Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/631707
Everyday,Igetatleast one letter or message from someone who needs en- courage- ment. It might be a never- changing credit-card balance that has the writer down in the dumps. Or it could be from someone who's made tremendous progress paying down their debt, but then falls off the wagon and starts down that terrible path again. One letter I got re- cently came from a young woman who believes that she simply cannot stop spending money. She feels completely powerless un- der the strain of her cir- cumstances and obsessive behavior. I cannot know your ex- act circumstances, but perhaps you can iden- tify in some way. Do you feel like this bur- den you carry is far too heavy to bear? Do you feel defeated? Hopeless? Like a complete loser be- cause while everyone else is making tremen- dous progress towards saving, investing and spending less than they earn, you're in worse shape than ever — and ashamed to admit it. Well, take heart, my friend! It's a rare person who doesn't get discour- aged from time to time. Whether it happens to us or to a friend or colleague were trying to cheer up, the answer centers around one word: perseverance. Stick with it. Never give up! Sounds so easy, I know. But living that way — res- olutely, intentionally head- ing into each day deter- mined to keep going no matter what — that re- quires a tough mind and strong commitment. Remember: As long as you are pointed in the right direction, even the ti- niest baby step brings you closer to success. Don't un- derestimate your ability to put one foot in front of the other and just keep going. I know of no better way to illustrate the value of courage, persistence and perseverance than by giv- ing you a quick overview of one man's life: Age 22 — Failed in busi- ness Age 23 — Ran for legis- lature — defeated Age 24 — Again failed in business Age 25 — Elected to leg- islature Age 26 — Sweetheart died Age 27 — Had a nervous breakdown Age 29 — Defeated for Speaker of the House Age 31 — Defeated for Elector Age 34 — Defeated for Congress Age 37 — Elected to Congress Age 39 — Defeated for Congress Age 46 — Defeated for Senate Age 47 — Defeated for Vice President Age 49 — Defeated for Senate Age 51 — Elected Presi- dent of the United States That, My Dear Reader, is the record of Abraham Lincoln. Amazing, isn't it? No matter your situa- tion today, persevere. Hold on and never, ever give up. Youcanemail Mary at mary@ everydaycheapskate.com. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE The power of persistence In preparation for the ini- tial 2016 water supply allo- cation announcement later this winter, the Bureau of Reclamation is providing an update on water sup- ply conditions for the fed- eral Central Valley Project (CVP). The water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30; the contract year for most CVP contractors runs from March 1 to Feb. 28. The CVP's reservoir car- ryover storage from WY 2015 into WY 2016 on Oct. 1, 2015 was 2.9 million acre- feet, which was 24 percent of capacity and 47 percent of the 15-year average for that date in six key CVP res- ervoirs — Shasta, New Mel- ones, Trinity, Folsom, Mil- lerton and the federal por- tion of San Luis. As of Jan. 22 Shasta was at 1.859 million acre feet, about 68 percent of the 15- year average and Trinity was at 589,000 acre feet, 40 percent of the 15-year average. Overall, the proj- ect was at 3.47 million acre feet, 49 percent of the 15- year average. "On Dec. 30, the Cali- fornia Department of Wa- ter Resources held its first manual snow survey of the year and found the water content to be 16.3 inches, or 136 percent of the Jan. 1 average," said Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo. "With this prom- ising news and El Niño storms beginning to mate- rialize, we are feeling en- couraged. However, stor- age in our reservoirs re- mains low, and we must be prudent as we develop initial operation plans and allocations for CVP water contractors." As of Jan. 19, DWR re- ported that the Northern Si- erra 8-Station Precipitation Index Water Year total was 25.4 inches, which is about 109 percent of the seasonal average to date and 51 per- cent of an average water year, which is 50 inches. The San Joaquin 5-Station Precipitation Index Water Year total was 20.6 inches, which is 116 percent of the seasonal average to date and 50 percent of an av- erage water year, which is 40.8 inches. On Jan. 15, Reclamation, DWR, the U.S. Fish & Wild- life Service, National Ma- rine Fisheries Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife submit- ted the 2016 Drought Con- tingency Plan to the State Water Resources Control Board. The Plan outlines projected water operations and potential modifications to water quality rules and water rights permits that project operators may seek, depending on developing hydrologic conditions. The Plan is available on at http://www.waterboards. ca.gov/waterrights/water_ issues/programs/drought/ tucp/docs/febnov_2016plan. pdf. As required by the ex- change and settlement contracts, an initial decla- ration of whether 2016 is a Shasta Critical year will be announced on or before Feb. 15. Water supply up- dates will be made monthly or as appropriate and will be posted on Reclamation's website at http://www.usbr. gov/mp/cvp-water. Reclamation balances the operation of the CVP and delivery of CVP water for agricultural, municipal and industrial and envi- ronmental purposes based on factors that include hy- drology, changing river and Delta conditions, storage in CVP reservoirs, regulatory requirements, court deci- sions, biological opinions, environmental consider- ations, operational limita- tions and input from other agencies and organizations. For further information, visit http://www.usbr.gov/ mp/cvp-water/ or call the Public Affairs Office at 916- 978-5100 (TTY 800-877- 8339) or mppublicaffairs@ usbr.gov. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION Central Valley Project water supply outlined COURTESYPHOTO TheCorningExchangeClubhadathank-youvisitfromtheCorningHighSchoolFFAchapter.Membersand advisor Robert Stafford shared about their resent trip to the FFA National Convention in Kentucky. Sixteen members from Corning attended the convention. Shown here are Angie O'Connor, chaperone; Stafford; Travis Reid, Amber O'Connor and Courtney Reidt. CORNING EXCHANGE CLUB GETS A VISIT Mary Hunt REDDING Early registra- tion is open for Simpson University's inaugural Red Hawk Ride, a fun, family- oriented bicycle ride sched- uled from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9. Designed for riders of all ages and skill levels, the Red Hawk Ride includes routes of 6, 18, 38 and 64 miles that start and finish on campus at 2211 College View Drive. Breakfast and lunch are available for pur- chase and the event will feature vendors and live music. The Red Hawk Ride seeks to raise scholarship money for deserving stu- dents who need financial help to complete their ed- ucation. Sixty percent of Simpson University's un- dergraduates are either first-generation college stu- dents and/or economically underprivileged. Ride entry fees range from $10 to $65 for early bird registration, which ends Feb. 29. Children younger than 10 are free. Starting March 1, entry costs are $20 to $75. Riders are encouraged to sign up friends, fam- ily and co-workers as sponsors. Prizes will be awarded to the top fun- draisers; proceeds go to the Student Scholarship Fund. Learn more and regis- ter online today at simp- sonu.edu/redhawkride. Opportunities are avail- able for business sponsor- ships and purchase of Red Hawk Ride gear. SIMPSON University to hold inaugural Red Hawk Ride By David Sayen You've probably read a restaurant guide or re- view before going out for a special dinner. And you've probably scanned a con- sumer review or two before buying a new or used car. Wouldn't it be great if there was a place where you could get information on the quality of hospitals in your area? Well, there is. It's called Hospital Compare and you can find it on the Medicare website, at www.medicare. gov. Hospital Compare con- tains a wealth of informa- tion on how well hospitals perform certain surgeries and treat certain medical conditions. The data var- ies from hospital to hos- pital. Because the reality is that some hospitals do a better job of caring for pa- tients with certain condi- tions than others. The idea behind Hospi- tal Compare is that making quality-of-care informa- tion easily available to the public will motivate hospi- tals to improve their care. Medicare has similar "com- pare" websites for nursing homes, home health agen- cies, and dialysis facilities, too. You can search Hospital Compare by zip code, city, or state. The data you'll find are intended to provide a "snapshot" of the quality of care at about 4,000 hospi- tals throughout the United States. You don't have to be a Medicare beneficiary to use Hospital Compare — it's open to everyone and it's free of charge. If you're having a med- ical emergency, go to the nearest hospital. Get care as fast as you can. But if you're planning to have surgery, or if you have a condition like heart disease and you know you'll need hospital care in the future, talk to your doctor about the local hospital that best meets your needs. Find out which hospi- tals your doctor works with, and which hospitals he or she thinks give the best care for your condi- tion. If you're a Medicare beneficiary, ask if the hos- pitals participate in Medi- care. At that point, you may want to spend some time on Hospital Compare. Hospital Compare shows the rates at which hospitals provide recommended care for patients being treated for heart attack, heart fail- ure, pneumonia, and chil- dren's asthma, and for pa- tients having surgery. It also displays informa- tion on hospital outcome measures. These include the rate at which Medicare patients who were treated for heart attack, heart fail- ure, and pneumonia had to be readmitted to the hospi- tal with complications, and 30-day risk-adjusted death rates. (The 30-day period is used because this is the time period when deaths are most likely to be re- lated to the care patients received in the hospital.) In addition, you can see results from patient sat- isfaction surveys, such as how well patients thought the hospital controlled their pain and how well doctors and nurses com- municated with them. Hospital Compare is no substitute for talking with your doctor and fam- ily members and friends who've been treated at a hospital you're consider- ing. But the website can give you a general idea of how well various hospitals handle certain kinds of pa- tients. How can you find infor- mation about Medicare coverage of hospital ser- vices? Original Medicare helps cover certain medical ser- vices and supplies in hos- pitals. If you have both Medicare Part A (Hospi- tal Insurance) and Medi- care Part B (Medical Insur- ance), you can get the full range of Medicare-covered services in a hospital. For more information about Medicare-covered hospital services, look at your "Medicare & You" handbook that's delivered in the fall each year to all people with Medicare. View it online by visiting http://go.usa.gov/iDJ. You can also call 1-800-MEDI- CARE (1-800-633-4227) with your questions. TTY users should call 1-877- 486-2048. MEDICARE Choosing a hospital that's best for you Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate Shop Equipped With 4SmogMachines For Fast Service No appointment Needed Round Up Saloon Round Up Saloon 610WashingtonSt. (530) 527-9901 Come join us for BBQ & Football on Sunday's LIVE MUSIC CALL FOR DATES STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! GreenMountainGrills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, January 26, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B2