HAWTHORNE HIGHLIGHTS

CELEBRATE HAWTHORNE’S 35TH YEAR AS A RESIDENT-OWNED COOPERATIVE! FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017, 2:00 PM

IN THE DAN GORDEN HALL. REFRESHMENTS SERVED

On December 15, 1982 Hawthorne was in a

jubilant mood. Why? Residents filled the

auditorium in celebration of Hawthorne’s

success in becoming a self-owned cooperative.

The festivities included spirited speeches, the

display of the documents of purchase of

Hawthorne, the eagerness of the community’s

first Board of Directors, and a spread of

refreshments not to be equaled. Yes, this

December celebration was one that had been

earned through the determination of the

Hawthorne’s leadership and the residents.

Colonial Penn Insurance Company, the original

developer of Hawthorne, fell on hard times

financially in the late 1970s. An offer came from

a California Management firm and Colonial Penn

was agreeable to a sale. Needless to say, tension

was high among Hawthorne residents. Many

had just bought new manufactured homes and

had settled into a lifestyle in retirement

promoted by Colonial Penn. The threat of losing

their homes and their favored retirement

lifestyle was a shock. They were not to be

denied and rose to the challenge of buying the

park. The residents united behind the

leadership of Harry Galbraith, Carl Curtis and

others who led the way in finding legal and

financial options to buy Hawthorne and create a

cooperative homeowners association. How did

residents raise the funds to buy Hawthorne for

the asking price of 9.3 million dollars? Each

resident was asked to purchase a 99-year

proprietary lease and financial interest in the

common elements of the community. The

prices varied between $8,000 and $10,000

dollars per home, based on location. If residents

would do this, they could raise the needed funds

to purchase the community. The amazing fact is

that they did it! What a commitment these

Pioneers made to save the community and its

way of life! Today, 35 years later, we continue

to enjoy the benefits of a generation willing to

go the extra mile to preserve Hawthorne. Now,

on the 35th anniversary of the resident’s

purchase of Hawthorne, we will gather in the

same auditorium on that same date and

celebrate once again the accomplishments of

1982. Plan to join your neighbors in this

celebration on December 15, 2017 in Dan

Gorden Hall at 2:00 PM. The guest speaker will

Volume 27 No.6 September 2017

be Hawthorne’s General Manager for 29 years,

Dan Gorden. Mr. Gorden began his career with

Hawthorne as the Controller in January 1974.

His knowledge of Hawthorne’s history - -

Hawthorne’s legacy is unmatched. We are in for

a real treat! Don’t miss this celebration on

December 15, 2017.

Pat Hurlburt

Hawthorne Historical Society

HAWTHORNE MEMORIAL FUND, INC.

We need to understand the distinction between Hawthorne the community and its Memorial Fund. An early resident died and a couple of close friends wished to donate money to “memorialize” that resident. The developer, Colonial Penn resisted any involvement in this matter. This was the seed that led to the organization of our Memorial Fund.

Organized as a non-profit, donations were used to add special amenities to our clubhouse and grounds. In 1979 the Memorial Fountain was placed at the entrance to our community with money from the Memorial Fund.

The leaders of our community during the

1982 forming of a cooperative were also active with the Memorial Fund. Carl Curtis in particular wanted to see an assisted living facility nearby. He was behind the scenes in encouraging Mrs. Sanders to sell her orange grove (aka 100 acres) to the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society. That transaction was in late 1986. Curtis died in August 1987. In 1988 the Memorial Fund obtained permission to place the ashes of Hawthorne’s deceased in an area adjoining the portion of the 100 acres where the Richmond Cemetery is located. This permission was granted by the Good Samaritan Society.

In 1995 the Good Samaritan people offered to sell the Memorial Fund .61 acres of the 100 acres. This parcel included our existing

Garden and the land to CR 48, taking in the Richmond Cemetery. This was an offer we could not refuse. Still legal counsel checked it before we agreed. The Hawthorne Memorial fund became the owner of a parcel of land. At the close of 1995 we had 76 individuals at rest in the Garden of Memories.

