Have a Merry Christmas Everyone
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Dec 16th Christmas Luncheon is Cancelled
We’re having a bah-humbug moment, members of the Watauga Unit of North Carolina Retired School Personnel. You’ve probably noticed that the snow is falling (along with the temperatures!), the wind is blowing, and the roads are largely impassable. What’s more, the forecast doesn’t look encouraging.
While we still can, before George orders our food and begins preparing our meal, your executive board has voted to cancel the December meeting scheduled for this Thursday at noon. Stay in, stay warm, and stay safe – and plan to gather in March.
AND, AND, AND, while the weather may have stopped our getting together, it doesn’t affect our responsibility to report volunteer hours to Eula Mae before her state-mandated deadline. Fill out your form now, please, and mail it to: Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607. If you have a question, call her at 264-3066. This little task won’t take long and it is SO important!
Finally, we know that we have a number of members who do not receive unit emails. Please phone your non-email friends in our group and let them know that our next meeting is in March, not this Thursday.
And from your executive board – a Merry and a Happy and all good wishes for a healthy, safe holiday season and new year.
Nanci
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Dec Red Pencil
The Red Pencil
Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XIII, No.3 December 2010 ntn1066@hotmail.com
December Meeting
Noon, Thursday, December 16, 2010
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Program: Music from the Blue Ridge Vocal Ensemble, with, perhaps, a little help from you.
To make your reservation: Respond to your caller or call Dot Barker (264-3621) by December 12. Please note that you’re calling Dot this month, not Margaret. Unfortunately, Margaret has been under the weather for several weeks and Dot is filling in for her. We’re all eagerly awaiting Margaret’s healthy return.
To bring: as much non-perishable food as you can for the Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, soup, oatmeal, pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYthing non-perishable will be acceptable. Don’t forget those medicine bottles, either, and this month, please include all those annoying little plastic bags from the grocery store and Wal-Mart and every other shop in town. We can recycle them!
Also to bring: a new or gently read children’s book for distribution to the children in this county through the Santa’s Toy Box Program.
DO NOT bring books that have been marked in. We’re honoring the legacy of Dr. Seuss and the Read Across America program he loved. On that subject, if you would like to volunteer to read to kids, select an appropriate volume, put the first week of March on your calendar, and call your favorite elementary school.
NEW THIS MONTH:
After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5. As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared!
President’s Message
Holidays always remind me that I am not the best cook in the world but I plug along at it and hope the results taste good. I can remember my first cake when I was about 5. I couldn't figure out what made cakes smell good, so I put my older sister's "Evening in Paris" in it. Needless to say, the house had to be aired out for a while. Another time I used maple flavoring making syrup for my children's pancakes. This was about the time I was sneaking whole wheat and other healthy ingredients into their food. My spoon set up in the brew and I had to throw away the spoon and the pot. Soaking for days wouldn't get the mixture out. So here I am again, trying to cook for Thanksgiving and as soon as the kids get here, they will say, "What have you burned today?"
Putting aside my personal challenge for Thanksgiving and the holiday season, I am thankful for the knowledge that I know so many famous people. You may not be athletes or tv or movie stars, but when I think of your contributions to school children and all the other kind things that you have done , you all go to the top of the list of people who deserve to be famous for their generosity and warm hearts. I am so grateful to you and for you, and I am proud to know each of you.
Gentle blessings to you and your loved ones.
La Verne Franklin
News of Our Members
We’re delighted to welcome Jane Arrington to our happy band.
As noted, Margaret Sigmon has been having a rough, rough month and has spent some time in Watauga Medical Center. We all wish her a quick recovery.
Your Executive Board was comparing travel notes the other day. Janice Burns is headed to Cancun, Beth Carrin is off to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji in the new year, and Billy Ralph Winkler has been to Greensboro on official business, accepting the Commissioners of the Year Award from the NC Association of School Boards on behalf of the Watauga County Commissioners.
La Verne Franklin is delighted to share that she has been to Toys R Us, and your humble newsletter editor has spent time in exotic Foscoe.
Billy Ralph Winkler, Watauga Unit Vice-president, has been nominated for District 3 Vice-president.
