Dear Heloise: I like to use a box of baking soda to deodorize my refrigerator and keep a box in the fridge for several months. Can I then use it in various recipes? I hate to waste food, and if the baking soda is still useable, I’d rather not just toss it out.

Dear Annie: I have never written anything like this before, but I’m beside myself with anger and sadness. My boyfriend of 16 years is leaving me because his two grown children from his marriage do not like me and are refusing to let him see his five grandchildren.

Another thing we’ve learned this past year: Pasta fatigue is possible. To use your noodles in new ways, toss them with fresh herbs and vegetables. Here, spaghetti meets spinach and lemony basic ricotta; pork and fennel meatballs pair up with a brothy orzo. Pick a hit and let your taste buds …

Dear Annie: I’ve been married for 26 years. I have a 24-year-old son at home on the autism spectrum, and his four-year-old daughter, of whom he has full custody. They get by with my help, and money, of course.

Dear Heloise: Ugh — I’ve heard such contradictory information. Should I leave my cellphone plugged in and charging all the time, including overnight?

The American Psychological Association 2020 survey in America describes a growing mental health crisis across the country.

Dear Annie: Here’s a poem I wrote called “In the time of COVID.”

Today’s Sound Off is about the wedding bell blues:

King Henry VIII of England offers an excellent example of how too much wine, rich food and obesity trigger the agony of gout. But why did Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin, to name a few, develop this excruciating disease? And how can you decrease the risk?

Dear Annie: I would like to comment on the letter you received about the daughter-in-law who is a people pleaser and wants her mother-in-law to like her. I am the granddaughter of a mother-in-law who was just like that. I grew up knowing my grandmother did not like my mom or any female who m…

NICOSIA, Cyprus — There’s something regal in the sprightly step and curious gaze of the long-horn sheep that roam the hills near Varisia, an abandoned village inside a UN buffer zone that cuts across ethnically divided Cyprus.

Seems to be a lot of people taking money out of their home to improve the landscape or interior. Keep in mind if it includes some sort of installation and is over $500  (labor and materials) the work needs to be done by a licensed contractor or totally by the homeowner.

Dear Heloise: Have you recently received a recorded voice telling you that your new phone is on its way and should be delivered in a few days? The woman goes on to say that if you did not order this item to press 1. If you have any questions or if this is a case of fraud to call 1-800-***-**…

Dear Annie: I have let myself get involved with a significantly younger guy. To make matters worse, I’m married. In my defense, before I even started talking to this other guy, my husband and I had come to a place in our marriage where we were more like roommates than husband and wife. We di…

Dear Heloise: The special roasting pans for chicken that hold the chicken upright are a bit expensive. Instead, I use a simple fluted bunt cake pan. I use a cooking spray inside the pan then set the chicken upright in the pan with the open center piece inside the chicken to hold it up. The j…

Dear Annie: A few months ago, someone wrote to you about how uncomfortable the bad manners of children of a relative made her feel at large family gatherings and dinners. I read your column faithfully and did not see any readers’ suggestions printed in the following weeks.

Dear Readers: Have you ever deposited a check remotely? This capability has been around for over 10 years and has made banking more convenient and time-saving. It’s a fairly easy process.

Dear Annie: I’m married to a wonderful man, and we have four beautiful children. However, since COVID-19 started, we discovered that we have underlying issues within our relationship. For example, he isn’t the best person to communicate with. Among other things, I discovered his liking of po…

Grocery shopping can get pretty stressful nowadays. Not only because of the new normal of distancing and masking and the fear of getting exposed to a disease-causing virus but because isle after isle, we have to make decisions of what to buy. There are seemingly hundreds of choices for salad…

Dear Annie: I have been married for 15 years. A little over a year ago, I started having an affair with an ex-girlfriend. The affair ended a month ago. It is over and done with.

Today’s Sound Off is about websites:

Some vitamins don’t get the attention they deserve. Ask anyone about vitamin K2 and few people can give an answer.

Dear Annie: I work in a small office with only four employees and one supervisor. Two of my colleagues and I are coffee drinkers. Instead of starting a coffee fund, we started taking turns bringing in a fresh container when we find the previous one is running low. This system has worked for …