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Show The Garfield County Insider June 17, 2010 EverylCounts Living "a Fountain of Life" Life I was inquiring about a place to stay --a temporary place for when I'm in school-- and the young woman who texted me back said, "Sorry, I'm looking for someone younger." I was dumbfounded. Not because I was rejected, but because someone thought I was too old. Yet, the person never met me so I guess her reaction was certainly one of the possibilities. On paper you may look old, but let your attitude speak otherwise. American author Mark Twain said, "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." And, American General Douglas MacArthur said, "You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." Sounds like being positive makes you more youthful and being negative older, but not necessarily wiser. On one recent flight I sat next to a man from Pennsylvania. He told me that he was a retired steel worker. He had retired after 42 years! That's a long time at one job. Yet this man was full of life. Excited, enthusiastic, like a little kid, actually. In Proverbs 13:14 we are told, "The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." This man epitomized what I imagine "...a fountain of life," actually looked like. He wanted to continue to travel with his family. He couldn't wait to get home and continue taking care of their home and yard. He beamed when he spoke of his wife and children whom he introduced me to even though they were spread out on the plane. And he loved talking about being a steel worker. He also loved doing good for others. We exchanged informa- Get Your Pet Fixed at a Su • er Discount! Jun 21 (Mon) - ESCALANTE Fire Station, 65 N. 100 W. Appointments available, call (435) 826-4644 Walk-up microchipping vaccinations availabl & e to anyone 11 am - 3 pm! Jun 22 (Tue) - TROPIC Fire Station, 40 N. 300 W. Appointments available, call (435) 679-8713 Jun 23 (Wed) - PANGUITCH Tri le C Arena, 900 N. ri ht off Hw 89 , NO MORE dktk; HOMELESS Q , •v. PETSID IN UTAH Cats: Male $25, Female $35, Family Plan $100 (omneallittrkigelenss; Tivasnt 5 mforosal Dogs: Male 2-39 lbs $55, 40-59 lbs $65, 60-79 lbs $75, 80-99 $85 Female 2-39 lbs $65, 40-59 lbs $75, 60-79 lbs $85, 80-99 $95 Dogs: 100 lbs and over $1 per pound; Dog or Cat: Pregnancies $10 extra www.utahpets.org • 1 (866) PETS FIX tion. And I've since heard from them. They're beautiful people. And this man, a husband and father, was their proud leader. He told me he was in his seventies, but I would never have guessed that. He's the kind of person you want to be around because he makes life fun. Even on a stuffy, crowded, hot, and long plane ride. "Hey, hon," he shouted to his wife, "Don't forget to get some crackers," he said as the flight attendant was passing around an assortment of cookies and crackers. "And remember, that's your dinner," he chuckled and winked to her. You can tell that he loves life and his family because that's what he wears on his face. What do you wear on yours? When you focus on your attitude versus your age, when you live your life like the man I met on the plane --"a fountain of life"-- and when you are doing good things for others, then you can lay your head down at night with a good conscious even though you may have received a text that said, "Sorry, I'm looking for someone younger." Cynthia Kimball Humphreys is a professional speaker and trainer through her company Every] Counts, LLC. She writes a column for weeklies in southern Utah and is a southern Utah correspondent for the Deseret News. Her column, "EverylCounts," appears on deseretnews. com . E-mail: kimball@everyl counts. net the lAuGhiNg ..4111• 44%, . pOiNt!: CURFEW AMMUNITION DUMP This young man was elated when he turned eighteen in a state where curfew is 11:00 p.m. for anyone seventeen years of age and under. He told his Dad how happy he was that now he could stay out until 3:00 a.m. if he wanted. "Yes you can stay out as late as you want, but the car is under eighteen and it has to be in the garage by eleven," his father said. At one time, the ammunition dump at Nellis AFB, Nevada, was commanded by a colonel whose strict rule was no matches or lighters in the ammo area. To test the men, he would occasionally walk among them with an unlighted cigar between his teeth, stopping now and then to ask an unsuspecting airman for a light. One evening the colonel paused to watch a sergeant and his crew unpack bomb fuses. "Would any of you gentlemen have a light?" he asked. "Yes, sir!" an airman piped up. The sergeant and crew stood braced for the colonel's wrath. But the deathly silence erupted into guffaws. "Thank you, airman," the colonel said and strutted away. With a flourish, the airman switched off his flashlight and returned it to his pocket. NEW GLASSES When I took my 5-year-old to the optometrist to pick up his new glasses, he asked why he had to wear them. The doctor replied, "They're to help you read and be able to see the computer better." When we got back home, my son sat down at the computer. In a few minutes he called me over and said, "There's something wrong with my glasses." "What's the problem?" "I can see the computer better, but I still can't read." WEDDING INVITATION A real wedding invitation: Phil, Richard, Karen and Allison, and John, Matt and Steve request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their Mother and Father. Because they are combining two households, they already have at least two of everything. So please, no presents! Reception and garage sale immediately following the ceremony. It Makes Sense...By Veda Hale Well, back to the nitty-gritty of personal life. This week I offer some small hints that might make little things better. After all, sometimes that is all we can do is deal what is in front of