reach double digits like we saw last year.

Heavy rainfall in early June ended the continuous

decline of river levels and flows that we had seen

since January. River levels and flows increased for a

short time in June, but lack of recent rainfall has low-

ered levels and flows back near where they were at

the start of the month.

All along the river, water levels and flows are cur-

rently lower than they were a year ago, a direct result

of less rainfall so far in 2020 compared to 2019. On av-

erage, river levels are about a foot lower than they

were at this time in 2019 and river flows are about 60%

less. There is still no flow exiting the Green Swamp

(where the river begins).

Once our region receives enough rainfall this sum-

mer to saturate soils and fill adjacent swamplands,

we’ll see a steady climb in water levels and flows

again. Exactly when that will occur is anyone’s

guess…it all depends on how much rain falls and

where.

Sweaty Face Mask?

5 Tips to Keep Cool

With health authorities continuing to urge face-

covering in public to curb the spread of COVID-19,

we've become familiar with the minor irritants of wear-

ing masks: chafed ears, foggy glasses, snapped straps.

The arrival of summer takes the potential discomfort

up a notch, trapping sweat and heat under our facial

sheaths.

Keeping your face covered when venturing outside

the home remains a crucial weapon in the fight

against the coronavirus, recommended by the Cen-

ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and

mandated by some state and local governments.

Fortunately, there are ways to stay cool or, at least,

cooler while masked up. Here are five tips from experts

for more comfortably keeping your respiratory droplets

in check.

Choose the right fabric - A light, breathable materi-

al like cotton will likely keep your face cooler than

medical and N95 masks made from synthetic materi-

als, and in the right configuration can be effective in

preventing contagion, according to new research at

the University of Illinois.

The team tested 10 common fabrics, from 100 per-

cent cotton to polyester and silk blends, to see which

RMPOA - 2020

Primary Candidate’s Night

Some of you may have heard… Despite what

seems to be our “new normal”, the Ridge Manor Prop-

erty Owners Association will be hosting a “2020 Primary

Candidate’s Night” on Monday, July 13th at 7 pm in

the evening. However, there will be NO LIVE AUDI-

ENCE! The entire event will be broadcast via a Face-

book LIVE session on “News Around Ridge Manor” and

a Zoom Session also on the Ridge Manor News web-

site.

Both sessions will begin promptly at 7pm. You can

connect to the Zoom Session using the following link -

Join Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/748

22500680?pwd=UmphWTZnNkVCZ2hmbVJmT0JJMXh

FUT09 or simply go to the “News Around Ridge Manor”

Facebook Page.

Depending on the number of participating candi-

dates, we MAY field a Public Question and Answer

Period. You may submit your questions via the broad-

cast on the “News Around Ridge Manor” Facebook

page during the broadcast. This will only happen if we

can keep the entire forum under 90 minutes. The en-

tire community is invited to “tune in” and attend!

Withlacoochee River System Update

It’s Been Hot and Dry but Rains are on The Way

Our region received an average of 7.1 inches of

rainfall in June, close to the historical average (7.5

inches) for that month. Most of June’s rainfall occurred

early in the month, however, and things have been

relatively dry since then.

Aquifer (groundwater) levels, which rise and fall

from rainfall, are in the 62nd percentile, still above aver-

age but lower than this time last year (81st percentile).

Our lakes and rivers are also lower than they were this

time last year, a result of less rainfall in recent months.

So far this year (January to June), our region has

received about 17.5 inches of rainfall, 6 inches less

than the historical average for that period and 5 inch-

es less than what we had received from January

through June of last year.

Rain chances appear to be increasing for early July

and it’s only a matter of time before we have more

rainfall than we need. Rainfall amounts during the

summer months are typically 6-8 inches but can easily

Number 28 Volume 57

best balance comfort and droplet-blocking imperme-

ability. The “sweet spot,” is a two-layer mask made

from a cotton T-shirt, which comes close to matching a

surgical mask's efficiency in stopping potentially infec-

tious droplets from coughs and sneezes and is about

twice as breathable.