??????????????----------------------------------------------------------------------- In Memoriam
Kate Peterson died on October 24, 2010 at 100. In her memory, we have made a donation to the Watauga Unit Scholarship Fund, of which she was a generous supporter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christmas Recipe
A really great website for foodies is www.southernplate.com, the website of Christy Jordan, author of Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food That Makes Everyone Feel Like Family and Alabama’s answer to Paula Deen.
For an easy, perfect seasonal snack and little giftie item, too, Christy suggests Candy-coated Peanuts.
You’ll need 1 cup of sugar, ½ cup of water, and 2 cups of raw peanuts (skin on).
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the peanuts and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the peanuts are completely sugar-coated and no syrup remains, about 30 minutes. Pour out onto an ungreased cookie sheet and separate the peanuts with a fork. Bake for for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool on a cookie sheet and store in a sealed container.
Computer Talk
ü Our fabulous and informative Watauga County NCRSP blogspot is http://wataugacountyretiredpersonnel.blogspot.com/. Lee Stroupe updates this site often with new photographs and copies of The Red Pencil and other goodies you’ll want to read.
ü For NCRSP, the website address is www.ncrsp.org. If you are trying to reach Pam or Dave Deardorff, their numbers in Raleigh are 800-662-7924, extension 244 for Pam and 242 for Dave.
Membership Matters!
Membership is a topic that just won’t go away, and it shouldn’t. We need every single member we can attract and we need new and present members to be aware of the benefits of their membership and participation. At present, we have 127 members in our unit, 85 of whom are on payroll deduction and 39 of whom pay their dues by check, and 8 new members this year.
In a change in policy, NEW members only, not present or past members, may join NCRSP on a pro-rated basis if they are on payroll deduction. If you have colleagues who have been thinking of joining us but did not come to the August or October meetings, please let them know that they can join now or at any time during our year by paying the pro-rated sum. Call Dot Barker, 254-3621, for specific details.
What I Love – another in our continuing series of personal expressions from our members. If you would like to contribute to this feature, please send your brief essay to Nanci Tolbert Nance, ntn@skybest.com, or give her a written copy. This month’s piece comes from Leota Cloyd.
What I love? Books.
I grew up on a farm five miles north of Lincoln, Nebraska. It was depression years so there was no money for luxuries such as books. The little country school that I attended had no library. We were allowed to borrow books from the State Library in the capital.
Receiving a book at Christmas was the most exciting present. I managed to collect several Louisa May Alcott books over the years and reread them many times.
Keith and I both love to read and our biggest extravagance is buying books. We just can’t pass up a bookstore, a library book sale, or any other book sale without purchasing a precious volume for our bulging book shelves. We wonder about a time when books become extinct. Will our collection be valuable – or burned?
Business:
At our December meeting, we will vote on the budget presented in October. We will also have our NCRSP cellphone trappers for sale for $10.
Community Participation
Eula Mae Fox
At our August meeting, I announced a challenge that has been issued by the state organization to all local units in regards to our community participation. They gave us three goals:
(1) that 50% of our members will report their volunteers with
(2) 25% of the hours in educational activities and
(3) that we have a group project in a school or in the community.
I feel that many more than 50% of our members do good works (without pay) every month; if you will report them (few or many), achieving one third of the goals will be easily accomplished. We need to have some conversations in order to set our plans for reaching the other two goals in 2011.
Please, please understand that reporting your community participation time is NOT patting yourself on the back. It is NOT bragging. It is your own way to make a very valuable contribution to the impression we make on our legislators and to help our lobbyists to safeguard the benefits we receive as retired school personnel. Your community participation and your report have never been more important than they are now.
Bring your completed form to the December meeting or mail it to Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607, by December 31.
Total Hours in All Categories ________
Remembering Some Good Advice from Nima Burns
If you missed our October meeting, you missed a really, really good one as Nima Burns, the fraud and identity theft specialist in the NC Attorney General’s office, spoke to us about being proactive in protecting ourselves from some of the dangers of this world. Among other important pieces of advice from Nima were these reminders:
1. Never carry your Social Security card with you. Make a Xerox copy of it, make a copy of the copy, and black out the last four digits of your number. Carry that. Do the same thing with your Blue Cross/Blue Shield card and Medicare card.
