Save Ottumwa Post January 24, 2024

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•••••JANUARY 24, 2024•••••

A Little Bit Handicapped Last fall, my doctor informed me I would need to have surgery on my right hand to repair a ligament.

It was not an emergency but was one of those things that will only get worse with time. In spite of my best efforts and positive thoughts, it would not go away if I ignored it long enough. I carefully weighed my options. The recovery time is long enough I did not want to have it done before deer season. It would simply not do to have limited mobility in my right hand when I needed to shoot. I also needed it fixed before spring when fishing starts. I decided to have it repaired last week. There are not a lot of outdoor activities that require both hands in January and February.

The surgery was uneventful. The two-hour trip home from the operation turned into a four-hour trip in a blizzard. Upon arrival at home, I immediately got into a routine of discovering things I did with my right hand or both hands that now have to be done with my left hand only.

The dressing on my hand extends (Outdoors cont’d on pg 2)

PAGE 2 (Outdoors cont’d from pg 1)

from the tips of my fingers almost to my elbow. The only use of my right hand at this point is it would make a good club. The simplest tasks are now a challenge. Brushing my teeth is awkward.

Eating is a chore. Have you ever tried to wash one hand while only using that hand being washed?

Most of my work is done on a computer these days. I have reverted back to the hunt and peck style of typing. Half of the letters I need, and all the numbers are on the right side of the keyboard. Both my speed and accuracy have suffered from my temporary handicap. What used to take me a few minutes now takes an hour. It is very frustrating.

As usual, my wife has been a tremendous help during my tribulations. The only thing with which I needed help where she could not assist was fastening my blue jeans. I never thought my jeans were that tight, but I must be wrong. With her attempting to pull both sides together, while I sucked in my stomach, we both started laugh-

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JANUARY 24, 2024

ing so hard the task could not be completed. I decided to wear a sweat suit.

Since the day of my surgery, I have been outside very little.

There is a two-fold reason for this. There is very little to do out there when it snows every other day, and the temperatures range from cold to really cold.

I could go shovel snow, but a person that is a little bit handicapped such as I, can not even do that very well.

Rather than have a pity party for myself, I have decided to do those things that I still can do. I have started working on taxes. If a person is feeling awkward and miserable, one might as well top it off with a miserable job like taxes.

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PAGE 3

Double Dipping For my northern friends, the Canteen in the Alley is a very small restaurant in Ottumwa, Iowa. It seats 16 people on stools around the horseshoe counter.

A canteen sandwich is a loose meat hamburger.

(Scrambled.) You can get a Canteen with, or without cheese, and that’s about it. Oh, they also offer egg sandwiches, and hotdogs.

No fries, but they have great pie. People will stand in line waiting for a seat, but a lot of folks get their food to go. It’s a cozy place.

The focal point of the restaurant is the steam table behind the counter.

A waitress will take your order, and call it out. They don’t write anything down.

One lady puts condiments on a bun, then slides them to the side for the steam table lady One day, shortly before noon, I called my wife asking if she wanted to go to the Canteen for lunch, but she was busy and couldn’t go. At 1:20 Melissa called me back asking if I still wanted to go. I said “Sure!” and agreed to meet her there.

Since we arrived after the lunch crowd, we only wait a few minutes to sit down.

The ladies at the Canteen get to know their customers pretty well. “Cheese everything and cheese ketchup, mustard pickle?”

The lady asked from the

prep table.

“Yep” I replied. She knew both my and my wife’s order.

Another lady came from the back room and brought us our glasses of water, looked at me and asked, “Weren’t you already here today?”

Three Canteen ladies replied in unison, “No, he wasn’t here.”

The water lady said “I

thought you were here this morning.”

Another lady said “No, that was his brother that looks just like him.” Yet another lady responded, “Yeah, that was his brother, Newell.”

Melissa gave me a stern look as if I was on the witness stand and factually stated her question; “And you had coconut creme pie, too, didn’t you!”

The nice elderly gentleman sitting to my right nudged me, softly saying “You’re in trouble now.”

We had a good laugh about that.

We ate our Canteens. As Melissa ordered coconut creme pie, the lady looked at me and Melissa answered; “he’s already had his pie” before the question was even asked.

God bless those Canteen ladies. They tried to cover for me. (and, I would have gotten away with it, if the water lady hadn’t of sang like a canary!)

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SAVE OTTUMWA POST cation. The FAFSA form collects financial information about a student and their family to determine eligibility for financial aid.

In 2024, the questionnaire process is simplified because required federal tax information can be imported directly from the IRS. The forms to apply can be found at www.StudentAid. gov.

Sending a Child to College? Here’s What to Know About Changes to the 2024 FAFSA If you are preparing to send your child off to college within the next year, you may find yourself filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to find out if and how much financial aid he or she is entitled to as a higher education student. Whether you have completed the FAFSA before or are thinking of starting the process for the first time, there are notable changes to the process and timeline of the 2024 application that you should be aware of. Here are answers to questions you may have about the FAFSA. What is the FAFSA? It’s the application you must complete to qualify to receive federal financial assistance for higher edu-

ber, address and contact information.

• Social Security numbers for the student’s parents or spouse.

• Other identifying information such as driver’s license number (if you have one) or Alien Registration for non-U.S. citizens.

• Tax return information for family members involved in the process Does it make sense (spouse, parents). for me to complete the • Information on FAFSA process? cash, savings and checkIf your child wants access ing account balances. to federal loans or grants • Net worth informafor the 2024-2025 school tion on investments, busiyear, they need to comnesses and properties. plete a FAFSA applica• The name of the tion. It is important to note college or career school that all students should your student is attending. apply regardless of their If he or she is still in high family’s financial status school, you can list up to as some form of federal 20 schools that they are financial aid is available considering. to most. The student also may be considered for What happens after I merit-based scholarships complete the form? or on-campus jobs.

Within three to five days of completing the online If your child has never application (seven to ten applied before, they will days for a paper applicaneed to create a Federal tion), you’ll receive a copy Student Aid ID to start the of the Student Aid Report process. Also, all parents that summarizes your stuor spouses that will be dent’s information. Check contributors to the FAFSA it for accuracy and make application, must crecorrections if needed. This ate their own account. In will provide a summary the event you don’t have of your Expected Family online access, you can Contribution, which decall 1-800-433-3243 to termines eligibility for a receive a printed form.

Federal Pell Grant. Ultimately, the information is What information do I passed on to the schools need to complete FAFyou listed in your FAFSA SA? form.

Be sure to have: • The student’s inWhat is the deadline formation such as date of to file for the 2024-25 birth, Social Security num- school year?

JANUARY 24, 2024 Given the late release of the application this year due to the changes made, the window to complete the FAFSA form has been reduced. First, check with the colleges to which your student has applied, as they often have different deadlines. If seeking state aid, check on their filing deadlines as well.

The ultimate federal filing deadline is usually June 30, but if colleges or your state have an earlier deadline, that takes precedence.

Preparing to send a loved one to college can be an exciting but stressful time both financially and personally. A financial advisor can help answer questions you may have as you navigate the milestones of preparing for higher education.

Duane J Lusson, CFP, ChFC, CLU, MSFS, is a Private Wealth Advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Ottumwa, Iowa. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice for 30 years. To contact him, call 641-684-4200 or stop by his office at 527 W. Second in

Ottumwa, Iowa.

Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and its affiliates do not offer tax or legal advice. Consumers should consult with their tax advisor or attorney regarding their specific situation.

Investment products are not insured by the FDIC, NCUA or any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution, and involve investment risks including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value.

Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC. Securities offered by Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2023 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

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