Thursday, January 14, 2016
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klimC FAR S& PJ ERS
PERKINS INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.
MARY A. MORRIS, AGENT
JOSHUA E. MORRIS, AGENT
LANETTE PIERSON, AGENT
218 N Main • P O Box 136 405-547-2971
Perkins, OK 74059
One of my favorite activities
as a Community Develop-
ment Educator in the Payne
County Extension office is to
host monthly programs for
small business owners. Many,
although certainly not all, of
these bus'mess owners nan their
businesses out of their homes.
Some even vork for local
non-profits.
This is a very informal group
of individuals who come
together to network with each
other, meet service providers
in the community, and learn
new things that might help their
businesses. When I use the
word "informal" I am referring
to the fact that this is not a club
where membership is required
or dues are paid. Actually,
these programs are completely
free to attend. You don't even
have to be a bus'mess owner.
If you have an interest in the
topic, you are invited.
Each January, (this year on
January 26) I like to start off
the new year by hosting a free
luncheon in which I provide
a simple lunch, and attend-
ees provide me a little bit of
feedback about what kinds of
programs they would like to
see in the uw.xnning year. On
themenu this year? I'mleaning
heavily toward Frito Chili Pie.
(It's been pretty cold out lately,
and that sounds good to me!)
As I mentioned, the only
thing I ask in retum is that you
share with me what kinds of ter, Instagram, and Pinterest. One of our favorite speakers, 26, at 12pm noon in the Payne
educational programs Would She also has a retail website Amber Ritter, owner of Corn- County Extension office. The
help your business in 2016. and maintains several blogs, puter iGeeks, spoke to on lunch is free, but I will need
Lastyear, I got some wonderful Amanda' story is quite inspi- the topic of Spyware. Since an RSVP so that I can plan
feedback that resulted in some rational. She even has a few this was our October pro ma, effectively.Call405-747-8320
outstandingpmgrarns, celebrities on her customer I titled it "Spyware is Spooky" orusetheemailaddressshown
Last year the group definitely list--mostrecently,contempo- It reaUy is spooky how cyber- below.
wanted to learn more about rary Christian recording artist, crooks can manage to get If you cannot attend on
blogging for bus'mess, so our KariJobe. spywareontoourcornputers.I January 26, but would like
first program in February was To market effectively in think my major take-way from to be on the email list that
AndreaGravesfromtheRobert today's digital world, busi- Amber's presentation was: sends out notices of the pro-
M.KerrFoodandAgProducts nesses have to take quality better passwords, grams, just sent me an email
Center who spok# to us on that photos or have a professional One of the scarier things at suzette.barta@okstate.edu.
topic. One thing I took away photographer on the payroll, about our digital society is I try not to bombard you with
from Andrea's presentation Effective Facebook, Pinterest, identity theft. David Petermann emails -- usually one pro-
was the need for "persever- and pagesdependon of LegalShield Associates, gram ann ent and one
ance." It can be easy to get quality photos. Locally, I think spoke to us about this growing reminder per month.
discouraged, but it's important that Robin Byrd, owner of I problem, and gave us a few The small business lunch
to keep on blogging. ThinkSo Cupcakes in Perkins, tips to help protect ourselves, group generally meets on the
• Local succe ss story, Amanda does a greatjob with photos on What was completely new to 4th Tuesday of each month
Moore, owner of Amanda her Facebook page. She came me was the growth of identity at noon at the Payne County
Moore Designs, visited us in and spoke to our group in April, theft through health records. I Administration Building/
March to show us how one and this is where I learned hadnoidea. Extension office. You are most
business could truly link var- about the nifty little phone app If you are interested in welcome to attend.
ious forms of sodal media to called PicsArt. I love it! attending programs likeBest wishes for a happy and
create an effective marketing This fall, we switched the in 2016, I encourage you to prosperous 2016 from the
program. Amanda maintains focus of our programs to attend the annual planning PayneCountyOSUExtension
accounts on Facebook, Twit- the concept of online safety, luncheon onTuesday,January office (and me.)
