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Volume 16, Issue 4
April Edition 2015
Cornerstone Place HOA
CORNERSTONE PLACE
NEWSLETTER
CORNERSTONE PLACE
COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE
Our next event will be the garage sale. Mark your calendars if you haven’t
already. Start getting your stuff together. The garage sale is Saturday, May 2, 2015
from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
CHANGE IN PLANS. KATY CHRISTIAN MINISTRY WILL BE PICKING UP AFTER THE GARAGE
SALE. SO YOU CAN DONATE ANYTHING YOU DIDN’T SELL. THIS PICK UP BY KATY CHRISTIAN
MINISTRY IS THANKS TO PATTI LACY. SHE IS MAKING SURE THIS HAPPENS.
CORNERSTONE 4TH OF JULY PARADE!
The 4th of July will be here before we know it. Cristina Arnold is organizing the event for
us. In order for this to be a success, she needs assistance from residents. We need people to
contact merchants for donations, to cook hot dogs, hamburgers, (and maybe a brisket), to
register parade entrants, to judge parade entries and driveway chalk art, and to coordinate
traffic—to name just a few of the tasks that we need people to handle. If you are interested
in volunteering a couple hours of your day—either before the 4th of July or on the 4th—please contact Cristina Arnold at 505-353-6669 or email her at [email protected].
A WORD OF CAUTION TO RESIDENTS!
On March 18, we had a little dog incident on Cornerstone Place. The lady attacked was lucky that someone saw and stopped to help
her fend off the dog. The dog was from our subdivision, and it had escaped from its yard. The owners of the dog did step up and
offer to pay medical bills, but that is not the point of this article. It is your responsibility as a pet owner to ensure that you have no
holes under the fence so your pet stays in your yard. Also, keeping your dog tied up all the time in your yard is cruel. Just make
sure that your fence and gate are properly secured so they can’t get out. Fortunately, a passerby stopped to offer assistance. This
doesn’t always happen.
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CORNERSTONE SECURITY REPORT
No news is good news. Everything has been quiet in Cornerstone Place.
Yeah!
NEXTDOOR.COM
We now have 86 residents who have joined. We are still hoping to get more residents to join. We will begin doing a lot of
neighborhood communication through NextDoor.com. We posted information about the Easter Egg Hunt and the Garage
Sale here. Remember that this is free. Please consider joining.
RECOMMENDED TRADESPEOPLE
Kimberly and Daniel Kristensen of Ash Forest Drive, would like to recommend Ultra Windows.
Ultra Windows did a whole-house window replacement, and the Kristensen’s couldn’t be happier. Ultra Windows
have had the same installation crew for 13 years, and the reason is clear. They left the house cleaner than when
they came, and they did an amazing job. Go to their Web site: ultrawindows.net. Check out their reviews: 123 reviews with a five-star rating. The following is a review Daniel wrote for them on customerlobby.com
“Ultra Windows was recommended to us from six coworkers, so we called for a consultation. We were planning on
getting several quotes from different providers, but after meeting Randy, we knew that was unnecessary,. Randy is
extremely knowledgeable about windows. During the consultation he answered all our questions and gave us a
complete overview of what our options were and the pros and cons of each. He showcased their flawless installation process and explained why each step was necessary. He gave us several quotes on the spot and advised us on
ways we could save money by combining windows in certain areas of the house. We had some bay windows that
caused some issues, but Randy made it work the way we wanted, and probably lost money on those windows as a
result.”
The Ultra Windows work crew is also excellent. Randy said they have worked together for 13 years, and I can see
why. Their craftsmanship is unparalleled. They went the extra mile to make everything just perfect and cleaned up
before they left everyday. Both the windows and installation are covered by a lifetime guarantee.
We have no reservations in wholeheartedly recommending Ultra Windows to anyone and everyone.
Submitted by: Kimberly and Daniel Kirstensen
Thanks so much for your submission. It is greatly appreciated, and I wish more residents would submit information for
SPRING IS HERE!
