Dear Heloise: I have a pair of dressy flats in a sort of silvery-black color. I noticed that they had become scuffed and looked worn, with some of the color getting muted. It occurred to me to try putting some petroleum jelly on them. I was astounded at the difference! They were almost as good ...

It had been many years since I’d sat down and watched a livestock auction in person. I was pleased to learn that most things about sale barns hadn’t changed. My wife and I raise a few Jersey steers. We normally sell them as halves and quarters of hanging beef to friends and relatives. For ...

Dear Annie: I work at a school as a teacher and have struggled over the years with how cliquey the other teachers have been. Shortly after I started there, the pandemic happened, and many people friended each other on Facebook. Because that was the only source for a sense of community as we ...

“How’s it going?” is a common conversation starter. I use the reply that Grandpa Nelson favored. “Steady by jerks,” I’ll say. This has never been truer than during my recovery from treatment for tonsil cancer. There are going to be repercussions whenever they slightly kill you ...

Social media has changed lives, often for the better but at times for the worse. It’s transformed how people communicate. It used to be that the phone, the postal mail and face to face were the only options. Now people have online resources and social networking sites to talk to ...

Dear Heloise: I read with interest Julie G.’s letter, from Tucson, Arizona, about being overwhelmed with letters from charities. My mom, God rest her soul, received “begging letters” from every religious charity out there and, unfortunately, gave many of them money. When she passed, I ...