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Aluminum Cookware

Dear Heloise: My aluminum cookware has become dull and dingy looking. How can I bring it back to life? — Sherrie W. in South Dakota Sherrie, cream of tartar works fairly well; however, I would suggest a commercial cleaner made especially for aluminum. DO NOT use any cleaner that contains ammonia, because it will pit the aluminum. — Heloise QUICK WIPE Dear Readers: To avoid having to clean up those yucky, sticky drip rings left from the bottoms of condiment containers, such as ketchup and mustard, give them a quick wipe before returning them to your refrigerator shelf. It saves ...

Attention Paid To Ex-Fiancee Angers Wife For 20 Years

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I were married 30 years when we ran into an old girlfriend (an ex-fiancee) of mine at a function. I spent a good part of the evening dancing with her and ignoring my wife. My wife says I was “indecent” with the girlfriend, and it hurt her badly. It was 20 years ago, but my wife lets me hear about it every day. I can’t take it any longer. She refuses to get help or forgive me. Our marriage has gone downhill ever since. What do you recommend I do to make it up to her? I’ve tried a few things, to no avail. — PAST ISN’T IN THE PAST DEAR PAST: Your ...

An Erosion Of Privacy

Today’s Sound Off is about loss of privacy: Dear Heloise: Everywhere you look today there is a camera watching us. Stores have them to catch shoplifters, intersections with traffic lights have them perched high enough to see who isn’t obeying the law and every airport has them, just to name a few places. Even our computer cameras can be used to spy on us. I’m not paranoid, but I feel we have lost our privacy. Companies sell our name and addresses to other companies and gather information about our purchases, likes and habits and store this information. Our privacy is being ...

Girlfriend’s Online Spending Increased Despite Furlough

DEAR ABBY: For the past eight years, my son has been seeing “Tanya” and, according to him, she spends a lot. I’m concerned about it. Because of the pandemic, Tanya got furloughed from her employer. She lives in an apartment but has all deliveries sent to OUR home address. Since the pandemic, we are receiving many more packages for her every day from online stores. Our son has mentioned to us that she has huge credit card bills. I’m worried if these two get more serious (marriage), it will cause problems in the future. I’m tempted to say something to Tanya about the sudden ...

Life Is Better With A Pet

Aunt Mary had one. She was a small, black poodle named Mori. Not sure how she spelled the dog’s name but I recall her talking to him as if he were human and the dog likewise responding. Aunt Mary never married and lived with her widowed mother until her passing. Their McColloch Street home was a combination of old-time decor with crocheted lace doilies lining the open kitchen shelves and handmade afghans on the living room furniture. There was always a bowl of candy nearby and something good cooking on the stove. And there was Mori. Mary’s pet dog was the one thing that ...

Fabric or Detergent May Be Aggravating Mask Wearer

DEAR DR. ROACH: I wear a face mask whenever I go into a store. My problem is that even wearing a mask for a short time gives me a scratchy throat the next day, causing me great anxiety because I fear that I have contracted the coronavirus. That scratchiness does dissipate during the day, but it can take a while. I wear commercially made fabric masks, and I have a few homemade ones as well. Do medical people have this problem? How do you avoid it? — C.A.C. ANSWER: It is possible you are sensitive to the fabric in the mask, but natural fibers such as cotton, from which many masks are ...