DEAR ABBY: I'm a 47-year-old man. I live alone in a small city in New York. I have a good job. I have been with the company for years and my bosses take good care of me. However, I want to live a semi-homesteading-type life on my own property, providing myself with my basic needs. I cannot do this in the area where I live because of strict zoning.

I'm torn between leaving my job to move and live the life I dream of, or staying where I am and trying to get as close as I can to that lifestyle. Can you help me? -- TORN IN NEW YORK

DEAR TORN: The questions you need to answer are can you afford to live your dream right now and, if not, how long will you have to wait until you can achieve it? Your next move should be to talk to your CPA or to a certified financial planner and see what it will take to make your dream a reality. Unless you are sure about that, you should stay where you are until you have enough money for a comfortable retirement off the grid.

DEAR ABBY: I am a working mother of two, married for 20 years. I go to great lengths to keep a Google calendar updated, which my husband has access to any time he wishes to see it. The problem is, he rarely looks at it. Instead, he asks me daily, "What have we got going on today?" or, "What time is (blank)?" or, "Do we have anything happening the weekend of (blank)?" Sometimes he texts me while I'm working to ask what time one of our children needs to be picked up.

Abby, it drives me crazy! At any hour of any day he is one click away from all this information. It makes me feel like I'm his secretary. I have told him how it makes me feel numerous times to no avail. How can I get him to use the calendar and stop treating me like his personal secretary? -- FED UP IN THE SOUTH

DEAR FED UP: Here's how: Do not react in anger. When he asks these questions, your response should be: "I don't know, Honey. I'm sure it's on the calendar. Why don't you look it up?"

DEAR ABBY: My son is 29. He has no vanity at all and does not care how he dresses or looks. He has always been this way. He just got married, and his wife is a darling girl. How can I make him understand how important this is, not only to him but also to his wife? -- CONCERNED MOM

DEAR CONCERNED MOM: It's my observation that people who make the effort to "put themselves together" usually feel better for having done so. However, if your son is doing well at his job, happy in his relationships and in his marriage, then perhaps you shouldn't second-guess him. The time to have impressed the importance of good grooming on your son was while he was still a minor and living with you. Now that he's 29, face it, that horse left the barn years ago.

DEAR ABBY: This is something I can't talk about in my grief support group. I'm a 70-year-old widow. I lost my dear husband of 35 years 17 months ago. I always was more sexual than he was. Since the funeral, I have had a one-night stand with a nice younger man, but it was a failure for me physically. Since then, I am leery.

Last night, a dear friend visited. He knew both of us for years. I had flirted with him last year, but nothing happened. Last night he came on to me. I was upset about my failure to perform with the nice young man, so I turned him down. Now I don't know what to do.

If I sleep with him, will it destroy our friendship? Will I be able to keep him from becoming a major presence in my home? -- WONDERING WIDOW

DEAR WIDOW: Please accept my condolences for the loss of your husband. That your first experience after your husband's death wasn't all that you fantasized it would be isn't unusual. Good sex is all about communication. It takes time for couples to adjust to each other and feel comfortable enough to talk frankly about their individual needs.

If you sleep with this old friend, I can't see why it would destroy your friendship. You are both adults and, I assume, available. Sex with him may -- or may not -- bring you closer for a variety of reasons.

However, if you would not welcome someone becoming "a major presence in your home," allow me to point out that it might be better not to go to bed with him. Once a door is opened, it's not unusual for a guest to become comfortable and crave more "hospitality."

DEAR ABBY: I am a mother of two, and I'm afraid the baby's dad is with me only for them. He pays no attention to me unless he has something to complain about. When he does, he says hurtful things that make me cry and then he tells the kids to call me a crybaby. It's almost as if he is trying to turn them against me.

I want a relationship with him. I want love and attention, but I don't know how to get it. Please help! -- NOT WANTED IN THE EAST

DEAR NOT WANTED: What your partner is doing is unhealthy not only for you, but also for your children. He is emotionally abusing you, while at the same time encouraging those children to disrespect you and minimize your feelings.

For your sake -- and theirs -- you must not allow this to continue. If you do, they will think the abuse is normal behavior and perpetuate it in their own relationships when they are older.

Offer your partner the option of couples counseling to repair your relationship. If he refuses, go without him. If you do, I promise you will find it enlightening. Please do not procrastinate, because his verbal abuse could escalate.

DEAR ABBY: Is there a way to respond to individuals who use swear words often and loudly in a public place such as a restaurant? Hearing the F-word used by people at the next table ruins my enjoyment of my meal. -- OFFENDED IN THE WEST

DEAR OFFENDED: I don't advise you to approach the "offenders." If you have a complaint, direct it to the manager of the restaurant, who can then inform the "F-worders" they are disturbing other patrons and to please keep it down. And if they don't, ask to change tables and sit in a quieter section of the restaurant.

DEAR ABBY: I recently moved to Texas and met my teenage niece for the first time. After I got there I learned she had been molested by her mother's father at the age of 3. He had also molested her mother when she was a child. "Grandpa" is currently serving a life sentence in prison.

Abby, my niece has some issues. Her parents caught her sexting twice that I know of and took her phone away for a period of time. She was also accused of touching her 8-year-old niece and was ordered to knock it off.

She told me she showers with her mother and asked to shower with me. When I refused, she became abusive. When I tried to tell my brother she needs professional help, he told me to mind my own business.

If I report this, I risk never seeing anyone in my family again, but I love my niece and I'm afraid for her. Her mother has already limited my contact with her, and I'm afraid Mom needs help as much as my niece. Please help. None of this makes sense to me. Why won't they get her help? -- DESPERATELY NEEDS HELP

DEAR DESPERATELY: They won't get help because it appears that in their lives inappropriate sexual behavior may have become an ingrained family affair. You are right that the mother needs as much help as your niece, and your brother should not be covering for his wife. You should report what's going on to child protective services. While you probably won't be thanked for it, you may be able to interrupt the cycle of incest and molestation.

DEAR ABBY: I have a great-paying job telecommuting. I know the idea of sitting around in pajamas all day seems wonderful, but I'm going stir crazy.

I live in a very small town with no fancy co-share offices or trendy coffee shops. There's one fast-food place that allows 20 minutes of internet use, but that's about it. How can I stay productive and motivated and not feel so much like a hermit crab? By Friday, I don't want to be at home anymore. -- GOING CRAZY AT HOME

DEAR GOING CRAZY: If there is another telecommuter in your town, perhaps you could compare notes with him or her. If your problem is getting an internet connection or finding Wi-Fi, consider using the public library as an additional site from which to work. That way, you wouldn't be trapped in your home feeling so isolated. If there isn't one in your community, ask your boss if you can change your schedule occasionally. This might allow you to take breaks and do something like take a powerwalk, which would put you in contact with other human beings.

For most people, work involves more than labor -- there is also a social component involved. If that kind of stimulation/interaction is what you're craving, you may have to change jobs.

DEAR READERS: Have a very happy, healthy and safe Fourth of July, everyone! -- LOVE, ABBY