HELOISE Cooking pots helped celebrate end of WWII

Dear Heloise: I read your column in the Washington Post. My mother passed down to me a set of pots (three) that she had since she was married in 1930, and I still use them.
I remember at the end of World War II all the kids in the neighborhood going up and down the sidewalk, banging their pots and pans in celebration. Of course, I was one of them, and the biggest pot in the collection still has those marks I made from banging a spoon on it to make noise!
Needless to say, I have purchased other pots and pans since, but those are my favorites -- I don't seem to burn food as often (just kidding)! Ellen Crofford, Laurel, Md.
We printed a column asking readers about the oldest pots and pans they have, and we have thousands of letters and photos to go through. So, if you're waiting for the update, we're working on it. Heloise and Heloise Central
Dear Heloise: I am a do-it-yourself person and came across a unique problem and solution I'd like to pass on.
I have a synthetic bathtub, and I have been having ongoing trouble with the caulk breaking. I would caulk one week, and the next it would be cracked. Then I decided to fill the tub completely with water and caulk around it. The weight of the water was actually pulling down on the tub, causing the caulk to break. I left the tub full for three days while the caulk cured and have not had any trouble since. A Reader, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Dear Heloise: For those travelers who are always half-asleep in the morning (like me!): Before you go to bed, decide what you will wear the next morning. As you remove your clothes, put them where they belong and take out what you will need the next day. Example: Take off jewelry, put it in the jewelry case and take out the next day's jewelry. Take off underwear, put it away and take out what you'll need for the next morning. Do the same with shoes, etc. This keeps the hotel room neat (especially if it's small) and helps you pull everything together quicker in the mornings. Cherie Hod, Via E-mail
Good advice, Cherie. A hotel room can get pretty messy if you don't put things away. And if two or more people are involved, it can be a real challenge. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When we put vinyl siding on our house, I needed a way to put up our house number without damaging the vinyl. Self-gripping fabric dots to the rescue! I purchased the small, round, self-sticking fasteners and placed them on the wooden house numbers that I had purchased at a local crafts fair. They worked like a charm. Hope this hint helps your other readers. Rebecca, Dublin, Va.
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate