Susan's Helpful Hints

Having lived 57 years and being married for almost 38 of those years, I've learned a few things about things around the house.

1. Do your top sheets pull loose during the night from all that tossing and turning you do?  I like to tuck only the corners of my top sheets so my toesies can feel a little freedom and yet my hubby can't steal all the covers. To keep them tucked, tie a knot in both bottom corners and then tuck. Just don't forget to untie before you wash them. They don't dry very well in knots!
2. Are you plagued with ticks as we are? One morning my white cat Frankie came into the house with a total of nine ticks on him! Needless to say, I went straight to the pet store and purchased enough Frontline to send their stock up about three digits! I still find them hitching a ride on the cats and the dog and I'll find them crawling up a wall or on a piece of furniture. The easiest way to pick them up is a piece of tape. Just stick it on the tick and wrap it up like a little package and the nasty tick dies a slow death, which, in my opinion, is well-deserved.
3. Does your large carton of yogurt or sour cream weep and cry with the indignity of having a spoon thrust into its innards, leaving huge craters behind? Well, weep no more, sweet yogurt! Just tell those thoughtless users to take that spoon and smooth the top just like a baby's bottom and your whey will no longer separate from your curd. Where's that Miss Muffet when you need her?
4. Are you lucky enough to own a salad spinner? I have an Oxo brand one that is indispensable in my kitchen. If you don't have one, and have no plans for a future purchase, here's a handy-dandy little trick. You know those nice net bags in which lemons come packaged? Save those little beauties, and do what I did before I bought the spinner. Put your freshly cut and rinsed greens into one, step outside and whirl your arm like a ferris wheel a few times. Not only do you spin the water out of your romaine, but you also get a little exercise and entertain the neighbors who are relaxing on their patios and just hoping for a distraction from the ho-hum of their day.
5. When you bring that bag of uncut greens home from the grocery, don't just put it away in the bowels of the fridge to be discovered a week later, limp and dreary. Take a few seconds to remove it from its original packaging or produce bag and give it a quick rinse. Then wrap it in a large muslin or linen tea towel and return it to the produce bag for storing in the fridge. It stays fresh much longer, and will be nice and crisp when you bring it out in a day or two.
6. If you're like a lot of people who are trying to use vinegar to replace toxic cleaning chemicals in their homes, here's a tidbit you may not know. Some white vinegars are made from petroleum (crude oil)! Yikes! Be sure to check the label to see if it is made from corn and not petroleum.
7. Speaking of vinegar, did you know that apple cider vinegar is one of the best treatments for a bad sunburn. Pour about a gallon into the bathtub and add tepid water. Climb in (you might want to wear noseclips for this step) and just start sponging that vinegary solution onto the red skin parts over and over until you turn good and pruney. It really is a cheap, effective sunburn remedy.
8. When it comes to burns in the kitchen, there's always ice and there's aloe, but did you know that honey also soothes first-degree burns? Plus, you can lick your fingers afterwards.
9. Ouch! I was walking home to show my little bumblebee to my mommy and I just up and decided to squish it up in my hands...and you know what, that bumblebee stung me! And you know what my mommy did? She made a paste out of meat tenderizer (unseasoned) and a drop or two of water and rubbed and rubbed that into my sting and the pain just went away in a few minutes. Isn't my mommy smart? Next time, though, I think I'll just bring her some pretty flowers...but first I'll check for bees.

That's all for today, friends. Did you know any of these? Kudos if you did!