HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR READERS: Sunday marks Father’s Day, a special time to honor Dad and to say thanks for everything he does.
A necktie, an ice cream cake and a picnic are all lovely, but take the time to tell Dad what he means to you.
DEAR READERS: Cleaning leaves and debris out of the gutters of your home — that’s a fun Saturday chore, right? The purpose of a gutter is to move rainwater away from the foundation to prevent damage to the siding of your home and your flower beds, and to keep water out of the basement.
There are some instances where you may not need a gutter system on your home: little rainfall where you live, your home is surrounded by stones for drainage, or your home is on a slope.
You can either hire someone to clean your gutters, or you can do it yourself.
This is an important chore to keep your home running efficiently and, of course, to save money.
DEAR HELOISE: My dog was chewing on her skin and feet. She’s on flea and heartworm medication, so I was perplexed as to why she was so uncomfortable. We tried creams and balms; nothing worked.
Then I talked to the veterinarian. What a relief for all of us. After the doctor examined my dog and asked me some questions, she decided the right choice for us was a prescription oral medication. Immediate relief. We will do some testing for food allergies in the future, but for now, my dog is happy.
— Elizabeth Z. in Texas DEAR READER: Readers, make sure your doctor has the resources to test for all kinds of allergies. There are some new medications that can offer relief.
DEAR HELOISE: After struggling with remembering passwords and writing them down where anyone can find them, I came up with a solution.
I use the vehicle identification number of one of my vehicles. If I cannot remember the password, a quick look at my registration to find the VIN is easy to do.
Any number of various choices exist: forward, backward, adding my initials or including make or model. The choices are what works best for you. — Indiana Farmer, via email Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email Heloise@Heloise.com