Cell-phone cure: Just what doctor ordered

Dear Heloise: After reading your column in The Orange County (Calif.) Register about phone and cell-phone abuses, it reminded me of a cure that I used when in medical practice. I often would enter an exam room and have to wait until the patient finished a cell-phone call before beginning the examination (all the while worrying about other patients waiting to be seen).

I cured that annoying habit of some patients by opening the exam door and apologizing for the intrusion of their phone call and saying I would be back shortly, but to go ahead with their call — and then I’d come back later — “later” depending upon how busy I was and the urgency of the patient’s problem. Robert C., via e-mail

Robert, this is certainly a very nice way to deal with the situation. Folks, there are just some places that cell-phone calls are not appropriate. Take a minute to think before yakking at length. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I like working on plant repotting or trimming, but I don’t have a work area in the house. So, when I can’t do this outside, I take a large tray that I place on my counter and use that to work on. I was using newspaper, but it would get so messy and wet, the dirt would fall to the floor, and print from the paper would get on the countertop. Now I just have to pick the tray up and empty it in the trash. Jill Price, Newington, Conn.

Dear Heloise: When I washed my husband’s golf hats and caps, I would put them over a metal bowl to dry. This kept them in shape. V.W. in Arizona

Dear Heloise: As I was housecleaning, I found the instruction book for our electric grass trimmer in the kitchen and took it to the garage, but then couldn’t figure out where to put it so that I could find it again.

Solution: I hung an inexpensive corkboard on the garage wall, put the instruction book in a plastic bag and thumbtacked it onto the corkboard. It looked so handy. I also put up the power drill and dog-clipper instruction books and will add others as I find them! Susan from Texas

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate