Helpful Hints

DEAR READERS: We know walking is a wonderful way to get exercise, as well as fresh air. Walking with someone else can make it pleasurable. If you take a daily stroll, do be careful if you are walking near traffic. Here are some potential lifesaving hints you need to know. I've added a few Heloise hints so you come home safely:

• Always be aware of your surroundings and all vehicle traffic. This seems obvious, but if you are on the phone, listening to music with headphones or texting, you are not being a safe pedestrian.

• Make yourself highly visible, especially if you walk (or jog) at dawn or dusk.

• Wear bright-colored clothes -- fluorescent vests and sneakers are the things to wear at night or early in the morning. Carry a flashlight for your safety.

• Facing traffic is the direction you should walk or jog.

• Stop at stop signs, stoplights and yield signs.

Be safe, not sorry!

P.S.: When walking or jogging at night, please don't assume that drivers can see you. You may be wearing fluorescent clothing, carrying a flashlight or have reflective tape on your clothing. However, a driver rounding a corner may not see you at all.

DEAR HELOISE: So many clothing pockets have tissues left in them, especially during the cold season, and they make their way into the washer. Place a microfiber cloth in with the dryer load, and it will "capture" the tissue.

-- T. in Louisiana

DEAR HELOISE: I put a sharpened pencil in a vial used for cut flowers. I carry it in my purse without breaking the point or ruining the lining of my purse.

-- Joanne Miller,

Hilliard, Ohio

DEAR HELOISE: When threading a needle (hand mending or sewing machine), I put a white paper behind the needle. This certainly makes it easier to see for threading, especially in the evening.

-- Ruby Burnham,

Joplin, Mo.

DEAR HELOISE: I've spent time in the hospital and nursing home. I got a lot of cards and I'm grateful, but they seal them so tightly. If they are just cards with nothing valuable in them, the writer should just wet the tip to seal, or tuck the flap inside.

-- B.K., Versailles, Ohio

DEAR READERS: A colorful belt is a quick way to dress up or change the look of an outfit. If the buckle doesn't match, turn the belt around so the buckle is in the back and out of sight. The colorful belt is the accent.

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email

[email protected]

HomeStyle on 03/14/2015

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