Dear Heloise: I wanted to write in with my response to Frank A., who wondered about men not pushing shopping carts for women. My husband loves to go grocery shopping with me. I, on the other hand, do all that I can to shop without him. He means well, but stops to read every label. He carefully looks over all (and I do mean all) of the cookies, ice cream, pickles, bread and olives. I cringe when we approach the spices. He insists that we need spices neither of us use when cooking.
When he was with me on my last shopping trip, we went home with three kinds of bread, four different ice cream cartons, three bags of cookies, more jars of pickles than I care to think about, and olives, olives and more olives! I think I also have a lifetime supply of canned tomato paste.
Nevermind the wasted expense, I can live with it, but where do I store all of the things from our shopping spree? Since we are retired, need to watch our weight, limit our salt intake, and guard against eating things that irritate our acid reflux, I had to give away some of my husband’s choices. The church’s pantry is now stocked with some doozies! They’ll be getting several jars of olives and cans of tomato paste as well this month.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband and have since the day we were married 37 years ago. I wouldn’t trade him for the world, but I’d really rather shop alone, haul all my groceries to the car, then put them away in the pantry instead of in boxes under the bed or in the linen closet.
— Lori R., Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
Lori, trust me, you’re not alone there!
— Heloise
RASPBERRY TOPPING
Dear Heloise: I noticed several people have told you they love coffee ice cream. Well, try coffee ice cream with a raspberry topping! It’s delicious.
— Wade H., Glendale, Arizona
BROKEN ZIPPER TAB
Dear Heloise: The pull tab on the zipper of my favorite jacket fell off. I used a safety pin at first, but as I thought about it, I remembered that I had a pendant I used to wear once in a while. I took it off the chain and put it on the zipper, which had a small loop at the top. I now use this piece of jewelry as a pull tab, and it looks nice.
— Jackie K., in Wisconsin
FLOWER BULBS
Dear Heloise: For those who live in climates that stay warm well into November or December, buy your flower bulbs now and keep them in the refrigerator until springtime planting. Bulbs need this dormant time to rest.
— Milton D., Huntington Park
CURSIVE WRITING DILEMMA
Dear Heloise: My 21-year-old grandson told me that he wasn’t taught cursive writing, so he struggles to read my birthday cards to him. I was shocked to find this out. It occurred to me that he could never be able to get a job at the post office, since so many people like me send letters and write in cursive.I read your column every day in the Orange County Register.
— M.N., via email
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