Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/802119
TheMountLassenChap- ter of the California Native PlantSocietyhasseveralac- tivities planned for April. All activities are open to thepublic.MeetattheChico Park and Ride west lot at Highway 32 and Highway 99 by the stated time. Bring sturdy shoes, lunch, water, sun and insect protection, jacket for higher elevations and money for ride sharing. Call one of the leaders for an alternate meeting location or more informa- tion. The chapter website is mountlassen.cnps.org. The group will hike the Meriam Park vernal pools and Peregrine Point Disc Golf Course on Saturday, April 1. Meet at 8:45 a.m. and the group will car pool. Lo- cal botanist Elena Gregg and Preserve Manager Holly Nielsen will guide us through a vernal pool pre- serve within the city limits. Thisisafamily-friendlyout- ing, where hikers will need to get close to the ground to view the plants. Around 10:30, the cars move up the hill to the Pere- grinePointDiscGolfCourse parkinglottolookforspring wildflowers. A wildflower walk at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve is planned Friday, April 7. Meet at 9 a.m. This will be a hike of about 2 miles through BCCER with long- time volunteer Paul Maslin. The 3- to 4-hour hike will not be steep, but there are a few slightly tricky spots. Wear sturdy hiking shoes with lugged soles and long pants (to protect from poi- son oak). Bring a snack/ lunch and water, hat, sun- screen and consider mos- quito repellent. Bring rain gear for light rain; heavy raincancels.Aflowerguide- book and magnifier will be helpful. Participation is lim- ited to 20 people. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Jon Aull at jaull@csuchico.edu. A hike in the Sutter Buttes is scheduled for Sat- urday, April 15. Meet at the park-and- ride lot to depart by 8 a.m. Simultaneous walks are scheduled within the new- ish state park accessible by guided groups only. Woody Elliott will lead a wild- flower search along the easy trails in Peace Valley. Jim Dempsey will inter- pret a more strenuous route (around 5 miles plus climb of over 800 feet) over the surrounding ridges to see differentplantcommunities and panoramas. Returning to Chico around 5 p.m. A $10 per person fee cov- ers a state park use permit andescort.Bringlunch,wa- ter, hat, hiking shoes, long pants and money for ride sharing. Limited to 30 peo- ple. For reservations and al- ternate meeting spot email Woody at woodyelliott@ gmail.com. NATIVEPLANTS MountLassenchapter plans April activities DANREIDEL—ENTERPRISE-RECORDFILE Wildflowers are blooming in the north state, and several outings with the California Native Plant Society intend to show them off. CONTRIBUTED Dave McFann from DPM Gardening along with his crew Jim McFann, Alberto Hermosillo and Andy Maldonado pose with new trees they planted at Cone-Kimble Plaza. Rotary also would like to thank the Red Bluff Garden Club, Probation Department's Dick Muench and Mike Skelton, city of Red Bluff Public Works, for their help and efforts to maintain the Cone-Kimble Plaza. This has been a long Red Bluff Rotary Project to improve the downtown area, along with help from many friends, donors and help in kind. Cone-Kimble It looks and feels like laundry detergent. It's white, coarse and powdery. It's a mineral mined from dry lake bot- toms and ex- tracted from the ashes of vegetation in the Mid- dle East, kelp from Scot- land and seaweed from Spain. It's used to make glass, bricks, paper, rayon and toothpaste. It cleans sil- ver and softens water. Its real name is sodium carbonate, but it goes by soda ash, Na2CO3 and good old plain washing soda. For years, I have added washing soda to the wash for cleaner, whiter, brighter laundry. It's also one of the ingredients in my home- made laundry detergent. It's cheap (about 10 cents per ounce), and it neutral- izes and eliminates odors. I have recently discovered that washing soda is even more than a laundry de- tergent booster and odor eliminator. With a powerful pH of 11, washing soda can act as a solvent all around the house, garage and gar- den. It removes dirt, grime, greasy buildups and a range of stains. Look for Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda in the laundry aisle of supermar- kets and discount stores, and online. Generally, a 55-ounce box runs about $5. I pay a lot less for soda ash by buying it online, 5 pounds at a time. Both Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and soda ash are 100 percent sodium carbonate. Here are some around- the-house uses for soda ash. STOVETOP OVEN Remove the burners. Sprinkle dry washing soda on a damp sponge, and scrub the stovetop, broiler pan and oven, making sure to avoid the heating element. Soak the burners in a solution of 1/2cup washing soda dis- solved in 1 gallon of warm water for at least an hour. This will soften and break down all of the greasy gunk and grime. Scrub as needed; rinse well; and dry. COOKWARE, POTS AND PANS To remove greasy burnt stains from cookware, first fill the pot with hot water. Add a spoonful of washing soda and a squirt of dish- washing liquid. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then simmer for 15 min- utes. Do not use on alumi- num cookware. COFFEE POTS, CUPS AND CA- RAFES Coffee and tea of- ten leave ugly brown stains in kettles, pots and cups. Fill the stained item with hot water, and add some washing soda. Allow it to sit for at least an hour, or even overnight. Stains will be easily rinsed away in the morning. PLASTIC Clean and freshen garbage cans, table- cloths, shower curtains, pa- tio furniture and anything plastic with cup wash- ing soda dissolved in 1 gal- lon warm water. Wash and rinse. TOILETS Use a cup of washing soda in the toi- let to clean and freshen and help prevent blockages. TILE AND GROUT Clean wall tiles and grout with a solution of cup washing soda to 1 gallon warm wa- ter. You may need to scrub the grout with a stiff brush. You won't believe the clean sparkling results. WINDSHIELD A mild wash- ing soda solution will help remove dead flies, bugs and grime from windshields. Avoid splashing onto the car paint. Do not use on aluminum-alloy wheels. PEST CONTROL Get rid of whiteflies and mites by spraying plants and trees with a mild solution of washing soda to 2 gallons water. STAINS ON CONCRETE AND GARAGE FLOOR Pour a generous amount of dry washing soda on spills and stains. Sprinkle lightly with water to create a thick paste. Allow to sit over- night. The following day, scrub with a stiff brush, re- wetting as needed. Hose the surface down, and then wipe it clean. TARNISHED SILVER To re- move tarnish from sil- ver, line a nonreactive pan or bowl (glass or plas- tic) with aluminum foil. Fill with a solution of cup washing soda to 1 gal- lon hot water. Add the tar- nished silver pieces, and allow them to soak for 15 minutes. The tarnish will simply disappear. Rinse well, and then buff the sil- ver pieces until they spar- kle. This can also re- move tarnish from silver plates, jewelry, gold, cop- per, bronze, stainless steel and most brass (follow the manufacturer guidelines). CAUTION While washing soda doesn't give off harm- ful fumes, you do need to wear gloves because it can cause skin irritation. Do not use washing soda on alu- minum, fiberglass, leather, silk, wool, no-wax floors or treated wood surfaces. For more information visit www.everydaycheapskate. com/washingsoda. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE 10 ways to use washing soda around the house Mary Hunt Internal Revenue Service A name change can have an impact on taxes. All the names on a tax- payer's tax return must match Social Security Ad- ministration records. A name mismatch can delay a tax refund. Here's what taxpayers should know if they changed their name: REPORTINGNAMECHANGES Got married and now using a new spouse's last name or hyphenate a name? Divorced and now back to using a former last name? In either case, tax- payers should notify the SSA of a name change. That way the new name on IRS records will match the SSA records. M A K I NG DE PE N DE N T'S NAME CHANGE Notify the SSA if a dependent had a name change. For exam- ple, if a taxpayer adopted a child and the child's last name changed. If the child does not have a Social Security num- ber, the taxpayer may use an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number on their tax return. An ATIN is a temporary number. Apply for an ATIN by fil- ing Form W-7A, Applica- tion for Taxpayer Identi- fication Number for Pend- ing U.S. Adoptions, with the IRS. Visit IRS.gov to get the form. GETTING A NEW SS CARD File Form SS-5, Applica- tion for a Social Security Card. The form is on SSA. gov or by calling 800-772- 1213. The taxpayer's new card will reflect the name change. All taxpayers should keep a copy of their tax re- turn. Beginning in 2017, taxpayers using a software product for the first time may need their adjusted gross income amount from their prior-year tax return to verify their identity. Taxpayers can learn more about how to ver- ify their identity and elec- tronically sign tax returns at Validating Your Elec- tronically Filed Tax Re- turn. TAX TIPS Name change? How it impacts taxes THE THE SATURDAY,APRIL1ST DOORS @ 8:30PM · SHOW @ 9:00PM $15 Advance · $20 At the Door Ticketpriceincludes$10freeslotplay,all-you-can-eattacobar, and beer tap takeover by Lassen Aleworks! 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