A mysterious plant appeared in my garden and the beginning of spring.  I was unable to identify the new arrival until last week when on the plant hosted a large number of striking black and yellow caterpillars that I could not ignore.  As it turned out the plant was worse than the caterpillars which turned out to be the Cinnabar Moth imported from Asia in 1960 to combat the Ragwort plant in Washington State.  I thought you gardeners might like the details on this shrub (or weed) that I found so interesting.

http://www.almostdailynews.com/2012/06/03/the-heroic-cinnabar-moth-evil-tansy-ragworts-natural-enemy/

The covenants for Sunrise Terrace were initially filed in the 1960’s, renewed in 1988, and renewed again in 2013.  They do not expire now until 2038.  As homes and vacant lots are listed for sale we want all new homeowners to be aware of our covenants.  Please pay particular attention to the covenants regarding new construction, trees, and roofs.

We have an active architectural control committee.  Neighbors meet each fall for an annual meeting. We do not charge a homeowner’s fee; we use donations to cover the cost of our meeting and mailings.  Sunrise Terrace also has a neighborhood watch program, which includes cameras, alarm systems, and communication between neighbors.

 To locate covenants go to Pierce County Web Site.

1. co.pierce.wa.us
2. Click on government listing tab, select auditors department, recorded documents
3. Scroll down to “search on-line”, public disclosure database, click “here”
4. Acknowledge disclaimer
5. Select recorded documents at top of page
6. Enter Sunrise Terrace for party name. All documents related to properties within Sunrise Terrace are listed, including current (amended) and original versions of our covenants and maps for each addition.  To narrow search, select amend covenants.

Carol Silvernail reports that traffic counters were installed by Pierce County today (9 June 2015) on 136th Avenue East on both sides of Shawnee Rd. E.  Pierce County had installed counters once earlier this year but the locations of these counters are slightly different. They will probably only be there for a few days. This is in support of our continuing effort to have a STOP sign placed at the intersection of 136th Avenue East and Shawnee Rd E.

Below is the link to the video and a short article.  You may have to sit through a commercial to be able to view the video.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/04/06/elderly-woman-mugged-dragged-by-car-in-attack-outside-oakland-home/

This is a good illustration of the value of a CCTV camera which looks out on the street.  If more than one of the lady’s neighbors had a camera looking out on the street the license plate of the vehicle might have been captured.   The street on which the attack occurred is a dead end, and therefore a perfect place to monitor comings and goings in the neighborhood.

Today I received an e-mail from one of the burglary victims in our area.  She wrote that the police had apprehended a suspect.  Below is an extract of her e-mail.  If you have been burglarized within the last several months you might want to contact the detective who is handling this case.  Please contact me at kahall@hotmail.com or (253) 840-0411 and I will provide you the necessary contact information.

I was just notified this morning that the police have our burglary suspect in custody.  They are trying to look at other burglaries and see if there is a connection.  The investigator that analyzed the cell phone left at our burglary, and traced it to this female suspect is looking at other burglaries in the area.  He can make sure the other detectives are aware that our burglaries are most likely linked together.

This is why some of the hedges in the Neighborhood look chewed upon. Taken 6 Feb 2015 at 1236hrs.

The following is an account of the robbery written up by Julie Hrivnak.

I left the house approx. 8:40am and my kids returned approx. 3:55pm to discover the house had been robbed.

It is my belief that the thieves hit in the morning sometime when the fog was still thick. My neighbor across the street noticed a light on that I did not leave on in the house around 12-1:00. My guess is they were here between 8:45 and 1:00 (prob. when foggy).

They entered the basement level through the dog door. Stole the gaming systems and games, Money from Cole’s dresser. They kicked in a locked keypad entry door to our wine cellar that also holds our safe. Damage to the door frame and wall behind door. Our bedroom the dresser was turned inside out and our comforter with white duvet cover was stolen (prob. to stash items). My jewelry armoire was stolen with my engagement ring in it. They also stole my wedding ring/band, diamond earrings, necklaces that were in my bathroom in a tray. They stole a few bags in the closet with minimal items in it. Ironically they did not steal some prescription meds I had. The upstairs had damage to our office file drawers they tried to pry them open from the top thus making it impossible to gain entry. It didn’t appear that they took checks but will probably change my accounts anyway. It looks like they were going to steal the Mac computer (unplugged and turned sideways) but didn’t.  They also left iPads, iPods and a Bose speaker upstairs. I believe something spooked them before they could grab them. In the garage they stole a purse. They literally opened just about every cupboard drawer and closet in the house. Thankfully they were not too destructive in their search just messy.

I found grimy handprints in the basement and some upstairs and forensics came out and dusted for fingerprints and determined the thieves were wearing dirty gloves.

Today I went around the house and walked down the empty lot next to us. I did not see any items dropped. Also think they would look funny with a white queen duvet slung over their shoulder on foot. I’m thinking it more likely that they had a getaway vehicle. Also the big TV downstairs had a fabric handprint and it was turned like they were seeing if they could get it off the wall. That definitely wouldn’t have left the house on foot.

Just wanted to share my thoughts and also share what they stole and where they looked. Thought the neighbors could come up with a good hiding place for their valuables.

Getting cameras this week and probably a security system (not that those really help but may give the kids some security). Also am looking into a “smart” dog door that only opens when the dog is near with a chip on her collar.

Thankful it was just stuff and I didn’t have to worry about broken windows last night.

A significant upgrade of the BLOG software will occur on 02 Dec 2014.  This upgrade will have 2 service outages starting at 8pm.  At 8pm the BLOG will be down until midnight.  The entire server will be down from 11pm to midnight.  Snapshots sent to the server between 11pm and midnight may be lost.

Coyote taken from my backyard security camera on 10-21-2014 at 0808hrs. For best viewing run at full screen.