Zelia

I read a book written around 1900 and characters are sometimes described as

"making a cheese right in the middle of the floor." Does anyone know what this phrase means? I've googled it but haven't found much.

I think I may have to end my relationship with my extended family. They all voted for Trump and I now see them as racists and bigots by association. I cannot find a way to say "Oh, it's okay" that they voted for one of the most deplorable people to stride the earth. Any advice before I cut the ties for once and for all?

I am buying Christmas gift items for a local homeless shelter. There are families as well as adults living there, and that includes teenagers. The director of the shelter says teens like "tech-oriented" gifts. Can you suggest items that are not too expensive? She suggested earbuds, but that sounds sort of boring to me (but then I'm too old to know "what the kids like"). I would be grateful for any advice you can give me.

I am moving toward retirement age and my future looks very empty. The man I loved very much broke up with me and I don't think I will find another relationship. I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone. I've been on my own for years already and I am tired of doing everything alone. I can't find a reason to keep struggling to go on. Any advice? (Nothing religious please, I'm an atheist.)

I was bullied many years ago as a school kid. It left long-lasting mental scars on me, and I think it's part of the reason I've carried anger and frustration for so many years. Does it make sense for me to vent to the people who bullied me (via letter)? I only remember names of a couple of guys. So I can only contact them. Would they just think it would seem crazy of me to want to reduce my anger after 40+ years?

My ex ended our relationship so he could deal with some mental health issues. He is seeing a psychiatrist. I'm thinking of writing to his psychiatrist so the doctor knows some background information that I suspect my ex will not provide. Is this unethical/inappropriate on my part? Will the doctor even read the material if I send it to him?

My long-distance boyfriend of 4 years dumped me a few months ago with no explanation. I can't see any reason to go on. I am over 60, not the best in looks, haven't got a great financial situation (not broke but not affluent, either), and have no idea what to do with my future now that he's not in it. No kids, no one really to go on for. Very hard for me to find anything that I feel positive about or want to do. Any suggestions?

My boyfriend is 50 and has had a complete cardiac workup done, after chest pains last fall (no cause for the pain was ever diagnosed). He runs several miles 3-4 times a week, doesn't smoke, eats very healthy meals. But he has had a couple of tests that indicate his heart rate drops to as low as 4-5 seconds between beats. He is afraid this will mean he will die in his sleep unexpectedly. I have tried to reassure him but have not been able to find information on the internet to assess the likelihood of this happening. Any information or sources you can point me to would be appreciated!

I met this man over the internet and we have been in a relationship for over three years. We don't see each other often because he is a workaholic and I have health issues that don't allow me to travel. (I've checked him out, googled him, am sure he is not scamming me, etc., just to get those issues out of the way.) My major problem is that I feel that I am the lowest priority in his life. He owns a small business and employs several family members so his job and his family are intertwined.He works literally about 16 hours a day. It just frustrates me terribly that two or three days may pass without hearing from him. He gets sick and doesn't tell me about it, doesn't return phone calls or texts.,etc. We have talked about me moving to his area and possibly getting married, but I worry that I will end up more lonely out there because I will be leaving my support system of friends and family behind. How do I assess whether this relationship is worth holding onto?

I am trying to find games that can be played by middle schoolers in order to practice their math skills. Can any of you suggest any that can be played using a standard deck of playing cards? Thank you!

I know a guy who is starting college this fall at a university about an hour away. He will be living in a dorm on campus. I happen to know that he is a five-time convicted felon who has drug and weapons offenses on his record. I don't know if the university knows this, however. I am worried that he is dangerous and may harm someone. I feel like I have an obligation to warn the school about him but others tell me it is none of my business, and they may be right. What do you folks think? Should I tell the university about his record?

I have put together a comprehensive history of my family, particularly my great-grandfather, who served in the Civil War. I have put together a book that includes a family chronology, historical data, lots of photographs (family and historical), a complete family tree, and a calendar of family birthdays and anniversaries. It will be over 150 pages when all done. I will have it professionally printed & bound and it will end up costing around $13.00 per copy. Do you think this is too much? I did a first edition of this 15 years ago and sold about 40 copies. Do you think it is realistic to expect to sell that many again this time around? (We send out about 65 invitations to our family reunion every year, if that gives you any type of ballpark estimate. All of the people invited to this family reunion are descended from the same man.)

I am hosting a baby shower for a godchild. I live out of town so I am coordinating a lot of stuff with the mom-to-be's mother. I have started shopping for the shower, buying prizes for games, etc. (The baby is not due until late December but the shower may be held by late October or mid-November.) The grandma-to-be wants me to clear everything with the mom-to-be. I thought the hostess got to make the decisions about the shower!? Of course I don't want to do anything that would offend or upset the guest of honor, but how much input should the mother have in planning the shower? Am I going to have to run every decision by her? She has already said she doesn't care about the theme of the shower. She is planning on having a "baby farm animals" theme for her nursery and that will be hard to find stuff to coordinate with.

Here is my situation: Recently in my area an elderly man went missing, second time in one year. I posted a comment that said his family should put an ID bracelet on him and monitor him better. I got all sorts of grief from others who said I was too judgmental. Seems obvious to me that if he is getting lost they are not watching him well enough. What do you folks think?

I just got a message saying yahoo answers is spreading a virus and I should backup my computer files "for free" in case they get wiped out. Is this true? Why is nothing being said on the Yahoo answers home page?

The same person keeps posting the same question over and over. How do I report this so he can be blocked?

I clicked on another user's question and was told I was not allowed to see it. Why would that happen? Have I been blocked by that user? This person posts the same question over and over and I pointed that out. Perhaps she got mad about that?

I have a friend who had open heart surgery (triple bypass) at the end of October 2011. She seems to be recovering well but claims that the surgery has affected her memory. She also claims to fall victim to sudden fatigue, but it seems to me that she is selectively fatigued: she can go all day when it is something SHE wants to do but is suddenly tired when someone else suggests an activity. How long does it take to recover from open heart surgery? Her doctor is suggesting cardiac rehab. Does she really need it? How can I assess whether these are real symptoms or convenient reasons to avoid doing what she is not interested in doing?

I have a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan with about 130,000 miles on it. Tonight while I was driving home the ABS dash light came on. A little later I realized that none of my dashboard dials (temperature, speedometer, etc.) were working, altho all were lighted. The car seemed to drive fine and the lights and radio continued to work. What do you think might be causing this?

I am getting frustrated. It seems that every 10th question is some kid's math problem. Why don't they post it in "homework help"?