A woman’s touch...How SMMC’s Healthy Woman Program is touching lives in the Crossroads area

Chasing down a dreamFrom India to Big Spring, how one intern is working his way through SWCID and more

Keep ‘em swingingHow former Steers coach Delnor Poss is ‘growing’ champion golfers at Midland College

It’s all in the hipsHave a resolution to lose weight or get fit? Give bellydancing a whirl.

February 2010

Showcase of Homes Inside

Back In Motion Chiropractic CenterDr. Howard Hornsby • Dr. Jody D. Reid

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Living Magazine 1

Hello Valentines,Looking back at days gone by I re-

flect on people I have met and places I have been. This February edition of Living is about some of the wonder-ful people we have met. These people help make the Crossroads the unique and wonderful place it is.

Kunal Patel came to the United States from India chasing a dream. Thomas Jenkins shares a remarkable story about a remarkable young man. Kunal attends SWCID right here in Big Spring and is currently working on his degree.

Joe Zigtma brings us the story of Delnor Poss and his career starting in Big Spring as a golf coach that led to NJCAA golf Hall of Fame creden-tials.

Inside you will also find out about the Healthy Women Program from Steve Reagan and Belly Dancing from Victoria Whitecotton. You will

also be entertained by our wonder-ful contributors giving you advice on personal financial planning as well as painting and photography.

We hope you enjoy this edition and your Valentine’s Day as well. Don’t forget to let that special someone know just how special he or she is. Valentine’s Day is a great time for this but every day we should make it a point to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us. Send a flower or maybe even a special note. Some-times the simplest of gestures can make a difference.

We, too, hope we can make a dif-ference in your lives by bringing to you our Living Magazine. Until next month, take care and remember this. We never know when it will be our last day. Make each day count and live it like it is your last.

Ron Midkiff

On the Cover:The historic totem pole at Co-

manche Trail Park once again stands tall, thanks to repairs provided by FCI Big Spring. The pole was vandalized in December 2008.Photo by Thomas Jenkins

.

Featured StorieS

2 A woman’s touch...

5 Design: How to communicate emotional impact

8 Chasing down a dream

10 The lens of the beholder

18 Keep ‘em swinging

22 Develop your spending plan 24 It’s all in the hips

Publisher: Ron Midkiff

Contributors: Thomas Jenkins Kay Smith Victoria Whitecotton Bruce Schooler Steve Reagan C.L. Wayne Moore Joe Zigtema

Calendar

Published by Heritage Publications (2003) Inc. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Living Magazine is published 10 times yearly and mailed individually free of charge to homes and businesses in the Big Spring, Texas, area. Editorial correspon-dence should be sent to Living, P.O. Box 1431, Big Spring TX 79720. For advertis-ing rates and other information, please call (432) 263-7331.

Feb. 18 — Go Red for Women luncheon at the Dora Roberts Community Ceneter.

Feb. 20 — Big Spring Sym-phony presents “Symphony in Motion.”

March 4-6 — Tournament of the Crossroads softball tourna-ment.

March 7 — 41st Annual Gem and Mineral Show.

March 27 — Big Spring Sym-phony presents it’s Pops Ex-travaganza.

April 10 — Big Spring Area Chamber of Commerce Health Fair.

Vol. 2 Edition 2Publisher’s NoteContents

Back In Motion Chiropractic CenterDr. Howard Hornsby • Dr. Jody D. Reid

Come see what caring, gentle and safeChiropractic care can do for you.

Traditional & Low Force ChiropracticOn Site X-rays • Acupuncture

• Therapeutic Modalities• Licensed Massage Therapy• Workers’ Compensation• Medifast Weight Loss

• Spinal Decompression for Pinched Nerves & Disc Injuries• Cold Quartz Laser

Most Insurances Accepted

432-267-BACK (2225) • www.backinmotionbigspring.com1113 SCURRY

BACK IN MOTION NEW.indd 1 11/13/09 11:45:06 AM

Serenity Spa is here to help!The official weigh in station for the Herald’s Best Loser Fat To Fitness Challenge

Consult with us for a Weight Loss Program for you.

Swedish, Deep Tissue, Prenatal, and Hot Stone Massages, Body Wraps,

Facials, Reflexology.

Serenity Spa

264-66511115 S. Scurry • Located Next to Back In Motion

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2 Living Magazine

A woman’s touch...

By Steve Reagan

W ith more and more women making de-cisions about their families’ health care

needs, it only follows that a program that funnels important medical infor-mation to women is a good thing.

Enter the Healthy Woman Program.Healthy Woman, established a little

more than a year ago at Scenic Moun-tain Medical Center, was established to provide information to women about how to take better care of themselves and their loved ones.

And that information is provided from a female’s point a view. You’ll not find any dry lectures at one of the monthly Healthy Woman meetings, but attractions such a free pedicures and cake auctions are a pretty safe bet.

The unique approach appears to be a hit with area women — program membership has mushroomed to 677 in Healthy Woman’s first year alone.

Those numbers are gratifying to Kim Howell, who co-directs Healthy Woman along with Anita Cline.

“When we were planning the pro-gram, we looked at the demograph-ics of Howard County and discovered there are about 6,000 women between the ages of 25 and 55 living here, so we thought 300 members would be a good goal to shoot for in the first year,” said Howell, who’s also marketing di-rector for Scenic Mountain. “To have almost 700 members is extremely gratifying.”

Although the program is only a year old, it has literally been years in the making.

“This had been in the works for years,” Howell said. “Research shows that, today, women are the primary health care decision makers for the family — they’re making decisions for themselves, spouses, children and, in some cases, their parents.

“The Healthy Woman Program was designed to be an educational re-source for women primarily in the 25-to-55 age group, to provide them with knowledge so they can make these kind of decisions for themselves and their loved ones,” Howell added. “And we wanted to do it in a fun, interactive style.”

Howell said she and her co-director are ideal working partners.

“Anita and I have a friendly com-petition to see who’s program finally attracts our 1,000th member,” Howell

When painting for impact my pri-mary objective is to get viewers in on the full emotion of a subject and to see what I see. Compositional elements have to be manipulated to capture that exciting first impression. I use a combination of verbal and visual cues that take us right to the heart of the matter.

My first step is to make a list of adjectives describing the object, then try to translate them in paint. Is my subject massive or small, serene or exuberant, cheerful or poignant? Any mood, emotions, or ideas my subject evokes will make up the message the work will send. If you analyze your response to your subject matter,

you’ll be certain to have a winner.Developing the subjectI use a simple approach weighing

all options against whether or not the mood is enhanced or the feelings are conveyed.

• Get the proportions right. Subjects that fill up a large amount of picto-rial surface often appear massive and monumental while more diminutive ones may appear isolated, fragment-ed, or lost. A figure in motion, for example, could extend off the edges while a barn could get swallowed up by space. If texture plays an impor-tant role to set the mood, your sub-ject must be large enough to render a believable illusion of its surface.

• Limit subject matter. There are so many interesting things out there to put on paper or canvas. It is always so tempting to put it all into one composition as most beginners do. Try to identify only the key objects that help tell the story. Each actor should support the leading lady or man, establish a mood and suggest the setting. The extras on the set are best left out.

• Place the subject with care. Many instructors will say where the interest or focal point should be. Dead center or middle is usually reserved for ani-mal or human portraits. Asymmetri-cal compositions are more casual and unrestrained and work best for lively and active subjects. The choice de-pends on what you are trying to com-municate. Division of your rectangle

into thirds then placing your center of interest at any of the intersecting lines guarantees proper placement.

• Consider the point of view. It is up to you to determine a vertical or horizontal orientation of your chosen subject. Viewing from below puts it on a psychological pedestal and makes it seem more awe-inspiring. A sweeping panorama observed from above can be used to highlight the di-minutive size of an object. Eye level exploits the way we commonly see our world and suggests the everyday quality of subjects or events.

• Use atmosphere to set the mood. People share their reactions to chang-es in seasons, weather conditions, time of day, etc. These elements

Living Magazine 5

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By Kay Smith

Design: How to communicate the emotional impact

can be used creatively. Presenting a subject under unusual conditions can grab the viewer’s attention and hold it. For example, depicting a couple of people walking along a snowy road might make us shiver and want to stay indoors.

• Choose a suitable scale. The size of your painting also affects your message to your viewers. Bigger isn’t necessarily better but it is differ-ent. One of my out of town students paints on only 2 by 3 foot or 4 by 6 foot supports. Large works have a vi-

sual presence essential to some sub-jects while smaller works may appear more intimate or precious. Do you have a flamboyant subject to paint? Might consider a large scale support. Do you want your viewers to linger over a subtle subject? Then work on smaller scale.

• Weigh the advantages of different formats. You can use your paint-ing’s dimensions to reinforce your message. Use of squares and circles are balanced, constant and solid. Rectangles with long sides suggest a dominant direction of movement. Horizontal formats are often identi-fied with tranquility and vast expan-siveness; vertical formats often sug-gest ascension. (One of my famous instructors, Tony Couch, would not allow us to use the vertical format, ever. He believes any subject can fit into a horizontal rectangle and should)

• Put design elements to good use. Emphasize the colors, values, shapes, lines and texture that complement your subject. Bright colors, of which I am most fond, relay a more extro-verted message than muted colors. As for lines, a zig-zag tells a more active story than the restful tale of gentle contours.

Molding a personal methodYou can experiment with these

steps to find what works best for the ideas and subject matter you want to paint. Making an impact is what you are after. The decisions you need to make are based on common sense and many universal human re-sponses. You’ll be able to make them effortlessly as long as you practice your art. So before you dust off your brushes and find paper, canvas, pen-cil or other drawing tools, take time to define your subject and your mes-sage. The habit will stay with you and have a lasting impact on you and on your work.

To see examples of Kay’s work, visit Brushworks Studio at 2106 Scurry or online at her website or blog: www.kaysmithbrushworks.us or http://kaysmithbrushworks.blogspot.com, Phone 432-263-ARTT

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Living Magazine 7

W here there is a will, there is a way.

It’s an age-old saying that has inspired millions

to dream of life beyond common bor-ders and barriers, but for Kunal Patel of India, it’s a mantra that brought him to the United States — and SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf (SW-CID) — as the young man continues his studies and chases his dreams.

“I was the only boy from my family to go to the United States for further studies. So when I was admitted by SWCID in August 2006, I was very ex-cited,” said Patel. “I was very proud. Although I’m deaf, I was able to make my dream come true.”

Patel said he chose SWCID over several other American colleges, a decision he’s very glad he made.

“I got acceptance from many colleg-es, including Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.,” said Patel. “How-ever, I selected SWCID because it was the only college for deaf students. I thought that I could gain and under-stand the subjects better at SWCID because the teaching is done through sign language.

