Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc. The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 1

THE BULLETIN

B CMarch 2012 Official Publication of The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Volume 4, Issue 3

Annual RBCEaster Egg Hunt

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

10 AM-12 PM

RANCH TRAILS PARK

Make plans to HOP on over to our Annual Easter Egg Hunt for a morning of fun filled activities! Have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny by a professional photographer, get your face painted, or get a balloon animal twisted. There will be fun for all ages!

The Social Committee needs your help! Donate unfilled plastic eggs. Please drop off your eggs to 3804 Juniper Hills. Donations are needed no later than Saturday, March 17h. March 22nd- bring your favorite drink or snack and meet your neighbors as we stuff the eggs. If you are interested in joining the Egg Stuffing Party contact Patti Salzman at pbuck002@yahoo.com

If you’d like to volunteer and help make this event a success, please contact Patti Salzman @ pbuck002@yahoo.com. Your donations and participation help make these events a success! Thanks for your help!

Greetings Cedar Park Resident, As you are aware of, the city of Leander, Texas, has recently reported 2 “home invasion”

style crimes involving individuals who forced their way in and tied up their victims before burglarizing the home. These particular incidents, although not rare, were unusual in the sense that the same neighborhood block was targeted, and the type of victim(s) selected was equally similar.

Incident 1: Shortly after 7:30PM, two white male subjects in their early 20’s, wearing ski mask; armed with a stun gun; forced entry into a home after the door was answered by a young child. The occupants were tied up with duct tape before the suspects destroy the home looking for a safe. No one was injured and the burglars only left with two cell phones.

Incident 2: Shortly after 7:45PM, two white male subjects in their early 20’s, again wearing ski mask; armed with a stun gun; forced entry into a house near the location of the first home, tied up the occupants with duct tape, and again demanded to know where the safe was located. During this incident, the homeowner was stunned before the burglars left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

It is important to note that during each occurrence, the suspects knocked on the door and was given access by an unsuspecting child. In addition, both incidents occurred after 7PM. Although we have not received any reports of these types of crimes in the city of Cedar Park, the Cedar Park Police Department would like to take this opportunity to provide you with a few safety tip reminders regarding your home. • Lock all doors and windows-if you can access your home through a garage, you should

lock that door or close the garage.• Always check the peephole before opening the door to strangers, solicitors, or salespersons.

If you feel uncomfortable, DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!• Do not let children answer the door at any time.• Close all blinds and curtains-many times a burglar knows exactly what’s in your home

just by looking through the window. • Provide adequate exterior lighting-obviously this would help with the possible identification

of potential burglars during the nighttime. • Install an alarm system or provide an illusion of a security alert system by prominently

posting a sign. • Practice good neighborhood watch techniques-reach out to your neighbor and volunteer

to watch his/her house. Also, practice “situational awareness” by being aware of what’s going on around your home as well as your neighbor’s.

• Report All Suspicious Activities- immediately call 911 if you notice something unusual.• Remember the three “B”s: Be Prepared—Be Aware—Be Cautious

2 The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc.

THE BULLETIN

BOARD & MANAGEMENTRBC PROPERTY MANAGER Randy Vogel .................................................... 512-502-7506 ...........................................Randy.Vogel@Goodwintx.com

RANCH AT BRUSHY CREEK HOA BOARDDeerrick Matlock, President..................dlmatlock99@gmail.comVineet Rohatgi, Vice President .....................vrohatgi@gmail.comFreddie Jimenez, Treasurer ......................... rep9ile@hotmail.comAnastasia Manning, Secretary ..... anastasia.manning@gmail.comBlake Contine, Member At Large ................................................. .................................................blake@pioneerdevelopment.netFred Herdman, Advisory Member ....Fred.Herdman@gmail.com

COMMITTEE CHAIRS:Architectural Committee Derrick Matlock ..........................dlmatlock99@gmail.comLandscape Committee Byron Stephens ......................byronstephens@earthlink.net

Public Relations Committee Erin Lundie ....................................erin.lundie@gmail.comPool Committee Byron Stephens ......................byronstephens@earthlink.net

Social Committee Candace Lambert .............. rbcsocialcommittee@gmail.comNeighborhood Watch Vineet Rohatgi ....................................vrohatgi@gmail.com

NEWSLETTER INFOEditor Erin Lundie ....................................erin.lundie@gmail.comPublisher Peel, Inc. ...................... www.PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181 Advertising........advertising@PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181

ADVERTISING INFOPlease support the businesses that advertise in The Bulletin. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Ranch at Brushy Creek residents to receive the monthly newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact our sales office at 512-263-9181 or advertising@PEELinc.com. The advertising deadline is the 8th of each month for the following month's newsletter.

