Dear Abby: My wife has always been well groomed, with an obsessive interest in her fingernails and toenails. Every three or four days, she spends an hour trimming them.

Recently, I discovered that she has been keeping the nail trimmings. She actually has three large plastic containers full. When I confronted her, she claimed it soothes her to see her “collection.” Now she has begun openly displaying them inside a glass table lamp.

I’m afraid she needs professional help. What do you think I should do?

Nailing It

Dear Nailing: Your wife appears to suffer from a form of OCD — a hoarding disorder. (Are nail clippings the only items she can’t let go of?) Overcoming her compulsion may take professional help and possibly medication. Start by discussing this with your doctor. In the meantime, because her display bothers you, ask her to keep the lamp in a less conspicuous place.

Dear Abby: My wife and I just bought our first home. It’s in a very nice neighborhood, and the neighbors seem friendly. There’s just one problem. My son, “Abner” — who will soon be 3 — goes to bed between 8 and 9 o’clock, and that’s when our neighbor decides it’s time to mow his grass. Getting Abner to sleep becomes difficult because the man mows right outside our son’s window.

Initially, I didn’t think it was a big deal because the first time he woke Abner up, my son had gone to bed at an unusually early time for him. But last night it happened when Abner went to bed later than his normal bedtime.

We have talked to our neighbors a few times in general. But since we’re new to the neighborhood, I don’t want to cause problems. I don’t know the man’s schedule, but would it be out of line to ask him to mow earlier in the evening?

Bedtime

In Illinois

Dear Bedtime: Not at all. If you explain the problem, your neighbor may be willing to modify his mowing time. However, if he isn’t, then look into the noise ordinances in your community because there may be rules about mowing after — or before — a certain hour.

Dear Abby: Recently, my boss told me she had asked me to do something, but I am 100 percent positive that she didn’t. I don’t feel like I can contradict her because I’m afraid it would make me look bad. It has happened only once or twice in the last few months, but what should I do if it continues? I don’t want my employee reviews to suffer because of it. Please tell me how to handle it.

At a Loss

In Florida

Dear At a Loss: I wish you had revealed more about your relationship with your boss and mentioned how many people work there. Could she be stressed? Or having problems with her memory? Or could you? If there are more employees than just you, did anyone witness your boss ask you to do what she claimed? If not, and this happens again, you may need to talk to her about it because of your concerns about your work performance.

Dear Abby: We used to live in a neighborhood where my 13-year-old daughter’s best friend, “Mandy,” still lives. They would play together and visit often and are well-suited in maturity and personality. Since we moved, Mandy has been to our new home (five miles away) a dozen times.

The last several times we have invited her to come over, she has been unable to, which I completely understand. People are busy. But recently, I have received no response at all from her mother. (Mandy was invited to my daughter’s sleepover, and I was not told whether she was coming or not. She didn’t.)

My daughter is heartbroken, but I feel I have done all I can do to offer a chance for them to get together. I have emailed, texted, Facebooked and called and left a message. I emailed the mother asking if I had offended her, or if her daughter no longer wanted to be friends anymore. Mandy’s mom indicated there was no offense; they just have been super-busy. (Our daughters email each other several times a week, so I think they still would like to be friends.)

Clearly, I can’t force the woman to be more responsive, but how should I handle this? And what should I tell my daughter, who misses her friend so much?

Not That Far Away

Dear Not That Far: Not knowing Mandy’s mother, I can’t render an opinion about whether she’s leveling with you about her schedule. She MAY be super-busy, experiencing family or health problems or simply not want to drive her daughter 10 miles for a play date. As I see it, you have no choice other than to let her know Mandy is always welcome.

Tell your daughter what her mother told you — that she’s extremely busy, and that you are sorry it has limited the time she gets to spend with her friend. At the same time, make a point of getting your daughter involved in new activities, so she can meet other girls and develop new interests so she’ll have less time to dwell on missing Mandy.

P.S. Have you offered to take your daughter to Mandy’s house so her mother won’t have to do all the driving?