“At SWCID the teaching staff and the faculty members are more coop-erative. I have been at SWCID for the last three years and I have already completed my data entry certification course. At present, I am in the last

semester of my associate degree in office administration. I’ve learned a lot compared to my studies in India.”

Patel said he’s learned many good habits and study techniques while at-tending SWCID, including punctuality and working cooperatively.

“It’s also helped me improve my English,” said Patel. “I’ve also learned a lot about being innovative and gained a much deeper knowledge of my school subjects.”

As proud as Patel is of the SWCID campus and staff, the local college is just as proud of the Indian student, having awarded him the Presiden-tial Award in 2007-2008, Outstand-ing Diplomat 2006-2008, the Phillip Waldrup Scholarship, International Student Scholarship and Most Im-proved Data Entry Technology Stu-dent 2008-2009.

“Looking at my accomplishments, I can say, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way,’” said Patel. “You’ll always get the best results when you work hard.”

Patel’s SWCID training not only won the student plenty of praise and acco-lades, it also landed the young man a temporary spot on the staff of the Big Spring Herald.

“Working at the Herald was one of the biggest experiences in my life,” he

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Living Magazine 9

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said. “ I found out about the job through guidance from my college career center. I was called for an interview at Herald, which I passed and was selected to pursue an internship at the newspaper. I was very excited and eager to have work with a large company like the Her-ald.

“I really loved working there. I think the thing I enjoyed the most about working there was the cooperation and support I received from the staff. When I was leaving for my recent overseas trip to India I really didn’t want to leave the Herald. I felt it was right place to be.”

Among the skills Patel credits to his internship are fil-ing and general clerking duties, as well as working with the various departments within the newspaper.

“I’ve learned how to make tickets for advertising,” he said. “I also got the chance to help work on the an-nual Big Spring Herald Christmas Parade, from making the parade map to writing the letters. It’s really been a learning experience.

“I feel that practical knowledge is better than theoreti-cal knowledge. My internship gave me the chance to actually do a number of the things I had studied.”

Herald Advertising Manager Rick Nunez was pleased.

“Kunal’s work as intern has been a pleasant experi-ence,” said Nunez. “From the first day, he has show the eagerness to learn office procedure and the newspa-per business.”

Nunez said communication between himself and Pa-tel hasn’t been a problem during his internship.

“Communication has not been an issue. In fact, Kunal has taught me some sign language,” said Nunez. “He has an exceptional eye for detail and proofreads many advertisements in the newspaper. He learns at a very fast pace and multitasks the way a professional must do so in these fast-pace times.”

Patel, who traveled back to India in late December for a one-month trip, said he was excited to see his family, but still eager to return to the United States to continue his schooling and internship with the Herald.

“I’m enjoying my trip to India. It’s good to see all of my relatives after being gone three years,” said Patel. “I am from the state of Gujarat, where we celebrate a large number of fes-tivals each year. I’m really enjoying that, as we are preparing for the Ut-tarayan festival, otherwise known as the festival of kites.

“I’m really excited to be coming back. On one hand, I know I’ll miss my friends and family when I leave India, so the prospect does make me feel a bit sad. However, I’m eager to get back to studying at SWCID and my in-ternship.”

This month we are going to talk about the single most important part of your camera; the lens. All cam-eras have one and the quality of the lens determines the quality of your image. If you have a “point and shoot” camera the lens is a part of the camera body and cannot be removed.

The lens on a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) is removable and can be interchanged with different lenses depending on the desired perspec-tive you want. This article will deal mainly with the different types and sizes of lenses that you would use on a DSLR to capture that winning im-age.

The two types of lenses that we are familiar with are the fixed lens and the zoom lens. The focal length of the fixed lens is well… fixed. That means that you will have to use the old two-legged zoom to make the image larger or smaller. That’s right, you have to physically walk closer or farther away to change the size of the image in your camera. I know it is old fashioned, but it works. The fixed lens is usually less expensive than a zoom lens and up until the newer zooms came out, the quality of the image was better.

The zoom lens is the other option and has become very popular. With the advent of computers, engineers

have been able to design zoom lenses that are approaching the sharpness of fixed lenses. Some of the pro-fessional quality (read: expensive) lenses are even better than the fixed lenses. When people ask what lens they should buy, I recommend buy-ing the best zoom lens they can af-ford. The lens will often cost more than the camera body. If you get a professional quality lens, it will last a lifetime if you take care of it. As you move up in the quality of your cam-era body, you can use the same lens as long as they are both made by the same manufacturer.

Both the fixed and the zoom lenses have multiple glass elements in them. These elements are placed in the lens barrel in a precise manner to get op-timum quality images. So you don’t want to use your expensive lens to hammer nails or loosen pickle jars. They can handle a few light bumps, but please be very careful with them and they will give you a lifetime of service. If they do get out of align-

10 Living Magazine

By Bruce Schooler

The lens ofthe beholder

ment or get damaged, they can be fixed by the manufacturer’s service center.

The two basic parameters of lenses are the focal length and aperture. Uh, oh, I can see the eyes starting to glaze over. I promise not to get too techni-cal. All you really need to know is that the focal length determines the magnification of the image that is projected onto the sensor. The aper-ture determines the amount of light that will hit the sensor.

