By Bobby Anderson, staff writer

Growing up on the family farm, Brandon Steffens, RN, never saw a contractor’s truck pull up in the driveway.
No plumber, no electrician, no drywall guy and no painter ever set foot inside the house.
“I just grew up always working on the house with my dad. We never hired anything out,” Steffens said. “We did all the electrical, all the plumbing – whatever it was we did it ourselves.”
That work ethic carried the eventual float pool nurse through a seven-year stint with Home Depot and now to his current side business, Brandon’s Home Improvement.
Before he was working in the ICU and the ER, Steffens was plying the knowledge bestowed on him by his dad.
Elbow grease and a passion to make things better would make his dad proud.
Then nursing school and working with his hands took on a new meaning.
“People come to you in nursing in their worst states and it’s an emergency,” Steffens said, taking a break from an apartment remodel in Midwest City. “They’re dilapidated, sick or injured and we get the opportunity to put our hands on them and fix them and make things new again.”
Working nights four to five days a week for the past five years brought Steffens to a crossroads.
“Everyone told me to watch out, you’ll get burned out,” Steffens recalled. “I said ‘No, I wouldn’t’ but you get burned out.”
So Steffens decided to pour more of his time and talents into something else.
Being a contractor was a vocation he held before nursing. That took him into Home Depot, where he oversaw the entire local install business for the big box company.
Whether it be a sink or a door, a microwave or a dishwasher, Steffens was in charge of the contractors who carried out the work under Home Depot’s name.
It taught him even more about the business.
“I realized there is a huge need out there for people who just don’t know how to do home improvements or they didn’t have the time,” he said.
Or too often, they didn’t have a ton of money.
Home improvements are expensive. Steffens knows all too well the retail costs associated with a remodel.
And he knows the sizeable markup that goes with it.
Figuring things out and finding ways to save people a dollar are a challenge for him. Sometimes he challenges himself right out of a bigger check.
He showed up for a recent garage door opener install job one night. The customer had the new opener waiting for him in the box.
Steffens went up to unplug the old wire and noticed an electrical short.
“I saved him $400,” Steffens said. “I like that sense of accomplishment.”
For some reason Steffens’ specialty has always been tile. Projects that most contractors avoid like the plague, Steffens has a certain affinity.
“Most contractors shy away from it because it’s hard, lot of up and down and on your knees. That never bothered me,” he said. “I like the perfection of it, just to lay each piece of tile in a certain way. It’s kind of like art because you can do different things with tile that really finishes a house off.”
For Steffens, the business venture has been a source of freedom. It’s not a straight 12-hour gig, meeting sometimes unreasonable expectations with limited resources.
“I like the sense of accomplishment,” Steffens said. “In nursing, I talk to people all day long and doing home improvement I get a lot of alone time. I get to just lose myself in work for some time and get to be creative.”
“You go in and see something nasty and absolutely turn it around and make it new,” says Steffens, who has remodeled two of his own homes. “I like to touch every surface. I like when people come in to a house I’ve remodeled and every surface in that house has been touched by me.”
He admits he really hasn’t advertised since taking on more work.
He hasn’t had time.
“You do a good job and people tell people,” explained Steffens, who can be found on Facebook under Brandon’s Home Improvement. “People are always asking if you know anybody. It just snowballs from there.”
With four kids, age five, 10, 15 and 22 – Steffens has a full plate at home. But he’s already taken a couple of his kids along to start learning the trade.
“My 10-year-old has shown interest,” Steffens beamed. “He helped with carpentry on a door frame. He had all these wonderful better ideas how to fix it. There’s no science behind it.”
But there’s definitely an art.
And for now, the combination of science and art suits this nurse just fine.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

Even in the depths of winter, Wichita, Kansas can be an inviting destination. My wintry escape included a traveling Broadway show, museums, dining, A Cowtown Christmas and quality comfort in an expansive historic hotel. And its two and half hour drive north of Oklahoma City on smooth interstate 35, made it even more appealing.
Over the decades, I have seen several theatrical events at Century II, Wichita’s modern convention and entertainment venue, and it was my starting point in planning my weekend get a way. Having never seen, and needing a humorous musical entertainment, Once I booked a ticket to see the traveling, “Young Frankenstein.” It was performed admirably, and despite the inevitable comparison to the movie, it held up rather well as an evening’s respite from reality.
The convenience of my hotel stay at the Drury Broadview, across the street, added to my pleasure as did the perfect meal at its adjoining restaurant Avi. My filet was prepared to my directions as was the three blue cheese olive Stoli Martini, which got the evening off to a fine start. Completing the meal it was hard to choose from the dessert offerings of: Carrot Cake with German Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate and Orange Vanilla Cream Brule, Apricot Almond Goat Cheese-cheesecake, or a Chocolate covered Cranberry Chipolte bread pudding with Mixed Berry ice cream. But I did.
Besides the complete renovation of the Drury’s interior, the free extras of Internet, a hot buffet breakfast and the offerings of 3 free cocktails at their evening breakaway, complete with heavy additional treats that might include hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and nachos, and free internet, made the reasonably priced stay even more of a pleasure. Of course the pool and hot tub along with covered parking let you know you were an appreciated guest.
The highlight of my weekend’s theatrical entertainment was the surprise virtuosity of the Diamond W Wrangler singers at the Empire House Christmas Dinner at the living history Cowtown venue. Their close harmonies ~ reminiscent to the “Sons of the Pioneers”~ along with tongue in cheek humor, and a sufficient western style meal made the evening worth the effort to venture out in the cold.
Of course I was there during a Santa Claus visit, with his lap venue for good little girls and boys, along with singing in the western church ~ complimented by guitars and dulcimers courtesy of the Great Plains Dulcimer Alliance and Acoustic Treasures ~ and wandering in the moonlight over boardwalks past wooden stores and Victorian styled houses lit by kerosene lamps, set the stage for a congenial wintry outing.
Wichita has a number of exceptional museums and galleries, including the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum with its authentic recreation of an 1890 Wichita Cottage; the Kansas Aviation Museum with its collection of everything aviation; the Wichita Art Museum with its traveling exhibits and the Museum of World Treasures with everything from pre historic Dinosaurs to movie memorabilia.
A visit to Hat Man Jacks, in the historic Delano district, will custom fit your head to the appropriate covering for comfort, utility, and most expertly for an appealing appearance. Jack is the couture of men’s hats. He also has an extensive knowledge of early Wichita, and his stories are not only educational on frontier Chisholm Trail times, but entertaining.
Of course in our mobile society some venues may have changed or even closed so it is wise to do a little on line checking before taking your Wichita visit.
As there is more to share of Wichita, so please explore on your own by visiting, www.gowichita.com and asking for their visitor guide.
Drury Plaza Broadview – druryhotels.com/content/broadview.aspx
Wichita Historical Museum – www.wichitahistory.org
Wichita Art Museum – http://wichitaartmuseum.org
Century II – www.century2.org

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn

Travel. I’d like to take a road trip to Mississippi or a cruise.

Dairl Ogle

I’m too old for resolutions. I’m 98.

Raymond Duncan

I guess quit eating so much candy and cookies.

Don Hockersmith

I wouldn’t keep them if I did.

