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Donating older photos

Dear Heloise: If you are sorting through older photos (especially of buildings) and are tempted to toss them out, consider mailing them to the city or county where they were taken. Many people who own older homes or businesses would truly value a glimpse of what their properties looked like in the past. The same is true for old letters that describe life at the time of writing. (A quick email to a local museum, library or genealogy website before mailing would be appreciated by these organizations.) -- Myra, A Reader in Albany, Oregon “MUST GO” DINNERS Dear Heloise: My friend ...

When a spouse’s snoring steals your sleep

Dear Annie: I’ve been happily married for 18 years, and for most of that time I’ve slept poorly -- but lately it’s become unbearable. My husband falls asleep within minutes and snores loudly and steadily through the night. I lie awake listening, nudging him, turning him onto his side, putting in earplugs, rearranging pillows and counting the hours until morning. Nothing works for long. By the time the alarm goes off, I’m exhausted and irritable, while he wakes up refreshed and cheerful. I know he’s not doing this on purpose, but I can feel resentment creeping in ...

Spooning out seeds from squash

Dear Heloise: I use a serrated grapefruit spoon to spoon out the seeds from squash. It really gets them out easily. -- Nancy K., in Amsterdam, New York DON’T FORGET! Dear Heloise: I live in a two-story home and have a spare fridge in the garage for the “overflow.” I keep a pad of sticky notes in the kitchen. Whenever I need something from the lower level, I write the item on a note and stick it to one of the glass panels om the french door that leads downstairs. (No marks are left on the glass.) There’s no more forgetting what I needed, and it helps limit the up-and-down ...

Midlife, heartbreak and starting over

Dear Annie: I really enjoy reading your column. I have a problem of my own I’d like some help with. I have two daughters in university. When they’re home, they stay in their rooms or maybe talk to friends on the phone. They hardly talk to me. They go back to school and I’m home alone. I really miss them. They come back for the holidays again and it’s the same cycle. At the same time, I’m dealing with the trauma of infidelity. My husband had a secret affair, and I found out the woman has a child with him, too. I have started having serious heart palpitations after finding ...

Opening pill bottles with ease

Dear Heloise: If you can’t get the cap off a pill bottle on the first time, use something like a dull knife blade or a bottle cap opener to pry out the plastic insert inside the cap, and then replace the cap on the bottle. It’s much easier to open. -- Christa, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Christa, if you ask the pharmacy, they’ll remove childproof caps and put the easy-to-open caps on your pill bottles. Please, readers, keep all medications where children can’t reach them. Over the years, we’ve heard too many sad tales of youngsters who get their hands on medication that looks ...

Married life has lost its luster

Dear Annie: I’m writing because I feel embarrassed even admitting this, but I’m starting to dread parts of my own life that I worked hard to build. I’m 52, married for 24 years, and we have two grown kids who are mostly launched. Our son is across the country and our daughter lives close enough to drop by for Sunday dinner. I used to look forward to this “quieter season,” but instead I feel like the silence in our house is highlighting how far apart my husband and I have drifted. From the outside, people would say we’re lucky. My husband is decent, we’re financially ...