PRESIDENT'S CORNER
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Hello Neighbors!
I’m still buzzing from this past weekend’s concert. What a special evening that was! I am usually running around at these things and don’t often take the time to just sit back and enjoy the event. But there was a moment there where I walked back to check on the crowd and the sight that met me was so joyful, I have to admit that I teared up. Omar Phoenix was giving a fantastic performance, kids were dancing, and the lawn was lit up by everyone holding up the lights on their phones.
That moment was pure magic and it made me want to create so many more moments just like it, for those of us who live in this special neighborhood. And we won’t have to wait long! Our Christmas/Winter Holiday event is fast approaching, and then it will be time to start putting together our event calendar for 2022. The concert could not have been nearly as successful without the help of all of those who helped set up, serve concessions, and clean up the park afterwards. Thank you all so much! There are so many fun things we want to make happen in the new year, and because of your support it is looking good for getting them all on the schedule.
In 2022, we will continue to need your support – both financially with your membership renewals and physically with your time as volunteers. I’ll be talking a lot in the coming year about joining in more and helping us to achieve these goals. But for now, let’s enjoy this last event of 2021 together and celebrate all of the things our neighborhood has to be joyful for.
See you in December!
-Christine Newman, RCNA President
The Concert in the Park w/ Omar Phoenix was a delight!
The concert could not have been a bigger success. We had a great turn out and everything came off without a hitch. That was in no small part thanks to our volunteers – Susannah Kirtland, Linnie Shimfessel, Cathleen Gail & Tim Hurd, the Klopfensteins, Noah Silkey, the Phillips, the Nuncio family, and anyone else I may have missed.
Omar Phoenix put on a dynamic show, which was no surprise to his many fans in the neighborhood who have had the pleasure of seeing him perform in the past. He was fantastic at engaging the audience, encouraging everyone to come up and dance. It was a joyful thing to behold. There was lots of talk by the end of the night of making his show an annual event.
Blue Basil joined us once again with their tasty Thai food, and we had a new addition with Travelin’ Tom’s hot beverage truck. The hot beverage truck was such a hit, we’ve already asked them to join us again for our winter holiday event on December 12th. And everyone seemed to enjoy having the RCNA hosted pizza/snack table up and running.
We hope you were able to make it! But if not you can still join in the fun in December!
PET CORNER
by Leighann Hurley
Now that the weather is cooling off, here are four fun parks to explore with your dog!
Katherine Fleischer
Why I Love It: plenty of space so you don’t get stuck closer to another dog or person than your dog can handle. It’s a little hilly, too, so you can duck up or down to get out of eyesight. The Wells Branch Homestead is there and fun to explore too!
Watch out for: as big as this place is, it can get very crowded during peak hours. Visit during a weekday if your dog struggles around people or other dogs.
Address: 2106 Klattenhoff Dr, 78728
Springwoods
Why I love it: this is one of the closest locations for us and the amount of shade is fantastic. Despite the trees, it’s still very easy to see what’s coming and get off the path if your dog needs extra distance from other dogs or people.
Watch out for: off-leash dogs. Leash laws do apply at this park, but not all participants observe the laws.
The primary parking lot is VERY close to the play-ground. If your dog is uncomfortable around children, park in the secondary lot near the office building.
Address: 9117 Anderson Mill Rd, 78729
Olson Meadows
Why I love it: the little stream splitting the park in two is a treat, and the small bridge spanning that stream is a nice bit of novelty for the dogs. This park has two very large fields on either side of the stream so you also have space to move away from people or dogs if needed.
Watch out for: the highly trafficked Brushy Creek trail system runs RIGHT next to the parking lot so I don’t recommend this park for dogs who struggle with strangers. As popular as the trail is, it’s impossible to keep your dog calm while you park, unload, and move away from the trail. Also, keep alert for off-leash dogs. Leash laws do apply.
Address: 4200 Brushy Creek Rd, 78717
Veteran’s Memorial
Why I love it: this place is huge and one of my favorites if I need to work a dog-reactive dog: I can count on other dogs being there, but they’re behind a fence so I can control how close we get.
