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Daughter-in-law’s mental health taking a toll

DEAR ANNIE: I need some serious help. Our son, 36, has been married for three years. In May 2024, our daughter-in-law became pregnant. We were elated. She is a nice young woman, but she does have some anxiety and other issues, which have taken a rather turbulent turn. Unfortunately, the change in hormones and other unfounded fears caused her to go off the deep end. I have received hundreds and hundreds of texts saying hateful, offensive things to me. Today, our granddaughter, “Janie,” is 15 months and a gem, but we have been limited to when and where we can see her. Our son is ...

Organizing the junk drawer

DEAR HELOISE: Every house has a junk drawer, and everyone knows exactly which drawer it is. The reason that it never stays organized isn’t due to a lack of effort but a lack of categories. Everything goes in together because there’s nowhere else for it to go. Then you can’t find anything because it’s one big tangle of batteries, twist ties and mystery keys! The only thing that actually works is putting small containers inside the drawer. Shallow boxes, the plastic trays from old gift sets, even cut-down cereal boxes — anything that creates a border between things. Batteries ...

Woman’s spinal pain after surgery fails to improve

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife is suffering from a failed back surgery that was caused by a neurosurgeon. The operation was four years ago, and she also had a spine stimulator that was implanted three years ago. Her pain management doctor said that she’ll get progressively worse as current medical care hasn’t improved for this condition. She’s currently consuming the maximum dose of pain medication. To your knowledge, is there any “light at the end of the tunnel” for patients with chronic arachnoiditis? — B.B. ANSWER: Persistent spinal pain after surgery (PSPS), which was ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

It’s funny how some players get mad at their partners. An acquaintance of mine, Abernethy C. Growler, is a member of this school. Just put 13 cards in his hand, good or bad, and he acquires the wisdom of Solomon and the autocracy of a sergeant with new stripes. Abernethy was playing at the club one day with Aloysius Meek, and he got to four hearts on the deal shown. No sooner had dummy hit the table than Abernethy hit the ceiling. He couldn’t understand how Meek could stop short of a small slam, let alone a grand slam. And he said so in no uncertain terms. After Abernethy calmed ...

Greens, grains, fried egg work well for any meal

Eggs are better with carbs, and they’re particularly good with grains like rice, farro and quinoa, which can soak up a runny yolk. The herby-green grains here, from my cookbook, “Cook90,” are good for more than just breakfast, though — you could pair them with sauteed fish, skin-on ...

Microgardening means a surprisingly big harvest from a windowsill or balcony garden

Short on space? Consider microgardening. Although the term might conjure thoughts of minuscule garden gnomes and fairies, the reality is quite the opposite. You can get a surprisingly high yield from a small space, even a windowsill or balcony, if you plant it right. One way to maximize your harvest is to grow plants that mature quickly, harvest them and then plant more. Small greens on repeat Microgreens — 2- to 3-inch seedlings of certain edible plants — are perfect candidates for such succession. They sprout quickly indoors in as little as a week, and are easy to grow. Just ...