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DEAR ANNIE: Sibling rivalry doesn’t always end in childhood

DEAR ANNIE: My sister and I have always been close. We grew up sharing clothes, secrets and late-night phone calls, and for years I considered her my best friend. But lately, every conversation with her feels less like a conversation and more like a contest I never signed up to enter. If I mention that my son made the honor roll, she immediately tells me her daughter’s school is much harder. If I say we had a nice family vacation, she reminds me that her trip was more expensive, more adventurous or more “educational.” If I share that I’m tired from work, she is somehow more ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Put your toilet paper in the fridge

DEAR HELOISE: I usually prepare deviled eggs for family gatherings. Sometimes it’s too much to boil, peel and prepare the yolks at one time. This past Easter, I boiled and peeled the eggs the Saturday before. Then I put them in the refrigerator whole. On Sunday after church and a couple of hours before dinner, I finished preparing them. We couldn’t tell the difference. Another hint that I’ve been wanting to share is that I put a roll of toilet paper in the refrigerator to eliminate odors. I’ve been doing this for about a year, and it works. If you start to smell an odor in the ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: MGUS condition often can be cured

DEAR DR. ROACH: After a routine blood test raised suspicions, my husband was diagnosed with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). At first, we thought this wasn’t a big deal, but further tests indicate that he’s in the “high risk” category, although he doesn’t have symptoms. The hematologist/oncologist has indicated that he has a 50% chance of developing a blood cancer called multiple myeloma in 20 years. My husband is very upset and feels that a death sentence is hanging over him. The oncologist says he has to be monitored every three months. I’ve ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

This deal occurred in a regional pair championship in Los Angeles many years ago. The hand was played at many tables, of course, but our story concerns itself solely with the table where Mrs. Kelsey Petterson held the South cards. When she first looked at her extraordinary hand, Mrs. Petterson wondered whether it would be better to open the bidding with two spades (strong in those days) or two clubs when it was her turn to bid. However, the problem became altogether academic when Mrs. Petterson thought she heard the player on her right open the bidding with seven diamonds! Undaunted ...

Rose still growing in popularity

Over the past couple of years, the sale of rose wines has outpaced reds on many retail shelves. While some trends come and go, this one remains strong and perhaps will grow stronger yet into the future. The reasons are several as the styles of roses are as diverse as the “typical” wine lovers’ palates. These lovely wines can be a quite sweet, off-dry or even very crisp and totally dry. Some are “still” table wines; others are sparklers. They can be made from red grapes, but pressed and handled in the cellar as though the fruit was white. They can be blended from a combination ...