Watch Out for: off-leash dogs. Even though dogs outside the fenced dog park are supposed to be on-leash, some participants let their dogs off-leash—especially in the parking lot.
Also watch out for the memorial statues. A number of dogs have been scared of these so be prepared with extra yummy treats or an alternate route if your dog is uncomfortable. They are fairly easy to avoid.
Address: 2525 W. New Hope Rd, 78613
Fitness & Health Corner
by Tres Hinds
Hello, neighbors!
It’s good to be back – and just in time to talk health and fitness before the holiday season! If your house is like mine, you have more candy than usual since we just finished Halloween. And many of us will be celebrating Thanksgiving later this month, with end-of-year holidays and celebrations on the horizon!
I thought it would be a great time to do a 2-part newsletter on one of my favorite topics: FOOD!
Food plays many roles – it can be a comfort, a hobby, and a connection to loved ones or the past, in addition to its most important role: fuel for our bodies.
The idea of using food for fuel is usually the place I start when clients ask: “How should I eat to lose weight?” The question seems simple enough, but it’s important to pay attention to the words used.
To lose weight, the simple formula of consuming fewer calories than you burn, which puts you in a caloric deficit, means you will lose “weight.” This weight will be a combination of lean body mass (muscle tissue) as well as fat. However, most clients are more interested in the question “How should I eat to lose fat?”
To lose fat, the same formula works (burning more calories than you eat). But it’s also possible to lose fat while building and retaining muscle. This is where the composition of your diet matters (the proportion of your food that is comprised of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats – which are collectively known as the macronutrients). We will examine those terms next month in Part 2. This month I want to leave you with the most important takeaway: the timing of your food also matters.
Metabolism is a fancy word for the many processes in your body that turn food into energy. We eat food, and it gets turned into stored energy. We use that stored energy to get through our days – work, chores, exercise, and then we eat more calories to get more energy, rest and repeat – the cycles are endless.
So, let’s imagine your body and its metabolic processes as a campfire. And the food you eat is the fuel, or what is “burned up” in the fire.
The most efficient way to burn fuel (food) is to have a hot fire already burning. In other words, having a consistently hot fire (which we build through exercise) means your body is primed to “burn up” the calories you eat more efficiently. Imaging going for a long run after a weight lifting session. This gets the campfire burning hot. When you get home, your body needs calories. It is eager to restore the glycogen (more on that next month) it used during exercise, and the food you eat will help heal the body from the stress you induced during exercise. You add fuel to a roaring fire, and it burns up easily.
Now imagine the reverse order, especially if your exercise habits (and other lifestyle and health factors) mean your metabolism doesn’t “burn hot.” You’ve just had a huge meal – pasta, grilled meat, dessert – and now we try to “start the fire.” You’ve piled “fuel” onto a fire that’s just embers. With time, that fuel will burn – but it will take much longer. And depending on what type of fuel you put into the fire – some of it will burn faster, while others take longer to be used.
Of course, this is an oversimplified description of how our bodies use food. But I use this campfire metaphor as a reminder to clients, especially during the holiday season: You can add extra fuel to your fire. But first, to make sure that food gets burned up efficiently (and doesn’t wind up as extra pounds around the midsection) – try getting that fire burning hot beforehand! Add an extra few blocks to your neighborhood run; take the dog for an extra jaunt before dinner. Try riding your bike to the store instead of driving. Expending extra calories is a great way to enjoy the comfort of this season’s food while staying in shape!
Ewww! What's That Smell?
Say goodbye to funky odors around the house with these life hacks.
If you cook, play and basically just live, nasty odors are all around, no matter how many times you mop, scrub, and clean. There are loads of products, both natural and otherwise – you can use to rid your home of these nasty odors.
KITCHEN ODORS
Trash
Sometimes it’s not the trash that smells, but rather the actual trash can. You can easily clean it by removing the trash bag, washing out the can with dish soap & warm water. Then dry it out and sprinkle in baking soda or use a deodorizing pack or pod, like Fresh Wave, before you insert the trash bag, or stick it inside the lid. Then spray it with a disinfecting spray, like Lysol, to kill bacteria. After that dries, then put in a fresh trash bag. Do this at least once a month to keep your kitchen smelling fresh & clean.
