Shangri-La is most excited to host AANR West Convention August 9-11 and AANR Convention August 14-18, as we celebrate our 65^th birthday. We are excited that both conventions bring friends, new and old, from across the country.

This year Shangri La Ranch hosted Swim Camp for our local communities July 9, 10, 11 and July 16, 17 and 18. ShangriLa Ranch would like to thank those who made swim camp possible this year. June, Kate, Amy, Josh, Steve B, Steve S, Bart, Barbara, Ruth, Kelly, Maxine, & Todd.  Also a huge thank you to those who brought out your grandchildren and/or your children to participate.

Also a big thank you to the Bontly's for helping take care of the landscaping around the pools.

International Skinny Dip Day saw Shangri La with a full pool!  Special thanks to all those who helped make our annual event a success!

Let's go over a few things that we all get busy and forget!

• You are responsible for the appearance of your site - that includes but is not limited to the WEEDS, trees, shrubs (yes, you'll have to pull weeds) - if you are physically unable to take care of your own space please contact the office and arrangements may be made, for a fee
• Absolutely no wipes are ever to be flushed into our septic system
• With summer season, we are happy to host more people who've never been to a clothing optional place before! Let's all welcome them, and remind them of basic rules when they've been overlooked.  Suggestive behavior will never be tolerated - see something - say something!  Management will assist!
• Do not reserve chairs at the pool, towels left unattended for more than 30 minutes will be removed; this will be enforced, especially on holiday weekends.
• You are responsible for your pet and your pet's waste.  When walking your pet, you must have your pet on a leash (no exceptions!), and you must pick up and dispose of your pet's waste.
• Chairs and tables are not permitted to be saved for karaoke or the dance, before 7pm on Friday and Saturday, as they are needed for dinner service with the cafe. Also towels or tables that are left unattended for 30 minutes will be removed and the space will be available for others.
• The air conditioning is on in the clubhouse, please do not prop open any of the doors as this will cause them to work harder and result in earlier breakdowns, maintenance, and possibly cause them not to work at all.
• Shangri La ranch has a posted 5 MPH speed limit. With all the guests & residents walking, dogs walking, and wildlife with in our boundries, please respect our speed limit of 5 MPH.

Green waste: what is it?  Basically, it is the pruned clippings, broken branches, fallen leaves, blossoms, seed pods and any other organic material from a plant, bush or tree — and Shangri La Ranch generates a ton of it!

We are reminded that each resident is responsible for maintaining his or her lot.  It can be a tough job, especially in the springtime when weeds grow like, well, weeds!  The maintenance crew thanks everyone who takes to the challenge and helps keep our community looking nice as well as safe from fire hazards.  So now the question is: where can I go with all my garden débris?

The Ranch recently invested in a new Vermeer BC700XL brush chipper powered by a Kohler Command Pro 25 horsepower, 747 cubic centimetre internal combustion engine with electronic fuel injection, a Hewlett-Packard 5710-A dual-column gas chromatograph with flame analyzation detectors and … oh sorry, got carried away.  Well anyway, Don is quite proud of it!

It is an amazing machine but it cannot chip everything, especially succulents like cactus, agave, aloe vera and the like.  These plants are fibrous which the internal blades will not cut.  Also, if débris has been raked or shoveled, it cannot go through the machine because rocks and pebbles are a big no-go.

In the past, the compost area became a tangled mess of material that can and cannot go through the chipper.  In order to keep this from happening again — and to make it real easy for everybody — please refrain from dropping off green waste at mulch pile.  Instead, simply leave cuttings and débris by the roadside in front of your place and our crew will pick it up.

Here are tips to make this process work:

• branches – pile in one direction to make them easy to pick up and feed into the chipper;
• cacti, succulents – keep separate from other débris and visible (no surprises);
• no bags – they are difficult to lift and empty, an unnecessary waste and, again, no surprises;
• seed pods, leaves, blossoms – rake into a pile or place in a bucket (trash barrels are available by the chipper or request for one to be delivered).

Notify the office when you have green waste ready to be hauled away.  If there is an abundance of material, request a trailer and one will be brought for convenience.  Also, let us know if the branches are too big, too high, too heavy, and you need help.  We are working together to make this process easier on everyone and to keep our home on the Ranch beautiful.

None of us know when an emergency might strike us personally, or our homes and communities.  Each of us should take steps now, during non-emergency times, to make sure we are as prepared as we can be just in case.  A widely accepted way to know what to do, is to follow the "5 P's" of preparedness. This list of "5 P's" is a great start!  Take a moment, read through these, and gather these items and put them in a handy, quickly accessible location just in case you needed to grab and go in an emergency!

People and Pets and other animals and supplies.

Prescriptions with dosages, medicines, medical equipment, vision and hearing aids, batteries and power cords, face coverings, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. 

Papers including important documents (hard copies and/or electronic copies saved on external hard drives or thumb drives), insurance papers, contacts.

Personal Needs including clothing, water, baby supplies, food, cash, credit cards, first aid kits, phones, and chargers. Items for people with access and/or functional needs, such as older adults and children.

Priceless items including photos, irreplaceable mementos and other valuables.

The teddy bear cholla is named for its furry "cuddly" appearance but is actually a densely spined plant. This dense covering of spines almost completely obscures the stem, shielding it from exposure to intense sunlight. Characteristically, the base of the plant is black or chocolate-brown in colour, where the older branches have fallen off, while the younger branches have a golden or silvery appearance, depending on the colour of the spine sheaths. The plants grow to 1-1.5 metres tall, with many short branches, which are readily detached by animals or even wind and then take root in the soil. The image above shows many young plants that have established in this way around their parents. In fact, this is the main method of propagation of this species of cholla - the plants do produce flowers and fruits but the seeds are usually sterile. The straw colored spiny joints of Teddy Bear Cholla easily detach from their parent plants and randomly fall to the ground by the dozens, easily stepped on by unsuspecting travelers. Spines on the joints are strongly barbed and when you are stuck by one you experience extreme deep pain and to make matters worse they are most difficult to remove as they grab on and adhere persistently.

Teddy bear cholla is widespread and abundant in the lower, warmer parts of the Mojave Desert and in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico. Sometimes whole hillsides can be covered with a forest of these plants, all derived from fallen, rooted branches. 

• 5 cups shredded chicken from rotisserie chicken
• 1 1/2 cups halved red grapes
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion, light and dark green parts or chives
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
  
• Salt & pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, grapes, pecans (if using), and green onion in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste and stir until well coated.

Serve immediately or cover and chill until cold, 1 to 2 hours. Taste for seasoning. Serve on croissants with lettuce leaves. Store chicken salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days.