Mandina

Last night. around 3AM, I heard the strangest sound. It was "eNOUGH, eNOUGH, eNOUGH", but without the "f". Also a kind of meow, and a few other strange sounds. Not a wail. I live in extreme N. CA in forested mountains. My screened window was wide open, as it had been a very hot day. It was probably 50 ft. from my house. It was loud, like a large dog barking, and woke me and my kitties up. I've heard it before, but thought it might be a bird. But this time it was very close, and something on the ground. All I can think of is a fox, but haven't read any description of any sound like this. Or maybe Bigfoot. (I do live in famous Bigfoot country.)

2 weeks ago I had surgery for colon cancer and now have an 8 " vertical scar on my abdomen. The staples were removed in the hospital and replaced with steri-strips. As they are now coming off, I see that one staple was forgotten and is still on my scar about an inch below my navel. There is a little gap between the staple and my skin, and I was thinking of maybe adding a little jump ring with a small pretty flat crystal to the staple. I've always sort of admired pierced navels, but never considered having it done. Now I have a piercing in almost the same place. Does anyone see any problems if I do this? My friend had the same surgery 10 years ago, and her daughters paid to have a lovely tattoo of twining morning glories over her scar. Making lemonade out of lemons, and adding beauty to an ugly scar to remind us how lucky we are to be survivors.

My long distance boyfriend called me last night to tell me he was going to end everything. And then I realized he had a gun to his head. I begged him not to, and he called me an hour later saying he was better. And he probably called me 5 times today thanking me for saving his life. I love this man more than any other in my life, and we are both middle aged, not young kids.But he was raised to be very stoic, to never express emotion or tell your problems to others. How do I convince him it 's okay to ask for help, either a counselor or maybe taking antidepressants. I already called suicide prevention to explain the situation, and they gave me his local mental health number and told him to call that. But I don't think I can convince him to call. I'm so glad I saved his life last night, I've fought depression off and on all of my life, and know when I need professional help. I'm so afraid of loosing him. I felt so helpless last night. I know some of his friends, but not how to contact them. I thought about calling the police, but if they had gone to his door and he had a gun in his hand, they would have blown him away. I know what depression is, you can't just tell it to go away sometimes. He's coming up to see me tomorrow. We live about 4 hours apart. Any confidential words of wisdom would be so much appreciated.

Just moved to very rural mountainous area with no cellphone coverage. Might use it once or twice a month, unless I'm traveling. I'm on a tight budget! I don't want frills, just a phone and plan that works well, with no roaming charges. I'd be checking messages every week or two, but know how valuable cellphones are when I'm on the road. When I was overseas, you could just buy a phone and card and have minutes added when you pay with no other charges. I can't find anything like that in the USA. I've tried to compare different companies, but am very confused.

I have a dear friend who is going to do me a big favor, but she tends to drive people nuts! She's a real talker and gets off on tangents, and it's hard to even understand what she's talking about. It's very exasperating. But she's a very sweet person with a big heart. I don't think she ever learned very good communication skills. And she's not extremely bright, but that's not her fault.

I've hired her before to help clean my house, but it was often difficult to get her to listen to what needed to be done. For instance, I needed help with the dusting and vacuuming, and she'd keep trying to do my laundry.

Now I'm relocating in a big way, and have had 100's of details to take care of, besides just packing. So it's been extremely hard to stay focused myself. . I used to be good at multi-tasking, but I'm trying to concentrate on one task at a time now. So my friend has offered to come up for a few days to help me finish packing. I'm so grateful for her volunteering to help, because I need it! My house has gotten very cluttered because I've been so scattered. I'm looking for some fun way to get both of us back to focus; maybe a little game we could play to remind each other to focus. She was here 2 weeks ago, and I had to say "STOP!" when she wouldn't stop packing the curtains, which are part of the rented house. She wasn't mad, and thanked me for getting her to pay attention. It took over 2 hours to try to find out what time and where she wants me to pick her up tomorrow. Over the years, I've been able to teach her somethings, and she says I'm like a mom to her. We both respect each other a lot.

