Dear Bettye: I arranged a blind date for two people I thought would be ideal for each other.  They hated each other on sight and now neither of them will speak to me.  The woman said he was an opinionated fool and he said she was a loud mouthed idiot.  What do I do know?

Frankly I think you have done enough.  So do they.  After a few weeks they will realize you were not responsible for the explosive chemical reaction between them.

Dear Bettye: I get so many calls from people with strange foreign accents I can’t figure out what they are saying and what the call is about.  What can be done?

Hang up.  If the voice is not familiar and you can’t understand what they are saying don’t worry what the call is about. Never answer a call that does not identify the caller. There is a code you can use to block any further calls from that number.  Several different codes are listed in the telephone directory.

 Dear Bettye: I know I am the person someone wrote about who has bad taste in clothes. 
I told her I want nothing more to do with her.  I did like your comment that the most important thing in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.

Apparently many people have friends who are critical of their taste in clothes because I had 15 responses from people who resented their friend saying so. Additionally,  none of the people including the one above, was the person in question.

 Dear Bettye:  My husband’s friend always pushes a chair back against a wall so he can sit on the two back legs and do a sort of balancing act.  I am afraid the chair will break since he is a large man and will be injured.  What can I say?

I am constantly amazed by the things people do. Simply tell him you are afraid the chair will break and he will injure himself.  Indicate another chair that cannot be pushed back on its two back legs.

Dear Bettye: Do you ever get questions you can’t answer?

No. I answer all questions if there is a return address.  But there are hundreds I cannot print.

Dear Bettye: I am engaged to a wonderful man, but I have had dreams recently about an old boyfriend who still calls me.  Would I regret getting married without having one last fling?

Dreaming is permissible for engaged persons -  flinging isn’t.

Dear Bettye: My daughter is getting married and says she doesn’t want a formal affair, but wants what she calls friendly ceremony.  What kind of a wedding is that?

The opposite of formal is informal, and the opposite of friendly is hostile.  A simple wedding can be very beautiful in an informal setting as a garden or a living room. Informal announcements and invitations can be handwritten but take weeks to write, which is probably why most people get them printed

Dear Bettye: A friend dropped by to return a book and asked for a glass of water.  I put ice, water and a few fresh mint leaves in a glass and a napkin on a small tray.  When I place the tray on a table by her chair she said it was far too fancy.  I told her I do the same thing for myself. She said it was silly.  I said the world would be better if everyone tried to make things nicer. Was I wrong?

Certainly not.  She apparently resents you for living graciously. The special touch was  a lovely gesture to make a guest feel welcome. Rather than criticizing you she should have thanked you.

Dear Bettye: My hair stylist never stops talking about the gossip other patrons tell him.  How can I let him know I don’t want to know all that?

You are probably the only person he sees who doesn’t want to know all about everyone.  If you don’t respond maybe he will take the hint and quit talking.  But if he continues to tell all, do try to pay attention so you can tell me everything.

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