DEAR HARRIETTE: I am 35 years old, and I have been the primary caretaker for my two younger sisters for the past eight years. I've cared for them since they were in elementary school, and I cannot afford to take care of them any longer.
Dear Doctors: I got a few patches of itchy, red skin on my arms six months ago.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I've been keeping up with a high profile celebrity trial that deals with domestic violence between a man and a woman. My boyfriend and I were discussing the trial the other day over the phone. He was adamant about defending the male celebrity, even though he had been physically violent toward the female celebrity.
Dear Doctors: As part of a reducing diet, we like to drink plain carbonated water.
Much of the nation’s political and commentary class had a near-nervous breakdown when 48 Venezuelans who had crossed illegally into the United States arrived at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport, not far from the summer homes of some of the country’s wealthiest and best-connected people. When they realized what had happened, many Democrats and allied voices in the media expressed white-hot anger at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had arranged the migrants’ trip.
Show me a bully, I’ll show you a crybaby. Few events have demonstrated the accuracy of that observation like the caterwauling on the right in response to President Biden’s recent speech warning voters against “semi-fascist MAGA Republicans.”
Did you know laundry accounts for as much as 20% of the water used in your home? To save water, a few small habits can go a long way. The easiest is to only run your washing machine only when it contains a full load; if your favorite shirt is the only thing that needs a wash, just wear something else until you can gather a full load. When buying a new machine, opt for frontloading machines; they are more water- and energy-efficient than toploaders. And make sure to pretreat stains so your clothes come out clean the first time.
DEAR HARRIETTE: For several years — beginning around the same time that the pandemic started — I was deeply depressed. I was unhappy with the way that I looked, my job, my finances and my relationship. For all of those reasons, I was very low-functioning. I did not go out with friends, I did not take pictures and I barely left my house for anything other than work.
If you need proof of the Anne Frank dictum (“In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart”) – if you doubt there is a poetry to paying it forward – if you wonder whether life can reveal a virtuous circle when on the cruel surface, it takes the form of a vicious circle – then linger for a moment on the story of Lucia Buchwald, who sold chickens and eggs in a tiny farm community overrun by the Nazis, and Nataliia [cq] Mariichyn, who this summer is living in an apartment here.
Dear Doctors: I'm a 38-year-old woman in good health. I kept getting a tight chest while running, so my doctor did some tests. He said my heart looked fine. But when I went for a second opinion, I was diagnosed with microvascular disease. I've never even heard of that before. What is it?