Bringing your own to-go box
Dear Heloise: My husband and I are in the habit of taking our own to-go box with us when we go out to eat. We almost always have leftovers. Just a simple plastic container like mostly everyone has in the kitchen will do.
We also keep a similar container in each car for the few times that we forget to take a container with us from the house. Early in the process of making this a habit, we had to walk back to the car a few times to get the container, but now I almost never go out to eat without my purse and my to-go box. This habit keeps a lot of trash out of landfills. — Linda, in Montana
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KITTEN SEASON
Dear Heloise: We are still in “kitten season” with so many female cats giving birth to litters. This is a good time to remind people to be good to their pets and neighbors and have their pets spayed and/or neutered.
Animal shelters are overloaded with kittens. They are begging for donations and foster care for kittens and puppies that are being brought in by people who can’t or won’t keep them. If any of your readers are willing to foster kittens, the shelter will give you instructions and usually donate food to help you get started.
If you can take a small litter of kittens and foster them or donate time and funds to help a local shelter, it would be greatly appreciated. — Lana T., in Detroit
FASHION TRENDS
Dear Heloise: Why do some women only tuck part of their shirts into the front of their pants and nowhere else? My husband asked me, but I told him I didn’t know. Do you or your readers know? Thanks. — Kelly, in Beebe, Arkansas
Kelly, it’s just a temporary fashion trend that will fade away in a short time, like so many fashion trends in our lifetime.
When I look back at pictures of myself in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, I have to laugh at the way I combed my hair in the ’60s (very trendy back then) or the padded shoulders of the ’80s that made us look like football players in heels.
Do my readers have any “can this really be me” stories that they want to share? — Heloise
WOODEN FLOORS
Dear Heloise: Last summer, my husband and I toured some early American homes, and all of them had wide floorboards. Now that we are building a new home, my husband wants the same wide boards for our new home, but I’ve heard that there are drawbacks to them. Can you tell me a little about what these problems might be? — Sonja L., Evansville, Indiana
Sonja, there are a few issues you’ll need to address. Wide boards are hard to get and are expensive. You’ll probably need to drive countersink screws and fill them in, which is a time-consuming task. In cold weather and dry conditions, the boards might show a few gaps.
You might also want to talk to a couple of people who have installed wooden floors and see what they have to say. — Heloise
LINOLEUM ADHESIVE
Dear Heloise: How do I get rid of linoleum adhesive? I’ve tried several things, and so far, none of it seems to be very good. The linoleum is now gone, but the old adhesive remains. — Penny R., in Prescott, Arizona
Penny, take bags or blocks of dry ice and place them on the old adhesive. Let it set for a few minutes until it gets brittle. Start to scrape the old adhesive with a thin-blade scraping tool while the adhesive is still cold and brittle. — Heloise