Heloise

Dear Heloise: I liked the idea of doing easy crosswords upside-down. Something I enjoy is to try to solve the puzzle using only the across clues. It makes it fun, and it requires imagination and visualizing the possibilities when the clues are vague. — Tim K., in Elkhorn, Nebraska

WASHING GREENS

Dear Heloise: What’s the best way to safely wash greens? I love a fresh, delicious salad during this time of year. — Kelly T., in San Antonio

Kudos, Kelly, for eating greens! Here are a few hints:

— Wash greens immediately before eating, not when you first bring them home.

— From a head of lettuce, a bunch of spinach, or a stalk of kale, cut them into fork-sized pieces (1 inch) and submerge them in a bowl of cold water.

— Give it time for the dirt particles (it comes from the earth, after all) to fall to the bottom of the bowl (about 15 minutes).

— Reach in and grab the greens to transfer them to a colander. Don’t dump the bowl into the colander; you’ll redeposit the sediment back over and into the greens.

— Either spin-dry the greens in a lettuce spinner or blot-dry them with paper or cloth toweling. — Heloise

WHEN STORING VITAMINS

Dear Heloise: Some of my vitamins, such as D and E, come in a soft yellow capsule form. These capsules often stick together and are out of reach at the bottom of the bottle. An easy tip is to simply store these bottles upside-down. My vitamins are always available this way. — Bob, in Port Ewen, New York

EASY LAUNDRY SORTING

Dear Heloise: To easily sort laundry, I bought one tall white laundry basket and one tall black laundry basket. They sit beside each other in the bedroom. Bingo! It’s so easy to sort laundry this way. When a basket is full, it’s time to do either a white or dark load. — Laura, in Charles City, Iowa

STOP THE RELEASE OF BALLOONS

Dear Readers: When you think of celebrations like birthdays, weddings, graduations and gender reveals, you may think of helium balloons and balloon releases. But think again. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS.gov) is imploring people to stop the practice of balloon releases.

Why? Deflated balloons and strings can find their way into our oceans, parks and wildlife refuges where they are mistaken for food and consumed by animals. Turtles are most susceptible to ingesting the balloons and strings, which, of course, cannot pass through their delicate systems. And the strings can get wrapped around their legs, beaks, etc. So, here are some alternatives to balloons:

— Paper or cloth bunting signs.

— Paper flowers.

–Environmentally friendly bubbles.

— Heloise

PET PAL

Dear Heloise: This is Chloe, our 14-year-old Wheaten Terrier. She is half blind and half deaf. But she rules the house and won’t take any static from our 6-year-old Golden Doodle, who is four times her size. — Ray Lutka, in Oxford, Connecticut

Readers, to see Chloe and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Do you have a furry friend to share with our readers? Send a photo and a brief description to Heloise@Heloise.com. — Heloise

———

Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.