Guymon, Oklahoma

Are you student loans eating you up? Do you worry at night if you have enough savings for when you’re retired? There is a time when we have to take control of ourselves and handle our finances, rather than letting what we’ve done tie us up in knots.

If you’re wanting some guidance to get your finances in better shape, think about attending the Dave Ramsey “Financial Peace” classes at the First Christian Church, 802 N Quinn. The classes begin on Thur., Feb. 13, and are held the following eight Thursday evenings starting at 7 pm. The cost is $95. Consider it an investment in your investments! For more information contact Larry Watson at 338-6603.

Sometimes we don’t make good choices concerning our money or want of money. In 1977 the Associated Press ran this story about a man in New York City: “A man was knocked down by a car and got up uninjured, but lay back down in front of the car when a bystander told him to feign injury in order to collect insurance money. The car rolled forward and crushed him to death.”

Dave Ramsey gives much better advice. Be sure to make good decisions concerning your financial future.

Being frugal is an acquired habit. Some are really good at it. If you are a senior citizen (55 years or so or older) and you’re watching your pennies, remember that you’re not older, you’re just smarter.

Robert Carter and I were discussing some good deals for the senior in Guymon … whether you need or just want to have some better savings. Steeles has a senior 15% discount on Tuesday; coffee for seniors is 27 cents at McDonalds; have a full course lunch at the Senior Citizens for not much of a cost; Walls gives a 10% discount to seniors; and you can go watch a movie matinee at the cinema for only $4. I just hate that all but the senior citizens center are not Main Street members, but I love that they give senior citizen discounts!

Sometimes our financial woes come about because of health reasons. We have little control over most of these, but they can cause deep financial strain, not to mention all the other heartache that goes with them.

Such a case is Lori Downing and the fund raiser that is being held for her on Sat., Jan. 18, at the Texas County Activity Center. From 9 am to 5 pm is the Crop Out Cancer, a crafter’s retreat. Lori loves her scrapbooking and other crafting and many of her friends are coming together to have a fun day filled with crafting. You bring your own supplies. Provided is lunch, snacks, swag bags, classes and prizes. The cost is $30 per person.

Then at 6:30 pm begins the Fund Raising Dinner. Chef Virgil Gibson is cooking, Bipolar Echo is the music, and there are some TV type games to be played. It is going to be fun and the cost is only $50 per person or $75 for a couple.

The tickets are available at Main Street Guymon and Wirtz Lumber. Call Denise at 806-339-4851 or Neil at 806-339-1091 for more information. You can also donate at the Bank of the Panhandle.

Another time that funds need replenished is when you’re paying for your college. Be sure to go to www.ptci.net to check out their scholarship applications. The deadline is soon. It’s a bad financial decision to put this off!

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony,” according to Mahatma Gandhi.

See you on the bricks … in harmony.

Read an interesting article about Superbugs recently in the December Rotarian. The article refers to “drug – resistant superbugs as ‘nightmare bacteria.’” And it tells what is bringing these superbugs along.

“Counterfeit drugs, self – medication, and limited access to medical care contribute to antibiotic resistance, as these factors may lead to incorrect dosages that do not kill all bacteria. Pediatricians wrote more than 10 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions each year from 2006 to 2008, for ailments such as the flu, bronchitis, asthma, and allergies, which are not caused by bacteria. Half of all antibiotic prescriptions are for broad – spectrum drugs that wipe out the body’s good bacteria too.

“Taking carbapenems (powerful antibiotics used as a last resort) may increase your risk of contracting a carbapenem – resistant superbug by a factor of 15. Scientists haven’t discovered any new classes of antibiotics since 1987.

“Nearly half of all soaps on the market in the United States are antibacterial, which may encourage the growth of superbugs.

“Some drug – resistant superbugs kill up to 50% of the people they infect. In the first half of 2012, about 4% of short – stay hospitals and 18% of long – term care hospitals in the United States reported infections involving bacteria resistant to carbapenems. The bacteria, which usually live in the gut, can enter the body through medical devices such as ventilators or though wounds.

“Superbugs kill 23,000 people each year in the country. In 2008, at least 150,000 people were killed worldwide by multidrug – resistant tuberculosis.

“Food – safety precautions will protect against bacteria, including drug – resistant strains. To slow the rate at which bacteria evolve into superbugs, doctors shouldn’t try to treat viral infections with antibiotics, should avoid prescribing mild doses of antibiotics over long periods, and should use a combination of antibiotics rather than increasing the dose when they encounter an infection that isn’t responding. Patients should take care of their pills.”

I am no doctor and I suspect the Rotarian isn’t probably the best information on medicine that is obtainable. But there is a point in this article. Our stupidity (not only doctors) is making us get sicker. Quit sharing your prescriptions. Quit taking only a portion of your prescription. Quit thinking you know more than the doctor.

Now, you should know, I’m preaching to myself. I am not the one who thinks a pill makes everything better. I tend to think a fever means my body is fighting something and I let it fight. But I do tend to try to do almost anything before going to the doctor. We should all be smarter.

