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PG&E calls for gas dip Pacific Gas and Electric Company's customers can expect average natural gas bills to be about 4 percent lower this month than in February of last year. Small increases in charges for transmission, distri- bution and mandated social programs are expected to be offset by lower forecast usage and a decline in gas prices. The price of the natural gas has been favorable due to high storage levels and lower demand. Customers can take steps to help reduce their gas bills. Turning down your thermostat by just one or two degrees and installing weather stripping in your home, are two easy ways to save on your winter heating bills. Customers in need of assistance with bill payment should call 800-PGE-5000. Wednesday, February 3, 2010 – Daily News – 5A Come in and check out our $ 4 99 Lunch Specials We are open and NOT CLOSING Mon thru Fri 11-3 200 So. Main St. Red Bluff, Ca 529-9488 at 649 Main Street Downtown Red Bluff Planning aWedding? Come to Gayle's Tuxedo Rentals Best Selection Best Service Best Prices 12600 Hwy 99E, Red Bluff Located 5 Miles from I-5 • 530-527-6483 Hrs: 9am-6pm Monday-Saturday Expires 2-09-10 All Beef Old Fashion FRANKS $ 3 29 lb. Boneless HAMS $ 3 19 lb. Choice Angus Boneless RIBEYE STEAKS $ 7 49 lb. Now Accepting E.B.T., Debit, Credit Cards Stock up for your Super Bowl party Dear Annie: My husband's brother has a 10- year-old son. He's an only child and still sleeps with his parents. He has a perfectly nice bed- room, but they never got around to making him sleep by himself. My brother-in-law trav- els a great deal for work, and when he's away, ''Timmy'' sleeps in his mother's bed. When my brother-in-law is home, one of the parents sleeps with Timmy in his bedroom. During the holidays, things happened that caused problems with the cousins. Timmy doesn't sit at the table for family din- ners. He throws tantrums because he doesn't want to eat what everyone else is eating. Of course, his young cousins then copy him and act up the same way. Also, the children help with the cleanup — even the youngest takes her plate to the kitchen. Timmy, however, watches TV. No one insists that he lift a finger. Timmy has been diag- nosed with ADHD, but doesn't he still require structure? His parents have never said ''no'' to him. He has more toys than a department store. He really is a sweet kid, but has few friends, and because he hasn't been taught better manners, things will only get worse as he gets older. We all feel sorry for this boy. A few of us have tried talking to his parents. They know they should set some boundaries and work on his behav- ior, but they haven't done so. Any suggestions? — Concerned Family Dear Con- cerned: Parenting is a tough job. It requires that parents do what is best for their child even if it is difficult and taxing for them. Your brother-in-law and his wife have decided it's too much effort to reprogram their son, so they allow him to run the show, and he knows it. Sug- gest they discuss this with the pediatrician and get a referral for a family coun- selor who will teach them how to be the parents their child needs. Dear Annie: I will be 15 in a few days. I need to work up the courage to ask my parents to get me birth control. I don't want my folks to think I'm a slut or anything. But I also don't want to make any mistakes with my love life. I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Can you help me find a way to ask them about it? — The Kid With Angry Parents Dear Kid: Are you already having sex? Birth control pills contain hor- mones, and unless you need them, there is no point to flooding your system with unnecessary medica- tion. You are smart to want to be prepared, but we hope you will postpone intimacy for a little while longer. You shouldn't feel rushed or pressured. Try talking to your mother privately when she is calm and relaxed. Explain that you are think- ing about sex and want to be ready. Be sure to tell her that you value her input. If you truly listen with an open mind, you both will get through this. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ''Going Gray and Loving It,'' who is 45 and doesn't color her hair. I started coloring my hair at age 40 to please my husband. He said, ''It's not so bad being a grandfather, but it's no fun being mar- ried to a grandmother. Please get rid of the gray.'' So, for 30-some years, I was a redheaded ''hottie'' in his eyes. Recently, after I got smart and tired of coloring every six months, I quit. Guess what? Not one of my silver-haired friends noticed the difference. They accept me at face value and love me just the same as when I was an auburn-haired ''beauty.'' And I am sure, from up on his cloud, that my husband does, too. I love my silvered hair. It goes well with everything and gives me an air of respectability. Nice younger men open doors for me, offer to carry my laundry basket and smile. Silver hair is the key to kindness