Illuminating Facts About Fireworks

1 THE FIREWORKS that you'll see this Fourth of July were most likely made where else?-in China.

Nice Buns!

The humble hamburger can be a delicacy too

Bella the Fisher Dog - NIPOMO, CA

WE DIDN'T KNOW if our rescue dog, Bella, would like the boat when she first joined us for a lake fishing trip.

The Art of Friendship

A painter sees the people so many others ignore

Snack Attack

My mom was the queen of snacks. Her philosophy on life was simple: If you had a bad day, you deserved a treat.

Drink Up!

Hydrating beverages that aren't water

Keeping Track of Train Travel

1 YOU MIGHT consider taking the train for your summer getaway. After all, you'll see only clouds at 35,000 feet-if you're lucky. The United States has the world's largest rail network at nearly 140,000 miles of track, with lines that go to many national parks or even cross-country.

The Scoop on Gelato

This Italian export has won fans all over the world

When Music Is Medicine

As it turns out, tunes can soothe us all

WAIT FOR IT...

To enjoy life more, embrace anticipation

THE MARINER vs. THE SEA

THE SAILOR WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE FLOODING CABIN OF HIS OVERTURNED BOAT. AS THE HOURS SLIPPED BY, SO DID HIS CHANCES.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALL THE LUCK

Readers share their greatest strokes of good fortune

LESSONS FROM MY Daughters

THANKS TO MY ALL-GROWN-UP GIRLS, I’VE LEARNED A WHOLE NEW WAY TO ROLL

HOW WE FAIL OUR TRUCKERS

BIG-RIG DRIVERS ARE FEELING MISTREATED, WHICH IS BAD NEWS FOR THE REST OF US

STAY SAFE FROM SCAMS!

Smart ways to foil fraudsters looking to steal your money, your identity and your sense of security

Just In Case

Does your first-aid kit have all the essentials?

GLAD TO HEAR IT

3 STORIES TO Make Your Day

A Bouquet of Flower Facts

13 THINGS

Do Weighted Blankets Work?

IF YOU WRESTLE with insomnia (and, consequently, the bedcovers!), you probably have been tempted to try anything that promises better sleep. One thing that might sound a little weird but that has been known to work: adding a weighted blanket to those bedcovers.

LOVE IS A HOOT

Readers share the most clever, hilarious and moving ways someone has let them know they're loved

CAN HEARING LOSS BE REVERSED?

The answer sounds like yes

THE ODD COUPLE

It was disdain at first sight. Forty years later, they're still best friends.

INTO THE FLAMES

Nick Bostic was troubled. Aimless. Then one night, everything changed.

PRIVATE HATHAWAY COMES HOME

Decades after he was killed in World War II, a soldier is reunited with his family

Back to Poker Table

People who make time to hang out with friends have all the luck

Let's Be Friends

How to make lasting connections that lift you up

Tasty Tacos Those shells hold a lot of history

ONE OF THE world's favorite hand-held foods is so popular it gets its own day: Taco Tuesday. The practice has even crossed the Atlantic to Scandinavia-except it happens there on Fridays. On Tacofredag, Swedish families top theirs with pineapple, cucumber, nuts and a yogurt sauce. And that's just one way the world gets its fill.

Churro the Duck Herder - WAUKESHA, WI

BEST PET PALS

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Diary

A woman mailed her journal to a stranger, who wrote in it, then passed it along

Captain Harrisburg to the Rescue!

From playing superhero to becoming a superhero in real life