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 |  | | Fish are getting attraction!
From Dan Hoemeke and Gary Brauks — The fishing advocacy committee has been hard at work! They are scheduling another 1000 black crappie fingerlings (5 inch) in early April and have been building places for little fish to hide from predators. These “fish attractants” (pictured below) will also create habitat for larger fish ripe for catching next year. Another 1000 fingerlings will be stocked in the fall of this year. |
|  | Though the 3-to-4 ft. “legs” look like noodles, they are pipe made of flexible PVC so they will not catch fishing hooks. The 5-gallon bucket is full of concrete, so the unit will sit on the lake bottom, stabilized by the horizontal pipes on the base. They will top out at a minimum of 8 ft. from the surface of the water. |
| | Having built a number of habitat units, the committee will be placing them deep enough to avoid swimmers, skiers and boaters, in at least 12-foot-deep water and many inside no-wake buoys.
Fish size and bag limit guidelines will be published during this first year of stocking the lake. Please be very conservative to allow fish to grow for more exciting angling next year.
The committee is also looking for donations of cinder blocks or any bricks with holes. These will be placed for little fish to hide. You can also place blocks yourself if you have water-front footage, just be sure to put them deep enough to avoid recreation activity. |
| | |  | | Things happening around the lake |
| Following are a few previews of more detailed reporting you will hear at the Annual Meeting. Be there for good news updates!
Trapping: Thank you everyone for reporting sightings of critters on and in the water. Jamie has had trappers out three times over the winter months. They have bagged otters, a muskrat and a beaver. Since this is not a closed environment and the animals can access the lake via a number of creeks, the board decided to contract with a trapper to take care of the issue on a scheduled basis — a less expensive plan.
Rainwater drainage issues: Jamie is working with an engineer and contractors to repair the parking lot area at the lodge using the road maintenance budget. In the process, they will re-direct water off the lot and West Forest Rd. to the previous drainage ditch running into the lake.
Gate progress: The lower gate, after some revision, will see continued work in the near future. Thanks for your patience as details are worked out to get the gate in place. Then we will begin trying the security system out through the summer season, always with the open upper gate as backup as everyone tunes in.
Boat storage area: Plans are in the works to expand the storage area for temporary storage of registered boats and trailers. Clearing and gravelling will make the area about 1/3rd larger. |
| | | April Fools Day, April 1: In 1500s France, the Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar) was replaced with the Gregorian calendar (introduced by Pope Gregory XIII and still used in most parts of the world). In the old Julian calendar, the new year began April 1, but with the new Gregorian calendar, the new year began January 1.
Since news did not travel fast then, not everyone got the word that the New Year was January 1. They kept celebrating it on April 1, and they were widely mocked as April Fools.
And how did it turn into a day of practical jokes? The practice of telling April Fools' jokes spread rapidly, and has continued over the last 500 years. When playing a joke on someone, you might get to them early in the morning before they check their calendar.
Passover, April 12 to 20: Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, commemorates the Israelite’s' liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, a pivotal event in Jewish history, celebrated with a special meal called the Seder. The meal symbolically recounts trials before their escape.
Easter, April 20: Christian celebration of the risen Savior and end of a 40-day period of suffering recounted during Lent, leading up to Easter.
Earth Day, April 22: This year’s theme is "Our Power, Our Planet," encouraging a global effort to unite behind renewable energy and triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. |
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| NOTE WORTHY
Saturday, Apr. 26, just before the Annual Meeting, informal board get-together to set up chairs and tables in the Lodge for all members.
Annual Meeting of members, Peaceful Valley Property Owners Association, will be Saturday, April 26, 10 am, Lodge. See you there!
Keep an eye out for the spring rummage! …that is, look around for items you can live without. Take them to the lodge or the Maintenance shop garage. Be ready for the Rummage Sale April 24-27, 2025, coinciding with the Owensville Spring Fest and Car Show. __________________
Monday, Apr. 21, 5:00 PM, Monthly Public Water Supply District (PWSD) meeting, Lodge. All are welcome.
Save paper and mailing: CLICK HERE for PWSD consent form to get bills via email or text.
