About Carrollwood's Carrollwood Village

OPERATION SHOEBOX

Web site www.operationshoebox.com

I live in Monaco Gardens in Carrollwood Village and my neighbor, Jo Ann decided to help our troops with Operation Shoebox. Every last Saturday of the Month, we collect donations between 4-6pm. We also welcome monetary donations to help with the cost of postage. Last month was our first collection and we received 5 boxes that were mailed to the soldiers, and we received a wonderful response thanking us for we had a letter indicating the items were from Monaco Gardens. Here is the e-mail:

From:"Teas, Michael A SSG MIL USA FORSCOM" <michael.teas@us.army.mil>
To:joannburkhardt@yahoo.com
Sent: Sat, October 24, 2009 7:28:05 AM
Subject: Thanks

Dear Mrs Burkhardt,

On behalf of myself and my fellow soldiers, I would like to express my thanks to you for giving us one of the better days we've had since arriving in Iraq. We recieved your packages yesterday and it was like Christmas had come early. Your boxes contained a little something for everyone and and put a smile on everyone's face. We appreciate the time and effort you so obviously put into taking care of us.

Our heartfelt gratitude,

SSG Teas

On behalf of the 15th SB Maintenance Management Office.

Since we live in Florida, we need to keep our family safe this storm season. Like every other state, Florida is dealing with dire economic realities that already have forced severe cutbacks for all of us. All the more reason for Floridians to prepare to have a plan, to stock away the supplies we will need and to pay careful attention as storms head our way.

First, you should make a family disaster plan. If you need help - go online to www.tampabayprepares.org or www.floridadisaster.org

Second, you need to refer to the hurricane evacuation map to see where you live and your evacuation zone. Determine if and when you would have to evacuate. REMEMBER - ALL MOBILE HOME RESIDENTS MUST EVACUATE REGARDLESS OF LOCATION. If you have to evacuate, decide now where you would go - to a friend, relative, hotel, public shelter or out of the region.

Third, Check your disaster supply kit and add any items you need. Your disaster kit might include: non-perishable foods, drinking water, flashlights, batteries, portable radio, first aid kit, mosquito repellent, coolers for food and ice, clean up supplies, camera, plastic trash bags, toilet paper, paper towels, baby wipes, manual can opener, cash, pillows and blankets. I am sure you can add more items to this list.

Fourth - Inventory your property on paper or video. Store all important papers and inventory in a safe place, maybe with a relative out of state.

You will need to purchase materials such as storm shelters, ply wood, or a battery powered radio. Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down. Also, make sure your car is filled with gas.

Hope the tips keep you and your family safe throughout 2009 season from June 1 through November 30.

As I was reading the Making Tracks newsletter from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, I am proud to report we were selected as the number 1 cat friendly city in the United States. The article was written by Sherri Silk, Executive Director of Humane Society. Below is a copy of the article

Recently the CATalyst Council announced that Tampa Bay was selected as the #1 Cat Friendly City in the country! Tampa was followed by Phoenix, San Francisco, Portland, Denver, Boston, Seattle, San Diego, Atlanta, and Minneapolis. The list was compiled after reviewing the top 25 standard metropolitan areas for such data as cat ownership per capita, level of veterinary care, micro chipping and cat friendly local ordinances.

According to Dan Kramer, chairman of CATalyst Council, "Our goal is to recognize and celebrate why cats are such popular companions. We applaud the efforts of these major metropolitan areas for providing a wealth of resources for cats and their owners, along with their earned accolade of being one of America's Top 10 Cat Friendly Cities."

At Humane Society Tampa Bay we believe it is a well deserved honor for our area! HSTB, Hillsborough County Animal Services, St. Francis Society, Cat Call, Feline Folks, Kitty City, and other cat rescue groups, work very hard to find homes for as many cats as possible. Each group is dedicated to saving cats lives. Additionally, HSTB, Mission Meow and other groups are committed to the TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) of feral cats in our community. With TNR, feral cats are sterilized and returned to their colonies. They are then cared for by hundreds of caretakers that love cats. TNR is the only way to prevent the birth of thousands of unwanted kittens each year. The TNR program in our community is one of the more progressive in the country.

SO LET'S WEAR THIS HONOR WITH PRIDE TAMPA BAY! CONGRATULATIONS! MEOW!

Happy Clients!

Critter Cronies, Tampa, Florida

Member of Pet Sitters International, Pet Tech, Inc. Qualified Pet First Aid Instructor, and founder of Tampa Area Professional Pet Sitter Network

Professional Pet Sitting In Your Home

I was so glad to meet Caroline Drake who owns Critter Cronies, Inc. She is a qualified pet tech, and pet first aid instructor. Caroline is trained in pet first aid and CPR and is qualified to teach Pet Tech Inc. which mission statement is improving the quality of pets' lives, one pet owner at a time. Caroline also mails out her newsletter which is called Your Treasured Friends which she keeps us updated on her life and her own fur children. I must say her newsletter is very entertaining for she is a good writer. I feel more relaxed when I travel knowing that Caroline is taking care of my fur child, for I know the love and passion she has for our pets. After meeting Caroline, she will become part of your family. She not only watches after our pets but also your home, bringing in the mail, newspaper collection and alternating lights, feeding outside ducks, filling bird feeders, etc and walking your dog as many times as needed each day. She will give your pet a mid-day break, look in on a new puppy to be sure they are not getting into things they shouldn't be, If they had surgery and you are wondering how they are doing, or have a senior dog who would appreciate an extra potty break, or he is crated and would enjoy an exercise period. I love the fact there is minimal disruption to feeding, medication and exercise schedules, no inconvenience to you having to transport your pet, All this is provided at a very reasonable rate. As you can see, I LOVE MY PET SITTER and so will your pets!

If you live in the following zip codes, Give Caroline a call!

Zip codes service areas 33556, 33558, 33624, 33625, 33618

Critter Cronies, Inc.

813-969-2757

crittercronies@yahoo.com

The last newsletter, Caroline mailed out an article named I Rescued A Human Today. You can read at the following link

http://rescuemedog.org/dog-blog/i-rescued-a-human-today-by-janine-allen/

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog's professional dog trainer. Janine's passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2009 Rescue Me Dog; www.rescuemedog.org

Aftenposten "Eveing Post", January 26, 2008

UNITY ONE made international news when interviewed by Norwegian reporter John Hultgren. Mr Hultgren was here to report on Florida's sliding economy and housing market which has resulted in the recent increases in mortgage foreclosures and the unemployment rate.

The Aftenposten (the 'Evening Post") is Norway's second largest newspaper (after Verdens Gang) with a circulation of 256,600 for the morning edition, 155,400 for the separate evening edition and 232,900 for the Sunday edition (2003). With a long tradition of serious journalism, the paper was long considered the leading Norwegian newspaper. Strong competition in a shrinking market has made the paper opt for a broader appeal, however, as signified by the conversion from broadsheet to tabloid format in 2005. The Aftenposten's two main competitors are the Oslo tabloids VG and Dagbladet. The Aftenpostenis a private company wholly owned by the public company Schibsted ASA. The Aftenposten has approximately 740 employees (2005).

The Aftenposten is published in Riksmål, an unofficial, but widely used, conservative form of the Norwegian language that is closer to its Danish roots than the Bokmål standard, which sometimes incorporates controversial elements from Nynorsk. In 1990, Aftenposten adopted the updated Riksmål spelling standard of 1986. The online version of the paper has a large English section, and is one of the favourite sources for Norwegian news in English.

The actual article has not been translated into English as of the date of this release, but can be viewed by clicking here.