Columns

Sitter’s Pushy Granddaughter Is a Concern For Working Mom

DEAR ABBY: Because my husband and I work, I take our 6-month-old to a sitter several times a week. I understand little ones tend to be mean sometimes — hitting, biting and pushing — but in this case, it’s a little different. My sitter cares for her 3-year-old granddaughter as well as her clients’ children, and her granddaughter pushes the littler ones. I have seen her push a 1-year-old down. I have never observed any of the other children do it, only the granddaughter. I wouldn’t be so worried if my daughter were 2 and could defend herself, but she’s only 6 months old. ...

Never Stop Learning

Today’s Sound On is about going back to school: Dear Heloise: Did you know that there are colleges that offer free classes to seniors, with credits, depending on available space and a few other requirements? There are night classes in most communities as well, for people of any age to attend, usually for a small fee. I always wanted to study pottery, and night classes offered me a chance to learn. My wife decided to try a foreign language, and we both decided to take American Sign Language. Now that we have to wear a mask to class, learning sign language seemed like a good idea. ...

Chill in the Air Is the Sources of Heated Household Debate

DEAR ABBY: I am a 46-year-old woman, about to be married for the second time. My fiance lives with me and my two children from my previous marriage. Other than cooking breakfast and some quick snacks, he does not contribute to the household. My issue is, I pay all the bills, and he complains about the temperature inside my home. My children and I need it to be cooler. If it’s too hot, we sweat and become congested, which we hate, and it makes us irritable. I tell him to put on more clothes if he is cold, but he complains to the point that I turn off the fans and air. My question ...

A Snow Day

I opened the front door and winter greeted me with a blast of icy wind. The calendar still says autumn but Mother Nature is a fickle gal. A blanket of heavy, white winter lay before me. The snowfall muffled the usual noises of far-off traffic and the neighbor’s confused rooster that crows at all hours. The two bird feeders not far from the house were busier that usual. Birds of all colors, shape and sizes were vying for a space at the troughs of seed. We will need the snow boots to reach them for refilling. The snow was a welcome distraction. Its crisp white appearance ...

Enjoy St. Nicholas Day and Santa Collectibles

Santa is tops at Christmas. The jolly elf remains universally known as the symbol of giving, goodness and cheer. This Christmas, I have a new-old Santa to place on display, one that carries with it a background of friendship and antiquing. This particular Santa figure is stoneware, gray and blue. It was a gift from the estate of antique enthusiast, local museum owner and my friend Betty June Wymer. Not your typical Santa look, it’s a small statue of the German Santa, Belsnickel, who was a crotchety old man that could be the bearer of good or bad news depending on the ...

Steroid Rage Ruined 17-Year Marriage

DEAR DR. ROACH: After five years, I still have questions after my husband (at the time) started getting more and more critical, until culminating in a few weeks where he started ranting, calling me profane names and leaving me emotionally depleted and confused. We had been married for 17 years, and I had never seen this type of behavior from him. Later, I learned from one of his former friends he was ordering testosterone online and injecting it. At the time, I noticed many “men’s clinics” in my town featuring testosterone, although now it seems the push has moved to online ...