Conserve water in small ways

DEAR HELOISE »

Many people try to help conserve water by turning off the faucet while brushing their teeth. I realized that when I turn on the water to rinse out my mouth, I do not need the water going at full force. Turning on the faucet halfway or less can also save a bit of water. How many times do I turn on the facet “full steam ahead” when I don't really need that much water? I tend to do this when I wash my hands, wash vegetables, rinse dishes, etc.

Being observant can make a difference. Small things add up!

— Kay Walsh, Harrisonburg, Virginia

DEAR HELOISE » I've never written to you before, but this is important. I just received a phone call that appeared to be a local number. When I answered the phone, I heard the background noise of a call center.

A man with a foreign accent said that he was calling from CVS Pharmacy, and he needed to update my CVS account because it had not been verified. Until it was updated, my new Medicare benefits would not cover my prescriptions. Well, I don't have an account at CVS and told him so. He immediately hung up. However, many people do have accounts at CVS (or some other pharmacy), and this is the time of year when Medicare beneficiaries are changing their drug insurers, so it can be easy to fall for this scam. Please warn your readers to be wary. Thank you.

— West Virginia

Grandma

DEAR HELOISE » This gentleman recently wrote in bemoaning that pay during the Great Depression was “only $3,600 to $4,000” per year. The average pay during the Depression was actually about $1,419 per year. $4,000 in 1933 is equal to almost $95,000 in today's dollars, while $1,419 is equal to about $33,000 in purchasing power now (adjusted for inflation).

I remember being somewhat gratified by how much I had been able to increase my earnings over my 40-year career as a family doctor. However, allowing for inflation, my earnings from my last year at my practice were just about what I earned my first year in practice. (Don't get me wrong; I earned a very nice living for my 90- to 110-hour workweek.) Oh, well, at least my salary kept pace with inflation. I'm retired now.

The point of his comment, I think, was that we take for granted all that we have today. I think a correct comment also could be made that folks in 1933 took for granted all that they had when compared to the average person in 1833. And I'm sure people in 1833 took for granted what they had compared to people in 1733. That seems to me the way society has progressed over the centuries. I wish I could live to see how things will be in 100 years!

I read your interesting column in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail each day. It almost always brings me a smile or a chuckle.

— Allen W. Ditto, M.D., in

Hagerstown, Maryland

Write to Heloise at P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; Fax 210-HELOISE; or email Heloise@Heloise.com. " " "