Breaking News

Columns

Struggling to revive our once-burning flame

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been together for more than 30 years. In the beginning, we were the couple who couldn’t keep our hands off each other. We smiled easily, held hands without thinking, and felt lucky just to be in the same room after a long day. Somewhere between raising three kids, becoming grandparents, and moving into our mid-50s, that warmth faded. We still love each other, and neither of us wants to leave. But our marriage feels quiet in a way that scares me. We rarely touch. I honestly can’t remember the last time we laughed together. We sit side by side in the ...

‘Poop sweats’ occur in the body as a reaction to defecating

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have such a minor question that I do not think you would want to publish it, but I’ve been curious for about 20 years. I am a healthy 77-year-old male without health issues. When I feel the urge to have a bowel movement, my butt sweats profusely. After the bowel movement, there’s no more sweat. A decade ago, I asked my primary care physician to explain it. He didn’t really know. At my last annual physical, I asked the same doctor the same question. Still, no answer. I’m not really looking for a cure. I know I could apply an antiperspirant, but I’m not going ...

Applause, Applause

Each Saturday, The Express community newspaper highlights people, groups and activities our readers deem worthy of applause. The Downtown Lock Haven, Inc. Board of Directors would like to give a huge THANK YOU to the City of Lock Haven Public Works employees who acted swiftly to remove snow from streets downtown following the recent snowstorm. Many local business owners reached out to board members, noting how integral it is to have parking spots cleared to continue to attract shoppers to the area and keep our downtown thriving. Thank you, again, for your continued hard work! YOU HAVE ...

A chance meeting with Richard Pryor — and its lasting impact

Every career begins with a defining moment, an instant when preparation meets courage and the future quietly changes course. For me, that moment came in 1983, when, at just 21 years old, I brought Richard Pryor to speak before more than 1,500 employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. I was young, untested and responsible for selecting a keynote speaker. Instead of choosing the safe or expected option, I took a risk and set my sights on Pryor — not the comedian the world knew but the thinker, the truth-teller behind the myth. It was his first-ever straight ...

Dear Annie: Look for love in the little things

Dear Readers, Valentine’s Day has a funny way of making people take attendance of who remembered the holiday, who didn’t, who has plans, who pretends they do, who smiles at the grocery store display of roses and who speeds past it like it might ask a personal question. If today feels joyful for you, wonderful. Enjoy every bit of it. If today feels tender, lonely, complicated or just plain annoying, you are not alone. Love is not a neat holiday. It is a living thing, and it shows up in far more places than a fancy dinner reservation. We have all been taught in one way or another ...

Ironstone ceramics became a durable alternative to porcelain

If you’re familiar with 19th-century ceramics, you probably know about ironstone. It was first made by English potter Miles Mason, who sold Chinese export porcelain and decided to make his own replacements for broken dishes. To make these replacements, he created a ceramic using slag from processing iron, which his son patented as ironstone in 1813. Heavy, durable and hard to chip, it was clearly different from porcelain, but quickly became a favorite for tableware. Many other potteries began making ironstone, especially in the Staffordshire district of England. Albion Pottery, also ...