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Tuesday, December 28, 2010 – Daily News – 3B FEATURES Convicted classmate contact could cause concrete, corporeal concerns Dear Annie: Recently, my dear friend ‘‘Jill’’ learned that a long-lost high school friend has been incarcerated for nine years. Jill insists on contacting ‘‘Alan’’ and has encouraged our friends to do the same, even though we have not spoken to Alan in more than 13 years. prison and ask for informa- tion and suggestions. Dear Annie: We have Annie’s I am scared of what might happen to Jill. The circumstances surrounding Alan’s incarceration are nothing short of horrifying. My husband and I feel there is no need to get in touch with him. I love Jill with all my heart and soul, but I am unsure of how to break the news to her that this is a Pandora’s box that should never be opened. Jill is a trusting soul who feels the need to help everyone. We don’t want to hurt her feelings, so how can we explain that we don’t want to write Alan? We need to pro- tect our families. — Wish To Tact- fully Decline Dear Tactfully: Tell Jill plainly that you are not interested in con- tacting Alan. You also should inform her that although she obvi- ously feels sorry for a former class- mate, it would be irresponsible to correspond with him without check- ing out the situation more thorough- ly. Prisoners have been known to take advantage of sympathetic friends and family members. She should contact the warden at the Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar wonderful young neighbors we like very much. Howev- er, they continue to ask us to babysit their young children. We have raised our kids and enjoy our empty nest. We do not enjoy babysitting, although we are willing to do so for our own grandchil- dren on rare occasion. You would think they would get the hint since we have politely refused them more than 20 times. How do we gra- ciously decline without hurting their feelings? — The Older Neigh- bors Dear Older: You graciously decline by saying, ‘‘Sorry, we can’t manage that.’’ And say it as many times as necessary. Either your neighbors are extraordinarily dense, or they are hoping to wear you down. Explaining that you don’t like to babysit will likely result in a harangue about how easy their chil- dren would be to care for. Still, you do not need to be frank if you are worried it would be rude. Simply continue to say no, politely and respectfully. Dear Annie: After reading so many letters about the family prob- lems that ensue when splitting up belongings after a death, I thought I’d tell you what my siblings did. The nine of us met at our par- ents’ house. We picked the largest room in the house, put up nine pieces of paper on the walls and numbered them 1 through 9. We then went through each room of my parents’ home looking for items we wished to keep. We brought these things into the large room and placed them under each sheet of paper so that there were nine piles. If one pile looked skimpy, we would add to it on our next trip. Appliances and furniture too large to move were numbered where they stood. We then wrote the numbers 1 through 9 on pieces of paper and put them into a hat. Each person pulled a number that corresponded to a pile, and the things in that pile belonged to them. No one ‘‘rigged’’ a pile, because no one knew which number they would pick from the hat. When we were finished, if any- one wanted to swap, that was up to them. This system worked perfect- ly, and there was no fighting. Of course, it also helped that we are a close and loving family. — Did it Right Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Corning happenings Coat Drive There has been a coat drive for Corning Christ- ian Assisstance. There are currently boxes at Bank of America, Rabobank, Spring Mountain Apart- ments, Corning Union High School and the Fam- ily Resource Center. Donations are going well. This will continue until the end of December. If you know of someone in need please refer them to Willy at CCA. They are open on Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Soccer very well. There has been an average of about 20 kids at the trainings. Dif- ferent kids on different days. The ages are rang- ing from 4 years old up through junior high. A couple of foster youths are helping Henry coach. Henry needs more help especially with the younger kids. Maria men- tioned she can help find some more help for coaching. BCP is meeting with PAL to find out when they will be able to supply the equipment. After the New Years they will break into inter- mural teams. The junior high would like to have a soccer program. They have kids that are tutored after school that could use some exercise after being inside for hours. The high school said they can help provide the coaches. We may look at starting off at just one day a week. Rachelle will write a thank you letter to Henry for all of the hard work he has put into the soccer program. Tony reported that Corning had a PAL box- ing program that ended due to budget constraints. The equipment has been moved to the transporta- tion building. There will be a gym and the boxing program will start up again in the larger waiting area. This will be a PAL program still since they can provide the insurance. There is not an exact start date yet. Soccer has been going Spring Mural BCP is looking at doing another mural this spring. The last one was a great success bringing children and adults together from all over southern Tehama County. The wall on Marco’s Pizza was discussed but this may not be an option. The idea of having a chil- dren’s mural at one of the schools was brought up. Having it at a school would help create more pride and reduce the amount of graffiti. Houghton Street Garden Clean up The summer gardens were a great