Sink Drains & Garbage Disposals
It’s often said that the most well-fed member of any family is the garbage disposal. A lot of stuff goes down there and bits of food are always left behind, and when it starts to rot, it stinks! If you’ve been on the receiving end of that smell, you know what I’m talking about. Easy enough to clean, though, with a cheap, easy solution. Just boil a pot of water and pour down the drain. Follow that with 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of white vinegar. Close the drain and let sit for 5-10 minutes while the chemical reaction happens, then rinse again with another pot of boiling water.
Refrigerator
Love how the smell of a home-cooked meal or yummy takeout? It might smell good at first, but after it sits in the fridge and mixes with the aromas of all the other foods, it’s not so appetizing. You can easily eliminate these odors by keeping an open box of baking soda in the fridge and freezer. Also, make sure to double-wrap overpowering foods (hello, stinky cheese!) and store leftovers in containers with secure lids.
Dishwasher
Who cleans their dishwasher? YOU, that’s who – at least you should be cleaning it! Unless you run your dishwasher every day or always rinse dirty dishes before placing in the dishwasher, food particles stuck to your dishes and start to smell. To prevent the stanky-ness coming from your dishwasher, you can easily clean it with dishwasher cleaner and deodorizer.
Microwave
How did we ever live without microwaves?! We cook basically everything in there, which means there are a million smells circulating in a very confined space. Get rid of lingering smells by boiling one quart of water with lemon slices for several minutes. Be sure to wipe out any stuck-on bits of food and leave the door open so that your clean microwave can air out.
Cutting Boards
Sanitizing your cutting boards is an absolute must, but even that doesn’t always stop strong onion and garlic odors. To reduce these odors, place plastic cutting boards in the dishwasher. For wood cutting boards, cut a lemon in half, dip it in salt and scrub your cutting board. Works like a charm!
BATHROOM ODORS
Toilet
There are millions of germs crawling all over our bathrooms, and most of them cause odors. The best way to keep a toilet bowl fresh is to clean it before it even starts to look dirty using a toilet bowl cleaner. After cleaning, pour 1/2 cup bleach into the water. To prevent embarrassing or unpleasant odors emanating from the bathroom (hey, everybody poops!), use Poo-Pourri before you use the bathroom to mask odor.
Sink, Shower & Tub Drains
These don’t tend to get as smelly as kitchen drains, but if they do, you can use the same boiling water, baking soda and white vinegar process on these drains as with kitchen drains!
BEDROOM ODORS
Mattresses
We all spend a lot of time in our beds, and over time, mattresses may start to smell musty. Give your bed a refresh by sprinkling baking soda on the mattress, letting it sit, and then vacuuming it up, For a quick fix, spray soft surfaces with Febreze Fabric Spray. For a more thorough mattress refresh, check out these cleaning tips.
Closets
As counterintuitive as it seems, keep your closet door open as often as you can. In many of our Rattan Creek homes, the master closets are in the bathroom. Closing the door traps all the moisture — and smells — in the small space. And then there’s the shoes…so many shoes stored in one place tend to, well…stink. Closet dehumidifiers and deodorizers, like airBoss or DampRid, absorb moisture from air and prevent clothes from feeling damp (and smelling bad).
LIVING ROOM ODORS
Carpet
Plush wall to wall carpeting and area rugs are beautiful, but they are like odor sponges in our homes! A sprinkle of baking soda can come to the rescue again to remove odors from carpet. Simply vacuum your carpet, sprinkle baking soda all over it and let it sit while you watch binge some Netflix, then vacuum it up for a fresher smelling home.
Pet Beds
Just like carpets, the same goes for fabric couches and pet beds: Just sprinkle cushions and pet bedding with baking soda, let sit, and vacuum.
