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Helping the monarch butterfly rebound

Dear Readers: Today’s sound on comes from a reader who, along with her neighborhood, is trying to make a positive impact on rebuilding the declining monarch butterfly population. She wrote:

“My neighborhood has become afflicted with ‘monarch madness’! We are trying, one plant at a time, to make our ‘hood’ into a monarch butterfly oasis. There are several houses on each block that have milkweed plants, which provide food for the monarch caterpillars and the hatched butterflies.

“Our local hardware and garden center found out about the monarch project and offered a very nice discount on the plants.” — Karen in Oxnard, Calif.

For those who might not know, the milkweed plant is a hardy plant that is easy to grow and maintain. The blooms are colorful and provide food for many species of butterflies, as well as hummingbirds and bees. — Heloise

FAST FACTS

Dear Readers: Here is a list of other things you can use as ornament hooks:

* Paper clips

* Bread-bag ties

* Thin, decorative ribbon

* Natural jute or twine

* Large safety pins.

— Heloise

LETTER OF LAUGHTER

Dear Heloise: I used to be a secretary in customer service at the Naval Supply Center in San Diego. In addition to U.S. ship personnel, we received calls from personnel assigned to foreign ships visiting the area.

I always answered my phone, “Customer service, Kathy Potts.” I answered as usual one day and was greeted by silence. I could hear background noise and knew that connections were not always clear, so again I said, “Customer service, Kathy Potts.”

Someone cleared their throat on the other end of the line. I said, “Good morning, this is Kathy Potts in customer service.” A heavily accented voice on the line asked, tentatively, “Coffee pots?” I still laugh aloud when I share this story. — Kathy Potts, via email

FREE GIFTS

Dear Heloise: A while back, David W. wrote in about putting money in library books. While that would be a nice treat to find, I would be concerned that someone had “accidentally” left it there and then would be out the money, especially if it is a large bill.

So, I would like to suggest that he put a note with the money, stating something to the fact that this is a free gift. Enjoy! — A Reader, via email

This is what I would call making an original hint even better! I’ll bet many of us would do exactly as this reader and not recognize a free gift if it fell in our lap! — Heloise

THREE RULES FOR

CONQUERING STAINS

Dear Readers: When you are ready to conquer a stain, keep these helpful hints in mind:

1. The sooner, the better. The longer it is left on fabric, the more difficult it will be to remove.

2. Lift the stain slowly. Some stains will require time, patience and perseverance.

3. Repeat as often as necessary. Some stains require more than one attempt.

— Heloise

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.

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