ArcaMax

Dear Annie: Can hoarding be cured? If not, I've reached the end of my rope.

My dear wife of more than 30 years, who does not work outside the home, has filled up our attic, two rented storage spaces and one bedroom with so much useless stuff that you cannot walk into any of them. Our own bedroom has stacks of papers, books and clothes all ...Read more

Dear Annie: Each Valentine's Day, I am filled with incredible sadness. Two years ago, my husband and I were expecting our first baby girl. Her due date was Valentine's Day, and we were so thrilled with love and excitement at the arrival of our baby girl. Her name was going to be Valentine.

Sad to say, Valentine was born Feb. 14 as a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm hoping to adopt a small dog soon, and obviously, my apartment needs to be prepared. The small, curious new member of the family will want to play with almost everything in reach, so I imagine I'll need to clear the floor as much as possible. What else do I need to do to prepare? My apartment is a studio and only about 500 ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for 25 years. My husband grew up in a foreign country and has been drinking alcohol his whole life. He drinks beer the way I drink water. He is in the restaurant business and must be able to recommend wine to his customers, so giving up alcohol is not an option. The problem is that once in a while when he gets ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been seeing this woman for about a month. She is beautiful and smart and thinks I'm funny, which is a plus. It's been getting more serious. But recently, when we were trying to decide which movie to see, some new info came to light. It turns out she hates superhero movies and comic books. This is a total turnoff to me, to the ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 25-year-old woman with an embarrassing problem: I blush easily -- like, really easily. In fact, I can feel my cheeks getting hot while writing this letter, just from thinking about blushing. I've had this problem since I was a kid. I'm light-skinned with reddish hair, so not only am I more prone to face redness but also it's...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I had a wonderful relationship, and he was a great man. A few years after he died, I reconnected with a divorced male friend whom I knew as a young person. We were doing things together, and I enjoyed his company. He's 80. I am 78.

He lived in another town, and we would see each other every few weeks. We were ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 74-year-old single man who has never been in circulation.

I have relatives, friends and others who keep asking me, "When are you getting married?" I don't even know where to start with dating. I don't know what it is these days or whether it even exists for me. Should I have announcements printed to let people know I'm ...Read more

Dear Annie: I moved four months ago, and there are still boxes and bags waiting to be unpacked. I hate looking at the piles. I want to clean up, I really do, but when I get home from work during the week, I am too exhausted to tackle the mess. And on the weekends, I savor my time to do nothing, and I want to avoid sullying that time with un-...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm writing to you about something that I'm not sure is a problem. Really, I think it's just a habit. But my husband told me I should ask you for your thoughts on this. Every night when I get home from work, I have two glasses of red wine. I drink one with dinner and one while I watch TV or read a book. I never feel drunk, just ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am extremely disappointed and saddened by your advice to "Sad in Wisconsin," whose son's family does not acknowledge the gifts "Sad in Wisconsin" gives. The writer answered his own question, believing he should express his feelings to his son. All you had to do was agree.

Instead, you offered "three apparent options." None of ...Read more

Dear Annie: The subject of intimacy involves almost everyone, especially couples, so I'm writing to you not necessarily for advice but in hopes of finding out whether other women relate at all to my observations and suggestions about intimacy.

I've been married for 40 years to the man I chose to spend my life with. I'm committed to our ...Read more

Dear Annie: At what point does a child quit trying to have a relationship with her mother? Is it natural for a mother to have to call her firstborn every single time before she calls another child? I have tried for years to have a relaxed and friendly relationship with my mother. We come from a large family, and the birth order does play a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to the same man for almost 40 years. We have two beautiful children, who have happy lives and their own careers and families. My husband is highly successful and respected in his profession. He has some wonderful qualities. For example, he's hardworking and a loving grandfather. However, over the years in our ...Read more

Dear Annie: A few months back, I mentioned to my husband that I wish the style of men in suits and hats would come back. He came home a few days later in a little felt hat, which I have to admit looked good on him. Last week, we went out to dinner, and I told him that my grandfather always removed his hat while dining. He waved his arm in a ...Read more

Dear Annie: Have things changed since I was dating, which was a long time ago? Does the male still pick up the check, or is the female also paying sometimes? My grandson is starting to date, and my daughter has told him that the female should sometimes pay. I was brought up with the custom that the male should pay for everything, but after ...Read more

Dear Annie: I just received an invitation to a wedding that I've been told will be lavish. The woman is in her 50s, and the man is in his 60s, and they have been together for over a decade, so they have requested no gifts other than monetary contributions to their honeymoon. They have traveled extensively, including to the honeymoon ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband of two years was divorced from his ex six years ago. They had no children. The divorce was the result of infidelity on his part. When we began to date, he was very upfront with me about his dysfunctional marriage and about how his infidelity was the result of his being shut down by his wife in the bedroom for several ...Read more

Dear Annie: Would you please remind people to call and ask before they donate items to charity, animal shelters, nursing homes and thrift stores?

Years ago, when my husband was in a nursing home, a group of ladies spent many hours knitting beautiful lap blankets for the people in the nursing home. Right after the women left the nursing home, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 75 and in a great relationship with a wonderful man of 83. He is a widower after 57 years of marriage. I have been divorced for 30 years after a 26-year marriage. I feel very strongly that I have met the man I could spend the rest of my life with. We have agreed that we are "a couple" committed to each other. We each have our ...Read more