Dear Bettye: I asked a friend about five months ago to be my matron of honor, but I haven’t heard from her since.  I want someone else to be the matron of honor and the wedding is next month.  Is there a way to let her know I no longer want her to be in my wedding?

If you haven’t heard from her in that length of time I think she doesn’t want to be in your wedding. Call her and say since you haven’t heard from her in such a long time you have selected someone else. Ask her to join you at the ceremony.

Dear Bettye: A couple I know told me recently they watch the paper for events that offer free food and they go to every one of them.  I could hardly believe it since they are both retired and have money.  Why would they do that?

There are probably many profound psychological reasons for their behavior, but it could be as simple as being lonely, needing somewhere to go and see people.  Or maybe they just hate to cook.

Dear Bettye:  I would like you to tell me the proper way to act on a date.  I am divorced and over 60 years old and my friends say I try too hard. 

The key word for new relationships is propriety. Treat a gentleman as a pleasant new addition to your circle of friends, not as the answer to your prayers.  Remember, men are skittish and frighten easily.

Dear Bettye: I was in line to buy a rake at a garden supply store.  Somehow the thing got caught in the hem of the dress on the lady in front of me when I placed the rake on the counter and it brought up the hem of the dress rather high. She was not hurt and neither was the dress. I hurriedly removed the hem from the rake but she let out a barrage of foul language that embarrassed everyone within earshot.  I apologized over and over but she screamed long after I purchased the rake and was leaving the store. Should I have stayed longer and said something else to her?

You apologized and that was enough.  Nothing short of shooting yourself in head would have satisfied her at that moment.  You were wise to leave. Nothing exciting ever happens when I buy garden supplies.

Dear Bettye: My mother-in-law has been a hateful woman all her life.  We all hope as she gets older she will get nicer.  What do you think?

It has been my experience that growing older never changes anyone.  People just become more so. The old saying is true that wine and cheese improve with age, but like people, they have to be good in the first place.

Dear Bettye: I am a widow and have started to date.  The problem is that all the men I meet are bald.  I really like a man to have hair.

The last thing to be considered in an eligible man is baldness.  Have you forgotten Sean Connerly so soon?

Dear Bettye:  I think the woman next door is taking my newspaper even though it is left on my porch. Some of the sections are missing or the entire paper is rumpled from being read.  What do you suggest?

Tell her you have hired an investigator to find out who is taking your newspaper and your house will be under surveilance until the thief is caught.

Dear Bettye: I made a terrible mistake by sending an email to everyone instead of just my sister.  It was about a friend and the shocking clothes she had on recently and of course she got the email, too.  What on earth can I do?

First of all, from now on be extremely careful when you send emails. Send an email to the friend you were writing about and say, “I made a typo when I said “shocking” clothes, I meant to say “striking”.  Now I am flooded with emails from people wanting to know where you buy your clothes.” Well, that much is true, isn’t it?

Dear Bettye:  One of my friends is obsessed with calling psychics almost every day.  How can I convince her it is a bad idea?

Your friend is seeking an answer and will continue until she finds it – or she gets her next telephone bill.

Dear Bettye: My friends are driving me crazy because I have not dated anyone since my husband died.  What can I say?

Just what I say, “My standards are very high and few men qualify, but I am taking applications.”

Dear Bettye:  I have been dating a man who is a few years younger than I.  My friends tease me about it and I am beginning to get angry. What do you think?

Those who are teasing you are envious of your obvious happiness.  Keep in mind that Elizabeth Barrett was six years older than Robert Browning and they couldn’t even count the ways they loved each other.

Send your questions or comments to bdekrcoa@AOL.com
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