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DEAR ANNIE: 6-year estrangement is hurting whole family

DEAR ANNIE: It has been six years since our youngest daughter, “Emily,” has been close to us. The problem started when our oldest daughter and her cousin were in the kitchen talking about Emily when Emily walked by. She obviously was concerned that they were talking about her. We were just getting ready to eat our holiday meal, and I asked where Emily was, and they said she had left. I called her to ask why, and she said her sister and cousin were staring at her and talking. Mind you, they were all in their 40s. After I talked to Emily, my husband and son-in-law asked why she ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Give items besides food to pantries

DEAR HELOISE: I have a suggestion for donations to food pantries. I usually donate nonfood necessities such as toilet paper, trial sizes or small sizes of shampoo, laundry detergent, feminine supplies, toothpaste and more. Many people who use food pantries are living out of a backpack, so small sizes work best. Pantries have a higher number of customers when school is out, so now is a good time for an extra donation. I also include zip-close bags to keep things dry in a backpack that isn’t water-resistant. Can you imagine needing toilet paper and not having it? Also, as far as ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Get urgent help for psychotic breakdown

DEAR DR. ROACH: My daughter’s going through a manic psychotic break. Her reality is skewed, and she thinks that she’s right and that the rest of us are out of touch. It’s taking a toll on our family. How can I get through to her to seek professional help? — B.C. ANSWER: Unfortunately, this is a common situation that often doesn’t have an easy answer. Mania is a specific psychiatric state when a person has a sustained period of very high energy. People in a manic state often don’t sleep much at all and have high energy, which they often use to make risky decisions that ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

Over the long haul, a player will miss many more simple plays than complicated ones, if only because the simple plays occur far more often. Reducing errors in this area should be the primary goal of all players trying to improve their game. Take this case where South failed to make four hearts after committing an error that should have been easy to avoid. West led the king of clubs and continued with the queen, ruffed by South. Declarer cashed the A-K of spades and ruffed a spade in dummy, then led the ten of hearts and finessed after East followed low. West won with the ace and had no ...

Nervous about ticks?

If you couldn’t join us for our Tim McDermott’s talk on ticks last May, you missed a great session, but this article will help fill you in. It’s the season we have all been eagerly waiting for — summer! As we head outdoors to work in our gardens and to cycle, kayak and hike, it’s ...