Turkey Dinner For Sixty

A turkey dinner for sixty is no small undertaking, but with the help of Carol's team, WG residents enjoyed a superb turkey feast, complete with prizes and a visit from Santa. Carol Faires chaired the event for 2010. She's pictured here with a Christmas stocking, which was full of surprises. Here's a link to more photos that Herb Salter took.

2010 WG Artisans Show

WG Halloween 2010

Judy's Final Fitness Class

After more than 30-years of teaching fitness, Judy led her final class today in Walnut Grove.

Others will follow, allowing her time to pursue her interests in golf and travel.

Her career has spanned more than three decades starting back with Jane Fonda. She's taught for years in clubs, organized classes where she lived, and offered one-on-one help for those who couldn't get out to class.

It's kept her healthy, strong and fitness conscious.

It's also been her way of giving back.

Today ended with no big fanfare, no retirement party, nothing special. Until this post, and the modest recognition she deserves, as someone very special who always did her best in helping others.

She would say, "a career well spent."

End of Season

Celine, Oscar and Claire

A sure sign the season is winding down for another year. Thanks to the gardening committee (community volunteers in action), we have well tended flower and shrub beds to be proud of. In spite of a very dry summer everything still looked wonderful, and even the lawns are beginning to stage a recovery.

New Look For Website

There's a new look for the WG community website. You can now reach the site by entering .ca or .com. Here's the link: http://walnutgrovekingston.ca. Note the blog is now embedded in the website and can be selected from the top menu.

2010 Pig Roast

What a great success this was. Full attendance, great food, good fellowship. Thanks again to Don and Celine for making it happen.

WG Summer Games

What to do with a summer afternoon? Gather with neighbourhood friends for some team sports, pizza and fellowship. Congratulations to the Jacks who won the gold. Thanks to Gary and Sharon for making it happen.

Crab Apple Jelly

For the most part, crab apple trees in WG are viewed as a nuisance once the fruit starts to fall. It is easy to forget how beautiful the trees look when they flowered in the spring.

Here's a simple recipe for crab apple jelly that might make you feel thankful we have the fruit to enjoy.

Feeling The Heat

Record breaking July heat and humidy has most of us indoors, but there are always exceptions. Here's Harold after 25 lawns in this heat. Long grass waits for no man.

Incoming Board of Directors

Effective June 2010, the Board of Directors for Walnut Grove Estates Community Association are: John Payne, president; Andy Berga, treasurer; Diane Foley, director; Jean Read, director; Paul Gow, director.

Canada Day 2010 Strawberry Social

It was definitely and Red and White event, and has become custom, Canada Day in WG was celebrated with a Strawberry Social that saw plenty of neighbours and family out to enjoy time together and celebrate Canada's 143 birthday.

Happy Canada Day

Proudly displayed this Canada Day in WG is Max and Hazel Skinner's gift from the Canadian government, which was flown on the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on August 18, 2008. As a Canadian you can make application for a flag, but be prepared to wait. Average wait time, 10 years. This one arrived in just eight years.

Summer Steak BBQ

The theme was green, and wet weather certainly didn't put a damper on the WG Summer Steak BBQ. About 50 people attended, and they enjoyed tasty salads, desserts and of course BBQ steaks done to absolute perfection. Everything got underway around 5 pm and it was well past 9 pm when things finally closed up for the night. How's that for a way to spend a summer evening!

Lawns Coming to Life

With a little care from some friends, WG lawns are coming to life. What's being done: a little weed pulling; some water when it's hot and dry; a little extra fertilizer. Adopt a plot and help bring things back to life. Not sure what to do? Look where you see improvement, and check with the closest neighbour.

June Friday Night Hamburger BBQ

A beautiful summer night, hamburgers, salads and preparation for tomorrows garage sale. Click on the slideshow for larger photos and downloads.

Exercise and Movement

The following was sent along from Carol Faires.

Walnut Grove is fortunate to have their own Judy Inglis as their exercise instructor. Thanks Judy for making exercise in Walnut Grove a positive experience twice a week.

No doubt a great spot to say "Hi" to friends and neighbours.

Editor's note: exercise classes are Monday and Thursday from 9 to 9:30 am. These are strength and stretch classes, and you can get more information by calling Judy at 548-8636. There is no charge for people over 65 years. There are currently about 30 men and women registered and participating. Classes are followed by coffee and social and everyone is welcome.

Help Available

With spring and summer comes sun, fun and plenty of outdoor jobs. Some of these tasks are more fun than others. For those who do not relish deck maintenance, there is currently help available. Tom Barrett has been hard at work in the neighbourhood restoring and sprucing up decks. Folks who have used his services asked for this post. His email address is renewalsystems@cogeco.ca. Phone 389-5081.

What's taxable, what's not....

Here's a link you might find helpful in determining how much tax you pay with the introduction of the new HST. The information you need is presented in an easy to understand chart format, and there is a PDF file you can download. Thank you Diane Foley for this information.

10 Neighbourhoods to Love

The May edition of Kingston Life features 10 Neighbourhoods to Love, and Walnut Grove is one of these. If you move to Walnut Grove, the active community association ensures that you feel welcome in the neighbourhood, the article reads, and all paths lead to the community centre, where neighbours congregate and eat together.

There's more, but we'll let you pickup the magazine and see for yourself. It's a good plug for the community and a boost for community pride. The article was written by Monica Stewart.

Fire in the garage

What happens when paint or stain contaminated rags combine with oxygen? Often you have fire. Here's a demo.

Thanks to an alert dog, and rapid response by the Kingston Fire Department damage to a home in Walnut Grove was confined to the garage. It's a lesson for all of us, keep stain and paint cloths in a sealed container.

St. Patrick Day Photos

These are a few photos that Wendy Austen took of the March Madness social that just happened to coincide with St. Patrick's Day.

Pancake Breakfast

It was a rainy morning in April, but everything was bright and cheerful inside for the WG pancake breakfast. This was a well attended, pleasant time with neighbours.