Throughout my life, I’ve often paused to wonder about how our brains and bodies are able to perform such miraculous tasks.

Dear Annie: I am a single senior woman. I am very close to a neighbor family. I love them, and they tell me they love me as if I were their family. The older stepfather lives with them. He and I are close in age. We have been great friends. Neither one of us is interested in a romantic relat…

Dear Heloise: I’ve been meaning to write about the subject of potluck dinners. I myself don’t like them.

Here are the puzzles for September 18, 2019.

Here’s a sentence that might come as a surprise: Cabbage is cool.

Dear Heloise: After I finish a glass or container of milk, I pour a bit of water in the glass or container, swish the water around and pour the liquid on my houseplants. It’s a good source of calcium for them.

Dear Annie: I am a very lucky 67-year-old. I have a job I enjoy every day, a happy marriage, wonderful children and grandchildren, and my health is excellent. I also know that, life being what it is, I am likely to be dead or at least confined to an assisted living center in a decade. I’ve h…

It hardly seems possible that it is time already to face campaigning for another presidential election.

Dear Annie: There is a family in our congregation, “Fred” and “Wilma,” who have two kids who are the same age as ours. My wife is friends with Wilma, and the kids all get along well. The problem is Fred. He’s a fat jerk. We’ve known them for six years, and I work at the same company as him. …

Dear Readers: School is well underway, kids are outside walking to class, and of course the big yellow school buses are out and about. Here are some safety hints and rules for the road for the typical motorist, from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov):

Dear Annie: Having been a registered nurse for the past 40 years, I have seen many changes in health care. I believe that nursing is a calling and not just a career. In my initial, youthful bliss, I took great joy in helping people in their hour of need. Patients and families were grateful a…

The waiting is over! You and your spouse survived nine months of anticipation and exhausting excitement of labor and your baby’s delivery. It is now time to go home with your new bundle of joy.

HELENA, Mont. — Operators of private adolescent residential treatment programs in Montana say they welcome state oversight, but the regulations being proposed won’t meet the needs of such diverse programs.

Dear Readers: Today’s Sound Off is about companies trying to get new customers by offering them discounts:

Dear Annie: I am a single woman who is quite social, and frequently I go out to dinner during the week with a close group of friends. We also go to bars or clubs about twice a month on Saturday nights. Many of my friends love to get out on the dance floor and dance the night away. I’ve never…

Here are the puzzles for September 15, 2019.

A common green practice is to start or propagate your own plants.

Dear Readers: Dogs and wolves are the same species (Canis), but the dog has been domesticated. What are the differences between a dog, such as a husky, and a wolf? Let’s take a look:

A myth among tomato lovers is that home-grown tomatoes taste best. Not true! The best varieties of tomatoes are what taste best, whether they’re grown on a farm or in a backyard.

Dear Annie: My sister and her husband are both in their mid-80s and live on a farm. He is disabled. They insist on retaining horses and livestock, which my frail 90-pound sister feeds daily.

Dear Annie: I’ve had a huge sweet tooth all my life. I have also always been very active, and I eat healthy foods. However, I’m nervous that this is not enough to balance my intake of sugary goodies.

Animal ID No.: A5298593

Here are the comics for September 12, 2019.

Dear Annie: I have worked in the same office for 18 years. For many years, there were five of us in our division: three women and two men. One of the men left for a different job a year ago, and he was replaced by a woman, “Carla,” who is very difficult to work with. In fact, I’m convinced t…

Dear Readers: Dryer fires? They are a real possibility. Here are some hints to help avoid

Here are the puzzles for September 12, 2019.

I began writing columns during the 1949 spring semester at USC, when Daily Trojan editors offered journalism students some weekly space.

NEW YORK — It’s that time of year again, when fresh apples are piled high at farmer’s markets. If you are lucky enough to live near an orchard, you can take the day and pick your own bushel of apples. But whether you are picking them at the market or off a tree, there are many great things t…

Dear Annie: I consider myself to be a self-aware social media poster. However, there is a family member on Facebook who posts her childcare needs at least once a week. She posts the day and time she needs and has said the names of the children who need a sitter. She has three children.

Dear Heloise: My “from scratch” yellow cake tends to be on the dry side. What can I do so it’s more moist? I try not to overbeat or overbake.

Dear Annie: Finding topics of conversation can often be difficult during long visits. Since “Grinding My Teeth” feels that this may be the last time she and her husband will visit with these in-laws, why not take this opportunity to encourage these people to talk about their lives?

It’s Old Timers Barbecue time again and kickoff plans were discussed and finalized last week when the Association gathered for dinner at Crazy Otto’s.

Dear Readers: When you’re on a job interview, or answering questions in a professional setting, how are your speech patterns? Many people are in the bad habit of using filler words. “Um,” “uh,” “like,” “well,” “so” and “you know” are the most popular filler words.