ArcaMax

Dear Annie: With this pandemic and people out of work, this might be a good way to get a few people back to work AND to save a ton of money. Both small and large businesses need to purge their mailing lists. I get mail from places I may have sent for a catalog years ago but haven't done business with them for many years. I have even cut off ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was reading "Don't Call Me 'Dear'" and wanted to give you my two cents' worth. I am a woman, 72 years old. If someone calls you "dear," "sweetie," "sweetheart" or something like this, you should take it as a compliment. This applies whether the person doing the calling is a woman or a man, and it doesn't matter if the person is a...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently read the letter from A Better Man Today, who was concerned about people reading his personal diary, particularly about his "dark times."

I agree with your answer but would like to add one more idea. Create a "burn box" and entrust it to someone who will not open it or divulge its contents but will see that it is ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm heartbroken over an event that took place 52 years ago.

I dated a girl in high school for several years and was truly in love. After I graduated from high school in 1967, I asked her to marry me. She took my hand and said that she couldn't because she was pregnant from her former boyfriend. I was shocked, hurt and destroyed ...Read more

Dear Annie: I know a 60-year-old woman who wears high-heeled shoes and no pantyhose with miniskirts -- without even a slip underneath. When she wears light-colored miniskirts, they're somewhat see-through in the daylight. She wears bikini-style underwear, and through the skirt, there are visible rolls around her bottom, waist and stomach. She'...Read more

Dear Annie: This summer we have been invited to four weddings. Of the four events, three have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We are in the high-risk category with our age and underlying health conditions. The one remaining scheduled wedding would require us to travel by car to another state, which would mean stopping for gas, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am shattered and torn apart. My son, who served eight and half years in prison for drugs, was released last Thanksgiving. Within four days of release, "Ray" had a job as a cook, had joined a gym and was working out every day. His life was all positive.

Then the pandemic came. The restaurant closed, and the gym shut down. Ray ...Read more

Dear Annie: Two and a half years ago, while my business was doing well, my marriage of 30+ years wasn't.

It was that same old case of drifting apart due to the pressures of life. Our kids had left home except for one, and we looked at downsizing. We signed up for a new apartment, so we had to get our house ready for sale.

My wife and I had ...Read more

Dear Annie: My parents and my in-laws have a habit of cleaning out their houses by bringing their unwanted things to my house. When we first moved in together, my husband and I thought they were trying to help by giving us things so we wouldn't need to buy them, but it's been over a decade, and it continues.

When asked if we want items from ...Read more

Dear Annie: I so enjoy your column, and, as usual, you are on target in your advice concerning the woman who was hurt by not being notified about her cousin's death.

Two things have caused me to be a happier person. One is dropping my expectations of others, and the other is choosing not to be offended.

People generally don't set out to hurt...Read more

Dear Annie: It's horrible to be judged. Here is my story: I am fortunate to have a nice car. This vehicle is my first new vehicle after 15 years of saving. From my additional savings, I am able to provide to others and deliver the items they need. I also have friends who do not have transportation to get from food drives and other similar ...Read more

Dear Readers: Happy Fathers Day! In this poem, William Wordsworth celebrates being able to see the world through his son's eyes. He celebrates the childlike wonder that his son has, a playful curiosity that is too often lost in adulthood.

Being a great father includes being empathetic to your child and seeing things from their perspective to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was given up for adoption at four months old and was adopted by my maternal grandparents. I was raised as an only child, even though I knew who my siblings were and saw them regularly. My biological mother sowed seeds of hatred and division between my siblings and myself at every opportunity.

Upon her death, we found out that ...Read more

Dear Annie: Recently, you printed a letter from a woman whose boyfriend excessively belched. Well, now I am here to complain about my wife's sneezes.

When she sneezes, it is practically a scream. I think it gives me ear damage. It definitely gives me a start, not to mention our poor cat, who takes off running for cover every time. This is worse...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been applying for jobs but having no luck. I did interview at two places this month. It did not work out at either. I'm wondering about one part of the interview. When they ask if I have any questions for them, what am I supposed to say? I really need work and, honestly, don't need to know anything except whether I have the ...Read more

Dear Annie: My mother and I usually have a very good relationship, but for the few months leading up to quarantine, and during quarantine, we have been getting on each other's nerves. Whenever one of us does something, the other criticizes it. Sometimes I have no idea what to say, and I can't control my anger toward her. When I can't control ...Read more

Dear Annie: Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, my husband doesn't cough or sneeze into his arm. He sometimes coughs into his hand. No matter how hard I try to instill in him how he could be affecting everyone in the household, he argues that it's bull.

His excuses include that he doesn't want to get his shirt sleeve or bare arm messed up, ...Read more

Dear Annie: Caring for my 91-year-old mother is taking a toll on me. For the past five years, I have made sure my elderly parents were doing well. My father battled bladder cancer for over 25 years, but in the end, cancer won out big time. I quit my teaching job to help support my mother with his care. My father passed four years ago. My ...Read more

Dear Annie: My siblings and I were never close. In fact, my brother and I could have been considered "mortal enemies" as we grew up. Since our mother passed nine years ago, there has been little to no contact.

In the past few years since I retired, I have come to realize that a lot of the circumstances surrounding our upbringing did not ...Read more

Dear Annie: With your advice, I hope my family will be able to deal with a problem. Our 45-year-old daughter is at the heart of the issue. "Jane" has had a challenging past. She is an intelligent and motivated person, but starting in high school, she began a difficult life (mostly to do with her poor choices in relationships).

She had a son ...Read more