By popular request, Abby shares more of her favorite prize-winning, easy-to-prepare recipes. To order, send a long, business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)
Police Banner Offers Blanket of Security to Single Driver
DEAR ABBY: Last year, my sister gave me a large plastic PLEASE CALL POLICE banner, which I kept in the glove compartment of my car. She said it could be a lifesaver if I ever had car trouble on the road, because I could get help without putting myself in danger by having to leave my car to seek assistance.
I took my car in for service a couple of weeks ago and had my banner folded in the glove compartment. When I went to pick up my car, the banner was gone.
When I asked my sister where she got hers, she said she had sent for it after reading a letter in your column from a woman whose car had broken down on a highway as she was rushing to the side of her critically ill child. She had placed her PLEASE CALL POLICE banner over her windshield, and it took only minutes for a state trooper to come to her aid.
I would like to replace that banner. Please tell me where I can get one. I am single and commute 300 miles every weekend. -- CHARLOTTE B., LAS VEGAS, NEV.
DEAR CHARLOTTE: Write to WCIL-BANNERS, P.O. Box 66955, Los Angeles, Calif. 90066. You will receive one PLEASE CALL POLICE banner as a premium for a $5 contribution to WCIL, and another banner with each additional $4 contribution. (Many people want two, one for the windshield and one for the rear window.)
Make your check or money order (U.S. funds only, please) payable to WCIL-BANNERS. Allow eight weeks for delivery. The Westside Center for Independent Living is a not-for-profit organization that helps disabled people live independently.
DEAR ABBY: Please help! My 17-year-old son, who just graduated from high school, has been invited to accompany his girlfriend's family on a month-long vacation across the country. As the girl's parents did not consult me before inviting him, I am now in the position of being the mean mom if I refuse to let him go.
As a registered nurse in the obstetrical unit that provides services for about 100 unwed teen-age girls a week, I am very much aware of the dangers of allowing teen-agers to spend large amounts of time together unsupervised. His parents will be there, but I'm very uncomfortable about the closeness this kind of vacation will provide. Secondly, we have a 15-year-old daughter, and I can't afford to set this kind of precedent for a similar situation involving her.
And finally, our son has a summer job to pay for his clothes and books for college this fall, and a month's absence would significantly decrease his contribution to college financing.
Needless to say, our once-quiet household is being torn apart by this situation. Please rush your reply. -- CONCERNED MOM
DEAR CONCERNED: Remind your son that he agreed to work this summer to help with his college expenses, so he can forget about accompanying his girlfriend on her family's vacation trip. And don't be apologetic when you tell him. His girlfriend's parents should have consulted you before inviting him. At 17, he is still a minor.
Couple's Wedding Invitation Is Journey Into Bad Taste
DEAR ABBY: You recently published a letter from a reader complaining about tacky wedding invitations. Let me add my 2 cents' worth with a story that will top that one.
As you can see from the enclosed memo (which was stuffed into the same envelope as the wedding invitation AND the bridal shower invitation), this couple, "Carole and Rick," had the gall to allow their travel agent to solicit contributions for their Hawaiian honeymoon.
This couple is known around town to be tightfisted with a buck, but this kind of solution is a new "low." Obviously, either the travel agent or the sponsor of the bridal shower felt awkward sending the memo out, as someone typed in, "Requested by: Rick."
By the way, Abby, I was going to cross out the names in the original memo, but I didn't want you to think this was a hoax, so if you publish this, please change the names. -- AMAZED IN DELAWARE
DEAR AMAZED, AND DEAR READERS: Well, now I've seen everything. Read on:
"TO: The Family and Friends of Carole and Rick
"FROM: Chutzpah Travel Agency
"RE: Hawaiian Honeymoon
"We are pleased to advise you that we will be handling the travel arrangements for Carole and Rick's honeymoon. Our agency has set aside a separate account for payment, so Carole and Rick's friends and relatives may share in giving this terrific couple a memorable honeymoon. We would appreciate it if your gift would be a check made out to Chutzpah Travel Agency, for Carole and Rick. Please add your telephone number, so that we can call to thank you, upon receipt of your check. -- MAX SMITH, TRAVEL AGENT"
P.S. And "aloha" to etiquette.
DEAR ABBY: I came across this very unusual obituary in The Seattle Times. I did not know the person, but I thought it might be something you would want to share with your readers:
"Rowena L. (Brown) Edelbrock passed away on June 12, 1991. She left us with these thoughts:
"'When I quit this mortal shore
"'And mosey 'round this earth no more
"'Don't weep, don't sigh, don't grieve, don't sob;
"'I may have struck a better job.
"'Don't go and buy a large bouquet
"'For which you'll find it hard to pay.
"'Don't stand around me looking blue;
"'I may be better off than you!"'
Abby, I think this poem is a winner, don't you? -- LORNA SCHOFIELD, MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, WASH.
DEAR LORNA: It is, indeed, a winner. It is inevitable that one day we shall all "quit this mortal shore," and to do so as lightheartedly as Rowena did makes the journey less grim.
DEAR ABBY: In regard to your recent letter from the bride who found that their honeymoon suite contained no bed, I heard of another bride who had the same experience. When asked what her reaction was, she replied, "I was floored!" -- JACK RUNNINGER, ROME, GA.
By popular request, Abby shares more of her favorite prize-winning, easy-to-prepare recipes. To order, send a long, business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)
DEAR ABBY: It is time to remind your readers that if they wish to display the American flag, it must be done with respect.
The war is over, but many of the hastily displayed flags (by, I'll call them, born-again patriots) are still outside 24 hours a day, all tangled up, wrapped around roof gutters and downspouts, being torn to shreds in the wind and rain. You don't have to be a former Boy Scout or be knowledgeable of the flag code passed by Congress in 1942 to understand respect.
The American flag is to be displayed out of doors from sunrise to sunset "in good weather." The flag is displayed at night for special occasions, and preferably spotlighted for honor and respect. To me, it seems disrespectful to see flags that were hastily mounted in all manner of ways -- even stapled to old mop handles -- still out there and forgotten.
Improvised display of Old Glory might be dramatic and acceptable on the emotion-filled battlefield, but not on permanent homes and businesses. Abby, can you check out the protocol for displaying the American flag? -- NOT A FLAG- WAVER, BUT I LOVE OLD GLORY
DEAR NOT: The 27th edition of the American Legion Officer's Guide (Revised, July 1989), states: "It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
"The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed.
"The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water or merchandise.
"The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily soiled, torn or damaged in any way.
"The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way -- preferably by burning."
DEAR ABBY: I went to the doctor the other day, and after he examined me, he said I needed a hysterectomy. Abby, I am an unmarried 28-year-old woman, and this is a major decision.
I went home and told my family. My mother didn't express an opinion one way or the other. My father told me to do what I thought was best. My aunt said I shouldn't have it done because I will gain a lot of weight afterward. I talked to two of my best friends, and they both said I shouldn't do it.
Now I don't know what to do. I want to do what's best for me, but I also want to keep my family and friends happy. What should I do? -- MAJOR PROBLEM
DEAR PROBLEM: Keeping your family and friends happy should be your last consideration in making this decision.
Stop asking friends and family for their opinions -- they mean well, but they are not qualified to advise you. See another gynecologist for a second opinion, and if the second opinion isn't the same as the first, get a third opinion.
If you're not acquainted with the gynecologists in your area, call your county medical association. I wish you well.
Most teen-agers do not know the facts about drugs, AIDS and how to prevent unwanted pregnancy. It's all in Abby's updated, expanded booklet, "What Every Teen Should Know." To order, send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)