Uncovering a little piece of history
Leave Your Garden Messy
By: Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Lake Management Committee
I’ll bet you’re the kind of gardener who cuts down all old plant stalks, rakes up every frost-burned leaf,and makes your garden bed tidy each fall. No? Well if you are there are good reasons to change your garden maintenance schedule and wait until spring to spruce things up.
Trees, ground cover, butterflies, birds, and other creatures that enjoy our gardens all summer need us to work on a four-season schedule. If we make things too neat, we eliminate much of the food and shelter our plantings could provide in winter, when some creatures need them most.
Summer’s flowers shrivel into seed heads that feed gold finches, chickadees, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, and sparrows in the cold weather while stalks and grasses provide havens for beneficial insects in hibernation. Decomposing plants and leafs fertilize the ground for next season’s plantings and prevents oil run-off. In addition, dried flower heads and stalks poking out of the snow make for a pleasing site adding color and structure to the landscape.
A single bee balm head holds between 80 to 110 energy-packed seeds for backyard birds. Other plants, such as goldenrod, aster, and coneflower also produce abundant seeds. Annuals such as zinnias and black-eyed Susan’s, too, are a “feast on a stick” for birds. Many kinds of native bees, such as bumble-bees, mason bees, and leaf-cutter bees, overwinter in the garden clutter. Many butterfly species benefit from the not-too-neat approach, some overwintering in piles of leaves, other in natural cavities. Leaves hold butterfly chrysalises and beneficial bugs such assassin bugs and ladybugs which need layers of leaf litter to survive the cold.
“Leave your garden messy” is the new mantra for gardeners who take the year-round prospective. There’ll be time enough in the spring to do the cutting and clearing that make way for spring and summer blooms. In fact, the messier the garden in winter,the more wild things we’ll see next year.
As always, Love the Lake and Be Lake Responsible.
Basic Self Defense Class
The Roaming Shores Police Department will tentatively be hosting a juniors and seniors basic self-defense class in the month of February for our residents. We are currently working out the specifics of the classes with a local self-defense/martial arts instructor, but would like the communities input in reference to the best dates and times to hold the classes.We would also like to poll the community to get an idea of how many people are interested in participating in the class, their age and gender. We will then begin sorting out and establishing different groups for the classes based upon the information received. Due to several different concerns we have decided that our junior participants must be at least 10 years of age to participate in this event.
If you are interested in participating in this class;offered at no charge to our residents, please contact the Roaming Shores Police Department at (440) 563-3135 or at rspd@roamingshorespd.org. Be sure to let us know the following:
- The best night of the week that works for you
- The best evening hours
- Age and gender of participant(s)
- Your contact information
We look forward to hearing from you in the near future and then seeing you in February.
Membership Assessment Increase Necessary for 2019
Your RomeRock Association Board of Directors takes seriously the responsibility of prudent management of our beautiful lake and community. The financial challenge of maintaining our assets, keeping our roadways safe and in good repair as well as providing safe and clean amenities that all homeowners can enjoy is not an easy task. Each year expenses increase and we try very hard to find a way to manage that increase without passing it on to the members. There has not been a permanent increase in our annual assessments since 2012. During that time period the cost of living has increased 11.5%.
While preparing our 2019 budget, it was determined that it is necessary to raise our assessments by 10%. For the average homeowner, this means an increase of approximately $70 a year or $5.33 per month. This was formally approved at the December 2018 Board Meeting and your 2019 statement will reflect the new amount.
We will continue to exercise strong fiscal management and this year’s focus will be on ensuring all members pay their fair share. Any delinquent accounts will be addressed as soon as they become past due.
We thank you for your shared commitment to our lake community. We are confident you understand the need for this action. Please feel free to join us at our monthly board meetings and stay current with all the Association activities.
Louise Lisac
RRA Treasurer
Toys for Tots
For those wishing to donate to Toys for Tots, there are two donation locations in Roaming Shores. Donations may be dropped off at either the Village Hall located on Hayford Rd or at the Marina.
Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserves which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas.
Thank you!
Updating Mailing Addresses
RRA
Have you moved in 2018? If so, please contact the Association at (440) 563-3170 to update your mailing address. The office will be working on 2019 Dues and Assessment billing statements very soon and each year, several are returned due to address changes beyond the forwarding period.
RSV
Snow Birds who fly south for the winter, please contact the Utility Office at (440) 563-3132 with your address in order to not delay receiving your utility bill in January and March.
SCAD Annual Membership Drive
Help maintain the professional ambulance service that South Central Ambulance District (SCAD) is know for, and that you are accustom to.
Pick up a SCAD Ambulance Membership packet at either the RRA Office or Village Hall.
Your $15.00 membership donation will insure that you pay no out-of-pocket expenses to use the South Central Ambulance Emergency Service from this January until January of next year.
SCAD serves Morgan Township, Lenox. Rock Creek, Dorset, Hartsgrove, Rome, New Lyme, Orwell Township, Orwell Village, Colebrook, and Roaming Shores. This membership drive is very important to their operation.
Tree Trimming 2018
Friends & Neighbors will be hosting a Tree Trimming Social Hour at Clubhouse on Friday, December 7th beginning at 7pm. Join us as we decorate the Christmas Trees in the Clubhouse for the Holiday Season while enjoying a social time with your friends and neighbors! Bring an appetizer to share and BYOB.
We will be decorating the Clubhouse and setting up the trees on the morning of Monday, December 3rd. Any help would be appreciated!
Can the Cruiser Recap
The
Roaming Shores Police Department would like to thank everyone who
participated today in our first CAN THE CRUISER food drive. Though the
total number of persons who participated was somewhat on the light side;
approximately 25, those who did donate were very generous. In total we
collected $482.53 in monetary donations and enough nonperishable food
items to fill the back cargo area of two cruisers. I believe that with
additional advertisement and community participation our numbers will
certainly grow next year.
Again, thank you for your support and have a happy Thanksgiving.
Yep! It’s Here Again!
Winter brings slippery streets,parking lots and sidewalks. Follow these tips to maintain safe surfaces while reducing the use of road salt that can damage our lake as well as environment. Excess road salt damages local surface waters as well as groundwater, vegetation, and infrastructure.
Most ice is formed by the pressure of foot and vehicle traffic – so shovel early and often! Clear the snow before applying any kind of salt/deicer. Deicers are substances that melt ice or prevent its formation. Road salt (sodium chloride) is the most common choice, but it doesn’t work well below about 15°F, no matter how much of the product is used. Use just one pound of road salt per 250 sq. ft. of pavement. One pound fills a typical coffee cup. Overuse doesn’t improve effectiveness.
Salt should be scattered across the surface, with about three inches between granules. If leftover salt crystals are still visible after salt has been applied, then you’ve used too much. Sweep up the leftover salt and re-use it, or dispose of it in the trash. Remember all salt applied in the winter will wash into our lake during the spring rains. Switch to other deicing agents on very cold days, or apply a little sand in place of salt. Sweep it up later to reuse throughout the season.
Remember shoveling is the most effective way to prevent ice buildup. Minimize the use of road salt by paying attention to temperature and weather conditions to ensure you’re using the right substances and methods to manage snow and ice. As always, Love the Lake and Be Lake Responsible.
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Roaming Shores, OH
December 18, 2018, 6:50 am
Partly cloudy
28°F
28°F
real feel: 20°F
current pressure: 30 in
humidity: 89%
wind speed: 9 mph NNW
wind gusts: 11 mph
sunrise: 7:45 am
sunset: 4:55 pm
Forecast December 18, 2018
day
Intermittent clouds
36°F
Forecast December 19, 2018
day
Mostly sunny
45°F
Forecast December 20, 2018
day
Mostly cloudy
48°F