Focal length is usually given in millimeters (mm). There are three classifications of lenses when talking about focal length. There are normal, wide-angle and telephoto lenses. The focal length of a normal lens is ap-proximately equal to the diagonal measurement of the sensor. Normal lenses are usually around 50 mm in size. Very few cameras come with a normal lens anymore. The wide-angle lens has an angle of view wider than 60 degrees and the focal length is shorter than the normal lens. The telephoto lens has an angle of view narrower than the normal lens as well

as a longer focal length.I have covered some of

the basics of lenses and I know it can be very confusing when deciding which lens to purchase. My two favorites are the 24-70 mm and the 70-200mm zooms. They both have a wide aperture of f2.8. If you remember in past articles we discussed aperture which is measured in f-stops. I’m not going to go into detail about aper-

Living Magazine 11

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12 Living Magazine

ture except to say the wider the aperture (smaller the number) the better. If you get a zoom lens with an aperture of 2.8 it will be more expensive than one with an aperture of 5.6. Just to give you an idea of how much a fast professional lens will set you back, the 400 mm telephoto lens you see a lot of the pro photographers using at sporting events run about eight thousand bucks. We don’t need a lens of that quality to get excellent im-ages and a good starter lens is very reasonable. Now grab your camera and go out and capture some family history.

If you have any questions about lenses or photography in general, email me at schooler-photo@suddenlink.net. You can also call me at 432-264-7728 or 432-466-3315. I look forward to hearing from you. By the way, if you enjoy getting the Living Magazine, visit the sponsors and let them know.

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AWESOME one-of-a-kind home with 3,665 living sq. ft. Huge living area with open floor plan, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, office, gameroom, separate formal dining, WB fireplace, walk-in closets, plenty of storage. Recent new windows throughout, covered patio, sprinkler system, 3 car garage.

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IMPRESSIVE tri-level home inHighland South. Spacious 3 bedroom, 2 bath with 2,312 living sq. ft., 2 living areas, WB fireplace, formal dining area, pretty landscaped yard, 2 car garage.

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COMFORTABLE LIVING is yours in this spacious tri-level Kentwood home. 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, formal living, garden/sunroom, big gameroom, WB fireplace, 3 car garage. Lovely landscaped corner lot.

LOVELY AND SPACIOUS 4 bedroom, 2 bath featuring 2 living areas, 2 dining areas, WB fireplace, study/office, covered patio, sprinkler system and 2 car garage. 2,444 living sq. ft., really nice amenities!

COVER PAGE FEBRUARY 2010.indd 1 1/15/10 12:42:00 PM

Living Magazine 13

UNIQUE TRI-LEVEL Kentwood home with 1,900 living sq. ft., total electric, WB fireplace, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, tile fence, covered patio, workshop, 2 car garage. Pretty corner lot.

NEW VERY IMPRESSIVE tri-levelhome in College Park addition.3 bedroom, 3 bath with 2 living areas,WB fireplace, central heat/ref. air,2,303 sq. ft. Beautifully landscaped,cov. patio, front sprinkler system,storage shed, 2 car garage.

NEW RECENTLY UPDATED -Nice 2 bedroom, 2 bath brick featuring separate formal dining area, WB fireplace, new A/C in 2009 & security system in 2008. Masonry fence, storage shed, 1 car garage, great Parkhill location.

OFFERING A GOOD DEAL on this 3 bedroom, 2 bath College Park home. Central heat/ref. air, WB fireplace, Pergo flooring, wood fence, sprinkler system, 1 car garage. Close to elementary school and college. $70’s.

NICE 3 BEDROOM brick in College Park subdivision. Bonus room, central heat/ref. air, 1,275 sq. ft., great floor plan, 1 car garage. $70’s.

FORSAN SCHOOL DISTRICT -Nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath with 2 living areas, 2 dining areas, gas log fireplace, total electric, 1,992 sq. ft., 2 car garage, 2 car carport. Barn/stable, storage shed, workshop, 3.3 acres. $70’s.

GREAT CURB APPEAL! Attractive, updated 3 bedroom, 2 bath with 2 living areas, central heat/ref. air, gas log/WB fireplace, Pergo flooring, 1 car garage, 3 car carport. $70’s.

WHAT A BUY!!! Desirable Parkhill location, 2,240 living sq. ft, recent new interior paint, prettyhardwood floors, price reduced to $78,500! 3 bedroom, 2 bath with 2 living areas, study/office, central heat/ref. air, WB fireplace.

POPULAR LOCATION in Edwards Heights Addition. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, separate dining, office could be 4th bedroom, 1,939 living sq. ft., beautiful kitchen cabinets. Tile fence, covered patio, storagebuilding, 3 car carport, $70’s.

SPACIOUS AND AFFORDABLE - 3 bedroom, 2 bath brick - office could be used as 4th bedroom, 1,941 living sq. ft., 2 living areas, central heat/ref. air, nice North Parkhill location. $70’s.

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BEAUTIFUL CORONADO HILLS LOCATION - 4 bedroom, 2 bath with WB fireplace, nice Pergo flooring, 2 car attached garage, sprinkler system. Additional garage/workshop, carport & greenhouse in back.

NEW LARGE - BEAUTIFULLY UPDATED home with 3,074 living sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 3 living areas, WB fireplace, central heat/ref. air. Tile fence, covered patio, storage shed, storm cellar, above ground pool, 2 carcarport. $80’s.

HOME PAGE TWO FEBRUARY 2010.indd 1 1/15/10 12:42:40 PM

14 Living Magazine

NICE PRICE REDUCTION on this 3 bedroom, 2 bath brick with central heat/ref. air, garden/sunroom, tile fence and 1 car garage. College Park subdivision. $60’s.

MANY UPDATES includingbeautifully refinished hardwood floors, crown moulding and kitchen cabinets. 2 bedroom, 1 bath with central heat/ref. air, WB fireplace, wood deck, carport. $60’s.

FORSAN - 3 bedroom, 2 bath with 2 living areas, sunroom, central heat/ref. air, barn/stable, storage shed, workshop, 2 car carport. Total of 23 acres - 1.5 acre inside city limits, 21.5 acres outside city limits. $63,000.

EXCEPTIONAL BUY at $62,000. 4 bedroom, 2 bath with bonus room, separate formal dining, central gas heat, 2 car carport. 1,956 sq. ft.

VERY NICE BUY on this 3bedroom home located on 0.498 ac. Central heat/air, storagebuilding and workshop, covered patio, water well, 2 car carport, totally fenced.

NICE AND COZY 2 bedroom with WB fireplace, central heat/ref. air, hardwood floors, 1 car garage, storm cellar and storage building. Extra lot with water well included. $58,500.

VERY CLEAN manufactured home on approx. 1 acre. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, total electric, covered patio, wood deck, Coahoma ISD. $40’s.

GREAT CURB APPEAL! 2 bedroom, 1 bath, study/office, 1 car garage, two carports. Needs some TLC. $40,000.

EXTRA NICE 3 bedroom with pretty kitchen cabinets and countertops, central heat/ref. air, 1,073 sq. ft. $35,000.

$34,000 - Good starter home or rental property. Nicely painted interior, hardwood floors, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1 car garage.

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NEEDS SOME TLC but could make a nice home. 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, central heat/air, sunroom, covered patio, nice landscaping and fencing. 1.25 ac., Coahoma ISD. $60’s.

HOME PAGE THREE FEBRUARY 2010.indd 1 1/15/10 12:42:20 PM

Living Magazine 15

The source of square footage quoted on all properties listed in this magazine is Howard County Appraisal District.

Lots and Acreage COMMERCIAL LOTS AND ACREAGE916 Lamesa Hwy. - 6 lots, great commercial site.

Thorpe/Wasson - Commercial lots-frontage, $80,000.

S. Service Rd & FM 700 - Good building site, 1.08 acre.

N. Hwy. 87 - I-20 Frontage, 5 ac. tracts, $399,000.

500 E. FM 700 - 18 acre, corner lot.

1208 E. 4th - 50 x 140 on corner lot, $12,000.

1210 E. 4th - Corner lot, $12,000.

1900 Wasson - 150 x 150 corner lot, $20,000.

1901 Wasson - 150 x 150 corner lot, $20,000.

1210 E. 5th - Corner lot, $6,000.

1611 E. 4th - Corner lot, $65,000.

1201 Scurry - Good retail location, $50,000.

1202 Scurry - Nice retail lots, $15,000.

1605 Scurry - 0.177 ac., 3 sides fenced.

500 Gregg - 100’ frontage, 140’ deep, $195,000.

1207 Utah - 2 lots, $17,000.

421 E. 3rd - 2 lots, $10,000.

407 W. 3rd - 150 x 150 commercial lot, $19,500.

RESIDENTIAL ACREAGEKentwood - 5.08 acres, South of Merrily St.Kentwood - 89.10 acres, East of Kentwood.S. Goliad - 9.681 ac., prime acreage, beautiful building site.Campestre Estates - 5ac. tracts - $15,000. (29 tracts available).Hearn - 3.86 acres, Forsan ISD, $11,500.South Mountain - 6.187 ac., beautiful building location.1908 Thorpe, 3.16 acres, $29,000.Richie Rd. - 10 acres, $29,500.Baylor Blvd. - 6.74 acres, $39,900.

RESIDENTIAL LOTSParkland Estates - Thorpe / Wasson, $35,000 each.

Forsan - Warren St., nice building lot, $4,500.

Connally - 7 lots, $11,500.

Parkway Rd. - 70 lots, great building opportunity, $250,000.

Coronado Hills - 6 residential lots. $49,000.

403 E. 8th - 2 lots, covered parking, $13,000.

Baylor - 7 lots (2 lots could be commercial).

Scott Drive - $18,000.

712 Craigmont - $17,000.

720 Craigmont - $17,500.

3802 Dixon - $8,000.

3800 Dixon - $8,000.

3802 Parkway - $4,000.

3800 Parkway - $4,000.

601 Bucknell - $5,000.

4000 Vicky - $8,000.

2513 E. 25th - $10,000.

1308 E. 6th - $8,000.

702 Caprock - $34,000.

3204 Fenn Ave. - $6,500.

702 Colgate - $6,500.

706 Colgate - $6,500.

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FARM AND RANCHMidway Rd. - 106.07 acres pasture land, can be divided into 10 acre tracts. Paved road on 2 sides.

HOME REALTORS PAGE FOUR FEBRUARY 2010.indd 1 1/15/10 12:43:38 PM

16 Living Magazine

4000 W. HWY. 80 - Apartment complex with 14 apartments plus RV Park and 6 storage spaces. Will sell Apartments separate from RV Park.

