HELOISE

Dear Heloise: Recently, someone asked why someone would just tuck the front of their shirt into their pants. This is done to show off the belt buckle. A belt buckle can be a fine piece of jewelry, so one shouldn’t have it covered up by an untucked shirt. But one might not like having their whole shirt tucked in because it may cause wrinkles under your pants. — David B., in Camarillo, California

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Heloise@Heloise.com

VINEGAR TO THE RESCUE

Dear Heloise: For about four days straight, my husband found animal feces on our back deck, up toward the house in a rural location. The only animal that he had seen was a raccoon. At my suggestion, he rinsed the deck with vinegar and water at about a 1:4 ratio. The next day — and ever since — there were no more feces. — Lynda S., in Ohio

Lynda, vinegar has many uses and will kill a number of odors. Not only will raccoons stay away, opossums, skunks and armadillos also find vinegar unfamiliar and unappealing. — Heloise

DE-SKUNKING ANIMALS

Dear Heloise: No, do not bathe a dog in bleach and water to get skunk spray off them; instead, use a specific homemade solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid soap or a vinegar and water mixture to wash off the skunk spray. Bleach is toxic and can damage your dog’s fur, while water alone can make the oily skunk spray harder to remove. Here is my de-skunking solution:

1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide

1/4 cup of baking soda

1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap — Jeff G., via email

Jeff, you’re right! Never, ever wash a person or an animal in bleach. You can make your pet very sick or cause their death. — Heloise

CURSIVE IS IMPORTANT

Dear Heloise: Both manuscript and cursive writing should be a part of a child’s education. Each one contributes to a child’s fine motor development, as well as their ability to write and decipher sounds, words and eventually language. All of this contributes to their ability to express themselves, think critically, and socialize within all the frameworks of their life.

Teach cursive because the child gains — not loses — no matter where they are in life! And grandparents, you will be able to communicate with ease in cursive language, which is very important when teaching children about their ancestry. — Janice S., via email

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN HINT

Dear Heloise: When I purchase a rotisserie chicken, as soon as the other groceries have been put away, I start the process of rendering as much of the tender, savory meat while the product is still warm. The meat separates from the carcass so much easier this way. Then I immediately use it or refrigerate it for later use.

I return the remainder of the carcass, including the skin, into the original container with the lovely “juice” that remains. Instead of discarding the remains, I pop it into a small covered pot with a few inches of water and simmer for 10-20 minutes. After it cools, I strain it and am always amazed at what a savory broth I have and how much tender chicken I can glean from the bones in the strainer.

I refrigerate or freeze this, and it produces at least 2 servings of delicious soup! I often add some onion, celery or whatever tidbits I have on hand. — Fran C., in Tucson, Arizona