October 23, 2018 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Pay It Off! Dear Dave, I can’t decide what to do about my car. I owe $8,000 on it, and I have the cash to pay it off with plenty left over. One of my co-workers said I shouldn’t pay it off, because I have a very low interest rate on the loan. What do you think? Derricka Dear Derricka, What do I think? I think your co-worker is broke. Taking financial advice from broke people is like takDave ing dieting advice from fat people. In other words, it’s dumb. Pay off your car, and never borrow money to buy a car again for the rest of your life. If you want to win with money, you have to get out of the land of car payments. The idea that you’re stuck with car payments — that you’re always going to have one — is the mantra of those who’ve given up hope. You are in charge of your life. You are in charge of your financial situation. Don’t be like all those folks out there who whine about stuff like stagnant wages and are unwilling to get up off their stagnant butts to make their lives better. Derricka, pay off your car today. And please, don’t take any more financial advice from broke people! — Dave RAMSEY YOUR VOICE WILL BE HEARD By Daris Howard Emergency Fund In Cash? Dear Dave, My wife and I are completely debt-free. We would like to have part of our emergency fund in cash inside a heavy duty safe at home. How should we document this cash in the event of fire or theft? Also, would our homeowners insurance policy cover cash? Will Dear Will, Typically, homeowners insurance policies have a limit as to how much cash they will cover. I’d advise re-reading your policy, and double checking with your insurance agent just to be sure. When it comes to documenting valuables, I’d suggest making a video or taking photographs. Just to be extra cautious, you could store these in a safe deposit box at your local credit union or bank. Having some cash on hand is never a bad thing. When it comes to the portion of your emergency fund you keep at home, I’d recommend just being reasonable. If you’ve got $10,000 set aside for emergencies, I’m okay with you keeping $5,000 at home in a quality safe. I wouldn’t put all, or even most of it, in a safe, though. Again, just make sure your homeowners policy covers anything you might put in there. A strong, fireproof safe is a must! — Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven bestselling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. In Print and Online! • 665-5884 M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y MOTOR NIOBRARA, NE Patrick Hawk 251 Spruce Ave • Box 260 Niobrara, NE 68760 www.moodymotor.com pjhawk@hotmail.com (402) 857-3711 (800) 745-5650 Fax (402) 857-3713 Save 10¢ Off A Gallon Of Gas When You Be Careful Grazing The Green This Fall We’ll M Local Advertis atch All Prices ing Prices! Best Windsor $15.9 n! Ezra Brooks Bou9rbon $30 In Tow Grey Goose Vo $ .99 1.75 ML dka Merry’s Irish Cr 50.99 1.75 ML eam $23.99 1.75 M Cork N Bottle GUN Recently I was traveling a long, dusty road when I stopped at a place in the middle of nowhere. The road from our high school in St. Anthony to the one in Salmon where we often competed ran through a long, barren stretch of road. The trip on a school bus was about three hours and seemed to go forever. There was lots of sagebrush with a few mountains to add interest. About halfway between the two schools was a small town. It was small even by Idaho standards. In fact, it was so small that it consisted of only one house and a café. But as small as it was, it was on the map. Blue Dome, it was called. Probably the reason it was on the map was because there wasn’t anything else for miles around. It was a lone outpost in an area with interesting trails leading up into mountains with intriguing names like Diamond Peak, Copper Mountain, and Skull Canyon. But I found my greatest interest in the lives of the old couple that ran the café. I was a young teenager when I first met them. I was traveling on my first athletic trip. We had a long day of wrestling, then headed home at around 9:00 at night. It was late when we made it to Blue Dome, but the open signed still showed, so our bus pulled to a stop. As the team members spilled out of the bus and into the café, I looked at the hours that were posted and realized the café was just ready to close. But after we entered, the little old couple worked hard cooking and serving as if they planned to stay open all night. I didn’t have much money, so I sat on a stool at the counter apart from the others and ordered a water. “Nothing else?” the old man asked. “I don’t have a lot of money,” I said. After everyone else was served, he came back over and asked if there was anything else he could do for me. “Well,” I slowly said, “there is one thing. I’d love to know your story and the story of this place.” He smiled. “I sometimes get that request from adults, but I think you’re the first young person who has ever asked.” My memory has faded over the years, but I think I remember that his name was John. He told me how he met his wife and how they settled in this out-of-the-way place. He talked about his family and about running the café. When my teammates needed something, John would slip away to serve or to help his wife and then return and continue his stories. Once everyone else was heading to the bus, I put the little bit of money I had on the counter. “Water’s free,” John said. “Then take that as a tip for the stories,” I said. “I would come here just for them.” John smiled and brought his wife over and introduced her to me. She looked as old as John, but to see their eyes sparkle when they looked at each other was