Communication is key to a happy marriage

Dear Annie: I love my wife very much and try to be a good husband. However, my wife has an explosive temper. Whenever she is mad at me, she punishes me by not speaking to me. This time, she has not spoken to me for almost a week. On the other hand, she can talk to her friends on the phone for hours. What should I do? I am exasperated. Out of Ideas

Dear Out of Ideas: The silent treatment is bad medicine. It leaves wounds to fester when they could heal. Implore your wife to seek marriage counselling with you as soon as you’re able. It is imperative for the health of your marriage.

Dear Annie: Your answer to “Confused” was good as far as it went but I think you are missing another very important issue here. This guy’s behaviour on the job is legally wrong. He is lucky he hasn’t gotten into serious trouble before now. Especially, for being a 50-year-old man hitting on a 20-something woman. If he keeps that up, I would be very surprised if someone didn’t lodge a complaint to human resources against him. If someone hasn’t explained to him by now that his behaviour borders on sexual harassment, then they should have. If no one else clues him in, then his wife definitely should.

Suzie

Dear Suzie: True: I only considered it from the wife’s perspective. You’ve raised another troubling aspect of the situation.

Dear Annie: When I was 12, my father taught me how to mow the lawn. We would first clear the yard, sidewalks and curb of any trash or other debris. He showed me how to start the mower and how to walk behind it and safely use it. Afterward, we raked the lawn. Then we would sweep the curb, street and sidewalk and bag up all the clippings. After this, we would then water the lawn and rinse off the curb. He explained that a clean curb would help water flow to the sewer drain. When fall would come, it was time for leaf removal. We would rake leaves and bag them up to set out for the trash collectors.

Forty years later, I still use the same regimen. I am appalled by commercial and residential lawn caretakers who blow all the clippings in the street or at the curb. It is so disturbing to me to see curbs that have grass, weeds, paper and debris of all kinds. When it rains, it floods because the water can’t flow down to the sewers. Debris clogs the curbs.

Father Knew Best

Dear FKB: Leaving yard waste in the street is impolite and, in many cities, illegal. Avoid incurring fines and your neighbours’ wrath: Sweep and bag up your clippings.

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