All-cotton tested best, but up to 40 percent polyes-

ter will do the job. The study showed that if you have

these layers on top of your mouth and nose, you don't

have to have an official mask where it goes with the

elastic behind your ears. You can just wrap it around

your nose and mouth, like a bandana. Lighter, softer

cotton coverings can also help you avoid chafing,

heat rash or inflaming a skin condition like eczema or

dermatitis.

Keep it dry -

Cotton traps less air and moisture than standard medi-

cal and industrial masks, and it's more absorbent, but if

it gets damp due to breathing and sweating it can be

less effective in filtering respiratory particles, not to

mention uncomfortable and abrasive to the skin.

Time trips to beat the heat - Avoid going out at the

hottest parts of the day and for extended periods. Stop

at home between errands if you can, to cool off and

doff your mask. When you do have to be out, stay well

-hydrated and seek the shade.

Skip the makeup - Heat and perspiration mixed with

makeup or oily skin care products makes for a gunky

mess under your mask. That clogs pores and contrib-

utes to the lower-face skin eruptions that have been

dubbed “maskne,” a combination of the words mask

and acne.

Bring a spare - If you can't keep your mask from

getting icky and sticky, there's no better remedy than

swapping it for another. When you're outside with the

mask on, that mask has a limited lifespan.

On especially hot and humid days, pack multiple

masks, recommends Vanos, the heat expert. Just

make sure to follow the other CDC safety recommen-

dations when changing masks, like avoiding crowds

and washing or sanitizing your hands.

If the U.S.P.S. Stops Delivering Mail

How much trouble is the USPS really in? In short,

quite a bit. The Government Accountability Office de-

scribes the USPS’s financial condition as “deteriorating

and unsustainable,” and has the numbers to back that

up. Specifically, the USPS has lost $69 billion over the

past 11 fiscal years—including $3.9 billion in 2018. On

top of that, the USPS’s total unfunded liabilities and

debt have grown to double its annual revenue ($143

billion at the end of 2018). Although the USPS did im-

plement cost-saving measures in recent years, they’re

helping less and less every year. Finally, the USPS’s ex-

penses have gotten to the point of growing faster than

its revenues, as a result of both rising compensation

and benefits costs, and continuing declines in the vol-

ume of First-Class Mail.

2

Things briefly started to look up at the beginning of

2020. According to information released by the USPS,

the most recent quarter (January 1 to March 30) saw

an increase of $348 million compared to the same

quarter last year. Then the novel coronavirus pandem-

ic hit. Starting in late March, there has been a steady

decline in mail volume during the pandemic. “It is esti-

mated that the COVID-19 pandemic will substantially

increase the Postal Service’s net operating loss over

the next 18 months, threatening the Postal Service’s

ability to operate,” the USPS said in a statement. So

despite financial conditions improving in the first part of

2020, that trend is not continuing and does not bode

well for the future of the USPS.

How did it get to this point? The USPS has been

doomed to fail for some time, according to Craig

Kirsner, financial expert. “One major problem is that

the USPS is a quasi-government entity, so they have to

be efficient like any company, while also having to

pander to politicians who don’t want their local post

offices to close in order to protect the branch’s em-

ployees’ jobs (and the politicians’ votes). So even

though from a business standpoint, it makes economic

sense to close certain offices and consolidate things,

they can’t due to political pressure.” And in case you

were wondering, no, the USPS doesn’t receive any tax

dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of

postage, products, and services to fund its operations.

At this point, it’s hard to envision what, exactly,

sending mail without the USPS would look like, but we

can speculate, at least. How would we send letters?

