Dear Heloise: From time to time, there are hints in your column about how to stop dogs from digging holes in the yard or chewing on things inside. We had a dog that dug many holes in our yard, so we asked our veterinarian how to discourage that behavior. He said to buy a large bone to encourage the dog to chew on it when he was bored, and discourage him from digging holes. We did exactly that, and he dug a large hole to bury his large bone. Well, it was worth a try. — Shirley Hendricks, Maumelle, Arkansas

PHOTO STUCK TO THE GLASS IN A FRAME?

Dear Readers: If you have a treasured photo in this awful situation, you can try to save and remove it. Follow these steps carefully. First, scan the pic or take a photo of it through the glass. You will have a copy, just in case. Second, put the frame and photo or just glass and photo into a plastic freezer bag, but don’t close it completely shut so moisture can evaporate. Then place it in the freezer for a day or two. You should be able to slowly lift the photo from the glass. But do not try this with antique, valuable or one-of-a kind pictures. Instead, call a professional photo restorer. — Heloise

CLOTHESPIN USES

Dear Heloise: In addition to the woman’s suggestion to use a clothespin to attach a shopping list to her shopping cart, there is a more expansive use for clothespins for grocery items. I became sick and tired of undoing the many twist ties and plastic clips to open loaves of bread, fruits and vegetables, etc. It’s a major effort to open the packages and a lot of work spinning the plastic bags and then reattaching the clip or twist ties to re-close them.

So to make it simple, I simply use a clothespin to close the package. It works like a charm. You unpin to open and pin back to close the plastic. It saves a major amount of time and cuts down on frustration. — Steve P., via email

DOUBLE BAGGED BREAD

Dear Heloise: I tend to buy bread when it’s on sale. I double bag the bread and freeze it You never know if the bread bag has tears or holes. Also, I reuse the newspaper plastic bags for scraps, which I put in my freezer, since I only put out my trash every other week. I read your column in the Omaha World-Herald every day. I have many articles that I and my late mother have saved. — Diane Holmes, Omaha, Nebraska

Diane, reusing plastic helps to save our planet, so good for you! — Heloise

GIFTS FOR SENIORS

Dear Heloise: We always struggled with what to get my mother-in-law for birthdays or holidays. My sister-in-law gave her gift cards for groceries, personal items, etc. We decided to pay for 100 gallons of fuel oil for her, and I made a gift certificate to put in her card. It was really appreciated and a big help. — Mary T. in Vermont

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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.