307 W. 4th - Three lots with concrete building, the two houses on property will be moved.

1901 W. 16th - 9,900 Sq. ft., additional building with 2,000 sq. ft., paved parking, 5 acres included.

502 E. FM 700 - For sale or lease, 11,242 sq. ft., fenced, 2.52 acres.

600 MAIN - Office Building with 8 offices, 2 baths, 2 reception areas, storage building, 3,900 sq. ft.

806 W. I-20 - Approx. 5,632 sq. ft., 1.05 acres. Four 5-ton units, 2 septics, adjoining 3.57 acres that can be purchased,

1011 W. 4th - Approx. 7,356 sq. ft, showroom, shop with overhead door, fenced yard.

611 GREGG - For sale or lease, centralheat/ref. air, basement, storage shed.

900 AYLESFORD - Triplex apartment complex - One unit is a 3 bedroom, 1 bath, two units that are 2 bedroom, 1 bath.

308 SCURRY - Could be used for offices or retail, nice downtown location, central heat/ref. air, 3,164 sq. ft.

1900 WASSON - Nice commercialbuilding, 2,200 sq. ft., 3 large rooms, 2 bath rooms, 0.596 acre fenced with chain link fence.

1501 W. 4th - Good location with small office,garage with overhead door and wash bay.

101 AIRBASE RD. - Auto repair business with all mechanical equipment included. Also 1 bdrm, 1 bath residential living quarters.

200 W. BROADWAY - COAHOMA - Inactive service station, owner says tanks are good.Possible owner finance.

Commercial Properties

Specializing in Residential,Commercial, Farm and Ranch,

HUD or VA acquired properties.

All of the properties advertised in this magazine were actively for sale at the time of publication. If the property has sold, or been withdrawn from the market, this is not an offering of that property for sale, and is only a representation of the properties that Home Realtors lists and sells.

HOME REALTORS COMMERCIAL PROP FEBRUARY 2009.indd 1 1/15/10 12:43:04 PM

Living Magazine 17

18 Living Magazine

By Joe Zigtema

Alot happened in golf in 1977. Tom Watson shot a 65 in two straight rounds to beat Jack Nicklaus and

capture the British Open in the “Duel in the Sun” at Turnberry Golf Course in Scotland.

Nicklaus won his 63rd Tour event later that year to take second place on the career wins list.

And in Midland, a 42-year-old ex-bas-ketball player started coaching a new golf program at Midland College. His name was Delnor Poss.

Now, 32 years, 22 consecutive NJ-CAA National Golf Tournaments and 42 NJCAA All-Americans later, Poss is still teaching Chaparrals from all over

the world the finer points of golf at the junior college level. Except now he’s got Hall of Fame credentials —in the NJCAA golf Hall of Fame, the West-ern Junior College Conference Hall of Fame and, most recently, the Golf Coaches of America Hall of Fame. He’s the only coach not from a four-year col-lege to receive that honor.

He’s coached 20 players who went on to play in Pro Tours around the world, including golfers from Canada, Scot-land, England, Norway, South Africa, among others.

It’s quite a selling job to nab a good amateur golfer from halfway around the world and bring them to the windy, flat plains of West Texas.

“I always planned for them to come in at night,” he says, “so once they get unpacked and everything, then you’ve got them.”

Combine those players with home-grown ball-strikers like current PGA player Chad Campbell, and you’ve got a recipe for NJCAA championships, which Poss led the Chaps to in 1992, 1995, 2006 and 2008.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t pick up golf until he was in college as some-thing to do when he wasn’t running the 100-yard dash or scoring 16 points per game as a Hall-of-Fame point guard for Hardin-Simmons in the old Border Conference.

Poss didn’t know he wanted to be a

Keep ‘em swinging

Living Magazine 19

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coach right out of the gate. In fact, he didn’t know what he was going to do at all when he left Hardin-Simmons as a basketball star in 1956.

He was walking the streets of San An-gelo, wondering what was next for him, when saw an old teacher of his who asked him that same question.

He didn’t know. The teacher hooked him up with a

job coaching at little Garden City High School, where he was for two years before moving on to Menard High School and eventually the Steers of Big Spring.

“The Big Spring football team had lost 33 straight games at that time, so they were looking for someone who could

1993 NJCAA National Golf Tour-nament 3rd place team, left to right- Coach Dub Warden, Guy Redford, Chad Campbell, Shawn Savage, Darren Summers, Steve Dundas, Coach Delnor Poss.

coach basketball and assist with foot-ball,” Poss recalled.

It was in Big Spring that he got his start, coaching for four years before joining the school board for 10 years while raising his three sons, Nathan, Del and Mark. He picked up little league baseball, basketball and football while working for GAMCO industries with friend and Howard College coach Harold Davis.

“(Big Spring) always has a special place in my heart because of the peo-

ple,” Poss said. “It’s a very unique city, the people are wonderful, and it’s just a tremendous place in my eyes.”

Poss moved on to coach at Mid-land in 1977, but it took 30 years of commuting before his wife, Martha, would allow a move to Midland.

Martha Poss taught music at Big Spring, and still travels to the area to play bridge. Delnor Poss still banks at State National Bank in Big Spring, and his banker is a former Chap athlete.

When Poss came to Midland College in mid-January of 1977, golf was at the back of his mind. He was to be the basketball coach there, and he led the Chaps to a 12-5 record through half a season and a berth in the Region Championship game — which he says he could have won if he were still coaching at that time.

Instead, Poss chose to take up golf so he could keep up with his athletic di-rector duties.

“I thought if I’m going to be athletic director, with a job like that, I better not coach something as emotionally tax-ing, so I took golf because I loved golf,” he said. “I played four times a week.”

