Joan Burch Retiring January 31

The Champaign County Extension staff bids farewell to Joan Burch, a Community Worker with our Family Nutrition Program. Joan has taught nutrition education, food safety and budgeting to families with limited resources. She has worked with individuals in their homes, at housing centers, homeless shelters, mentally and physically challenged group homes and senior housing centers. In addition, she has reached thousands of youth at summer nutrition camps.

Joan has always brought enthusiasm and energy to her work. Through her twenty-five year career she has enriched the lives of her clientele. They will miss her.

Our local staff will miss her sense of humor and "can do" attitude. We all appreciated her skill at keeping the FNP office and kitchen organized.

Thank you, Joan, for your professionalism and service to the people of Champaign County. Best Wishes to you and may you enjoy your retirement.

- Marilyn Brengle

Americans struggling to make good money management decisions in a complex marketplace now have a new tool at their disposal. The U.S. Land Grant University system has launched Financial Security for All (http://www.extension.org/personal_finance) The web site is designed to bring the resources of the national Cooperative Extension Service to a broader audience via the Internet.

"Many families around the country are striving to achieve financial stability. Now they will have many tools at their fingertips at any time of day or night to help them increase their money management skills and reach their financial goals," said Sharon Seiling, an Ohio State University Extension family resource specialist.

Financial Security for All brings the wealth of research-based university information on all aspects of attaining personal financial security. The resource tool provides Internet visitors with reliable and up-to-date financial security information through online lessons for self-paced learning and a knowledge base of commonly asked questions with research-based, peer-reviewed answers to help users learn more about specialized areas of personal finance.

Parents and teachers are concerned that youth learn to plan how they will spend, save and share money to reach their goals. Attitudes about money are established early. Teams of child development, and family economics specialists as well as experts in curriculum development have provided resources to aid in learning about money management for all ages–pre-kindergarten through the teen and early adult years.

- source: Candace Pollock, pollock.58@ag.osu.edu

Many of us imagine that retirement is going to be one long, luxurious vacation period of leisure. We dream about getting up and going to bed when we want to with no one telling us what to do. Some of us plan to pursue a special interest or activity we didn't have time for when we had to work. Others might envision working at another job that is more interesting.

Retirement fantasies can disappoint us. Leisure can be great, except as a way of life. After a while, hobbies, sports, travel and recreation can become unsatisfying. We need interests with meaning, activities that matter and concerns that make a difference. Time has to be structured if it is to have value. Otherwise, it accumulates and moves with incredible slowness.

Planning ahead before you retire allows you to consider new identities to fill the void of what you will be leaving. It also gives you more control over your life and encourages you to continue setting new goals for the future.

Write down all of the things you want to do when you retire. Be sure you've included some purposeful activities, leisure time activities, and unplanned time. Experts say that in order to have a fully rounded lifestyle, you should have at least 20 different activities in your life.

To be meaningful, the activities must provide an opportunity for you to experience pleasure, growth, service, exercise and relaxation, satisfaction of achievement, and personal recognition. One activity may provide several of these qualities, but all are essential in varying amounts. Also note whether your plans will accommodate your physical and financial limitations and any special family circumstances.

Balance your time between things you can do on your own and those things you would want to do with your partner, family or friends. Don't rely on others to keep you entertained all of the time.

After considering what you will do after retirement, get involved in some of the activities you listed. If something gets tiring right away or isn't what you expected it to be, it's good to know it ahead. Simply add a different activity to your plan and give it a try.

It's never too early to start thinking about what you will be doing with your time after you retire. Some have many ideas in mind while others don't know what else to do with their lives besides what they did while pursuing their career. It may take them a while to do some soul searching to find out what else makes them happy. Some ideas may have to be negotiated with partners and family members. However, having a good strategy ahead of time will make retirement a much more positive experience.

Fiber is a substance found in plant-based food like fruits, vegetables, peas, beans, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Fiber is not digested or absorbed to the same extent that sugars or starches are.

Studies have shown that eating 20 or more grams of fiber per 1,000 calories each day may help lower blood glucose and also may reduce your risk for heart disease (see the section titled "Eating for Cardiovascular Health"). For these reasons, eating a high fiber diet may be particularly beneficial for people with diabetes.

The American Heart Association and USDA recommend that American adults consume 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories that they consume daily. To find out how many grams of fiber you are eating each day, check the Nutrition Facts label of products you consume. If the product contains three grams of fiber per serving, or more, it is a good source of fiber. For products that do not have a Nutrition Facts label, like fruits and vegetables it is often hard to know how many grams of fiber they contain. Fruit and vegetable generally are good sources of fiber.

Check out University of Illinois Extension website for more information on diabetes.

Your serum cholesterol is influenced by many factors, such as heredity, gender and age, over which you have little control. However, Jananne Finck, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition and Wellness Educator, stresses you can control one important factor - your diet.

Eating the right foods cannot guarantee low serum cholesterol or freedom from cardiovascular disease. But choosing the right foods, not using tobacco, and exercising can help you better make the most of your genetic potential.

