Have a flashlight handy for safety

Dear Heloise: In my adult life, I have never been without a good flashlight. Extremely strong LED flashlights can be used in cases of emergencies to temporarily blind an assailant. – John Emmons, via email

John, I think we all can agree how helpful and useful flashlights are in our lives. So, to my readers, buy batteries when you plan to use a flashlight, because batteries, like lithium-ion ones, do age. To keep them useful longer, store them indoors during the winter and in cool places in the summer.

Dear Readers: Because we use our cell phones and landlines so much, they do get dirty and need to be cleaned often. To remove makeup, smudges or dirt, spritz an all-purpose cleaning spray onto a paper towel and wipe over the dirtiest areas on the phone. Never spray cleaners directly onto the phone. For a quick clean, use prepackaged wet towelettes. – Heloise

Dear Heloise: You are going to love this! For Christmas, my friend gave her grandchildren small charcuterie boards. They are in middle school. She also gave them a knife safe for children. They are loving making all kinds of appetizers. – Corrinne Berkland, Universal City, Texas

Corrinne, how lovely! For my readers who don’t know, a charcuterie board is a selection of meats accompanied by nuts, fruits, crackers and dips.

Dear Heloise: I am in my late 70s, and my memory is not so sharp anymore. I easily forget doctor’s names, but will recognize the name when I see it. So, when I put my doctor’s names in my contacts, I precede the name with “Dr.” and put that with the whole name (first and last) into the “first name” field – for example, “Dr. Joe Smith.” So, now all my doctors are listed together under “Dr.”

I also do a similar technique with restaurants that I call for takeout, by preceding the restaurant name with “Cafe.” It’s important in both cases to put it all in the “first name” field so that they display in alphabetical order, starting with “Dr.” or “Cafe.” – Dr. Bob Durham, Schertz, Texas