Hi there, guys and dolls! Well, haven’t I been the busy beaver since I’ve started doling out my rather so-so advice? How did all of you get along without it before? Probably much better, come to think of it… Anyhoo, let’s see how yours truly can shed a little light on some dark problems today.

Dear Barbara Jean,

I sure hope you can help. It seems to be that my mother is the talk of the town these days. All the neighborhood ladies are saying that my mother is cheating at Bridge. Actually, any and every card game going. It’s getting to be embarrassing, and I think they might be right. I mean, they haven’t proven anything yet, but they’re all talking about it, so there must be some truth in it then, right? What am I to do?

Suspicious Sarah in Stockport

Dear Sarah,

Hmm, you haven’t really told me what has you so embarrassed. The gossip or the cheating… If it’s the gossip, just get over it. There’s bound to be some floozy or boozy who will soon put some kind of toe out of line and they’ll be the new neighborhood fodder. If it’s the cheating, well, I’d say get over that, too. Who the heck doesn’t cheat at card games? Isn’t it just an excuse to sit around a table and drink with bad for you snack foods? I’d say relax and get your mother to give you a cut of the profits. Maybe she could teach you a thing or two about not getting caught with something up your sleeve.

Wishing you a successful bridge night, Barbara Jean

Dear Barbara Jean,

We’ve got a serious problem in our little suburban neighborhood. Mindy, a recent divorcee in town, has been baking some indescribably delicious pies that none of the husbands can resist. All of us (from 82 year old Mabel to the 21 year old Tammy) have caught our husbands following their noses to the amazing fresh baked aromas coming from Mindy’s kitchen window. I have to admit her pies do taste great, but she says they have a secret special ingredient that she won’t share, saying it’s been handed down through generations. Barbara Jean, it’s driving us mad. How do we get her to tell us what it is that makes her pie taste so darn special? We’d like to get our husbands back, too.

Determined Deirdre in Detroit

Dear Deirdre,

Well. Are you sure that it’s the divorcee’s baked goods that are attracting the men and not a ‘pie’ of a different kind? I wonder. And then, on the other hand, do you all really want your husbands back? Might be an opportunity to play the field and let Mindy deal with all of their dirty socks, lazy behaviors and bad habits for a while. Be sure to really think about it….

Always one to keep the divorcees busy, Barbara Jean

Keep your letters coming! I love to help or hinder any way I can. 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts. And don’t forget to give my Poppy Cove Mysteries a try if you haven’t already. 

Toodles, Barbara Jean