Now is the time to start working outside. Get those driveways and sidewalks power washed. Be
sure to use it to get the mold off of your house and garages, especially if you have siding. It is
not an expensive project. It just takes a little of your time. But that is the price we have to pay
when we are homeowners. There is always something to do around the house. Make sure that
your shrubs and trees are all trimmed. Pull out any dead landscaping in your yards. Trim off
things that are hanging over on your neighbor’s yard, house, or garage. Trim stray branches off
your own house also. Hopefully, you all put down your fire ant chemicals during Fire Ant
week. Remember to get the weeds out of the cracks in your sidewalks and driveways. We are
trying to keep up a nice curb appeal for our subdivision. If we all participate, that will happen.
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CORNERSTONE PLACE NEWSLETTER
YARD OF THE MONTH FOR APRIL
The Yard of the Month for April went to Lox and Linda
Shingleton of 1710 Kent Falls Court. Great Job!
FLAG RETIREMENT
The Jonathan D. Rozier Post 164 of the American
Legion performs a Flag Retirement Ceremony on Flag
Day (June 14th). Annually, the Post retires about 300
flags. If you have a flag that is damaged, faded, torn
please call David and Barbara Rozier, 281-395-0680.
CORNERSTONE NEWSLETTER
CORNERSTONE PLACE HOMEOWNERS
ASSOCIATION
Editor: Marlene Adams
Proofreader: Phyllis George
Phone: 281-693-0207
E-mail: [email protected]
John Irwin
Web Site: www.cornerstoneplace.org
c/o Irwin Community Management
P.O. Box 6544
The Cornerstone Newsletter is published by the Corner-
stone Place Homeowners Association (a 501(c)3 organization). It is the policy of the newsletter to accept articles of interest to the community from outside sources
as well as from newsletter staff. Views expressed in
published articles are those of the writer and do not
constitute an opinion or endorsement by the newsletter
or by the Cornerstone Place Homeowners Association.
Page 3
Katy, TX 77491
Phone: 281-802-4365
Fax: 281-392-1488
Email: [email protected]
Property Manager: John Irwin
RESIDENT’S RECIPE
CAJUN CABBAGE CASSEROLE
1 medium head of cabbage
1½ lbs. ground sirloin
½ cup green onions, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 large can whole tomatoes with juice, chopped
1 (10½ oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup boiled rice
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 to 4 tbsp. Creole seasoning, to taste
3 tsp. parsley
½ stick butter
½ cup bread crumbs
Cut head of cabbage as you would lettuce. Boil in water until semi-tender, drain and reserve liquid. Melt butter in deep
skillet, and fry ground meat with onions and garlic. After meat is brown, add Creole seasoning. Mix well. Add cabbage,
tomatoes, mushrooms, rice, mushroom soup, and parsley. Mix well. If it is too dry, add some juice from boiled cabbage.
Pour into greased deep baking dish. Top with bread crumbs and bake 20 to 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve with
crusty bread. Serves 6.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR!
I would like to thank all those residents who from time to time have sent me articles for the newsletter.
I want you to know that I greatly appreciate them. I need more articles all the time. Please help me out
when you can. I am really trying to make this newsletter interesting, but I need some help. So if you
have a good recipe, went on an interesting trip, have had some work done around the house, and you
would like your neighbors to know, please send me an article about it!
HELPFUL WATER TIPS!
Looking for Hidden Water Loss:
Listen for dripping faucets and toilets that intermittently refill themselves.
Pools and spas may have leaks in their basins, piping, or pumps.
Investigate unexplained patches of damp earth for possible outside leaks.
Investigate if you notice a “hot spot” underneath your floor—this could indicate a broken hot water pipe under the
concrete slab.
Page 4
Timely Tips for April Gardeners from Calloway’s and Cornelius
April means “to open” or “opening,” in allusion to it being the season when trees and flowers begin to
"open." This is the month of rebirth and hope for the future. If April means spring to you, get out your
gardening tools and get moving. Calloway’s and Cornelius Nursery are fully stocked with all kinds of
plants and products for every purpose for the itchy green thumb. Consider adding Native Plants to your
landscape. Native plants tolerate our Texas Summer heat better than most, require less water, require less
mowing, provide habitats for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, protect the soil, and save on fertilizes
and insecticides.
