Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/799197
TheNatureConservancy and the California Native Plant Society's Mt. Lassen chapter are offering two guided walks at the Vina Plains Preserve this spring — 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, March 19 and 1-3 p.m. Sat- urday, April 29. View the many bloom- ing wildflowers and rare, threatened or endangered crustaceans who occupy vernal pools. Participants should be prepared to walk one mile over terrain that is uneven and may be muddy. Bring supportive footwear, water, asnack,hat,jacketandcam- era; pets are not allowed. These events are free and open to all. Space is limited. To reserve your space or for more information, write to Scott Hardage at shard- age@tnc.org or call 727- 5751. NATURECONSERVANCY CONTRIBUTED Vina Plains Preserve Gu id ed w al ks s ch ed ul ed a t Vi na P la ins P re se rv e Four weeks before Christmas, Mitch and Jenn had a string of bad luck. Mitch broke his leg in a ski- ing accident. Jenn's car broke down, requiring major re- pairs. And the aged roof of their home decided to fail right in the midst of a major storm. The financial and emo- tional toll these events took on them was huge but nothing like it might have been if they hadn't been diligently building a contingency fund, more commonly known as an emergency fund. Mitch's health insur- ance is covering most of the costs of his surgery and follow-up therapy. Still, they had to come up with more than $2,400 to cover his deductible, co- pays and prescriptions. The car repairs were just shy of $2,700. It was the roof that re- ally threw them for a loop. The estimate to repair it — with no assurance that said repairs would last for longer than a few months — was $750. A new roof es- timate came in at $12,000. Suddenly, their healthy $18,000 contingency fund didn't look quite as mas- sive. Mitch and Jenn are crash saving so that when they replace the roof this summer, the cost will not deplete their fund. And they're committed to con- tinue saving like that to restore it back to $18,000 by year's end. I know what many readers are thinking: Sure, Mitch and Jenn are wealthy, so of course they have money to save. They're lucky because they have two incomes, and we have only one. Must be nice, but what about those of us who are unemployed, unhealthy, deeply in debt or (insert ex- cuse of choice here)? As long as you see build- ing your contingency fund as optional, there will al- ways be something more pressing that takes priority. Need specific reasons to grow your CF? Here they are. Learn them well, and then believe with all your heart that something on this list is coming your way. Chronic illness. When you or someone in your family is really sick or in- volved in an accident or contracts a horrible dis- ease, you need to be pre- pared. Insurance only goes so far these days. The dreaded pink slip. Getting a pink slip is never fun, and when it comes out of the blue with no notice, it will be shock- ing. You need a way to pay your bills until you get an- other job. A distant job. Your next job may be four states away. Moving will not be cheap. Serious breakdown. If you think car maintenance is expensive, wait until you see the cost of repairs. Disaster. A broken fur- nace, leaking roof, natu- ral disaster — who knows what form this type of emergency will take? Final call. Who wants to plan ahead for mourning? Not me. But knowing I have money stashed in my CF for when bereavement requires travel means that I don't have to think about it now. I'm prepared. I understand these are tough times and it's chal- lenging to find money to save. But do you really have any options? If your current lifestyle is suck- ing up every last dollar of your income, thereby put- ting you and your family at risk, it's time to make changes. Start small. While you need a big, healthy con- tingency fund (equal to at least six months' living ex- penses), do not focus on that big number. Start by saving $500. Then reset your goal to $1,000. Now you're on your way. You're catching the savings bug. Soon you will reach $2,500. Then $5,000 will be in view. That's the way to do it. But you'll never reach your goal until you get that first $500 out of reach and safely tucked away in a savings account. 