Red Cavnar

by Bryan Painter

One ride plus one full day equaled two lessons learned for Esther Miller.
Although Miller grew up on a farm, she learned some valid points of ranch life from husband Dave Miller, rather quickly.
“Early in our marriage I learned that when you are told to get a good drink of water, do so,” she said. “Dave and I were going horseback to look for cattle. I had on a new pair of boots which I wasn’t accustomed to wearing. Dave told me to get a good drink of water. I took a sip or two, but did notice Dave drank a lot.”
It was an August morning in humid eastern Oklahoma.
“When we finally got back to the house I had learned to never leave the house with a cowboy without getting a good drink of water, and never wear new boots to go on a long ride,” Miller said. “On the farm, water was never that far away, but it was on the ranch.”
That’s not all. Miller, who lives near Okmulgee, has a tip from another experience that might help a new ranch bride out somewhere down the road.
“I have also learned that when you cut down a fence with a swather,” she said, “just burst into tears and you will have a very sympathetic husband instead of a livid husband.”
Growing up
Esther was born in the 1930s to Aldon and Rose Sullivan Magness, who raised wheat, cotton and cattle near Geary. In later years, the family took on a custom wheat harvesting business and operated combines from Grandfield in southern Oklahoma all the way to Montana.
“We had a trailer house and went along with him some years,” she said. “My mother cooked for the crew and my sisters and I helped in the kitchen. The summers we did not go with him, my mother and a neighbor took care of the farm.”
Through those years, Miller saw her parents work hard and steady for what they had and she realized nothing is for free.
“Agriculture is a way of life to me,” she said. “People in Agriculture have good values, are well-grounded and friendly and are always there with a helping hand. We feel lucky to have raised a family in an agricultural environment.”
The next chapter
Esther and Dave met in 1952 while students at then-Oklahoma A&M College. They married in 1953 and Dave was drafted soon after that.
“The Korean War was just winding down and he went to Japan and I followed,” she said. “When we returned, he continued in the cow/calf and wheat partnership he and his brother had started earlier. They also raised horses and alfalfa, and baled native grass hay for the cows in the winter.”
Dave came from a pioneer ranching family, a cow/calf operation in northeastern Okmulgee County. In 1878, Dave’s grandfather Bluford Miller and his new bride, Lizzie Anderson, made their home in a log cabin along Rock Creek. Two years later they moved into an L-shaped two story house. Today, Esther and Dave live in that house that was remodeled nearly a hundred years ago, in 1919.
Dave and Esther lived on the family ranch at Mannford in Creek County and then moved to the ranch in Okmulgee County after his father Bluford W. “Bunch” Miller died in 1963.
“We have lived here for 55 years,” she said. “We have added some land, but mostly have cleared land already owned. Early on there were some registered Hereford cows, but the cow herd was mostly commercial. In about 1982 the brothers dissolved their partnership and soon after that Dave sold his cows, went into the stocker business and started clearing land. We now have our hay baled.”
The business is still very much a family endeavor. Esther and Dave have three sons: David Jr., John and Mark. Between the three sons, Esther and Dave have six grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
“David Jr. and Mark are in partnership with the stockers and John runs a family owned oil and gas business,” she said. “A grandson, Tanner, a recent OSU graduate, is helping us out temporarily. We hope we have taught our family to be good citizens, to be reliable, honest and trustworthy and that it takes effort and perseverance to accomplish what you want. A ranch is a good place to learn that. Our boys grew up working cattle and baling hay.”
Other lessons learned
When the interest rates were so high in the 1970s and 1980s, Esther Miller said they were just starting in the stocker business and it was pretty tough getting the lenders to loan money for stockers. However, they kept their heads up and continued trying different things and finally got through it.
That lesson taught her that, “If you want to do something bad enough you can do it.”
“When things came together for us financially, I realized even though there had been a lot of trials, we had really had a wonderful life through it all and feel that we have been truly blessed,” she said.
Maybe that’s why one of her favorite quotes is from the Serenity Prayer: “God Grant Me the Serenity to Accept the Things I Cannot Change, The Courage to Change the Things I Can, and the Wisdom to Know the Difference.”
Miller feels that is a lesson learned that equals a lifetime worth of blessings.
“It seems to me if we all took that to heart it would be a better and happier world,” she said.

