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Cabernet Franc making its mark in our region

Now that cooler weather is ahead, it is time to think about red wines grown in our region. Over the past 30 years or so, our regional wineries have begun to hone their skills, both in the vineyard and cellar, with this variety. Typically, we have not been known for great reds, but Cabernet Franc is beginning to gain significant recognition. It is widely grown in Europe in such classic regions as the Loire, Bordeaux, Anjou and Medoc, and has become a mostly reliable, somewhat-winter-hardy-variety here in the Grand River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA). The talents of our ...

My children’s stepmom may be overstepping

DEAR ANNIE: I have been divorced for three years and share custody of my two children, ages 10 and 13. My ex-husband remarried about a year ago, and his wife is kind, involved and genuinely seems to care about my children. I know that is something to be grateful for. The problem is that lately I feel as though she is trying to become their mother rather than simply being a loving stepmother. She buys them clothes without mentioning it to me, attends school events, sets rules and consequences and has started referring to them as “our kids.” Recently, she posted a family photo on ...

Treating loss of taste, smell

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 82-year-old husband is unable to smell or taste. This has been the case since 2024, when he was hit by a car while out for a walk. He sustained a compression fracture to his spine. While he wasn’t knocked out, he did get thrown backward and sustained some trauma to his head. Since then, he’s had no sense of smell or taste. I see him drifting further and further into depression, and I believe it’s primarily because he no longer has the pleasure that is associated with taste. He has seen our general physician and an ear, nose and throat doctor. He’s been given ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

When you’re playing a seemingly hopeless contract, you can sometimes accomplish your mission by enlisting the aid of the enemy. For example, take this deal where South bid and made six spades. This overly ambitious undertaking was entirely South’s fault. His jump-shift to two spades on ...

Program key fobs yourself

DEAR HELOISE: A suggestion was made to have your car key fob reprogrammed by a mechanic to only unlock the driver’s door so that it’s safer when refueling at a gas station. A mechanic isn’t necessary. The doors are programmed through the car itself in the vehicle’s utility menu. Each make of car has different ways of resetting the unlocked doors or other doors’ functions. The owner’s manual can walk you through it, or you can watch a video online, as there are many short videos on reprogramming car functions. — James J.M., Retired United States Army Veteran DEAR ...