us. This, as we watch big things far away making the world messed up, like the terrible oil spill in the gulf. A good scratch-hider or solution for sun lightened paneling or other other wood is to find some shoe polish near the same color and rub it in the affected spots. The smartest thing we can do for our car to keep it giving us trouble-free driving is to change its oil at the suggested time or just before....not after. Apparently it isn't too hard to change it your self and, if we buy oil on sail and do this, we can save quite a bit of money. I'm afraid that is one for the guys. But I shouldn't say that, because I do believe us gals could do it if we wanted to. Good old baking soda as a deodorant is well known. But it is also a friend in the bathroom. Just two or three tablespoons in a bath softens the water and is good for the chemical balance in our body. This is a lot cheaper than a water softener and the bath tub isn't slipper like soft water machines can make them. A good use for plastic bags, like bread wrappers, is to use them for disposable galoshes to keep shoes dry. I can see them of use in gardening when early, dewy mornings are often the favorite time to be out. Just strip them off and be ready for breakfast without having to clean or change shoes. Fasten them around your legs with plastic bags. If you keep a stool near the kitchen to save your feet, you could make it more comfortable by putting an extra commode cover over it. For those who wear dentures: When a brush isnnn't enough to do the job thouroughtly, nylon net comes to the rescue again. Bless that dear lady who discovered how to make those net scrubbers! Send suggestions to Veda Hale Box 956 Panguitch, Utah 84759 or email vedahale@ hotmail.com IRS: HAPPY SEVENTY-AND-A-HALF BIRTHDAY! Restaurant Hours Monday through Saturday: 7am - 9pm Sundays: 7am - 8pm Call 638-1040 for more information www.boweryhaven.com 8 1 6 7 7 9 4 6 3 1 3 6 2 4 8 1 7 1 8 2 8 It &one/ qatieo Redo/a I \ TO PLAY: COMPLETE THE GRID SO THAT EVERY ROw, EVERY COLUMN AND EVERY DO BOX CONTAINS THE DIGITS 1 TO 9 6 7 ~n THE ELDERLAW FORUM • PROFESSOR MICHAEL MYERS The IRS keeps track of ue of the account in the year not have to begin withdraw- suspended in 2009, allowbirthdays. It takes particu- prior to the year you turn als until April 1 of the year ing those typically required lar note when you turn 70, 70-and-a-half. In all subse- following his retirement. to take distributions to furbecause six months later quent years the RMD must "When do you plan to re- ther grow their account valyou may have to do some- be distributed by December tire?" I asked. "I don't," he ues without penalties. But thing you would rather not 31. But qualified employer responded. RMDs returned in 2010. I retirement plans offer addi"I've been rat-holing advised him to contact hudo: Begin withdrawing mon- tional flexibility, allowing money for 50 years," he man resources and verify ies from your IRA, 401(k), you to delay taking RMDs said. "I worked for a pro- that it is a "qualified plan," 403(b), or individual re- as long as you continue to cessing company for 30 exempt from the RMD years and now 20 with this withdrawal. The failure to tirement account, locations work. "Does that mean I don't bank. I've never made big withdraw a full RMD on where your savings have earned interest and have have to start taking out money, but I've lived with- time in any year exposes a been safe from federal and monies from my retire- in my means and taken full person to an IRS penalty of state taxmen and taxwom- ment accounts?" asked a advantage of the tax-shel- 50% of the required amount en. The withdrawals are 71-year-old senior helpline ters built into both retire- that wasn't distributed. called RMDs, or "required caller. He has spent the last ment plans." He called beEventually the caller will minimum distributions." 20 years working for a na- cause of conflicting reports. have to begin withdrawing They must begin by April 1 tional banking system that "It's confusing," he said. monies from one or both of Here is the current sta- his retirement plans. If he of the year following when maintains a contributory retirement plan. Assuming tus: Required minimum doesn't need the RMDs for you turn 70-and-a-half. The RMD amount will it is "qualified," he would distributions from IRAs living expenses, he should and defined contribe based on the consider re-investing the bution plans were December 31 valafter-tax proceeds into taxefficient accounts such as a mutual fund or municipal bond fund; or invest the proceeds in a 529 college savings plan for his grandchildren. Fifty years on the job and "rat-holing tax-free money" is paying off. (Pro bono legal information and advice is available to person 55 and older through the USD Senior Legal Helpline, 1-800-7471895 ; mmyers@usd.edu . Opinions are solely those of the author and not the University of South Dakota). I \ 8 6 5 9 6LZIS9£81, 8 1, I L 1, 6S 9SZCS 1. Z 9 61 Answers for this week ZWLS196 L 11, S 698Z 69£8SZ I Z8£61, 11, 966S8L EL 9L5 Z ■ .1111111111( IF £5L9IZ61, 8 BOAT RENTALS AVAILABLE AT YUBA STATE PARK Yuba State Park now offers boat, personal watercraft and off-highway vehicle rentals through Sequoia Motorsports. This concession service offers daily rentals, camping and boating supplies, and food served from the grill. Yuba State Park offers boat-in camping, sandy beaches, off-highway vehicle riding, and warm waters for boating. Overnight camping is available in both developed and primitive sites. Reservations are available online at stateparks.utah.gov or by calling (801) 322-3770 within the Salt Lake calling area or toll free at (800) 322- 3770. Yuba State Park and Sequoia Motorsports are located 25 miles south of Nephi at exit 202 off I-15. For more information, please call (435) 758-2611. |