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| Four Seasons Hemet Herald | AUGUST 2026 | 9 Changes Ahead for Four Seasons As you look around Four Seasons, you'll notice that many things have changed over the last year. Quite a few pine trees have been removed, shrubs are filling out and being pruned for a softer, lusher look, and there aren't quite as many soggy places as there once were. While we welcome some of these changes, there are others hovering on the horizon. Four Seasons Plaza Update: As you may have noticed, we lost several Chinese elms on the plaza behind the Lodge. The loss was due to an unfortunate combination of high wind and root rot. As much as we mourn the loss of the elms, we now have a chance to plant a better subspecies of replacement elms and do it properly - with a deep watering tube. The Landscape Committee is also researching the use of grates around the tree cut-outs to prevent soil compression and tripping hazards during events. Whatever choices are finally approved, you can rest assured that we explored all angles to maintain the lovely shade and natural aspects of the Lodge plaza. Front Gate Entrance: Plans are in the works to relandscape the area behind the guard shack in the front entrance. Some of you may remember that there was once a very large oak in that planter. During a high-wind event, it blew over, blocking the exit gate. The new landscape plan specifies smaller shrubs, removal of Boston Ivy on the wall, and installation of a lovely fruitless olive tree. Turf Replacement Project: After many delays, the Turf Replacement Project will be underway this month. We ask that folks be patient while the dusty work of turf removal and irrigation installation is being done. The final result should be well worth the short-term pain. See Something at Needs Fixing? The more eyes we have on the lookout in the community, the better. If you see broken irrigation, f looded areas, or dead/dying plants, please take a photo and email it to Maria Donti: maria.donti@fsresidential.com. Landscape Committee Library Committee We have been busy making some changes in the library this summer, including the addition of two new bookcases against the right-hand wall. This allows more space for shelving the growing collection of New York Times #1 Best Sellers into the new left-hand bookcase and Softcover Nonfiction books into the new right-hand bookcase. One rotating shelving unit now holds our Four Seasons Authors books. Religion books have moved to the center lower shelves on the left side, allowing expansion of several popular book categories in the bookcases behind the couch. This month's book review is from committee member, Lynn Voorheis, about Finding Me by Viola Davis. "Ms. Davis is known for her exceptional performances on television, How to Get Away with Murder, and in several movies, including Fences and e Help. She is the recipient of an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild award. In Finding Me, Ms. Davis shares with the reader her remarkable, honest, and poignant journey of self-discovery. It is best summarized in her own words:" In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn't always see me. As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So, I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be… you. Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.