You lead the five of hearts, dummy plays the nine, East the three and declarer the queen. South leads a diamond, which you win with the ace. What do you play next and why? * * * 1. To try to ruff a club in dummy by playing the K-A and another club would subject you to a possible overruff ...
For people hurtling toward retirement, the standard personal finance advice is to continue to fund your retirement accounts as aggressively as you can, including taking advantage of catch-up contributions. Those additional contributions can add up to a tidy sum in retirement, but after age ...
DEAR HELOISE: Regarding favorite/least-favorite chores, I used to dislike folding laundry until I started seeing posts about different folding techniques on social media. Now I enjoy the numerous different ways of folding laundry items to minimize the space that they require. — Jerry A., in St. Louis Jerry, I know what you mean. I saw one video on folding blue jeans, and it changed the way I fold mine. Below are a few more letters from readers who wrote in about their favorite/least-favorite chores. — Heloise DEAR HELOISE: My least-favorite chore is cleaning the shower. ...
DEAR ANNIE: I’ve been friends with “Mark” since high school, which was over 15 years ago. He actually feels more like a brother than a friend. But over the past year, there’s been a shift in him. He’s gotten deep, deep into conspiracy theories. Every conversation somehow turns into a rant about the government’s hidden agenda or the evils of the pharmaceutical industry. I brushed it off for a while, but it’s constant. It makes me not want to be around him. I’ve tried joking it away and even telling him directly it makes me uncomfortable, but he either doubles down or ...
DEAR HELOISE: Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite excuses to feed a crowd — chips, salsa, tacos, the works! The aftermath? Less exciting. Greasy platters and salsa-covered dishes took the better part of an hour to clean after guests left. Now every serving tray and basket gets lined with parchment paper before the food goes out. When the party’s over, just lift the paper and toss it out; the tray underneath doesn’t need anything — no soaking, no scrubbing, and no dried salsa waiting for you the next morning! The parchment handles grease and moisture without sticking or tearing, ...
