We had a wonderful April meeting at Monique and Bill Studak’s home, and thoroughly enjoyed their great hospitality and the gorgeous weather. Our last 2 meetings have focused on giving our committees time to meet. You’ve seen the results with our March Neighborhood Cleanup, our April Spring Festival, and the upcoming Wine Tasting Event on May 3 to provide finances for the Idylwood 2028 Centennial.

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 20, 7pm at the home of Patricia Hattenbach and Jim McCallum, 1404 N. MacGregor Way and will feature our own District Council member, Joaquin Martinez. One element of his discussion with us will include updates on several community improvements that have been in process over the last several years. The Civic Club will also hear from our other community partners including law enforcement officials and elected representatives. The May 20th meeting will be an opportunity to hear from our contacts about issues that concern us.

All the work discussed above and at our meetings are made possible by your dues of $40 annually. At this point, 32% of our households participate as members, and those funds amount to 65% of the budget. If you have not yet joined the Civic Club for 2025, please do so.

Pay through Zelle (via your banking app) send to: treasurer@idylwood.org

Add your street address to the memo line.

If you prefer to pay by cash or a check (made out to Idylwood Civic Club) mail your contribution to:

Idylwood Civic Club

PO Box 9225

Houston, TX 77261-9225

No matter which method you choose, always include your street address to ensure that you receive the payment credit!

Best Regards,

Diane Schenke

President

Idylwood Civic Club

What: A neighborhood wine tasting benefiting the Idylwood 2028 Centennial

When: Saturday, May 3rd, 6:30-8:30 pm

Where: 1404 N. MacGregor Way, 77023

Only a few tickets remain! Come out and enjoy a lovely evening with friends and neighbors for an interesting selection of domestic and international wines presented by Monique G. Studak, Certified Sommelier, WSET L3 & Professional Wine Instructor.

Tickets are $35 and include a keepsake wineglass. Pay via Zelle (send to: treasurer@idylwood.org) or pay by cash/check at the door.

What: Spring Harvest Farm Dinner

When: Friday, May 9th, 6:00-9:00 pm

Where: 5715 Canal St., 77011

This year, Finca Tres Robles is excited to bring back their Spring Harvest Farm Dinner as part of their Salsa de Mayo celebration!

It’s a chance to celebrate the first spring harvest of the newly opened farm and come together around the table to share a meal with the friends, neighbors and supporters who have made this farm happen.

Featuring Chef Christian Hernandez of Barbacana located downtown, the menu will incorporate the fresh seasonal bounty of the farm and highlight the flavors of the East End.

What: Empty BOX 2025

When: Saturday, May 10th at 7:00 pm

Where: 6700 Harrisburg Blvd., 77011

BOX 13 Artspace is celebrating seventeen years as part of Houston’s diverse and hard-working art community and presents Empty BOX 2025, their annual silent auction and fundraiser. The competition can be fierce, so get your bid pencils ready! You may just go home with a beautiful piece of local art.

The mission at BOX 13 is to advance contemporary art here in Houston. Their twenty-four member artists’ volunteer efforts support four gallery spaces and maintain the building at the corner of Harrisburg and S. Cesar Chavez Blvds., allowing them to offer exhibition opportunities to hundreds of artists from all over the country with zero application or installation fees.

What: Sourdough At Home

When: Saturday, May 17th, 6-9PM

Where: Finca Tres Robles, 5715 Canal St., 77011

Bread-lovers will learn how to create and care for their own sourdough starters and leave ready to bake in their own home kitchens.

Class will feature breaking bread with butter, local jams and honey, history of sourdough, making sourdough starters, discussion of tools and ingredients, and a kneading demonstration to get hands-on experience with how dough should feel while kneading take-home pizza dough.

Instructor: Sarah Rodriguez Arvidsson operates Yeast End Holiday Hotel – Houston’s only sourdough hotel – where Sarah cares for sourdough starters while bakers are away from town. She bakes almost daily and has years of experience making breads in the home kitchen. 

Changes to the City’s Code of Ordinances provide expanded options for curbside yard waste collection. Here are the new provisions:

Biodegradable Bags: Residents can now use any 100% biodegradable or compostable bags that meet ASTM D6400 or EN 13432 specifications. The previously required city-approved biodegradable bags bearing the City seal are no longer mandatory.

Reusable Refuse Containers: Yard waste can be placed in personal reusable refuse containers, excluding city-issued 95-gallon refuse carts.

Tied & Bundled Logs: Small logs can be tied and bundled in 4-foot lengths.

Note: Contents in personal reusable containers and bundles of yard waste must not exceed 50 lbs.

Take advantage of the weekly curbside yard waste collection services, which coincide with the scheduled garbage collection days. Here’s how to participate:

Placement: Place yard waste materials at least 3 feet away from regular trash bins or other obstructions on the designated collection days.