So Poss applied what he had learned as a basketball coach to golf, like start-ing an exercise program for his golfers. He was one of the first golf coaches to put his players through weight training and conditioning exercises, far ahead

of the curve.“It still stands to be that in any phase

of athletics, the stronger you are, the better you can perform,” he said. “The college and high school players have to carry their own bags. I tell the players that if they are going to play 36 holes of golf and carry that 50-pound bag, they will have to be in pretty good condi-tion.”

But aside from the physical aspect of golf, Poss focused on what he considers the most important part of the game.

“Being successful at golf is mastering the mental approach to the game,” Poss says. “Conditioning for golf mentally is so important because you have to stay in your self-control, and your self-com-position has to be tremendous.”

Poss says he has his players “mentally” play the courses before they ever pick up a golf club — seeing the ball right down the middle of the fairway every time out of the tee box.

“You try to get them to condition their minds to where they can execute a shot,” he said. “I tell the players, ‘If you can’t visualize yourself, and you can’t visualize a shot, you can’t play golf.”

And what happens when they slice it 50 yards into the deep rough?

“That’s golf,” he says, smiling.

20 Living Magazine

United Way of Big Spring and Howard County

Jeanie Coor, Executive Director 432.267.5201

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American Red Cross of Southwest Texas

Buffalo Trail Council Boy Scouts of America

Casa of West Texas

Dora Roberts Rehabilitation Center

Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest

Howard County Council on on Aging Mobile Meals

Howard County Humane Society

Isaiah 58

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Rape Crisis/Victim Services of Big Spring

Salvation Army

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Living Magazine 21

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22 Living Magazine

In our previous month’s article, we began to develop a spending plan to show the actual amount of money you spent in one month under flexible expenses. If you missed that article, “First Steps in developing a spending plan,” be sure to get a copy of the pre-vious issue of this magazine.

In this article, we will work toward completing the first month’s Fixed Expenses Sheet, your Spending Plan Summary, and your actual first month-ly spending plan. By the way, re-member to continue taking your little

notebook with you wherever you go to record all the money you spend and what you spend it on.

Fixed expenses are all of those items that remain virtually the same each month. They may in-clude rent or mortgage, car payments, credit card payments, savings amounts, etc. You will need to develop a Fixed Annual Expenses — Worksheet No. 1 as shown in the diagram. The ex-ample given is only partially finished.

Complete your own sheet by includ-ing everything that falls into this category of fixed expenses. If some of these items are not paid monthly, write the amounts under the columns numbered “2 through 4.” Then cal-culate the monthly amount and enter it in column No. 5 (See car insurance example: $450 paid every 6 months = $75 monthly).

The purpose of Worksheet No. 1 is to convert all of the non-monthly expenses to monthly totals. When all of these are month-ly totals, you will now be ready to use this information on your Fixed Monthly Ex-penses — Worksheet No. 2. To include all 12 months in a year, use multiple sheets of paper when you create this spreadsheet.

One benefit to con-verting non-monthly fixed expenses to monthly totals is that you will be able to plan ahead by putting aside a monthly amount on your savings or check-ing account for items such as car insurance. Review the sample Worksheet No. 2 and prepare your own. For the example shown on

Worksheet #2, note that the car in-surance is due in the month of April. Also note that until you complete an entire year of working on your spend-ing plan, you will not accumulate all the money in advance that is needed to cover all your non-monthly fixed expenses.

As you set aside the monthly amounts for non-monthly due bills, be care-ful not to spend that money on other things. Your goal is to avoid having to pay the entire bill from only one or

Continuing To Develop Your $pending Plan

Happy Valentine’s Day

From the

Big Spring Herald

Living Magazine 23

two months’ pay checks.Now you’re ready to complete your

Spending Plan Summary — Work-sheet No. 3. As shown in the example, the first item you need to enter is your Net or Take-home Pay, beginning with the “Planned” column. Then en-ter the “Fixed Expenses” amount, and deduct from your Net or Take-home Pay total.

Note that the WorksheetNo. 3 ex-ample has a “Planned” column and an “Actual” column. In the “Actual” column is an unexpected gift amount of $300. Hence, it’s not shown in the planned column. Complete the remainder of the first month’s infor-mation by including your totals from your “Flexible Expenses” sheet. In-formation about this sheet was cov-ered in the December article.

As shown in the Worksheet No. 3 example, you will now have a clear idea about how much money you have spent for the month and whether you’re in the red or black. Our final look at the first month’s spending plan information will conclude with a re-visit to our Flexible Expenses Work-sheet. These are the expenses that

you can make changes to the easiest, and this is where we’ll have a look at our actual expense items in order to develop a “Planned” expense column for the next month.

The purpose of the Flexible Ex-penses Worksheet — No. 4 is to plan each future month’s spending, taking into consideration the actual expenses of the previous month. Your goal is to stay within the planned spending amount you determine for each item. In the Worksheet No. 4 example, a spending plan is prepared for Febru-ary by making adjustments to some

of the amounts in the “Actual” column for the previous month. In this example some amounts have been reduced and others in-creased.

Actual expenses for items like recreation/entertainment and furniture may vary each month. If you set aside an amount for a category and do not use all that you have allocated, you should keep the extra

amount in your sav-ings or checking ac-count to use later in the same category. This is where you may use the “Planned” column. This column will help you see how much money you’re allocat-ing to an expense item each month.

Your monthly chal-lenge will be to keep with it and remain committed to being in

charge of your spending. Once you allocate a specific amount for a category, you should try to spend no more than that amount. You may also find it to be fun when you realize there are some items you may choose not to purchase and others for which you may increase spending. You may even increase your savings! In our next article we will look at the ben-efits of saving.