The Oklahoma City Police Department’s Triad program has been around for close to 18 years. Triad is a program which provides a joint approach to crime issues which affect older citizens and provides the enhanced delivery of law enforcement services to our more mature population. Triad sponsors crime prevention and victim/witness programs for older persons, offers reassurance programs for older persons to reduce fear and provide moral support; provides a forum for law enforcement and the community to share needs, concerns, and develop solutions. TRIAD unites senior citizens, sheriffs and local police to identify problem areas for senior citizens in order to develop and implement community-wide solutions.
The Oklahoma City Police Department started the Triad program in November 2001. Sheryl Presley is the department’s Triad coordinator and runs the Triad groups in the metro. Triad North meets the second Thursday of the month at 1:30pm at India Shrine. Triad South meets the third Thursday of the month at 1:30pm at Woodson Senior Center 3401 S May, and Triad East meets at our Springlake Station (4116 N. Prospect) on the third Monday of each month at 10:00am (except January & February when the meetings are bumped to the fourth Monday of the month). There are no meetings in September & December. Each meeting typically features a guest speaker who provides informative information. Current scams and frauds targeting senior citizens are also discussed.
Tax season is a time when we see IRS scam ramp up. Seniors are targeted primarily because they are viewed as easy prey. Usually the scammer will call from a number they have spoofed to make it look like it is the IRS calling. The caller will usually say something like they are with IRS and you owe them money. The victim, thinking that it is the IRS, reacts out of fear and suddenly believes that they had better pay the IRS. First, the IRS will never call you if you owe them money. Second, the IRS will not threaten you and tell you that you have to pay them right now. If you owe money to IRS, they will send you a letter in the mail. If you choose to ignore it, they will send you another letter. If you still ignore the letter, then the IRS will turn your case over to a collection agency. This type of scam is something we go over in our meetings with our Triad members and talk to them about what to do. You can also report the call to the IRS impersonation scam line at 1-800-366-4484 or website at www.tigta.gov.
Scammers also use a ploy known as phishing to obtain your personal information. Phishing scams are typically carried out by a scammer sending you an email that claims to be from a financial institution, business, or a government entity like the IRS. The email usually asks for personal identifying information such as your date of birth or your social security number. It is not uncommon for the scammer to ask for your credit card number or the PIN from you debit card. Never give out this type of information to anyone who requests it in the form of an email. Again, the IRS will not send you an email claiming that you owe them back taxes.
This is but one of several IRS scams of which senior citizens should be mindful. Over the past few years, we have seen a trend of thieves stealing identities to fraudulently obtain IRS refund checks. It begins when a scammer assumes someone else’s identity and then fills out a tax a tax return in that person’s name. The IRS then sends the scammer victim’s tax refund check, and since they have already assumed
the victim’s identity, they simply cash the check and pocket the money. Please remember that if something seems suspicious, always err on the side of caution and call police.
A great way for senior citizens in our community to stay current on the latest scams and threats is to get involved in Triad. Having knowledge of scams and crimes targeting the elderly is a great way to help yourself stay safe.
If you have questions regarding Triad, please contact Sheryl Presley at 316-4336. Sheryl is also available at no charge to give presentations on scams, identity theft, mail safety, neighborhood safety, personal and home safety, holiday shopping tips, purse safety, and elder abuse.

Dear Savvy Senior,

What are the eligibility requirements to get Medicaid coverage for nursing home care?

