Columns

No More Weevils

Dear Heloise: How do I get rid of weevils in my pantry? — Janice in Indiana Janice, first take everything out of your pantry and cabinets. Destroy boxes and bags that have any trace of weevil activity in them. Check everything, including cereal, flour, spices, dry pet food, pasta, dry beans, etc. To destroy unhatched eggs, place items in which weevils are not visible in the freezer for four days. Next, scrub your shelves with hot, soapy water. After that, spray shelves and doors with an insecticide, making sure you get every crevice. Close the doors and leave the pantry and ...

Toddler Uses Foul Language She Learned From Her Dad

DEAR ABBY: Although he has never hit me, my husband has been emotionally and verbally abusive ever since our wedding five years ago. One of his favorite names for me when he’s angry is “F----n’ B----.” I know this is my fault because I have tolerated it. Today, my 2 1/2-year-old daughter (who is usually a good girl) threw a tantrum and called me the same name twice. I try to discipline her, but she doesn’t understand that she’s saying something bad if Daddy can call me that. How can she? He blames me for her talking that way, saying he hasn’t called me that in a month. ...

Look for A Badge

Dear Heloise: A warning for your readers: A big online retailer sells T-shirts and baseball caps preprinted with names of some of the big delivery companies! It is possible for someone with bad intent to don these clothing items, knock on your door and possibly gain entry to your home. An unsuspecting person wouldn’t know the difference. Legitimate employees will wear a photo identification badge. Look for it, and don’t open the door to someone you don’t know, isn’t identifiable or isn’t expected. — Henry in Texas TECH TALK TUESDAY Dear Readers: Seniors need and enjoy the ...

Hound Is Nothing But Trouble During his Owner’s Vacations

DEAR ABBY: My daughter and son-in-law’s dog, “Zeke,” is a poor houseguest. We have kept him several times while they were vacationing. This last time, a long weekend, was very stressful. Zeke is a hound dog (58 pounds) and stubborn. He jumps on furniture, jumps up to the kitchen counter and dining table trying to steal food, urinates in the house (not all the time, but often enough), doesn’t want to stay outside in the backyard unless someone is out there with him and, when he is outside alone, he constantly howls. He also chases our cats. Whenever it’s muddy in our ...

Surgery Is Last Resort For Man’s Chronic Back Pain

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old man with chronic back pain. I first started having serious back pain in college after spending much of my time hunched over a drawing board. Later, as an architect, my back pain recurred frequently. About 20 years ago, after having terrible sciatica in my left leg, I had a surgical procedure done called a laminectomy, which successfully relieved my back pain for many years. Now I have developed pretty serious arthritis in my lower back, and I am in pain constantly. I can no longer lie flat in bed to sleep. I started having to sleep in my recliner, ...

Father-in-Law Expects Future Grandchildren To Be Catholic

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are trying to have children. He was raised Catholic, but is now agnostic. I’m also agnostic. My deeply religious father-in-law insists that our future children be baptized Catholic. I’m against it because I think it should be a person’s right to choose which faith, if any, to follow when they are ready. I also think it would be hypocritical to go through a baptismal ceremony, with godparents and vows to raise our child a certain way when we have no intention of doing it. My husband thinks it would be best to baptize our future children to ...