her knowledge. Finally, a very big welcome to our new leaseholders. We are so glad to have you join us. As you are looking for ways to become involved, please think about joining the landscaping committee. It is very gratifying to see the beauty in the park and to know you had a part in helping it unfold. Rita Kingma, Landscape Committee Co-Chair Welcome Committee The Welcome Committee shut down after April 15, 2015 for the season. There aren't that many guests during our hot summer months and many of our committee left to travel and visit family and friends. Our golf cart was left in Facilities Manager Doug Miller's capable hands to spruce up and get ready for the coming season. I understand he has it all ready for us and it has new lights! Carol Kemp, Welcome Committee Foster Children and Special Needs Seniors Christmas For many years our Co-op has had a fund raiser in November for Benson s foster children and some special needs adults. We get Santa wish lists for the children from Child Protective Services and the committee tries very hard to fulfill those wishes. The quilters have been making a quilt for each child new to the foster care system. In December, we have a big wrapping party in the Clubhouse so everyone can participate in the fun. These gifts are then given to CPS and the caseworkers take them to the foster parents to put under the tree on Christmas morning. Watch for the kick-off on Channel 5! Carole Melander Saguaro News Page 5 November 2015

6 SKP Saguaro Co-op 600 East Saguaro Drive Benson, Arizona Phone: FAX: Office Manager Tisha Luzadder Facilities Manager Doug Miller Lot 222 Saguaro News Editor Jeannine Wainwright Send newsletter submissions to: Published October through April Deadline is the 15th of the previous month Read Saguaro News on the web at Helping Hands Welcome home summer travelers. Sure felt good to be home even though we rolled into the park in a tow truck. A special thanks to Diane Zaugg, Sue Mohs, Sandie Missioni, Carol Little, Kelley Edwards and anyone who helped fulfill the various services during the summer. You are appreciated! Helping Hands Committee reaches out to all Saguaro Co-op residents, whether leaseholder or guest. Each month a committee volunteer is designated as a Helping Hands Committee contact for the month. This person s name, phone number, and lot number can be viewed on Channel 5 every day. Anyone in need must contact this person in order for us to respond and know who is in need and what that need involves. There are many services provided by committee members such as visitation, meals, laundry, shopping, light housekeeping and pet care. One thing we cannot do is provide transportation. Those needing transportation must use Benson Area Transportation (BAT) or Volunteer Interfaith Caregivers Program (VICAP) group. Phone numbers are available in the office. Our next meeting will be November 17 at a.m. in Rooms 1 and 2 of the clubhouse. If you would like to be a part of this special committee, please check us out. We always need volunteers. Norma Schwarting & Bonnie Berglund Helping Hands Co-Chairs Bloodmobile The Bloodmobile will be in our parking lot Saturday, December 12 and again on Saturday, February 13. See Channel 5 for more information. Loretta Williams November 2015 Page 6 Saguaro News