— Meg H., Gastonia, N.C.

Dear Heloise:

I have artificial flowers that have gotten a bit dusty over time, and I want to clean them rather than replace them. They were expensive, and the colors perfectly match my home, so how do I clean them?

Meg, pour 2 cups of regular table salt into a clear plastic bag. Take the flowers, one at a time, and place the flower head in the bag of salt and shake it vigorously. This will remove the dust. Repeat this process for each flower. The leaves can be wiped down with a damp cloth.

— Heloise Dear Heloise:

Years ago, my grandmother would go out into the garden with a pin after we’d gone to bed, and on a small watermelon or squash or young cucumber, she would scratch our names. As the vegetable grew, our names became more visible. She told us the garden elves had selected that particular vegetable just for us, so naturally we ate it! Great way to get kids to eat their veggies! —

Agnes D., Ontario, Canada

Agnes, you’re right! That is a clever way to get kids to eat their veggies!

Heloise Dear Readers: —

The fork originally had only two tines and was referred to as a “split spoon.”

A shoemaker often is referred to as a cobbler, but actually a cobbler is a shoe repairman. An actual shoemaker is a