A successful garden begins with good soil. Organic material is important to the soil composition. It helps
with drainage and increases the microbe population. Expanded shale is used to break up hard, compacted clay soils. Top dress your flowerbeds and containers with organic mulches.
Hopefully you have your tomatoes, peppers, squash, and other warm season vegetables already planted;
if not, get them in the ground right away. To get the highest yields, make additions of fertilizer (called
side dressing) every couple of weeks, starting about a month after transplanting or seeding.
If your yard is too small for a traditional garden plot, try gardening in containers. The bigger the container, the better! Container gardens need more attention since they dry out faster and need regular additions of fertilizer to compensate for the more frequent irrigation.
If you want to create a truly dynamic garden, inviting colorful guests like butterflies and hummingbirds
is definitely the way to go. Butterflies like sunshine and plenty of space to fly around, so opt for a sunny,
open spot. Both enjoy having some type of cover as a resting spot. Your garden should include some type
of water feature as butterflies and hummingbirds often congregate around water.
St. Augustine and Bermuda lawns should be actively growing now; so it is a great time to apply fertilizer.
Please consult your Calloway / Cornelius Nursery for the best fertilizer advice for your lawn. A correctly
fertilized lawn now will help your lawn handle the Texas Summer Heat later!
In-Store Garden Series
Saturday, April 4th at 10:15 am – Lavish, Colorful, Stylish Shade Gardens
Saturday, April 11th at 10:15 am – Plant for Butterfly & Hummingbird Gardens
Saturday, April 18th at 10:15 am – Native Plants for Texas Gardens
Saturday, April 25th at 10:15 am – Easy Care Flowers, Top Picks from Proven Winners
Page 5
MYSTERY DINER STRIKES AGAIN!!!
We realize that this place is far away. But Spring has sprung, and you might want to take a nice ride for something to
do—especially during the week when traffic is lighter. The Mystery Diner went here on St. Patrick’s Day for some
green beer. It was a nice day to do the trip. So they got in the car and went to Seabrook, TX. to the following establishment:
TOOKIES BURGERS
1202 Bayport Blvd.
Seabrook, TX 77586
Open daily from 11:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m.
The Mystery Diner had a glass of green beer for St. Patrick’s Day. Now that can be crossed off the bucket list.
The place is nothing fancy at all. But the burgers and onion rings are to die for. Everything was nice and fresh. The
price is very reasonable for all the food you get. You can get one-pound burgers if you would like. The fried pickles
were great. A cheeseburger with lots of fixings on it was only $6.25. Sorry it is not close to home, but it is a nice little
ride to take.
Don’t forget about the Red Oak Grill on Mason, located just across the street from Aldi. The food there is great. It is
always fresh and the service is great. Give them a try. Now folks, that is close to home, and the staff is very friendly.
Prices very reasonable.
SNAKES IN THE WATER METER BOXES!
By Kevin Quinn
Thursday, March 19, 2015 05:17 PM
HOUSTON (KTRK) --
As spring approaches and warmer weather becomes the norm, we're hearing a warning from one homeowner's
association: Don't open the water meter box.
Si Enviromental asked the Greatwood Homeowner's Association to alert residents that a water moccasin was discovered recently in one of the boxes. According to a post on the neighborhood Website, the snake was "very aggressive" and attempted to bite the meter reader.
The company says another was discovered hiding in the water meter box at a home in the Riverstone subdivision,
and that more likely could be found.
"The eggs are hatching; the babies are out. It's mating season, plus now that the weather is nicer, people are out,
so you increase the likelihood of a human-snake interaction," said the Director of Medical Toxicology at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Spencer Greene.
Dr. Greene is actually beginning a study to determine if the antivenin used most often to treat copperhead snake
bites is effective. The copperhead is the most common venomous snake in southeast Texas.
