Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/438503
Itseemslike I've unpacked and hung this decor, these lights and holiday baubles a thousand times. I'm glad the peo- ple in my fam- ily don't enjoy the process because I love taking this an- nual trip through years of memories alone. Besides, I know how everything should be. It must be the same as last year and the year before and the year before that. Any other way just wouldn't be right. If I tried to pull a fast one, I'd hear about it. There is not one thing in all of these boxes that doesn't symbolize an event, a season of life or a small boy's best work. As each ornament finds its place on the tree, I re- live the years of past holi- day seasons. There's some- thing about chubby faces framed by Mason jar lids and macaroni angels that bring tears to wash my soul. I am immersed in the wonder that I've been given another year to know my boys and hus- band. I recall the seasons through which we've trav- eled. Clearly now, I see how things did work to- gether. Those situations we questioned did hap- pen for a reason, trials did bring triumphs and lit- tle boys did become good men. I force myself to pause momentarily and remem- ber the failures and mis- takes. They have a way of keeping everything in per- spective. The house properly dressed is the signal for our Christmas traditions to commence. Our tradi- tions keep us anchored in what stays the same no matter what. And ev- eryone counts on that. Sweets, treats and de- licious delicacies magi- cally appear. Eggnog and hot chocolate flow freely. Games and puzzles, parties, relatives' visits. We've always done it this way. These are the tradi- tions that bring se- curity and warmth to our hectic and fragmented lives. Our holiday tra- ditions have car- ried us through difficult times. When there was lit- tle money to buy gifts, our unchanging traditions di- verted our attention from what we didn't have to what we did. I've never dreaded the close of our holidays or considered repacking these tangible memories a depressing chore. That's a part of the tradition, too. As I put everything away, I think about how quickly time passes and how soon I'll be unpack- ing again. I daydream about what might happen in the coming 12 months. I wonder what possible challenges or dramatic changes we'll face in the coming year. Our lives could be altered drasti- cally by the time I open these boxes again. Taking time to reflect on the past and looking toward the future keeps me grounded in reality. It strengthens my faith to step boldly into a new year with all of its promise and uncertainty, too. And so with the fra- grance of the season still lingering and the promise of the year to come beck- oning, I cram the last box into its spot, slide the door closed and hope nothing melts during the summer. Then I haul out the vac- uum and replace the fur- niture exactly as it was be- fore. After all, it's a tradition. 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. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Traditions,like anchors in our lives DAVIS Despite recent wet weather, many Californians are still suffering from the effects of the state's drought— some even have wells that are going dry. USDA Rural Develop- ment recently provided Ru- ral Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) with a $254,000 grant to help low-income homeowners repair or replace their do- mestic wells. "This drought has been devastating to folks all across the state," said USDA Rural Development Califor- nia State Director Glenda Humiston. "These funds are just one step USDA is taking to help ensure those living in our rural communities have the resources they need to ac- cess to clean, safe drinking water." RCAC will use the grant to provide low-interest loans to homeowners living in rural areas with popula- tions up to 50,000 and earn- ing $62,883 or less. Fund- ing from USDA Rural Devel- opment was made available through the Household Wa- ter Well System Grant pro- gram. "The drought has had a huge impact on folks with private wells," said Stanley Keasling, RCAC's chief ex- ecutive officer. "We are very pleased to work with USDA to finance the replacement of failed wells and help mitigate the drought's im- pact." Interested applicants should write to Cyndy El- liott with RCAC at celliott@ rcac.org or call (209) 576- 0430. USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, offers programs designed to improve the economic sta- bility of rural communi- ties, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. DROUGHT Grant to help low-income homeowners with wells Mary Hunt Thank you! PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights. You should be aware of these rights when you interact with the Internal Revenue Service. The "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" takes the many existing rights in the tax code and groups them into 10 broad categories. That makes them easier to find and to understand. You can find a list of your rights and the IRS's obligations to protect them in Publication 1, "Your Rights as a Taxpayer" on IRS.gov, It includes the following: 1. The right to be in- formed. Taxpayers have the right to know what they need to do to comply with the tax laws. They are entitled to clear explanations of the laws and IRS procedures in all tax forms, instruc- tions, publications, no- tices and correspondence. They have the right to be informed of IRS decisions about their tax accounts and to receive clear expla- nations of the outcomes. 