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Avoiding microwave messes

Dear Heloise: No more major cleanups for your microwave! Just cover the dishes with a paper plate or a paper towel. Also, you can place a cup of vinegar in the microwave and bring it to boil. Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe the inside of the microwave with cloth or paper towels. Big ...

The Burden of Always Being Available

Dear Annie: My younger sister has always been the "fun one" in our family. She breezes in late with a bottle of wine and a funny story, and somehow everyone forgives her before she has even taken off her coat. She forgets birthdays, cancels plans at the last minute and borrows money she never ...

Reader discovers toothbrush is fake

Dear Heloise: I recently found out something that I think should be shared with your readers. You printed a letter from a person who had a hint about allowing your electric toothbrush head to spin around for a few seconds after you rinse it so that it'd dry out faster. When I tried it, I ...

Word recall difficulty causes concern in 70-year-old female

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a healthy 70-year-old female who still works full-time and plays tennis regularly. I'm 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weigh 140 pounds. My concern is my memory, especially my speech. English is my second language, but I've been in the United States for over 40 years. Words ...

Growing Older, Feeling Smaller

Dear Annie: I sit here writing to you starting another week much like the past six months of this year: depressed by the way time has altered my life. I'm 76 and married. My routine rarely changes. I wake up, listen to the news and eat breakfast. I straighten up the house and make the bed. I ...

Name tags help build relationships

Dear Heloise: Please encourage the staff at small businesses to wear a name tag. For example, I go to the dry cleaners about once a month and would like to greet a friendly person by their name, especially because she always knows my name due to my order. Knowing someone's name is a way to ...