Columns

Mechanical Banks Inspire Nostalgia

In this day and age, the idea of saving pennies seems quaint. But a penny bank was one of the most common children’s gifts throughout the Victorian age. Up until the 1950s penny banks and piggy banks remained popular as a way to teach thrift to youngsters. About the time of the Industrial Revolution, saving coins became entertainment as a fascinating new gadget made its appearance — the mechanical bank. Still considered by collectors one of the outstanding products produced in this era, mechanical banks are enthusiastically collected by thousands of fans all over the ...

Vitamin D

Dear Heloise: With so many of us spending time indoors due to health concerns, we’re not getting enough vitamin D, and this is especially true for the elderly. Besides pills, what foods are rich in vitamin D that we can add to our diets? — Adell D., Newport, R.I. Adell, vitamin D is important in our diets. Here are some of the foods that you can eat to help keep that vitamin in your daily intake of food: * Cod liver oil * Herring * Swordfish * Salmon * Egg yolks from range-free chickens * Fortified foods, such as cow’s milk * Orange juice * Some breakfast cereals ...

Son May Be Hasty In Plan to Sign Up for Fatherhood

DEAR ABBY: My 25-year-old son has been dating a girl for two or three months. She seems very nice. She has two children and is pregnant with her third child. She’s due in three months. The child is not my son’s. I was told by some friends of my son that he’s planning to sign the birth certificate as the father. He understands the implications. How do I convince him that, although he feels like he and this girl will be together for the long haul, this is a poor decision to make, especially because of the short length of time they have been dating? — TOO MUCH, TOO SOON DEAR ...

Warm Meals for Cold Times: Getting to Know Root Vegetables

If you've been to a farmers' market lately, then the reality of seasonal cooking in the middle of winter has plainly revealed itself to you. Tis the season for root vegetables, and not a whole lot else. But there is beauty to cooking with the season, not just because it feels in sync with ...

Shopping for Disabled Persons

Today’s Sound Off is about helping the handicapped shop. Dear Heloise: Today I had to get some gym shoes, but I walk with a cane and shopping is very difficult for me. I called around to see if some of these stores had motorized shopping carts for the handicapped, and after five calls to various large stores, I found only one that had what I needed. While I was in that store I bought several other items besides the shoes. I know brick-and-mortar stores are trying to lure customers in, despite COVID-19, but making it impossible for the handicapped to shop at their stores decreases the ...

Husband Throws Wrench in Wife’s Exercise Plans

DEAR ABBY: As a way to manage my stress and anxiety when COVID hit, I started to exercise. Neither my husband, “Chris,” nor I had ever been into fitness at all. As the months have gone on, I have realized the power of being healthy, and I try to exercise every day. The problem? Chris is angry. He calls it “me time” and has made it very difficult for me to go. I tried swimming in the morning before work, but he said he couldn’t manage at home to get our 2-year-old ready for school. I tried to go to the gym in the early evening, but he said he needs me to help get the children ...