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When healthy habits turn into unhealthy critiques

Dear Annie: When my boyfriend decided to get serious about his health earlier this year -- cleaner eating, regular workouts -- I was super proud of him. I cheered him on and swapped out our snacks without complaint. For the first few months, it brought out the best in him. But somewhere along the way, his personal reboot turned into an ongoing critique of me. If I bring home a loaf of bakery bread, he reminds me how “simple carbs kill energy.” If I skip a workout because I’m tired, he sighs with disapproval. Last week he told me my evening glass of wine was “a bad coping ...

Tracking down animals

Dear Heloise: I would like to share an idea I came up with recently -- using ID dog tags on horse bridles. It struck me that if a horse gets loose, having a tag with the owner’s contact info could make it much easier to get them back home quickly. We already do this for dogs, so why not horses? They can wander off, get spooked, or end up far from familiar ground. A simple tag -- secure, readable and comfortable -- could be a game-changer for reunions. It is a small thing, but sometimes the simplest ideas make the biggest difference. I hope others find it useful and maybe even put it ...

New Ulm falls to LSH

LE SUEUR — Minnesota River downed New Ulm 2-1 in a girls hockey game on Tuesday. New Ulm’s Brielynn Weston scored the lone goal for the Eagles with an even-strength score at 12:43 of the first period, with Isabelle Forstner and Callie Haugen recording assists. New Ulm goaltender Ava Schmid had 34 saves. New Ulm (2-4) hosts Windom Area on Thursday.

Love extended but not returned

Dear Annie: Hoping you can offer some advice! My son has been married for six years to a beautiful girl who rarely speaks to us and acts as though we don’t exist. Her distance has gotten much worse over time, and we have no idea why. We love her and are just as kind to her as we are to our other kids and their wives. My husband and I are so sad. This has broken our hearts. We haven’t said anything because we don’t want to upset our son, but lately even he appears unhappy with her attitude toward us. When we’ve referred to her as our daughter -- as we do our other ...

Asking guests to pay for wedding

Dear Heloise: Times have changed so much in regard to weddings, but common sense sure shouldn’t change. How on earth would someone think about having a wedding and expect the guests to pay for it? This is insane! If you can’t afford the wedding, cut down the guest list -- and I don’t mean cutting down on relatives! You cut down the guest list of people you work with and those who are just friends. The majority of these people will change over the years. Relatives will always be relatives! Change the place where the reception will be held, and don’t expect guests to attend a ...

Engaged and estranged

Dear Annie: I’m in a strange situation with my childhood best friend, “Lila.” We’re both 32 now, and while we’ve stayed close over the years, something shifted after I got engaged last spring. Lila has always been single, and she’s made it clear she doesn’t believe in marriage. I respect that. But since I got engaged, she’s been acting distant -- canceling plans, being short in conversation and even making little digs about “brides losing their identity.” I asked her directly if something was wrong, and she brushed it off, saying she’s “just been busy.” I ...