HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today is a day for family, food, fun, parades, neighborhood gatherings, singing, dancing and celebrating! Enjoy the day, be safe and have fun. Don’t forget to wear some green, too!

DEAR HELOISE: For years, my friends have told me to send a hint to you. This one has changed our lives!

We have two dogs that, when they eat and drink, are pretty messy beasts. I swapped out a traditional dog’s water bowl for a fishbowl. The rounded shape and smaller opening catches water that is splashed upward when our dogs are drinking and diverts the water back into the bowl. We used to have a big, watery mess, and now we don’t! No more soaked floor and mat for us.

— Liz S., California

DEAR HELOISE: We get such joy from our frisky puppies always wrestling and playing in the yard.

I got a great idea one day, and have continued this practice ever since. About every two weeks, when I wash my husband’s jeans, I include the puppies’ collars in the wash. (The collars are woven fabric.)

The collars come out so clean, they look brand-new. And the funny thing is, the dogs seem to really enjoy it; they strut around like they are dressed for church.

— Patsy D. in Houston DEAR READER: Patsy, the collars get a good scrub from the heavy denim. We love to pamper our pets, don’t we? Thanks for your letter.

DEAR HELOISE: I am almost elderly, so the eyes and the hands are trying to retire. When I needed to put hooks and eyes on a garment, they would slide, and I would have to hold them with a pin. Then I thought “clear tape.”

It works perfectly, holds the hook, then comes off the fabric cleanly — same with the eye!

Thank you, and your mother before you, for all the hints you have given me.

— Lynn C., Madison, Ala.

DEAR HELOISE: My wife and I enjoy sliced apples as a snack. After using an apple corer/ slicer, there often is a bit of core or tough apple left at the apex of the slices. I have found the curved tip of a grapefruit knife effective in carving out the unwanted crescent of apple flesh. Bon appetit.

— Elery C., Rockville, Md. Heloise@Heloise.com