Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/428378
COURTESYPHOTO Red Bluff Garden Club is hosting the annual holiday green sale 9a.m. to 6p.m. Friday and Saturday in Suite #10of the Frontier Village shopping center across from Tehama District Fairground. The club donates all proceeds to Tehama County high school scholarship funds. Hand cra ed wreaths, swags, center pieces, and many holiday gi items including homemade cookies, candies and jellies are available. For more information, call 527-2226. GARDENCLUB Kitchel Family Organ- ics will host its 5th annual Local & Fair Trade Holiday Fair 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Satur- day, Dec. 6 at 25255 3rd Ave. in Los Molinos. Vendors from Redding to Paradise will be showcasing their home grown or home crafted goods and Sierra Nevada Cheese Company of Willows will have arti- san, raw-milk cheese sam- ples available. This free event will be held rain or shine in the Kitchels' home, barn, ga- rage and, weather permit- ting, outdoors. Fair booths include fruit, heirloom walnuts, pecans, pesto, spices and baked goods, as well as local man- darins, dried persimmons and other produce, home- made, specialty chocolates, stained glass jewelry and art pieces, watercolor art cards, quilts, blankets and other crafts, quality recy- cled, resale products, multi- media crafts, jewelry, acces- sories, ornaments, window hangings, sun catchers and home crafted clothing, col- loidal silver and therapeu- tic chair massages. The Friends of the Los Molinos Library will be pro- moting the library's unique treasures. Homemade, organic re- freshments will be available for a nominal cost. All are asked to bring nutritious food, raincoats, warm winter clothing, blan- kets or personal care items for the homeless in Red Bluff. They will be delivered immediately after the fair. Vendor spaces are still available for a $15 booth fee. For more information, call Lana or John Kitchel at 384-1966. TO DO Organic farm to host holiday fair Celebrity chef Alton Brown contends that a kitchen tool that does only one job is mostly useless. He calls things like a garlic press, strawberry stem remover or hot dog steamer a "uni- tasker." His advice? Don't waste your time and money on any kitchen tool if it is only good for one thing. It sounds a bit like Al- ton spent time with my grandma, who was big on buying a sack of flour to bake bread, and then sew- ing the sack into a dress, and when the dress wore out she would cut it into rags for a rug, or scraps for a quilt. My Grandma Schwartz, an elegant woman of means, would save bread wrappers and crochet them into kitchen rugs. When one of Grandpa's shirts be- gan to show wear, she would meticulously take the collar and cuff off, turn them and then re- sew them in place. Vi- ola! The worn side would now be on the in- side, where it didn't show, of- fering that shirt a whole a new lease on life. Oh, wouldn't Alton be proud? Garlic press. It does just one thing, and not so well, according to more than a few profes- sional chefs. Alto suggests you do not need one. Well, actually he said, "There is absolutely no reason for a garlic press to ex- ist. It is utterly completely magnificently useless." Mincing the garlic with a sharp knife is quick and easy, and you won't lose all of the oils and gar- licky goodness that gets left behind in a press. Be- sides, who wants to spend the time cleaning one of those things? Strawberry huller. Easy to use, for sure, and kinda cute, too. But this tool does only one thing: re- move the hull of a straw- berry. Alton sees no rea- son anyone should waste the money on this gizmo. I have to agree since I've learned to do the exact same thing but so much better — with a plas- tic drinking straw. Just hold the strawberry in one hand, push the plas- tic drinking straw up through the bottom of the strawberry, and the entire hull and stem will pop right through the top. Electric knife sharp- ener. Alton contends if he had any knives that he hated, he might use one of these electric things. Instead, he keeps every blade in his home and ga- rage precision-razor sharp with a whetstone sharp- ener. Dehydrator. Just one word from our pro: Use- less. There are myriad ways to dry herbs, fruits and jerky. Alton uses a box fan, bungie cords and cellulose furnace filers form the hardware store. Me? I find my oven set to the lowest possible heat setting (150 F) with the door slightly ajar to allow for air circulation, does an amazing job. Margarita maker. Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? And it's a good- looking piece of kitchen machinery. But it also takes up a lot of space. Truth be told, a margarita machine is pretty much just a blender with stick- ers on it. As for Alton's take on the situation, "I suspect people who would buy a margarita machine have already been drink- ing heavily." Nicely put, sir. Stainless-steel avocado pit remover. It's classy- looking, but so is an Andy Warhol print. Doesn't mean you need either one in your kitchen. And here again, that pit remover has only one function. If you are really worried about how on earth you will ever get that pit out of the avocado, a spoon and knife (both of which do have many other uses in the kitchen) will do a great job. For links to the prod- ucts mentioned in this post please visit www.ev- erydaycheapskate.com/ unitasker. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE A unitasker by any other name is still a waste of time Better Business Bureau Beware of scammers go- ing door-to-door and of- fering seasonal services, such as leaf raking, chim- ney sweeping or window installation. These con artists may just take your money without ever deliv- ering the service. Howthescamworks: You answer the door, and it's a "handyman." He says that he's been hired by the neighbors to clean the chimney, install storm windows, rake the leaves or perform another sea- sonal service. He claims that he can give you a discount price because he is already working in the neighbor- hood. You need the work done, so you take him up on the offer. He asks for a par- tial payment upfront, and he will return the next day after he finishes the neighbor's job. However, he takes the money and is never seen again. In another version of the scam, the contrac- tor will arrive and per- form the service. But in doing so, he finds a "ma- jor problem" that needs to be fixed immediately. And of course, he's perfectly suited to perform the ex- pensive repair. Protecting yourself: Contractor scams ap- pear when homeown- ers have the most work to do: after major storms and during the change of seasons. Follow these tips when hiring someone to work on your home. Work with local busi- nesses: Make sure the contractor has appropri- ate identification that tells you it's a legitimate com- pany versus a fly-by-night operator. Things like permanent lettering on trucks, uni- forms, printed invoice and estimate sheets, business cards, physical addresses, land line phones, etc. are all signs of an established business. Check references: Get references from several past customers. Get both older references (at least a year old) so you can check on the quality of the work and newer references so you can make sure cur- rent employees are up to the task. Check BBB.org: BBB Business Reviews are more than just a grade. You can also read past complaints from customers, find out about licensing and gov- ernment actions, and more. Make sure it's legal: Confirm that any business being considered for hire is licensed and registered to do work in your area. Also, if in doubt, request proof of a current insurance certifi- cate from a contractor's in- surance company. Get it in writing: And always be sure to get a written contract with the price, materials and time- line. The more detail, the better. Watch for red flags: Say no to cash-only deals, high- pressure sales tactics, and on-site inspections. Don't allow someone in your home or on your roof un- til you have had a chance to thoroughly check them out. SCAM ALERT Wa tc h ou t fo r co nt ra ct or s cam s Mary Hunt The Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. The story of a clownfish who is encouraged by an energetic but absent-minded friend to "just keep swimming" in the search for his son is be- ing told in Navajo. The Navajo Nation an- nounced this week that it is teaming up with Walt Disney Studios to dub the movie "Finding Nemo" in the tribe's language. It's the second major motion pic- ture to be translated into Navajo after "Star Wars" in 2013. Museum director Manu- elito Wheeler said he's hope- ful the film's tale of perse- verance resonates with Na- vajos wanting to learn their language. "The whole story is about human persever- ance," he said. The Navajo language cur- rently is in no danger of ex- tinction. TRIBE 'Finding Nemo' to be told in Navajo language Gaumer's Since 1967 This Christmas Show her how much she means to you Mon.-Fri, 9am-5pm, *Saturday hours in December • Follow us on Facebook www.gaumers.com 78 Belle Mill Road, Red Bluff, CA • (530) 527-6166 ❉Jewelry ❉ Museum ❉ Lapidary Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 12/31/14 With coupon Reg. $13.95 365S.MAINST,REDBLUFF 527-2720 • www.lariatbowl.com Lariat Bowl & Miniature Golf Joinus for FUN 2 Bud's BBQ 22825AntelopeBlvd.RedBluff M-F11am-6pm Sat. 11am-3pm Closed Sunday (530) 528-0799 BBQ PORK ★ BEEF ★ CHICKEN We'vebeenherefor 11 years. Where have you been?? GoldExchange The 3 rd Annual Christmas for A Cause Nov. 15 th -Dec. 13 th 423WalnutSt.,RedBluff 528-8000 www.ChristmasForACause TehamaCounty.com *ForDetailsand *Wish list* BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION Visit 39 th Annual Fri.,Dec.5 th , 2014 9AM to 8PM Sat., Dec. 6 th , 2014 10AM to 3PM 25076SycamoreAvenue, behind La Corona, Los Molinos TEAANDBOUTIQUE LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, December 5, 2014 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5