2. The right to quality service. Taxpayers have the right to receive prompt, courte- ous, and professional as- sistance in their dealings with the IRS, to be spo- ken to in a way they can easily understand, to re- ceive clear and easily un- derstandable communica- tions from the IRS and to speak to a supervisor about inadequate service. 3. The right to pay no more than the correct amount of tax. Taxpayers have the right to pay only the amount of tax legally due, includ- ing interest and penalties, and to have the IRS apply all tax payments properly. 4. The right to challenge the IRS's position and be heard. Taxpayers have the right to raise objections and pro- vide additional documen- tation in response to for- mal IRS actions or pro- posed actions, to expect that the IRS will consider their timely objections and documentation promptly and fairly, and to receive a response if the IRS does not agree with their posi- tion. 5. The right to appeal an IRS decision in an in- dependent forum. Taxpayers are entitled to a fair and impartial administrative appeal of most IRS decisions, in- cluding many penalties, and have the right to re- ceive a written response regarding the Office of Appeals' decision. Tax- payers generally have the right to take their cases to court. 6. The right to finality. Taxpayers have the right to know the max- imum amount of time they have to challenge the IRS's position as well as the maximum amount of time the IRS has to audit a particular tax year or collect a tax debt. Taxpay- ers have the right to know when the IRS has finished an audit. 7. The right to privacy. Taxpayers have the right to expect that any IRS in- quiry, examination, or en- forcement action will com- ply with the law and be no more intrusive than nec- essary, and will respect all due process rights, includ- ing search and seizure pro- tections, and will provide, where applicable, a collec- tion due process hearing. 8. The right to confiden- tiality. Taxpayers have the right to expect that any infor- mation they provide to the IRS will not be disclosed unless authorized by the taxpayer or by law. Tax- payers have the right to expect appropriate action will be taken against em- ployees, return preparers, and others who wrongfully use or disclose taxpayer re- turn information. 9. The right to retain representation. Taxpayers have the right to retain an autho- rized representative of their choice to represent them in their dealings with the IRS. Taxpayers have the right to seek as- sistance from a Low In- come Taxpayer Clinic if they cannot afford repre- sentation. 10. The right to a fair and just tax system. Taxpayers have the right to expect the tax system to consider facts and cir- cumstances that might af- fect their underlying liabil- ities, ability to pay, or abil- ity to provide information timely. Taxpayers have the right to receive assistance from the Taxpayer Advo- cate Service if they are ex- periencing financial dif- ficulty or if the IRS has not resolved their tax is- sues properly and timely through its normal chan- nels. The IRS is trying to increase the number of Americans who know and understand their rights un- der the tax law. To expand awareness, the IRS is mak- ing Publication 1 available in multiple languages on IRS.gov. TAX TIP Know your Taxpayer Bill of Rights Billy Ottman received this letter in 1946 mailed from Santa Claus to Proberta. In the letter Santa tells Billy he had received a picture of the type of fire truck Billy wanted and would do his best to get him one for Christ- mas. Ottman said he did receive the truck. CHRISTMAS MEMORIES SANTA LETTER SAVED The Associated Press COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. Volunteers at the North American Aerospace De- fense Command are get- ting ready to monitor Santa Claus as he makes his storybook Christmas Eve flight. Technology and so- cial media have become an important part of the U.S. and Canadian military tradition, and NORAD Tracks Santa has already attracted a record 1.5 million Face- book "likes." The volun- teers will spend today an- swering phone calls and emails from children won- dering when Santa Claus is comin' to town. The help- ers also post updates on the fabled journey to Face- book, Twitter and www. NORADSanta.org. The 59-year-old program now has a control cen- ter at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, and it generates enough statistics, anecdotes and stories to fill a sleigh. It started when a Decem- ber 1955 newspaper ad in- vited kids to call Santa, but the phone number it listed was for the Continental Aerospace Defense Com- mand, the predecessor to the North American Aero- space Defense Command. CHRISTMAS NORAD tracks when Santa Claus is comin' to town 13540 Trinity Ave, Red Bluff (530) 527-8262 www.garysautobodyandtowing.com Gary's Autobody & 24 Hour Towing 1795 Walnut Street • Red Bluff (530) 527-2046 www.brentwoodsnf.com BRENTWOOD Skilled Care Rehabilitation Services employee of the month Brittani is the friendly greeting that answers our phones. Brittani's positive attitude makes family members secure in the care we give and we appreciate the difference she makes at our facility. "Brentwood Skilled Nursing is proud to recognize Brittani Clifton as an outstanding employee. 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 LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, December 24, 2014 MOREATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5