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8A Daily News – Friday, February 10, 2012 FEATURES Felonious family flummox female Dear Annie: My mother is 86 and lives in another state. My 33-year-old nephew and his three kids live with her, as do my niece, "Joanna,'' and her two children. Not one of them has a job. Several months ago, Mom broke her hip and was in rehab for four months. During that time, Joanna used Mom's ATM card and took all the money out of her account. She also opened credit cards in Mom's name and ran up huge bills and stole Mom's mail-order pills and sold them on the street. What's worse is that my sister, the mother of this niece and nephew, insists that I am not permit- ted to say one negative word to my mother about them. She claims the thievery is between Joanna, Mom and God. My mother is scared of all of them. I have called Adult Protec- tive Services, but was told they'd only step in if my mother made a report. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar them to financially abuse their grandmother. Please try the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 (elder- care.gov) and ask what assistance is available in Mom's state. Dear Annie: After sever- al weeks of arguments with my husband about his par- ents' intentional cruelty toward me and his lack of defense, we finally con- fronted them. We tried to do it gently. We shared that they had hurt my feelings with their behavior. Their reaction was the opposite of what we had hoped. Instead of apologizing for their wrongs against me, they immediately went on the defensive and insisted that my hus- band and I will always be the "chil- dren,'' and they will always be the parents and will not tolerate "lec- tures'' from their kids. My sister says I need to forgive Joanna and let it go. How do I do that? There has been no account- ability, no restitution, no apology. Also, I found out that Mom's good jewelry was pawned for drugs. Any ideas? — Mad in Omaha Dear Omaha: Adult Protective Services may not be able to step in if Mom appears to be mentally healthy and refuses to cooperate. Your sister is trying to protect her children. Shame on her for allowing I choose to no longer be sur- rounded by such mean people. My husband is trying to stand up for me, but it's difficult for him because they are so controlling. Am I wrong to feel he should defend me, even if it means we are no longer speaking to his parents? — Confused in Ore- gon Dear Confused: Your husband must put you first. He should insist his parents behave in a civil man- ner toward you, but if they can't or won't, it is OK for you to stay away as much as possible. Your husband, however, may choose to visit his parents without you. Please don't take this as a lack of defense. They are his folks, and he loves them. We recommend you support his efforts to stay in touch with them and he support your need to stay away. Dear Annie: "Looking for Some Answers'' didn't know what to do about her alcoholic friend who got behind the wheel. The man who killed my 18-year-old son did not feel he was too drunk to drive. Our small police department does not have an alcohol test kit in every patrol rig, so the officer had to drive 45 minutes back to the station to get one. By the time he returned, the man had sobered up enough to pass. This man is a murderer because he chose to drink and drive. It's been 10 years, but I still miss my son every day. God forgive me, but I wish these drunks would just die and stop killing innocent people. "Looking'' should call 911 and turn her friend in every time she gets behind the wheel under the influ- ence. Drunk drivers are selfish peo- ple who need help. — Klamath Falls, Ore. Dear Klamath Falls: Your loss is heartbreaking. Our condolences. 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. Bull Sale helps promote county Each year the Red Bluff Bull & Gelding Sale attracts hundreds of people to Tehama County. Many of these visi- tors have never been to Red Bluff before and have no idea what to do when they get here. The sale got them here, but it's up to our local business community to make them want to explore the area and come back again. To introduce newcomers as well as veteran attendees to the wonderful assets our county has to offer, the Chamber of Commerce had a booth at this year's event. "We had a lot of people stop by our booth asking where the good places to eat and fun places to go are," said Brandy Rodelo, one of the volunteers staffing the booth. "The people wanted things to do while they were here, and they wanted to talk to us because we are familiar with the area," said volunteer Erin Purcell. Rodelo and Purcell said attendees were interested in the literature with points of interest, such as the museums of Tehama County, the Sacramento River, Lassen Park, Rolling Hills Casino and the Tehama Trail of Wine and Olive Tasting. "It wasn't just out of town visitors that stopped by the booth," said Kristin Behrens, past Chamber of Commerce chairwoman. "Locals also were at the event and the booth was a great reminder of all our county has to offer." Behrens understands first-hand how important events such as the Bull & Gelding Sale are in attracting tourists and businesses to the area "The first time I came to Red Bluff was for a Bull & Gelding Sale," she said. "When we weren't at the sale, we did some sightseeing and shopping, and fell in love with the area." "Events that draw people from outside our regional area make a significant impact on our local economy," said Kate Grissom, marketing director of Rolling Hills Casino. "Nationally advertised events help promote Tehama County as a popular tourist destination, and the success of annual events such as the Bull & Gelding Sale will make it easier to attract other large-scale productions to the area." "The sale brings a great deal of money into our town," said Adam Owens, general manager of the sale. "All of the hotels were full on the Thursday and Friday of the sale, and hotels were able to charge premium rates during our event. The people who came here for the sale were predominately businessmen and ranch owners with a high level of discre- tionary income to spend on dinner, lodging, entertainment and local products." The Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce and the Branding Coalition thank all the sponsors that sup- ported the booth at the Bull & Gelding Sale including: the Daily News, Red Bluff Round-Up, Rolling Hills Casino, Durango RV, Tonya Redamonti, Home Ranch Properties, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Wells Fargo Home Mort- gage and Lucero Olive Oil. Swimmer's ear annoying, treatable DEAR DOC- TOR K: Swim- ming is my favorite form of exercise, and I do it several times a week. Late- ly I've been plagued by swim- mer's ear. Can you tell me how to pre- vent it so I don't have to give up swimming? Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. DEAR READER: Swimmer's ear is an infec- tion of the outer ear canal that is usually caused by bacteria. The official name of the infection is "otitis externa," but it's usually called swimmer's ear because it so often occurs in swimmers. You've probably experi- enced itching and redness in and around the ear. You may have had yellow, green or even cheesy drainage from the ear. You may have felt pain when you touched your ear or when you chewed or talked. If the ear canal was very swollen, you may have had some trouble hearing. Normally, the skin inside your ear canal — like all of your skin — is dry. When you swim, the skin inside your ear canal stays wet. Skin doesn't like to be wet very long — just look at the skin that has been underneath a bandage, a damp environment, for sev- eral days. It gets white and puffy. If you could see it under a microscope, you'd also see that it has become a little "moth-eaten." The function of skin is to serve as a barrier against infectious organisms: It is a wall that keeps them out- side us. When it gets and stays wet for a while, the wall weakens. Bacteria get through and underneath the skin. There are always bacte- ria living in our ear canals. When the skin of the ear canal is weakened by water, bacteria can start to invade. That can cause itching. If you scratch the itch inside your ear, that can injure the skin and make it easier for the infec- tion to worsen. Fortunately, there are effective treatments. Pre- scription eardrops contain medicines to counter infec- tion and inflamma- tion. With treat- ment, symptoms usually improve within 24 hours and go away in two or three days. To help prevent future cases of swimmer's ear: — If you get water in your ears, dry them thor- oughly. First, turn your head to the side and pull the earlobe in different directions to help the water run out. Gently dry the opening to the ear canal. Then use a hair dryer briefly on its lowest setting held at arm's length to dry the rest of the canal. — Do not use cotton swabs to clean your ears. Swabs can cause trauma to ear canals, making them more susceptible to infec- tion. Also, swabs usually push wax deeper into the ear canal, and water can get trapped behind wax buildup. (Go to my website and search for my column on earwax.) — Do not use earplugs unless they are designed specifically to keep water out. — Eardrops after swim- ming can reduce your risk of getting swimmer's ear. You can buy non-prescrip- tion eardrops at the drug- store. You can make a sim- ilar "home-grown" remedy by mixing equal parts white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. Use three to four drops in each ear after swimming. Usually, the symptoms of swimmer's ear are just annoying. However, some- times the infection can spread deep into the ear tis- sue and become quite seri- ous. That's why taking steps to prevent the condi- tion, and seeing a doctor promptly if symptoms develop, is important. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. What to do if you are missing a W-2 from employer Make sure you have all the needed documents, including all your Forms W-2, before you file your 2011 tax return. You should receive an IRS Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from each of your employers. Employ- ers had until Jan. 31 to issue your 2011 Form W-2 earnings statement. If you haven't received your W-2, follow these four steps: 1. Contact your employ- er If you have not received your W-2, contact your employer to inquire if and when the W-2 was mailed. If it was mailed, it may have been returned to the employer because of an incorrect or incomplete address. After contacting the employer, allow a rea- sonable amount of time for them to resend or issue the W-2. 2. Contact the IRS If you do not receive your W- 2 by Feb. 14, contact the IRS for assistance at 800- 829-1040. When you call, you must provide your name, address, Social Security number, phone number and have the fol- lowing information: Employer's name, address and phone number; Dates of employment; An esti- mate of the wages you earned, the federal income tax withheld, and when you worked for that employer during 2011. The estimate should be based on year-to- date information from your final pay stub or leave-and- earnings statement, if pos- sible. 3. File your return You still must file your tax return or request an exten- sion to file by April 17, 2012, even if you do not receive your Form W-2. If you have not received your Form W-2 in time to file your return by the due date, and have completed steps 1 and 2, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax State- ment. Attach Form 4852 to the return, estimating Great Weekend for Dormant Spraying Liqui-Cop Helps Control Peach Leaf Curl Blight and much more Saturday, February 18th @10am Potato Class Red Bluff Garden Center 527-0886 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) OVER 300,000 PAGE VIEWS PER MONTH! D NEWSAILY www.redbluffdailynews.com RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Now! Print Daily News subscribers enjoy unlimited FREE website access 24/7! income and withholding taxes as accurately as pos- sible. There may be a delay in any refund due while the information is verified. 4. File a Form 1040X On occasion, you may receive your missing W-2 after you file your return using Form 4852, and the information may be differ- ent from what you reported on your return. If this hap- pens, you must amend your return by filing a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Form 4852, Form 1040X and instructions are available on this website or by calling 800-TAX- FORM (1-800-829-3676).