Without the USPS, there wouldn’t be any viable way to

send letters at all. UPS and FedEx do not offer cost-

effective ways to send anything other than boxes or

flat pack envelopes.To send a letter via UPS or FedEx

will cost consumers, at a minimum, five times the price

of a first-class stamp. So if you thought that disbanding

the USPS would mean lower prices for mailing letters,

think again. If UPS or FedEx does step in to deliver let-

ters, they will likely charge according to weight and

distance, so rural areas, and in particular far-flung are-

as like Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of the rural lower 48,

will be incredibly expensive to send mail to and it

could impact on direct-to-consumer businesses.

What about postal workers’ jobs? The USPS currently

employs nearly 500,000 people—all of whom would

presumably lose their jobs if the organization disband-

ed. But providing all these employees with benefits

(negotiated through seven different unions) is part of

what’s causing the USPS to go into so much debt. Eve-

ry two weeks, the USPS pays $2 billion in salaries and

benefits. According to a fact sheet put out by the

USPS, the requirement to pre-fund the employees’

health benefits is a major expense, along with retire-

ment benefits. This is just one aspect of the organiza-

tion that would need to be reformed in order for it to

continue operating.

How else might the economy be impacted? Given

3

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1. Gladden

6. Bars

10. Dash

14. Laggard

15. Rectal

16. Press

17. Less friendly

18. Tropical tuber

19. Chancel

20. Comprising

22. Ear-related

23. Barely managed

24. Influence

26. Stigma

30. Before, poetically

31. Zero

32. Part of the outer

ear

33. Terminates

35. Songbirds

39. Teach

41. Forestall

43. Treat for drug

dependence

44. Expunge

46. Bright thought

47. Central

49. Chart

50. Nothing (British)

51. Mainstay

54. Yeses

56. Formally surrender

57. Where rivers

merge

63. Soon

64. Wings

65. Earlier in time

66. Anagram of

"Snob"

67. Small amount

68. Go in

69. Tall woody plant

70. He writes in verse

71. Marsh growth

1. Sweeping story

2. Mentally irregular

(slang)

3. Like

4. Golf aids

5. Lofty nest

6. Striped or spotted

7. Unassisted

8. Farm building

9. Motto

10. Vitamin B2

11. Mountain crest

12. Comedian

13. Make into law

21. Shooting sport

25. Dossier

26. Sleigh

27. Cypher

28. Adjoin

29. Remunerate

34. Flatfeet

36. Start over

37. Was cognizant

38. Immediately

40. Angle of a

leafstalk

42. Fend off

45. Give forth

48. Bolt

51. Barely enough

52. Adult male

singing voice

53. Pueblo brick

55. Of the highest

quality

58. Hodgepodge

59. Sea eagle

60. Anagram of "Tine"

61. College girl

62. Makes a mistake

ACROSS DOWN

PUZZLE ANSWER PAGE 7

5

COVID-19 - Coronavirus Find and circle all of the COVID-19 words that are hidden in the grid. The remaining letters spell a secret

message.

ACHES

ACUTE CARE

ASYMPTOMATIC

BATS

CAREGIVERS

CASES

COMMUNITY

CONTACT

CONTAGIOUS

CORONAVIRUS

COUGH

DOCTORS

ESSENTIALS

FEAR

FEVER

FRONTLINE

GLOVES

HEADACHE

HOSPITAL

ICU

ISOLATE

JOB LOSSES

LOCKDOWN

LONG TERM

CARE

LUNGS

MASKS

NURSES

NURSING-

ATTENDANTS

NURSING HOMES

OUTBREAK

PAINS

PANDEMIC

PARAMEDICS

PATIENTS

PNEUMONIA

POSITIVE

PPE

PRECAUTIONS

QUARANTINE

RECOVERY

RESTRICTIONS

RUNNY NOSE

SANITIZE

SHORTAGES

SIXF EET

SORE THROAT

SPREAD

STAY SAFE

SYMPTOMS

TESTING

TIREDNESS

TREND

UPDATES

VACCINE

VENTILATORS

WASH HANDS

PUZZLE ANSWER PAGE 7

6

how large the USPS is, it can be difficult to compre-

hend all the other industries its disbanding would im-

pact. For example, in 2019 alone, the USPS purchased

nearly 579,000 tires: enough that if they were stacked

end-to-end, it would be 244 miles long or roughly the

distance between Dallas and Houston. And then there

are the rubber bands: the USPS ordered more than

750 million rubber bands in 2019. That is about 41,096

miles of rubber bands, or enough to wrap around

Earth 1.7 times.