The actual 100 acres became Hawthorne

property in 2001. Hawthorne purchased it from the Good Samaritan Society for $490,000. In 2008 Hawthorne listed the highway portion of the 100 acres for sale. The Memorial Fund was concerned should the land offered for sale be developed leaving us with a divided parcel. In January 2010 we approached HRCA’s Board and purchased an additional section of land to the north of our border. The drawing may help to clarify this.

These two purchases were token transactions. The deeds read ‘in consideration for payment of $10’ - the ownership was transferred to the Memorial Fund. The Memorial fund did not pay market price for the land we now own. The cooperation of the Good Samaritan Society from 1988 until our purchase in 1995 was most gracious. And our expanding of the Garden prior to 2010 was with the approval of both the Good Samaritan and HRCA. We are most appreciative of this generosity. Today we own a parcel that will always be connected to the Hawthorne community, regardless of any future development of the 100 acres. We now have over 360 individuals – deceased Hawthorne residents interred in Hawthorne’s Garden of Memory. You may learn more at our web site: www.hawthornememorial.com or literature at the Information Center in the clubhouse.

George Wolf – Director of Interments

Memorial Fund

TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON We have two grand pianos in the Dan Gorden Hall. The first is a Mason-Hamlin instrument. It was purchased in 1976. The Penn Notes April 1976 issue tells us all about this purchase. A $9,000 item bought for $5,685 by the Piano Fund Committee on a no-interest three-year loan from Colonial Penn Communities. It was moved into the Great Hall on Thursday, March 4, 1976-as Dick and Helen Selleck were doing the tour. They bought and were totally involved in Hawthorne’s music programs into the late 90s.

In the archives of the Concert Series is this interesting item: “The Mason & Hamlin Grand piano will be maintained primarily for use by professional musicians in connection with the Hawthorne Concert Series and for special programs by other groups where need for a grand piano is essential”. In April 2000, the Concert Series requested that HRCA approve the purchase of a new piano for the Great Hall. Wesley Johnson, Hawthorne’s Mr. Music, spearheaded this effort. Club Hawthorne donated $6,000 towards the purchase. The Concert Series Committee donated $5,000 towards the cost. HRCA approved the additional $12,975 for this excellent instrument. We should mention that the manufacturer’s retail price for this piano was $44,595. Yes, we got a very good deal! I was privileged to grow up in a home with several excellent pianos. My Dad was a piano technician/tuner. We had a Steinway Concert Grand in the house for several years. I was taking piano lessons and enjoyed practicing on this wonderful instrument. So, when the Chorus sings, “I Love a Piano” it is my true feeling. We have these two instruments in the Dan Gorden Hall today. Let’s take extra care of them. Picture below is George on left. All were ‘53 grads of Collingswood High in NJ. Knight builds Harpsichords today. He and I were on the track team. Submitted by George Wolf

ACTIVITY FAIR

Tuesday, October 17th is the day we have our Activity Fair. Beginning at 10:00 AM in the Clubhouse you will be able to view the different displays that our activities have set up for you. This is a great way for our newcomers to get acquainted with Club Hawthorne. We urge each and every one to come, as it will give you an opportunity to see which activities you might be interested in. You will be able to ask questions and/or sign up for an activity as well...

NEW FACE LIFT

Below is a picture of the old Quad and a picture of the new “Information Center”. We changed

the look of the Quad a year ago and felt it is now time for a new name. Thus, we are now

referring to it as the “Information Center”. Each slot is numbered and named for the appropriate forms that you may be looking for. Hopefully it will be easier for everyone to find the information you may need.

