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Columns

Spring equinox: a time to celebrate light and rebirth

This week we observed one of the most under-rated occasions of the year. We celebrated the spring equinox, one of two points of the year when we have nearly 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. It’s also the official dividing line between winter and spring. I like the spring equinox. ...

Lost in the mail: How Postal Service is failing Minnesotans

My mom was born in 1932 and grew up outside Bourbon, Indiana, a tiny town in the northern part of the state. Everyone knew everyone, and everyone read the local paper, the Bourbon News-Mirror, which they fondly nicknamed “The Bourbon Blab.” Throughout her life, no matter where she lived, ...

Travel politely

Dear Heloise: My husband and I recently returned from a lovely trip to Europe. For the most part, it was enjoyable, except for a couple of embarrassing moments that were not caused by fellow Americans. We were in Germany when a man from the United States started yelling and insulting the ...

Tardy thank-you notes

Dear Annie: My daughter received some lovely gifts for her quinceanera (an important milestone in Mexican and Latin American cultures that celebrates a girl’s 15th birthday). Unfortunately, there were a few without cards or tags. I am not sure if the card became accidentally separated from ...

Reader writes in with three hints

Dear Heloise: First, I loved your hint about chocolate bloom! I was working at a Veterans Affairs building that day and took the paper with me. I was there all day in the reception area and had the paper folded, so your heading was at the top. Everybody kept asking, “What is chocolate ...

Husband’s hypochondria getting out of hand

Dear Annie: My husband is a hypochondriac. It is so very hard living with him. Every time he hears of someone in our family coming down with an illness, he claims he has it. He is a healthy man and perfectly able-bodied. I get disgusted when he takes a handicapped spot next to a store when I ...