And besides not being stupid with meds, we can get smarter with our Epic Saturday classes! Jan. 10 is Stampin’ It with Sharlene Wale at The Studio, 3^rd and Roosevelt. Sat., Jan. 11 is the Shutterbugs from 10 – noon at the Main Street Guymon office, and the Transformers are going that day to visit the Open Cross Ranch. Transformers meet at 1 at the Main Street Guymon office.

Be sure to put Jan. 18 on your calendar to attend the Crop Out Cancer for Lori event. Call Denise Gebara at Hitch Enterprises for more information on that event.

It’s a great year, isn’t it?

See you on the bricks!

There is a file in my desk of things that I have read and find interesting. They’re to share in the column, if it works out. Well, that file is getting a little thick, so I’m going to just hodge podge today of “Facts Melyn Finds Interesting.”

Before we really jump into this endeavor though, have you picked up your Christmas photo with Santa from the night of the Christmas Parade at Frida’s? Oliver Marquez does a wonderful job volunteering to take those photos for Main Street Guymon and I hope everyone enjoys them. There is always a line for Santa, so it must be pretty popular. Santa certainly is a popular guy.

And while you’re doing a little catching up, did you see the December “On the Bricks” show on PTCI’s Channel 2? If you don’t have Channel 2, then goon your computer to http://video.ptci.net and click “videos” and on the left you’ll see “On the Bricks.” There’s some good information on there!

In the Rotary magazine, “The Rotarian”, there was an article about being careful about being a saver. They’re basically saying that if you have lots of stuff it is hard for your family when you die. Hard on their back, hard on their time, hard on the garbage collector, etc. They gave a few pieces of advice that I found exceptional.

#1. Never photograph a church. Not even Notre – Dame. Your children do not want a photograph of any church on earth.

#2. Never photograph an animal in a zoo. Not ever.

#3. Throw away your old tax returns, your canceled checks from long ago.

#4. If you break a piece of pottery, toss that too, unless it was thrown by Picasso.

#5. All of your homework and notebooks from high school and college? Recycle. No one, not even you, will ever read any of it.

#6. Letters from early boyfriends or girlfriends? Bonfire of the vanities.

If you continue to save everything, the article says, “And when you pass from this earth, as all of us must, your children will come in and find their hearts twice rent from losing you and from inheriting your stuff. They don’t want to let you go, and yet, cruelly, they have been forced to do so. And then your stuff becomes your proxy, and they do want to let it go, but it pains them to do so because, well, you kept it, so it must mean something important.”

“What is life but time spent on earth? You can give your children the gift of time and therefore more of their own lives. The time you spend going through your own stuff is time they will not have to spend doing it.”

See, because I am so far from a saver, this makes sense to me. And stuff really just holds you down, in my opinion. But there is another side that came to mind after reading the article. If you don’t like your children … save everything. Don’t like your grandchildren? Put a few dollar bills amongst junk mail, maybe credit card approval letters, so they can’t just junk the whole box, but need to go through each piece. Yes, this is a way to be mean and evil and unkind to those you dislike. Don’t tell my mama. I wasn’t always the easiest child ….

“If you don’t think every day is a good day, just try missing one.” ~Cavett Robert

Don’t miss the 9^th Annual Dinner, Dance and Draw Down at Pickle Creek on Jan. 26 at 7 pm. It’s located at 822 NE 6^th Street and costs $50 to get in. There they have the Wooden Nickel Band performing and you get great food. It’s BYOB and with the purchase of a ticket you have the chance to win $5,000 (that’s the Draw Down)! All of this is a fund raiser for the Pioneer Days Rodeo.

That Chamber Pioneer Days Rodeo Committee works all year long to bring us the world-wide wonderful Pioneer Days Rodeo the first weekend in May. Support those who are working so hard in our community!

Speaking of volunteers, because that’s what the Rodeo Committee is made up of entirely, was another article in the Rotarian magazine. It was talking about how to fit in, work in, become an integral part of your community. It stated, “Volunteer constantly and show up religiously. In any community, there’s only a small subset of people who show up and do things, and when they see you showing up, they’ll start to see you as a brother or sister. … Share credit. Make other people look good.”

That is such good advice on how to gain friends and squash your enemies.

Gosh, I’ve only made a dent in my folder, but the column is getting longer than a reasonable person would want to read.

Don’t miss the Stampin with Sharlene class on Jan. 10^th from 7 – 9 pm at The Studio, 3^rd and Roosevelt in Guymon. This is for creative people or those who want to be more creative and everyone works together making cards. They’re awesome. And they’re nice to give to your friends and family. Wow, the friends and family would probably save them. Then when they pass, their family will have to deal with them. Hmmm, a vicious circle. But I really believe even the family would enjoy seeing these gorgeous cards made with so much love.

Let’s start the new year with this Irish blessing, “May God be with you and bless you. May you see your children’s children. May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.”

See you on the bricks!