Lifestyle

Winters just weren’t the old bone-chilling, snow-covered wonders of yore, the Allen County Democrat lamented a century and a half ago.

LIMA — Old City Prime’s Upper Lounge is set to host its first shows of 2024, setting the stage for a year of big change.

LIMA — The Lima Symphony Orchestra rang in 2024 with its final performance of 2023, “A Swingin’ New Year’s Eve.”

FICTION

How do you like your eggs? The year 2023 has been a journey for me – one that includes learning a lot about myself — ironically enough, when it comes to eggs.

The holiday season can invite unwelcome guests into your life, such as loneliness, money problems, family demands and unrealistic expectations. The stress and anxiety that accompany those issues can lead to sadness and depression. But Debbie Fuehrer, a clinical counselor at Mayo Clinic, has some tips to take back your holiday happiness.

“My ear hurts.” There are many conditions that can trigger this complaint from a young child. Depending on the symptoms, causes of earache in children include a foreign object in the ear, the common cold, swimmer’s ear and earwax blockage.

Each year since 1999, my husband Larry and I have ventured with the same group of friends to Las Vegas just after Thanksgiving to check out the happenings there. This year was a bit interesting as the city had hosted the 2023 Formula 1 Grand Prix race on November 18th, a 3.8 mile, 14 turn street circuit right in the heart of Vegas.

Q. I have been widowed for almost 4 years. I have been in a relationship for a year with a wonderful man named Max. My grandchildren, ages 4 and 6, have become accustomed to seeing us together. I think the youngest one is jealous, even though Max has been very kind to her. She says mean things to him when I’m not looking and even though we have had little talks about her behavior, she continues.

Fiction that plumbs the layers of parenthood is vast and crowded; rare’s the novel that stands out. (Recent superb examples include Helen Phillips’ supernatural “The Need,” and Alice McDermott’s Vietnam-era “Absolution.”)