WELCOME BACK

To all our summer travelers that is! Hopefully

you had a safe and enjoyable trip and had a

chance to visit friends and family. But isn’t it

good to be home? The months went by very fast

and it is time to get all of our activities up and

running. There were quite a few that continued

through the summer months so there was

always something to do. For those who have

returned, we hope you have noticed the

changes made in the clubhouse while you were

away. The “Quad” has been renamed to

“Information Center” and you will find all the

forms and information that you may need. We

are ready to get going for another busy season

here at Hawthorne.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Hawthorne’s “Artist of the Month” – All of the

artists featured the past seven months have a

painting in the Library. Please take the time to

visit and look at their beautiful work.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Monday, September 4 – HRCA Holiday Thursday, September 7 – Council Meeting Thursday, September 7 – HRCA Dialog Meeting Friday, September 8 –Garden Club Dance Thursday, September 14 – HRCA Workshop Thursday, September 21 – HRCA Board Meeting Thursday, September 21 – Group Meeting Friday, September 22 – Sox & Boots Dance Saturday, September 30 - Woodcrafters Ice Cream

STAR SPANGLED AMERICAOh, say can you see, by the dawns early light, O beautiful for spacious skies, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? For amber waves of grain, Whose broad strips and bright stars, through the perilous fight, For purple mountains majesties O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? Above the fruited plains! And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, America! America! Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. God shed his grace on thee Oh say does that Star - Spangled Banner yet wave ‘And crown they good with brotherhood Over the land of the free and the home of the brave? From sea to shining sea! On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, O beautiful for pilgrim feet Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes, Whose stern impassioned stress What is that which the breeze, o’er the towing steep A thoroughfare of freedom beat As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Across the wilderness! Now it catches the gleam of the morning first beam, America! America! In full glory reflected now shines on the stream: God mend thine every flaw, ‘Tis the star spangled banner! O long may it wave Confirm thy soul in self-control, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave

Thy liberty in law! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore O beautiful for heroes proved That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion In liberating strife A home and a country should leave us no more? Who more than self their country loved Their blood was wiped out their foul footstep’s pollution. And mercy more than life! No refuge could save the hireling and slave America! America! From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave May God thy gold refine And the star spangled banner in triumph doth wave Till all success be nobleness O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave And ever gain divine! Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand O beautiful for patriot dream Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation! That sees beyond the years Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land Thine alabaster cities gleam Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Undimmed by human tears! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, America! America! And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”. God shed his grace on thee And the Star - Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave And crown they good with brotherhood O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave! From sea to shining sea!

Submitted by: Frank Lupejkis Commander VFW Post 6389

COMMUNITY SERVICE CONNECTION

UPDATE CSC recognizes that in our community there are

many, many neighbors helping neighbors.

Unfortunately, some residents have no one to

call on. Those residents are one of the reasons

CSC was established. Forty plus volunteers are

ready, willing and able to help our neighbors.

Here are some of the services we have provided:

Directory assistance (help finding Lake County

and Hawthorne services), respite care (a few

hours off for our neighbors who find themselves

caring for a loved one 24/7, notary service

(Hawthorne residents only) and confidential

financial reviews to take advantage of available

assistance programs. Please know that one of

our respite care volunteers is an experienced

Alzheimer’s nurse.

In addition, we have helped our residents just

home from a hospital or rehab stay by picking up

meds, running errands or doing a little grocery

shopping. Our volunteer handyman has

changed light bulbs, hung hooks, and put

together a scooter. He also switched hats and

provided transportation when Good Neighbors

needed help with a lengthy assignment.

A good number of our volunteers take time to

make neighborly visits and bring cookies baked

by other volunteers. One volunteer is helping a

visually challenged resident read her mail.

We are pleased to announce a grief support

group led by Chaplain Cindy Semenik, a

Hawthorne resident. She is trained and

experienced in leading grief support groups and

will offer that service to our residents.

If you would like some assistance or would like

to volunteer, please call our Coordinator Gail

Fuller at 706-528-7461. She wears many hats:

coordinator, respite care, visiting,

transportation, etc. If you cannot reach Gail,

please call Shirley Hurt at 352-315-9270 or

Joanne Rubin at 352-365-1839. For notary

services please call Cheri Kinney at 352-323-

8816 for an appointment. For financial reviews

please call Bob Crawford at 352-326-3974 for an

appointment. For grief support please call Cindy

Semenik at 352-978-1057.

