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Seeking rest and relaxation at last

Dear Annie: My husband and I are at a full-blown spring break standoff, and the kids are watching it like it’s a sport. He wants to take our two kids skiing. He’s already talking about “fresh powder,” early lift tickets and how this is the perfect chance to make “core memories.” He grew up skiing, and it’s his happy place. I can see how excited he is, and I’m not trying to be the villain who cancels joy. But I want to go somewhere warm. Not “a light jacket” warm, but genuinely warm. Sun. Sand. The kind of weather where you can sit outside with coffee and feel your ...

Flowers are ‘for the dead’

Dear Heloise: While I agree with Daniel D.’s mother that flowers are best enjoyed by the living, I had to share with you that my late mom said “flowers are for the dead” when, as a kid, I presented her with a bouquet (from her garden). However, later in life, she really did seem to enjoy the birthday and Mother’s Day arrangements that I would send when I couldn’t be present to spend the day with her. -- Lori, in Central Texas Lori, whenever I visited someone and stayed at their home, I arranged to have flowers sent to my hosts as thanks for their hospitality. Everyone I knew ...

Barie wins Rail Jam championship

Submitted photo/information On Feb. 8, Grace Barie from New Ulm won a Minnesota State Championship in the Rail Jam competition at Hyland Park in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Minnesota State High School Snowboard & Freeski Championship.

Politics is harming our healthy friendship

Dear Annie: I’m a 64-year-old woman who thought making new friends at my age would be simple: find someone kind, show up, bring snacks, repeat. A few months ago, I met “Jill” at a community class. We clicked right away. She’s funny in that dry, smart way that makes you feel like you’re in on the joke. After class we started lingering in the parking lot, then grabbing coffee, then texting little updates like teenagers. She even came over one night when my pipes froze and stood in my kitchen holding a flashlight while I tried to pretend I knew what I was doing. I left that ...

Try this easier way to open bottles

Dear Heloise: This is to add to Karen from Michigan’s suggestion about recycling toilet paper rolls. I reuse them by cutting the rolls in half and standing them upright in the bottom of a plastic ice-cream bucket. Next, I add potting soil until it reaches the tops of the shortened rolls. After moistening the soil, I plant one vegetable seed in each roll. When the seedlings are large enough to transplant, and weather permits, I plant them directly in the garden -- cardboard roll and all. There’s no need to remove the seedling from the roll. This method keeps the roots from being ...

When a dire decision is the only option left

Dear Annie: I’ve had a dear friend for nearly a decade. He has been addicted to meth, heroin, alcohol -- you name it. For years, I was the savior he ran to when everything fell apart. He’s married and has two young children. Before his youngest was born, he was a full-blown meth addict. I broke into his house multiple times after he overdosed while home alone with their first child, who was only 3. He cheated on his wife, got another drug-addicted woman pregnant (she later had an abortion), and his wife threatened to leave. I tried to impress upon him the severity of the situation, ...