Hints from Heloise

As I flip through the Sunday Arts section each week to get to the crossword, I always stop an read Dear Abby and Hints from Heloise. The hints always make me laugh at how stupid they are. Like this gem:

• I keep safety pins in a cup above my laundry basket and use one to pin together my socks when I take them off. That makes for easy matching when the laundry is done.

Really? Is it that hard to match your socks.

Or how about:

• For those who have expressed confusion as to how to determine which bottle is shampoo while the water from the shower is running over your face: Try putting a rubber band on the shampoo bottle. It is easy to identify the shampoo, even with your eyes closed.

Ever heard of showering with your eyes open and with your head out of the shower stream.

• When carrying a full bowl, cup or glass of water, soup, coffee or whatever, don't look at it. Keep your eyes on where you're going, and walk normally; you have a greater chance of not spilling the contents this way.

Thanks for taking the time to write that hint in reader. I haven't spilled a drop in days!

Well for all my scoffing, last week I came across a hint that I actually put into use. You know how during the winter you can buy those small cotton gloves in two packs for like a dollar. Well the hint was to use those when you're dusting. They make it easy to dust things like the rails on stairs or the backs of chairs. Last week during my major cleaning spree, I found a pack of four in my closet. I put those bad boys on and was dusting Miyagi style all over my house. I tossed them in the laundry, and now they're ready to go again the next time I need to dust.

Moral of the story: Reading something just to get a laugh might actually teach you something along the way.