A lady named Marla, who lives at Cherokee, Iowa recently mailed me an antique artifact. I know that it’s antique because it’s a little bit older than me. The relic in question is a chapbook that was published by Iowa State College in September of 1954. The 70-year-old booklet contains a ...

Dear Annie: I am very confused. I have a friend who is 70 and is in the hospital. She has put a mutual friend, “Dorothy,” down as her daughter. She has a son, but he is a man-child. Our friend Dorothy has so many obligations as it is. Dorothy and I are close, and we are similar ages. I do ...

Easter is unique among holidays in that it skips around on the calendar. It depends on the vernal equinox and a full moon. Regardless, it comes in spring. Which is perfect. New life, resurrection, birth, greening of nature: all of a piece. There was one Easter morning in history. But we ...

Dear Annie: I have eight beautiful grandchildren. I have been blessed to help care for six of them from birth to 5-6 years old. My daughter has twin 7-year-old boys. She has issues with me that I’ve apologized for and have given her space to work through things. I’ve never met my twin ...

Dear Heloise: Almost every recipe I read starts with: “Preheat oven to the ‘appropriate’ degree.” Most ovens will preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 10 minutes. Some recipes’ prep time is 30 minutes or more; therefore, you are wasting energy and money. While I realize the ...

Dear Annie: When my nephew was a toddler and his family visited, my mom (his grandmother) got big furniture boxes discarded from stores and made forts and tunnels in our large family room. She got down on the floor and played whatever character he chose her to be in this turf maze. She didn’t ...