Remember to check your taillights
Dear Heloise: I see a lot of cars with a taillight or brake light out, which can create safety hazards. I have no way to contact the drivers and tell them this, and I suspect that they don’t know of it.
So, I suggest that drivers check their taillights regularly, picking dates like when the time changes or when they check their fire alarms twice a year.
I read your column daily in the Spokesman-Review and have not seen this addressed before. -- Shirley, in Spokane Washington
Shirley, without knowing it, my taillight had gone out, but a kind lady told me about it. If she hadn’t, I could have very easily gotten a nasty fine for my negligence. -- Heloise
Silica packets
Dear Heloise: The little silica packets are useful for many things. I use them in any product with a shaker to keep the product from clumping. It works great, even in products that are already clumped up! -- Priscilla W., via email
Priscilla, I like to keep them to use inside of a suitcase, a hat box, dresser drawers, and other places that can collect moisture. Whenever I find one, I just store it in a small plastic container for future use. -- Heloise
Inventive ideas
Dear Heloise: I’m an 80-year-old woman. I have some suggestions for inventors out there:
■Someone needs to invent a medicine bottle that can dispense one pil at a time, kind of like a Pe dispenser. When you try take a pill, you either get 0 or 20, and sometimes they end up on the floor. could still be made childproof with a little ingenui
■Someone needs to make something that can fit under a bathroom or kitchen sink and hold about 1 quart of water. This water would be constantly kept at room temperature, say 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This way, you can wash your hands immediately when you turn on the faucet. If you want cold water instead, you could just turn the faucet to cold. If you want hot water, turn it to hot. I’ve seen some of your readers give hints about what to do with the water while they’re waiting for it to get warm, like saving it to water plants. But why should we have to wait?
■Someone needs to design a freezer with a turntable shelf, like a Lazy Susan, where you can put frozen food that you just bought the day of, then turn it around to use the food that has been in the freezer for a while. Again, your readers have given suggestions on dating food but why can’t manufacturers just make it easier for us? -- A Devoted Reader, om Salem, Ohio
Devoted Reader, I’m especially fond of your first idea! While childproof caps may be ideal for those who have children, for others with weaker hands, this can mean that they can’t open the bottles. -- Heloise