PAIR of pickle chips and peanut butter
Dear Héloise: I’ve been following all the different types of peanut butter sandwiches and I noticed that no one has mentioned the type of pickle they use on their peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches. So I wanted to add that as kids (and now as adults) we made ours with “sweet” pickle chips, mayonnaise, and peanut butter. Yum! — Dawn White, Garden Grove, California
Fitted sheet HACK
Dear Héloise: Struggling with fitted sheets is a fact of life, especially if you have a king size bed! I found a set of sheets with elastic bands over the corners (just like the ones you can buy for the same purpose). I took out my strapless sheets and sewed them myself, with two corners in black and two in white. Now my only thought is if my sheet is inside out. If the elastic loses its pull, I just sew a new one on! –Marla Deere, Marana, Ariz
Talk to your audience
Dear Héloise: I am also a senior citizen and liked Sarah Thomas’s letter about speaking into a microphone. I’ve done several tours. The guides without microphones seem to turn their backs on their audience and instead speak to the church, building or other important place.
Inform any potential tour guides who read your column so they can speak directly to their audience. The inanimate objects can’t hear them, and neither can we. Thank you. –Cheryl Walsh, The Villages, Florida
PARKING TIP
Dear Héloise: Thanks for all your helpful tips; I’ve used a lot of it. This is something I’ve never seen in your column. I have a large car and find that it can sometimes be a challenge to find my car in a parking lot.
Solution: I applied stickers to both sides of the upper rear windows. At first I used decals that I got while traveling. Now I use bright sunflowers so that they are visible from a distance. It saves a lot of unnecessary wandering around parking lots.
Please continue with the good tips. I hope you can use this! –Barbara Fogarty, Seymour, Connecticut
DIY NURSE CALL SYSTEM
Dear Héloise: Does someone in your home need to connect with others for help with their personal needs? There is a very simple method to create the equivalent of a nurse call system.
Go to your local hardware store. Buy a cheap wireless doorbell unit. (Mine cost about $20. The bell unit is about 1 by 1 by 3 inches.) Activate it, then place the doorbell and bell button in separate zip-top bags. Tie them closed with a piece of thick cord. They can be worn around the neck or hung anywhere, including in the shower. –GW, via email
SAVE MONEY ON ELECTRIC BILLS
Dear readers: When the cold weather arrives, we often turn up the heat to warm our homes, but the cost of electricity always seems to rise. So take these two steps to lower your bills:
- Install a programmable thermostat that you can set so that the heating turns on and off when you want.
- Make the switch from incandescent bulbs to LEDs. While they may be more expensive initially, they will last for years and use less electricity. –Héloïse
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