Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/32543
8A Daily News – Friday, May 27, 2011 FEATURES Mean mothers’ malevolence menacing Dear Annie: I am in an awkward social situation. My 3-year-old daughter and I were invited to join a group of moms and chil- dren at a local park. At first, it was great, but now the other mothers have decided they don’t like me. They don’t say it to my face, and they aren’t obvi- ously rude, but they mostly ignore me when I speak, and if they do respond, their answers are curt. I have tried being extra nice, but I am still treated like an outcast. My daughter loves playing with the children in this group, and since she doesn’t get a lot of social interaction, I do not want to take these friendships away from her. I have considered sitting at a differ- ent table, but I’m afraid the other mothers will think me rude and will then forbid their children from playing with mine or treat my daughter unfairly. I know if I tell them I feel I’m being treated poorly, they will deny it. I am not the first person they have kicked out of the group. What do I do? — Socially Inept Dear Inept: That crowd sounds like high-school mean girls who never outgrew their cliquishness. We strongly recommend you find a substitute playgroup that gets together at another time or in a dif- ferent location. Your daughter is young enough to get over the loss of these friendships if you don’t make a big deal out of it, and she will make new friends. Mean- while, continue to be nice until you can extricate yourself. Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Dear Annie: I am in need of wedding etiquette advice. Both my fiance and I are entering the Army after we marry, although we aren’t sure exactly when. We do not wish to receive gifts because neither of us has storage space, nor can we afford to rent it. When we enter the military, we will be gone for six weeks of basic training and anoth- er six months for advanced indi- vidual training. Obviously, we would find it much more practical to receive money. Is there any way to ask our guests for cash instead of gifts? Could we ask them to send gifts at a later date when we return from training? We considered renewing our vows in a year and getting gifts then. What do you think? — Future Army Bride and Soldier Dear Future Bride: People are going to get you gifts regardless of what you want them to do. It is impolite to tell guests to give you money, but you can ask your par- ents and friends to spread the word. To be on the safe side, you also should register at a store where you can return the gifts and get cash or credit. And while we aren’t particularly in favor of them, popular registries also include intangibles, such as honey- moons and house down payments. Regardless of what your guests choose to give, we hope you will show appropriate appreciation in your thank-you note. Congratula- tions and best wishes. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ‘‘Maria in Texas,’’ who fears abusing her child. She should con- tact Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ascasupport.org) to begin the process of healing the damage caused by being an abused child, which will then stop her from abusing her own children. I was in that same repetitive trap 28 years ago. The group ther- apy at ASCA is life changing and lifesaving. Please recommend this to those who find themselves repeating what was done to them as children. — Pennsylvania Dear Pennsylvania: Thank you for providing this resource to our readers. It will surely help. 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. Better safe.... Part 2 The State of California collects collision informa- tion from every county and com- piles annual reports. This data- base is called the Statewide Inte- grated Traffic Reporting System (SWITRS) and it is usually six to twelve months behind the current date. The most recent data for a full year is from 2009. The SWITRS report for 2009 shows there were 823 traffic collisions reported in Tehama County for the year. All of these crashes caused damage to property, many of them injured peo- ple, and a few of them were fatal. The information pro- vided by SWITRS lists a primary collision factor for Josiah Ferrin Cop’s Corner each crash, which is essen- tially the sole violation nar- rowed down as being most responsible for causing the inci- dent. Browsing the SWITRS reports I can tell you for the most part collisions are caused by a few common mistak es: Unsafe speed for the conditions, unsafe starting or backing, unsafe turning movements, fail- ure to yield to oncoming traf- fic, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The primary collision factors I mentioned are some of the most common and what they all basically boil down to are inattention, including driving under the influence, which is essen- tially a chemically induced state of inattention with physical impairments to boot. So why aren’t drivers paying more attention to the task of driving? From my own personal observations, the factors that most often distract drivers from the task at hand include: Use of cellphones (either talking or texting), use of other elec- tronic devices (stereos, GPS, media players), dri- ving in an altered emotion- al state (either angry or upset), multitasking (eating, drinking, reading, applying make-up), pets loose inside the interior of the vehicle, and rubbernecking (paying more attention to some- thing outside your vehicle than the road and traffic conditions). My purpose in writing this article is to encourage everyone in Tehama Coun- ty to help reduce our total number of traffic collisions in 2011. Hopefully we can fall short of the 823 colli- sions we had in 2009 and the resulting expenses, injuries, and deaths. What this will require is for all of us not to hold contempt for the familiar, to respect the awesome power of our automobiles, and to focus on one thing while we are commanding it; driving. In my next article I will cover some safety considerations for bicyclists and pedestri- ans so they can also be pre- pared to do their part in pre- venting traffic collisions. If there is a topic you would like covered in an upcoming Cop’s Corner article