DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my younger co-workers – who has no authority or rank over me – attempted to boss me around the other day.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch ... To readers of a certain age who grew up watching cowboy movies on TV, that timeless phrase signals a major plot development. Maybe the scheming rancher with the mustache is ordering his henchmen to saddle up. Alternately, a hero in a white hat may be entering the fray.
• Bees aren't the only insects that help pollinate fruits, flowers and veggies. Butterflies are also an important part of the ecosystem. To help attract butterflies to your garden, avoid using insecticides, which are obviously lethal to them. Also be aware that butterflies aren't attracted to flowers -- they seek out flowering plants and bushes that are rich in nectar. Look for milkweed, mint, zinnias, buddleia and heliotrope, which are all varieties of plants that butterflies love to drink from. Filling a shallow dish with fresh water every day is a simple way to give them a place to drink, too.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter used to have a bad habit of biting her nails down to the skin. Over the years, she has done much better, which is why it is worrying me now that she is back to this behavior. I don't know what is going on with her, but I'm sure that something is wrong. I try to get her to talk to me, but she's unwilling to open up.
If you muted the television, closed the door to keep out the muffles from the street and listened carefully the other day, you may have heard the voice of John Quincy Adams.
Dear Doctors: Can you please talk about why hot weather is so dangerous? We've had a couple of heat waves with high humidity, and my grandfather didn't even realize he had heat exhaustion. Air conditioning isn't common in our area, and our kids are struggling, too. Honestly, it's been a bit scary.
DEAR HARRIETTE: A new friend of mine who is a fitness buff recently told me that when she was much younger, she was bulimic. She described the whole scenario of how she got caught up in this behavior when she was in college and how, eventually, she got past it. She looks healthy today, but I do know that she is an overexerciser. She used to run until her knees gave out. Now, she bikes nearly 30 miles a day.
After most Republicans vociferously condemned the FBI’s raid on Donald Trump’s Florida estate, Fox News host Steve Doocy plaintively asked his guest, GOP Congressman Steve Scalise: “Whatever happened to the Republican Party backing the blue?”
Isometimes envy people who have a family home to return to, a place where they grew up, where their parents or even their grandparents lived.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My young adult child finally moved out of my house this summer. He finished college a few years ago and has just gotten on his feet with a job. It looks like he is starting his life off well. The issue I'm having is that he left his room a mess.