The Payroll Corner

From the desk of Marci Henderson

The following is information from Paychex:

In the summer of 2006, the check history functionality of Paychex HR Online will be enhanced to provide the user with a true image of the Paychex check stub. To prepare for this release, you will notice a difference in the appearance of the HR Online Check History data screens effective April 28, 2006.

Although the check data will remain the same, it will be accessed in a different manner. Because the screens have been simplified, users will have to choose the appropriate check date document to view pay period and year-to-date data.

We look forward to bringing you further check history enhancements this summer.

Now when you select Check History you will simply view a list of Check Dates. When you click on the Check Date you would like to see, an Adobe window pops up showing you an actual Check Stub with the Year to Date information on it.

2006 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

From the desk of Tracy Patrick

HOLIDAY	DAY	DATE
Memorial Day	Monday	May 29, 2006
Independence Day	Tuesday	July 04, 2006
Labor Day	Monday	September 04, 2006
Thanksgiving Day	Thursday	November 23, 2006
Christmas Day	Monday	December 25, 2006

Coupled with these national holidays, we plan on operating with minimal staff on the following day:

Monday before July 4^th

Friday after Thanksgiving

Friday before Christmas

Tuesday after Christmas

If you are going to be unavailable to service our clients on these days, you must declare them vacation days, in advance, with the service manager so that appropriate coverage can be arranged.

Summer Gardens

There is something to say about working in the garden and watching the fruits of your labor grow. The Houston office have a few people who started a garden behind the warehouse and have already started to produce tasty vegetables. Gene Aman and Roscoe Whitworth are the SSCS summer gardeners, Houston division, and have enlisted the help of Brock Johnson. They started with a raw piece of land and transformed it into a large garden growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and even watermelons.

The major problem seems to be with the critters that love to feast on the delectable vegetables before they are able to harvest them. They have caught, using Gahlen's critter catcher, two raccoons, three squirrels and two possums. One of the possums even had a baby. All critters were treated humanly just in case we have any animal rights groups reading our newsletter. Once caught they were all relocated to other areas of town so they could raid someone else's crops.

Houston is lucky to have a growing season that spans throughout the year. Most of the other SSCS offices have growing seasons that are just now starting so I have assembled some information that may assist you with growing your vegetables and fruits. The sources I used are listed as web sites and appear at the end of this section.

If you want any vegetables sent to you feel free to request them from Roscoe and Gene. They would love to hear from you!!!!

Steps to Create a Vegetable Garden

step 1: Plan

Few tastes rival that of homegrown tomatoes or freshly picked corn. Plan your garden well and enjoy tasty, wholesome vegetables all season. For best results, sketch your plan on paper before putting shovel to soil. Choose your favorite vegetables and space according to seed packet or plant tag instructions.

step 2: Prepare the Soil

Soil quality is everything when it comes to growing vegetables, so don't cut corners on soil prep. Whether you're planting in a raised bed or flatbed garden, add organic materials and slow-acting granular fertilizer. How much you add depends on your soil’s needs. Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Flowers & Vegetables conveniently contains everything you need for optimum vegetable growth. Add approximately 4 inches over your garden area and then work it into the soil. Rake the area smooth and remove rocks and debris.

step 3: Plant

Sow seeds directly into the garden at the appropriate planting time. Broccoli, carrots, lettuce, peas and spinach are popular cool weather crops. Plant them one month before the last expected frost in your area. After the last frost, put in warm weather crops, which include corn, cucumber, melon, squash and tomato. Use string and stakes to ensure neat rows. If your budget allows, you can buy seedling plants and transplant directly into the garden for a quicker harvest.

step 4: Water and Feed

Your young plants will need plenty water to establish. You can water and fertilize at the same time with Miracle-Gro® All Purpose Plant Food, or use Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Tomato Plant Food for your tomato plants. Follow instructions on the back of the label to avoid burning tender leaves and young plants. Water regularly, making sure the soil never gets too dry.

step 5: Mulch and Prevent Weeds

After the seeds break through the soil, apply a pre-emergent weed preventer around the plants such as Miracle-Gro® Garden Weed Preventer®. Weeds can steal important nutrients and water away from your vegetables. Last, spread approximately 2 inches of mulch around the plants. Grass clippings make an excellent mulch as they hold in moisture, help prevent weeds and add extra nitrogen to the soil after breaking down.

Source:

http://www.gardenadvice.com/index.cfm/event/Article.Detail/documentId/3f9b67a992be815e9514b8eed5a31d55

Harvesting Vegetables

Most food crops reach their peak flavor and nutritional value when they're still young and tender.

Green beans planted in mid- to late spring continue to set beans through most of the summer if you keep picking the ripe beans. For best flavor, pick them when they are thinner than a pencil.

Chili peppers are as easy to grow as any other pepper. Let them ripen to their full color on the plant. Wear gloves when handling them and avoid touching your face -- the oils are very pungent.

Zucchini are ready for harvest when they are 5 to 8 inches long. You'll find them at their peak flavor and tenderness at this young age.

Tomato stems are tough, so harvest the tomatoes with garden scissors or pruners rather than just yanking them off the vine. For best f

lavor, pick ripe tomatoes just before you're going to eat them. If you're picking a few days' worth of tomatoes, store them out of direct light at room temperature. Green (unripe) tomatoes will ripen on the kitchen counter.

Bell peppers are dramatically affected by harvest time. When they mature to full size, they are green but still have a bitter flavor because they're not fully ripe. Allow them to remain on the plant and ripen further for several more weeks. When they become red, yellow, or orange, they're sweeter. Because the peppers take so long to change color, individual plants don't produce as many peppers over the season. You may want to increase the number of plants to maintain production levels.

Source:

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/16110.xml