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Today's question:

This is not your usual wife-husband duel. Neither of us is certain about this. Both of us are guessing. Who is the better guesser: Does leaving a watermelon at room temperature allow it to ripen better? Or once it is harvested, does it cease ripening, so we might as well refrigerate it to have it cold as soon as possible? My wife wants to leave it on the counter. I say we should refrigerate it.

You have been outguessed by your wife but perhaps not for the reasons she suggests.

I didn't know this before, but watermelon is pretty good for you. It has a lot of lycopene and beta-carotene. And some stuff kind of like Viagra, although not quite as effective.

Lycopene helps prevent degenerative ailments, such as macular degeneration and prostate problems.

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that protects you against free radicals. Your body also converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is good for you.

Anyway, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, letting your watermelon sit uncut at room temperature for a week or so increases its levels of lycopene and beta-carotene.

Tests showed that lycopene content rose by 20 percent and beta-carotene went up by 100 percent.

Of course, once you cut the melon you have to refrigerate it.

Should one treat his or her mother-in-law the same way he or she treats their own mother? For example, if one pays for his mom's party, then is he expected to pay for his in-law's party as well?

Well, yes, I think you should. I was greatly blessed in the mother-in-law department, although I know not everyone is so lucky.

Find your Bible and read the Book of Ruth. I won't go into the whole story here, but the key lines come when Ruth, a Moabite and a widow, says to Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law and also a widow, "Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God."

So be nice to your mother-in-law.

Reach Thompson at clay.thompson@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8612.