For more information on cholesterol, visit the National Institutes of Health website featuring more on the National Cholesterol Education Program at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/

The following recipe from the U. S. Department of Agriculture uses tuna but salmon, chicken or other cooked meat may be substituted for the tuna.

Tuna Pasta Salad

¾ cup elbow macaroni, uncooked

6 ½ ounces tuna, water-pack, drained

½ cup celery, thinly sliced

1 cup seedless red grapes, halved

3 tablespoons light salad dressing

Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain. Toss macaroni, tuna, celery and grapes together. Mix in salad dressing. Serve warm or chill until served. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrient Analysis Per Serving (using canned tuna): 183 calories, 14 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams fat, 16 milligrams cholesterol, 257 milligrams sodium, 30% calories from fat. Exchanges: ½ fruit, 1½ starch, ½ fat.

If winter weather or other factors keep children marooned at home, University of Illinois Extension has some help to offer. "We have a number of websites that offer fun, interactive learning experiences for children and at the same time increase their knowledge of science and nature," said Jane Scherer, U of I Extension urban programs specialist.

" 'A Walk in the Woods' provides a virtual tour of the woods plus all the things a child should watch for, such as plants and animals, along with tips for making the experience more enjoyable," she said. "It is illustrated with color photographs and includes links to more sites dealing with the animal and plant worlds."

The development and history of rivers is covered in "The All-Star River Explorers" website. It shares information in an entertaining manner and at a level easily grasped by youngsters.

"Let's Talk About Insects" provides learning opportunities about the creatures that account for half of all life on the earth.

"The 'Dr. Arbor' site covers the basics of trees, including parts and a fun 'tour' of Dr. Arbor's laboratory," said Scherer. "All of these sites, as well as other Extension sites geared toward children, can be the answer for parents looking for a way to keep youngsters occupied in productive ways."

University of Illinois Extension will conduct five statewide Natural Resources telenets in 2007. The programs are presented via the University's telenet system, featuring live audio and a corresonding video PowerPoint presentation. Telenets will be an hour and a half in length: one hour of presentation followed by thirty minutes for a question and answer period. Please call the office to reserve a space for this free program by calling 333-7672.

Home Energy Conservation

February 21 @ 1:30 & 7:00pm

presenters: Ted Funk and Jay Solomon

Home energy conservation is a hot topic. Three aspects of conservation will be discussed: evaluating a home's use of energy; management of the home and behavior changes that can conserve energy; and how to prioritize to get the most benefit from money spent on conservation efforts.

Drainage Law: Landowner Rights and Responsibilities

March 8 @ 1:30 & 7:00pm

presenter: Dr. Don Uchtmann

"Drainage Law: Landowners Rights and Responsibilities under Illinois and Federal Law" will be presented by Don Uchtmann, Professor and Extension Specialist in Agricultural Law. Discussion will include drainage rights and limitations. Topics will include: the rights of a landowner to make drainage improvements, limitations on obstructing natural drainage, easements of drainage, the right to extend a covered drain across the land of another, mutual drains, drainage districts, and limitations on drainage improvements intended to protect wetlands.

Aquatic Weed Identification and Management

April 17 @ 1:30 & 7:00pm

presenter: Dr. George Czapar

Athough numerous plant species grow in ponds and are important components of the aquatic environment, excess weed growth can have a detrimental effect. This presentation will focus on the identification and management of aquatic weeds.

Private Land Forest Management and Linking Land Use to Water Quality will be presented in August and September.

January

13–14 Illinois Youth Horse Leader Conference, Hawthorn Suites Hotel,

15 4-H Horse Clinic, Tolono, 12:30 p.m.

17 National Safe Tractor & Machinery Operation Program, 6:30 p.m.

17-19 Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show, McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. PH: 800-223-8761

22 Farm Safety for Kids, 5:30 p.m. Parkland Ag Center

22 Youth Committee Meeting, Conference Room, 7 p.m.

23 Livestock Committee Meeting, Conference Room, 7 p.m.

30 Leader's Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

February

5 Marketing Club 7 p.m.

10 Steer/Market Heifer Weigh-in/Tattoo, Large Animal Clinic, 8-10 a.m.

12 Unit Council, 7:00 p.m.

17 Steer/Market Heifer Weigh-in/Tattoo Snow Date

24 – 25 Jr. Leadership Conference, Decatur

27 Legislative Connection, State Capitol, Springfield

27 Horse Committee Meeting, Conference Room, 7 p.m.

March

2-3 Garden Day 2007: The Garden Journey, Holiday Inn in Urbana. See article page 6.

2 – 4 Illinois Horse Fair, Springfield

9 – 10 4-H Livestock Member Retreat, 4-H Memorial Camp

17 Project Challenge (replaces Food, Fun, Not Boring)

24 East Central 4-H Volunteer Forum, Parkland College, Champaign

24 – 30 National 4-H Conference, Chevy Chase, MD

26 Youth Committee Meeting, Conference Room, 7 p.m.

27 Leader's Meeting, Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.

27 Legislative Connection, Springfield