you can submit a request to me via my e- mail address (jferrin@rbpd.org) or if you prefer you may send a letter addressed to Red Bluff Police / Cop’s Corner, 555 Washington St., Red Bluff, CA 96080. Low-platelet count concerns reader DEAR DR. GOTT: I read your column in the Shelby (Ohio) Daily Globe and do appreciate the sage advice you give on health matters. I’m a 73-year- old female who is in seemingly good health. I’m active and do not take any med- ications except for an occasional sip of Mylanta when I indulge in spicy foods. I see my VA doctor twice a year for a check- up, and she always orders a blood draw — usually a CBC. Mostly, it is normal and agrees with the ranges. However, my platelet count has run low for years. This month it is 137, and monos (whatever that is) were 9.4, which is on the high side. What does it mean? Dr. Peter Gott lab values can vary between facilities. For example, you indicate your platelet count has run low for years, with the current reading being 137. At my local hospital lab, the range of “normal” is anything My doctor does not seem too concerned about it, and I do not wish to take medication if it can be avoided. I feel great, although I do feel tired at the end of the day after taking care of my house and yard. But isn’t it nor- mal to be tired after a day of activity? My HGB fluc- tuates from 12.5 to 13.1, and my iron count has been low a time or two, but I’m mostly concerned about the low platelet count that has been going on for years. I have no problems with bleeding when I cut myself. I try to consume a fair diet without too many sweets and starches. I eat vegetables and salads and love fruit. I do not smoke or drink other than to have an occasional glass of wine with dinner. I don’t eat out much. My weight stays around 120 pounds, and I’m 5 feet tall. DEAR READER: CBC is an abbreviation of a complete blood count. It can determine the number of white and red blood cells you have, your total hemoglobin (HGB), the fraction of blood that composes red blood cells (your hematocrit or HCT) and a great deal more. While relatively similar, Altacal Audubon Pro- gram and Field Trip activi- ties for June are as follows: Program • Monday, June 20, 6:30 p.m., Chico Creek Nature Center, Altacal Audubon Potluck. Come join us and cele- brate friendships and our common love for birds and the natural world at our annual potluck dinner. Come visit with old friends and make new ones; talk about birds and birding and share stories of recent and future adventures and trav- els. The Howard S. Tucker Exhibit Hall will be open for viewing. It’s been anoth- er remarkable year for Alta- cal Audubon and this will be the last chance to get together as a group until the next program in September. There are no programs dur- ing July and August so don’t miss this one. Bring a dish to share, a beverage for yourself or to share, a plate and fork, and a chair if you like. Field Trips • June 3-5, Friday-Sun- day - Sierra Valley/Yuba Pass. Trip Leaders: Mac McCormick and Nancy Nelson. This trip covers a variety of mountain habitats. We will bird the marshes and open fields at the headwa- ters of the Feather River, the sagebrush lowlands of the Sierra Valley, the conifer woodlands of Yuba Pass and we’ll take a short trip to the Lakes Basin area (Sand Pond Boardwalk). Meet at the campground on Friday afternoon and camp out on Friday and Saturday nights. It will most likely be Wild Plum Campground in Sierra City. The campground choice will be based on the snow conditions at the time. For more information and to reserve a space on this trip, contact Nancy Nelson at 345-0580 or con- cownancy@earthlink.net. • June 24-26, Friday- Sunday- Willow Lake. Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams. Come and enjoy Willow Lake, situated just outside between 130 and 400. If you were tested here, you would be considered on the low side of normal, but normal nonetheless. Your monos (standing for monocytes) are slightly high at 9.4. Monos play many roles in the immune system. Readings can indicate something or nothing at all, although a high count usually indi- cates infection, a response to stress, inflammation and a great deal more. Because I don’t have your complete report, I am unable to guess at what, if anything, your physician might be testing you for twice each year, but my guess is that she would follow up vigorously if she suspected anything wrong. Be sure to ask her during your next appoint- ment. In the interim, enjoy your good health, eat well, and keep as active as pos- sible. This regimen has obviously kept you on the right track thus far. On to your last con- cern: It’s a big responsi- bility to care for a home or apartment and normal to feel fatigued at the end of the day. There’s “doggone tired” and there’s a gen- uine “feel-good tired” from doing a good day’s work. That’s the time to sit back, put your feet up, look around with a sense of genuine satisfaction, and smile. Life is good! 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 Altacal Audubon Society plans birding events for June Lassen Volcanic National Park. It’s a natural lake (kayaks are welcome) that features a floating bog (a fen) in a narrow valley-like setting. We will camp on the edge of the lake (only a pit toilet is provided) and hike to the Terminal Geyser, Boiling Lake, and perhaps up to Little Willow Lake and bird the area along Wil- low Creek. Come for part of or the entire weekend. Contact Gaylord at 533- 1624 for more information, directions and meeting places. All programs and activi- ties are free of cost unless otherwise indicated and are open to the public. For information about specific activities contact Wayland Augur at 519-4724 or email wba@acm.org. Coleus Class Saturday, May 28th @10am Have fun in the shade with Cool Coleus Red Bluff Garden Center 766 Antelope Blvd. (next to the fairgrounds) 527-0886 $166.00 D NEWSAILY in Discount Coupons were published last week in the RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY … And that does not Count all the ads offering percentage discounts, two-for-ones and Free-with-Purchase offers! Don’t miss a Day of it! Subscribe Today 527-2151 It pays for itself.