Caregiving Daughter

Dear Caregiving,
The rules and requirements for Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care are complicated and will vary according to the state where your parent lives. With that said, here’s a general, simplified rundown of what it takes to qualify.
Medicaid Eligibility
Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that covers health care for the poor, is also the largest single payer of America’s nursing home bills for seniors who don’t have the resources to pay for their own care.
Most people who enter nursing homes don’t qualify for Medicaid at first, but pay for care either through long-term care insurance or out-of-pocket until they deplete their savings and become eligible for Medicaid.
To qualify for Medicaid, your parent’s income and assets will need to be under a certain level that’s determined by their state. Most states require that a person have no more than about $2,000 in countable assets that includes cash, savings, investments or other financial resources that can be turned into cash.
Assets that aren’t counted for eligibility include their home if it’s valued under $560,000 (this limit is higher – up to $840,000 – in some states), their personal possessions and household goods, one vehicle, prepaid funeral plans and a small amount of life insurance.
But be aware that while your parent’s home is not considered a countable asset to determine their eligibility, if he or she can’t return home, Medicaid can go after the proceeds of their house to help reimburse their nursing home costs, unless a spouse or other dependent relative lives there. (There are some other exceptions to this rule.)
After qualifying, all sources of your parent’s income such as Social Security and pension checks must be turned over to Medicaid to pay for their care, except for a small personal needs allowance – usually between $30 and $90.
You also need to be aware that your parent can’t give away their assets to qualify for Medicaid faster. Medicaid officials will look at their financial records going back five years to root out suspicious asset transfers. If they find one, their Medicaid coverage will be delayed a certain length of time, according to a formula that divides the transfer amount by the average monthly cost of nursing home care in their state.
So if, for example, your parent lives in a state where the average monthly nursing home cost is $5,000 and they gave away cash or other assets worth $50,000, they would be ineligible for benefits for 10 months ($50,000 divided by $5,000 = 10).
Spousal Protection
Medicaid also has special rules for married couples when one spouse enters a nursing home and the other spouse remains at home. In these cases, the healthy spouse can keep one half of the couple’s assets up to $120,900 (this amount varies by state), the family home, all the furniture and household goods and one automobile. The healthy spouse is also entitled to keep a portion of the couple’s monthly income – between $2,030 and $3,022. Any income above that goes toward the cost of the nursing home recipient’s care.
What about Medicare?
Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors 65 and older, and some younger people with disabilities, does not pay for long-term care. It only helps pay up to 100 days of rehabilitative nursing home care, which must occur after a hospital stay.
Find Help
For more detailed information, contact your state Medicaid office (see Medicaid.gov for contact information). You can also get help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see ShiptaCenter.org), which provides free counseling on all Medicare and Medicaid issues.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has received its share of interesting donations over the years. Along with the typical gifts made by check and credit card, there have also been cars, houses, jars of change collected at a lemonade stand, and even a toy soldier collection.
But none quite rival the estate gift that Claremore’s William Edgar Riggs left to the Oklahoma City nonprofit.
Riggs’ brother Lynn penned “Green Grow the Lilacs,” the 1931 play that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II used as the basis for the musical “Oklahoma!” When Lynn died, he willed equal shares of his 1-percent royalty on the musical to William Edgar and his three other siblings.
William Edgar lost his wife to heart disease and his daughter to cancer. So, when he passed away in 1977, he left his royalty share to OMRF to benefit research for those two diseases.
“It was a really generous and foresighted thing to do,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D.
With the gift, OMRF receives one-quarter of 1 percent of the musical’s box office share each year.
The show enjoyed a series of revivals from 1979 through 2002, including two on Broadway and one in London’s West End starring Hugh Jackman, and is still performed approximately 700 times a year. As a result, William Riggs’ gift has now provided OMRF researchers with more than $700,000.
“I’ve worked in the nonprofit sector my whole life, but I’d never heard of a donation like this until I joined OMRF,” said Penny Voss, OMRF’s vice president of development. “It truly is a gift that keeps on giving.”
Indeed, the donations will continue as long as “Green Grow the Lilacs” remains under copyright. In 2017, OMRF received just over $10,000 in “Oklahoma!” royalties.
With “Oklahoma!” celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2018, the musical saw a surge in the number of productions. That should mean a corresponding boost in revenues for OMRF.
“Even though OMRF didn’t yet exist when Lynn Riggs wrote his play, I hope he’d find it fitting that his work benefits Oklahoma’s homegrown research institute,” said Voss.
Grassroots support from Oklahomans in all 77 counties helped make OMRF a reality in 1950. “Those are the same kind of people portrayed in the musical—strong, caring, forward-looking,” she said. “We still see that spirit in our donors today.”

