My Year Among the Sunflowers (Month 10)
April’s Theme: I was told they’d be going home in April.
No foolin’, there were three April Fool’s Parties the weekend of the 1st. An ice cream social Saturday afternoon, the usual Music Under the Stars ‘70s concert that night, then a special Sunday hamburger and hot dog spread on the Community Center patio with music by the RAW band, an elderly trio who, according to their Facebook page (lol), tells corny jokes between fun ‘50s songs.
Don Ho couldn’t be missed prepping for the monthly Music Under the Stars concert. He and his glass tumbler’s amber liquid swished up and down the street knocking on his neighbors’ doors gathering folks to accompany him to the event.
Thank God and all that is holy that this month's Sunflower Potluck is being combined with the Annual Spring Fling. Two parties in one is the least they could do after a year of non-stop celebration.
There's a new old-dude band added to the every weekend mix now. Crazy Rhythm plays Friday nights in the Fiesta Room, but now the Common Thread Band will play Saturdays.
And yet another yard sale. They just had a freaking yard sale. It still amazes me that you have to pay $5 to participate. “To defray the cost of maps, signage, and advertising.” This does explain all the paper in people’s hands.
There is talk about forming a Neighborhood Watch. Did the police department complaints about the 20-30 daily Sunflower calls about the stray dog teach us nothing? Hell, even I hide in the house and spy through the blinds. For a good cause, though. Not to mention that we can damn near see each other in the bathroom. Must we encourage this? I imagine it could keep the husbands busy, repurposing the telescopes and bird binoculars.
The roof and port-a-potty people haven’t missed a day. One to 12 (yes, I count) workers at various spots around their house, garage, house in the backyard, etc., since…was it December? November? Have not missed a day. Have I mentioned that they all yell at each other constantly? “HEY JOE, BRING ME A NAIL!” “ON IT, BOB!” “HEY JOE, BRING ME ANOTHER NAIL!”
The town’s Smart Scape effort (non-profit/university program attempting to educate folks on sustainable water usage) is holding a workshop with the Sunflowers to educate folks on sustainable water usage. I hope Lesson 1 is, “Don’t water your damn driveway”.
Sunflower Sweet Spots: 1) The Artists’ Gallery is a big hit. Each month’s featured artist exhibits their photographs, drawings, paintings, etc., in the Center. This reminds me of how I still regret not stopping at an old man’s card table outside Black River Books in South Haven, Michigan. He had written a book about a war, I think. We looked at each other and smiled. I still wish I had stopped to talk to him about his book. He had a tablecloth and a tie on. 2) The library’s renovation is complete, and two librarians came to do a presentation about the changes.
Of course there’s pickleball, but there’s also tennis. Nothing newsy here, but the weekly email wanted to encourage novices to get involved: “We have a sophisticated ball machine that will help you get familiar with how to stroke the ball.”
So, karaoke has made it! It was a long struggle, but there was a strong voter turnout in the end. These fun evenings are on Tuesdays. Tuesdays! Same night as American Idol, they chuckle. Actually, AI is on Sundays, but who’s going to tell them. They also want people to send in their song title (along with the artist’s name) that they will be performing a week ahead, so the organizers can prepare the music. Again, who’s going to tell ‘em?
The Sunflowers donate a lot to the local animal shelters. This month’s newsletter mentioned in bold that they “no longer need any pill bottles”.
Work is continuing on the pool. Towers and skimmers and holes, oh my! And something about scuppers. They’re still pretty mad about this. A whole snowbird season with no indoor pool, poor things.
April is the month for weed compliance inspections. Apparently, every spring, after the Architectural Control Committee counts and measures everyone’s plants and cacti, the HOA tours the 950-home neighborhood counting and measuring cacti and bushes in everyone’s yard and judges who loses the weed competition.
No word on the Romeos or the Gals’ Night Out Club this month. I think they climaxed prematurely at the Spring Solstice and are resting.