Jasmine Garden Club Visits Fox Run

MARCIA PHELPS HOSTS JASMINE GARDEN CLUB

If you are unfamiliar with Garden Clubs you will be amazed at the numbers of them that are in Escambia County. Some time ago I investigated joining and was overwhelmed with the choice, focus and variety of the clubs. Clubs meet monthly and have a variety of programs ....Each year they must have a least one environmental topic. To satisfy this requirement the program chair decided to go a bit out of the garden and into the ocean. We were treated to a delightful and informative presentation on sea turtles....to say the least it was fascinating.

The presentation was given by one of the marine biologist from our Extention Office on Stefani. It was a toss up to me what was more fascinating... learning about these incredible sea creatures or the diverse services offerred at the Extension Service. The programs just for school children alone are wonderful. But what really interested me is what Marcia has done to her garden.......I remember visiting our mutual friend JoAnn Johnson, this was longbefore Marcia and Gene bought their home, standing on JoAnn's deck thinking what a sad yard was next door......That makes what Marcia and her daughters have created even more remarkable. I definitely know what the before looked like...........from almost nothing Marcia has created an oasis .....gentle undulating curves created charming borders.........I was amazed and a little jealous of how great her cannas look ! Mine were ravaged this year by those nasty canna pest !

I particularly love to visit a gardners back yard..........the front might be pretty ....kind of inline with all the rest of the yards....but a true gardeners back yard is a source of great delight and ingeuity....Kudos to Marcia !
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Marsha consulting with Master gardener Chuch Stander......

The photos do not do justice to all Marsha's hard work ..
.......Thanks Jasmine Garden Club & Marsha for a lovely afternoon.............

Robert Frost Says That Fences Make Good Neighbors

He's right !




It is darn hard to live next door to
someone who is the total antithesis of you.
Sometimes it is hard to live with people you love !



So it should be no surprise when people who live next door irritate us to distraction.

That is one of the reasons Steve and I chose to live in a neighborhood that has a home owner's association. Regardless, of how loosely drawn the rules are there is a modicum of standards for co-existing. If you ever get a chance to attend a board meeting you will find that many of the board members would like to take actions on issues that come up but because of the limitations of the covenants and restriction hands are often tied. And maybe that is not a bad thing. A Home Owners Association is primarily commissioned to take care of public spaces, pay for street lights, maintain the integrity of the neighborhood, keep reserves for unexpected calamities, and keep disputes to a minimum.

The experience of being on the board is teaching me one thing and that is to have good neighbors you have to be an even better neighbor. Perhaps better than you would really like to be. ....go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, not say what you would really like, bite your tongue so hard it bleeds........

The unfortunate dog instance reported in an earlier blog has resulted in one of the sweetest and friendliest dogs in the neighborhood being reported to the dog police. ....granted the sweet old dude was not on a lead and yes there is a leash law.....But some people really have well trained animals....Now this is second hand but when Animal Control visited the officious animal mentioned above it was nothing short of a love fest! It goes back to talk to your neighbors first before taking action. Standing in the street yelling at your neighbor does not count, except to make you look foolish.

I certainly have no statistic to bare this out, but because of our constant stream of military it seems Pensacola has a higher volume of rental homes than other places we have lived. Many folks today that are your neighbors started out renting here, liked it, and decided to stay. So let's not paint all renters with the same brush stroke. That is my disclaimer ......so with a clear conscience I can say, obviously there are some problematic renters that we share our neighborhood with. And with the glut of rental properties it is going to be harder and harder for landlords to be as thorough as perhaps in the past. Let's be realistic, ownership does inspire pride and a sense of responsibility to maintain a property. Believe me I am not even hinting that you should be forced to put up with someone who is breaking a county ordinance, especially if it could be a potential danger or just is an unbelievable nuisance. But there is a difference between annoying and what the board or law enforcement officers can help with.

" Let's all just get along!" is at this point a cliche......but if you have a problem neighbor starting a war is not going to get you any where but possibly elevating your blood pressure......but perhaps a plate of cookies ......well, that might be the correct path to truly getting what you want which is essentially peace, isn't it ?.........or is the point just being right ? The sayings pick your battles and winning the war not just a battle do they put this in perspective?

Anytime you have concerns about what is happening in our hood......consider attending a board meeting. If you want to express your concerns, courtesy would be to call Irene Gilgun and ask to be on the agenda. Irene is the President of the association. Not only is she a delightful and sympathetic lady she does an excellent job ......Take heart we could live in Scenic Hills !

All Bamboo is Not Created Equal !

I adore bamboo!

What says tropical and lush more than bamboo? However, anytime I have ever offered it up as a screening solution I have been greeted with "I don't want that stuff overtaking my yard."

