Dear Annie: My neighbor and I became friendly during the pandemic. We'd pick up things for each other at the grocery store, help water each other's plants, chat on our porches in the evening. Somewhere along the way, she decided we were much closer than I did. Now she'll drop by unannounced ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: My 86-year-old mother wears hearing aids, has tinnitus and is constantly dizzy. She also has atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure and some anxiety issues. She has had several urinary tract infections in the past few years. We have been to a neurologist, EN&T specialist, ...
Dear Annie: I have been married for 12 years to a good man whom I love very much, but I dread nearly every holiday, birthday dinner and casual Sunday visit with his family. On the surface, my in-laws are charming, polished and the sort of people everyone else describes as "so nice." But behind ...
Dear Annie: My husband retired eight months ago, and ever since then, our home has felt less like a place to relax and more like a company he has decided to manage. After years of leaving early, coming home late and barely noticing whether the bath towels matched, he is suddenly very interested in how everything is done and has strong opinions about all of it. He has started announcing new "house rules" as though he is issuing office memos. Shoes may no longer be left by the door. The dishwasher must be run only at night. Lunch should not be eaten in the den. The mail must be opened ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: I was recently at the American Red Cross to donate blood and was given interesting material on the need for Black blood donors for sickle cell anemia patients. The booklet described how antigens work in red blood cells to improve patients' health. I didn't know until then that ...
Dear Annie: I have been married for 45 years, and the silence in my marriage feels deafening. It did not happen overnight. It built slowly over the years, like a snowball rolling downhill, growing larger and heavier until it now seems to fill every corner of our home. I always believed I was ...
