Tunnell Vision - December 2023

• 12/16 Christmas Home Decorating Contest
  •  More information
• 12/16 Christmas Dinner & Dance (Lakeside HOA)
  • 4:30PM - 8:30PM @ Lakeside Community Center. Two Entrees, Appetizer, Salad, Cake & Cookies for Dessert. Non-Alcoholic beverages, BYOB. Donation for Charity in lieu of 50/50. $15 HOA members, $25 for everyone else. More information/contact for tickets
• 12/17 PNHOA Christmas Tree Lighting
  • 6PM - 7:30PM @ Pot-Nets Bayside Beach. Everyone please bring a Dollar Tree Christmas Tree Ornament. Hot chocolate, candy canes & music will be provided. Come see the surprise special guests! Feel free to dress up your car or golf car! 

Paradise Grill has a weekend full of amazing events coming up! Enjoy some of the best entertainment around and the best atmosphere at the beach! Nonstop fun all weekend long! End the weekend with an AMAZING display of fireworks to bring in the new year! Fireworks are scheduled for 8pm on Sunday! Bonus fun on January 1st - weather permitting! Stay tuned for the events planned for St. Patrick's Day weekend - Coming Soon!

• Many large trees are being removed from Pot-Nets Seaside! The work zone is in the area of Sandpit Lane, Wagon Track Road, North Corner Road, and Beach Plum Road. Please drive with caution around these areas, while heavy equipment and logging trucks enter and exit Pot-Nets Seaside. All Pot-Nets Residents are reminded that they cannot park vehicles or boats on vacant homesites, and that these items may be towed at the risk and expense of their owners.

• The demolition of the Creekside playground began in November and is now complete. The construction of the new playground will begin soon - we look forward to seeing it in use during the warmer weather!

• Boats need to be removed from the marinas by 12/31/23. Secure dock lines, remove hoses, remove electric cords, secure lockboxes, remove mats from piers, etc. (check out our list for winterizing your boat below). Water at the marinas has already been turned off.

It's your last few days to get your gifts in for the 2023 Pot-Nets Toy Drive. Rachel Tarbutton will be joining forces with PNHOA to take the gifts by the end of the week to be wrapped and prepared for Christmas morning. Thank you to everyone who has brought a gift in, with at least 14 bikes, 4 scooters and hundreds of different gifts for all ages, the collection is truly amazing and will bring joy to so many local children. 

While you're at the Pot-Nets office, make sure to grab yourself or your Pot-Nets Loving friend or family member a gift too! We have a brand new crewneck sweatshirts in the perfect red color for all of your Holiday Pot-Nets Parties! New long sleeve pocket t-shirts, zip-up hooded jackets, hats, thermos cups, and so much more! Free Pot-Nets stickers with every purchase! 

• Winterize outside water spigots
• Put away outdoor grills and furniture
• Remove outside lighting that may be damaged in icy conditions (i.e. string lighting)
• Remove anything from the outside of your home that might blow away
• Test your heating, if you have not done so already
• Seal any drafty windows
• Clean gutters! This will help prevent ice buildup. 

1. Flush & Drain Water Lines
2. Replace Engine Oil & Fluids
3. Stabilize Fuel
4. Protect Internal Engine Components
5. Remove Valuables
6. Clean & Wax
7. Store somewhere safe

Shorts Marine- Long Neck, DE
302-945-1200

WMF Watercraft & Marine- Long Neck, DE
302-945-9150

Pontoon Express- Harbeson, DE
302-945-065

• Disconnect exterior hoses
• Turn off exterior hose bibs water supply
• Shut off water at main valve
• Blow out irrigation system
• Change smoke detector batteries
• Change air filters
• Turn off ice maker
• Turn off water to washing machine
• Adjust thermostat
• Clean out gutters
• Shut down gas line
• Tell your neighbors that you'll be away from home
• Unplug electronics/appliances

• Jumper Cables: Flares or reflective triangle are great extras
• Flashlights: Replace the batteries before the winter season starts and pack some extras
• First Aid Kit: Also check your purse or bag for essential medications
• Baby, special needs gear: if you have a baby or family member with special needs, pack diapers and any special formula or food
• Food: Stock non-perishable food such as canned food and a can opener, dry cereal and protein rich foods like nuts and energy bars
• Water: Have at least 1 gallon of water per person a day for at least 3 days
• Basic Toolkit: Pliers, wrench, screwdriver
• Pet Supplies: Food & water
• Radio: Battery or hand cranked
• Cat litter or Sand: For better tire traction
• Shovel: To dig out snow
• Ice Scraper: Even if you usually park in a garage, have on in the car
• Clothes: Make sure you dress for the weather in warm clothes, gloves, hat, sturdy boots,jacket and an extra change of clothes for the cold
• Warmers: Pack extra for body, hands and feet
• Blankets or Sleeping Bags: If you get stranded in traffic on a lonely road, you'll be glad to have it
• Charged Cell Phone: Keep a spare charger in your car as well

DelDOT Cameras: best viewed on a computer. Check out the different "Map Layers" depending on the weather conditions. Some helpful layers would be: Roadway Weather, Water Level, Water on Road, Snow Accumulations, Snow Plow Tracking, Restrictions, etc.

