Newsletter & Calendar - January 2001

Peace on Earth…or at Least Johanna Woods
Now, before you think I have slipped a gear and don't know what month it is, just keep reading! Because it is January and a time when folks make resolutions for the new year, I thought I would offer a suggestion. How about a resolution to be a better neighbor in the coming year? You know, there is a provision in the City Code of Broken Arrow that attempts to regulate noise and other nuisances that would disturb the “quiet enjoyment” of any other citizen. We are firm believers that every resident of Johanna Woods has the absolute right to live in quiet enjoyment in their homes. But what does that really mean? Well, it means that my neighbor shouldn't be disturbed because my dog is outside barking. Even if it's an inside animal and only goes outside briefly, I need to be conscious of whether or not it's noisy while it's outside. It also means that my son's stereo can't be heard by the neighbors. There are few things as aggravating as hearing the bass from someone else's TV, car or stereo while I am in my home trying to listen to my own stereo. And if you need to build or repair some portion of your home, be conscious of what time it is. If it's 10:00 at night or 6:30 in the morning, that may not be the best time to be taking out a wall! There are many other examples I could give, but you get the idea!

Quiet enjoyment is something we may not think much about or even appreciate until it is disturbed. Sometimes we just need to be more conscious of something we enjoy and take for granted! And I know we all enjoy peace and quiet. There are few things I enjoy as much as sitting on my front porch with a cup of coffee reading and enjoying the QUIET of the morning!

Quiet Enjoyment or Peace on Earth-whatever you want to call it-let's make a resolution to give that gift to our neighbors all year long during this new year!

We in the Johanna Woods office hope that each and every one of you have a blessed, peaceful and prosperous Year in 2001.

Extra! Extra! Wagoner County Officials Plan Annual Visit
Every year representatives of the County Assessor's office visit our community to register new homeowners. This year they will be with us on Wednesday, January 17th, from 9:00 am until noon and from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm. If you received a tax bill for this year, you probably don't need to do anything else. However, if you aren't sure, you can call the Assessors office at 485-2367 and find out. If you call, ask for Irene and she will help you out.

“Dieting” Cook's Corner
Traditional Minestrone

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, chopped
2 Cups chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (9-ounce) box frozen, cut green beans
7 Cups beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern Beans, drained
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking shortcut-if you are in a hurry you can use frozen, sliced carrots. If you do, don't add them in the beginning, add them when you add the green beans. You will also need to adjust the cooking time for the onions and celery in the first step.

Tax Time!!!
Once again Uncle Sam is preparing to take his share of your income. If you need some help reducing his share of “your” pie, call neighbor Betty Lu Foster at 355-0114. She can help you with your taxes!!!!

For Johanna Woods Residents Only...Here's a Scavenger Hunt for you!
Whatever you have to do, don't miss entering this contest! This contest is only open to Johanna Woods residents. Correct entries will be placed in a hat and 3 winners will be drawn. Answers to all questions, except one, are available at our website or via links on our website. Answers must be received by e-mail to be qualified. Here are the questions….HAPPY HUNTING!!

1-What city and state is home to Atlantic Homes?
2- What is the street address of the home that appears on our front page?
3-How many acres does Johanna Woods occupy?
4-What minimum charge is specified in our rules when lawn work is required?
5- How many outdoor swimming pools does the city of BA manage?
6-Who designed our website?
7-One of the past issues of our Newsletter featured a recipe for Cheese Fondue. What month was that?
8- Another Newsletter mentioned an Oreo Cookie Day. What was the date of that event?
9-Information on local movies is provided by?
10-At the bottom of our home page in black boxes is the Web Page visit counter. What is the number shown during your visit?

Okay, get those answers in and don't forget to identify yourself. Each of the three winners will receive a $75.00 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. So get busy and get those entries in. Entries must be submitted by the 15th of January.
Questions about the contest? Call the office….355-1681

Got Back door Steps???
Our community rules require that each home have front and back door steps. This is an important safety issue for you as a homeowner. Most of our homes have a door at each end. In case of fire, there has to be access out of the home, at each end of the home. Now I have heard the argument that in the event of a fire, or some other emergency, not having steps isn't necessarily going to keep someone from getting out of their home. But it might make the difference between getting out in one piece or being injured. So why risk it? But back to the rules, you must have back door steps. I have noticed several of the homes in our community that don't have them and we will be following up to make sure that this important safety feature is in place at everyone's home by the 1st of April, 2001. We can build you a set or you can find them elsewhere. But you must have them by the date listed above. You can call the office for more information on the cost at 355-1681.

Four-Sided Inspections to Begin in 2001
One of the things that we must do in Johanna Woods is insure that our community stays in excellent condition. Our rules and guidelines are written to provide minimum standards so we all have a guide as to what is required of us as individual homeowners in Johanna Woods. In order to monitor each home's compliance with our rules, we will be implementing an annual 4-sided inspection of each home and home-site in the Spring of 2001. I will be conducting the inspections and will provide written feedback to each homeowner. These inspections will become part of each resident file. Areas that are identified as needing attention will be clearly defined and a timeframe for correction will be specified.

Our community is 15 years old now and some of our homes are showing their age. It is vital that we all make the repairs needed to keep our community from looking like a “trailer park”!

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