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Come and experience the beauty of the Sacra- mento National Wildlife Refuge and wintering wa- terfowl,asitwillbeoffering a number of free programs this winter. These programs include birdingtramtours,evening fly-offs and owl prowls. Need something to do with the kids over the hol- idays? Many free activities are available during school break for families and kids fromDec.19throughJan.3. Each fall, hundreds of thousands of waterfowl mi- grate south from places as far as Alaska and Russia. Some stop at the refuge to refuel before they continue their journey south, others spend their entire winter at the Sacramento NWR. These free programs offer unique opportunities for viewingandlearningabout wildlife. Tram tours provide guided bird viewing and identification along the 6-mile auto tour and is great for beginning bird- ers and nature enthusi- asts. Come to one of the fly- off programs and witness hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese fly off of the refuge after sunset. Venture out on our acces- sible walking trail with a naturalist to experience nocturnal owls during the owl prowl. Come to the Sacramento NWR visitor center for a number of educational op- portunities for children on break from school. View examples of ducks, geese, beaks and feet up close to assist with sketching wa- terfowl for the Junior Duck Stamp Program. Become a Junior Refuge Ranger through an activity book- let that educates and em- powers youth to be envi- ronmental stewards. All programs are free. Admission to the Sacra- mento NWR is $6 per car. An annual pass is $12 and a Federal Duck Stamp is $25. The America the Beau- tiful Interagency Pass, Se- nior Pass, Access Pass, Ac- tive Military Pass and Ev- ery Kid in a Park Pass are accepted. The visitor center is par- allel to the Interstate 5 just 6 miles south of Wil- lows, open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of Febru- ary and closed on federal holidays. For more information, or to place a reservation for one of the programs, call the Sacramento NWR at 934-2801 or write to sacra- mentovalleyrefuges@fws. gov. Visit the refuge's web- site at www.fws.gov/ref- uge/Sacramento or follow the refuge's Facebook page to stay up to date. For more information on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit http://www. fws.gov/cno. WATERFOWL En d of y ea r ac ti vi ti es planned at wildlife refuge Gleaners will distribute food as follows in Decem- ber: Corning, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Dec. 21, Corn- ing Senior Center, 1015 Fourth Ave. Red Bluff, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Dec. 21, Food Bank, 20699 Wal- nut St. Rancho Tehama, noon to 2 p.m., Monday, Dec. 19, Recreation Center. Los Molinos, 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Dec. 20, Masonic Hall, 25020 Te- hama Vina Road. Paynes Creek, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at 30100 State Route 36E. Ponderosa Sky Ranch, 2-6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at 18889 Juniper Ave. Manton, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at 31555 Forward Road. Paskenta Community Center, Thursday, Dec. 15. Applications for food bank cards may be on the day of giveaway. Bring large paper or plastic bags if possible. New applicants please bring Rent Receipt, PG&E bill or something with a physical address. All income must be re- ported. Income is gross monthly per household not net. Only one card will be issued per household. GLEANERS Food distribution schedule I call him Hoover, and he's worked hard for me since the day I hauled his long lanky self into the house back in 2008. My dear Hoover Steam- Vac still holds the re- cord for the best thing I ever bought. Not only did Hoover res- cue me from the endless loop of worthless commer- cial carpet cleaning com- panies but he's also saved me thousands of dollars over eight years. I paid $147 for Hoover, which is still cheaper than one visit from a carpet cleaning company. While I prefer hard floors in some parts of my home, I am not ready to give up on carpet. I love how it looks, how it feels under my feet and how it warms up a room. But I hate dirty carpet. I cannot abide a spot. The thought of what lurks between the fibers of poorly main- tained carpet still gives me the heebie-geebies. And so, today, I want to give you an update on my dear old Hoover. But first a quick review of how Hoover and I partner up to keep my carpet clean and pristine. I do not use any soap or cleaning liquid in the ma- chine. Not at all. Nada. I'm no fool. I know that I will never be able to get that soap out, no matter how hard I rinse. Instead, I use a good liquid spot remover called Spot Shot Profes- sional. I'm sure there are others, but I love this one. It is more powerful than any I have tired. I try to always take care of spots as quickly as I can after they happen. That is so important. And I vac- uum often with the best inexpensive vacuum on God's green Earth: Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pro. It's also important. Then every few weeks or months I pull out my buddy, Hoover. First, I treat any spots, marks, paths and other dirty areas with Spot Shot Professional. Then I fill up Hoover. The instructions say to fill the top canis- ter with hot water. I go one step further. I heat it on the stove and carefully pour