Okay Cat, I am going to try this one more time. You said you wanted to hear from those who have been where you are...well, I told you that I have been. I believe rather than "loving" your H (I won't even call him DH)...you are afraid of being alone. He has made your self-esteem rock bottom. He doesn't love you in return and when you take off your blinders and see that, you will realize that it is MUCH better living alone than with someone who treats you as he has. When I decided to leave, I didn't look back and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I think your H might be like the one I had....a manic depressive...and believe me, I can attest to to the fact that you never know which mood he is going to be in. Is he on medication? Has he been tested for it? That is HIS problem and not yours anymore. When I left, I had only my meger job, but I had a good lady friend who let me live with her until I got myself together.....but I made it and so can you!!!, but you have to want something better for yourself, and take action!!! It isn't the end of the world....so what if you "planned" to travel etc. with him...that is what they make bus tours for...you don't need him....culivate your girl friends...men come and go, but they won't......that is, if you are a good friend to them also. I have read your posts for so long....and nothing changes...and nothing will, until YOU take control of your own life~~~~so get your things together and get yourself out (that is if you are living together now)....burn those bridges and do not look back!!!!! You will not only feel better physically, but emotionally, as well.....I PROMISE YOU!!! So take action NOW!!! You have had good advice on these posts, but I think some are getting tired of hearing about your woes if you won't take that first step and get out. Good Luck....and I hope the next time I stop by here, but have said that you have left him for good and never to see him again.

While it is true that oxidized iron is caused by dissolved oxygen in the water and other oxidizing agents, (IE: chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, etc)high turbidity as in this water analysis can contribute to iron bleeding through softener. I would also flush the pressure tank. Some of the turbidity may be coming from it. Hook a hose to the boiler drain at well tank and flush to drain until well kicks on a couple times. If no smell in cold water, the smell in water heater is probably from anode rod eroding away. You can fill the post filter you have now with bleach, run through whole house and water heater. Let sit for about 1 hour and flush completely. Flush water heater from drain at bottom of tank until any bleach smell is gone. Flush WH from bottom, drain weekly for about 5 minutes to flush out any sediment from anode rod. If rod is more than 10 years old it is probably gone by now with softened water. You do not need an iron filter! Let your quote #3 guy know that an iron filter based on air injection CAN NOT remove bacteria, but it will feed it and make it worse. RJ

Maybe a fund of about $1.333 million at about 3% would be a more feasible scenario. Not providing for sale of some assets, rather probable in a 1.5 - 2 million or larger asset portfolio situation (some paying almost no dividends or none), which would result in capital gains/(losses) to relate to current income. In earlier years, if one received $10,000. of dividends from Canadian Corporations, one added (Grossed-up) 25% to that figure to find the taxable amount of dividend income, to report $12,500. on the tax return. Then 13.333% of that amount, or Dividend Tax Credit of $1,666.63 was deducted from the tax that one owed. Non-refundable tax credits were available to most taxpayers, and those along with the dividend tax credits, allowed "taxpayers" with no other income to have about $27,000. solely dividend income to have nil tax to pay. Now this situation is called "Ineligible dividends" and the ratios are as indicated above. A new category of "Eligible dividends", which seems to include dividends paid by most stock-exchange-listed Canadian corporations, are grossed up by 45%, i.e. $10,000. cash is reported as $14,500. on the tax return - and have a Dividend Tax Credit of 18.9655% of the taxable amount, or $2,750. deducted from the tax owing. This, added to the Non-refundable tax credits, allows a "taxpayer" to have nearly $40,000. before becoming tax-liable. Which may be pushed higher in various other circumstances that I think that I outlined above. Most long-term Canadian residents, including non-employed people (e.g. housewives), qualify for Old Age Security at age 65 of about $5,800. annually. As this is a non-contributory Federal benefit, if the taxpayer's annual income is over about $55,000., part of that Old Age Security is clawed back by the gov't. The clawback amount increases, till the total amount of one's O.A.S. is clawed back when one's income is in the mid- to high $80,000.00s. Cash dividend of $40,000. plus 45% becomes $58,000. on tax return, plus $5,800. O.A.S., close to $64,000. taxable, will result in substantial clawback of one's O.A.S. benefit. Plus reduction in senior's Age credit, which reduces with increased "income" - whether "real" or "imagined" income! "Gross", huh? Canada Pension Plan (mandatory contributions by both employer and employee, therefore a contractual benefit) allows members who are "substantially retired" (rather loosely defined) to stop contributing and begin to claim benefits at any time between age 60 and 70, with 6% annual reduction if claimed under 65 and 6% annual addition if over 65. Taxable. Private pension plan benefits are available to some people. Benefits of up to $1,000. from private pension plan or RRIF payments qualify one for a non-refundable tax credit, dollar for dollar, up to $1,000. If one is age 69, partial owner (the government being the other partial owner) of a tax-deferred retirement account (RRSP), it must be closed out by the end of that year - or the rules provide that it will be closed out as of Dec. 31 of that year and the total amount added to income in that year. Scarcely anyone chooses this route!! Most personal money managers prefer to use the RRSP money: 1) to buy an annuity (not so hot an idea in these low-interest times), or 2) to roll over into a Registered Retirement Income Fund. With a RRIF, no more deposits allowed, and required to remove at least a given percentage annually, beginning at about 7.5% and rising to 20% annual withdrawal at age 90 and later. Residue in a RRIF on owner's death: if no spouse, infant or disabled dependent kid is added to deceased's income in year of death, or can be fully transferred to one in spouse's name with no tax consequences - yet. Residue is added to current income in year of surviving spouse's death. Where these or other income situations are obtained, the tax reduction is still substantial - but one doesn't avoid tax entirely: one is then a taxpayer (no quotation marks)! There are some other games that an astute portfolio manager can employ, if she/he is willing to a take some moderate short-term risks. There are several fairly smart women in the monthly investment shareclub that I've attended for about 7 years. Good wishes for wise and constructive use of retirement assets. ole joyful

