OAKSIDE OBSERVER

December, 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Once again it is Christmas time, a time for joy, for worship, for thankfulness, and
gift giving. For many of us who are far away from our families, it can also be a
time of nostalgia, and sadness, as we remember Christmas pasts and those whom
we have lost. How fortunate we are now to be part of our Oakside family, with
friends and neighbors with whom to share the holidays.
It is also a time to remember those who are less fortunate than we. We can help
those who need it in many ways, through our churches, organizations such as the
Salvation Army and those who feed the hungry. Of course, there are many ways
of alms giving, and sometimes giving money can be the easiest way of doing so.
We can toss a few dollars in the church collection or in a Salvation Army kettle
and not think too much about it, but its often much more difficult to reach out to
someone on a personal level. Do you have an estranged relative, a neighbor that
you dont speak to, or a friend that you no longer spend time with? Perhaps it is
also time to try to mend fences. This is not an easy thing to do, but it can be the
most rewarding endeavor of all.
Newcomers to our Park are sometimes a little apprehensive about going to Coffee
Hour, or to the shuffle courts, or to the Christmas dinner, for instance. If you have
a new neighbor, perhaps you could invite them to go with you? After all, it is
Christmas!
Coming up:
Dec. 1 &2: 9:00 4 Park Tournament at Betmar
Dec. 7
9:00 Association meeting/Shuffle meeting/Blood pressures
1:00 Due date for cards for Red Cross distribution
Dec. 8
Park Christmas card distribution begins
4:30 - 6:00 Pancake Supper
Dec. 15
Hoss Collar #1
Dec. 22
Memorial Tournament

Dec. 25
Dec. 31

5:00 Christmas dinner

New Years Eve.

Ladies Club:
Vice President Nada Lou Dunn says the Pie Parade was very successful.
December 7th, Ladies Club will be busy with Christmas cards which will be sent to
Veterans via the Red Cross. All residents are welcome to participate in this
activity. Drop your off at the clubhouse. Envelopes are not used, as the Red Cross
bundles them up and sends them that way. However, Ladies Club can use the
envelopes for other projects. In addition they will be collecting lap blankets to
distribute to the local nursing homes.
December 21, in lieu of exchanging gifts, they will be donating gift certificates
from McDonalds to Everyday Blessings. The gift certificates will be used for the
children as a special treat when they need to be taken to the doctors or some other
outing. In addition, Walmart gift cards would be appreciated as well, the Everyday
Blessings can pick up supplies that they need for the children.
Advance Notices:
January 11 will be the Ladies Club lunch outing at the Tea Room in Dade City.
January 28 is the Rummage Sale, bake sale, and raffle. So be sure to save your
odds and ends for this important sale.
March 4, they will host the big Spring Bazaar and raffle
Shuffle Court:
The Four Park Exchange Results:
November 7: Oakside 9 Sleepy Hollow 6
November 11: Oakside 10 Sleepy Hollow 5
November 14: Oakside 10 Baker Acres 2
November 18: Oakside 10 Baker Acres 2
November 20: Oakside 11 Betmar 7
November 25: Oakside 6 Betmar 12
There is open shuffle on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. All are
welcome to shuffle or come and watch.
Our own Eric Brown was invited to join the Canada East team and to participate in
the International Shuffleboard Associations 35th World Championship which was
held at the St. Cloud Shuffleboard Courts, Florida. There were 102 players from

13 countries involved. The players were divided into 9 mens teams and 9 ladies
teams for the tournament.
The final winners at the end of the week United States East first, Brazil second,
Canada West third, and Canada East fourth. Congratulations Eric! Were proud
of you!
Dart Baseball:
Home runs this month were made by: Bob Kennedy, Dan Sieger, Mary Wichert,
Cheryl Young, Marge Bloom, June Wilson, Ruth Engelhart, and two by Dianne
Deavers.
In play, the games were evenly matched, with the men winning 3 games and the
women winning 3 games.
Our new neighbors:
Say hello and welcome to Sharon Leath at 6108 Cherry Street. Sharon is
originally from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania and moved to Florida in 1994.
Widowed in 2005, she has moved several times and was interested in Oakside by a
cousin, Terry Hart. Sharon has one son and two grandsons, all of whom live in
Pennsylvania.
Sharon likes to walk and participate in water aerobics, which she does at the Y
here in Zephyrhills. She enjoys gardening, and when I spoke to her was laying
pavers around her unit, single handed. She also enjoys reading and computer
games.
She has worked for H & R Block for 28 years and still does so, part time. She
likes the friendly people here in the park and enjoys the company of a cousin in
Winters Park.

Meet and greet Mark Wood and Cherri Whitman who recently moved into 6201
Lark Street. Mark, originally from Indiana, has lived in the area for 16 years and
Cherri, originally from New Jersey, for about 8 years. They have been aware of
Oakside for a long time, and were pleased to able to buy the unit on Lark Street.
Mark works at Hungry Howies and has been employed there for 17 years. He
knows the area well, having made deliveries for years. He also deals with the
customers and any problems that they might have.

Cherri has many things that she enjoys. She likes going to the Y where she works
out and swims in the pool, and just likes people and being with them. Mark says
mainly he just works, but he also likes to assemble models and puzzles.

Another newcomer to our Park is Tim Winder at 6211 Agate Street. Originally
from Blossburg, Pennsylvania, Tim has lived near Wesley Chapel since 2002. He
answered an ad for a trailer in Oakside, but wasnt happy with that unit. He spoke
to Linda who showed him around the Park and he immediately liked the unit on
Agate Street.
Separated from his wife, Tim has 2 sons, both of whom live in Wesley Chapel.
Each of his sons has two children, a boy and a girl for each. The grandchildren
are between 5 and 13 years of age and he is able to see them all frequently.
Tim has spent his entire career on the road. He owned his own rig for years,
maintaining it himself. He then went to work for Walmart, also driving truck, and
retired two years ago. He is thinking about returning to work, part time, after the
first of the year.
Tim says that he has never had time for hobbies, as driving and maintaining his
truck took all of his time. He is a late riser, so he doesnt expect to be able to
make Coffee Hour, but is interested in possibly getting involved in Shuffleboard
and Dart Baseball. He walks twice a day, once into the City of Zephyrhills, and in
the afternoon around the redlights block.