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Life Is Better With A Pet

Aunt Mary had one. She was a small, black poodle named Mori. Not sure how she spelled the dog’s name but I recall her talking to him as if he were human and the dog likewise responding. Aunt Mary never married and lived with her widowed mother until her passing. Their McColloch Street home was a combination of old-time decor with crocheted lace doilies lining the open kitchen shelves and handmade afghans on the living room furniture. There was always a bowl of candy nearby and something good cooking on the stove. And there was Mori. Mary’s pet dog was the one thing that ...

Fabric or Detergent May Be Aggravating Mask Wearer

DEAR DR. ROACH: I wear a face mask whenever I go into a store. My problem is that even wearing a mask for a short time gives me a scratchy throat the next day, causing me great anxiety because I fear that I have contracted the coronavirus. That scratchiness does dissipate during the day, but it can take a while. I wear commercially made fabric masks, and I have a few homemade ones as well. Do medical people have this problem? How do you avoid it? — C.A.C. ANSWER: It is possible you are sensitive to the fabric in the mask, but natural fibers such as cotton, from which many masks are ...

News of Another Pregnancy Is Unwelcome Surprise to Stepdad

DEAR ABBY: My wife of 10 years keeps all kinds of secrets from me. We let her adult daughter, “Maude,” move in. Maude is 35 and has one daughter. I recently found out that Maude is pregnant again. I heard they had decided to “surprise me” with the news. (The father is the same guy as before.) I’m tired of being the third wheel, and I think it’s time for me to call it quits. What do you think? — STAY OR GO IN CONNECTICUT DEAR STAY OR GO: I’m glad you asked. What I think is that you are outnumbered. Maude should be living on her own or with the father of her children. If ...

Listening Supports Friend After Loss of Family Member

Q: How can I best reach out to someone who has lost a family member to suicide? My good friend's son recently took his own life, and I'm at a loss as to what I should do or say to her. Jim: First, recognize that in addition to her grief, your friend is probably working her way through a huge amount of guilt and self-incrimination. Parents of suicide victims tend to blame themselves (and sometimes each other). They run through the "what ifs" a thousand times in their minds. They tell themselves they ought to have seen what was coming and should have done something to prevent it. But ...

What Is the Value In Testing a Healthy Person for COVID-19?

DEAR DR. ROACH: In the coronavirus pandemic, many people are getting tested for 1) active illness and 2) antibodies. What’s the value of an asymptomatic person getting tested for an active infection? Do we even know if having antibodies gives you any protection? I’m reluctant to get tested for either if it can’t really alleviate the need to distance. What am I overlooking? — B.E. ANSWER: You weren’t missing anything. There’s really no reason to be checking for the virus (the swab test is a PCR test looking for active infection, while antibodies look for past infection) ...

Happy Love Life Turns Best Friend Into a Debbie Downer

DEAR ABBY: I have been lucky enough to have fallen madly in love with the most wonderful man in the world. We have been together for two years and have been living together for almost a year. I’m in my mid-30s; he’s in his mid-40s. We both have had plenty of experience in love — enough to feel sure that we’ve found the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with. My best friend has been very disparaging of our relationship and makes rude comments about it. If I tell her how happy we are in spite of the pandemic, she says it’s because we’re still in the “honeymoon ...