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Saturday, February 16, 2013 ��� Daily News 7A Glory Days maturity &lifestyles Neighbor restores home, and vet���s faith February a short month, but long on bargains By Deena Yellin The Record (Hackensack, N.J.) (MCT) By Nedra Rhone The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (MCT) CRESSKILL, N.J. ��� Rudy Platzer got little thanks for serving in Vietnam and for the lingering wounds he has endured since. ���Everybody back then kinda hated us,��� he said, recalling his return from war. ���We were ���baby killers.��� I remember when we landed in California from Vietnam and when we got off the plane, there were protesters there. Nobody appreciated what we did. We felt alone.��� Then, 12 years ago, Glen Lockhard moved into the matching white colonial next to Platzer���s home on Roosevelt Street in Cresskill, N.J. Lockhart not only became a close friend, but he also insisted on rebuilding Platzer���s home, for free. It all started soon after Lockhart moved in and replaced the front picture window of his home with a bay window. Lockhart, a contractor by trade, offered to install it in Platzer���s home to replace a rusty metal-rimmed window. Later, he offered him a few more windows to replace others. Platzer, 64, who suffers from disabilities related to his Army service, gladly accepted. A few years later, Lockhart spotted Platzer���s wife, Amanda, hobbling down rear wooden steps in such disrepair they seemed to be detaching from the house. February is a strange month. It is the shortest month on the calendar, but it plays host to two big shopping days: Valentine���s Day and Presidents Day. ���Any time there is some sort of holiday where you are expected to make purchases, there are a lot of noteworthy promotions,��� says Lindsay Sakraida, features director at dealnews.com. Valentine���s Day: ���Some of the best deals you can get on Valentine���s Day appropriate items tend to come at the end of January,��� she says. But there are still some deals out there. Last year, Godiva didn���t offer any sort of promotion, Sakraida notes, but this year they have a 20 percent-off deal. You may also find modest coupons from budget-minded jewelry sites. Anyone seeking V-Day freebies can score them at fastfood type places, Sakraida says. At Krispy Kreme, for example, if you buy one dozen donuts on Valentine���s Day, you get a dozen Valentine���s Day cards each redeemable for one donut at a later date. Presidents Day: Look for deals on lots of winter apparel, tools, bedding, furniture and other home items. ���Department stores really get into the weekend sales with discounts of up to 80 percent off,��� Sakraida says. A lot of retailers online will offer additional coupons, so search for them to see if you can save a little extra money. Other Deals: Tax software: ���You may not feel the need to find a deal on tax software because it is such a necessity,��� Sakraida says, ���but we have already seen discounts on H&R Block and Turbo Tax. The deals are better now than they were last year. Look for prices around $20 or less.��� Winter apparel: It is still a great time to score deals on winter apparel, particularly if you need a high-quality coat. ���It has been a mild winter. Some brands that specialize in winter apparel had a hard time pushing their stock. You can save hundreds of dollars on a down coat,��� Sakraida says. Winter fashion: North Face, a brand normally excluded from sales, is being advertised in twice as many deals this winter. Ugg boots, another brand that generally does not see many sales, are also now available at a discount, Sakraida says. Electronics: ���A lot of last year���s electronics hit lows around Black Friday, but now is a good time to get deals because 2013 models were just released last month and will slowly start making their way to stores,��� Sakraida says. Look for the best discounts on audio equipment and HDTVs. ���So I built him a new deck, and when I put on an addition to my house,��� Lockhart said, ���I took out my sliding door and put it on his house.��� In 2010 came a new electric garage door opener, allowing Platzer to open the heavy wooden door with the push of a button. Lockhart���s most recent update to his neighbor���s home was a new kitchen complete with cherrywood cabinets, a new refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, and other appliances to replace ones decades old. He decided to do it because he was renovating his own kitchen, and when he pulled out his still-beautiful wooden cabinets, he realized they would fit perfectly in Platzer���s kitchen. And once Lockhart got rolling, he also decided to update the lighting, electricity, appliances, paint and floors. ���I told my buddies what I was doing, and they all wanted to help,��� said Lockhart, insisting he didn���t work alone. ���One of them gave me half the cash for the new appliances. Someone else gave me paint. Another one helped me redo the floors, someone gave me molding, and an electrician had the electrical service changed.��� The kitchen ended up with shiny tile floors, granite countertops and new appliances. ���This was a good cause,��� Lockhart said. ���Rudy is a good guy. He deserves it. He has never asked for a thing. He���s our good friend, and he served our country ��� he fought for us.��� He said Rudy also has been good to the Lockhart family. But that wasn���t the end of it. After Lockhart, a contractor for his own compa- ny, Tri State Tile & Bath, strolled into his friend���s living room, he knew he couldn���t be satisfied with leaving the kitchen pictureperfect while the living room looked shabby. He knew Platzer slept on the living room sofa, a result of post-traumatic stress, and so he transformed that room. When Platzer went off for two months to Colombia for medical treatment, Lockhart painted, created newly framed pictures, sanded hardwood floors and installed new molding. When Platzer returned, he was overwhelmed ��� ���I knew he was going to do it, but I was really surprised by how great it was,��� said Platzer, still in disbelief. ���It���s 100 percent better.��� ���My kitchen, before, was from the 1960s. ��� It is not something I could ever have done myself. It���s just too expensive.��� Some teens��� anger is more than just mood DEAR DOCTOR K: periodic outbursts of anger that they My 19-year-old didn���t have when son is always they were angry. Is this a younger. normal developBut when a mental stage, or teen gets increasshould I be coningly angrier as cerned? time goes by ��� or DEAR READmore rigid and ER: The late defensive ��� it���s a teenage years are Dr. K cause for concern. tough. Childhood by Anthony L. Angry outbursts is over. The protection offered by Komaroff, M.D. are a sign that your son is sufferhome and parents will soon end. Teens ing and could use some know that they will have help ��� if he���ll accept it. to make it on their own in And if your son���s angry the world. Becoming a outbursts ever injure anypart of the society of one else, it���s time for you teens around them is very to get him some help, fast. Here are some things important. Plus there are big challenges ahead: to consider: ��� Irritability aside, is starting college, entering the work force, living your son showing other away from home for the symptoms of depression? first time. So it���s not at all Is he having trouble uncommon for teens to be enjoying life? Is he sleepmoody, and that includes ing too little or too much? Sierra Sound NEW & USED CD���s Special Orders Avail. Car Stereo Sales - Service Installation We make house calls! 226 So. Main St., Red Bluff 527-3735 KWIK KUTS Family Hair Salon 20 % off ANY RETAIL PRODUCT with any chemical service of $50 or more Is he gaining or losing a great deal of weight? Does he have low energy or poor concentration? ��� Is there any sign that your son might be using an illegal substance? Irritability or changes in mood can be the result of substance use. ��� Is your son irritable with everyone or just with you? It is common for children of any age to be intolerant of parents��� input. As with many things, Mark Twain said it best: ���When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished by how much he���d learned in seven years.��� Is your son going through a crisis, a challenge or a developmental transition? Maybe there is Early Bird Special Served 6:30am9:00am Mon.-Fri. Ham & 2 Eggs help of someone else to understand and help reduce a teen���s anger. That other person may be another family member or friend that the young man trusts, a teacher or coach, his pediatrician, or a trained therapist or school counselor. So if your son���s anger goes beyond teenage moodiness, and you find you���re not able to get through to him, look for help. 13 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE! 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