Plant hardiness zone maps (PHZM) have been around for well over a hundred years. Gardeners have long recognized the benefit of knowing how cold it can get in a particular area is a good indicator of whether you can have success with a perennial tree, shrub, or herbaceous plant. Some gardeners like to test the limits as well, growing things that normally only grow south of you. This is called zone pushing and can become a great hobby or a personal battle for some. 

But success is determined by a lot of things. The amount of rainfall for the year, wind, humidity, and elevation to name a few. All these factors affect a plant’s chance for survival. The length of the growing season is important as well. In temperate areas such as ours, which have warm summers and cold winters, the length of the growing season depends mostly on temperature. The fartheraway a place is from the Equator, the shorter the growing season. So, while some temperate growing seasons may last as long as eight months, the shortest seasons may only be 2 months. Delaware, on average, has a growing season of about 6 months. The growing season is usually determined by the average number of days between the last hard (killing) frost in spring and the first hard frost in fall. 

The news that I wanted to share with you, in case you have not heard, is that the USDA PHZM has been recently revised. The 1990 edition was drawn from weather data from 1974–1986. More data was given for the 2012 edition and this 2023 version of the USDA PHZM was selected by a group of horticultural, botanical, and climatological experts who led the review of the latest revision of PHZM as the best balance between smoothing out the fluctuations of year-to-year weather variation and the concept that, during their lifetimes, perennial plants mostly experience what is termed "weather" rather than "climate."  The 1991-2020 period also aligns with the period currently in use by climatologists to describe baseline climate “normals” in the U.S.
Because the 2023 and 2012 maps were created digitally with GIS technology, they have a higher level of resolution and can show smaller areas of zone delineations than earlier maps. For example, cities tend to hold more heat because they encompass large areas of concrete and blacktop, so a city or town might be assigned to a zone warmer than the surrounding countryside. Higher elevations tend to be colder than surrounding lower areas, so the top of a mountain might be an area of cooler zones. A location near a large body of unfrozen water, especially downwind from prevailing breeze from that water, might provide milder winter weather and be in a warmer zone.

The Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature, displayed as 10-degree F zones ranging from zone 1 (coldest) to zone 13 (warmest). Each zone is divided into half zones designated as ‘a’ and ‘b.’  For example, 7a and 7b are 5-degree F increments representing the colder and warmer halves of zone 7, respectively. These designations serve as convenient labels and shorthand for communicating and comparing the extreme winter temperatures within the United States and Puerto Rico. The sequence of colors assigned to the zones mimics the chromatic spectrum produced by a prism (i.e., red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), providing a graphical representation of the plant hardiness zones.

What’s the big deal? Something that some of you may have figured out already, that these maps are merely a guideline and not the rule. Delaware has always been Zone 7, mostly 7b. But now, we’ve got some 8a (officially) happening along the coast, including half of LONG NECK!!  But should you run out and start buying live oaks and oleander? That’s up to you, but keep in mind that even though the overall 2023 map is about two and a half degrees warmer than the 2012 map, and about half the country shifted to a warmer five-degree half zone, the addition of new stations and more sophisticated mapping techniques led to a more accurate and detailed map.  So, how much have things changed? We must find out for ourselves – good luck.

Please take time to consider volunteering your time to help Nancy & Kate and everyone else involved in our Pot-Nets Catnippers Volunteer Group. They need your help more than ever. To show your respect for The Catnippers group, and give a "thank you" to Nancy & Kate for all that they have done, please consider donating some of your time to the group. 

The Catnippers Group needs help with the care & feeding of the cats. Becoming a member of the group will help improve your community while giving yourself the satisfaction of knowing you helped the animals in need.

Lisa (Pictured above on the right) makes bracelets and sells them, using all of her profits to donate to Pot-Nets Catnippers. She is a vendor at different local events, so please look out for her and pick up a bracelet! We are so thankful for people like Lisa, who go out of their way to help their community, especially at a young age! We should all take a page from Lisa's book! Go Lisa! 

Some of the benefits of working for Tunnell Companies include:

• Competitive Pay
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Vacation (after 90+ days)
• Medical Insurance Plan (after 90+ days)
• Dental & Vision Insurance (after 90+ days)
• Life & Disability Insurance (after 90+ days)
• 50% Boat Slip Discount (after 6 months)
• 50% Golf Discounts (after 6 months)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan w/ Match (after 1 year+)
• $3,900 Lot Rent Reduction (after 1 year+)
• plus more!

Note: Reduced benefits are available for part-time staff members.