Separation: Ensure that curbside yard waste is not mixed with trash, paper, plastic, or any other types of waste. Mixed contents will not be collected.

Contractors: Professional landscaping contractors hired for residential services must properly dispose of any debris resulting from their work.

The City of Houston is committed to making yard waste disposal more efficient and convenient for its residents. With these new options, Houstonians can participate in the curbside yard waste collection program more flexibly and sustainably.

Houston Public Works Rain Barrel and Compost Bin sale is now open!

Order your discounted rain barrel and/or compost bins at the link below and pick them up on May 24, 2025 from 10 am to 1 pm at the Houston Permitting Center located at 1002 Washington Ave, 77002.

Now In Service: Route 500 IAH Downtown Direct offers daily nonstop service between downtown Houston and Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Passengers can catch a non-stop ride directly to and from the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) and IAH Terminal C for just $4.50 one way. The route will operate seven days a week, from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., with buses departing every 30 minutes.

Convention District Station, which services our Green METRORail line, is immediately adjacent to the 500 IAH Downtown Direct bus stop.

• May 02: WALK30
• May 03: IdylWine in the Garden
• May 04: Hug a Wookiee Day
• May 05: Modelo Monday
• May 06: Tree Limbs & Yard Waste
• May 09: WALK30
• May 11: There better be flowers for Mom!
• May 12: Recycling
• May 16: WALK30
• May 20: Civic Club Meeting @ 7pm, 1404 N. MacGregor
• May 23: WALK30
• May 26: Memorial Day - trash/recycling delayed by one day
• May 30: WALK30
• Jun 03: Heavy Trash (should be back on schedule)

All neighbors are invited to the

Idylwood Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale !

Sat., May 3 from 10 am – noon

 On the driveway at 1704 Idylwood

Garden Club Members will have a

wide assortment of Idylwood’s “natives”:                 

annuals, perennials, succulents, deciduous, and

other types of flowers, bulbs, herbs, bushes, trees,

Idylwood honey, and more!

  Prices start at $ 1 ! Pay by cash, check, credit, or Zelle.

Proceeds will help fund the plants needed for our historic stone planters, the Spurlock Park flowers beds, future contributions to the 2028 Centennial Celebrations, and for the Master Gardener and Naturalist presenters at our monthly meetings.

For additional information, contact Patricia Hattenbach at: phattenbach@gmail.com or 713-724-9608.

Hi, neighbors! Birdie and Juno Barton here, your unofficial Idylwood Welcome Committee, Security Detail, and Noise Makers. You definitely know us — or at least, you’ve heard us! When our human brothers found out we were nominated as Pets of the Month, they quipped, "Did they get the right house?" Honestly, we all wondered the same thing, but it turns out that making a lot of noise does get you noticed — and sometimes it even pays off.

Our parents have called Idylwood home for 12 years, and if you’ve ever strolled past our place on Fairfield, you’ve likely witnessed one of our infamous surprise dashes or caught a glimpse (and an earful) of us in action. Thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, we have a front-row seat to everything that needs our “protection." Whether it’s a squirrel, the mail carrier, a jogger, or even a suspicious leaf, if it moves, we bark. If it doesn’t, we still bark — just in case. Leave the door cracked, and one of us (not naming names) will be three streets over before you can blink.

A little about us:

I’m Birdie, the white and brown rescue who stole hearts nearly a decade ago after my debut in a Dog Days of Summer adoption commercial. Some of you might remember our former neighbor, John the dog trainer, who valiantly tried to tame my wild, gypsy spirit. Bless him, he gave it his all, and I'm truly no reflection of his skills. Despite my quirks and endless Houdini escapes (though age and a few extra pounds have slowed me down), I’m still the greatest love of my human brother’s life. These days, I love to stretch out on the porch at sunset, ask to be let out right as my family sits down to dinner, and I’m a big help around the house — mostly by sneaking in a pre-rinse cycle as Mom loads the dishwasher (much to her dismay). 

And I’m Juno—a three-year-old Bernedoodle and the best Christmas surprise from Santa! I burst onto the scene full of puppy energy and breezed through training. Somewhere along the way, I picked up my sister’s habit of driving our parents crazy by barking at anything that passes by. I’m cautious and easily spooked by things like the blowing wind, but my instincts tell me to charge straight toward whatever scares me. Not my finest look, and I’m working on it. I love chasing butterfly shadows, posing for photos, going for car rides, and showing off my speed—I’m an incredibly fast runner! And I start every morning by stealing and hiding my brothers' socks while they’re getting dressed for school.

