Happy Fourth! Please celebrate holiday safely

Happy birthday, America. Tomorrow is July 4, our nation’s birthday. Celebrate safely and with some great music, food, fun festivities and fireworks. COVID is still a factor, although seemingly a lesser one. Be safe and be well. — Heloise

The smell factor

Dear Readers: Were you tested for the Coronavirus? The type of test you received was probably the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test. But did you know that dogs are being trained to sniff out COVID? This procedure is in its very early phases, but, as we’ve mentioned in this column, dogs have an incredible sense of smell; theirs is up to 100 times better than ours.

The COVID infection has a distinct scent to it, and it can present on socks, shirts and other clothing items. The idea of training dogs to sniff out the virus was proposed to make screening large groups of people easier and faster — at theaters, sporting events, the airport and other places where people have close contact with each other. Accuracy rates in trials? About 94%. Stay tuned. — Heloise

Tap in

Dear Heloise: My toddler daughter hates for me to apply sunscreen on her arms, legs, face, etc. I came up with this idea: I daub some sunscreen into a dedicated makeup brush and apply it to her skin, especially her face.

She feels special because she’s seen Mommy do her makeup with a similar brush. — Kaitlyn M. in Florida

Pet pal

Dear Readers: Diane K. sent in pics of her little buddy, Charlie, who, after mastering his mountain of toys and putting everyone in their place, is ready for a nap. Such a cutie.

Readers, would you like to see Charlie and our other Pet Pals? Visit

www.Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.” Or Share a funny and furry friend to Heloise@Heloise.com