WIXLIB

Trip to the Harvard Alpaca Farm: “Fun!”Fourteen residentsenjoyed the HarvardAlpaca Farm outing onSeptember 6th. Thanksto Lorna Taylor for organizing and to Lornaand Marjorie Lee fortaking photos.Don’t Act Your Age!!!Many of us certainly don’t want to look old.However, it’s even more important to not ACTold. Acting old is less about age and more aboutacting in a way that makes people shake theirheads and think, “Shoot me if I ever act like thatwhen I get old!”Here are some don’ts and do’s on how toavoid making a spectacle of yourself as you fallinto old age.DON’Ts: Don’t wait until you get up to the checker atthe grocery story to fish around for your walletor your checkbook. If you are writing a check,your checkbook should be in hand. Better yet,use your debit card or pay cash. Speaking of cash,DON’T count out exact change if you have to fumble around in a teeny-tiny change purse as fellowgrocery shoppers tap their feet behind you. Don’t show your ignorance about computers.It’s one thing to choose not to use computersor the Internet, but if you don’t know anythingabout computers, don’t flaunt it. Throwing upyour hands and saying to people: “I don’t knowanything about those computers,” as if your lackof knowledge is a badge of honor, not only showseveryone you are old, but kind of dated. Don’t drive like an old person. That meansdriving in the left lane and staying there no mat-ter what, leaving your blinker on, driving thespeed limit to make sure everyone else does tooand being clueless about what is going on aroundyou. If you do any of those things, you shouldn’tbe surprised when you hear the sound of a horn. Don’t use your medical issues as a topic of conversation. It’s no fun to have to deal with some ofthe physical ailments that accompany getting olderand a little sympathy is nice. But unfortunately, noone really wants to hear about them. Don’t fall victim to a scam. To avoid phonescams, don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the phone number and if you don’t havecaller ID, get it. Don’t play the age card. “Well, I’ve beenaround the block a time or two and I think Iknow a bit more about that topic than you do.”No one cares what you think, no one likes aknow-it-all, and they are going to do what theywant anyway. And why remind everyone that youare old? Don’t. go gentle into that good night. PoetDylan Thomas had it right. Never give up nomatter how old you are or how bad things mightget. No matter what life throws at you, keep going. You did that when you were young; why notkeep doing it now?Continued on page eight5

Deadline is October 1st!Further Update on FurnaceOffer from MassSaveShell Renovations andSeasons Corner StoreBoth the Rte 20 Shell station (at the base ofour hill) and the Lincoln Street location are inthe process of being remodeled. In addition toexpanding the pumps, Shell will be installing aSeasons Corner Market.There are currently more than 30 Seasonsmarkets in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and NewHampshire. Shell’s corner market concept beganin 2012. According to their website, “First wehad to select a name that expressed the feelingof New England. Season Corner Market said itall. It spoke to colorful falls, blustery winters,wet springs and hot summers. We’re a cornermarket because we carry fresh and premiumlocal produce. We’re always fast, fresh andfriendly!”Seasons Corner Market provides a neighborhood convenience store shopping experience.Not only will “you feel safe and comfortable ineach store, but we know you will be pleasantlysurprised with all of the premium amenities wehave to offer! We take great pride in keepingeach location clean and organized. We are proudthat we can provide you with so many high quality products and services because of the strongrelationships we’ve built with many exceptionallocal companies. The store will have producespecials and fuel reward.”Seasons Corner Market markets in other locations have demonstrated a community involvement (e.g., some of their shops have raised fundsfor Tufts Floating Hospital for Children, Hasbro’sChildren’s Hospital, as well as Boots on theGround Heroes Memorial).For more details and store visuals, check outthe Shell Season Corner Market website at www.seasonscornermarket.com6Editor’s Note: As noted in the last Village View,seven (now eight) residents have expressedinterest in a new MassSave Multi-Family programin which MassSave would work with utilities tofacilitate upgrading heating and air conditioningequipment. MassSave would also streamline theprocess in applying for the heat loan, as well asthe rebates that would be associated with installing the new equipment.Over the past few years, a growing number ofVillage residents have been installing new heating and AC units. This is because most of theunits in the Villages were installed 20 years agoand are now far beyond their anticipated lifespans. With this new program, residents can useany MassSave-approved Furnace and AC installerthey wish (a list of those installers is availablefrom MassSave).This letter is from Patrick Raftery, General Manager of Middlesex Cooling & Heating. Middlesexhas installed a large number of units at the Villages.Raftery wrote that Middlesex is currentlyinstalling Heat and AC systems at the Villagesfor 10,975. According to MassSave, there is a 1,000 rebate available on the furnace. (Thereis also a higher priced furnace that receives a 1,250 rebate.) For the AC, there is a 50 rebateper ton ( 100 for a two-ton system). Additionally, according to Raftery, residents can deduct 350 for payments other than credit cards. Raftery added that he expects a price increase onOctober 1st.If you want to proceed with this MassSaveprogram, call Michael Seder 508-768-7912 ofMassSave to set up a time for him to visit yourunit and provide the paperwork you need. Thisneeds to be done before installation.For general questions, contact Board ChairDale Dolesh daledolesh@gmail.com or 248-240361

