| EASTON COMMONS HOMEOWNER SPOTLIGHT FOR MAY GLENN and CHERYL OLSEN - Easton Commons Homeowner Glenn and Cheryl moved to Easton Commons four years ago. They enjoy plants and gardening and have been re-landscaping with plants to attract birds and butterflies. Their yard has over 100 species of plants. They have since been awarded the yard of the month for Easton Commons. Glenn has had a life long interest in nature, the environment and ecology. Two of his hobbies involve plants and birds. He served as V.P. Education Houston Audubon Society 2002-2004 and from 2001-2002 served as President of the Native Plant Society Of Texas, a State wide organization with 31 chapters and 1850 members. He is also a co-founder of the partnership between the Houston Chapter of the Native Plant Society and Texas Parks and Wildlife which resulted in the "WildScapes WorkShops" an annual event held at the University of Houston that hosts speakers to educate individuals about ecology, native plants, and landscaping to attract and benefit wildlife. Glenn has also been instrumental in the establishment of "butterfly and bird habitat gardens" at several Houston elementary schools. Glenn is an independent benefit planner and works with business owners to establish retirement, medical, and other benefit plans. Cheryl is a District Administrative Specialist with the Williams Companies. Glenn and Cheryl are happy to share information and plants, so feel free to stop by or contact them. 14730 Forest Trails Drive. Phone: 281-345-4141 Email: hglosen8@hal-pc.org |
| Hummingbirds by H. Glenn Olsen They’re coming! March, April and May are fantastic months for spring bird migration throughout Texas. On the Upper Texas Gulf Coast, look to the skies and soaring overhead are numerous species of hawks numbering in the thousands per day during peak migration days. Down on the ground, and possibly in our own backyards, we can observe warblers and other songbirds in migration as they pass through the eastern half of our State en route to their breeding grounds, in Texas, the Eastern States, and Canada. Many people look forward to seeing the ruby- throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) during migration. This species breeds in approximately the eastern half of the U.S. and as far north as southern Canada. This is the most common hummingbird in the eastern half of the U. S. and Texas. Many of our smallest of birds are arriving after a non-stop marathon of a flight across the Gulf of Mexico! In the Gulf, there are no rest stops with flowers or feeders! These tiny flying marvels must feed immediately upon arrival to survive and restore depleted reserves. This is where our help may prove invaluable for their journey farther north. Much of the natural habitat, with the native plants that these hummingbirds depend upon for their survival, has been lost due to development. Fortunately, the ruby-throated hummingbird can utilize our backyards if we have the proper plants for them to feed on. These amazing birds are frequent nectar feeders, utilizing a wide variety of flowers, but tubular shaped flowers in the red range of color (to our eyes) “may” be their favored flower type (there is debate). Native Texas plants such as Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea) and Scarlet Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) which are in flower during the spring migration are good choices for the Houston area. Not all plants provide the same food value and some horticultural varieties may provide very little nectar. Hummingbirds also eat fruit flies, insect eggs, and other tiny insects. If you would like a list of native Texas plants that attract hummingbirds contact me at hgolsen8@hal-pc.org or 281-345-4151. |
| YARD OF THE MONTH Attention! Easton Commons residents. Get ready, get set and go out and get those yards ready this spring as the yard of the month is on its way back. There will be lots of cool gifts to giveaway. So let’s see who will be the next yard of the month. We are also looking for residents willing to go out and help decide on the best yard out there. If you are interesting please send an e-mail to Easton Commons HOA e-mail list at EastonCommonsHOA@yahoogroups.com or contact Glinda Williams at 281-859-7426 |
| DEED RESTRICTIONS Those present discussed deed restrictions. Please be sure to review your copy of the deed restrictions before you make changes to your property. If you do not have a copy of the deed restrictions for Easton Commons, please contact AMI so that a copy can be prepared and sent to you. |
| EASTON COMMONS HOA E-MAIL LIST GROUP An e-mail group has been created for residents of Easton Commons. Once an Easton Commons resident has their e-mail added to this list group all e-mails they send to EastonCommonsHOA@yahoogroups.com will go to all other members of the group. We anticipate this will be a great way to immediately notify homeowners of security issues, announce festivities (Easter Egg hunt, etc.), post meeting notes, and in general quickly let everyone know of the events happening in our subdivision. A couple of other features: - People who we don't explicitly admit to the group cannot send e-mails to the group. - We cannot be spammed by the outside world. - An administrator has been set up to review and approve all messages before they are sent to the group. Therefore any member of the group trying to sell something or otherwise use the group inappropriately will not have their messages go through. - The actual e-mail addresses of the members are hidden. Members of the group will not know the e-mail addresses of the other members. If you're interested in being a member of this group please send your name and e-mail address to Eric Schneider and he can admit you to this group. His e-mail address is eschneider71@hotmail.com |
| INDIGENOUS WILDLIFE (I.E. CRITTERS!) The warming weather has seen an increase in the number of critters wandering Easton Commons. The current offenders include possums and skunks. Please do NOT leave food out as this attracts the animals. Possums are usually more passive creatures but skunks don't smell very good and both creatures are wild animals and carry the risk of rabies. While raccoons haven't been seen (yet!) in the area these animals can cause significant property damage. |
| EASTON COMMONS BOARD The Easton Commons Board meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Copperfield Community Center, 15409 Willow Drive. All residents are encouraged to attend. Our next meeting is scheduled for March 23, 2004. Your 2004 Easton Commons Board members are: Kathy Hile Patrick Coleman Jim Fordice Your 2004 Easton Commons Committee Members are: Architectural Review Committee – Tina Howard Deed Restriction Committee – Tina Howard Crime Watch & Security – Kathy Hile & Patrick Coleman Pool & Parks Committee – Eric Schneider Newsletter – Glinda Williams Your Managing Agent is: Association Management, Inc. 9575 Katy Freeway, Suite 130 Houston, Tx. 77024 Tel (713) 932-1122 Fax (713) 932-6059 Email ami@amitx.com Your AMI Easton Commons Community Manager is: Len Bale 281-856-9015 (Copperfield Community Center Office) 713-984-7211 (Katy Freeway Office) lbale@amitx.com |
| NEWS FROM EASTON COMMONS - April, 2004 |
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