time envying your visitors.
FAMILY CIRCUS DENNIS THE MENACE We feel sorry for her. And
after 20 years, you’d cope
much better with this in-
trusive woman if you could
COMICS
find it in your heart to feel
sorry for her, too. We know
B5
THE HAYS DAILY NEWS
she is difficult, but she’s
Annie’s Mailbox family. Invite her for coffee
once in a while. A reason-
MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011
WATCH FOR BREAKING NEWS AT
KATHY MITCHELL ⁄ MARCY SUGAR ably cordial relationship
with her would be better for
HDNEWS.NET
Dear Annie: I have lived everyone.
across the street from my Dear Annie: This is for
husband’s sister for 20 years. “Concerned Wife,” whose beef. I introduced a new
She is super-competitive husband was diagnosed vegetable a month, serving
and nosy. with diabetes. Six years it the same way once a week
She knows our every move ago, that was me. I believed for four weeks. It worked.
— when we are home, who I couldn’t control what I never once blamed the
is visiting, etc. When she my husband ate, and then diabetes.
sees a car in our driveway, realized I did the cooking I’d say, “We are trying new
she will come over with and shopping. When my things.” Over time, we all
some lame excuse to see husband went to the doctor, began making better food
who is visiting. If I buy a I went along and asked to choices. I began walking
BEETLE BAILEY piece of furniture or paint a see a dietitian. I went to and invited my husband
room, she comes over to spy diabetes classes. to come with me. As we
on my decorating. My children were also at walked, we talked about our
My husband is aware of risk because diabetes runs in day, the kids, our dreams,
her nosiness but copes with the family. and it turned into a night-
it. I am on edge all the time. We began with small, time ritual.
I’ve decided the next time healthy changes. Tell “Concerned” not to
she runs over to snoop, I I quit buying soda and make this “his” problem,
will tell her how nosy she is served water or low-fat but to create a team spirit.
and how sick and tired I am milk. I cut back on the Be positive about changes.
of it. Would that be wrong? carbs and cooked more The whole family will ben-
Moving is out of the ques- protein and vegetables. To efit. — Been There
tion. — Fed Up reduce sodium and sugar, I
Dear Fed Up: So your cooked more from scratch. — Write to: Annie’s Mailbox, P.O.
insecure sister-in-law ad- I learned how to make Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611;
mires your decorating and is healthy substitutions, such or e-mail questions to
GARFIELD so lonely that she spends her as lean turkey for ground anniesmailbox@comcast.net
BIZARRO CLOSE TO HOME
CRANKSHAFT
BABY BLUES
Daily Sudoku
PAJAMA DIARIES
To solve a sudoku puzzle, the numbers 1
through 9 must fill each row, column and box.
Each number can appear only once in each
row, column and box. Use the numeric clues
provided in the boxes.
BLONDIE
TODAY’S ANSWER
Dr. Paul
Donohue
HEALTH
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My sister
sees her doctor every month and always
ZITS comes home with a diagnosis of strep
throat. The doctor gives her a prescription
for antibiotics each time. Is it possible that
a person has a strep throat monthly? She
never looks sick to me. And what are all
these antibiotics doing to her? — L.R.
ANSWER: Anything is possible, but a
monthly strep throat is distinctly unusual.
At most, 10 percent of adult throat
infections are due to the strep germ. Fifty
percent are viral infections, and antibiot-
ics are not called for in a viral illness. In
30 percent of adults with a sore throat, no
cause is found.
A typical strep throat comes on suddenly
and causes not only throat soreness, but it
raises a person’s temperature, and his or
MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM her neck nodes become swollen.
Doctors prescribe antibiotics for strep
throat to prevent rheumatic fever. The
best way to determine if a sore throat is a
strep throat is by taking a throat culture.
Overuse of antibiotics spawns drug
resistance. Your sister’s good bacteria,
living in her digestive tract, take a beating
every time she takes another course of
antibiotics.
Write to Paul Donohue, M.D.,
P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL
32853-6475.