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Living Magazine 25

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With the new year officially here, it is a time to wipe the slate clean

and start fresh; a time to make a list of New Year’s resolutions and reinvent oneself. High on the list for most people is inevitably to lose weight and improve one’s health and fitness. But do you have a plan to tackle the sticky issue of weight loss and general health? Are you going to join a gym, or maybe Weight Watchers? Go jog-ging every morning or maybe take a dip in the pool at the YMCA? All of these are worthy and admirable goals to have.However, perhaps it is time to re-

think your ideas about getting fit. It is not all about lifting weights and getting in a certain amount of cardio per week: that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The key to sticking with an exercise regime is finding something that you enjoy. I have gone through the same things most women go through: battling weight issues, stressing about not fitting in those jeans, cutting out the size labels in clothing. You name it, I have been there.Then I discovered belly dancing.

Usually, when I tell people that I am a belly dancer, I get either a blank stare or an excited smile. Belly dancing is not the obvious choice for most women when it comes to health and wellness.I started taking belly dance class-

es in June 2004 when I was living and working in my native England. What started as a fun way to get fit and meet new people at a local community college quickly became an obsession. I lost weight and toned up, but most importantly, I discovered self-confidence. During my move to West Texas

I spent more than a year trying to find a local class without much success, until I stumbled upon An-drea Mauldin’s class in Odessa in 2007, which I took over in Janu-

ary 2009. Despite putting weight back on — too much good Texas food — the love I had for belly dancing quickly brought back my self-confidence and before long I had joined the local troupe that Andrea had formed called Storm Troupers Bellydance, of which I am now co-director with Andrea. She teaches in Midland and orga-nizes the troupe’s performances in West Texas. Andrea is a fabulous

dancer, light-hearted and thrilling, and dedicated to her art form. I have learned a lot from her, which I now share with my students.So what is belly dancing? That is

a difficult question to answer in a short space. If you ask nine differ-ent belly dancers you will get 20 dif-ferent answers. That’s because the name “belly dance” is an American umbrella term that includes many different types of dance. However,

it is generally accepted that belly dance is perhaps one of the oldest forms of organized dance known to humankind.If you ask a person of Middle

Eastern origin, they will tell you that belly dance is Raqs Sharqi (lit-erally translated “Oriental Dance”) or American Cabaret. This is the form of dance most commonly seen in the West, where many dancers wear mid-riff baring spar-kly costumes and big smiles. If you ask an American belly

dancer the same question, you will be told not only about Raqs Sharqi and Cabaret, but also American Tribal Style, Tribal Fusion, Gothic, Industrial, Modern and Tribaret belly dance. I could easily go into a lengthy discussion about each type of belly dance, but we’d be here until next year (or longer) and you’d never make it into a class!The style of belly dance I teach in

Big Spring and Odessa is known as Tribal Fusion, though I am prone to mix and match depending on ever evolving musical tastes. Tribal Fusion is a modern and primarily American belly dance format that has fused Western dance styles including ballet, jazz, hip hop and Latin dance together with the moves found in traditional Raqs Sharqi. This allows Tribal Fusion dancers a lot of flexibility to play with different music, costuming, theatrical stage presence and at-titude.In my belly dance journey I have

discovered the following health benefits of belly dance, no mat-ter which form of the dance you prefer. It is considered a weight-bearing exercise so it helps in the battle against osteoporosis by strengthening bones. Depend-ing on the intensity of your danc-ing and your current weight, you can potentially burn an average of about 300 calories an hour, so it is a great way to promote weight loss! In addition it can be used

26 Living Magazine

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as a stress reliever and, perhaps most importantly, it can help in-crease self-esteem.With self-esteem comes con-

fidence and the ability to value yourself for the person you are.

You learn to love the body you have and work with what nature has given you. Yes, weight loss will occur if you dance regularly and follow a healthy eating plan, but the key to getting the most out of

belly dance is not to view it as ex-ercise but as fun, something you do for yourself as a way to forget about the outside world for just a moment.Like any form of exercise, belly

Living Magazine 27

dance is not a miracle weight loss cure, but it does provide some benefits that make pursuing it en-joyable. Over time and in conjunc-

tion with a healthy diet it can help with weight loss through the in-corporation of low impact cardio, which can easily be varied to cater

for all fitness levels. As this is a dance form, you will find that the toning and firming of muscles and increased flexibility may come first, before any significant amount of weight loss. If you are looking for

a new and enjoyable way to burn off some of those extra calories from the holidays, or you want to develop your self-con-fidence and make some amazing friends, then you should try a belly dance class. Classes in Big Spring, Midland and Odessa are designed for women of all dance abili-ties and fitness levels aged between 18 and 95.For more information

about classes and per-formances please con-tact Victoria at (432) 230 5456 or Andrea at (432) 553 4524 or e-mail us at stormtroupersbelly-dance@gmail.com .It is important to con-

sult with your physician before undertaking any form of exercise.

28 Living Magazine

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Living Magazine 29

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Reservations are a must! To make a reservation, visit www.smmccares.com and click on the Healthy Woman button, or call Kim Howell at 268-4842 or Anita Cline at 268-4721.

Monthly Healthy Woman events cover a wide variety of women’s issues designed to improve your life and the lives of those you love. You can join Healthy Woman today by signing up at www.smmccares.com. Membership is free, and the benefits last a lifetime.

1601 West Eleventh Place • www.smmccares.com

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