Once again it’s that time of year ~ HURRICANE SEASON... altho’ it seemed
that we were already in it with the recent heavy rains the Mt. Dora area experienced. 24 inches recorded at one of the lakeside homes!

“Our” homes fared well. The only leaks found were in homes that already had problems and areas prone to erosion, eroded again. We are back to “normal” now.

OK, here’s the drill ... “don’t call us, we’ll call you” .... general area info will go here in the news section if possible and we will contact individual homeowners if there is a problem at their homes. One FREE post-hurricane inspection each season, everything else is at your normal inspection rate.

Your only responsibility is to HAVE FUN, keep those toes and fingers crossed and think HAPPY THOUGHTS!

Just received word from the Country Club of Mt. Dora Women’s Club via one of those flyers:
“This is the last CCMD Women’s Club Flyer - EVER
The Women’s Club is going green! Beginning September 2009 no flyers will be distributed throughout the neighborhood. Sign-up sheets will be posted in the CCMD Clubhouse and the Community Center. Also, an announcement will be posted on the bulletin board at the entrance with phone numbers for reservations. Luncheons are always on the third Monday of each month September through May ~ mark your calendars!”
Mind Your Castle thanks the CCMD Women’s Club!

THANKS to the Lake County Sheriff’s Association’s Crime Watch program for providing the following info to get us all thinking!
( The boldface questions below are new suggestions for our customers. )

OUTSIDE SECURITY
Is your house number visible from the street?
Can your neighbors see your house?
Do your neighbors have a clear view of your doors and windows?
Have you talked to your neighbors about neighborhood security?
At night, do you leave your front and back porch lights on whether you are home or not?
Have you ever walked around your house looking for ways a burglar might be able to get in?
Have you trimmed all your hedges and bushes so they can’t hide a burglar at work on your windows and doors?

DOORS & WINDOWS
Are your outside entrance doors all solid core doors?
Do your door frames fit snugly around your exterior doors?
Do you have a viewer / peep hole (180 min) in your front and back doors?
Are all your outside doors equipped with good one inch deadbolt locks?
Do you have a double-cylinder lock for doors with glass or panels?
Since you moved in, have you had all locks rekeyed or changed your locks?
Do you lock your door every time you leave ~ no matter how short a time?
Can you close and lock your garage?
Do you close and lock your garage door?
Do you check to see if all windows are locked when you leave the house?
Do you put a snugly fitting board in the track of your sliding glass door?
Have you pinned or installed an additional lock on your sliding glass door?
Do all your windows have good locks on them?
Have you installed extra window locks for better security and ventilation?

BASIC SECURITY
Do you know how to report a crime?
Do you ask neighbors to watch your house if you’re going to be gone overnight?
Do you have automatic timers on a couple of lights in the house when you are away?
Does your house always look like someone is home?
Do you turn your bell tone down on your telephone when you are away?
Do you have your neighbor park his extra car in your driveway when you are away for a few days?
Do you have your neighbor pick up your mail, newspapers and other deliveries when you are going to be gone?
Have you recorded serial numbers of your valuables?
Have you etched your drivers license number on valuables?
Have you photographed for identification purposes those items you can’t etch or that have no serial numbers on them such as jewelry, china or crystal?
Do you always separate your home and car keys when you leave your car with a valet parking attendant, repair or service technicians.
Have you removed all identification tags from your key rings?
Do you report suspicious activity to the Mount Dora Police Department or the Lake County Sheriff’s Department?

Mt. Dora Police non-emergency number.... 735-7130
Lake County Sheriff’s Dept. non-emergency number.... 343-2101

According to the March 5th Orlando Sentinel, Daylight Savings Time brings changes to the irrigation restrictions.... according to the St. James River Water Management District. As of Sunday, March 8th we will be permitted to water our landscaping and lawns two days per week during Daylight Savings Time. In the Fall, when we change back to Eastern Standard Time, we will be permitted to water ONCE per week.

As of March 8th:
*WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY irrigation at ODD-NUMBERED residential addresses.
*THURSDAY & SUNDAY irrigation at EVEN-NUMBERED residential addresses.
*Tuesday & Friday for non-residential irrigation.
*No irrigation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
*No more than 3/4” of water per zone and no more than one hour of watering per zone, both per watering day.

During Eastern Standard Time, beginning next Fall, irrigation days will be reduced to:
*SATURDAY irrigation at ODD-NUMBERED residential addresses.
*SUNDAY irrigation for EVEN-NUMBERED residential addresses.
*Tuesday for non-residential irrigation.
*The same time and water amount limitations apply as during Daylight Savings Time.

For more information go to: www.sjrwmd.com/wateringrestrictions
or call 800-232-0904.

This information comes from Florida Gardening Magazine ~ October/November 2008 issue, page 9. (GREAT magazine about Florida Home Gardening...check it out! )

According to Dr. William Kern Jr. of the University of Florida: “The eastern mole prefers loose, well-drained soils. It has been found in dune sand and rich forest humus. Moles are beneficial because they eat mole crickets... beetle larvae (white grubs, wire worms, etc.)... ants and ant brood... moth larvae and pupae (cutworms and armyworms) and slugs. They also help to loosen and aerate the soil. In those soil, moles can tunnel up to 18 feet per hour. Their living space is in tunnels and chambers 6-12 inches below the surface. Soil from these deep burrows is pushed to the surface in small mounds. The damage caused by moles is almost entirely cosmetic. Although moles are often falsely accused of eating the roots of grass and other plants, they actually feed on the insects causing the damage. The tunneling of moles may cause some physical damage to the root systems of ornamental or garden plants and may kill grass by drying out the roots, but this damage is usually minor.

When mole tunnels become an intolerable nuisance, moles may be captured and removed without a permit by homeowners, renters or employees of the property owner.

If a lawn service or pest control technician is hired to trap nuisance animals, that person must have a Nuisance Wildlife Permit issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). No poison (bait or fumigant) may be used on native wildlife without a poison permit issued by the executive director of the FWC. Because suitable traps are available for mole control, it is extremely difficult to justify the use of poisons. The use of vibrating devices to drive away moles has not been proven effective in scientific trials. In fact, the presence of mole tunnels next to highways would seem to be evidence against the effectiveness of these devices. The same is true for the use of mothballs to repel moles. The mole blocks off the treated tunnels and moves to a different part of the yard.” (Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum is another method not proven in scientific tests.)
..... Rebecca Jordi, Nassau County extension agent