Helen Koslowski (wrote Koz's Korner) sends holiday wishes

HI:   Its a snowy day here for all day, into tomorrow,We started making dishes for over the Holidays, Minestrone Soup,[Kims favorite] Chili [my favorite] Beef Stew [every one favorite] along with Porcupines] Tomorrow we will make cookies Santas Whiskers, Candy Canes and Peanut Butter with Hershey kisses.We got out the shoe boxes and dug out Recipes. We were so prepared for Christmas this year its slow in getting here.Aiden will be home on the 21st for the Holidays.Kim has become involved with Animal Rescue,had a craft fair for a Fund raiser,and is a collector for Blankets,towels etc. and worked there till midnight feeding,cleaning cages andputting out clean news papers.Since the law went after the Puppy mills the Shelter is getting large number of dogs,tonight they will get 50. Some are adopted. I miss Florida and Treasure Beach activities. Hope your Christmas will be Merry and Bright.   Helen

Local Residents

Family loses all in blaze Three find themselves homeless just six days before Christmas Posted: December 18, 2009   A St. Johns County Fire Rescue firefighter carries a fan to help clear out smoke from a home on Treasure Beach Road that caught fire on Thursday afternoon. By DARON DEAN, daron.dean@staugustine.com By CHAD SMITH Jimmy Retetagos was sleeping when he heard a woman yelling his and his brother's names Thursday afternoon. He woke up at about 12:45 and found his bedroom filled with smoke. "I could hardly see my way out," Retetagos said as firefighters inspected the charred remains of the trailer he, his brother and his niece shared at the west end of Treasure Beach Road. St. Johns County Fire Rescue spokesman Jeremy Robshaw said investigators were not sure how the fire started but think it originated in a rear bedroom. The trailer would likely be listed as a "total loss," Robshaw said. George Retetagos and his daughter, Alexis, weren't home when the fire started, and, he said, "By the time I got home, the place was halfway gone." They asked firefighters what, if anything, was salvageable. "The most important thing is the pictures of Mom and Dad," Jimmy Retetagos said. He was excited when a firefighter brought him his eyeglasses and then asked him to check a closet for family photographs. He and his brother are musicians and have a band dubbed The Coconuts. They had drums and several vintage guitars inside and were hoping those could be saved -- and they could still play a gig today at a retirement home. Their neighbor, Sandy Middlemiss, saw the smoke pouring out of the trailer and called 911. "I screamed so loud, both their names, that it woke Jimmy up," said Middlemiss, the mother-in-law of Morris Steinheimer, a physically handicapped man who was the center of a controversy in St. Augustine Beach last year when he was arrested after repeatedly driving his golf cart on sidewalks. "I think she saved my life," said Jimmy Retetagos, who seemed relieved just to be outside, away from the smoke. "You can get another trailer someplace. The pictures is the main thing, and the guitars. The house -- eh, big deal."

Front Entrance

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas. The other night when we were returning home I came to the front entrance and lo and behold holiday lights were up, the words Merry Christmas were all lit up, and the "chill" in the air actually fit the season. Well, let it be known that Steve and Phyllis Abbott found the time and the energy to decorate the front entrance and bring the mood out in everyone. Mind you, they asked for no assistance, they just went right to work. We are very fortunate to have neighbors like Steve and Phyllis for neighbors and members of the TBPOA!!! Thanks for all that you do.    I will hopefully follow this with a few pictures of their handiwork in the next day or so.

Greetings

Hello;  Just wanted to wish TB Residents A MERRY CHRISTMAS. My Husband Tom And I enjoyed living at 6339 Gomez RD. for many years.WE had good neighbors and friends and had a happy social Life.My husband passed in 2006 and I moved up to Denver PA. I read the Web-site Monthly,still have interest in TB.We have Snow on the ground and busy getting ready for Jesus Birthday. Stay warm and well.                                          HELEN Kozlowski                                                       hkoz49@ptd.net

Pets

A Column of the Day article entitled, "Pets must all wear collars when outside" appeared in the St. Augustine Record in November 2009. It was written by Deputy Joe Bowen of the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. In case you did not see it in the St. Augustine Record, the information contained in this article is worthy of repeating for the benefit of all our neighbors in Treasure Beach. Q. Could you do a column on laws pertaining to pets, especially leash laws, picking up after your animal and dangerous dogs? A. According to St. Johns County Code/Sec. 4-10: Any person or legal entity who owns, is in charge of, is responsible for, or is in control of any dog or cat shall not allow or permit such dog or cat to enter upon any public or private property within the unincorporated area of St. Johns County (note: incorporated areas, such as the City of St. Augustine and the City of St. Augustine Beach, have their own codes and ordinances), unless such dog or cat is wearing a collar. The collar must contain or have attached thereto the dog or cat owner's name and telephone number and an updated rabies inoculation tag. Also, Ordinance Number 2001-19 of the St. Johns County Animal Leash Law requires all dogs and cats to be under the control of a person by leash, cord, chain or other restraint whenever the pet is within the unincorporated area of the county. (Yes, cats are now part of the leash law). On the beach, pets are only permitted in designated day-use areas. All pets must be kept on a hand-held leash that is 6 feet or shorter and be well-behaved at all times. Pet owners are required to pick up after their pets and properly dispose of the droppings. Currently there is no specific ordinance for unincorporated areas of St. Johns County about the "animal scooper law" other than on the beaches. However, most homeowner associations have some type of regulation about picking up after pets. Under 767.10 Legislative Findings "Dangerous Dogs," the State of Florida declares dangerous dogs an increasingly serious and widespread threat to the safety and welfare of people and domestic animals because of unprovoked attacks. Such attacks are in part attributable to the failure of owners to confine and properly train and control their dogs. "Dangerous Dogs" applies to any dog that, according to the records of appropriate authority: Has aggressively bitten, attacked or endangered or has inflicted severe injury on a human being on public or private property. Has more than once severely injured or killed a domestic animal while off the owner's property. Has been used for the purpose of dog fighting or is a dog trained for dog fighting. Has, when unprovoked, chased or approached a person upon the streets, sidewalks or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or in apparent attitude of attack, provided that such actions are attested to in a sworn statement by one or more people and dutifully investigated by the appropriate authority. On the subject of pets, remember that Florida has a warm climate and pets will be strongly affected by hot weather. Never leave a pet in a parked car, even if the windows are open. Ten minutes could be too long on a hot day - by then, the temperature inside the car could reach 160 F, which is hot enough to cause a dog to suffer heat stroke. Pets don't perspire as people do. They cool themselves by panting. With only very hot air to breathe, a pet could suffer permanent brain damage. Pets might want to go for the ride, but sometimes it's much kinder to leave them at home with plenty of fresh, cool water in a climate-controlled residence. Note: If your animal is overcome by heat exhaustion, immediately soak it down with water and take it to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. The St. Johns County Sherriff's Office's bi-monthly question and answer column, "Ask Deputy Joe," is available to anyone interested in asking him a question. Call Deputy Joe Bowen at the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office at 810-6668 and leave your question on the answering machine, or e-mail jbowen@sjso.org.

December 2009 Newsletter

From The President's Dock... Paula Murphy President, TBPOA If you missed the November 3rd Community meeting you missed some good food!!!! The meeting was a "covered dish" dinner where everyone brought a dish to share. There are some very good cooks in T. B.!!! We had turkey chili made by Mike and Erika Whitley and lime squares made by Giesela Prange. (For those of you that may not know this, Giesela has a lime tree in her yard.) There were many other delicious dishes that I can't remember.....but, of course, I tasted them all!! Yours truly brought fried chicken from Winn-Dixie. Hey! I still work full time!! Giesela brought her sister (who lives in Germany) to the meeting. She doesn't speak very much English but she enjoyed the food and smiled a lot. Wow! All the way from Germany to attend our Community Meeting covered dish meeting! I told you we had some good cooks!!! This meeting was also the "election of officers" meeting for the year 2010. Your board members for next year are: Paula Murphy President Erika Whitley First Vice President Doug Berndt Second Vice President Barbara Warman Treasurer Richard Grubb Recording Secretary Did you notice any changes?? Neither did I!!! Please give thought this year to becoming a board member for the 2011 year. Some of the current board members will need a break after next year. My THANKS to all of the board members for agreeing to serve another year. DATES TO REMEMBER DECEMBER 12, 2009 6:00 P. M. BEACHER'S LODGE Giesela Prange has agreed to head up a team of volunteers to put on a very special (and somewhat secretive) Christmas Party. She wouldn't let me mention all of the details.....but I CAN tell you this....WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES! DON'T FORGET TO BRING A COVERED DISH TO SHARE! Call Giesela at 471-9496 to make a reservation and tell her what you would like to bring. (TBPOA is providing the ham). THIS IS IMPORTANT! Although we all love macaroni and cheese, we don't need 24 pans of it!! TBPOA will provide plates, napkins, utensils, cups, coffee and soft drinks. If you want any other type of drink, please feel free to bring it with you!! EACH PERSON MUST BRING A WRAPPED CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT AS THEIR ADMISSION TICKET!!Page 3 Keep the price $5.00 and under. We will play a game that involves the ornaments. JANUARY 12, 2010 7:30 p.m. BEACHER'S LODGE First Community Meeting of the New Year. We will have a guest speaker at this meeting. FEBRUARY 9, 2010 7:30 p.m. BEACHER'S LODGE Our 2nd Community Meeting! We will also have a guest speaker at this meeting. DUES! DUES! DUES! DUES! You will soon receive a letter from the Board reminding every property owner to pay their 2010 annual dues of $40.00. (What a deal!) Some of you seem to be confused about who really needs to pay these dues. It's not JUST the property owners that LIVE in Treasure Beach. IF YOU OWN RENTAL PROPERTY.....YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY THE ANNUAL DUES! Do you want the canals dredged? Do you want a nice and safe walkway to the beach? Do you want your property values to increase? PAY YOUR DUES! We can't do these things without EVERYONE'S support. We've even made it easier for you to pay them!!! Check out the Pay Pal option on the web site!! (www.treasurebeachfl.com) What are your thoughts about Treasure Beach becoming an active Homeowner Association again?????? You might want to attend the January meeting. I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A VERY MERRY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS! Sincerely, Paula L. Murphy President