I need to direct the packing, but don't want to be bossy, and I'm open to suggestions from her, of course. And I want a way we can both help each other stay focused and be efficient, but have lots of fun working together. Any suggestions?

I purchased a new manufactured home for $66,000 in Nov. 09, paid for in full. I filed an IRS extension, and know I meet all requirements. The IRS agent I talked to last year told me because it's on rural unimproved land, that it's considered an owner built home, to include the cost of the well, septic, permits, etc. All of that has added up to a total cost of about $100,000, but I only want to include a few major receipts to show a cost of over $80,000 so I can get the full $8,000 credit.

Because of the very remote mountainous location and snow, it's taken a long time to get everything else finished, and I live a long ways away, handling most by myself, and couldn't afford a general contractor, only for the house setup and where required by law. Friends over there have been helping me build the steps, well cover, etc. I know I'm supposed to move in by June 30. Most of my belongings are there, but I didn't quite pass the county inspection yet, including 2 things I'm now told required a permit. My friends are working all weekend to correct the little details, and I've applied for the permits. As I told the building dept., I've been trying to comply, but they said it will be another week or so before it can be inspected again and they can issue me a certificate of occupancy.That will be after the June 30 date. I spent most of last week on the phone trying to get everything else taken care of, as I was frantic that I might lose the tax credit, which I've been counting on and desperately need. I've tried to reach the IRS several ties in the past few months, but gave up after being on hold forever. Finally Friday I was able to talk to an agent who was courteous and friendly, but clueless about whether or not I need to include a certificate of occupancy to file so I can claim the credit.

He also told me to include the cost of the land, but I've owned that for over 35 years, and am co-owner with my 2 grown children. We share the taxes on the 10 acres, but they have nothing to do with owning or purchasing the house, nor will they be living there. Do I have to include the land? Sounds like that could get complicated, but I will if I have to.

So I know I need to file by mail with form 5405, include the retail sales contract from the home manufacturer (it will show that it's been payed for in full in Nov.09), and want to include a few extra receipts to get the full credit. But I still don't know if I need to include that certificate of occupancy. I can't find the answers anywhere and can't afford hundreds of dollars for a tax preparer. I don't owe any taxes, and my income is very low. I purchased this house with a little inheritance from my mother. Is it permissible to include a brief letter to the IRS? I'd be extremely grateful for any help!!!

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I just read a previous answer about wrong caller IDs, but my situation isn't about a caller deliberately trying to change it. Last week, I got a message from a contractor who is completing work on my new home, several hours away. He asked if I could meet him 2 days later for the walk-through. I called back as soon as I got home and left a message. I dialed directly from my phone call log, which displayed his full name (Jeff ****, and #). The name on the recorded message said I'd reached Jose ****. But I figured maybe they were room-mates? Anyway, I called back 7 times, trying to reach Jeff to say I'd be there, but an hour later than he had suggested. I did make the 6 hr. trip to my new house, but Jeff wasn't there, not even a note from him. I was more puzzled than mad. When I got home, Jose had left me a message, thank goodness, saying I kept dialing the wrong number, as he figured it was important. Which it was! Today, I played back Jeff's message to me, and sure enough, the phone number he said was one digit different than the one displayed on my phone. But my caller ID even displayed his full name, with the wrong number. I want to report this, but don't know whose at fault. My local company, my long distance company, my almost new phone, or his cell phone provider?

I'm moving soon with my 5 rescued cats who have gotten very spoiled. They climb everywhere and are constantly knocking things off. They aren't going to like moving anymore than I, but this will be my first house I own, and we need to change the rules. I'm going to leave a 5 ft. wooden step ladder up for them, which they love, and I'll make some play houses for them from combining my moving boxes. They're not kittens, but are 6 to 10 yrs. old. I'll try aluminum foil and maybe some balloons on the off limit areas. They will be allowed some places, of course, but I want them to have some boundaries. I really love my babies, but am tired of hearing things go "crash" and finding everything in a pile on the floor. Am I asking for the impossible? Any suggestions would help!