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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2020 59 TOPS Late fall for many TOPS members usually means lounging on a raft in the Caribbean, cruising the Danube River, visiting Costco, Nordstrom or Kohl's to find the perfect gifts for holiday giving or planning big family and friend get-togethers. NOT THIS YEAR! In 2020, it has been ordering gifts on-line. creating personal crafts to share, Zooming with family and perhaps planning trips for 2022. COVID has changed many things for us, but unfortunately it has not changed any of our eating and exercise habits. It is essential this month that we stick to our goals of exercise and healthy eating despite our disappointment at a drastically different holiday season. While many of us will still make and exchange cookies (always a temptation), here is a suggestion for controlling our lives a bit. Go ahead and indulge so you don't feel cheated and depressed this season, BUT remember that adage about "once on the lips, forever on the hips." A good reminder is to check calorie counts on those delicious edibles, and then exercise the amount necessary to remove them from our bodies. Our TOPS magazine gives many suggestions about how much walking or bike riding it takes to equal a piece of fudge or pumpkin pie. Or you could just ask our biggest losers of the month — Carol Garcia and Charles Cladera — how it's done. If this sounds reasonable to you, join us. We've moved around a lot due to COVID guidelines for our county, most recently meeting at The Courts on Tuesday mornings at 9 am for weigh in followed by a short program, sometimes including exercise, inspiration, motivation and healthy eating tips. We hope to see some of you there. We have eliminated our monthly $3 group fee. For more information, call Cathy Calhoun at (951) 849-2614. ~ Andi Henderson Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. And here we go again ~ it seems that just as the Board opens the Billiards Room for play, the COVID cases spike in Riverside County and we have to quarantine again. We know that one day this will all be over, but WHEN? In the meantime, maybe polish up your skills by watching YouTube videos for ways to make outstanding shots. OR, you could always buy a miniature pool game (on sale at Walmart if you hurry) and practice with five inch sticks and balls smaller than gum balls. (It's JUST a suggestion….) But take heart. Soon we will be together again, playing our favorite game in our favorite room at The Lodge. We sure won't miss 2020, that's for sure! Everyone have a Merry Christmas and awesome new year, and hopefully 2021 will be more inclusive with other people we haven't seen for many months now. We miss you! ~ Eileen Gilbert-Antoine, egcellent@msn.com Billiards for Fun Wild Bunch Billiards Unfortunately, the curtain has come down on our "live" show in the Billiards Room. Due to the Corona Beast continuing to wreck havoc, we have had to close the Billiards Room for the time being. We want to thank you for adhering to the guidelines and making the Billiards Room a safe and healthy environment for the limited time we were able to enjoy a small piece of normalcy. The "Wild Bunch" consists of some of the best players in the league: Joe Spinella, Robert Howard, Bob Rector, Mike Corbett, Carlos Rivera, LeRoy Wright, Rocket Spinosa, and Gracy Luna. Once this beast has died and the crisis is over, if you want to play serious, competitive pool, we invite you to come by the Billiards Room and join in the stimulation of competitive play. We will keep you updated on when we can safely go into the Billiards Room, which we are hoping will be sooner rather than later! Have a wonderful holiday season and stay safe and healthy! In conclusion, Practice does NOT make Perfect; Practice makes Permanent; Perfect Practice makes Perfection Permanent. ~ Gracy Luna, gracyluna@aol.com Ladies Putters Group The putting green is now a complete nine-hole course! Several community members, Ladies Putting Group putters, and I have tried the nine holes and have many positive things to say about our putting green. If you haven't tried the course, make a reservation for yourself and one other person on the Amenity page of the website, bring your own club and ball, wear a mask and enjoy the cool breezes, great scenery, and exercise. There is nothing like it anywhere else! ~ Judy Irving, pli42pli42@gmail.com

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