RETIRED TEACHERS AT HAWTHORNE

I am not a teacher – never had this opportunity.

However, teachers founded Hawthorne. Dr.

Ethel Percy Andrus was a schoolteacher and

administrator. She is credited with establishing

the programs we have implemented in our

retirement community – never mind that she

died in 1968, four years before we broke ground

building Hawthorne. A few years back Club

Hawthorne accepted the demise of the National

Teachers Retired Club – the club just went into

retirement. Kind of a shame. In my efforts to

organize data for our Historical Society, I came

across an autobiography (perhaps an attempt at

one) by Elnora Bolan. I’ve seen her name on a

number of our publications. She was a teacher

in Illinois. Her activities at Hawthorne are given

in her writing-maybe we’ll publish it down the

road. After covering many activities in which

Elnora participated, she relates that a new

organization was established in the fall of 1992.

The Hawthorne Teacher’s Group was active at

that time with Art Kozlik as Chairman. Elnora did

not identify the name of this new group of

teachers, only that, Joyce Costigan was chair and

a roster of 83 teachers existed. The copy I have

before me has a date of March 1998. Now, I

must clarify that Joyce and Stu Costigan are the

couple that sold us our home in Hawthorne. We

closed in November 1994 – Joyce and Stu moved

later that month. I recall asking why they were

moving from Hawthorne. Joyce replied that she

couldn’t find anything to update her living space.

The pristine interior of the home did impress us.

We have now, and had in the past some gifted

teachers who chose to retire at Hawthorne. I

wonder how many of our present population

were educators in their previous lives? We

might all be surprised.

George Wolf – Club Reporter

INTERESTING DATA TAKEN FROM THE

HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVES

Loyal and Martha Wilkens bought into

Hawthorne in 1975 – at 407 Palo Verde Drive. In

1976 Loyal was the Council Officer for Social

Clubs. Loyal was elected to the HRCA Board of

Directors in 1986, and promoted to President in

1987.

Martha died on April 27, 1988. She was the 2nd

person to be interred in our Garden of

Memories. Martha was 69 years old when she

died. We all know that the number one person

placed in the Garden was Hank Parks.

Loyal joined the Memorial Fund Board of

Directors in 1990 and served through 1992. He

died on November 18, 2008 at age 90. Loyal was

placed in the Garden of Memories near his wife.

At the time of his interment, Loyal became the

254th person placed in our Garden. An

interesting sidelight is that Loyal was interred in

our Garden in December 2008 along with his

second wife, Alta. They were placed near his

first wife Martha “Marty”. You ask how do I

know? I was there representing the Memorial

Fund. Page Theus handled the interment and

brought the two individuals in a special ark-I’d

never seen this done before. There’s lots of

history on our web sites

www.hawthornehistorical.org and

www.hawthornememorial.com

We never cease to learn – even in our retirement

years. George Wolf – Gravedigger

FUNHAWKS

It’s getting to be that time. The Hawthorne

Funhawks will start bowling on September 19th.

We look forward to another great season. And

we’re looking for new bowlers. Come join us for

good fun and exercise. We bowl every Tuesday

at 9:30 until March 27, 2018 at the AMF Lanes in

Leesburg. If you’re not back by September 19th,

you can start whenever you return. If you’re

interested, you can sign up on the Information

Center or you can call me at 847-732-4395.

Submitted by Barbara Dyon

CHAIR VOLLEYBALL

Introduction to Chair Volleyball, September 1, at

2:30 PM in the Lemon/Lime Rooms. Possible

new activity for Hawthorne residents.

Introduction to Chair Volleyball by Stasia Fields,

Director, Senior Program for Parks & Recreation,

Goldsboro, NC with demonstration and open

play. (Stasia is the daughter of Faye Ewbank).