Some things to do: 1. Shut off the alarm clock. 2. Make a list of all the places you'd like to see in the US, and then prioritize those. Selec the top few plan to go there. Prime sightseeing place are National Parks. Take a camera. 3. Long forgotten relatives: You can visit relatives and friends you have not seen in years and get re-aquainted. Combine a trip to their house with sightseeing along the way. 4. Take up a hobby: This may require several tries until you find someting you like. Consider genealogy. Genealogy and visiting relatives are good fits. During my working life, I had regarded genealogy as something dull and and something my old unmarried aunt might pursue. Not so! You'll find that you will have to develop your best dectective skills to be good at it. When you visit relatives, they can be very helpful and it gives you a reason to search out family reunions. Tracing my family tree has become a lesson in early US history and the development of this country. I hated history when I was in grade school, but it becomes a facinating subject when you begin to connect you family tree with historical events. For example, I discovered that I had an ancestor who owned a 420 acre plantation in Virginia when it was a colony in the 1700s; Five of his grandsons were in the Revolutionalry War; In the next generation, one of them fought under Andrew Jackson in the Florida War, and then later was a Captain in the Black Hawk War in Illinois. Another served in the Mexican War (1846-1848). This was a lot of military action for a family who waw not militarily inclined, but were mostly farmers and settlers. 5. Volunteering is good. You do have to be careful, though, because you no longer will have a corporation and their lawyers to stand between you and law suits. I found a number of organizations in my area who were looking for people to provide transporation, but were not insuring your activity. The repurcussions can be large, for example, suppose you are transporting a juvenille and another vehicle crashes into your car injuring or killing your passenger. In this suit-happy environment, you will need good insurance to cover the situation. 6. Inquire at your local hospital. These often have need of volunteer help. 7. If you are qualified, consider substitue teaching. 8. If you belong to a religious orgaization, now is your chance to pay back by fulfilling a needed service. 9. Handy with tools? Consider working with "Habitat for Humanity". 10. Have single relative with a child nearby? Consider baby sitting the young one a few days a week. 11. Have an elderly or disabled neighbor? Offer to clear their sidewalk of snow in the winter. 12. Become a Boy Scout Leader. 13. Join your local Lion's Club. 14. And then, there are self improvement courses at your local vocational/Trade School. You might find that you are qualified as instructor for some of these. If you have completed college level courses in Calculus on the way to your degree, very likely, you can teach a variety of math classes at a vocational school. *********** You do have the choice to take it easy for 6 months while you explore and think about what you would like to do. Yeah, you can take 6 months off. Your main problem will be to maintain your physical well being. Do not lay around during a slack period; Do enough physical activity to stay in shape. Somewhere along the way, you may come to the realization that this is God given opportunity, and now you have a chance to do someting with your life other than put food on the table. Now is the chance to view your existence from a different perspective and act accodingly. Get bored - Nah!