How DARE she give helpful advice?

That stupid Ella Byrd, giving out helpful advice to the tenants over there at Charterstone! Why, she even made that one lady's life better. That's Mary's job! Why, what business does Ella having moving in - presumably in Aldo's old pad - only to disrupt the delicate tribal leadership that Ms. Worth has established over her colleagues? Mary is their queen, and they take their relationship issues to her! She's the one with sage advice. Not this Ella Byrd. Why, does Ella Byrd have the comic strip named after her? No, she does not. So what makes her think that she can just come into Mary Worth and upstage Mary Worth by dishing out some of Mary's signature advice?

But on the other side of the coin, Mary's so selfish, it's sickening. So someone else can help a neighbor out. So what? It's not like you can be all over the world, helping people, Mary. (That would actually be the job of her love, the globe-trotting, orphan-saving doctor.) But when some other mother hen shows up, Mary decides it's time to take the glove's off. (Seriously, look at the last panel in the last strip I put up... She's taking her glove off!)

Lastly, am I the only one who notices that Mary is very big on making casseroles? Every other week, she's shown making some sort of hot dish. She probably saves the leftovers and eats them later. Or, she makes everybody a meal a day. Mary may want to consider making that two meals a day if she hopes to compete with Ella Byrd.