Page 6
April Fun Facts
According to the early Roman calendar, April was the second month, but it became fourth when they started
to use January as the first month. The name originally came from “Aprilis,” meaning “to open.” In April,
small animals that were hibernating usually come out, the birds fly back northward to settle, and bees and butterflies begin to gather nectar. In some parts of the world April is planting time, but in other parts, it's the harvest season. Because of the nice warm weather of April, amateur athletes begin to go outside while the professional baseball begins. People usually do huge spring cleaning and mowing. The first day of April begins
with April Fool's Day.
Global Child Nutrition Month
Humor Month
Mathematics Awareness Month
The Revolutionary War in America began on April 19, 1755.
April 23 is known as the Feast day of the Patron Saint of England.
On April 30, 1975, General Duong Vanh Minh surrendered and the Communist forces captured Saigon which
led to the end of the Vietnam War.
On April 4, 1818, a flag that contained 1 star for each state and 13 stripes was adopted by Congress.
In Fayette, N.Y. on April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph
Smith.
On April 6, 1917 the United States declared war on Germany in World War I.
On April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed.
On April 11, 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Elba, and he was abdicated as Emperor of
the French.
Good Friday - Friday before Easter Sunday
April 1 - April Fools' Day
April 5 - Arbor Day
April 22 - Earth Day
Source: http://www.famousbirthdays.com/facts-about-april.html
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PRESIDENT’S LETTER
A
pril Fool’s has come and gone. For Cornerstone, the next event is our community garage sale on May
2, 2015. If you are thinking about spring cleaning or you are moving, or if you just have a lot of stuff
around, this will be your best opportunity to make a little money. Holding individual sales is good, but
we get more traffic when we all do it together. Remember to price everything in advance, and try to
keep it separated from the things you do not want to sell. Also, if you will keep your cars off the streets that morning,
it allows space for buyers to park and for Katy Christian Ministries to come by and accept the things you want to
donate after 12:00 p.m. Be ready early that morning. Avid buyers tend to show up before the announced start time
of 8:00 a.m. Most of your best sales probably will be made within the first hour. Special thanks go to Patti Lacy for
helping us get KCM to do the pick up, and thank you to Cristina Arnold for coordinating the event!
Our neighbor volunteer program worked extremely well in a recent incident in our neighborhood. People donated
meals and their time to help out a neighbor. I maintain a list of those who would like to be contacted in the event of
a neighborhood emergency requiring transportation, meals, or other easily provided assistance. If you would like to
be part of this group, please call or email me and give me your name, contact numbers, and email address so that
we can get in touch with you quickly when the need arises.
There are still a number of residents who have not paid their annual assessment for 2015. If you are one, remember
that by not paying the dues, it is costing you both penalty and interest on a monthly basis. If you are having a problem paying them, it is in your best interest to contact our property manager at Irwin Management. They will work
with you to come up with a payment plan. The worst thing you can do in these financial situations is to do nothing.
We had a great crop of azaleas this year. I hope you got around the neighborhood to see some of the color. It is that
time of the year to spruce up the garden, trim the hedges, kill the fire ants, and power wash the driveways. This is a
good time to get the brick or siding on your house power washed to kill the mold and grime from winter. Remember
that part of our duties as an HOA are to make sure that all the properties in the subdivision are neat and presentable. Where there are substandard conditions, we issue notices that the property is not in compliance with the deed
restrictions. Please don’t get mad—it is not personal. It is just us trying to keep your property value at its highest by
making sure that you and your neighbors maintain a good standard of appearance for anyone passing through or
wishing to buy property in our subdivision.
I would like to mention at this time that I have noticed an increase in the use of our playground equipment since we
put in the new set. I want you to know that we will continue to make upgrades to the play equipment, the picnic
grounds, and the pool. While I am thinking about the playground and the common areas, I would also like to take
this opportunity to remind you to be careful when driving around the neighborhood. We have had an influx of new
families with young children. That means more chances for someone to get hurt. Kids do not watch out for drivers.
Drivers need to watch out for Kids.
Tony Adams
Cornerstone HOA President
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CORNERSTONE RESIDENTS SEEKING YOUR BUSINESS
If you are a resident, we can put your business card in the newsletter, giving you free advertising.
Please remember to update us with your new business cards when needed.
Page 9
RESULTS OF CORNERSTONE EASTER EGG HUNT!
