1069 High St. • Dover, DE 19901Phone: (302) 678-3603 • Fax: (302) 678-3610 • www.doverfamilyhousing.com

January 2011

Dover AFB Properties1069 High Street (302) 678-3603Monday–Friday 0800–1700Saturday 0900–1200

Director Sandra NelsonAssistant Director Stephanie HarrisLeasing Agent Andrea BeegleLeasing Agent Karina WrayAccountant Heidi Garrison

Maintenance Office3720 Pine Cabin Road (302) 736-0850Monday–Friday 0730–1630

Maintenance Director Dave MarriottAsst. Maintenance Director John MastInventory Specialist Brenda CamachoCoordinator Jessy BurgosHousing Inspector Dana Weldon

Welcome 2011!We look forward to working for you

this year!

Positive Thought“The secret of happiness is not in

doing what one likes, but in liking whatone does.” —J.M. Barrie

Housing HappeningsCome join us at our first-ever

CHRISTMAS TREE BONFIRE onJan. 7 from 1800 to 2100 behind themaintenance office. Drop off yourChristmas tree behind themaintenance office any day afterChristmas through Jan. 6. Thedrop-off location will be marked.

Despicable Me: Jan. 14 beginningat 1800 at the Community Center

Chili Days of January ChiliCook-Off and Ice Cream Social:Jan. 29 from 1200 to 1500 at theCommunity Center.

Sneaky Snow Removal TrickSpraying the snow shovel with

nonstick cooking spray makes thewhite stuff slide right off.

Your Newsletter:A Tool for the New Year

Everyone has New Year’sresolutions. Make sure yours includesreading your newsletter. We’llcontinue to provide importantinformation to keep you informed.

The Maintenance MinuteResidents are responsible for

replacing smoke detector batteriesand reporting any malfunctions to themaintenance office at (302) 736-0850.

It’s windy out! Make sure trash canlids are secure and storm doorslatched to prevent breakage!

Bulk trash items can be picked upby calling Waste Management at(888) 964-9712.

SNOW M.O.As we move into the winter

months, please make sure yourvehicles are parked off the road andsidewalks when heavy snow isforecast, so snow removal teams willbe able to provide a more effectiveservice to clear routes. Please remindchildren not to remove snow stakesaround the property.

Don’t Forget ...There are times when we will

contact you for special events and/oralert you of emergencies. Accurateand up-to-date contact information isessential. If you have changed anyinformation since you signed yourlease, please call or stop by thecommunity center to update youre-mail address, home and work phone

numbers and a cellular phonenumber.

DID YOU KNOW?You can now submit maintenance

service requests on our website,www.doverfamilyhousing.com. Pleasedo not place emergency requests viathe website. In the event of anemergency, please call maintenanceat (302) 736-0850.

Eagle Heights ... a GREAT Place to Call Home!

Trivia Whiz:Polar Personalities

Love or hate winter, the seasonmakes its presence known. Thesecool characters personify the frigid,frosty time of year.

• Old Man Winter. The face ofwinter, this wild-haired fellowpuffs his cheeks and blows outicy breath, causing temperaturesto plummet.

• Jack Frost. Credit or blame JackFrost’s frozen fingers for the icyglaze that patterns windows inwinter. The nose-nipper ofholiday song is a “happy littlesprite” in nursery rhyme, but healso has a dark side. He’s awicked snowman in the 1997horror film “Jack Frost” and anevil schemer in 2006’s “TheSanta Clause 3.”

• The Snow Maiden. In oneRussian fable, a childless couplecreates a girl of snow whomagically comes to life. But whenshe falls in love with a farm boy,the warmth of her heart causesher to melt and perish. In anothertale, she’s the beautiful daughterof Spring and Frost who isdestroyed by a ray of sun on herwedding day.

• The Abominable Snowman. Alsocalled Yeti, this mythical beasthas been described as a large,apelike creature that treksupright through the Himalayas,leaving humanlike footprints inthe snow. Scientific consensussays the tracks were left byanimals, but that hasn’tdestroyed Yeti’s mighty legend.His pop culture persona rangesfrom creepy to cuddly.

Savor the Season“In seed time learn, in harvest

teach, in winter enjoy.”—William Blake

Tips on TippingGood service deserves to be

rewarded, but when and how much totip can be confusing. Here are a fewguidelines:

Waitstaff at sit-down restaurantstypically get a 15 to 20 percent tip onthe pretax amount of the check. Forwait service at a buffet, give10 percent. If you’ve ordered delivery,tip that person 5 to 10 percent.

Taxi drivers get a 15 percent tipand a few extra bucks if they helpedwith any bags.

Skycaps should receive $2 for thefirst bag and $1 more for eachadditional bag.

Tip hotel housekeepers $2 to $5 aday, or more if you’re messy. It’sproper to tip the room service deliveryperson 10 to 15 percent.

Manicurists, waxers andmasseuses expect a 15 to 20 percenttip, while shampoo techs should get

$1 to $2.It’s customary to tip furniture

delivery people $5 per item, but keepin mind how much lifting andmaneuvering were required. Also, givean extra tip if they must assembleyour delivery.

