Blog Posts

Good Neighbors

It’s a fact. Life is busy — for most of us extremely so — and it’s hard to fit everything in. That includes getting to know our neighbors. But if we do carve out some time to get to know them, life-long friendships can be born, goodwill can be created, and problems can be solved before they become a big issue. Today the Windsong Place Blog has tips for being a good neighbor and making new friends. Be a Good Neighbor Be thoughtful. Follow the parking rules for Windsong Place. Parking in the correct place and not your neighbor’s space creates goodwill. Let your guests know ahead of time where they can park. And park well — inside the lines — to make getting in cars easier for everyone. Be clean. Keep shared spaces clean, and make sure your personal belongings don’t overflow into communal areas. Be considerate. This can take on many forms. One of the most appreciated by neighbors is in regard to noise. A good rule of thumb is to keep music, TV, and loud conversations down after 9 pm, and to not use loud machines, such as vacuums or power tools, early in the morning. If you are throwing a party let your neighbor know in advance. Make New Friends Be friendly. One of the simplest things we can do is be friendly. Offering a smile and a “hello” is an easy thing to do that will help create a positive energy and build rapport with your neighbors. Be neighborly. Share a plate of cookies, a loaf of fresh-baked bread, or part of your haul from the local farmers’ market. Invite neighbors over for a meal or party. Be helpful. There’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen someone moving in or out of your apartment community. This is a great way to get to know new neighbors. Help them move boxes and talk to them about where they moved from and why they moved to Williamsville, NY. It’s a great way for them to feel welcome as well an easy way for you to make friends. Be inviting. Maybe you see the same few people around the apartment community and always say hi to each other — take the chance to invite one of those people over for a game night. This is a non-threatening activity where friendships can be made. For some people friendships come more naturally, for others it can be more difficult. Doing some of these simple things can help to make it more natural. Let things flow and enjoy the feeling of community and comradery between neighbors. Do you know your neighbors? How do you make friends with those who live nearby? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Tips for Keeping a Pet in an Apartment

Windsong Place is pleased to be a pet-friendly community, and among the many features offered at our apartment community in Williamsville, NY, we offer a dog park.Today our blog post is focused on etiquette in the dog park area as well as in any local bark parks you may take your dog to for socialization and exercise. We also have some tips for having pets in your apartment. Tips for Pets in Public Areas Dos: — Make sure your dog is up-to-date on immunizations and parasite preventatives. — Observe the dogs in the dog park to see if there are any potential health or behavior problems. — Supervise dogs when they are playing, and stop any rough play. — Promptly clean up after your dog. — Be willing to leave a park if your dog is being a bully, if the play is rough, or if your dog isn’t having fun. Don’ts: — Bring a dog under four months of age. — Bring or use treats and toys when other dogs are nearby. — Allow dogs to form loose packs. — Allow a dog to bully another. — Ever let your dog off-leash in an unfenced dog park if he or she is not responsive to your verbal commands. Tips for Pet Owners Establish a routine. Animals are smart and can adapt to apartment living. Having a routine makes it easier on your pet. Set times for potty breaks, chow time, walking, and playing. Routines make your pet feel comfortable and help prevent accidents. Be sure to keep your pet’s health. This is very important because our apartment community has shared outside grounds. Because others are using the common yard areas, your pet needs to be free of parasites and vaccinated in order to prevent spreading infectious diseases. Be courteous to your neighbors. Be aware of the fact that many people will be sharing a small space, and things like a constantly barking dog or a wandering cat will not be favorably received in an apartment setting. Take steps to curb problem behaviors. If you’re unsure of how, we’ve provided resources for solving specific problems below! Tips for Cat Owners Preventing your cat from destructive scratching Why declawing isn't the answer for scratching problems Preventing litter box problems Solving litter box problems Keeping your cat happy indoors Tips for Dog Owners How to get your dog to stop barking Stop your dog's inappropriate chewing Prevent your dog's separation anxiety Stop your dog from jumping up on people We hope these tips for having pets at Windsong Place are helpful. We’re happy to welcome your furry friends to this wonderful place to live. Thanks for reading today’s post.

For this Bounty Farmer's Markets

Summer is beginning to wind down, and soon Fall will arrive here in Williamsville, which means that farmer’s markets are in full swing. Today, the Windsong Place Apartments Blog has tips for shopping at a farmer’s market. So head out on the weekend and pick up some fresh produce for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! How to Shop at a Farmer’s Market Bring Cash — Plan a budget for your shopping and try to stick with it. It’s easy to overspend, and using only cash may make it easier to stay within budget even though many vendors may accept credit cards or checks. Know When to Go — Whether you get there early to get the freshest produce with the most choices, or at the end of the day when you can find great bargains, depends on what you’re looking for. However, simply being aware of when to go to the farmer’s market can be a factor in planning your trip. Plan enough time to be able to visit the whole market. Check It All Out — Before you purchase anything, wander through the market to see what’s there. Even though you may have found peaches to make a cobbler for dessert at the first stall, the one around the corner may have the same thing for a lower price. Make a mental note of the places you want to return to. Be Prepared — Your preparations may vary, but at the least take a cooler to keep your produce in while in transit, especially if you have additional errands to run before you head back to your apartment. Bring your own bags and containers as you won’t be able to count on every vendor having them. Ask Questions & Try Something New — One of the perks of going to a farmer’s market is the opportunity to try something new. Vendors often have samples available, and if they don’t, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Ask the vendor about their products — most vendors love to talk about their growing practices, what pesticides were used (if any) , and how to cook the produce. Buy in Bulk — A pint of raspberries versus a flat of raspberries won’t break the bank, but chances are you can quick freeze the berries for later use in smoothies or make freezer jam at a fraction of what it would cost you to buy from the grocery store. And you usually get a price break for buying in bulk, too. We hope these tips are helpful! The number one farmer’s market listed in a Yelp search is the one on Spring Street. Here’s the info: Farmer’s Market at the Williamsville Mill Location: 56 East Spring Street May 20th through October 28th Saturday Mornings 8:00 am to 1:00 pm The Market has returned to Spring Street for 2017 Rain or Shine For additional options in the area, check out The Best 10 Farmers Markets in Williamsville, NY from Yelp. Enjoy some good eating soon, and thanks for reading today’s post!