CLICK HERE for PWSD new application form for water and sewer service. __________________
Covid Tests, free again, through the mail, beginning late 2024. Go to covidtests for more information.
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| Board Elections
The Annual Meeting for members will be April 26, 2025. There will be three board positions open this year for end of terms: Dan Hoemeke, current Vice President, 2nd term; Megan Jost, current Treasurer, first term; Cathy August, current Secretary, 1st term. Each board member may serve two consecutive terms.
Throw your hat in the ring to be on the board. Voting will take place during the Annual Meeting, so you have time to fill out an application and campaign for election among your neighbors.
The Peaceful Valley Property Owners' Association Board of Directors consists of 9 members in good standing. Four serve in officer positions, President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. All positions are voluntary and uncompensated. Terms are 3 years, elected by members on a 1-year rotating cycle, meaning that 3 director’s terms expire each year. Directors can serve only 2 consecutive terms,
Click here to see all the current board members
Read the Mission Statement.
Drop off your application at the office, or mail/email it. Submit applications, ideally, 60 days before the Annual Membership Meeting Saturday, 26 April, 10 am, Lodge.
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|  | | Sky Watch 2025 FROM EARTHSKY.ORG When to watch the Lyrids meteor shower: Late evening April 21 before the thick waning crescent moon rises a few hours after midnight. The peak of the Lyrids is narrow (no weeks-long meteor-watching, as with some showers). The best time to watch is late evening April 21 before the moon rises.
The Lyrids are known for uncommon surges that can sometimes bring rates of up to 100 per hour!
FROM SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.COM April 12–18, a treat for early risers: The planets Mercury, Venus and Saturn will all be within about five degrees of one another. This will be a bit tough to see because they will be low to the east before sunrise. But 6 A.M. will be a good time to take a look, especially with binoculars.
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| | Ready for cruising? Make sure to check community regs for safe and considerate boating. Remember watercraft may not be left at the marinas more than 48 hours. If you stretch the timing, your craft may be towed and stored at an off-site location at your expense. A drawing at the Annual Meeting April 24 will assign some slots to those lucky few who win them. There will be 7 slots available. Call the office to put your name in the hat. Winners will pay $100 to reserve for the season. All other slots need to be kept open for everyone on the lake to have short-term access. |
| | Lake Classifieds Contact the editor to run an ad in Splash: $5 per month (a monthly publication); $50 per year; maximum 5 lines in print version of the newsletter, approx. 30 ltrs per line.
Karen Hoemeke, helping people buy and sell homes for 17 years. Top 5% all MO Coldwell Banker Realtors. I live in PV and specialize in PV. 314-973-1218 Dec25
Jamie Gerloff, Mary Kay, Independent Sales Director. Contact me: 573-241-2793. 60 years of Quality Skin Care & Cosmetics. Fast & Free Samples & Delivery Feb26
Prairie Barn Winery & Christmas Tree Farm Complimentary wine tasting; open Thurs. to Sun.; for events and questions, contact [email protected]; call 660.253.0079; web prairiebarnwinery.com Oct25
The newsletter reaches 265 people through direct email, is available to anyone on the PVL website, and paper copies can be picked up at both gates and the Lodge.
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| Organized fun
Join the Wednesday dinner club 5:30 Wednesdays. The location changes each week. Randy Fuller (or friend) posts on Nextdoor by Wednesday evening where to be the following week. People decide where to meet drawing out of a "hat.” All invited!
The PVL Book Club meets the 4th Monday of each month, but not February or March. Next one will be April 28. The book is The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, by Kim Edwards, starting between 4:30 and 5 pm. Bring snacks and drinks. Everyone is welcome whether you read the book or not! |
| I Watched a Blackbird By Thomas Hardy from panmacmillan.com
I watched a blackbird on a budding sycamore
One Easter Day, when sap was stirring twigs to the core;
I saw his tongue, and crocus-coloured bill
Parting and closing as he turned his trill;
Then he flew down, seized on a stem of hay,
And upped to where his building scheme was under way,
As if so sure a nest was never shaped on spray.
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