Setauket Meadows Community
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March 2018 Setalker

Thank You
From Rick and Lisa Justman
From the moment we knew I needed a kidney transplant, through my surgery and recovery, the thoughtfulness and heartfelt support of our Setauket Meadows family has been so greatly appreciated and inspiring.


Thank you to all who called, sent cards or just expressed words of concern and encouragement. We are so fortunate to be at Setauket Meadows, a wonderful place to live.
Rick and Lisa Justman

HOA News and Board Information​

The section will be updated at a later date.


Social Committee Update
by Ellen Silverman
Hi, Neighbors!

The months just keep on zipping by, so before we know it, The Social Committee will be back in action, all of us back on LI.  Thanks again to Josephine and Carl for enhancing our community's winter social agenda by continuing our weekly cocktail hour Wednesdays.  

Many of you recall our very successful June, 2017 Arts and Crafts Festival, at which the artists in our midst had an opportunity to display their works.  We are looking forward to the spring of 2019, when we will have our second Arts and Crafts Festival...
In the meantime, sometime during the autumn of this year, 2018, we would love to have our first Setauket Meadows Coffee House, where different types of artists will have a chance to share their talents.  Singers, instrumentalists, poets, writers of prose, stand-up (or sit-down) comics...we know you're out there.  PLEASE let me know if you'd like to participate.  Wine, cheese, the company of neighbors AND entertainment...what could be better?  Please let me know if you're interested in participating.  I can't wait to hear from you.

As always, i invite you to join our committee.  We meet about once a month and in between planning events, we laugh a lot. ​
Real Estate News
by Phyllis Colby
Six tips when considering a HELOC for Home Renovations

Homeowners looking to undertake home renovations can often use a home equity line of credit or HELOC to finance their projects. Here are quick tips on how to shop for and manage a HELOC:
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  • Shop around. Comparison shop to get the best rate. 
  • Ask about the margin. If you're offered a rate that's lower than the competition, it's probably just an introductory rate, so ask about the lender's margin. For example, if the introductory rate is 3.5 percent and your lender's margin is 2 percent, your final interest rate will be 5.5 percent. 
  • Consider a conversion clause. Some HELOCs allow you to convert a variable interest rate to a fixed rate, usually during the draw period (5-10 years). 
  • Watch out for balloon payments. Balloon payments mean that you must pay the balance in full when the draw period is up. Do not choose this option unless you have the financial means to handle it. 
  • ​Create a family plan. Decide what the money will be used for and who will handle the funds. Keep in mind, you can lose your home if the HELOC is not handled properly. Create a payback plan. Come up with a reasonable plan for how the loan will be paid back.

Speaking of Sports
by Joe Polizzi Again the “Great American Pastime” has begun in sunny Florida and warm but low humidity Arizona. I’m looking forward to this Yankee season because we have two legitimate home run hitters, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Last year combined they hit 111 home runs.  Judge hit 52 and Stanton 59, thus a Rookie of the Year and the National League Most Valuable Player respectively. Home runs are a pleasure to watch as they soar through air out of the ballpark. Setauket Meadows has it’s own home run hitter. In response to last month’s article about nicknames, I received an e-mail informing me how one resident received the nickname "The Babe”.  This all-star softball player resident while playing in a playoff game came to home plate with the bases loaded, a runner on each of three bases. He seized the moment and pointed to centerfield just like Yankee great Babe Ruth did in the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. And true to form this resident came through on his prediction and hit a Grand Slam Home Run scoring all runners plus himself thus the nickname-The Babe. We live in the presence of greatness. Aren’t we lucky.
       When did you hit your first home run?  I remember it like it was yesterday. While playing for the Jays pony league baseball team sponsored by Ronzoni Pasta I experienced that memorable moment. But let’s back track for a while. Most of the fields we played on had no fences, so a characteristic homer would either be hit over the outfielder’s head and roll forever or hit through the legs of two or three players that no one could run down or misplayed multiple times so that the hitter would race around the bases and hopefully not get tagged out, thus a home run. One such field we played on was the Parade Grounds in Brooklyn. There was one main perfectly manicured grass field with bleachers and dugouts. That’s not the field I played on, that main field was reserved for the good teams. I played on the all dirt fields that had some grass in the outfield. To keep the dust down on these fields the ground keepers would spray oil on them. It did the job of making them dust free but it was a mess to play on.  When you slid into a base or dove after a ball you would get up dirty and greasy and the oil stain would last forever. My mother disliked when I played there because she could never get my uniform clean and white again.  My first real home run came at Bushwick High School baseball field. The field was squeezed into a city block somewhat like Ebbetts Field home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and like Ebbetts Field the Bushwick HS right field fence was about 200 feet away with a tall three tiered fence. A high pop up would easily go out of the field. Being a right handed batter and not being adept at hitting to right field I hit my first dinger, home run, to the deeper left field. I was facing Robin’s pitcher Jimmy Pymn. He was a crafty right hand pitcher who knew how to throw a curve ball. We were friends buts fierce competitors when it came to baseball. In those days I was a gawky and bespectacled teenager and Pymn usually got the best of me. I could still see the smirk on his face when he released that pitch. It was his infamous curve ball and for some reason I stayed back in the batter’s box and waited a little longer than normal. The ball looked like a balloon as I stepped in and swung. I hit the ball right on the sweet spot of the bat and it felt good. I dropped the bat and ran to first but as I looked up I saw the ball rising high and going over the left field fence hitting a stoop across Irving Avenue. As I came around third base and headed for home I felt great and for this one time Jimmy Pymn’s grin became a frown.  For hitting a home run Ronzoni would give the player 10 pounds of macaroni.  Not only was I over joyed about hitting the home run but my family was happy to get the pasta.  The Jays and I hit some more home runs that season and Ronzoni soon stopped their policy of giving away macaroni. I hope your first home run was as memorable and the soon to be many Yankee home runs will make history.
      As always stay healthy and hitt’em straight….Joe Polizzi


