Dear Heloise: I have a problem with fleas in my carpets due to my three dogs. I use flea control on the dogs, and that helps somewhat. But every spring, I can feel fleas jumping on my feet and legs. How do I get rid of those pests? -- Amy M., Penn Hills, Pennsylvania Amy, before bedtime, ...

Dear Annie: We have this wonderfully helpful neighbor who is always willing to help folks in the neighborhood when needed and quite often does. The only problem is he masks his sarcasm and insults as jokes and everyone laughs. This is directed at everyone EVERY TIME we talk with him. Honestly, ...

Dear Heloise: One way to protect yourself and your family from scammers online or on the phone is to come up with a random “safe word.” We set this up when our kids were young to ensure that anytime the kids were picked up by someone not in the family, that person had to know the safe word, ...

Dear Annie: I’m a 16-year-old girl who will turn 17 in four months. I just started my junior year of high school; school’s busy, but I’m doing a pretty good job so far. My dilemma is that I’m worried that I’ll never lose my virginity in my 20s because I don’t have ...

Dear Annie: My boyfriend of five months has a female co-worker, “Leslie,” who he has known and been close to for five years. She is also a single parent of two kids under 10. I have met Leslie several times, and she has always been kind. I’ve never felt threatened by my boyfriend’s ...

Dear Heloise: This summer, I grew my first vegetable garden! It was not only fun; I discovered it saved money. And my vegetables tasted different ... better, in fact, than store-bought ones. I picked my vegetables at the peak of their flavor, and it truly made a difference. My tomatoes have so ...