Katey Davern, a 46-year-old in St. Paul, Minnesota, has learned firsthand just how much paperwork is involved when planning someone’s last years.

Davern, along with her three siblings, started planning for their elderly parents’ end-of-life needs about three years ago. As the parent of five children herself — three of whom are under 18 ...Read more

I am a lightheaded homeowner who knows that a house is not a home unless there is something to do. And there always is.

That’s why I want to buy — with the approval of the bank, the federal government and, most important, my wife — a lighthouse.

I admit that I am not the likeliest owner of one of these sea sentinels for two reasons: (a) ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Bikini-clad girls sat sipping canned cocktails by the shallow end of a swimming pool. Their sunscreen glistened in the summer heat, leaving a coconut aroma in the air.

But these sunbathers weren't here to tan. They were here for a junk journaling party.

Junk journaling, yet another marker of younger generations' continued ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Shakespeare wrote that there’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. And maybe in the passing of a parrot.

Because when a St. Paul woman asked for help on social media to help rescue her lost parrot, a lot of strangers heard, listened and came to her aid.

This story does not have a happy ending. Except for the way...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Megan Eskew did everything right before she climbed Mt. Whitney last month. She got in top physical shape, carefully checked the weather and, noticing a chance of thunderstorms, heeded expert advice to start very early — a few minutes after midnight.

Moving quickly up the 11-mile trail, she climbed out of the trees and onto ...Read more

Charlie Kirk should still be alive.

Kirk’s children should not have to grow up in a world where a video exists of their dad dying violently and bloodily. Even if they never watch it, others have. Others will.

Kirk’s parents should not have to grieve their son in a world where such a violent video exists. His wife should not have to mourn ...Read more

SEATTLE -- The first few days of school can spark excitement and anticipation for kids: they look forward to seeing friends, learning something new or getting back to sports and clubs.

But for many students, this time of year can also be one of significant stress.

As children go back to school, they may be worried about fitting in socially, ...Read more

Crème Brulee looks to be like a rare colored dessert for the landscape in 2026. It is the newest selection in the Heart to Heart series of caladiums. I've been wanting to get my hands on some bulbs, and now I look a little like the Yorkie that chased down the car. As in, what do I do with it?

Heart to Heart Crème Brulee caladium is promoted ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I'm a 39-year-old man, married to my 36-year-old wife for 11 years. Last month I discovered she'd been having an emotional affair with a coworker that lasted about three months. When confronted, she admitted she hasn't felt attracted to me for over a year and that she's never really felt that "spark" with me, even though we've always...Read more

Alexis Leone, a 34-year-old mother of five in rural Mississippi, initially tried her best to juggle her full-time job with her youngest child’s needs.

Leone’s son is partially deaf and has a severe allergy to ants. But her workplace was unable to accommodate Leone’s multiple appointments a week for speech therapy, weekly allergy ...Read more

So many questions I get, as a dating coach, follow the format of, “How do I ask ____?” That blank might be “for more time together,” “for a date this Friday,” “for a few texts between dates,” “what they’re looking for in the future.” And in all of these cases, I would simple cross off the “how do I ask,” and you’re ...Read more

Q. My 5-year-old daughter is so traumatized by her mom's and my breakup that she will not leave my side. She tells me she is afraid I won’t come back. When it is time to return to her mother’s home, I ask her if she wants to go to mommy’s, and she clings to me. When it’s time to go to school, I ask her if she wants to go to school and ...Read more

We just dropped some serious money on an air purifier thinking it might help with my allergies. I have seasonal allergies. They’re bad in fall, winter, spring and summer.

I do a lot of sniffing.

Some days I sniff, hack and cough so much that if you heard it from another room, you’d think an old ranch hand is choking on chewing tobacco and...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I teach eighth-grade math. I have a student who sleeps (pretends to sleep?) through my class most days. Talking about it with him is not working. What do I do?

Answer: Ahh, the middle-school sleeper: Long has he or she been a thorn in the side of many a teacher.

What is to be done?

First, we must determine whether or not ...Read more

I have 32 pairs of drawers in my drawers. That’s one pair of underwear for every day of the longest months of the year with one pair left over, plus two left over for every day of every month that has 30 days, except February, which has 28, though in leap years it has 29.

I also have 40 pairs of socks (you do the math, I’m exhausted), plus ...Read more

CHICAGO -- On a quiet street in Wilmette, Illinois, native plants bloom in broad sweeps and bright bursts, bringing color and life to what was once an ordinary strip of lawn separating the sidewalk from the curb.

The violet blossoms of blue vervain hover above clusters of frosty-white mountain mint, golden lanceleaf coreopsis, orange butterfly ...Read more

CHICAGO -- Fall is in the air. Chicago evenings have a crisp breeze. But something has been bugging Annie Andrews.

Specifically, bees and wasps and a whole lot of sneezing.

“It’s gotten to a point, like, I couldn’t stop sneezing during a shift,” said the 28-year-old restaurant server. Earlier this week, she thought, “I need to take ...Read more

Our annual family vacation on Cape Cod included all the familiar summer pleasures: climbing dunes, walking beaches, spotting seals, eating oysters, reading books we had intended to get to all year.

And a little shopping. My grandkid wanted a few small toys. My daughter stocked up on thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles at the game store in ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I'm a 28-year-old woman who's been seeing this amazing guy (31) for eight months now. We spend most weekends together, text daily and I've met some of his friends, but we've never actually had "the talk" about what we are. I’m pretty sure he's not seeing anyone else because we're together so much, and I'm pretty sure he knows I'm ...Read more