Computer Tip of The Month
by Ray Dawson
If you use Facebook you’re probably used to receiving cute and funny videos in instant messages (IM). We all get them on a regular basis.
Dozens of videos land in my IM inbox every day, but I never click on any of them. And I strongly recommend that you avoid clicking on them as well.
Many of these seemingly harmless videos are actually quite dangerous because they have viruses attached to them. If you watch the video your computer may catch a virus. 
There’s a new Facebook video scam making the rounds that’s just as dangerous. In this scam you don’t receive the video directly in your IM inbox. Instead, you’re sent what appears to be a link to Youtube so you can watch the video there. But there’s a problem: That “Youtube” link won’t take you to Youtube at all. If you click on it you’ll actually end up on a very realistic-looking, but fake Facebook login page.
Many users try to login to their Facebook account using the form on the fake login page without giving it a second thought, but all they accomplish is handing over their Facebook login information to the scammers. This is a very easy scam to avoid. All you have to do is NEVER click on a link to a video that’s sent to you in a Facebook Instant Message. Just don’t do it.
And you shouldn’t click on any actual videos you receive in IMs either because they’re just as dangerous.
You probably have friends that you trust completely, friends who would never intentionally send you a malicious link or video. But with all the hacking going on these days you can never really be sure if an IM was sent by your friend or by a hacker.
And here’s another thing to consider: Messaging your friend to ask if they really sent the video is dangerous as well, for this reason: If a hacker has taken control of your friend’s account and is using it to send out malicious links, if you message that friend asking if the link is safe, the hacker (not your friend), will reply and tell you “Why yes, of course it’s safe!".
At the very least, your friend could just be forwarding a link or video to you that he/she received from a friend they trusted. Regardless of your friend’s good intentions, a video or link they forward to you could end up causing you all kinds of grief.
Bottom line: Protect both your Facebook account and your computer from hackers by refusing to click on links and videos that show up in your IM inbox out of the blue.
In my opinion it’s better to miss out on something good on occasion than run the risk of having your Facebook account hacked or your computer catching a virus.
And now one final recommendation…
For all the reasons mentioned above, don’t forward IM's containing videos or links to videos to any of your friends because that would just help the hackers perpetuate their scams. Just delete those messages and be done with them.


Auto Advice
​by Joe Sarro
Tune in next month for Joe's advice.

Recipe of The Month​
by Pat Dawson

CROCK POT BEER CHICKENA wonderful and easy Chicken Crock Pot Recipe that tastes great and has just 3 Weight Watcher Points. 
INGREDIENTS
  • 2lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts (8 breasts)
  • 1 bottle or can of your favorite beer 
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place all ingredients in the crock pot, and cook on high for 4-5 hrs, or low for 6-8 hrs.
  2. Feel free to change out the spices and herbs and use whatever you’d like.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s) 
Number of servings (yield): 8


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3/2      Joan Famularo
3/3      Janice Cerullo
3/3      Tony Forte
3/4      Marilyn Ebert 
3/4      Virginia Harley
3/7      Carol Zanca
3/8      Cynthia Russell
3/8      Pat Rice
3/9      Bill Metlay
3/10    Joseph Pleva
3/12    Alice Bradin
3/12    Gerry Holly
3/14    Mario Carravetta 
3/16    RoseAnne Finamore
3/17    Carole McTigue
3/19    Diane DeRosa
3/19    Nick DeRosa
3/19    Joe Sarro
3/22    Lloyd Colby
3/22    Joan DeMaio
3/24    Karen Maddas
3/24    Joe Pereira
3/26    Joe Polizzi
3/31    William Connors
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​3/9       Bob & Pat Rice
3/11     Frances & Alvin Miller
3/14     Bill & Virginia Ehlers
3/16     Allen & Barbara Frawley
3/16     Frank & Ellen Silverman