Wedding thank-you note fails to deliver intended message

Dear Abby: My husband and I attended the wedding of the son of some old friends in another state. Rather than buy the young couple a gift, we instead gave them a check for $1,000.

Missing the High Life

At 4:54 p.m., I finished my Miller High Life. Then I walked a tenth of a mile to the Farmington police station and blew into a plastic tube.

Combine avocado and zucchini to slim down guacamole

This delicious guacamole recipe replaces half the amount of high-calorie avocado in a traditional guacamole recipe with a stealth low-calorie vegetable — zucchini.

Money spent to keep kids from smoking is no bribe

Dear Abby: I was surprised to see you equate a concerned grandmother's creative solution to smoking with bribery in your Feb. 14 column. The word 'bribe' has a negative connotation.

12-year-old author encourages children in 112 ways to have fun without money

Sam Gross had no idea he had all the qualities of a consummate book author at age 12.

Ex-etiquette: Set up a phone schedule to minimize stress

Q: My ex and I broke up two years ago and we share our 5-year-old's time. My problem is my ex won't allow me to talk to our child when he is with him. It drives me crazy.

Gender reassignment involves more than a lifestyle change

Dear Abby: My husband and I recently learned that our sister-in-law's adult son from a prior marriage, 'Charlie,' is now 'Claire.' My husband and I have three sons, ages 2 to 10 years.

Variations on clothes, bands from the '90s are popular again

Grunge and Boho chic are in style, again. Courtney Love, the Backstreet Boys, De La Soul, Smash Mouth and Alice in Chains are coming to town. 'Pop-Up Video' is on the air, again. Looks like the 1990s have returned.

Romantic spark likely snuffed out forever

Dear Abby: My boyfriend and I have been together a year and a half. I regret moving in with him when I did, which was after only three months of dating. We have been through a lot, including my struggle with various health issues.

GED hopefuls should earn one before costs go up

Dear Abby: I have worked in the field of education for more than 40 years, with the last 25 years serving in adult education, helping students complete their high school equivalency diploma.

Mom dreads rivalry between daughter and her new sibling

Dear Abby: I am the mother of a 5-year-old daughter I'll call Mandy. Her father and I separated when she was 16 months old and now we are divorced. I am newly engaged to a wonderful man and very happy.

RVs on highways this summer will need extra room to roam

Dear Abby: It's vacation time again, time to hit the road in the RV. Please make your readers aware that people driving motorhomes, towing fifth-wheel trailers and travel trailers CANNOT stop as quickly as a small car or truck.

Kicks 4 Kids will raise money to provide Pontiac students with sneakers

Kicks 4 Kids will hold its third annual shoe fundraiser from 5-9 p.m. today at Rosie O'Grady's, 279 W. Nine Mile, in Ferndale.

Light, fresh, colorful spring vegetable ragout complements luscious polenta

The first few times I cooked polenta, I followed recipes that called for endless stirring, and as much as I enjoyed the result, I wasn't keen on making polenta very often.

Household items can kill if ingested by pets

A toy poodle that was rushed to the vet after swallowing a tube sock. A Great Dane that had to be operated on three times for eating his owner's shoulder pads.

Woman needs courage to end man's plan for future together

Dear Abby: I am a divorcee with college-aged children. I love my children, and I thought I loved my ex. However, after my divorce I wonder if I'm capable of ...

Online community raises $165,000 to support family of child without eyes

Like most people, Krissy and Heston Stein of Royal Oak expected their share of ups and downs when they married 10 years ago. But they never dreamed thousands ...

Ex-etiquette: Plan around 'bonusparents'

Q: I'm faced with a dilemma. My parents are divorced and my father has been remarried for 20 years.

Free family health kits offer news you can use

Dear Abby: When friends and family get together, the conversation often turns to the subject of health. They swap stories about the medications they may be ...

Even without the animals, we should be proud to be the Wolverine State

We are the Wolverine State, even though we have no wolverines.

Possum an unlikely, but lovable pet

The tiny baby's odds of survival were slim. At four weeks, he was alone, his mom and siblings snuffed out by a car. It's likely the baby possum would have been ...

Woman who doesn't like sex can't get rid of men who do

Dear Abby: I am a woman in my late 40s and I hate sex. I always have and always will. I'm disabled, and it has always been torture. I never got any positive ...

Groom, not the bride, is under pressure to change his last name

Dear Abby: My wife's niece is marrying a wonderful man of Greek descent this summer. Her grandfather insists that his last name is too long and impossible to ...

Legoland Hotel is built, brick by brick, with kids in mind

The Legoland Hotel, which opened April 5, got plenty of little things wrong in its first weeks. But its designers got one thing enormously right, and that will ...

Happy tween is troubled by feelings of depression

Dear Abby: I am a 12-year-old girl who is happy, healthy and doing great in school. But lately I have felt sad, lonely and just plain frustrated. I used to ...

Her grandson’s choice of toys is cause for a family’s concern

Dear Abby: I am a longtime reader but a first-time writer. My problem has been bothering me for some time now.

Cellphone snoop suspects friend of having an affair

Dear Abby: I have a friend who I believe is having an affair. I have no concrete evidence, only a slew of circumstantial evidence such as odd work hours, ...

Ford Freedom Awards to honor our ‘quiet heroes’

The annual Ford Freedom Awards, a fundraiser for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, on Friday will honor some “quiet heroes,” ...

Pet of the Week: Elvis

Elvis is a 2-year-old Beagle mix sure to make a great addition to any family. This active puppy likes going for long walks with you around the neighborhood.