Older friends hang out while reader works

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently have become friends with a group of older women. We get along great and have had some wonderful conversations and enjoyable times hanging out together.The thing is, they have way more time on their hands than I do. They are either fully retired or semi-retired.

DO JUST ONE THING

• Believe it or not, one of the most dangerous things your pet can eat isn’t a food at all: It’s the bag your favorite chips or snack foods come packaged in. When you’re done eating your BBQ potato chips, a few remnants of the snack remain in the bag.

Navigating new friendships as an adult

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m trying to manage my social life as an adult and explore new ways to make friends.

Diarrhea is a side effect of sigmoidectomy

Dear Doctors: I was diagnosed with diverticulitis, which caused a bowel perforation. I had a sigmoidectomy, no problem, and a resection. Now I’m dealing with constant and urgent diarrhea, as well as some cramping. What can I do to combat this? It is affecting my work and my home life.

After accident, employee dreads work

DEAR HARRIETTE: A few weeks ago, I had a really embarrassing accident at work. I tripped in the office and split my pants right in front of my colleagues. On top of that, I sprained my ankle in the fall, so I had to take some time off to recover.

Boyfriend lacks generosity with partner

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend is incredibly generous when it comes to friends, family and even strangers, but when it comes to me, he’s surprisingly stingy, whether it’s time, attention or small gestures of affection.

Stopping opioids may require counseling

Hello, dear readers! Welcome to a bonus letters column. We have several interesting questions to address, so we’ll get right to them.– We recently wrote about precautions for using opioid pain medications and how to safely discontinue them.

Too much TV can have an emotional cost

Dear Doctors: Is there any connection with dementia patients and television?I am part of a group at my church that visits people living in memory care, and I noticed the television is always on.Now my mother is in the early stages of dementia, and her television is always on.

Depressed reader gets angry at friend

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been struggling with what feels like depression.I’ve never experienced these long periods of sadness, isolation and laziness before, but for the past year, I’ve been in a season of hardship, battling unemployment and other life changes.

DO JUST ONE THING

• Whether you’re frying an egg or sauteing vegetables, it matters what size pan you use on your cooktop. If you’re using a small pan on a large burner, you’re wasting heat and throwing money away.