NOT AVAILABLEONLINE

DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser.* The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising.* Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction.* Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

At no time will any source be allowed to use the The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from the The Ranch at Brushy Creek Home Owners Association and Peel, Inc. The information in the newsletter is exclusively for the private use of The Ranch at Brushy Creek residents only.

Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc. The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 3

THE BULLETIN

Register online now at:www.colinshope.org

WWW.COLINSHOPE.ORG

will be Bob Fonseca

JOIN US FOR GOLF AND A GREAT CAUSE!

*Includes lunch, dinner, shirt & goodie bag

Special Guest Emceeof the 93.7 KLBJ FM Dudley & Bob Morning Show

DATE: Wednesday, April 18th11:00 am Registration - 1:00 pm Start

LOCATION: Flintrock Falls Golf CourseFORMAT: 4-person scramble

COST: $165 per golfer*

Please join us for the 4th annualColin’s Hope Classic charity golf tournament

and help prevent childhood drownings.

Colin’s Hope envisions a world where children do not drown

Honorary ChairsOlympic Swimmers:

Brendan Hansen and Garrett Weber-GaleCity of Lakeway Chief of Police: Todd Radford

Influenzaby Doug Heywood

Recent news coverage of swine flu outbreaks in the U.S. and around the world have many of us thinking about the threat and our risk of becoming ill. You may be asking the question: how can I protect myself and my loved ones from getting diseases such as influenza? The following information provides an overview of Influenza to include the signs and symptoms to look for.

Swine flu is a disease normally affecting pigs that is caused by the Influenza “A” virus. While not normally found in humans, under the right conditions swine flu can migrate across the species barrier to infect humans. Swine flu is not a so called “superbug” and we do have medicines that will successfully treat it, provided you seek prompt medical care. What makes influenza so contagious is that like other respiratory diseases, it’s easily transmitted from person to person when an infected person sneezes or coughs, or when you touch a contaminated surface such as a door knob and then touch your nose, face, or mouth. The incubation period from exposure to illness averages 7-10 days.

Symptoms of Influenza generally include: fever (generally high), headache, muscle aches, fatigue (extreme tiredness), cough, sore throat, and runny/stuffed nose. Some individuals also have nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Untreated, influenza can cause complications such as difficulty breathing and pneumonia. It’s important to monitor your symptoms and seek treatment if your symptoms worsen. In the case of influenza, early intervention is the key to a quick recovery.

There are many ways to reduce your chances of infection.Follow these simple steps to stay healthy:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. If you

don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper arm. This reduces the amount of virus on your hands effectively reducing cross contamination from hand to hand or hand to surface contact.

• Wash your hands! Frequent hand washing is a great way to reduce your chances of getting sick or making someone else sick. A good alcohol based hand sanitizer is also effective provided you rub your hands until they are dry. Keep in mind that the influenza virus can live on a surface up to 8 hours.

• Keep your immune system strong and your resistance to disease high by eating right, getting adequate sleep, reducing your stress level, and exercising. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water also improves your overall heath, and allows you to better fight infections if you’re ill.

• Get vaccinated. Each new strain of influenza requires a new vaccine designed to prevent infection in a human host. By getting your flu shot, you greatly increase your chances of staying healthy.

• Lastly, if you’re symptomatic see a doctor, if you’re sick stay home. This reduces the number of people you can potentially infect. For more information go to www.pandemicflu.gov

4 The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc.

THE BULLETIN

Classified AdsPersonal classifieds (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to Crystal Falls residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail erin.lundi@gmail.comBusiness classifieds (offering a service or product line for profit) are $50, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office at 512-263-9181 or advertising@PEELinc.com.

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Which, if any, Pet is Right for You?We realize while everyone in the neighborhood receives and most

assuredly reads this monthly newsletter, not everyone who does so currently owns a pet. So this article provides a few resources to help people make the decision about owning a pet. This is a simple overview article. Before making a final decision on a pet, please due your own due diligence and get the complete picture, weigh the pros (some mentioned here) and the cons (not addressed here). Many resources about pet ownership can be found online, including some quick quizzes to help you pick a pet. I’ve found some of those tools to be helpful, some to be utterly useless and others that appear to be thinly veiled fronts for gathering demographic information to market. Among the many I tested out, by far, the one I found to be most helpful is at Animal Planet, http://animal.discovery.com/pet-planet/pet-picker/.

If you are not yet ready for an online quiz, ask yourself acouple of questions to see if the reality of owning a pet might

be for you. The first and most obvious question being:

• Why do you want a pet? Once you answer that one, consider the type of lifestyle you have.

