Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/57705
Thursday, March 8, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES Harpy harangues harmless hubby Dear Annie: My best friend, ''Maggie,'' and I are like sisters. We have great fun, can talk about nearly anything and have support- ed each other through our toughest times. Our hus- bands also get along well, and we often do things together. Over the past year, Mag- gie has become increasingly critical of her husband, ''Scott.'' He is a likeable guy, but Maggie scolds and picks on him, rolls her eyes and basically treats him with contempt. Granted, Scott can be a little blunt, and his attempts at humor don't always succeed, but her responses are worse. She will say, ''You're such an idiot. Why don't you just keep your mouth shut?'' Yet, the next minute, they will have their arms around each other. We often see Maggie and Scott at parties, and it is clear that others feel embarrassed by this behavior. Maggie has never mentioned mari- tal problems to me. In fact, she says sweet and complimentary things about Scott when it's just the two of us. I don't want to jeopardize our terrific friendship, so how do I approach this subject? She doesn't take criticism well, no matter how gentle. — Baffled Friend Dear Baffled: Some married couples fall into the habit of letting criticisms become common and public. We think Maggie might sim- ply need a little push in the right direction. The next time she says or Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar does something critical of Scott, you might take her aside and say, ''Are you angry with Scott? You seem to dislike him so much late- ly.'' You also could give positive reinforcement when you witness affection, adding, ''It's so nice to see you two getting along.'' Dear Annie: I've been asked to be the maid-of- honor for a friend. I was planning to throw a bridal shower with 10 to 15 guests at my apartment. I had a nice lun- cheon-type party in mind. The other day, my friend informed me that she wants to invite 65 guests and, since my apartment is too small for that crowd, said I should host it at a local restaurant. I checked with the venue, and it is way too pricey for my budget. Even if I involve the other two brides- maids, this will be a much bigger expense than I can afford. Are there rules when it comes to bridal shower guest lists? I don't want to hurt her feelings or lose her friendship, but combined with the expense of the dress, shoes, hair and bachelorette party, I may need to take out a loan. How can I handle this? After all, it's her wedding. — Soon To Be Poor Maid of Honor Dear Maid: The bride is allowed to give you the guest list, but she must keep to the hostess's limit. When you told her you would give a shower for 15 people, she should have kept the guest list at 15. It is inconsiderate of a bride to force anyone to shell out more than they can afford for a shower. We recom- mend you tell her ''so sorry,'' this isn't in your budget, and you will have to decline as hostess, but that you would be happy to give a small- er event in your apartment for 15 guests. We don't care if it's her wedding. It doesn't entitle her to become Bridezilla. Dear Annie: Your response to ''Stuck in the Middle'' was spot on. It's never too late to learn good fis- cal behavior, but it's never too early, either. America's Credit Unions sponsors a public television series called ''Biz Kid$'' that teaches young people the importance of good money management and busi- ness skills they can use for life. With a website of resources and a free curriculum that teachers and parents can access, ''Biz Kid$'' teaches kids that being fiscally responsible can be fun. Will you tell them, Annie? — Jamie Hammond, Executive Producer Dear Jamie Hammond: With pleasure. We hope our readers, young and old, will check out Biz Kid$ at bizkids.com. 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. Wild Flower & Wild Horses trail ride SHINGLETOWN – For what may be the most unique wildflower experi- ence found anywhere, the Wild Horse Sanctuary is offering a special "Wild- flowers & Wild Horses" weekend to kick-off their 2012 trail ride season, April 28 and 29. The variety of colorful wildflowers bordering the trail and dotting the land- scape of the Sanctuary will only be matched by the rainbow of colors of the wild horses you'll see along the way. Viewing bands of wild mustangs and burros while on horseback will provide guests with memories that will last a lifetime. Add wildflowers and your expe- rience becomes even more memorable! Laird R. Blackwell, an experienced wildflower guide, will join the trail ride and talk about the various wildflowers seen along the trail. Mr. Blackwell is the author and photographer of several regional field guides to California wildflowers, including his latest book – Wildflowers of California: A Month-by-Month Guide. "Wildflowers & Wild Hors- es" trail ride participants will receive a complimenta- ry signed copy of Wildflow- ers of California: A Month- by-Month Guide. The book features more than 650 color photographs and is available online from the University of California Press at www.ucpress.edu/9780520 272064. The "Wildflowers & Wild Horses" ride follows trails created by the wild horses and burros through a landscape of native grasses, manzanita, oak woodlands, pines, and lava rock that is inhabited by a diverse wildlife population. After a day of riding on the range, guests will enjoy a relaxing evening at "Wild Horse Camp," which includes story telling around the campfire and a hearty cow- boy barbecue dinner. The camp features