By Darlene Franklin

What would you do if you only had six months to live?
That question confronted me during a recent close brush with death. A blood clot had formed in my lungs. I filled a tiny red notebook provided by the hospital with thoughts on how to leave nothing important unsaid or undone.
Living intentionally is like carpe diem, seize the day. Don’t put off to tomorrow what is on my mind today. But it’s also not carpe diem. I’m not ignoring the future; I want to live life to the fullest today because tomorrow is uncertain.
I’m not talking about doing more. I’m talking what I choose to do. Yes, prioritize. After all, I won’t care if I have 100 unique book titles written before I die (although I hope to) but I will regret not sharing as much of myself as I can with my grandchildren while I am still able and they are still listening. My to-do list (which gets longeron a daily basis) will probably still have unfinished projects on it when I die, and that’s okay. God’s got it covered.
But there are things only I can do in the time where I am, in the place where I live, with the people around me. That’s where I want to make a difference while I can.
What did I add to my intentional living list? What last things did I want to make sure I focus on?
My relationship with God, my Father, my all in all, whom I will worship for all eternity. Since I want to see the world as He does, I need to spend time with Him every day..
My relationship with my family. To pour my unconditional love, joy and pride into them. To pass on our family legacy, things they won’t know if I don’t tell them.
My interactions with people. To grow in graciousness and friendliness, to make people a priority.
Using time wisely. Don’t accept opportunities because they exist. Accept them only after careful consideration.
My health. Take better care of my body, to prolong my days on earth or at least the quality of living.
My tasks. To be faithful in the jobs God has given me to do; to continue writing unless God gives me permission to stop.
While I do the above, I want to suck as much joy as possible from each day.
How about you? What would be on your list? Your priorities may be different than mine, especially if you’re at a different age or stage of life.
Having a clear view of what I want from each passing day, from every person I encounter, will make living intentionally easier. If I can get to the end of a day without regrets, so much the better. If I mess up, I confess where there’s sin, give myself grace where I just was thoughtless, and start over again,
The bigger question is, how do we get there? How do we avoid Blame Lane because we set ourselves up for failure?
Here’s a few tools I use:
Plan ahead. I realized I spent most of my visits with my grandchildren talking with their parents. I’ve started planning activities for us to do together. They bring things to share as well. We may read about trains, play a board game, write poems.while we talk about their lives, and mine. The planning allows for spontaneous moments that are the best of all.
Let go of schedules and allow life to happen. If someone drops by, invite them in for a visit. Human beings always trump things and work. I had to ask my grandson’s forgiveness when he broke a Christmas ornament. For a moment I lost sight of the fact the ornament was meaningless compared to his precious life.
Forgive myself when I mess up. God’s rule to forgive someone seventy times seven starts with me. When God has forgiven me, why can’t I forgive myself?
Let go of the small stuff.
Follow through. What made me examine my life in the first place?. Seek reconciliation with that person, take care of my health, spend more time with my family.
Keep track of your progress. I keep a record in my prayer journal, thanking God when I meet my goal, asking for help when I allow small things to get to me.
Examine your priorities periodically. Is there something I need to change?
When we live life intentionally, we’ll have fewer regrets when we reach the end.
You can find Darlene Franklin online at www.darlenefranklinauthor.com .

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak is praising the ruling by a federal judge that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Judge Reed C. O’Connor said the tax bill passed by Congress in Dec. 2017 effectively rendered the entire health law unconstitutional because it eliminated the penalty for not having insurance. O’Connor, judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, ruled that without that penalty, the law was no longer valid.
“I applaud the decision by Judge O’Connor to rule that the ACA is unconstitutional,” said Doak. “It offers an opportunity to refocus efforts on choice, affordability and consumer protections, elements that have been absent in the marketplace since the inception of the ACA. Whether the ruling is upheld through the appellate process or not, it is now time to apply sensible free market alternatives and fix the ACA problems legislatively. Part of this strategy should be the promotion of consumer alternatives such as association health plans and short-term limited duration plans.”
The administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees federal insurance exchanges, said the ruling will have no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan. An appeal is expected in the case which will likely end up in the Supreme Court.