Sign up at the Information Center. Come out

and join us! Let’s get Chair Volleyball playing at

Hawthorne!

“CHEAP MEDICINE”

We all know “LAUGHTER” is said to be the best

medicine for body and soul. It releases stress

from our being way down to our toes! AARP

wrote an article on “LAUGHTER” in their

magazine about a month or so ago. Saying go

check out that “funny” movie or watch a really

“funny” TV show! You could also read a “silly”

book or one that’s filled with “jokes”. Or do

something really

“silly” and don’t

care about who

looks! So try

something “fun”

and “different” called “LAUGHTER YOGA”, the

4th Monday each month at 9:00 AM down by the

pool. “LAUGHTER and YOGA BREATHING”

together can release that stress, its fun and

beneficial and really, really cool!

Submitted by Carol Devlin

WOMEN’S EXERCISE PROGRAM Like most things in Hawthorne, they change

somewhat with time. Our Women’s Exercise

Programs have had to make some changes this

past Fall. The Monday, Wednesday Friday

program, which has existed well over 20 years

changes its leader. Betty McKenna had been the

leader for 7 years and because of health reasons

relinquished the reins to Ruth Pierstorff.

The Exercise to Music Class on Tuesday and

Thursday has enjoyed the leadership of Pauline

Ohme since it started 23 years ago. She has

become her husband’s caregiver and Shirley

Hickman became our new leader.

So the programs have changed leadership roles

but continue to “go on”! We thank Betty,

Pauline, Ruth and Shirley for their willingness to

be our “leaders” and invite women residents to

come and join us for stretching etc. each

morning. Our able Chairmen are Betty Freund

and Dottie Milani. (Article from March 2003

Highlights)

AARP TAX AIDE Hawthorne AARP Tax-Aide is an all-volunteer

group, preparing and electronically filing federal

tax returns as a free service to the Community

since at least 1997. Membership in AARP is not

required, either to serve or to take advantage of

this service. This past tax year we completed

1124 returns, saving the Community over

$225,000 in tax preparation fees. Over the last

14 years, we have saved tax filers over $1.45

million in preparation fees. We operate out of

the Hawthorne Marina, Mondays, Tuesdays, and

Wednesdays, from 8 AM until Noon, from early

February until the end of tax season in mid-April.

We operate on a client reservation only system.

We are sponsored by your local Hawthorne

AARP Chapter, 1775. Our volunteers include

both tax counselors and client facilitators. Our

facilitators greet the tax filer, confirm that they

have a reservation, assist them with the

interview sheet, confirm, and organize the

applicable documents for tax preparation. Our

tax preparer counselor volunteers are trained in

a classroom setting in January and are certified

by the IRS and AARP. Once certified, you will join

a group of seasoned preparers who, as a team,

are there to assist you with any questions or

problems. Our Facilitators are trained in house.

We adhere to the highest ethical standards and

comply with all IRS and AARP rules, regulations,

and guidelines. Our certified tax counselors,

using the interview sheet (which helps us make

sure all deductions are taken) and the taxpayer-

supplied documents, enter all necessary filing

information, such as filing status, income,

exemptions, deductions, and withholding

amounts, into the tax forms. From this

information, we develop the return ready for a

Quality Review and then electronic filing.

Returns are then independently checked by

Quality Review, confirming accuracy and

completion. The tax filer signs the return and it

is filed electronically the same day with the IRS.

We are in need of volunteers for the 2017 tax

year. Prior experience is not necessary. If you

would like to join this dedicated group as a

volunteer, either as a counselor or as a

facilitator, please stop by our table at the

Activity Fair on October 17th for more details.

You can also contact George Sunday at 728-6975

or by email at g_Sunday@hotmail.com.

Visit our web page at aarphawthorne.org, then

under “Our Services”.

