Hints From Heloise
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS Dear Heloise: I have a suggestion for those who like to cut out newspaper clippings of events. First, don't clip it out of the page, because you lose the date, publication and other information. I was looking at my own birth announcement in the paper from 1964 and was stunned to see the prices of things such as groceries and shoes. It was like a piece of history had been saved for me. But it also verified the time of my birth (2:43 a.m.), the name of the newspaper and city where I was born. Since I was adopted later, this was very important information for me that my birth mother had saved and passed on to my adoptive parents. -- Eve B., Newport, R.I.
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
Dear Heloise: My husband and I had planned a trip to France, but COVID put a stop to that trip. Now we've changed plans and hope to make the trip in September of 2022. Meanwhile, we have been taking classes in French and speaking it to one another at home.
We usually do this when we plan a trip to a foreign country so that we'll be able to talk to the local people. It really makes the trip more fun, and people appreciate it when you at least try to speak their language while in their country. -- Frances and Vernon H., Farrell, Pennsylvania GIFT-GIVING
Dear Heloise: Some gift-giving holidays are just around the corner, and for many people that means a stressed-out holiday. Instead of giving a gift, why not give that special person a letter offering to take them fishing (maybe on the first day of summer), or take them to dinner anyplace where they charge $100 for a bottle of wine, or offer to do their laundry and ironing for a week? There are any number of creative ideas, but a little of ourselves is what many people, especially elderly people, want most. -- Rose T., Chatham, Massachusetts BULBS
Dear Heloise: I have a neighbor who is retired and loves to spend all day in his garden. His yard is always so very neat, but money is a little tight for him. As a Christmas gift last year (which was from Santa, not me), he received several mesh bags of various bulbs to be planted in the spring. He was over the moon with excitement. This year Santa is bringing him a gift card to a local nursery so he can get what he wants. For people who love working in their yard, flowering bulbs are a joy to receive. -- Santa's Helper, Austin, Texas
Santa's Helper, yes, anything that pertains to a person's hobby is often welcomed by the recipient of that special gift. -- Heloise MY MUSTACHE
Dear Heloise: There are a number of various combs and brushes for mustaches online and in stores. Some are rather expensive. One day while I was examining my toothbrush, I tried brushing my mustache with it and found it worked better (and was much cheaper) than a mustache brush I'd just bought. From that day on, I never user anything else on my mustache, except an inexpensive, new medium toothbrush. -- Jordan W., Ashland, Wisconsin