Board Updates Continued from page one Board Hires J&J & Sonsfor Landscaping andResident DirectorySnow Removalto be UpdatedThe 2019/2020 Villages Resident Directorywill be updated after the October 22ndOpen Meeting and elections. Residents whohave directory changes (new phone numbers, new email addresses and so forth),should send theirinformation to Linda Hilliard(contact info on page three)Road repairs begin next weekThis week, ARR-MAX Road Repair will be dropping off their equipment in the visitor spots atthe top of the hill. Work will begin in the lowervillages on Monday, September 30th starting at8:00 AM.Driveways that are getting repairs will benotified by Dartmouth. (Note: Not all drivewaysneed repairs.) Residents may have to park invisitors’ spots, the right side of Village Drive oron the side of their Village while their drivewaysare being repaired. Do not park in the circlesovernight. ARR-MAX will be working here severalweeks. Residents are asked to be patient.Residents: DartmouthNeeds to Hear From YouVillagers are reminded that our management company, The Dartmouth Companymaintains an emergency contact list forall residents at the Villages. This is aconfidential list - used only in the eventof emergencies at the Villages. The formis attached to this newsletter. If you havenot filled a form previously, please doso. Print copies of the form will be onthe porch at 92 Westminster.Effective November 1st, the Villages landscaping and snow removal will be done by J&J SonsLandscaping of Marlborough.After reviewing bids from three landscapingfirms (including Rosado Landscaping, which hasbeen with the Villages for several years), theBoard felt that J&J would best serve our Association. The Board did due diligence visiting vendorsand their other client sites. The Board feels thatwith J&J, we will receievd high quality service at a slightly lower price than we had paid previously.Note: Residents are reminded that it may takeJ&J at least two seasons to get acclimated to theproperty and to be patient during this learningcurve.About J&JJ & J & Son Lawncare is based on Maple Street inMarlborough. They offer a wide array of servicesincluding but not limited to Fertilization, Aeration, Irrigation, Mulching, Spring/Fall Clean Ups,Mowing, Pruning, Masonry, Landscape Construction, Hydro-Seeding, Commercial Plowing/Salting.They note: “Customer satisfaction is important to us. We provide the same level of attention to detail no matter the size of the job. Welook forward to working with you.”Pump Station UpdateBob Cucchi has spoken with the city about thestatus of the Pump Station repairs at the entrance to the Villages.He was told that the delay in the job has beencaused by National Grid supplying power to thenew station. The City expect National Grid totake care of the power this week.Then the plan is to start paving within twoweeks, followed by the landscaping. The targetdate is mid to late October but there are noguarantees.7

2019 Board Meeting ScheduleAll meetings are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays exceptwhen there is an Open Meeting (OM) in October;then the Board meetings will start at 3:00 p.m.September 24October 22ContactsManagement CompanyThe Dartmouth Group4 Preston Court, Bedford, MA 01730(781) 275-3133* info@thedartmouthgroup.com(*use for emergencies after hours)Gina DeFrancesco, Portfolio 248Teresa Barrera, Portfolio 6If an emergency and no answer,dial zero and your call will be redirected.Board of GovernorsDale Dolesh, PresidentWayne Chang,Vice PresidentBob Cucchi, TreasurerNancy Hoffer, ClerkJimmy Johnson, At Large248-240-3615 age CaptainsCanterburyEllie Harris508-624-8844Joanne Kane 508-358-2052ChathamCarol Dragstedt508-935-6443Cotswald Cheryl Skura 508-481-3882Essex Paula Adelson 508-485-1030GloucesterRose Durkin508-251-0063OxfordTerry Salafia508-251-2753Lorna Taylor 508-251-1375StaffordshireKay Cucchi508-786-0473StonehengeBarb Pemberton508-460-2077WestminsterNancy & Joe Johnston 508-251-0049YorkshireMaryEllen Russell508-485-4624Activities/Newsletter ContactTo sign up for the activities or for questions about the newsletteror vendor list, contact Linda Hilliard, 92 Westminster, at 508-2512593 or linda@hilliardcommunications.com.Activities Team: Rita Barnett, Rose Durkin, Vera Gazza, Ellie Harris, Linda Hilliard, Debbie Jones, Libby Levinson, Barbara Pemberton, Cheryl Skura, Judy Solari, Lorna Taylor, Carolyn Young8Act Your AgeContinued from page fiveDOs Do keep current. Know whatis going on in the world, in yourtown, in politics, music, fashion,restaurants.you may be retiredfrom your job but you haven’tretired from life. Do volunteer. Helping othersis also helping yourself becauseit is a life affirming activity. Doing something for other peoplethrough volunteering remindsyou that you are still a valuablepart of the human race. Do hang out with youngpeople. They keep us young.Don’t just stick with peopleyour own age. Spending timewith the younger generationwill make you realize that youmay be old physically but youare still relevant.Getting old is an inevitability,but it doesn’t mean we needto give up on ourselves. If weare still alive and relevant andhappy, maybe no one will noticethat we are old! DO enjoy yourself! You have earned it!ServicesCat Sitting ServiceStacey Jones (508-624-7171)offers a cat sitting service (day,weeks or whatever). She willcheck in on your pet twice a day,feed and clean litter.NotaryLibby Levinson of 47 Village Driveprovides notary services. Libbycan be reached at 508-877-4515.Have a Service to Offer?If you have an expertise that canhelp fellow residents, be included in this listing.

9

the picnic started early (at 3:00) and ended early (before dusk). The consensus was that the food was exceptionally good this year (and bountiful). Diner's Club: The Wednesday, October 16, 5:00 pm Diner's Club will be at La Tapitia (at the entrance to the Villages). Please contact Judy Solari.* November 13th Diners Club will