HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: Regarding your recent suggestions about leaving phone messages, I would like to add that, unless you are positive that the person you are leaving a message for knows your phone number, say it twice.

I spent many years as a OPINION police detective receiving several phone messages every day. I can’t tell you how many times I HELOISE got messages

when there was a “hiccup” with the phone number or it was mumbled. Leave the call-back number slowly twice.

— Paul Hill, Torrance, Calif.

DEAR HELOISE: In your column, a reader from Omaha wrote about cats eating yarn and dental floss. I would like to add another thing that should never be within a cat’s reach: dryer sheets. Our late kitty loved them! I don’t know how many she ate, but I will tell you that removing one from her mouth was an unpleasant experience. Thank you for your articles.

— D.G., Chino Hills, Calif.

DEAR HELOISE: Gloves are generally intended for PPE ( personal protective equipment). However, food handlers must follow stricter guidelines. Food should be served only by those wearing gloves while handling the utensils. Utensils touched by anyone else should be immediately replaced by sanitized utensils. Items like biscuits must be served with tongs by designated servers. The public should only be allowed to touch food on their own plate or bowl.

— M.H., via email

DEAR HELOISE: Please ask store employees to help you get items from tall shelves. Please do not ask taller shoppers for help. My husband is tall but has shoulder injuries. We have organized our home so that he doesn’t have to raise his arms above chest high.

However, almost every time we go to the grocery store, shorter people ask him to get things down for them. If he refuses, the short people are very rude about it. Short people should not assume that any tall person can help them. Short people should ask store employees for help or bring tongs.

— J.M., Nashville, Tenn.

DEAR HELOISE: I am a recent widow. I had a good number of real estate agents call me hoping to sell my house. My house is worth close to $300,000. I told them if I could get $1.5 million for it I would consider selling. I have had no callers in the past four months. So far that is working for me.

— J.A. Bird, via email