Leftover paint, roller care tips

After school, I worked in an auto body shop. We always told customers to bring a quart jar and lid for any extra paint. We put a handful of gravel (small rocks) in the jar for the paint to settle on; no more scraping and stirring. Just shake the jar a few times, and you were ready to do touchups, etc.

— Ron Dovey

I recently read a reader's tip about storing a painting roller when taking a break from painting. They suggested putting the roller in a plastic sleeve and storing it in the freezer.

As an Ace Hardware retailer, I have seen that the majority of household paints sold today are latex (water-based) and should NEVER be frozen! Try putting the sleeved roller in the refrigerator instead. Love your column!

— Jamie in Alaska

I have enjoyed reading your column for so many years! I wanted to add something I read in an obituary the other day. A gal was known for her wonderful garden and her weeding expertise! She used a two-pronged meat fork. Enjoy!

— Gloria

If you have veggies that are wilted, soak them in the refrigerator in a mixture of 1 quart of water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. They will perk up!

I love reading your column and have done so for years.

In order to save water when cleaning bottles and jars for recycling, I fill the container halfway with water, add a small dot of dishwashing liquid, put the lid or cap back on tightly, and shake.

Substances that are sticky, such as peanut butter, are able to be removed if allowed to sit for a time and given a vigorous shake every now and then. Containers generally don't have to be sparkling clean to be acceptable for recycling.

Also, to save water and energy on laundry, I regularly spot treat areas of the garment — such as where deodorant was used or the collar — with warm water, as tolerated by the fabric, and work in a little bar or dish soap. Then the washload can be washed in cold water yet have soil removed. I put warm water in the sink and use it for multiple garments. Of course, hang your laundry to dry whenever possible.

— Lisa G., Middlebury,

Connecticut

My toilet paper holder has side tabs instead of a roller to hold the paper. The new toilet paper rolls are too narrow to stay on the holder. So, to solve this problem, I squeezed the end of an old cardboard tube and inserted it into the new tube. This way enough stuck out of the other end to engage the tab. It works fine.

— Nancy in New

Hampshire

ACROSS

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Travel aid in science fiction Classic musical with the song “If He Walked Into My Life”

Some spandex garments

The Midwest’s so-called “Queen Wheat City” No-fuss

Teen issue getting much topical coverage? “Weird ...”

Button on a Facebook post Copy room supply Vehicles in

“The Phantom Menace”

Comic Notaro Drawings with lots of little blocks

Ollas, e.g.

What might collect a lot of checks

Ironic word before an expletive

Rapper Fiasco Planks can strengthen it

Walk or run in a showy way Mega-celebrities, so to speak 39 40

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DOWN

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Black bird

Writer of the autobiography “Freedom in Exile”

Game of manual dexterity Willingness to listen

Enclose

Paul ___, pet food company founder

Drink with dry vermouth, paradoxically What has new seeds every spring?: Abbr. Intervals represented by adjacent frets on a guitar Millennials, by another name Jumble

They can be graphic [grimace] Pressure treatment? Where The Oaks is run

Joins a heavy metal band, say Thunderstruck Authority in the field, informally They don’t know what they’re talking about

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Some supermarket displays

Long gone

AA and AAA Shangri-las

Like much marshland

Study buds?

Ruler chosen through the Islamic process of shura

Ache for, in a way One side of a fastfood restaurant “It’s anyone’s guess”

Certain crossbred lap dog

Currency depicting the Persian poet

Rumi

Big brand of camping gear 33 34

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47 ___ wheel

Abrupt change in tone, perhaps Inventions of Karl Benz and Rudolf Diesel

One sitting on the bench, maybe Noomi ___, lead actress of 2009’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” Wrapping weights Undertaking Banned backyard game

N.B.A. general manager Brand “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

Sport with hits and strikes, for short

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle