Susan G

A member of my family has stage 4 lung cancer and they are giving her whole head radiation to treat the brain tumor. She's having a really rough time and I was hoping that someone who has had some experience with this form of radiation therapy can offer some insight. She's really weak, fatigued, swollen and can hardly eat. Monday will be her sixth treatment. A family member will speak to her oncologist on Monday morning to see what else can be done. I'd appreciate any suggestions or hints to help her through the coming months - the doctor says that she has months not years to live. Thank you.

I would like to use bergamot oil as a home fragrance and would love some ideas.

What is traditional for your family to eat on New Years Eve or New Years Day?

Someone gave me 2 red snapper fillets that are sitting in my freezer and I have no idea what to do with them. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

My male ferret has recently had some hair loss along the base of his tail and I have noticed him biting/chewing that area as though he has an itch. I thought that he just had a skin irritation that seemed to be getting better. Yesterday, I read more about adrenal issues in ferrets and find that hair loss around the tail is one of the sure signs of an issue. Right now his fur is a little sparse around his tail but no area is bare. He's due for his yearly checkup soon so he will go to the vet's in the next month or so but I will take him sooner if needed. I am not sure how old he is - we are at least the third (and final) people who've had him. We got him when my brother in law passed away and my husband's sister couldn't keep him. The brother in law adopted him from a friend.

We have also recently moved, so he's in a new place. He's eating and drinking normally. He has been scratching himself more frequently like he has an itch (no fleas - I checked thoroughly).

I've always made one large pan but noticed recently that almost every recipe I see calls for using sort of a muffin tin or popover tin to make them. I would also welcome any variations on the usual recipe of 1 c flour, 1 c milk, 2 eggs and salt at room temp then pour into a piping hot pan with butter or drippings.

I am having the big dinner at my house and plan to serve over twenty. I generally prefer to serve this many people in a buffet style so that there aren't tons of dishes cluttering the table and I don't have to jump up every few minutes to refill a dish. My mother in law has been vocal this year about meals only being served family style and how much she hates buffet style. She takes offense easily and sulks if she doesn't get her way. I seem to offend her frequently without meaning to - I am apparently too blunt for her and should tiptoe around her feelings and phrase things differently. Two years ago she pouted and sulked through the meal and left early because I had someone carve the turkey in the kitchen (where everyone was gathered) and not at the table. I am stressed already and Thanksgiving is weeks away. Can anyone offer any insight or suggestions? Thanks.

I am going to purchase a washer and dryer in the next few days and my husband and I have been looking at front loading washers. I know that they're much more efficient but I've also heard some people talk about issues with wrinkled clothes. I'd love to hear from anyone who has an opinion for or against front loading washers. Thanks!

My ferret got underneath the recliner and got one of his front paws stuck in something. No one was sitting in the recliner and we heard him squealing so we looked for him and heard him in the recliner. After being freed, he started limping and then the limping lessened over the next thirty minutes until we hardly noticed it. He also didn't seem to mind having his paw touched or anyone picking him up. Neither my husband nor I noticed any cuts, swelling or bleeding. This happened late in the evening last night and I put him back in his cage after I watched him for a while. I plan to check him this afternoon and take him to the vet's if he seems to be hurting. I think that he's ok because he didn't seem to be in pain and he was moving fairly normally pretty quickly but I was hoping to get some more experienced ferret owner's opinions. I just don't have enough experience with ferrets to know how they react to being hurt. Thank you

I work with someone who's convinced that the media is purposefully downplaying Ron Paul's campaign. Are there really a lot of Ron Paul fans out there?

I probably sound paranoid but this has happened to me in two different homes and both times whatever it was left eventually. The most recent incident was in the home I live in now in the master bath. I felt like someone was watching me and everytime I went in there I would get super angry. Then I would also feel scared. It was strange because no other room affected me like this and I'm not an angry person. I bought a cross made of prismatic glass and hung it in the room and prayed that God would make whatever was in there leave and never come back. It hasn't come back - thank God but I was wondering if anyone else had any suggestions as to what to do if it happens again or how to prevent it from getting into my home in the first place.

I was really shocked when I read that Putin had dissolved the Russian government. I read the article that explained what happened but it still sounds bad.

Madeleine L'Engle passed away today or yesterday and I was wondering what book is your favorite. Mine is still "A Wrinkle in Time" - it's an old favorite. I have to keep buying copies because I wear mine out.

Do we need more gun control, less or none at all? Keep in mind that the population of the US consists of people who live in cities as well as out in the country (rabid animals and predators do still attack people, pets and livestock). Or, instead of more gun control should we punish criminals who use guns more severely as a deterrant. I'd like to hear both sides of the issue because it is such a controversial one.

I am starting to plan a trip to Great Britain and have found a charming home to lease for a week and it's in a small town with no train station. Would I be better off taking the train to a nearby town and taking a bus or taxi to the house or renting a car in London and driving up. I also plan to take a couple of day trips and possibly spend a few days elsewhere. I am very worried about driving on the opposite side of the road and trying to navigate at the same time. I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks.

On UFC.com there are articles about WEC but I haven't found anything about how they're related.

I'm watching the news coverage right now and it seems pretty chaotic and no one really knows what's going on.

I have just spent a considerable amount of time on the phone with Verizon and have been told by a supervisor that there's an FCC regulation stating that in order for Verizon to verify an account, the customer has to provide an account number or specific figures from their last statement. She said that my social security number is no good. I think that this is a load of you know what. I've checked the FCC's website and can't find a thing. I'm hoping that someone else could shed some light on this situation. Thanks,

My mother remarried about five years ago to a man that neither my sister nor I care for. I have always been considerate of him and respectful and yet he hardly speaks a word to me. He talks to my husband and even thanks him for things that I've organized or arranged. My husband tells him that I was the one who arranged the tickets or the dinner and my stepfather still continues to thank him. My mother always make apologies for his rude behavior to me and says that he cares deeply for me and my sister but he doesn't know how to behave in a family because he'd lived alone for over forty years. I don't want to cause a rift with my mother but I don't feel that I should have to subject myself to someone who behaves badly. He even threw a temper tantrum at my sister's house because my mother didn't do what he wanted and he went out and sat on the steps and sulked until my mother apologized for not doing what he wanted. I'm open to ideas for creatively dealing with this turkey.

First, I'm not trying to upset anyone - I'm just curious. My family used to have a single chicken in a pen (large) with plenty of area to roam and we used to gather her eggs every day. She produced one unfertilized egg a day and was never fed anything other than regular chicken feed. The eggs would never have developed into chicks because there was no rooster to fertilize the eggs so they woud have gone to waste if we hadn't gathered them. I know some people become vegans for health reasons and others become vegans because of the treatment of animals for food and their effect on the environment. I have the utmost respect for those who have decided to become vegans. Thanks for your input.