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 Whyyouneedanemergency fund and how to get one The California Depart- ment of Pesticide Regula- tion and Tehama County Department of Agricul- ture are urging the pub- lic to avoid and report an illegal and potentially harmful pesticide product recently sold at homes, via the Internet and else- where. The unregistered prod- uct goes by the name "El Mejor Remedio" ("The Best Remedy") or "El Mejor Polvo" ("The Best Dust") and claims to kill cockroaches. However, the product can make you sick. The product contains a pesticide ingredient called acephate that, when used incorrectly, can cause nausea, dizzi- ness, confusion, breath- ing difficulties and, at high levels, convulsions and coma. Acephate is a pesticide that is not al- lowed to be used indoors. In California, it's il- legal to repackage, sell or distribute a pesti- cide without a license and without first regis- tering the product with DPR. Registered prod- ucts are tested for safety and come with approved labels and safety restric- tions on use. A legal pes- ticide product will have an EPA Registration Number on the package. The unregistered cock- roach product was being sold on the Internet and door-to-door, and was advertised in at least one Spanish-language maga- zine, according to Santa Clara County authorities. The product also turned up in flea markets. In January, the Santa Clara County District At- torney's Office charged a man in connection with sales of the product. Any- one with information that may help investiga- tors locate possible vic- tims who purchased the powder is urged to call the Santa Clara District Attorney's Office Envi- ronmental Protection Unit at 408-792-2794. If you are unsure whether a pesticide prod- uct is registered, call the Tehama County Depart- ment of Agriculture soon as possible at 527-4504. If you suspect that you have pesticide poison- ing or you have a medi- cal emergency dial 9-1-1. HEALTH RISK Warning issued about illegal cockroach powder Caltrans District 2 an- nounced Tuesday that State Route 299 is offer- ing all motorists trav- eling SR299 near Big French Creek, single- time openings on the hour, overnight with one-hour delays and all day on Sundays, as the work on the emer- gency slide progresses. The new schedule is ef- fective immediately, as follows. Monday to Saturday: Single-time openings on the hour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Motor- ists must be in line on the hour in order to pass through the construction area, one-way traffic con- trol with minimum de- lays. Overnight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with one hour delays, one-way traf- fic control. Sunday: Open all day from Sunday at 6 a.m. throughout the day and overnight to Monday at 6 a.m., one-way traf- fic control, with a maxi- mum of 30-minute delays. All detour openings are subject to change at any time due to weather condi- tions or for safety reasons. Caltrans recommends motorists to always check road condition prior to traveling. For updates, call (530) 225-3452 and follow @CaltransD2 on Twitter. CALTRANS Scheduled opening times on State Route 299 A free information ses- sion will be conducted in English and Span- ish by the United States Citizenship and Immi- gration Services 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 24 in the school cafeteria at Wil- liam M. Metteer Elemen- tary School, 695 Kimball Road in Red Bluff. The presentation will in- clude information on green card requirements, citizen- ship requirements, fees, processing times and the latest immigration news and updates. Free infor- mational materials will be handed out while supplies last. For questions, write to Vilaysay "Sai" Chang at Vilaysay.p.chang@uscis. dhs.gov. For more information, call Mariela Hernández- Torres at 824-7670 or Rosa Ramirez at 527-9015. The information ses- sion is sponsored by Northern Valley Catholic Social Services, Inc. IMMIGRATION Free information session to be offered Mary Hunt beginthe healing process You are Worth it! Ifyouexperiencedsexualviolenceasachild, please know it is not your fault. You are not alone. It'snevertoolatetobeginhealingfromyourexperience When you are ready to talk, we are here to listen. Butte/Glenn: (530) 891-1331 tehama: (530) 529-3980 TEHAMA COUNTY CHILDSUPPORTSERVICES www.tehamachildsupport.org We'vemadeiteasy to apply for Child Support with our new Virtual Interactive online application MeetViola B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 SPECIAL Sat.March,18 th Red Bluff Community Center 1500 S. Jackson St. Doorsopen@11:30am 12:30 pm Early Bird 1:00 pm Regular Bingo 5 Hot Ball Jackpots Lunch available Reg.gamespayout$100 BLACK OUT $200 April 1 & 2,2017 Tehama District Fairground 650 Antelope Blvd. WithFeaturedQuilters Roxanna Bradley & June Kirk Food • Vendors • Boutique www.suncountryquilters.com (916) 425-8230 SunCountryQuilterspresents "Quiltingin theSunCountry" Quilt Show Visitusat 100JacksonSt. in Red Bluff for details (530) 529-1220 Visit www.redbluffhealthfitness.com for more infomation Monthly Membership as low as $ 28 00 a month! www.gummsoptical.com (530) 527-2510 1-800-481-LENS (5367) 910MainSt.,SuiteC,RedBluff Fitsover eyeglasses LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, March 15, 2017 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4