I’M JUST CURIOUS: A few ideas and uses

by Debbie Walker

Good afternoon. Any snow yet? I have to ask, you know. I am on a race tonight to get this done before Tabby (cat) comes in. When she comes in at night, or whenever she comes in, she expects to be the center of attention. Laying across my keyboard tends to assure her of the attention possibilities.

I have to ask. Have you ever heard of aluminum foil balls in the dryer? The instructions say to wad up some foil into two small balls and pop in the dryer instead of dryer sheets. I plan to try this one. I’ll let you know.

In the November FIRST magazine the question was asked, “What do you do if you can’t sleep?” The responses published were: 1. Turn your digital clock away from you to help stop the anxiety of calculating your wake-up time. 2. “Get out of bed and journal or doodle. Lying there creates negative association between bed and sleep, worsening insomnia.”

When I was in real estate I stumbled across this suggestion: As your days are busy start a list of things you want to remember for the next day. Cross off the items on your list as the day goes by. At the end of the day go over your list and make changes as appropriate. When you go to bed that night you don’t have to be worried about forgetting to do anything the next day. It’s all written down and you can relax. You won’t forget anything. This worked well for me, so much so I still do it.

Do you know how to tell if your mascara is old? It is important to know because of possible eye infections. Too much air in the chamber makes for breeding ground for bacteria. When you pull the wand out, listen for popping sound. If you don’t hear it, trash it.

Have you gotten out your winter coat yet? Any problem with the zipper? How well is it working? I found rubbing liquid soap back and forth over the zipper. Then work the zipper up and down. You should see a difference. It worked well for me.

What do you do about your cat and plants? Cats dislike citrus. Soak a cotton ball in lemon juice and rub around the rim of the planter. It should keep Kitty away.

Do you have trouble organizing your linens? Put the pieces together with a dryer sheet into a paper bag and label, then put in closet. You will know which ones they are, and all the pieces will be together. I put mine inside one of the pillowcases. It saves time and aggravation.

I have made wind chimes in the past and I use fishing line to hang the items. After reading a short hack today I will be using dental floss next. The wax will protect the cord and isn’t as stiff as fishing line. The dental floss isn’t as stiff as fishing line, but it is strong enough to hold the items I hang.

Ever have a leaky faucet and the noise is driving you crazy? Try this: Tie a long piece of dental floss around the end of the faucet and place the other end into the drain. The leaking water will travel down the cord and into the drain. Peace at last.