Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 14 years. He is 9 years younger than I am, and when we got married, we each brought three children into our blended family. For the past two years, I was the primary caregiver for my mother after she had a stroke. Even before that, I spent a ...

We had a fabulous autumn weather-wise, nothing to complain about although that didn’t prevent many of us from doing so. First it was too warm and too dry; then, when it started to rain, it was too cold and too wet. There’s no pleasing some people. In our neck of the woods, every snow-free ...

Dear Annie: I was a high school teacher in an urban area and just retired after a grueling 37-year career under very difficult circumstances. I’ve been married for 30-plus years and am the father of two daughters who are now in their late 20s. I’ve been a good father, husband and provider ...

Last Sunday, I met daughter Anna in Minneapolis where we attended Les Misérables at the Orpheum Theater. This is about my tenth time seeing Les Misérables. It is somewhere between a guilty pleasure and an addiction. I’ve always liked musicals, in person and on stage. Film is not at all ...

This week we had the yearly chance to fill up on turkey, potatoes, dressing, cooked vegetables, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and at least one or two other favorites. It was Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, a day when everyone is encouraged to gather with family or friends for a huge dinner. The ...

Dear Heloise: I appreciate the dialogue in your published hints. It is so helpful to expand our knowledge. Regarding parchment paper, there is compostable parchment paper available now. So, I use this compostable product and add it to my composting bin. Silicone mats for cookie sheets are still ...