Don’t assume everyone has a computer

Today’s Sound Off is about assumptions:

Dear Heloise: First, I’d like to thank you for supplying an actual physical address to contact you. Everyone else in the country seems to think, incorrectly, that we all have a computer, so they only give an online address. They discriminate against the many of us who, by choice, do not have a computer or are unable to receive a signal. If they would do like you have and provide a physical address, then everyone would be able to contact them or respond to their message. — Bill M., Staunton, Vir.

Bill, I have to agree with you. Besides computers, so many people think everyone has a cellphone, and a great many people, especially the retired or the elderly, don’t have one and don’t want one. While cellphones and computers are common in our world, for some they’re just an additional expense they can live without. — Heloise

FAST FACTS

Dear Readers: Here are some new uses for old CDs:

■ Hang from tree branches as reflectors to keep birds away.

■ Use as coasters under your drinks.

■ Have your children make ornaments out of them or use in craft projects.

■ Use as a paint palette. — Heloise

SPONGE HOLDER

Dear Heloise: I found one of those old wire napkin holders in a thrift store. Now I keep it by the sink to hold my sponges so they can thoroughly dry out. No more stinky sponges. — Courtney in South Dakota

HARD WATER

Dear Heloise: I have terrible hard water deposits in my beautiful glass vases. How do I clean them? — Alice in Texas

Alice, just soak the vases in a solution of vinegar and water for about an hour or two. Then wipe them clean with a sponge or piece of nylon netting. — Heloise

EMPTY BOTTLE

Dear Heloise: When one of my perfume bottles runs out of perfume, I place it with the cap off in one of my dresser drawers to give a nice scent to everything in there. It also lasts much longer than a sachet. — Crystal in Missouri

ICE CREAM CONE

Dear Heloise: Here’s a hint worth trying: I take a flat-bottom ice cream cone and fill it with dirt, then plant a tiny seedling in it. Then I plant the entire thing, cone and all, in the garden. The cone provides protection and nutrients for the plant. — Rita in Mississippi