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Sister-in-law strikes back

Dear Annie: I never thought that I would be writing a complaint to one of these columns, but here it goes. I married my husband 12 years ago, and I was excited because that meant (well, I thought) that I would be getting seven sisters. My husband is the only boy among seven girls. Well, his youngest sister has an attitude as thick as molasses. I have tried throughout the 14 years I have known her to get her to like me, but she will only talk to me when she wants to, and she gets away with everything. A couple of years ago, my family and I were at a family dinner, and she was there. ...

What’s the future of natural gas? 

We all expect the lights to turn on when we flip the switch. But today, many of us also expect to video call into a work meeting or check in with friends and family, cook dinner on electric stoves, and charge our cars, tools and devices. Electricity powers nearly every part of our lives, shaping how we live, learn, work, and travel. And demand for it is growing faster than ever. Across the Upper Midwest, forecasts show that electricity use could nearly double by 2050, as homes, businesses, and entire industries adopt more electric technologies in our everyday lives. Meeting that ...

Hurting for my son

Dear Annie: I’m a mother of four, and a few years ago, during a difficult time, my former in-laws generously fostered my two youngest children, now 13 and 9. They’ve remained involved and caring, and I’m truly grateful. The problem is my 13-year-old son often feels left out. He has ADHD and ODD, and while he can be challenging, he’s also incredibly sensitive. Recently, he called to ask if he could visit and swim but was told his foster grandmother would be out of town. Two days later, they invited his sister for an overnight and a swim. Understandably, he was hurt -- and took ...

Enjoying summertime celebrations

Call us wild and crazy, but my wife and I enjoy attending small-town summertime celebrations. The most recent such event was Arlington Days, held — brace yourself! — in Arlington. There are approximately a hundred municipalities and locales named Arlington in the United States, so we chose the Arlington that’s located about 15 miles from our house. We might be wild and crazy, but not to extent that we would travel the nearly 1,500 miles to the hamlet of Arlington, Oregon (population: 620.) No small-town celebration is complete without a bevy of booths where vendors can promote ...

More than a gut feeling

Dear Annie: I am a 43-year-old woman with a 6-year-old daughter. Her father is 50. We were never in a serious relationship, just friends with benefits, until I became pregnant. At first, he wanted nothing to do with the baby and even pushed for an abortion. I chose to continue the pregnancy, and eventually he came around and was there during that time. When I gave birth, he dropped me off at the hospital but didn’t come in. He was at home when I returned with our daughter. He stayed with us for the first six months and then went to jail. After he got out, he wasn’t consistently ...

Lip balm gets thrown in laundry

Dear Heloise: I love your column and all the great hints that I read daily. I accidentally washed and dried a small tube of lip balm in a load of my colored clothes. I have spots all over two T-shirts and a pair of knit pants. I need help getting the spots out. I’ve tried a couple of things without success. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. -- Helen S., in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana Helen, give this a try: -- If there is any lip balm left on the fabric, try scraping it off with the edge of a spoon. -- Next, mix together dishwashing soap, baking soda and laundry ...