Dear Heloise: Enabling closed captions on television has greatly improved our viewing experience. Whether a character whispers, the music becomes loud, or the audio is unbalanced, captions help us follow the story. Finding the setting takes about 2 minutes — dig into your TV’s accessibility ...

Dear Heloise: The French have a saying: "Scents are made to be discovered, not announced." -- David K., in Buffalo, New York David, this is very true. But unfortunately, some people -- both men and women -- don't understand the phrase "less is more." ...

ESCANABA — Watch your step! Wilma the woodcock and Greta the grouse are about to do something amazing. These birds will transform the cold, muddy, leaf - littered and moss-covered Upper Michigan ground into a nursery. Where yesterday was snow and ice and moldy lichen, new life will be ...

Dear Annie: My friend insists on splitting every restaurant bill "evenly," no matter what. The problem is, she always orders cocktails and appetizers, while I usually stick to one entree. Last week, my $22 dinner somehow became $48 after the "split." When I suggested we each pay for what we ...

Dear Heloise: Here is something younger reporters don’t always hear: we older viewers are working to keep up, and fast talkers lose us. Mumbling makes it worse. Finish the word, pause, then move on — it sounds simple because it is. Reporters who actually do it come across as far more ...

Dear Annie: My neighbor and I became friendly during the pandemic. We'd pick up things for each other at the grocery store, help water each other's plants, chat on our porches in the evening. Somewhere along the way, she decided we were much closer than I did. Now she'll drop by unannounced ...