ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: We invited a couple for a short visit to our remote country cabin. Afterward, I discovered a pair of pink panties lying on the road in front of our mailbox. When I picked them up with a stick to carry to the trash, I realized they were a pair of clean pink panties I had misplaced. They must have stuck to the sheets I had placed on the...Read more

Zen teachings include a lesson on the sound of one hand clapping. For Buddhists, that leads to deep and provocative wisdom, definitely instructive as a life lesson but not where we're going here. In a less lofty (but more realistic) world, where give-and-take is the name of the game, both hands must be clapping to create the sound of true love. ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband is upset with me for not buying him the shoes he wanted. Last Mother's Day, he got me a $20 salad bowl. Normally, I'd appreciate any gift, but then I saw what he bought for his mom, sister and cousin: The items ranged from $450 to $500 and were thoughtfully chosen. I'm usually generous and love making my loved ones ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A friend of ours hosted a brunch for several new parents. The brunch was on a hot summer day and held squarely in the middle of morning nap time.

When the five other couples arrived, we found out that the host's baby was still asleep, and we had to sit around for 20 minutes (with hot babies in tow) waiting for the host's baby...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a recently divorced mom with three adult children. My husband was physically and emotionally abusive throughout our marriage. He originally left me and my three young children when they were just toddlers, but we eventually reconciled. However, when the kids were in college, he sent me divorce papers. I begged him to reconsider...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My fiancee has a number of male friends she has known for years. One of them stops off at her work, brings food and gifts, and may go out with her after hours. Another called her one evening and invited her out for drinks to celebrate his promotion.

At a recent party, another one had his hands on her back or shoulders whenever he ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Every chance he gets, my boyfriend says, "I don't have any money." He works in the fitness community, whereas I am employed in a corporate setting; I earn significantly more than him, but he has a more robust savings account.

Despite my higher income, I also have more responsibilities within my family, so I tend to spend more ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I work in an office with around 30 people. There are several bathrooms available to the staff, and I have used all of them at one time or another.

When I am occupying any of them, I've noticed people never knock before trying to open the door. They will grab the handle and pull several times before they walk away. It is easy ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am part of a family that also has a woman renting a room in our house. I have always been extremely sensitive to smells and scents, but this woman's odors send me gagging out of the room. My son is also sensitive to the smell.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, the smells are becoming stronger. While she is OK with my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My sister has bullied and controlled me most of my life. She has said many very unkind things, and I have reached a place in my life where I need peace and distance from her. Because of this, I have blocked her from texting or calling me.

The problem I'm having is that my sister texts and sends pictures and presents to my in-laws. I ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Planning to tell my girlfriend about me being gay feels like stepping into an emotional unknown. We met through a mutual friend two years ago, and I was drawn to her beauty from the beginning. In our year together, she doesn't know about my past with guys. Lately, I've been feeling more attracted to men again, and even though I ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: You've always advised against mixing social life with work, although I'm not sure why. And now I read that the generation entering the workforce agrees with you, and is not particularly interested in having work friends.

Hey, I miss my office friends now that we're working from home! Work was also where I met women. I met my ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son and I had a falling out a few years ago, right about the time he got engaged and was planning his wedding. I was blamed for not treating his fiancee nicely because I was once impatient at a dress shop. I bent over backward to be nice to her. The straw that broke the camel's back was at Easter, when I finally said something ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We adopted our daughter, "Opal," at the age of 2. She is 6 now. Opal lived with us off and on as a newborn, but by age 1, she lived permanently with us. We live in a small community, so everyone knows everyone. Opal lived with her biological mom prior to adoption.

We tried to allow interaction between them with certain rules in place...Read more

I've settled down to write at my kitchen table with my son playing on his computer across from me. I catch his eyes, and his cheeks squish as he smiles, probably still charmed by me being the Block Mom yesterday when I fed him and a few stray kids that haunt our street popsicles, then soup. My daughter was at a pool party, so an impromptu ...Read more

Dear Annie: My friend and I are part of a very small percentage of upcoming high schoolers who are without Snapchat. Socially, this can be very difficult, as it is hard to communicate with friends and even girls because everything is run through Snapchat nowadays. In this post-Covid world, and after the tech boom, everything is run through ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We have five grandchildren. All but one call me MeeMaw. I've been MeeMaw since my first grandchild was born 15 years ago. Four years ago, our third grandchild was born, and the fourth arrived the next month. This fourth grandchild was calling me MeeMaw until one day when she started calling me MeeMawMeeMaw, which my child's spouse ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm 29 years old, and I've been dating my boyfriend for a few years now. We have a great relationship; however, his work-life balance has been an issue. My boyfriend works long hours and is often preoccupied with his job, even during our personal time together. While I understand that his career is important and allows him to ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Why do people insist on judging other people without knowing them?

I have health problems and cannot drive. Sometimes when I arrive at a store, public transit has taken an unexpectedly long time to get me there -- a bus breakdown, missed transfer, etc. When this happens, I often need to eat something immediately. I have been ...Read more