2. Make Xerox copies of the front and back of your credit cards and file those papers in a safe place.
3. Take advantage of the free credit reporting services from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion by scheduling your annual report from each one every four months, i.e. Equifax in January, Experian in May, and TransUnion in September.
4. If you’re expecting checks in the mail, have them sent to your bank, especially if your mailbox is some distance from your home.
5. If you’re putting checks in the mail, take them to a post office rather than put them in your mailbox and alert a potential thief by raising the red flag.
Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XIII, No.3 December 2010 ntn1066@hotmail.com
December Meeting
Noon, Thursday, December 16, 2010
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Program: Music from the Blue Ridge Vocal Ensemble, with, perhaps, a little help from you.
To make your reservation: Respond to your caller or call Dot Barker (264-3621) by December 12. Please note that you’re calling Dot this month, not Margaret. Unfortunately, Margaret has been under the weather for several weeks and Dot is filling in for her. We’re all eagerly awaiting Margaret’s healthy return.
To bring: as much non-perishable food as you can for the Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, soup, oatmeal, pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYthing non-perishable will be acceptable. Don’t forget those medicine bottles, either, and this month, please include all those annoying little plastic bags from the grocery store and Wal-Mart and every other shop in town. We can recycle them!
Also to bring: a new or gently read children’s book for distribution to the children in this county through the Santa’s Toy Box Program.
DO NOT bring books that have been marked in. We’re honoring the legacy of Dr. Seuss and the Read Across America program he loved. On that subject, if you would like to volunteer to read to kids, select an appropriate volume, put the first week of March on your calendar, and call your favorite elementary school.
NEW THIS MONTH:
After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5. As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared!
President’s Message
Holidays always remind me that I am not the best cook in the world but I plug along at it and hope the results taste good. I can remember my first cake when I was about 5. I couldn't figure out what made cakes smell good, so I put my older sister's "Evening in Paris" in it. Needless to say, the house had to be aired out for a while. Another time I used maple flavoring making syrup for my children's pancakes. This was about the time I was sneaking whole wheat and other healthy ingredients into their food. My spoon set up in the brew and I had to throw away the spoon and the pot. Soaking for days wouldn't get the mixture out. So here I am again, trying to cook for Thanksgiving and as soon as the kids get here, they will say, "What have you burned today?"
Putting aside my personal challenge for Thanksgiving and the holiday season, I am thankful for the knowledge that I know so many famous people. You may not be athletes or tv or movie stars, but when I think of your contributions to school children and all the other kind things that you have done , you all go to the top of the list of people who deserve to be famous for their generosity and warm hearts. I am so grateful to you and for you, and I am proud to know each of you.
Gentle blessings to you and your loved ones.
La Verne Franklin
News of Our Members
We’re delighted to welcome Jane Arrington to our happy band.
As noted, Margaret Sigmon has been having a rough, rough month and has spent some time in Watauga Medical Center. We all wish her a quick recovery.
Your Executive Board was comparing travel notes the other day. Janice Burns is headed to Cancun, Beth Carrin is off to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji in the new year, and Billy Ralph Winkler has been to Greensboro on official business, accepting the Commissioners of the Year Award from the NC Association of School Boards on behalf of the Watauga County Commissioners.
La Verne Franklin is delighted to share that she has been to Toys R Us, and your humble newsletter editor has spent time in exotic Foscoe.
Billy Ralph Winkler, Watauga Unit Vice-president, has been nominated for District 3 Vice-president.
??????????????----------------------------------------------------------------------- In Memoriam
Kate Peterson died on October 24, 2010 at 100. In her memory, we have made a donation to the Watauga Unit Scholarship Fund, of which she was a generous supporter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christmas Recipe
A really great website for foodies is www.southernplate.com, the website of Christy Jordan, author of Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food That Makes Everyone Feel Like Family and Alabama’s answer to Paula Deen.
For an easy, perfect seasonal snack and little giftie item, too, Christy suggests Candy-coated Peanuts.
You’ll need 1 cup of sugar, ½ cup of water, and 2 cups of raw peanuts (skin on).