What would happen to leftover stamps? If the USPS

does end up being disbanded, they’ll probably have

a lot of stamps that have been printed previously.

What happens to those? Though the USPS hasn’t re-

vealed any information on this, specifically pertaining

to its potential closure, their current policy is that you

can use any old leftover stamps you have sitting

around the house. This does require a little bit of re-

search, though. Because the cost of first-class stamps

is constantly changing, you have to figure out what

the original value of a stamp was, and then put

enough postage on a letter to equal the current cost

of a first-class stamp (which is 55 cents). This is why the

more recent “forever” stamps are so handy—you can

continue to use them even when the rates change.

Speculation is that the government would be forced

to redeem stamps at face value because they are

legal tender.

At the store there was a big X by the register for me

to stand on. I’ve seen too many road Runner cartoons

to fall for that !

Cat kennel cleaner in Ridge

Manor. Must be healthy, hard

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trustworthy with own transportation.

Call 813-857-3335

7

Hidden sentence: LET'S MAKE SACRIFICES FOR THE

ELDERLY, FOR THEY ONCE MADE SACRIFICES FOR US.

RIDGE MANOR AREA CHURCHES

All Faith United Church of Christ 34006 Cortez Blvd., Ridge Manor, FL. 33523

407-348-7795 Sunday @ 10:00 am

Brooksville Anglican Mission 6385 Windmere Rd., Brooksville, FL 34602

352-438-4847

First Baptist Church of Ridge Manor 34132 Ridge Manor Blvd., Ridge Manor, FL. 33523

352-583-4140

First Lutheran Church 30419 Parkridge Dr., Ridge Manor West

Brooksville, FL. 34602 352-796-8898

Grace Brethren Church, 6259 Faber Dr., Brooksville, FL 34602.

Hillside Community Baptist Church 27440 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville, FL 34602

3522-799-0687

Lifestyle Church of God 21345 Sanderson Rd., Lacoochee Fl 33537

352-583-3354

New Life Church Ridge Manor 6375 Windmere Rd., Brooksville, FL 34602

352-444-4752

New Wave Church 34275 Cortez Blvd., Ridge Manor, FL. 33523

352-583-0007

Providence Baptist Church 9734 us 301 Bushnell, FL 33513

352-793-4062

Ridge Manor United Methodist Church 34350 Cortez Blvd., Ridge Manor, Fl. 33523

352-583-3770

St. Anne’s Catholic Church 4128 Treiman Blvd., Ridge Manor, FL. 33523

352-583-2550

Trilacoochee Church of Christ 20300 US Highway 301, Dade City FL 33523

352-583-2842

Ridge Manor Area Crime Watch Every 1st Wednesday @ 7 pm in the West Wing

RidgeManorAreaCrimeWatch@gmail.com

Ridge Manor Property Owners’ Association Board of Directors 6 pm 2nd Monday

General Meetings TBA

Community Center of Ridge Manor Every 2nd Thursday @ 10 am

Senior CareLine

352-797-3799

Ridge Manor AA Meetings Al-Anon call Carolyn @ 352-799-1513

AA 12 & 12 Sunday 7 - 8 pm

AA Big Book Tuesday 7 – 8 pm

AA Newcomers Thursday 7 – 8 pm

All meetings are held at the

Community Center of Ridge Manor

34240 Cortez Blvd. Ridge Manor, FL 33523

OPEN SUNDAY 9 AM MONDAY - SATURDAY 10 AM

5025 Treiman Blvd (Hwy 301) Ridge Manor 352-608-4805