Point Taken ! But there are more types of bamboo than can be imagined ( 1400 species that range in size from 2' - 100 ' tall )......What we have all been horrified by is the running bamboo which propagates by rhizomes that can spread over 20 ' from the source. Even if you are cursed with the rambling type there are techniques to actually contain it. *

But why bother doing prevention when there is another equally lush, beautiful and definitely more mannerly bamboo?If you don't know about it already, let me introduce you to clump bamboo. The picture above is of me standing in the midst of the younger of my two clumps. This variety quite simply each year sends out new shoots only inches from the main source. It would take 20 years for it to spread to a circle of 8-10 feet in diameter. I have found it to be an excellent screen for a flood light that cast unwanted light into our yard in the evenings.....

Like most gardeners I was terribly intimidated by the prospect of a bamboo that would take over my yard but my favorite gardening magazine Fine Gardening has contained several articles that encouraged me to take the plunge and am I glad I did. Having said this, please bare in mind that it is almost impossible to tell one type from another visually. So make sure when you buy it is from someone who knows their stuff or the plant bares a label from the grower stating it is a clumping variety. Gardening is a delightful journey that never ends..........

*For further information go to finegardening.com May/ June 2007 there is a very concise article about this subject and goes into detail how to contain the rambling variety . Go to ggreal.com and click on Gardening in the Coastal South for my list of great local gardening sources Please note because of technical trouble with this site you may have to copy and paste these websites in your browser......

WE ALL LOVE OUR PETS

.....BUT WE DON'T ALWAYS LOVE OTHER PEOPLES ANIMALS. June 30 our neighbors Edith and Bill Barnes were out walking their relatively small dogs when they were attacked by what we shall assume were strays. The two attack dogs were large, not on a leash or accompanied by their owners. Apparently, one of these dogs was a Rottweiler Mixed breed. (For complete details of the attack read Bills account in the comment section of our blog dated July 27)

The abbreviated version is that Bill was hurt and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. He has suffered from the attack and is still recovering. The good part is that as is characteristic of the folks that live in Fox Run two separate individuals were part of making sure a bad situation did not get any worse. And apparently someone called 911.

If you see a dog that is roaming without a lead or seems to be threatening anyone please call Animal Control . 595- 3075 / or 595-3080…these numbers are on the back of your Fox Run Directory. After hours this is handled by the Sheriffs Department. The only requirement is that you do leave your name, address and any information you know about a particular animal.

If animal control comes out and cannot ascertain a dogs owner, the dog will be picked up and taken to the Animal Shelter. If your animal is picked up you will be given a citation. If the animal does not have updated vaccinations and or not properly licensed this will also be a citation. This can become quite expensive to a pet owner. If multiple citations occur then your animal can be seized … which obviously no one wants.

Rick Beck, Vice President of the Home Owners Association, always counsels that when you have a problem with a neighbor please go to them first. And if this is possible I agree completely. However, large dogs on the roam are a hazard to us all. We have people of all ages in our community...and in all stages of health so we must be aware of potential threats that large dogs roaming present not just to us but everyone.

For further information please go to the link below ……………

http://myescambia.com/Bureaus/CommunityServices/PetOwners.html

7/18/2009
GREAT NEWS THIS HOME FINALLY CLOSED...... 10023 Hollowbrook Dr. 2071 sq ft 3/ 2
$116,500 This home originally came on the market in May '06.....Foreclosure / distress sale

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8/17/2009
10015 Hollowbrook Dr 2,052 sq ft 3/2 ( in-ground pool ) $178,000 DOM* 120

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9804 Huntsman Path 1,846 sq ft 3/2 $145,000 DOM * 113

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* Days On Market....

To begin the Fox Run blog experience we thought we would start with information about Real estate activity in the subdivision so far this year. Currently there are 7 homes for SALE .Six in the MLS and 1 For Sale By Owner (FSBO). They range in price from $127,000 to $499,900. The per square foot price is $82.23 to $126.75 with the average being $99 per square foot.

There are 3 homes currently under contract or contingent. Contingent means that some recquirment of the contract has yet to be satisfied ie: home inspection, financeing etc. As soon as these are satisfied the homes will go into pending status. The listing prices are from $145,000 to $179,900. The square foot prices calculate out from $74.32 to $87.67, with an average of $83.

Since January1, 2009 two homes have sold in Fox Run. One sold for $116,500 and the other sold for $169,900. The lowest priced home was a foreclosure which dramatically affected the selling price. The square foot price were $56.25 and $89.75 with an average of $73.

Also since the first of the year three homes have been withdrawn from their listing and three homes had their listing expire without being sold.

The goal of this blog is to provide you with information about your neighborhood and to provide a forum for your voice. We encourage your participation and input about what we can do to make our neighborhood better and maintain our property value.

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