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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, ...

When planning a scavenger hunt

Dear Heloise: My 4-year-old grandson and I enjoy playing scavenger hunts together, but sometimes we can’t remember exactly what he has hidden outside. To make things easier, we now line up seven or eight items that we’ve chosen to hide -- usually his toys -- and I take a quick photo of them on my phone before we start. As one of us finds an item, we line them up again and compare them to the photo to see which ones we’ve found and which are still missing. It keeps the game fun, avoids frustration, and helps ensure that nothing is left behind. Having a photo helps every time! -- ...

On this Date

In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published “The Communist Manifesto” in London. In 1885, President Chester Arthur dedicated the Washington Monument. In 1911, composer Gustav Mahler, despite a fever, conducted the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in what turned out to be his final concert. (He died the following May.) In 1916, the Battle of Verdun, the longest battle of World War I, began in northeastern France. 1965, civil rights activist Malcolm X, 39, was shot to death inside Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom in New York. Three men identified as members of the Nation ...

Balancing independence with newfound curiosity

Dear Annie: I need advice about a situation I never expected. I’m 37, single and mostly happy with my life. Then my new neighbor moved in. He’s charming and easy to talk to, and I realized I’m suddenly aware of every interaction, overthinking every glance or comment. He’s friendly and sociable, nothing overt, but I catch myself reading too much into casual gestures. I find myself planning my errands around seeing him, replaying conversations in my head, and feeling a strange mix of excitement and anxiety I haven’t felt in a long time. I’ve always been independent and ...