People are interested in the mates along with watching the
weather. Storms fascinate weather in your yard can help
some bringing out closet Paul you achieve greater gardening
Reveres. They alert others to success. Britannica defines
be prepared. Many people's microclimate as the "climatic
interest in the weather is limited condition of a relatively small
to only whatever knowledge is area, within a few feet above
necessary to can-y on a casual and below the Earth's surface
conversation with a stranger, and within canopies of veg-
Farmers seem to take a greater etation." The two phrases,
interest in the weather, measur- "ahoveandbe/ow" and'h4r#h
ing rainfall, watching for late canopies of vegetation" carry
frosts, praying for rain. They the weight of working with
are in the details of lifts definition. You can create
weather for their livelihood or modify the micmclimates in
depends on it. The fact is, your yard to benefit a particular
weather befalls all of us. plant you want to grow or, with
Understanding microcli- observation over a short time,
use the information to choose limetocheckonaplant'sability to take into consideration was than a dormant plant. Forlhis
plants that are akeady adapted to tolerate extremes; exWaor- the three week period in Octo- reason, protx 'soilslmcttreand
to similar conditions, dinary weather may require her when the sun Imveledback drainage factor in an extension
Gardeners know to check preparation.Yourgardenphnts to the sotahem skies. The beau- of the micr0climate. Some
the ' one" for a specific plant, are relying on you to. consider fiful, dark green foliage was weeks the soil stays saturated
A USDAZonereferstothe their needs and create an envi- exposed to sun for only a few with rain and hence the plant's
hardiness or degree of cold a ronmentofhealthfortheml hours a day. This "window" cellsarefullofwater.Iftheplant
plant can tolerate. Many books Track the sun through the ofsun, coupled with extremely remains in a boggy condition
now give not only a tmrdiness seasons. As the sun moves warm wasenough forlong, roots will begin to rot.
zone but also a heat zone, fora further north in the sky with the to canse the foliage to sunburn. Wind is the final piece of
plants' tolerance to heat can be coming of spring often areas The plant paid the price for weathertoobservebeforeposi-
as important to survival as their of your garden that remained my lack of observation and tioningplants.Somelreesbreak
tolerance to cold Developed in shaded allwinter will fallinthe planning, in a strong winter wind while
1977 by the USDA, heatzones sunduringthestmamermonths. Alsoconsiderthefactthatlush olhersdonotmindwinterwind,
are determined by the number Watchthesepattemsandnotice new leaves of spring are more but resent the hot, chyingwind
of days in a given year that the not only where the summer susceptible to burning than of summer. Natural and man-
climbs over eighty- sun falls, but the length of time they are later in the summer, made structures can become
six degrees, and the intensity of the sun on The sun's trip to the northern windbreaks to the benefit or
Bear in mind, aplant'stissue different areas ofthe yard. sky and a fluke day of 100 detriment of a plant. A solid
is its conduit and reservoir I once planted a shade loving degrees in late April or early barrier can cause an eddy of
for moisture without which rhododendron in the southeast May can spoil the looks of a sorts a few feet beyond the
the plant cannot live. That canopy of a tree. The posi- plant through the summer, break. A permeablewindbreak
moisture restxmds the same to tioning of the house and large Temperature isjust one factor such as another shrub or vine-
temperaturechangesaswaterin neighboring shrubs protected affecting the plant's tissue, laden fence will slow the wind
afreezerorateakettle.Takethe the plant from excess sun. It Moisture is the other. Actively enough to shelter tender plants
grew and thrived. What l failed growing plants use more water in most locations.
Will the Presidential Election
Affect Investment Outlook?
We're just a few weeks away
fi'om the first caucoses and pri-
manes, so presidential election
season is in full swing. As a
voter, you may be keenly inter-
ested in the election process.
But as an investor, should you
be concerned?
If you take a look back, you
might be somewhat encour-
aged over the prospects of the
financial markets this year. In
the last 12 presidential election
years, the Dow Jones Industrial
Average has been up nine
times and down just three. So,
election years must be good
for the financial markets, right?
Not necessarily. In every year,
the markets are influenced by a
varietyoffactors: interestrates,
inflation, corporate profits,
geopolitical events, economic
growth, even the weather. And
it's safe to say that 2016 will
be no different. At this early
stage of the year, one could
say that some of these factors,
such as continued low interest
rates and a reasonably strong
economy, might bode well
for investors. But there's a lot
of 2016 ahead of us - and it's
notoriously difficult for any-
body, even so-called experts, to
acctmtely predict the market' s
performance over a relatively
short time, such as a year.
Still, the market's history
of pretty good results in pres-
idential election years may
not be entirely random. For
one thing, the White House
is never the only office being
contested; elections are also
held for every congressio-
nal district and many seats
in the Senate. Consequently,
during these election years,
campaigning often takes pre-
cedence over legislating. This
legislative inactivity tends to
be welcomed by the financial
markets, which generally dis-
like surprises, big changes and
new directions.