We share our home with a pair of energetic two-legged creatures, our 10- and 13-year-old human brothers. They’re much better behaved than we are, very sweet, and if you have a minute, they’ll happily talk your ear off — just like us. Thank you, dear neighbors, for your patience, your smiles (even the forced ones), and the occasional help corralling a runaway. We’re working on our manners, truly appreciate you, and are proud to call Idylwood home!

Birdie and Juno 🐾



(Spellcheck by Courtney Barton)

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 !!

Bee experts worry about climate effects!

Texas is often touted as a top bee keeping state. In his April 28 Chronicle article, Justin Ballard covers important infomation about the status of bees, the effects of weather, climate and more! 

Check out the article by clicking the link below.

Bee experts

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Memorial Groves to pay homage to WWI past

Parks are places to enjoy for their beauty, plantings, amenities, and more. The Memorial Groves is the latest transfromation in the multiyear Memorial Park Master Plan. Learn how this space will honor the memories of the soldiers of Camp Logan and offer a beautiful space to enjoy and reflect on history and nature.

Click on the link below to learn more:

Memorial Groves

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Some weeds are wildflowers hiding in plain sight!

Ten common "weeds" can acutally be helpful like wildflowers to bees, butterflies, and many other insects! Read all about them and learn their benefits before you get out the hoe or chemical sprays!

Click the link to learn more:

Some weeds are wildflowers!

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Q with A: Faded crotons, a cracked branch, grass takes a beating with pets, slug trouble with compost, and

redbuds with knobby trunks!!!

Neil Sperry tackles these questions that gardeners asked about. Read his answers in his April 5 Chronicle 'Down to Earth" column.

Click the link below to learn more:

A little sun helps faded crotons

The Idylwood Garden Club's Yard of the Month goes to

Maggie Mottesheard and Keith Hamm

at 6735 Meadowlawn.

Maggie and Keith moved to Houston in 1988 from College Station, TX where Keith had lived for 10 years (a transplanted Yankee born in Williamsport, PA) and Maggie (a native Texan) had lived for two years. During their first year in Houston, they lived in Meyerland and used that time to survey the city to determine where they wanted to buy a house. Their primary criterion was that their home had to be located inside the Loop, which narrowed their search area considerably. Idylwood was first choice because of “its affordability, its “hills”, and the houses had character” Maggie says. “We moved into our house and have been making it a home since July 1989.”

Maggie say that “over the 36 years that we have lived here (Yikes, could it be that long ago?), Idylwood has changed a lot – very few of our original neighbors are still residents, the average age of adult residents has decreased dramatically and the number of children has increased dramatically – but what hasn’t changed is the neighborliness of residents! That’s what has kept us here!”

Maggie is the gardener in the house but she attributes most of the success that she has had are Idylwood residents, Sally Lehr and Diane Schenke, and her friend, Jovita Loredo. “They have guided me the whole way in what grows best in our extreme weather of very hot summers and uncharacteristically frigid winters.” 

Maggie’s favorite plants are:  

In the front yard:

A six-foot tall Bottle Palm “that I’ve nursed since 2015,”

A Clematis that continues to bloom for nine months of the year and comes back, even after a hard freeze,

Several varieties of chrysanthemums that bloom repeatedly throughout the year, and

A perennial flower that is called “Blue Your Mind that’s indominable.

Additional plants include: Rosemary, Foxtail ferns,Ajuga,Turk's cap,Impatiens, Ruellia, Sea oats, Creeping Jenny, and Vincas.

In the back yard:

A huge Night Blooming Cyrus that produces 100+ blooms in the summer,

“All of the Crown of Thorn plants that Joveta has given me over the last eight years (Did you know that they come in a wide variety of colors and leaf shapes?),” and

The Frangipani that has finally bloomed.

Additional plants include: Basil, Coreopsis,Poinsettias, Bee balm, Louisiana iris, Loropetalum, Amaryllis, and Deep blue salvia.

If going out of town, alert your neighbors and request a Vacation Watch from Precinct 6 Constables. Click HERE to access the form.

Please keep an eye out for unusual activity and report to HPD (713) 884-3131 and the Constable's office (713) 274-3400. Please keep your home and cars locked at all times. Report any incidents to ALL authorities; 

more reports = more patrols.

To view crimes reported to HPD from through Jan 2025, download the HPD Excel file here and sort by zip code or beat. Our beat is 11H10, which includes several zip codes. 

Click here to view the Community Crime Map. Enter 77023 in the search window and filter by date range.

Jake Goldstein and Steve Palmer co-chair our patrol group and report the group’s collective hours per month to HPD. Please contact Jake if you are interested in volunteering with our citizens patrol group.

Having a patrol presence in the neighborhood is a crime deterrent and a great way to give back to our community.

Please join us! More information on HPD's Volunteer Citizen Patrol is available here.

president@idylwood.org