Our national summer is waning

For most parts of the country, this has been a splendid summer, full of sunshine and sunscreen, the weather a welcome contrast to the political climate. Americans have flocked to the shore and the lakeside, wandered among the hills, lingered well after sunset at the state park or the backyard barbecue grill.

Friend with memory loss may need support

DEAR HARRIETTE: A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that she is losing her memory. I spent the weekend with her, and now I know what she means. She asked me the same questions over and over again. I would answer them, and a couple of hours later she would ask the same thing. It was frustrating for me, in part because it is new to me. As we were talking together that weekend, I would try to build on a point, but it never worked because I always had to go back to the beginning.

Be fierce but fair is good advice

Donald Trump’s third try for the White House will pose “a major professional dilemma for American journalism,” writes Marvin Kalb, whose political reporting earned him a cherished place on Richard Nixon’s enemies list.

Wealth need not hamper friendship

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been spending time with some new friends who are kind and generous. Whenever we go out, they pay for meals, which is nice because we are not rich and they are. They never make us feel any kind of way about it, either. What we do to show our appreciation is different. We will cook delicious meals and specialty dishes to share with them.

During the past few months the number of people roaming the streets, and sleeping on sidewalks and in our parks appears to have grown substantially here. Sadly, our neighboring communities are dealing with the same problem.

Friend doesn’t always include roommate

DEAR HARRIETTE: My best friend and I ended up becoming roommates earlier this year. I was worried about living with her because I did not want to put a strain on our friendship by adding the roommate dynamic, but we haven't had many issues at all.

Artificial light disrupts circadian rhythms

Dear Doctors: I need it to be completely dark to sleep well. I've got blackout curtains, I use an analog clock and I even duct-taped the digital lights on the smoke alarm. I just read that light at night is bad for your health. Is that true? I want my husband to know I'm not overreacting about this.

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