Baking with someone who doesn't typically bake
by Velisia Escobar
by Velisia Escobar
6 Ingredient Corn Casserole
- 1 can of corn, drained
- 1 can of creamed corn
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1 stick of melted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix
- 1 egg
Hurricanes next season is in 2022 – learn more here: https://hurricanes.swimtopia.com/
SCOUTS
SCOUTS
The Scouting movement in Rattan Creek is alive and well, even through times of COVID-19. Scouting is a great opportunity for our neighborhood youth, both male and female of almost all ages, to participate in a social activity with their peers to learn life lessons and build leadership capabilities. There are several opportunities for various ages in our neighborhood:
Cub Scout Pack 159 – Chartered on October 1, 1971, Pack 159 is one of the older and more established Cub Scout packs in the Northwest Austin area. Many of our scouts attend Pond Springs Elementary or Jollyville Elementary. We welcome scouts and families from all different backgrounds. Pack 159 is open to boys and girls in Kindergarten through 5th grade.
Online: pack159.org | Facebook: facebook.com/pack159tx
Scouts BSA Troop 259 – Troop 259 serves male youth aged from 11 to 17. Many of our Scouts attend from junior high schools such as Deerpark, Grisham, Canyon Vista, Pearson Ranch, and Cedar Valley along with high schools such as McNeil or Westwood. We meet weekly, camp monthly, and attend summer and high adventure camps annually. We are firm believers in giving back to our community through service. You will likely find our Scouts involved in local school and neighborhood activities.
Online: scout259.org | Facebook: facebook.com/scout259
SCHOOL CORNER
SCHOOL CORNER
Find out what’s happening in the neighborhood schools of Jollyville, Pond Springs, Deerpark and McNeil!
McNeil
STAFF APPRECIATION PIE DAY – 11/18/21 – Pie Day for our Mavs Staff is THIS THURSDAY and we still need LOTS of pies! EVERY staff member will get a WHOLE PIE, and we need your help to make it all happen and show our staff how thankful we are for them. This is always a favorite event for our staff and the number and diversity of pies are spectacular! Go the the PTSA Volunteer Page to sign up and let us know what you can bring. Then, drop your pies off at the front of the school at the new entrance from 8:15-9:30 am on Thursday, Nov. 19th. If you are not able to drop off that morning, we will have designated collection locations for neighborhoods throughout the McNeil community so you can drop off the evening before. Contact Mariana Allen with any questions. If you don’t have time to shop and drop, NO WORRIES, sign up for a monetary donation and we’ll do the shopping for you.
BECOME A MHS PTSA MEMBER – JOIN TODAY!!
Dues and donations go towards:
- Teacher Wish List Items and Classroom Supplies
- Educational & arts programs
- Student scholarships
- Student enrichment
- Civic engagement & voting information events
- Public education advocacy
- Staff Hospitality
- & Much More!
It only takes a moment to join, and it will make a world of difference to our school. Our goal is a PTSA member to represent every
IMPORTANT DEERPARK DATES:
11.18 – Thanksgiving Break Food Bag Assembly – Sign up here
Come out to the PSE PTA Winter Wonderland Carnival! Tickets can be purchase at the spirit store (it’s a neighborhood event!)
https://ch2v-9faf61.memberhub.com/store
We were lucky enough to get copies of all the old RCNA newsletters! Every month we’ll include something that was in a past newsletter in the same month or time of year. Enjoy the history lessons!
MOTHER GOOSE FROM BARNEY LIVED IN RATTAN CREEK!
HELPFUL LINKS TO NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
HELPFUL LINKS TO NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
HELPFUL LINKS TO NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
- North Austin MUD 1: https://northaustinmud1.org/
- Rattan Creek Neighborhood Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RattanCreekNeighborhood
- Rattan Creek Neighborhood Buy Sell Trade Give: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RCNBuySellTrade
- Rattan Creek Buy Nothing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bnplosindioshunterschaserattancreek
- Rattan Creek Tots Playgroup: https://www.facebook.com/groups/766011216785046
- Rattan Creek Pokemon Go: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1378225265618880
- Rattan Creek Women’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rcwomensbookclub
- Rattan Creek Tabletop Games Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rattancreektabletopgaming