Q: Dad passed away a couple of years ago. He had always taken care of the family finances. Mom is doing her best to do it now. I live in the same city. However, last month when I was visiting, a stranger knocked on her door. He said he was the roof repairman and wanted to pick up his check. I questioned mom. She said the man told her she needed to repair her roof. ... [full story]

We arrived on time with all of our luggage. It seemed like a travel miracle. I do a lot of traveling and last year set a record for delayed airline departures and arrivals. And lost luggage was way up, too. But I have found a solution. I drove. It might be something you want to consider. As I have grown older, I have developed less tolerance for standing in line and putting up with the ... [full story]

Q: We are really worried about our 15-year-old, medium-sized, mixed breed spayed dog because she has lost most of her stamina and her zest for life. She cannot walk very far without coughing and lying down. She coughs often and does not seem to be able to get comfortable even while resting on her favorite doggy mat. Is she going to have a heart attack and die? We do not know how we are going ... [full story]

You might recall a recent column about Gary and Margi Schmidt, who sold both their house and his parents' in order to buy a 4,000-square-foot home for both couples in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Well, I enjoyed meeting all of them so much and thought you might too. It occurred to me after a few hours with Elly and Howard Schmidt that marriage is like jumping out of a plane. The lucky couples are equipped ... [full story]

The other night, 88-year-old Les Tenney cruised his local 99 Cent Store's aisles. He was hunting for the right items: Graham crackers. Microwave popcorn. Women's black underwear, 15 pair.   WAR BONDS - A veteran and former POW, 88-year-old Les Tenney knows what troops want in an overstuffed care package. For example: chili, fruit salad, tortilla chips and a pair or two of black panties. CNS Photo by Eduardo Contreras. "What do you think those people in ... [full story]

Following an extensive five-year restoration, Boston's Charles Street Jail is now the Liberty Hotel, a $150 million property that sits at the foot of Boston's posh Beacon Hill neighborhood overlooking the Charles River.   BEHIND BARS - Touches of the former Charles Street Jail in Boston remain in what is now the Liberty Hotel and its lobby-level restaurant, Clink. CNS Photo.    LOFTY LOBBY - Exposed brick walls and four striking, wrought-iron chandeliers add visual interest to the ... [full story]

Q: I can't believe it, at our ages - mine 55, and my husband at 62 - he is asking for a divorce. His question was like a shot out of cannon. We have been married over 23 years. When I ask his reasons why, he won't answer. We are still together and, as yet, he has not moved out. I love him, and I am hopeful we can stay married. What can I do? ... [full story]

Happiness is elusive and fleeing. On rare occasions, we may realize that we're intently happy - such as when falling in love. We expect this state of euphoria to continue unabated. Yet, too much early happiness might be a bad thing as we age. A provocative new study by Shigehiro Oishi, a University of Virginia psychologist, concludes that people who report a greater number of positive events seem to find diminishing returns from future happy ... [full story]

Q: After witnessing a horrible accident involving a dog hit by a car recently, I started to wonder if dogs are ever given blood transfusions. Unfortunately, the dog that I saw apparently lost a lot of blood and died before it could be taken to a veterinary hospital. I hope that I never witness such a tragedy again. A: Many of the emergency procedures utilized today, including administering whole blood via transfusions, are very similar ... [full story]

It's been a year since Jan Takehara learned of her parents' tragic demise. And she's able now to talk about it relatively dispassionately. It took a three-week search of the city to find her parents, Sumio and Betty Takehara, who had disappeared from the San Diego home they shared with their daughter. The octogenarian couple, who were married 60 years, were found last September in their wrecked 1989 Toyota, below a 230-foot embankment in eastern ... [full story]

It is Halloween and, once again, gruesome images of death and the dead haunt the scene. Coffins open, Dracula bares his vampire fangs, jangly-boned skeletons, ghosts and zombies rise from the ground.   DEATH TO DUST - Digging deeper into the process of dying. CNS Photo Illustration. "People think death is a scary process," says Kathy Kalbacken. "I don't see dying like that." Death, in the public mind, is often violent and dark, spooky and fearful, hallmarks ... [full story]

Self-confidence, serenity, a sense of fears vanquished and aspirations attained. All those priceless rewards awaited Matt Stradling and Dan Stevens, and all they had to do was walk 55 feet in a straight line.   STRIDING HIGH - Before striding high on a slackline above Yosemite National Park, Matt Stradling and Dan Stevens practice at home. CNS Photo by Howard Lipin. Couple of things about that: The line was actually a 1-inch-wide strip of nylon webbing, strung ... [full story]

Romance, passion, history - it all comes together in Argentina's signature dance, the tango. Now, guests at Hilton Buenos Aires can make their own dance magic with the hotel's Totally Tango experience.   LARGE LOBBY - The Hilton Buenos Aires features an expansive lobby with a soaring glass ceiling. CNS Photo. From an intimate lesson with one of Argentina's top dance instructors to an evening at Buenos Aires' world-renowned Esquina Carlos Gardel, guests are immersed in the ... [full story]