My heart was pounding. The smoke alarm was screaming, and I was in full-on panic mode. Flames were reaching toward the upper cabinets. It happened so fast! I didn't have time to run to the pantry to search for baking soda.

Dear Annie: I was reading "Don't Call Me 'Dear'" and wanted to give you my two cents' worth. I am a woman, 72 years old. If someone calls you "dear," "sweetie," "sweetheart" or something like this, you should take it as a compliment. This applies whether the person doing the calling is a woman or a man, and it doesn't matter if the person is a friend, relative or stranger; it would be a very nice comment. Life is too short to get upset with "little" things in the world. Just deal with it! -- Gloria in Texas

New York Times/Siena College has Democrat Joe Biden at 50% and Republican President Donald Trump at 36%; CNN has Biden at 54% and Trump 36%; Fox News has Biden at 50% and Trump at 38%. These recent national polls have left Democrats almost giddy with anticipation. But before Democrats put the champagne on ice, they would be wise to remember the prophetic words of an authentically wise Texan. Former Gov. Ann Richards said, on July 3, 1988, on CBS's "Face the Nation": "July does not a November election make."

Dear Annie: I recently read the letter from A Better Man Today, who was concerned about people reading his personal diary, particularly about his "dark times."

Those who wagered on a visit to Las Vegas confronted mixed messages on mask wearing, to say the least.

In Romans 8:18-25, Paul writes that all creation is groaning for a glory that will be revealed. He urges people to put their hope in what is not yet seen because hope in things seen is not true hope. When Paul writes about the glory that is to be revealed, he is writing about the apocalypse, which means a revelation. The things unseen will become seen. Every day moves us closer to that revealing. We do not know the day, but we get closer each day, and all of creation groans for it.

Some polls now have Joe Biden running ahead of Donald Trump by 10 points and sweeping the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. This vindicates the strategy Biden’s advisers have adopted:

Somebody wrote somewhere that we should all have a New Year’s Eve party the night of June 30 as a sort of do-over on 2020, to celebrate the final half of this difficult time that we were all toasting and blowing horns for just six months ago.

When it comes to Windows 10 updates, most of the time the updates are installed automatically. However, given the problems that Microsoft has had in the past with updates and some of the glitches they’ve had, it’s been advised to just turn off the auto update feature to ensure you don’t have any problems after they’ve been installed. However, it’s been some time since Microsoft had any real problems and having said that, now might be a good time now to make sure your running the latest version, especially in terms of making sure you have the most recent updates for Windows Defender.

About six or seven weeks ago I received a phone call. Nothing really unusual about it – it’s one I receive on a regular basis, but it got me to thinking. The call was from the Red Cross telling me there would be a blood drive in Independence on June 18th, and they were asking if I would be able to donate. I admit I hesitated due to the Coronavirus pandemic that is ongoing at this time, but then I said yes I would be glad to donate again. This is something I have tried to do on a regular basis for the last 20 years. Like I said nothing unusual about the call, but it got me to thinking.