LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Elizabeth Kobliha knows her one-eyed cat Likho has more friends than she does. So much so that on his 15th birthday last Saturday , the sidewalk outside her downtown Long Beach store where he spends most of his time transformed into a makeshift fair.

There were vendors selling peach cobbler, watches, hot dogs and offering ...Read more

CHICAGO — The tattoo on Amari Mead’s inner left arm demands attention.

Mead calls it her Butterfly Garden.

The artwork includes the footprints of Kaiden Amir Tappler, imprinted with the meaning of his name, “Warrior Prince” surrounded by butterflies and roses. The tattoo has yet to be finished, but the words ‘this too shall pass, ...Read more

CHICAGO — In a small room in a museum downtown, a medium-size leather suitcase sits on the floor.

It’s empty now, but nearly 50 years ago — as it crossed the Pacific Ocean from the Philippines to Chicago — it held textbooks, clothes, a prayer book and hopes for the future as a nurse in Illinois.

“Whenever I look at that, it comes ...Read more

It was a Thursday afternoon in early July, and Carolyn Pinta was home alone when she heard a knock on the door. She hesitated before she answered, unsure about her unexpected guest’s intentions.

The intentions, it turns out, were lovely.

Standing at Pinta’s front door was Katie Benn, an air defense officer in the U.S. Army. Benn was ...Read more

No plant has been more enjoyable in The Garden Guy’s trials than the Forged in Fire heliopsis or false sunflower. There have been a lot of varieties in recent years, but I am going to have to put this one on the must-have list.

Botanically speaking it is "Heliopsis helioanthoides," native to the United States. Despite being native to 42 ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Many high schoolers are finding out that majors are not just for college students.

Linked Learning Alliance, a California nonprofit that partners with school districts to improve education, offers over 600 "pathways" — similar to a college major, but targeted to high school — to over 330,000 students in more than 80 school ...Read more

Another day, another set of dating questions.

Question: What dating app seems to have the best luck in finding a partner?

Answer: You may not love my answer, but it's not about luck or "finding" someone. It's about being proactive and using the apps efficiently. You can be successful, or unsuccessful, on any app depending on how thoughtfully ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’ve been happily married for 12 years, and my husband and I have been poly for eight of them. Overall, it’s been a really positive part of our relationship. We’ve had our trials, of course, but we communicate much better than we once did, we both date other people occasionally, and I genuinely experience compersion much of the...Read more

I was recently, and mercifully, on vacation.

The hotel pool was packed with people, many of whom had their children of all ages in the pool with them. Teenagers threw footballs, toddlers were swimming with floaties, and kids were swimming and jumping into the pool

I was the only parent in the pool wrestling with his kid.

My daughter and I ...Read more

Q. My ex is a terrible co-parent. When we divorced, I remarried soon afterward, but I have stayed open to co-parenting with their mother. We had to move an hour away and so my time with the kids had to change. I now have most weekends, but my relationship with the kids has changed. They are very attached to their mother and she will not do ...Read more

My philosophy concerning a garden is the same as my philosophy toward dessert — there’s always room for a little more.

It didn’t take long this spring before I realized I was sowing too many seeds in too little space. Then a light bulb flashed and I thought, “Why not go vertical?” I could just coax everything to latch onto big swaths ...Read more

ROCHESTER, Mich. — The scene feels familiar: two college students laughing, dancing and recording videos on a phone propped up on a tripod.

Kendall Benson and Samantha Peterson are, in many ways, typical. The University of Detroit Mercy physician assistant students spend their days studying for exams and preparing for their future careers. ...Read more

Now that I have seen Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day,” a space alien thriller that’s out of this world, I am making this my own disclosure day:

I could have been the star of the movie.

And not necessarily as a space alien.

I was sure I’d be heading to Hollywood when I read about a casting call for Spielberg’s new film, the ...Read more

From her postage-stamp-sized backyard near the BART tracks, Penny Barthel is growing a revolution.

About 10 years ago, the longtime educator, gardener, author and foodie began to raise cannabis in her lush, colorful kitchen garden in Albany, California. A novice to cannabis, Barthel’s project was as extension of her love of “messing around ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — My dinner course is served. It is a Campbell's-inspired soup can, lightly angled so strands of broccoli are peeking out. I lift the can to uncover a slow-braised short rib and mashed potatoes. An American dish to represent an American artist, here Andy Warhol.

The room is overtaken with projections, scenes of bustling New York ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- It was a hot and dry summer night in 2019 when the Campbell family drove from Los Angeles to their new desert vacation home in Joshua Tree.

As they crested a hill on Highway 62, a drunk driver crashed into their car.

Ruby, 17, and Hart, 14, were killed.

To channel their grief, their parents — like thousands of people across ...Read more

The weather pattern going into early July was nothing short of brutal, and I hope that by the time you read this, it will have passed. But I am in Georgia and not counting on it. If you are wondering what plant can exist with such heat and humidity, think Heart to Heart Caladiums. Not only can they exist but they will beautify and lend a touch ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles.

It's hot on the grounds of the Los Angeles State Historic Park in April, but 35-year-old Gonzalez and her fiancé, Jordan Colindres, keep their cool as a crowd gathers ...Read more

You’ve heard the joke: How do you know if someone ran a marathon? They’ll tell you.

How do you know if they’re running another one? They’ll tell you again.

Hi, it’s me. Telling you I’m running another one. Again. Chicago in October. This time with my daughter, who will turn 21 a few days before we cross the finish line together. (...Read more

PITTSBURGH -- What makes some teenagers more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol? A new study from Pitt theorizes that one factor may be tied to their levels of dopamine, also known as “the pleasure chemical.”

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, analyzed a massive data set that followed substance use levels in...Read more