Submitted by George Sunday

LET’S TALK TRASH

It is estimated that Americans generate 4.4

pounds of trash each day. *This fact can be

appreciated when traveling to towns around the

country and observing the ever-increasing

landfill areas used to contain trash. Here in

Florida, many communities highest point is likely

to be a landfill site. With our ever-increasing

population, it is vital that residents become

vigilant in participating in reducing waste

disposal through recycling. Recycling is an

important way to diminish the negative impact

of our abundant waste in the world we live in. It

is urgent that residents learn to recycle and the

consequences of not recycling. How did we get

into this trash mess? Our expanding population

is an avid consumer of new products that are

delivered in ever-increasing packaging that is

often disinclined to decompose quickly.

Technology’s basic materials have created yet

another whole spectrum of disposal concerns.

Our current cultural life style of “use it and

throw it out” has contributed to habits that

exacerbate our trash issues. We can all benefit

from becoming faithful recyclers! In so doing,

we can help conserve our planets resources. For

example, paper made from recycled paper saves

tracts of timberland and saves energy as well.

Recycled tires may well be found in carpet

production, rather than crating mounds of tires

somewhere. Dangerous materials, such as

chemicals and metals, when kept out of our

landfill, contributes to protecting a community’s

water supply and property. A reduction in the

amount of trash deposited in a community’s

landfill should be recognized as a financial saving

as well. Hawthorne has a contract for trash

removal with Progressive Waste Solutions.

Residents currently are billed $207.00 a year for

this trash removal service. This includes trash

pickup Mondays and Thursdays, recyclable

pickup on Thursday, and yard waste on Fridays.

The charges for the various wastes are the

following: 1 ton of garbage costs $19.00, 1 ton

of yard waste costs $8.73, and recyclables are

ZERO per ton. What is the bottom line! The

more we recycle the more we can hold down the

cost of waste removal. Hawthorne residents are

encouraged to recycle by using a dedicated

recycle bin. On the top of these bins there is a

list of the items that will be accepted for

recycling. This bin is collected each Thursday

outside your home. If you do not have such a

bin, you can arrange to obtain one by contacting

Waste Connections at 352-323-0824. The

following trash timeline is an eye opener and

should prod you to think about your consumer

habits and the need to recycle materials that can

be reused rather than being tosses into your

garbage bin.

*Resource: treehuggers.com

A TRASH TIMELINE

Item Time to

Decompose Item

Time to Decompose

Plastic bag 10-20 years Paper bag 2-5 month

Nylon bag 30-40 years Cotton bag 5 months

Lesson: Shop with your own cotton bags or ask for paper bags. Several states have already

banned the use of plastic bags!

Glass bottles 1 million years Milk carton 5 years

Plastic jug 1 million years Aluminum can 200 -500 years

Lesson: Consider buying products in cardboard containers.

Styrofoam cup 1 million years Paper cup 1 wk.-2 months

Styrofoam egg carton 1 million years Cardboard carton 2 years

Lesson: Avoid purchasing Styrofoam containers

Disposable diapers 500-800 years Cotton diapers 1-2 years

Nylon shirt 30-40 years Cotton shirt 1-2 years

Lesson: Consider purchasing natural fiber products

Hazardous items should NEVER be placed in garbage pick up!

Batteries: Collect separately and take to Waste Mgt. site for disposal.

Computers: Trade in if possible, or take to Waste Mgt. site for disposal.

Phones: Trade or sell back if possible. Take to Waste Mgt. site for disposal.

Printer cartridges: Return to dealer for credit. Waste Mgt. site for disposal.

Florescent light bulbs: Dispose at Waste Mgt. site.

Paint, motor oil, chemicals: Dispose at Waste Mgt. site.

Tires: Waste Mgt. allows residents to dispose of 5 tires per week.

Ask yourself how you do in the “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” effort!

Can you do better? Why not start today?

Disposal Contacts

1. Lake County Waste Mgt. Site: 13130 County Landfill Rd. Tavares, FL

Phone: 352-343-3376 Hours: Mon., Tues., and Thurs. Fri. 9 am- 5 pm Wed. /Sat. 8 am-4pm

This site is well organized and a well-kept site. Have your driver’s license ready for ID.