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the peanuts and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the peanuts are completely sugar-coated and no syrup remains, about 30 minutes. Pour out onto an ungreased cookie sheet and separate the peanuts with a fork. Bake for for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool on a cookie sheet and store in a sealed container.
Computer Talk
ü Our fabulous and informative Watauga County NCRSP blogspot is http://wataugacountyretiredpersonnel.blogspot.com/. Lee Stroupe updates this site often with new photographs and copies of The Red Pencil and other goodies you’ll want to read.
ü For NCRSP, the website address is www.ncrsp.org. If you are trying to reach Pam or Dave Deardorff, their numbers in Raleigh are 800-662-7924, extension 244 for Pam and 242 for Dave.
Membership Matters!
Membership is a topic that just won’t go away, and it shouldn’t. We need every single member we can attract and we need new and present members to be aware of the benefits of their membership and participation. At present, we have 127 members in our unit, 85 of whom are on payroll deduction and 39 of whom pay their dues by check, and 8 new members this year.
In a change in policy, NEW members only, not present or past members, may join NCRSP on a pro-rated basis if they are on payroll deduction. If you have colleagues who have been thinking of joining us but did not come to the August or October meetings, please let them know that they can join now or at any time during our year by paying the pro-rated sum. Call Dot Barker, 254-3621, for specific details.
What I Love – another in our continuing series of personal expressions from our members. If you would like to contribute to this feature, please send your brief essay to Nanci Tolbert Nance, ntn@skybest.com, or give her a written copy. This month’s piece comes from Leota Cloyd.
What I love? Books.
I grew up on a farm five miles north of Lincoln, Nebraska. It was depression years so there was no money for luxuries such as books. The little country school that I attended had no library. We were allowed to borrow books from the State Library in the capital.
Receiving a book at Christmas was the most exciting present. I managed to collect several Louisa May Alcott books over the years and reread them many times.
Keith and I both love to read and our biggest extravagance is buying books. We just can’t pass up a bookstore, a library book sale, or any other book sale without purchasing a precious volume for our bulging book shelves. We wonder about a time when books become extinct. Will our collection be valuable – or burned?
Business:
At our December meeting, we will vote on the budget presented in October. We will also have our NCRSP cellphone trappers for sale for $10.
Community Participation
Eula Mae Fox
At our August meeting, I announced a challenge that has been issued by the state organization to all local units in regards to our community participation. They gave us three goals:
(1) that 50% of our members will report their volunteers with
(2) 25% of the hours in educational activities and
(3) that we have a group project in a school or in the community.
I feel that many more than 50% of our members do good works (without pay) every month; if you will report them (few or many), achieving one third of the goals will be easily accomplished. We need to have some conversations in order to set our plans for reaching the other two goals in 2011.
Please, please understand that reporting your community participation time is NOT patting yourself on the back. It is NOT bragging. It is your own way to make a very valuable contribution to the impression we make on our legislators and to help our lobbyists to safeguard the benefits we receive as retired school personnel. Your community participation and your report have never been more important than they are now.
Bring your completed form to the December meeting or mail it to Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607, by December 31.
Total Hours in All Categories ________
Remembering Some Good Advice from Nima Burns
If you missed our October meeting, you missed a really, really good one as Nima Burns, the fraud and identity theft specialist in the NC Attorney General’s office, spoke to us about being proactive in protecting ourselves from some of the dangers of this world. Among other important pieces of advice from Nima were these reminders:
1. Never carry your Social Security card with you. Make a Xerox copy of it, make a copy of the copy, and black out the last four digits of your number. Carry that. Do the same thing with your Blue Cross/Blue Shield card and Medicare card.
2. Make Xerox copies of the front and back of your credit cards and file those papers in a safe place.
3. Take advantage of the free credit reporting services from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion by scheduling your annual report from each one every four months, i.e. Equifax in January, Experian in May, and TransUnion in September.
4. If you’re expecting checks in the mail, have them sent to your bank, especially if your mailbox is some distance from your home.
5. If you’re putting checks in the mail, take them to a post office rather than put them in your mailbox and alert a potential thief by raising the red flag.
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