I caught my mom hitting on my ex-boyfriend

DEAR HARRIETTE: I just found out that my mother made a pass at my ex-boyfriend. I always suspected this because I noticed the subtle flirting when he would come around.

DO JUST ONE THING

It may sound crazy, but covering your shrubs with more snow actually can help protect them during harsh winter months. Simply shovel freshly fallen, salt-free snow to surround bushes and the bases of trees. These 'snow fences' will create a barrier to protect plants from harsh, chilly winter winds.

TODAY IN HISTORY

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared the Grand Canyon a national monument.In 1922, insulin was administered to a diabetic patient for the first time; the extract would require further improvement before achieving success.In 1964, the U.S. surgeon general issued the first U.S. government...

Government dysfunction, 2023 edition

For days, the House dithered, debated, deferred, demurred and demonstrated what dysfunction means in a mature democracy that has been a model of stability and an inspiration to the world for centuries.

Colonoscopy prep is unpleasant, but necessary

Dear Doctors: I'm having my first colonoscopy in a few months. My friends say it's unpleasant, and I'm already dreading it. I think it would help if I knew what's going to happen.

Friend pushes too hard about getting on diet

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend is on some sort of weight-loss kick and is now trying to convince me that I need to follow her new routine as well. The diet that she is on is too restrictive for me.

Triumph of the terrorists

“Hostage takers.” That’s how Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska described his fellow Republicans who repeatedly blocked Rep. Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker. Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, another Republican, denounced the dissidents as “the radical 2%” of the party.But that’s hardly surprising.

I find joy in meeting dogs bundled for the cold

“Aren't you the cutest dog?' I asked the chubby brindle pit bull mix walking down the sidewalk.Objectively, she was not the cutest dog, I suppose. But there is no such thing as an ugly dog, as we all know.

Joke offends and is distasteful to new friend

DEAR HARRIETTE: I accidentally put my foot in my mouth when talking to a woman I really hoped to become friends with. I was trying to be funny and make a joke, but it came out wrong, and she got offended. I felt terrible afterward, and I'm not sure how to fix the situation.

Faithful mourn Benedict XVI at funeral presided by pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis joined tens of thousands of faithful in bidding farewell to Benedict XVI at a rare requiem Mass Thursday for a dead pope presided over by a living one, ending an unprecedented decade for the Catholic Church that was triggered by the German theologian’s decision to...