Dear Readers: The newspaper world recently lost one of its own. Ann Landers, who helped so many people, went to that great newsroom in the sky on June 22.
Like most of you, I grew up reading Ann Landers; however, I was lucky enough to meet her once after my mother, the original Heloise, died in 1977.
She and my mother were phone pals, and I remember being awed that my mother was talking with THE Ann Landers from the newspaper! You see, even though my mother was THE Heloise from the newspaper, she was just my mother to me.
So I am writing this with two hats on, one as a daughter and one as a newspaper columnist.
The columnist in me wants to thank Ann for all of the advice through the years that helped millions of people of many generations.
The daughter in me wants to thank Eppie (her nickname, from Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer) for being my mother's friend and for showing several generations of women that they can make it in the competitive newspaper world.
Everyone has a favorite (or two) Ann Landers column. It's hard to choose from the serious or silly, but they made you think, opened your eyes to other views or just plain made you laugh, and her advice was priceless!
Dear Ann Landers: We won't really be saying goodbye to you, because you will always be in our hearts.
Thank you for all of the good advice. — Heloise
Dear Heloise:I have a ceramic-tile kitchen floor that had several chips caused by things being dropped on the floor. Since the top color of the tile does not go all the way through, I had dark brown showing through the tile. I took a tile sample to an auto-parts store to match the tile against automobile touch-up paint sold at the store. The paint comes in small bottles with a brush applicator, not unlike fingernail polish. I wiped the chipped area to remove dirt and grit, applied the paint and let it dry. Even if the shade is a little off, it is hardly noticeable. — Jo Ann T., Houston
Dear Heloise: I have been reading your column since I was about 13, and I've always said, "When I get married, I'll have a tip to send in, too." Well, I'm married now, so here is my tip:
Instead of buying those $7-$12 mops that only last a few months (and you can't replace the mop head — H), buy a heavy-duty one that you can replace the mop head. Then instead of throwing away your mop head when it smells, just throw it in the washer with a little bleach and detergent. It works great and lasts a very long time. — Misty Snow Fogle, Columbia, S.C.
Dear Heloise: This is in response to your newspaper column requesting hints for uses of small address labels.
I love to use them when I have rolls of film processed, especially when I have a lot to do at one time.
They are so much more convenient than writing the information by hand on each film envelope! — Lisa Galli, Via E-mail
Send a money-saving or time-saving 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