Dear Annie: My neighbor has taken “borrowing a cup of sugar” to ridiculous levels. In the past six months, she’s borrowed my ladder, my hedge clippers, two baking pans and, most recently, my patio chairs for her daughter’s graduation party. She always promises to return things “tomorrow,” but I usually have to go ask, and sometimes they come back a little worse for wear. She’s perfectly pleasant, and we have to live next to each other, but I’m starting to feel like the neighborhood rental shop. How do I put a stop to this without seeming totally unreasonable and rude? – Tired of Lending

Dear Tired of Lending: Generosity is a virtue, but it sounds like she’s taking advantage of it.