success and now we need to look at cleaning them up. There is not a specific date set yet. The church garden has started a winter gar- den but still needs some clean up done. The toma- to plants need to be taken out and the soil turned with the compost that is there. Maria is willing to help and have her kids help to. The family resource center may be able to help with their families. Rachelle can call Angelo and see if he has anyone that needs to com- plete community service. It was reported that the church garden was able to give away and donate 50 to 100 pounds of fresh veggies a week. Having a positive community activ- ity at the church has real- ly helped. In the past there was some gang and drug activity in that area. This does not seem to be a problem since the garden went in. Rodgers Theatre status Tony reported that the roof is going on the theatre right now. Weather permit- ting this should be done by the end of December. They are looking for vol- unteers to help with the demo inside the building. The Mormon Church came and helped unbolt and take out all of the chairs that were inside. A grant was received from the McConnell Founda- tion to re-do the front of the building. It will look like the original but be ADA accessible. With the money raised and the grant they are about halfway to the amount needed. Mike Baldwin with CAA can help with finding more grants. They are looking at extending the stage and having a drama program for the community and kids. If the rec program comes back then this can be ran out of the theatre. It is being looked at being geared towards a commu- nity center. The meetings for the theater are on the third Wednesday of every month at PremiereWest Bank at 5:30 p.m. They are open to the public. Please let Tony know if you will be attending since the room they are in is small. The Hoffman Building has been sold. It is located on the corner of 5th and Solano on the nw corner. It is across from Bank of America. The building is being rehabbed. Roger Clem is a preservation architect and working with the new owners. RB Expansion BCP will be working with the Brickyard Apart- ments. These were origi- nally government subsi- dized housing. It has been plagued with drugs and crime. The new managers have been trying to clean it up and promote a com- munity there. BCP will be helping them using the model from Spring Mountain apartments. Another ear infection remedy DEAR DR. GOTT: Have you ever heard of treating an ear infection with Burow’s solution? Are you supposed to mix it with vinegar and, if so, what is the proper mixture? Thanks for your help. I love your column. Dr. Peter Gott DEAR READER: Burow’s solution is alu- minum acetate or acetic acid (vinegar) in water that is used to reduce or relieve inflammatory con- ditions such as swelling, bruises, insect bites and rash caused by poison ivy or sumac. It is often applied as an eardrop rem- edy in a 13 percent solu- tion because of antibacter- ial properties that inhibit the growth of bacteria. Some suppliers offer prepacked gauze com- presses that are used in medical settings for stasis ulcers prior to the applica- tion of a dry, sterile dress- ing; however, because the solution is an acid (albeit weak), the time a com- press is left on the wound must be adhered to. Solu- tions for ulcers can be a mixture of one to 20, meaning 50 milliters in a liter of tap water as direct- ed by a skin specialist. The remedy is also avail- able in tablet form. Direc- tions for the tablet-to- water ratio vary. The strength depends on the reason for using the prod- uct. One can make Burow’s solution with a one-to-10 ratio of vinegar to water. This is an accept- ed remedy for otitis exter- na (swimmer’s ear). Be sure to consult your physi- cian before trying this home remedy to be sure that you do not have a more serious condition for which it will not work. There is another aspect to this product, as well. It should not be adminis- tered to pets except under the supervision and guid- ance of a veterinarian. Yes, you read this correct- ly. This dual-purpose product is used for pets as well as humans. I guess it is similar to using Bag Balm for cracked fingers and heels, or glucosamine for painful joints. Maybe Rover should really be considered a family mem- ber if he isn’t already. To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Ear Infec- tions and Disor- ders.” Other read- ers who would like a copy should send a self- addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092- 0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com . DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 54-year-old female in fairly good health. The only medications I take are Buspar and Dexilant. I would like to know if you could tell me why I smell metal all the time. My husband and son don’t, but I do. Do I need to have blood work done to find the cause? Thank you for your response. DEAR READER: One of your medications may cause this smell. The Dex- ilant is commonly used for erosive esophagitis caused by acid reflux. Reflux can cause bad breath and a metallic taste (and possibly scent). The medication itself can also cause breath odor. Other possibilities include your brain regis- tering a scent that isn’t present or becoming more sensitive to odors others don’t detect. Further caus- es include pregnancy, bad breath, migraine, a history of head trauma, exposure to certain chemicals, a side effect of anesthesia or a cold or sinus infection. Depression, anxiety or other psychological dis- turbances can also cause an altered sense of smell. I suggest you speak to your physician about this. Perhaps a referral to an ear-nose-and-throat spe- cialist is in order. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com Oh Snap! 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