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Chill in the Air Is the Sources of Heated Household Debate

DEAR ABBY: I am a 46-year-old woman, about to be married for the second time. My fiance lives with me and my two children from my previous marriage. Other than cooking breakfast and some quick snacks, he does not contribute to the household. My issue is, I pay all the bills, and he complains about the temperature inside my home. My children and I need it to be cooler. If it’s too hot, we sweat and become congested, which we hate, and it makes us irritable. I tell him to put on more clothes if he is cold, but he complains to the point that I turn off the fans and air. My question ...

A Snow Day

I opened the front door and winter greeted me with a blast of icy wind. The calendar still says autumn but Mother Nature is a fickle gal. A blanket of heavy, white winter lay before me. The snowfall muffled the usual noises of far-off traffic and the neighbor’s confused rooster that crows at all hours. The two bird feeders not far from the house were busier that usual. Birds of all colors, shape and sizes were vying for a space at the troughs of seed. We will need the snow boots to reach them for refilling. The snow was a welcome distraction. Its crisp white appearance ...

Enjoy St. Nicholas Day and Santa Collectibles

Santa is tops at Christmas. The jolly elf remains universally known as the symbol of giving, goodness and cheer. This Christmas, I have a new-old Santa to place on display, one that carries with it a background of friendship and antiquing. This particular Santa figure is stoneware, gray and blue. It was a gift from the estate of antique enthusiast, local museum owner and my friend Betty June Wymer. Not your typical Santa look, it’s a small statue of the German Santa, Belsnickel, who was a crotchety old man that could be the bearer of good or bad news depending on the ...

Steroid Rage Ruined 17-Year Marriage

DEAR DR. ROACH: After five years, I still have questions after my husband (at the time) started getting more and more critical, until culminating in a few weeks where he started ranting, calling me profane names and leaving me emotionally depleted and confused. We had been married for 17 years, and I had never seen this type of behavior from him. Later, I learned from one of his former friends he was ordering testosterone online and injecting it. At the time, I noticed many “men’s clinics” in my town featuring testosterone, although now it seems the push has moved to online ...

Friends Are Short On Sympathy After Possible COVID Exposure

DEAR ABBY: My husband came down with COVID and has been having a hard time getting over it. When he first started showing the symptoms, I took him to a drive-through medical clinic and got him tested for COVID. The results were negative, so a couple of days later, I carpooled with a friend to another friend’s house where seven other friends had gathered. Several days later, when my husband still wasn’t improving, I took him to an ER where they did another COVID test. This time it came out positive. I thought I owed it to whomever I was around at the get-together to tell them about ...

A Bitter Taste

Dear Heloise: I recently purchased some jars of fruit preserves that were labeled to have been prepared with Splenda. I did not read the label nor realize my huge mistake until tasting. Horrible after taste. Is there a way to rid the preserves of the Splenda, neutralize that taste, or do I accept reality and toss them? — Ralph K., Lafayette, La. Ralph, artificial sweeteners are blended in the recipe at the factory and there is no way to remove the sweetener used. Some leave an aftertaste, but most do not. You might be especially sensitive to the flavor, or the aftertaste might not be ...