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| Four Seasons Hemet Herald | FEBRUARY 2019 | 13 Landscape Committee With the recent rains homeowners should have turned off their irrigation and as this article is being written more rain is in the forecast. It is simply amazing to still see that some folks are still watering on a daily basis and at times when it is raining. Our soil in this community is primarily clay and overwatering is not only costly but wasteful. Drainage when dealing with clay soil is very slow and when rain water is added to a regular daily watering cycle, plant roots will drown as they sit in water below the surface. Over-watered plants are much more susceptible to pests, bacterial diseases and fungal infections. Root, crown and stem rots occur when over-watered plants become infected by fungal pathogens. When the over-watered plant develops rot, the foliage begins to dull and turn yellow and the plant will eventually die. Proper watering can help prevent future problems. Refrain from following a set schedule during our cooler weather and during our rainy season. The rule of thumb, water only when it's needed and keep in mind that too much water is as harmful to plants as not getting enough. Just a reminder about requests for tree removals. Messy is not a reason to request removal, it will almost certainly be denied at the committee level. It is recognized that some, in fact many trees are messy, some more than others but they add to the beauty of our community and are considered to be an asset. That said, there may be a time and a good reason to make a request for a tree to be removed and the Landscape Committee will always consider that request. In general, we want to keep the trees that we have and as the committee undertook extensive enhancement of our landscaping, more trees were added. Four Seasons residents have done it again! We asked and you responded by filling up the library with new books. Today I put several 2017 paperback books away and many 2018 hardbound books. Thank you so much. But, don't stop now, keep those 2018 books coming. Hopefully you have been asking for books as presents. Who needs candy for Valentine's Day when it can be another opportunity for a new book? Or two! We now have one of the best non-fiction book sections in Four Seasons library history! We have biographies, bibliographies, comedies, tragedies, and other true stories. They are all located on the very top shelf that many of us require assistance to reach. Do not stand on anything to reach them. Please go to the front desk for help. There is an easy reach located on the outside wall but its' okay to ask them for help. If you have not been reading from the top shelves you're in for a pleasant surprise. Talk to committee member Kay Masonbrink! In the center section, bottom shelves, you will find religious books, travel books and then a miscellaneous section that include health books, poetry, and self-improvement books. We also have some classics. Do peruse the shelves. We wish we had tons of space to house all subjects but that is what the downtown library is for. As of now, bring your December, January and February magazines for us to display. We have had wonderful donations of magazines lately. Thank you. Often times you can see a resident sitting in a chair relaxing with a current magazine! Remember, we display paperback books from 2014 - up, and hardbound books 2009 - up. On the non-fiction books we don't go by date. There are military books that are important that go way back in years. We try not to have too many duplicate biographies. We may receive many different authors writing about the same person but just keep a couple on hand. We have enjoyed our Four Seasons authors' talks so much. We hope you were able to attend Dr. Vernita Black's talk on her books about addiction and the newest one on stress. Those are both areas we humans could use help with. Our next speaker will be Lynne Spreen on March 14. The library committee will continue to have authors speak that do not reside in Four Seasons but are friends of our authors! From Blair: A Library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life. – Henry Ward Beecher Committee member Kay Masonbrink read A Column of Fire by Ken Follett. It has certainly been a long wait for this third book in the Kingsbridge cathedral series. It comes after the blockbuster Pillars of the Earth that appeared in 1989 and then World Without End in 2007. This book is different because the time frame is 1558-1620, which comprises mostly the Elizabethan period but also parts of the reigns of Mary Tudor and King James 1. The main premise is the impact of the never-ending religious wars and its effects throughout Europe. This historical tale follows two main families, the Willards and the Fitzgeralds as the author weaves their life stories through the most fascinating world historical events such as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, the long imprisonment, trial and execution of Mary Stuart, the incredible English defeat of the Spanish Armada, and the prevention of the Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot. At 900+ pages, this is not something readers will polish off in an evening but will discover this richly woven tapestry of fiction with fascinating history is difficult to put down. My special thanks to the resident who generously donated this expensive book to our library. Library Committee

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