Show I m r Purple Orange Pants Dear Miss Brookfield I am 50 and ver very recently divorced I was naturally pleased leased when a neighbor introduced introduced in in- t me to a nice el eligible eligible eligible elt el- el widower my own age He took me out a couple of times then dropped completely complete complete- F ly Iy out of sight Ive I've been try try- 1 ing to figure out why Do you think it might be because because because be be- cause I wore a purple and orange pants suit on our last date AC Cambridge Mass DEAR A A. A C. C Maybe wearing the cats cat's pajamas made you seem like too much of a swinger for him Perhaps he thought you were the one who was out of sight Why not switch switchgears switchgears switchgears gears and invite him over for a good home-cooked home meal This time forget the mas mas- Just be yourself Dear Miss Brookfield My year old son was out driving alone recently when the car overheated As he went to check on the motor the radiator cap blew burning burning burning burn burn- ing him badly on the side of the head He had to stand standon on a busy highway for nearly 20 minutes trying to get help before some motorists took him to a nearby hospital Fortunately things turned out all right and my son wont won't have any noticeable scars from the accident But ButI I keep thinking how can people be so indifferent to the suffering of others E. E V. V Burlington Vt DEAR E. E V. V We hear so many stories like yours many of wl which ch unfortunately dont don't turn out as well It seems that people these days are reluctant to get involved Some its it's true have bad experiences when they try to help others but most are just being cautious It often takes some traumatic event like the one you describe to show us how much we need each other Dear Miss Brookfield Since our children are grown and my husband is retired I thought Id I'd Take up up a hobby and recently started painting in oils My husband immediately began ridiculing me and laughing laughing laughing laugh laugh- ing at my efforts He kept telling me Im I'm too old to learn new tricks I must admit my first attempt a still-life still with fruit wasn't exactly a masterpiece masterpiece mas mas- but I did enjoy doing the painting Should I let my husband talk me out of this activity just to keep peace in inthe inthe in inthe the family RM Clearwater Fla DEAR RM Absolutely not If painting isa is isa isa a source of satisfaction to you why give it up And if you'd really like to learn new tricks why not take an art course at a community center if theres there's one nearby or else read up on the subject Many books are available on how to paint with oils Ask about these at your local library or at the shop where you bought the art supplies youre you're using As for your retired husband maybe you can get him interested in sculpture Then see who has the last laugh |