when it's needed. — Been There Worried about nephew's future Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar FEATURES DEAR DR. GOTT: I have three new uses for vinegar that I am sure you have not heard of before. I enjoy your common- sense approach to medicine and thought that you would enjoy these. First, for years, I suffered from the itching and pain of pso- riasis. I used every over-the- counter cream and lotion I could find, but nothing helped. On a whim, I started rubbing the affected areas (my arms, legs and hands) with distilled white vinegar. It hurts like the dickens for a few seconds, but it clears up the scaly patches. I now use it regularly to clear up spots as they appear. Second, I had warts under my eyes that I couldn't get rid of. I carefully applied it with a cotton swab. In a few days, the warts came off. Finally, my daughter had a rash on her abdomen so bad that she could barely function at her job. She rubbed vinegar on it, and, for the first time since she developed the rash, she slept through the night. After two or three more applica- tions, it disappeared completely. I don't know why vinegar works when everything else fails, but it does. DEAR READER: Vinegar is quickly becoming a useful medicine-cabinet product and quickly approaching men- tholated-chest-rub status. Vinegar also has the distinction of being able to create tasty vinaigrettes for healthful salads. Readers, let me know of your success or failure in treating a malady with vine- gar. I will print a follow-up column when I have received a number of replies. DEAR DR. GOTT: I enjoy your col- umn and was excited to read about the National Eczema Association. All three of my children suffer with this condition as well as with food allergies and asth- ma. Often, their attacks coincide. My 5-year-old daughter suffers the worst and is often treated cruelly because of it by other children. I was so happy to find a Web site to keep current on new treatments and possibly a sup- port group to help all of us with the emotional effects this mala- dy causes. Eczema may not be fatal, but it is real and bothersome. Thank you for sharing the information. DEAR READER: Thank you for the compliment. I am glad to have helped in some way. It is the reason I first began writing a medical column and continue to do so. Eczema (the itch that rashes) is a relatively common skin condition that, by itself, is not harmful. It can, however, be annoying and cosmetically unpleasant. Persistent scratching can lead to a rash, which may result in bleed- ing, cracked skin that is wide open to infection. It is important that skin be kept clean, dry and well moisturized, espe- cially in children who often cannot help but scratch the itchy areas. Common home remedies include tak- ing lukewarm or cool baths or showers, using oatmeal soap or bath additives and applying moisturizing lotion while skin is still damp as often as needed through- out the day. Avoiding scratching is the best way to prevent the rash but is often difficult to accomplish. Furthermore, keeping nails trimmed may reduce skin damage. Topical prescription medication is a final option for those who cannot find relief by using self-care techniques. To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "Dermatitis, Eczema and Psoriasis." Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title. Dr. Peter Gott is a retired physician and the author of the book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and independent bookstores, and the recently published "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook." Yet another use for vinegar Dr. Peter Gott Smog Check starting at $ 29 95 (most cars and pick-ups) Pass or FREE retest COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR + cert. All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. 623 Main St. 527-5180 Clothing & Gear Spring & Summer New Arrivals Search is on for California senior poet laureate Entries are now being accept- ed for regional winners in the 18th annual National Senior Poets Laureate Poetry Competi- tion for American poets age 50 and older in which the California Senior Poet Laureate is selected. Deadline is June 30. Winning poems of state senior poets laureate will be named in July, following which they advance to final rounds of com- petition from which the winner of $500 and the 2010 National Senior Poet Laureate title will be announced around Sept. 1. Dewell H. Byrd, retired school administrator from Eureka, won the 2009 California Senior Poet Laureate Award with his poem "Portrait Day." Winner of the 2009 National Senior Poet Laureate Award was Patricia Frolander, 66, rancher from Sundance, Wyo. Co-sponsors Vera-Jane Good- in Schultz and Wanda Sue Parrott founded the contest administered by Amy Kitchener's Angels Without Wings Fdn. in 1993. The 2009 winners can be seen in Golden Words Anthology, along with rules for the 2010 Senior Poets Laureate Contest, at the Web site www.amykitchen- erfdn.org.