Making the Most of Your Balcony or Patio

Here at Windsong Place in Williamsville, NY, we are pleased to provide apartment amenities we know members of our community love and use, and that includes our balconies and patios. Juliet has nothing on us — although we don’t anticipate that anyone will be protesting eternal love from the ground looking up — we do think our balconies or patios are a wonderful place to relax at the end of a long day and enjoy a drink. In today’s post, we have some ideas to make the most of this space. Add Plants Bring a touch of the outdoors into your apartment via your balcony or patio. An easy way to do so is to add some plants. As a bonus, depending on the plants chosen, you can also add a pleasant aroma at the same time. HGTV provides a handy guide for choosing Fragrant Flowers and Plants . Another way to add some greenery, as well as helping out your cooking, is to plant an herb garden. We like these ideas for 8 Space-Saving Vertical Herb Garden Ideas for Small Yards & Balconies . Create Comfortable Seating Having a comfortable place to sit is a key ingredient to making your apartment patio or balcony inviting and relaxing. When you are looking for patio furniture, test it out, sit in it and make sure it fits your body. Is it sturdy? Does the design reflect your personality? Answering these questions will help you determine what will work best for your balcony. Be sure to add a table! You’ll definitely need a place for your drinks, snacks, and perhaps a book or magazine. Add Some Color Use color to create a relaxing oasis with muted tones of blues, grays, and the like, or create a vibrant space with bright, contrasting colors. Pillows, throws, and cushions are all places to add some color. Paint your furniture, be creative and express your personality with varying colors and textures. Check out these ideas for 14 Ways to Make Your Patio Pop With Color . What are your favorite balcony and patio treatments? Take a minute and share with us in the comments. Thanks for reading today!

Windsong Wins

Ratings are important to us here at Windsong Place Apartments, but what is more important to us are the individual people who make up our apartment community. Thanks to you, we have qualified to receive the top recognition from ApartmentRatings.com, being recognized for our commitment to our residents. We are among the five percent who have reached the following criteria: 2016 Top Rated Award Criteria 10+ total reviews 5+ reviews in 2016 Overall recommended score of 70% or greater We appreciate all of the reviews and recommendations members of our apartment community have shared. Each has contributed to our apartment community receiving this award possible. We are pleased to have a team committed to providing the best amenities and service possible for our residents, whether the need is for 24/7 emergency maintenance or customer service, online rent payments, community activities, or just a listening ear. We are here for you. We want to share just a few of the kind things members of our community have said via reviews : “Lovely community of pets and people. You get what you pay for, everything is well kept. In the winter walkways are cleared and salted in a timely manner as well as parking areas. In the summer grass is cut and landscaping maintained. Staff is wonderful and you have a Windsong website to pay rent online and place a maintenance request as well as other info. My family and I really enjoy living here.” — Barbara V. “Great property. It's a great place to live and we have really been enjoying it. Super nice buildings and in a great location. Staff are all great and respond to issues super quick.” — Katharine Y. “Best place to live in buffalo. Staff is outstanding. Office staff works well with the renters. Polite, professional. maintenance is always been prompt and professional.” — Joyce M. We appreciate our residents, each with his or her own unique outlook on life, skills, abilities, and personalities. We love the synergy that is created here in this corner of Williamsville, NY at Windsong Place Apartments. Thanks for being a part of it!

Celebrating National Blueberry Month in Williamsville, NY

July, the month we celebrate our nation’s birthday, the month the heat turns up for the summer, and, this may be new to you, National Blueberry Month. In the spirit of celebration, we are sharing a blueberry based recipe as well as more information about blueberries with our apartment community. So head out to your favorite grocery store in Williamsville, Buffalo, or a western New York farmer’s market and pick up some berries soon. Try out a blueberry recipe this month. An amazing resource about blueberries, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s website is a wonderful place to find all kinds of information about the fruit including instructions on growing them, information for the foodservice industry, information about the health benefits blueberries provide, cooking tips, and of course recipes ! Typically, when we think of blueberries, we think of blueberry muffins, pancakes, and blueberry pie. But these tasty morsels can be added to salads, main dishes, smoothies, sauces, and drinks as well as baked goods and desserts. We think you’ll like this recipe for a banana/blueberry bread that is amazing. Light, moist, and bursting with flavor, you will want to make a double batch and share with your neighbors at Windsong Place Apartments! Blueberry Banana Bread Preheat oven to 350° F and coat three mini-loaf pans with non-stick spray (or grease and dust with flour). Set aside. Ing redients: 1 3/4 cup flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/8 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl, set aside. 1 cube butter (room temp.) 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1 cup blueberries (toss in flour) 1/4 cup buttermilk Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Stir just enough to blend. Divide batter evenly between the three loaf pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before removing from pans. What is your favorite way to eat blueberries? Where is the best place to get fresh blueberries in the Williamsville area? Please share your tips and recipes in the comments.