Our Easter Egg Hunt held on March 28 was a huge success. Below are some pictures. A lot of children attended. Seems like they all
had fun. I hope I am not leaving anyone out from the help list. A big thanks to Kim and Daniel Kristensen of Ash Forest for organizing the egg hunt. A big thanks to Max Hughes, who dressed as the bunny. Also, I would like to thank Genie and Adam Hopkins. I
know some other residents helped with clean up. Sue Perez took pictures. Anyhow, I would like to thank all of those who helped
out—I apologize if your name was not mentioned. But it was a big success, and we do plan on having another one next year.
Thanks also to Max & Suzanne Hughes for the pictures.
Page 10
The Home Advantage
by David and Barbara Rozier
soak in and not evaporate as
quickly. And because it’s
just before sunrise, the grass
does not stay wet all night
and create an environment
for fungus, mildew and
insects. A secondary reason
is that water demand is
lowest at this time and water
pressure is the highest.
IT’S TIME TO WATER THE
YARD!!!
My calendar just reminded me to
turn the sprinkler system on for
the watering season. I had
delayed it just a bit since we
have had more rain than usual
here lately. Summer will soon
be upon us and it will be hot as
blazes. Once that happens it
begins to get dry and the
watering becomes all the more
important. It happens every year
in Houston. I see you out there
dragging your hoses around or
running your underground
sprinkler systems. Most of us at
least make an attempt at
watering our lawns. After all
who likes to look out their
window and see the desert? But
how much do we really know
about watering our lawns.
Believe it or not there is a right
way to water your lawn.
The biggest challenges seem to
be determining when the best
time is to water? How much
should you water? How often
should you water? If you talk
with five different people you’re
likely to get five different
answers. So we decided to
research the subject. We called
David Evans, owner of Five Star
Sprinklers to see what he could
tell us about the subject. David
installed a sprinkler system for
us a couple of years ago so he is
our “go to” guy when it comes to
getting answers on watering.
Without trying to be exhaustive,
here is some of what we found
out.

The best time to water?
Early in the morning an hour
or two before the sun rises.
This allows the water to


How much to water?
Depending on the soil type,
slope of the ground, plant
types, sprinkler types etc,
water each area for between
eight and fifteen minutes.
One way to tell if your
plants are getting enough
water is to observe the
surface area of the plant,
which will shrink with
insufficient watering.
However, excessive runoff is
an indicator that you could
be over watering. From
what I have seen some of
you need to look at your
runoff.
How often to water? This
depends on the time of year.
During the summer months
water approximately four
times a week. In the fall and
spring water approximately
three times a week. In the
winter water only as needed.
The amount of rainfall will
affect the amount of
watering required regardless
of the season.
Another good reason to water
your yard is to prevent
foundation problems. In real
estate we spend a lot of time
with real estate inspectors.
Inspectors will tell you that in
our area the soil has a high clay
content and is subject to
shrinking and swelling from
fluctuations in the moisture
content. As the soil goes
Page 11
through this shrink/swell cycle it
causes movement in the
foundation. This movement can
cause the foundation to
eventually crack, as well as other
structural problems. The best
practice is to maintain constant
moisture content in the soil.
Regular watering around the
foundation can help prevent the
shrinking and swelling and
associated problems and the
expensive repairs that result.
So as the summer months roll on
and the heat and sun increasingly
batter our yards and landscaping,
by all means water. Just be
smart about how you do it.
Water at the right time and in the
right amount and you will get
the most for your watering
dollar, and that’s really what it’s
all about. Special thanks to
David Evans with Five Star
Sprinklers for his help in putting
this article together.
For additional resources on
watering, as well as other lawn
care information, you can go to
http://www.randylemmon.com/l
awns/gardenline-watering.html
for Randy Lemmon’s watering
basics on KTRH Radio. Randy
provides information about when
to water and how much watering
is appropriate depending on the
time of year and even the soil
type. In fact Randy is a great
resource on all matters related to
gardening and landscaping.
®
David and Barbara are Realtors
with Keller Williams Realty in Katy
and live on Kent Falls Dr. in
Cornerstone Place.