Lifestyles

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: Mom crushed as I wash my hands of jailbird brother

The man’s stealing and drug use is too much for a family reeling from the death of a child.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Friday, April 5, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: I’m the one people choose for airing out their trauma

‘Human landfill’ can’t understand being singled out by acquaintances eager to dump the horrors of their past.

By Abigail Van Buren

Chicago

Recent cold weather won’t harm your plants, but take precautions if chill worsens

Gardening pros say warm winters have led to early spring blooms in the Chicago area. Delicate flowers should be kept warm if temps linger below 20 degrees.

By Jessica Ma

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: The farmstead I bought came with a morbid surprise

After the deal is done, seller reveals that his father’s body has been decomposing out back for decades, and the skull is still there.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Wednesday, April 3, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: As she ‘works on our marriage,’ wife won’t talk to me

She walks out on husband after 28 years, and he’s not sure how to bring her back.

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Tuesday, April 2, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: When my mom died, cousin couldn’t wait to announce it online

Her hasty Facebook post broke the news while immediate family was still processing the loss.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Monday, April 1, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Someone in Chicago

Someone in Chicago doesn't want family member in wedding party

The next time wedding drama comes up as you plan your wedding day, sit down with people you trust and see what you’re willing to compromise and what’s nonnegotiable.

By Ismael Pérez

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: Dad's neglected me and my kids since having twins with his new wife

The new arrivals are younger than the grandkids he hardly sees.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Sunday, March 31, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: I want Dad at my wedding but not Mom, who mistreats me

Bride’s mother wants to discuss why she’s being left out of the big day.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Saturday, March 30, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: Calls from friend who talks nonstop can be exhausting

Chatterbox doesn’t seem aware that it’s courteous to ask questions, seek others’ opinions.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Friday, March 29, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: Friends increasing their visits and wearing me out

Woman is getting anxious about how often she has to host her husband’s hunting buddy and his wife, who don’t contribute at all to mealtimes.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Thursday, March 28, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: I think my kid’s friend lives with a sex offender

Parent wonders whether to tell the boy why he can’t visit his playmate’s home.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: I keep my kids away from all the drama in my chaotic family

Parent sometimes misses relatives but prefers to avoid their fighting and gossiping.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: As menopause sets in, I grieve what could have been

Woman is feeling sad and takes out frustrations on her husband as hopes for biological children dim.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Monday, March 25, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

A shy bird approached a bird they are interested in.

Someone in Chicago

Someone in Chicago is shy and striking out on dating apps

To help you see into a woman’s mind, I asked three of my close friends what worked for them.

By Ismael Pérez

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: My wife shouldn't be friends with someone rude to me

The wife doesn’t want to let go of person who once spent a four-hour lunch with the couple and never acknowledged the spouse.

By Abigail Van Buren

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Sunday, March 24, 2022

By Georgia Nicols

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: When BFF visits family, I miss watching football with him

NFL fans is hurt that friend’s travel is disrupting a long tradition of Sunday bonding.

By Abigail Van Buren

Dobra Bielinski, who has run Delightful Pastries on the far Northwest Side for nearly 25 years, holding a sampling of apple slices, once a popular dessert dish in Chicago.

Food and Restaurants

Apple slices are a nearly forgotten piece of Chicago pastry history

The dessert was popular in the 1950s and 1960s and supposedly a favorite of Mayor Richard J. Daley. Today, though, only a few Chicago bakeries sell it.

By Esther Yoon-Ji Kang