However, you can't really
count on past trends to pro-
vide a certain road map for
the year aheacl, in terms of the
performance of the financial
markets. As mentioned above,
many factors influence this
performance, and at lifts early
stage in the year, we just can't
predict which of these factors
will take precedence.
So, instead of worrying
about things you can't con-
trol, focus on those that you
can. For starters, review your
investment mix. Does it still
properly reflect your goals,
risk tolerance and time hori-
zon? Over time, even if you
haven't made many changes
to yourportfolio, it can become
"unbalanced." For example, if
you own some stocks that have
increased greatly in value over
the years, these stocks may
now be taking up a larger per-
centage of your holdings than
you had intended, bringing
with them a higher degree of
risk. Comequently, you might
want to consider selling off
some ofthese stocks and using
the proceeds to fill in other gaps
in your portfolio.
On the other hand, if you
think your mix ofinvestraents
is not providing you with the
reamas you need to help make
progress toward your long-
term objectives, you may need
to add some vehicles that can
provide you with more growth
potential. After all, it's 2016
now, so whatever your age,
you are another year closer to
retirement.
Will this year look like past
presidential election years, as
far as good returns from the
stock market? No one can say
for sure. But if you "vote" for
smart investment moves, you
won't be sorry.
By Sharyl Pickens
Everyone dreads calling
the plumber...the rates are
expensive, it usually involves
a mess, and then there's, well,
you know, THAT. Maybe
you have never been handy
with a wrench or a snake or
maybe you are a pretty good
handyman. From the kitchen
sink to the toilet, from the
leaky shower head to the pipes
underneath your home, your
peaceful Sunday aftemoon
can be easily interrupted. AS a
homeowner, you should know
what you can handle and when
you should call a professional.
CLOGGED DRAINS OR
TOILETS
Maybe you're taking a
shower or brushing your teeth.
Maybe you've decided to
wash the dog. Whatever it is
you're doingin there, you want
the water to go down the drain.
And the toilet? WeU, that goes
without saying. The first stepis
to decide what caused the stop-
page. Hair or grease? A match-
box car? Maybe something
worse? Whatever it might
be...getting to the bottom of
the cause is essential.
Fortunately, most toilet
clogs can be freed with your
standard plunger. The clog in
your drain will probably go
on down with the assistance
of a commercial grade drain
cleaner. If the clog is stubbom
after a few tries, it might be
time to call the professionals.
Don't use excessive drain
cleaner, because you might
damage the pipes or inhale
more fumes than is safe.
Professional plumbers have
tools that you might not have
access to - video cameras
and snakes. Those folks can
get to the root of the problem
pretty easily. Then, freeing
the clog is a piece of cake.
BURST PIPE
No matter the reason, a burst
pipe can cause big damage
if not corrected quickly. The
best way to fix a burst pipe
is with a C damp. First, mm
off the water completely.
Place a piece of robber over
the exposed area of the pipe.
Secure the mbber by placing
a piece of wood on top and
tightening down both pieces
with a C clamp. Be sure to
tighten the C clamp until both
the piece of the wood and the
rubber are secure. Typically,
your fix will only be tempo-
rary, but certainly better than
the alternative. You might
find the plumber will have to
replace the pipe altogether.
LraKY
The funny thing about a little
leak is just how annoying it can
be! Certainly, major damage
can develop from a minor leak,
but the irritant is just the sound
of the drip. The good news is,
you don't need a plumbing
PhD to fix most leaks. Grab
your tool box and attack the
problem!
First, remove the handle
by removing the screw that
attaches it to the faucet. Try
tightening the packing nut
which is located at the base of
the stem. Tighten this nut and
then re-aitach the handle to the
faucet and test to see if the leak
is gone.
If this simple process doesn't
do the trick, you might be
looking at replacing necessary
parts such as washers or nuts,
or it may be time to spring for
a shiny new faucet.
NO HOT WATER
Nothing says "good mom-
ing" like a cold shower! Mil-
lions of people across the
United States struggle with
this issue daily. If your water
heater is electric, some of the
causes might be a tripped cir-
cuit breaker, a bad thermostat,
or a faulty heating element.
Once you've gone through the
trouble shooting routine, it's
a good idea to replace those
broken parts. Most plumbers
have a broad knowledge of
water heaters, and this might
be a goodfime to make the call.
• SharylPickens is theBroker/
Owner of Metro First Realty.
She may be reached at 405-
314-5437.
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