in it boiling water. Do not worry. This is OK. Most home cleaners do not use the power of boiling water, but I do. I wouldn't recommend this with any home carpet machine, but Hoover is mighty and can take the heat. With no soap or sham- poo at all, only the power of the spot remover, I go to work. I pull that trigger liberally, too, to release a lot of hot water. And I fol- low the instructions to re- lease the trigger on each return path so Hoover can suck up all the water. It is truly amazing how that hot water pulls out ev- eryday dirt and dust. I go over an area many times (it's kinda fun, actually) until no more water comes up (you can see this in the clear canister that holds the dirty water). Now here's the bonus: Because the water is so hot and gets sucked back up so quickly, the carpet dries in no time. I know — you are suspicious. But it is so true. Hoover has such a powerful extractor, I think I get up almost all of the water I lay down. And the best part? No sticky residue. I never clean all the carpet at one time. I do a bit now and then, until I have made my way through all the rooms and halls. Then I start over. It's just maintenance — easy, enjoyable and very rewarding. And cheap. I never buy soap or cleaning solution for Hoover. Ever. Poor guy. He starves on water only. My big payoff: the feel, look and smell of a beauti- fully clean carpet. As I write, a new Hoover SteamVac Carpet Cleaner is available for just $105. As great of a deal as that is, I won't be replac- ing my dear Hoover. While he is showing his age, he works as well as the day he arrived. I have never had to take him in for repairs, and he's got a lot of miles on him. He's been hauled back and forth from home to office; he made the big move to Colorado. He's never made as much as a murmur in all these years. What a champ. Here's the most important thing to know about Hoover: Un- told gallons of boiling wa- ter have not damaged his inner workings in the least. Only last weekend he cleaned all of the car- pet at Debt-Proof Living Central, and it looks awe- some. For more info on the products mentioned above, check out www.everyday- cheapskate.com/work- horse. Happy birthday, Hoover. 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 Happy birthday to my workhorse, Hoover Mercy High School re- cently held its fall dessert banquet in celebration of the seasons of girls tennis, foot- ball, swim, cheer and volley- ball. Coaches spoke about their seasons, recognized team members and hon- ored most valuable players, most improved players and All League selections. Teams honored coaches, team coordinators and driv- ers with tokens of thanks. Several of the teams and in- dividual players reached ei- ther playoffs, finals or mas- ters — a great accomplish- ment for a small school. Athleteshonoredincluded Carlos Rosales, Kavin Mc- Clellan, Noe Rodriguez and Dartagnan Kingwell, All League Football; Tazman McClellan and Alvaro DeLa- Fuente, All League Honor- able Mention Football; Lar- issa Heredia, MIP JV Volley- ball; Trinity Kingwell, MVP JV Volleyball; Mikaela We- ber, MVP Cheer and Swim; Sophia Rubright, MVP Var- sity Volleyball; Abigail Zang, MIP Varsity Volleyball; Joy Kang, MIP Cheer; Mary DiMaggio, MVP Girls Ten- nis; Kay Qi, MIP Girls Ten- nis; Marcus Kuchle, MVP Swim; Spencer Flynn, MIP Swim; Jaime Kuchle, MIP JV Volleyball; and Lina Gan- non, MIP Swim. MERCY HIGH Fa ll a th le te s ho nor ed at a wa rd s ba nq ue t CONTRIBUTED Mary Hunt Commemorate 100 Years of Lassen Volcanic National Park Availableat www.lassenassociation.org or at the Book Barn in Red Bluff You can also call: 530-378-1495 by purchasing Lassen Through the Lens and A Pictorial History by B.F. Loomis. (530) 527-2151 728MAINST.,REDBLUFF TheDailyNewsofficewillbeclosed Friday, Dec. 16 from 12-2 pm for our annual Christmas party. Thankyou Daily News staff DAILY NEWS Please leave a message and we will return your call. wwwnortherncountiesroofingsystems.com FreeEstimates 530-356-0686 Owner on site Lic# 955662 • Residential • Commercial • New Construction 604MainSt.,RedBluff 530-529-5154 NoJobToBigorTooSmall Now Offering Catering For Your Special Event Weinviteyoutocheckoutourwebsite for our complete menu & photos www.redblufflosmariachis.com BanquetRoomAvailablefor -Corporate Events - Reunions - Private Events - Parties - Rehearsal Dinners - Catering 741 Main Street, Suite #2 Red Bluff, CA 96080 1-800-287-2187 (530) 527-2187 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.redbluffcoldwellbanker.com See All Tehama County Listings at If you are Considering Selling Your Home, Now is the Time! PropertyisSelling and Listings are in Short Supply! CallTehamaCountiesLargest Real Estate Office and let our Knowledgeable and Professional Realtors assist you Today! 25yearsprofessional experience. QualityWork Very Reasonable Rates Red Bluff Transmission • Automatic • Manual • Computer Diagnosis • Clutches • Transfer Cases • CV Axles CALL TODAY! 529-4493 440 Antelope Blvd. #6 Bob's Youcantmissus... Weonly moved 50 feet!! 2498 S. Main St. Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 528-8656 END OF THE YEAR SPECIAL End of the year membership special $150 Single Membership $225 Couple Membership *No enrollment fees Membership to be paid in full upon sign-up LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, December 14, 2016 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B3