more beautiful than any young love. All the others were on the bus when Coach came in and called me to hurry. I joined the others, and they teased me about my “old friends.” But on the way home, I thought about the wonderful couple I had met. After that, every sports bus I traveled in on that long road stopped at Blue Dome, and I spent my time visiting with John. On the last one, as everyone hurried out, John stopped me before I left. “Have you signed our wall?” he asked. I looked at where he was pointing and saw a wall with hundreds of names. I shook my head. He handed me a marker. “You better sign it.” The team impatiently waited while I signed the wall. And I received the usual teasing, but I didn’t care. I liked my old friends. But it was only about a week later when I read the bad news in the paper. The café had burned down and John had died in the fire. And now, though it has been a long time, sometimes when I travel that road I will stop at Blue Dome. There is nothing left to see but a crumbling old cabin and the café foundation. But there are lots of memories, and I like to take the time to stop and remember an old friend. Mrs. Doc watched the dancers swirl around the cleared hardwood floor of the Legion hall, and smiled to see her husband, Doc, waltzing with Ardis Fisher. But Mrs. Doc was never one to sit out a waltz, so she looked around at the menu. Over in the corner, smiling and tapping his foot, was Pop Walker. Pop and several other residents of the Rest of Your Life retirement home were there to enjoy the dance and celebrate the end of summer. Pop has a hard time with his memory, these days, but always forgets things with a smile. “Pop,” said Mrs. Doc, “how about a dance?” “Why sure … uh?” “Mrs. Doc.” “Right. Mrs. Doc.” There are some who say Mrs. Doc has an actual first name, but you know how rumors are spread. Now Pop had learned to waltz back when more people did it, and the decades had smoothed his dance steps with the fine sanding of time. It was a pleasure for Mrs. Doc to go around the floor with him. She smiled and winked at her husband as she and Pop danced by, and Doc grinned and swirled a fancy di-do with Ardis, just to show off. Then she and Pop got closer to the bandstand and there was Dud Campbell playing his accordion. He looked happy and surrealistic in the muted reddish lights on the stage. Next to him sat Carla Martinez, playing rhythm guitar and smiling out on her town and her life. Jim Albertson was up there, too, playing the waltz’s melody on the harmonica, and trading the lead with Jasper Blankenship on his fiddle. As she and Pop Walker danced away, the bandstand receded in a blur of light and sound. Passing like ships in the night were Dewey Decker with Mavis from the Mule Barn truck stop. Mavis’s hair is growing back in since the treatments, giving everyone in the valley just one more reason to be thankful. Randy Jones and Katie Burchell sailed by on wings of love. The waltz ended and Pop walked Mrs. Doc to her seat. “Thanks for the dance, er … Honey,” he said. BROOKINGS, S.D. - This fall, South Dakota livestock pro“Thank you, Pop.” Use Your Sinclair Card The people who dance ducers need to be careful when grazing the fall green up of through our lives give us cool season grasses. the reason to get up and get "Some areas of South Dakota have been blessed with dressed each day. plenty of precipitation this year, making it tempting to heavily graze cool season grasses. But, extreme diligence must be taken not to overgraze during the fall green up of cool season grasses," said Sean Kelly, SDSU Extension Range Management 1.75 ML Field Specialist. Kelly explained that dur- MV Shopper MV Shopper MOODY M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y An Old Friend L 1500 Broadway, 665-3881 SAFES HUNTERS SPECIAL NOW THRU NOV. 16, 2018 Dining & Entertainment St. John’s Lutheran Church 1009 Jackson, St., Yankton, SD CHEN KI• T 11am-7pm Thursday, Nov. 1 Serving st HDX-150 HD-200 HDX-250 Available in 3 Sizes and Colors!! KAYTON INTERNATIONAL, INC. 2630 State Hwy. 14 1211 W. 2nd West Hwy. 275 Albion, NE Crofton, NE Neligh, NE 402-395-2181 • 800-248-2215 402-388-4375 • 800-798-4376 402-887-4118 • 800-247-4718 For more info., stop by Kayton International or visit us online at www.kaytonint.com Menu: Soups, Taverns, Hot Dogs, Pies, Coffee & Milk t arvesUtica Hall H Ball Saturday, October 27th 8:00PM to Midnight Clay Creek Band $10 Cover Charge At The Door Costume Contest! Categories: Men, Women, Couples & Children ing the fall green up, cool season grasses are storing their energy reserves to ensure health through the dormant season and vigor next spring when the growing season starts again (Figure 2). Whereas, warm season grasses grow later in the season during the summer and late summer and do not get another green up in the fall of the year. Leave 6 inches "They grow in the spring and early summer and then get another growth spurt in the fall," Kelly said. "Tremendous damage to cool season grasses can happen if they are overgrazed during the fall green up and they are unable to build those root reserves." He explained that if overgrazed in the fall, cool season plants will have less vigor the following spring and may die out completely during the dormant season. To ensure cool season grasses are not overgrazed, a best management practice is to leave at least 6-inches. "Native cool season grasses should not be grazed shorter than 6 inches in plant height," Kelly said. There are yet other benefits to leaving sufficient plant height into the dormant season. "The soil surface will be protected from erosion and will optimize snow capture during the winter," Kelly said.