Happy New Year!

We had a great Christmas Party, hosted by Patricia Hattenbach and Jim McCallum. The attendance was a record 85 people! Our next Civic Club meeting will be on January 21 at the home of Nicole Wood, 1725 Idylwood Dr. Our speakers will be from the nonprofit organizations Barrio Dogs (animal welfare organization) and Emancipet (low cost vet care), both of whom have track records in helping with abandoned animals in the East End. I will also be making “Idylwood Hero” Awards. I’m encouraging anyone who hosted a Civic Club meeting in 2024, block captains, anyone who has participated in neighborhood cleanups or helping with social events, or is a member of the committee - show up for your award! This amazing (partial) list of the various volunteers demonstrates why we have such a great neighborhood - many thanks to all.

A reminder to pay your yearly $40 dues for 2025. Idylwood Civic Club dues are voluntary but they support neighborhood social events, deed restriction enforcement, and community improvement efforts. Our goal is 50% of households’ participation. I would like to encourage people to contribute more than the $40 dues, particularly if they wish to support certain committees or activities that the Civic Club undertakes. I’d also like to encourage you to contribute extra to help support activities that you find important to you and your family.

Finally, the Civic Club needs someone to help with regular updates to our new web site. We estimate this will take an hour or two a month (e.g. notices of upcoming events, adding minutes of meetings). If you have the skill set and the interest, please contact Amy Dinn at acdinn@gmail.com.

Best Regards,

Diane Schenke

President

Idylwood Civic Club

Thanks to everyone for attending, bringing food and beverages, and making neighborly connections. A great time was had by all. A big thank you to our gracious hosts, Patricia Hattenbach and Jim McCallum, for once again opening their home to the neighborhood and providing a lovely venue for this annual Idylwood event. Hats off to those who stuck around to the end and helped with the cleanup. Already looking forward to next year’s party!

The New Year is here and with it comes the opportunity to embrace healthier habits. The key to long-term success is making small, sustainable changes instead of overhauling your entire life overnight. Here are a few easy steps to get you started and help you feel your best all year long. Cheers to a happy & healthy 2025, from my family to yours.

In Health, 

Candace - your friendly neighborhood nutritionist

Thanks to all the entries received so far - keep ‘em coming!!

Name That Cookbook!

The neighborhood of Idylwood was established in 1928. A significant anniversary – 100 years – invites us to look at our history and gives us a wonderful reason to celebrate. One of the ways we will commemorate our centennial is to publish a historic Idylwood Cookbook. Not just any cookbook. This one will, of course, include good recipes, but it will also include facts, stories, and myths about our neighborhood.

We're looking for a catchy title for this collection. So think: historic homes, fun facts, yummy recipes, roaring twenties, bathtub gin, old photos, outlandish characters, beloved original owners. The winner will receive, along with bragging rights and credit in the book, a FREE COOKBOOK! So put on your thinking caps and come up with a title!

What a wonderful musical treat as some of our neighbors brightened our spirits with songs of the season. Many thanks go out to this merry group of revelers that bundled up on December 22 to sing the melodies so familiar to us all. If only there had been snow, "White Christmas" and "Let It Snow" would have been real favorites. Let's make this an Idylwood tradition!! See you in the group next year!

• Jan 06: Recycling
• Jan 07: Tree Limbs & Yard Waste (including live Christmas Trees)
• Jan 13: Full Moon in Cancer (aka the Wolf Moon)
• Jan 17: Happy Birthday, Ben Franklin!
• Jan 20: Inauguration Day / MLK Jr. Day
• Jan 20: Recycling
• Jan 21: Civic Club Meeting @ 7pm, 1725 Idylwood Dr.
• Jan 29: Lunar New Year
• Feb 03: Recycling
• Feb 04: Heavy Trash

Josie has proven herself to be the sweetest girl who loves everyone she meets, unless you’re a cat or a squirrel. She loves to go on long walks around Idylwood always keeping on the alert for those pesky squirrels! Josie can often be seen walking with her best, new dog friend, Freya Mollhagen. After her walks, she loves to lounge around in front of the TV, chewing on her chew sticks and getting belly rubs.