• Are you more sedentary or more active? • Do you want a pet around you all or most of the time or would

you prefer a more independent pet? • How much time do you have for a pet? Your available time

investment will considerably help to narrow your choices. Besides Cats and Dogs, here is a Potpourri of Possible Pets…

GUINEA PIGSGuinea Pigs make great companions as they

bond well with people of all ages. They can be quite amusing and they do not require a great deal of space.

HAMSTERSHamsters are easy to care for and are very cheap

to feed. Being nocturnal, they sleep all day, and at night are very active, crawling in tubes and running on wheels in their cage.

FISH Studies and in-depth research show aquarium fish provide many

health benefits, including reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and calming hyperactive children.

FERRETSFerrets are quiet, small, playful and curious.

They are also very sociable, friendly and affectionate and very smart.

REPTILESReptiles are fascinating to watch, fairly easy to take care of and relatively cheap to maintain. They can be interesting an unique and a great option for kids with allergies.

BIRDSBird varieties abound. Pet birds are relatively small, intelligent and fairly easy to train. Many bird species live very long lives, great for people who want a life-long companion.

I am sure there are many other pet options I neglected to mention. Perhaps you own a special pet that you’d like to tell us about. If so, we would really love to see any photos of neighborhood pets so we can include them in the RBC Pets Gallery. Please take a few moments to submit your photos to petscorner@debbyandmike.com .PetsCorner accepts any and all suggestions. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered, or even better, an article that you’d like to write simply send it to petscorner@debbyandmike.com . Thank You!

Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc. The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 5

THE BULLETIN

! Enjoy $20 "All You!!Can Eat" St Louis Ribs

! Supporting Habitat!!

for Humanity

! Cheer on your local High School as they compete in Rib!Eating Contest!"

Monday March 5th6:30 - 9:00 PMRib Eating Contest 7:30 - 7:45 PM

! Round Rock I-35: Round Rock High School

! 620 Four Points: Vandegrift High School

! 360 South: Westlake High School

! 183 North: Defending Champions Anderson High School

! Former Longhorns & current NFL players will serve as honorary “Rib Eating Coaches”

! Help local high school teams as they compete for the "Rudy's Golden Rib Trophy" for most ribs eaten!

! High school contest 7:30- 7:45 PM.

At all 4 Austin Rudy’s

locations

6 The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc.

THE BULLETIN

People all over Austin and the World will change lights to blue, dress blue, eat blue, drink blue and even paint fingernails blue beginning on April 2. April is Autism Awareness Month and Autism Speaks is celebrating by turning the World (and Austin) blue for the month. This is the first year Austin will turn blue in a big way. In 2007, the United Nations adopted a resolution to make April 2nd World Autism Awareness Day. Autism Speaks created Light It Up Blue (LIUB) to create awareness for the month. Austin TV and radio talk shows will be airing LIUB segments and contests. Numerous buildings like the 2nd Street Business District, the Four Seasons Hotel, the 360 Condos, the Amli Downtown and on 2nd Street, Home Away, west 6th Street Lounges and many more will be going blue. School campuses will be decorated, plus children and faculty will wear blue. Neighborhood Associations and organizations will turn blue.

Blue events will flood the Greater Austin area like the Blue Bash, Blue Martinis and Manicures, a golf tournament, a Blue Bingo and Burger Bash, a Blue Easter Egg Hunt, a UT sorority sponsored Blue Ball and much more.

Autism is becoming an epidemic with no known cause or cure. If the current trend continues, half the children born in the United States by 2046 will be diagnosed with autism. Our school districts are already “bending” under the load since 70% of people with autism are under 18. When these children become adults, what will happen? Many will have to be cared for throughout adulthood.

Autism robs families of the child they thought they had, since, although some are born with it, many regress around ages 1 to 3. The child loses speech, does not make eye contact, tantrums frequently and seems to be unreachable in his own little world. A diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is devastating for parents. Every 15 minutes a parent hears this diagnosis! Not only have they “lost” a child, but their entire life is immediately changed. Money and time involved in treating autism is staggering—not to mention the emotional pull of every single day.

Last year over 1,800 iconic landmarks turned blue for April from Niagara Falls, Rockefeller Center, the New York Stock Exchange and the Empire State Building in New York to Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil. Buildings all over the world like the Cairo Tower in Egypt, the Hungarian Parliament and the Sydney Opera House in Australia turned blue. This year the number will top 2,000.

Help fight the spread of autism. Create awareness by changing your exterior home bulbs to blue, wearing blue, painting your nails blue, decorating your child’s school in

blue, etc. The 2012 Autism Speaks National Poster Child for the United States and Canada is a Greater Austin kindergarten student—a great feat for our area! Let’s show what we can do to make Austin blue!

By Connie Ripley

LIGHT IT UP BLUE IN APRIL

Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc. The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 7

THE BULLETIN

Make your neighborsgreen with envy.

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8 The Ranch at Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter - March 2012 Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc.

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