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2B Daily News – Friday, January 27, 2012 FEATURES Bumpkin brood befuddles blue blood bride Dear Annie: I never thought I'd be writing, but here I am. I was a single mother and struggled to raise my children without help. They are all good kids. One daughter, ''Susan,'' lives 2,000 miles away from the rest of the family. She left home early, went to the big city and educated her- self. She is the only mem- ber of the family to have a degree, and we are very proud of her. Susan has worked hard to distance herself from her blue-collar roots. She has high expectations of the rest of her fam- ily in terms of our behavior and attitudes, and we invariably disap- point her. Recently, Susan cut off all contact because the stress of dealing with us is ''making her ill.'' Next spring, Susan will be mar- rying into a wealthy family. She has made it clear that we are not to behave in any manner that embar- rasses her and informed me that she will have friends ''keeping an eye on us'' throughout the event. It hurts all of us that we are not up to par for the social circles she is now a part of. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar there. She only wants me to fill a role. Do I bow out of the cele- bration and regret it for the rest of my life? Or do I attend and participate in this charade? — Heartbro- ken Mother of the Bride Dear Mother: You've answered your own ques- tion. If you don't attend, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. So go. Most weddings require a certain amount of play-acting and being on one's very best behavior. Surely you can manage it for a few hours on Susan's wedding day. Yes, she seems more than a little snobby, but if you don't focus on how much you dislike your role at the wedding, you might even enjoy yourself. Please try. Dear Annie: I am a bartender and waitress at a small local restau- rant. We recently worked a big party that included drinks and a three-course meal. When it came time to pay, the customer left us a fairly large tip. If I go to the wedding, I cannot genuinely be myself. I was looking forward to meeting her new in- laws. (I haven't met them in the five years she's been with her fiance.) I want to share in Susan's joy, but I feel I'll be an actor in her play. She doesn't truly want me When my boss found out how much money they left, he decided to take a portion of it. He said he deserved it because he provided the atmosphere and decorations and also helped cook the meal. I was under the assumption that a tip goes to the server. Wouldn't the customer be insulted to know that the owner is not only getting the profits from the restaurant, but also taking the tips? Am I being greedy, or does this seem wrong to you? — Michigan Dear Michigan: In most instances, owners are not legally entitled to take the tips given directly to their servers, even if the owners are helping out in the kitchen or at the bar. If your boss makes a habit of this, you can report him to your local labor board. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ''Jane in Ohio,'' who is angry because her husband only takes her dancing once a week. Many of my friends and I are widows. We go dancing four or five times a week, but we do coun- try line dancing. This means we no longer need a partner and can be on the floor all night without having to wait to be asked to dance. It is good fun and great exercise, and there are lessons at almost every senior center. Jane might enjoy doing that on the nights when her husband wants to stay home. — Marci in Ohio Dear Marci: Several readers recommended line dancing since it doesn't require a partner. We hope Jane will look into it. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Diaper and children's clothes drive As a part of an Ameri-Corps Service Project, a Diapers and Children's Clothes Drive is being held 4-7 p.m. today at Walmart, 1025 S. Main St., in Red Bluff and Sav Mor, 570 Solano St., in Corning. Diapers of all sizes, gently used children's clothes sizes 0-5 and clean maternity clothes are being collected for the Care Net Program. For those who miss the Jan. 27 drive, drop- off locations have been set up at the following places: Red Bluff Red Bluff Family Resource Cen- ter, 220 Sycamore St., Suite 101, 10:30 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. Mon- day through Thursday. Los Molinos First Family Resource Cen- ter, 7700 Stanford Ave., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Corning Lower your salt intake gradually DEAR DOC- TOR K: My blood pressure has been creeping up late- ly, so my doctor suggested I reduce the amount of salt in my diet. Where should I start? DEAR READ- ER: That's good advice — and it's good advice for most people, especially for people with high blood pressure. Cutting back on salt (sodium chloride) lowers blood pressure and saves lives. Aim to limit your daily sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams (about a teaspoon) per day. How do you do that? Start reading food labels to find out how much sodium is in the foods you eat. That's the easy part. Of course, if you're eating out, it's harder. Some chain restaurant Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. then compare brands to find the ones with the least sodium. There's a surpris- ing amount of variation from brand to brand. Also pay atten- tion to potassium. In contrast to sodium, more potassium in your diet helps keep blood pressure in check. Many fruits and vegetables, like bananas, oranges and grapefruit, are naturally low in sodium and are good sources of potassi- um. Retrain your taste buds Corning School Readiness, 1480 South St., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 384-7833. and fast-food meals can top 5,000 milligrams of sodium per serving — that's more than an entire day's recommended sodi- um intake. Check restau- rant websites for sodium information, or ask your server to steer you to low-salt choices. In some cases it's not hard to tell which foods to avoid. Certain foods are inherently high in sodium, so go light on them. Some of the biggest culprits are pizza with meat toppings, processed cheese, hot dogs, salami and spaghet- ti with sauce. Even white bread has a lot of sodium in it. Watch out for hidden sodium, too. Some foods that are high in sodium may not taste especially salty. Examples include breakfast cereals, bakery muffins, energy and sports drinks. Avoid processed and prepared foods such as cold cuts and canned veg- etables. These are the biggest sources of sodi- um in our diets. Choose fresh and minimally processed foods instead. If you can't eliminate processed foods entirely, to enjoy foods with less sodium. Reduce salt gradually and consistent- ly, rather than trying to cut back by a large amount all at once. As time goes on, you won't miss the salt. I used to sprinkle lots of salt on nearly everything I ate (no, not on apple pie). After gradually using less salt over several months, the same foods I used to put salt on taste great without it. Some people are born to be more sensitive to salt, and salt in their diet is more likely to raise their blood pressure. There is no easy way to know if you are one of those people, but there is an easy way to measure your blood pressure. Par- ticularly if your doctor has ever told you that your blood pressure was high or borderline high, talk to him or her about using a home blood pres- sure machine. It is simple to use and accurate. We have more infor- mation on preventing high blood pressure in our Special Health Report, "Hypertension: Controlling the Silent Killer." You can find out more about it at my web- site. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get addi- tional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Community Events Planning Meeting "11 DAYS OF ROUND UP" – 2012 If your group or organization is planning an event in the days leading up to the Best 3-Day Rodeo in the West Local Business Operators: Appointments being accepted for Custom personalized Online Marketing Presentations www..RedBluffDailyNews.com Want to learn more about online users? Who is using Facebook and Google? Where do local residents turn for online news and information? National online marketing experts will be in Tehama County February 6 – 10, 2012 Only! PLUS! Free to registered businesses: Pulse of America Survey data on Demographics and Spending Patterns of local digital households To register for an appointment, call your Daily News Account Executive (530) 527-2151 or email advertise@redbluffdailynews.com Your Hosts: This advertisement Sponsored as a Community Service by: D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Please call or e-mail to say you'll be there, and what group(s) you'll be representing! (530) 527-6220 or e-mail: info@redbluffchamber.com PLEASE SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT MEETING! Western-themed events planned to precede and coordinate with the Red Bluff Round-Up need to receive maximum promotion by the Chamber of Commerce, The Daily News and other media in advance of the "11 Days," and as those fun-filled days unfold! When: Wednesday, February 1 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon Where: Tehama County Farm Bureau 275 Sale Lane, Red Bluff