Don’t avoid giving a tip becauseyou don’t know if it’s the properetiquette. It’s better to err on thegenerous side and offer a tip in the 10to 15 percent range. If the persondoesn’t normally get tips, this willregister in his face and you’ll know notto tip next time. If your tip is belowaverage, you’ll usually be able to tellthat as well. Just use your bestjudgment.

Portion DistortionAll-you-can-eat buffets, supersized

value meals and restaurant platters ofenormous proportions have seriouslydistorted Americans’ view of ahealthy-sized meal. Large portions notonly lead to overeating, weightproblems and other health concerns,but tons of food waste as well. Peoplemight be surprised to learn theappropriate portions of particularfoods. Before you pile your nextplateful, learn the correct-sized mealsto consume.

Beware at breakfast. Pancakesand waffles should be the size of aCD. Have only one, made of wholegrains, and one egg plus fruit for ahealthier breakfast. Muffins should bethe size of a tennis ball.

Perilous pizza pies. Ordering theextra-large pizza means the slicestend to be larger, and there are morepieces to go around. Limit yourself to

one large piece or two smaller piecesand have a salad.

Meet mini meat. A steak should bethe size of a deck of cards. Chickenbreasts should be the size of yourpalm, not your hand.

Costly free refills. Soft drinks arefull of calories and sugar. If you’regoing to drink soda, limit yourself to a12-ounce serving, then skip thefree refill.

Make an effort this year to controlyour portion sizes. Once your portionsshrink, your waistline might follow.

Saving Your Digital LifeRemember the days when photos

were in albums, music was on CDsand books were on the shelf? Now allthose things are often stored on ourpersonal computers, making itessential that those files be backedup. The simplest way to back up filesis to copy them to a CD or DVD.Simply insert a blank CD or DVD intoyour computer and then transfercopies of your important files to thedisc. This is as simple as clickingand dragging the file from one folderto another. Experts recommendbacking up your important files atleast once a month.

If you need to manage a greatnumber of files—such as a musiclibrary or lots of home videos—consider getting an external harddrive. It’s best to buy one with asmuch memory as possible. To backup your files, just plug the hard driveinto the computer and copy your filesonto the device. Copying the files cantake anywhere from minutes to a fewhours, so it’s best to do this at a timewhen the computer isn’t needed.

A “cloud” system is the leastmechanical way to back up your files,but it takes a leap of faith. Aprofessional service backs up yourcomputer’s files and copies them intoan online environment, all through aweb-based browser. If your computercrashes, the service can automaticallyprovide all your saved files. There areseveral reputable services, includingCarbonite, Dropbox and Box. Withthese services, you can manuallyupload files or set your account forautomatic updating.

Blonde BrowniesIngredients:• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder• 1/2 teaspoon salt• 1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or

margarine, softened• 3 large eggs• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract• 2 cups (12-ounce package)

Nestlé Toll House semi-sweetchocolate morsels

Directions:Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease

15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Combineflour, baking powder and salt in smallbowl. Beat sugar and butter in largemixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggsand vanilla extract, then graduallybeat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.Spread into prepared pan. Bake for20 to 25 minutes or until top is goldenbrown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cutinto bars.

For more recipes, visitVeryBestBaking.com.

Finger FoodBrownies are thought to have been

invented in 1893, in the kitchen ofChicago’s Palmer House Hotel, as amore portable, lunchbox-friendlyversion of cake.

Preventative MaintenanceBeginning in January 2011, we will

be doing Preventative MaintenanceInspections in your homes.

These inspections will takeapproximately one hour and willencompass every part of thestructures, including items such asserviceability of appliances, windows,doors, fixtures, etc.

Residents in Orioles Cove arescheduled first. You will receive anotice of inspection 48 hours prior toour technicians coming by your home.You do not have to be present if youdo not wish to be.

Upon receipt of the notice ofinspection, please call us at 736-0850to grant us permission to enter if youelect not to be home.

TreesDo your trees in your yard look like

the poor tree in that picture? Do youwant to help us replace those deadtrees with a live one? Call ourmaintenance shop at 736-0850 andwe will give you marking ribbon to tieto your dead trees. In the spring, wewill check all trees which have beenmarked to determine whether theyare truly dead and remove andreplace accordingly.

Clean MachineMicrowave a bowl of vinegar for

two minutes (let set for two minutesbefore removing). Then easily wipe offgrease and grime for a cheap clean.

1069 High St. • Dover, DE 19901

January 2011Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2 3 4 5 6 7Christmas Tree

Bonfire atMaintenance From

6 to 9 p.m.All Trees Welcome!

8

9 10

and

11 12

and

13 Movie Night 14

Despicable MeStarts at 6 p.m. at

the CommunityCenter

15

16 17

Martin LutherKing Jr. Day

18 19 20 21 22

23/30 24/31

and

25 26

and

27 28 29Chili Cook-Off andIce Cream Social at

the CommunityCenter