frontier-style sleeping cabins that com- fortably sleep two to four guests, a cook house, restrooms, and yes, even a hot shower. "During our "Wildflow- ers & Wild Horses" trail ride guests will see firsthand how these incredibly beauti- ful wild horses are able to live freely in a protected environment, while learning about the native wildflowers found here, too," said Dianne Nelson, President & Co-Founder, Wild Horse Sanctuary. Cost for the two-day "Wildflowers & Wild Hors- es" trip is only $435 per per- son. The Wild Horse Sanctu- ary is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of Ameri- ca's wild horses and burros. The Wild Horse Sanctuary has served as a haven for these disappearing symbols of the American West since 1978 and provides rescued wild horses 5,000 acres to roam free and live out their natural lives. The Wild Horse Sanctuary is located near Shingletown. To learn more about the Wild Horse Sanctuary, book a trail ride reservation, or make a donation, call (530) 474-5770 or visit www.WildHorseSanctu- ary.org. What shotgun capacity for big game, turkeys and waterfowl? Question When hunting black bears, pigs, turkeys and waterfowl, what shotgun capacity can I use? (Daniel K.) Answer Shotguns capable of holding not more than three shells may be used to take all of the species you men- tion. For more information, please see sections 311 and 353 in the Hunting Regulations book or look online at www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/. Halibut hooks Question I'm planning to go fishing for halibut and have read that the rig must not exceed two hooks. Can those two D NEWSAILY AUTO ROUTE RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY DRIVERS WANTED Los Molinos & Gerber areas Healthy brain is one that is challenged DEAR DOC- TOR K: I've heard it said that we use only 10 percent of our brains, but I'm skeptical. Could it be true that we use only this small per- centage of our brain capacity? DEAR READ- ER: Many parts of our bodies have some extra capacity built in. You can have an entire lung or kidney removed and get along fine with the one that remains. Your body can spare skin and bone marrow. If your appendix, gallblad- der or spleen needs to go, so be it — you can live without these organs if you need to. But we need all of our Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. because they think it means they could be a lot smarter: If they're using only 10 per- cent of their brains, they'd be twice as smart if they could figure out how to use 20 percent! Could we be smarter? That's a controversial question. There are some people who have truly remarkable mem- ory. They can remember in detail things that happened years ago — the number of the hotel room where they stayed decades ago, for example. brain. Regardless of what we're doing, even if we're asleep, all parts of our brain are working. New brain- imaging techniques, such as functional MRI scans, can measure how much energy is being used in each part of the brain. They show that we regularly use all of our brains. They also show that during any particular task, certain parts of the brain are working harder than others. Take your memory as an example. Your memories aren't stored in a single spot. Instead, they are widely dis- tributed in networks throughout your brain. Dif- ferent areas of your brain process different kinds of information. Say you want to sing a song you know. The words are stored in one part of your brain, but the melody is stored somewhere else. Calling up the memory of a song initiates a search that travels through many parts of your brain. So the notion that we use just 10 percent of our brains isn't true. A lot of my patients seem attracted to that idea. I think it's Other people have remarkable computational powers: They can multiply two large numbers instantly. They don't have physically bigger brains. Do they have unique inherited brain chemistry? If so, and if we figure out what chemistry gives them such mental powers, could the rest of us someday also have such added powers? I think it's possible. Another common belief is that really smart people have more brain cells than others. That, too, is probably incorrect. But it probably is true that really smart people have more connections between their brain cells. While the "10 percent theory" is not true, it is true that challenging our brains makes us sharper. Particular- ly in the last half of our lives, the brain is like a muscle: The more it's used, the bet- ter it will continue to do its job. 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. Gleaners schedule Gleaners will distribute food as follows in March: • Rancho Tehama, noon-2 p.m., Monday, March 12, Recreation Center • Los Molinos, 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, March 13, Masonic Hall, 25020 Tehama Vina Rd. • Corning, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednes- day, March 14, Corning Senior Center, 1015 Fourth Ave. • Red Bluff, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, March 14, Food Bank, 20699 Walnut St. hooks be treble hooks? Answer You are not limited to two hooks and so treble hooks may be used (CCR Title 14, section 28.65). All other sites in the county will be at the usual times and places. Applications for food bank cards may be on the day of giveaway. Bring large paper or plastic bags if possible. All income must be reported. Income is gross monthly per household not net. Only one card will be issued per household. 3B Must be 21 or older & bondable. GREAT PAY Call or apply in person Circulation Dept. 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