2. Waste Connection of Florida is Hawthorne’s trash removal company.

Phone contact: 352-323-0824 email: customerserviceorlando@wasteconnections.com

FINE ARTS 2017-18 SEASON AT HAWTHORNE

Classes and workshops go on in the Fine Arts room almost all the time - - watercolor, acrylic, pastels, oil, collage, floor cloths, china painting, colored pencil, pen and ink, mixed media and more! Watch your weekly Bulletin for details. Classes are free except for materials. Maybe you have some special talents to share with? All our instructors are volunteers and we are always looking for new ideas. We meet monthly on the first Monday of each month (Sept-April) in the Fine Arts Rooms (next to the Library) at 9:30 AM and we encourage you to drop by the meetings and see what is happening! Everyone is welcome! SINCE MONDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH IS LABOR DAY, OUR FIRST MEETING WILL BE THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH. In late September, the Fine Arts will be painting murals around the walls at the pool. We are looking forward to brightening up the surrounding walls as well as the back wall. We would love volunteers to join the fun we plan on having to make this area creative! We have an email “chat and updates” newsletter and members and friends with email sign up for that. It comes right to your computer several times a month with all activities listed as well as interesting blog sites, web sites, information about local art happenings, quotes, news, art supply sales, and reminders. (You can sign up for that any time by contacting the editor at ginny.stiles@gmail.com.) The first Friday of each month, our Fine Arts group is featured on HTV98 and the Artist of the Month is interviewed. Seven paintings and/or artwork will be featured in the library. Be sure to watch and then drop into the library to see the art first hand! Many of you stopped by our Fine Arts booth at the Activity Fair in October to talk to the instructors and officers and see some

demonstrations of many of the mediums that

we offer! This year’s Activity Fair is going to be

on October 17. Sign up sheets for most of the

classes are at the monthly meetings or at the

Information Center where the Fine Arts

clipboards are located. We hope you will drop

by. Each year we have a Fine Arts Show that is

open to the whole Community. The date is

Sunday, March 18th from 1:00-4:00 PM. We

also sponsor a wonderful brunch each winter

and this year the brunch date is Saturday,

January 20th from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM in the

Auditorium. Please circle both on your event’s

calendar right away to save it!

Submitted by Linda Heller, Co-Chair of Fine Arts Activity

OLD LADY POINT OF VIEW AT CHECK OUT STAND SOMEPLACE IN USA

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment. The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, “We didn’t have this ‘green thing’ back in my earlier days. The young clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations.” The older lady said that she was right – our generation didn’t have the ‘green thing’ in its day. The older lady went on to explain: Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the ‘green thing’ back in our day. Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable besides household garbage bags was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use

by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags. But, too bad we didn’t do the ‘green thing’ back then. We walked up stairs because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the ‘green thing’ in our day. Back then we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throw away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts. Wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn’t have the ‘green thing’ back in our day. Back then we had one TV, or radio in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right; we didn’t have the ‘green thing’ back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blade in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the ‘green thing’ back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or bus and kids rode their bikes to

school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family’s $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the ‘green thing’. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint. But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the ‘green thing’ back then?

ANNUAL CRAFT FAIR Hawthorne’s Annual Art & Craft Fair is

November 17th from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM in

the Auditorium.

MOST WANTED Little Johnny’s kindergarten class was on a field

trip to their local police station where they saw

pictures of the ten most wanted criminals. One

of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked

if it really was the photo of a wanted person.

“Yes”, said the policeman. “The detectives want

very badly to capture him.” Little Johnny then

asked, “Why didn’t you keep him when you took

his picture”. (Out of the mouths of babes).

Hawthorne Highlights Hawthorne at Leesburg

100 Hawthorne Blvd. Leesburg, FL 34748

(352-787-1000) Editor: Debbie Provost

General Manager: Roger Slagle