DEAR ABBY: Like many people in this country, my family has an aversion to throwing things out that might still be useful. Rather than load up the van and head to Goodwill, they give the stuff to me -- partially used bottles of shampoo, a half-used pack of wipes, hair conditioner that smells too awful for them to use but they’re sure I’ll like, unwanted change purses and jewelry I would never wear, even puzzles with missing or dog-chewed pieces.
DEAR ABBY: My longtime friend of 30 years, “Charlotte,” lives across the country. I have just learned that her husband, “Harold,” is transgender and is now transitioning to become “Helen.”
DEAR ABBY: I’m a mother of two boys, 13 and 12. My oldest son has become very abusive, both physically and emotionally. He has been arrested for hitting me and hitting his little brother. He was recently kicked off the bus for hitting another student and has also been locked out of school.
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married more than 40 years, but we have lived separately in a house and guesthouse on jointly owned property for the last 10. We split bills and communicate only when necessary via text.
Abigail Van Buren DEAR ABBY: My father recently passed away. I wanted to be sure I was appropriately dressed for his funeral, so I shopped for the most conservative outfit I could find.
Dear editor, To the Las Animas County Commissioners, Sheriff Derek Navarette, and Citizens of Las Animas County: I am writing this letter in light of recent events involving the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Noel and Lieutenant Trujillo, regarding the videos currently circulating on most social media and news platforms, including national news, as of most recent. I ask the Las Animas County Commissioners to not only hold Deputy Noel and Lieutenant Trujillo liable but also Sheriff Navarette.
Abigail Van Buren DEAR ABBY: I am a 58-year-old, never-married woman with a 22-year blue-collar career. I own a home and will retire with benefits many people dream of.
DEAR ABBY: For more than 20 years, my mother-in-law has shown blatant favoritism toward my husband’s younger brother. Several people, including her own mother and my father- in-law, have tried to discuss it with her, but she refuses. My husband has accepted that there is nothing he can do to change her behavior.
DEAR ABBY: I have a problem I can’t fix. I have been married for 54 years. For the last 20 we have slept in different bedrooms. I get no affection from my wife, and everything has to be her way. We no longer have anything in common except our children and grandchildren who, for the most part, come to me only when they need something.
DEAR ABBY: I love my parents. They are thoughtful, intelligent people who supported (even encouraged) me to attend a good school on the East Coast. I now live with my boyfriend in Connecticut, where my job is located. He’s 23; I am 22. We would like to start a family within the next five years, but I worry that our children will never see their grandparents on my side.