She also enjoys playing with her baby Barley and helping Cathy take good care of him. It’s worth noting that she was an amazing mom to those seven puppies that she raised by herself! She’s learning to sit and lay down, but she already really loves to give you her paw without being asked.

Even though her foster mom has only had her for a short time, she has proven herself to be very loving and loyal. Her sweet face and expressive eyes can melt anyone’s heart. If you see her around the neighborhood, give her a hand and she’ll be happy to give you her paw! 

Story submitted by Cathy Munoz

Friendly Reminder From The Pets

For the health and safety of all neighborhood pets and people,

please scoop our poop- especially along the bayou trails !

Nature News !!

Pruning Tips From Buchanan's Native Plants

Crepe Myrtles need no pruning. If you must, you may shape gently now, but don’t commit Crepe Murder. Wait to prune spring-flowering trees such as deciduous magnolias, Mexican plums, and redbuds until after they bloom. There are many helpful resources on the internet that show how to properly prune Crepe Myrtles and most other trees.

Benefits of bird-watching are both mental and physical!

Embrace the great outdoors -from your yard, local park, state park, or meandering through the backroads of Texas. Birds are everywhere and watching them have real physical and mental health benefits. The Dec. 28 Chronicle article and photos by Gary Clark and Kathy Adams Clark share the easy steps to healthy living! Click on the link below to learn more:

Benefits of bird-watching

Sadly, after 25 years, this is the last article by Gary Clark and

Kathy Adams Clark for the Chronicle. I have enjoyed

sharing their love and expertise of nature and the

outstanding photography that has accompanied each article.

Gary is an award winning naturalist, author, birder, professor, advisor / board member to many nature societies, and more.

Kathy offers fabulous bird photography workshops locally,

in many locations in Texas and in other countries!

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Holly and possumhaw are garden scene-stealers along with other understory trees and bushes!

Small native trees fill an important roll in our landscapes. Not only are they great to fill in space between flowerbeds and tall trees but they provide food and shelter to wildlife. Molly Glentzer shares more info about these wonderful midsized and colorful additions to our yards.

Click the link to learn more:

Native understory trees and bushes

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Cedar fever, juniper pollen are back in Texas!

It's that time of year in Texas when pollen from mountain cedar, or Ashe juniper, trees invades our sinuses and sets off allergic reactions. Mary Wasson, Chronicle meteorologist, explains in her Dec. 29 article how this process works and how it affects some of us, and that it is different from the flu. Also, these trees offer wonderful benefits dating back to uses by Native Indians to the present day- for humans and animals.

Click the link below to learn more:

Cedar fever, juniper pollen, and more

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Snow geese among migrating flocks streaming overhead!

After flying 1600 miles from the Artic to Texas, any bird would need to stop over for food, rest, and shelter. Gary Clark explains which birds are visiting our area and Kathy Adams Clark provides the fabulous photos in this Dec. 14 Chronicle article! Click the link below to learn more:

Winter migrating flocks

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Scientists: New bees species found in Texas and Oklahoma!

With at least 1100 + bee species in Texas, one more can now be added to the list: a matte blue species in a subgenera of Andrena. In this Dec. 6 Chronicle article, Catherine Dominguez explains the importance of bees and this new discovery. Click the link below for more information:

New bees species in Texas

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Hill Country county aims to expand warblers' habitat!

Keep your fingers crossed that this acquisition of land will be successful to provide more protected habitat for warblers and other animals. Liz Teitz's Dec. 1 article explains the habitat's benefits to the region and a wide variety of animals. Click on the link below to learn more:

Hill Country habitat

In the spirit of the holiday season, the YOM goes to all of the neighbors who decorated their homes to help bring light, joy, and charm to our community!

Here is a sampling of the decorated homes.

president@idylwood.org