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When new friends outshine old friends

DEAR ANNIE: My dearest friend and I go back over 50 years. We’ve seen each other through everything, high and lows. Recently I became disabled and can no longer drive. I’m also a widow. I’m not asking anyone to chauffeur me around (I have that handled), but a phone call here and there would be lovely. She lives just a short distance away, yet she visits only about once a month and texts or calls infrequently. She has never once offered to run an errand. I always tell her how much her visits mean to me. What makes it sting a little more is that friends I’ve known only a fraction ...

Gabapentin’s benefits for sleep outweigh risks for woman

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 70-year-old woman in good health, other than osteopenia and digestive problems that plague many seniors. I went through a sleep study and was found to have somewhat severe periodic limb movement. I do wake up frequently, always use the bathroom, and can be awake for a while before going back to sleep. I was prescribed 100 mg of gabapentin, which does help. But I worry about dementia since the frequency and length of time of taking gabapentin determines the risk. My watch does indicate a longer, deeper sleep when I take it, but there’s a trade-off. Do I get the ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

It is easier to sink a 2-foot putt in golf than it is to hole a 10-footer, and in bridge it is easier to make some contracts than it is to make some others. For a hand difficult to make at the table, when the lie of the opponents’ cards at the outset is unknown, we cite this one. West led the K-A and another spade. East took the queen and returned the ten of clubs. Declarer won with the ace, led a heart to the ace and another heart back to the king. When West showed out, declarer’s goose was cooked. No matter how he continued, he had to lose a trump trick, and he finished down ...

Sound the horn to find the car

DEAR HELOISE: The key fob for my 4-year-old Toyota can be pressed to lock or unlock my car, and it can also be pressed to sound the horn. If I can’t find my car in a large lot, I hold the key fob over my head, press the horn button, and follow the sound. This is especially helpful because my car is white, which is a predominant color for vehicles. — Jo M.K., in Houston DEAR HELOISE: It’s impossible to get lost in an airport. Everywhere you go, there’s signage. Even if you’ve never been to a particular airport before, you won’t get lost as long as you can read. Why ...

Cast-Iron ‘Fruit Cake’ is foolproof for dessert

While I’m not sure how or when it started, there is no denying that I have an extremely mean sweet tooth. It shows up all the time in the way I cook savory food — but it goes bananas when I get to dessert. None of this means that I need my sweets to be complicated. The desserts in my ...

A birthday, an auction and rhubarb season

It is such a lovely morning. I love mornings like this. Son Kevin is still sleeping and the rest have left for work. I think everyone needs a little “Me time”. Do we take enough time out of our busy schedules to read God’s word and thank Him for His many blessings He bestows upon ...