Dear Heloise: I ride my pedal bike to relieve stress and use the time to reflect on things at work or home. If there is a bike lane, I absolutely will use it. Otherwise, I may have to ride as far off the lane as possible. The law states that I need to ride with traffic. Suddenly a car or truck will come up behind me and lay on the horn and then take off. Don't these idiots realize that scaring a bike rider could cause the rider to swerve into traffic or fall off the bike into the path of an oncoming vehicle? Please educate people on how dangerous this can be. Thanks for listening. —Diane E., via e-mail
Dear Readers: Diane's letter is a Sound Off, which usually runs as the last hint of this column. I had to edit the letter a bit, but the message is clear. As someone who rides a motorbike (I love your wording of "pedal bike," since most motorcyclists do call their motorcycles "bikes"), I know how you feel. In most states, "bikers" of both kinds are supposed to follow traffic laws.
May I comment? If pedal bikers are following the laws and common sense, PLEASE stop at stop signs! It is frightening how many times I have seen them just sail through stop signs and yet expect me to stop in a car, on my bike or even walking/running. Safety for everyone using a public street, road, highway, side street or even country road should be paramount for all.
Comments, readers? —Heloise, aka Heloise-on-wheels
P.S.: Visit www.Heloise.com for a photo of my "bike," Svetlanya.
Dear Readers: Here are a few handy ways to reuse old beads:
• Give to the crafter in your family.
• Make "new" jewelry from them.
• Take apart jewelry and glue the beads onto a photo frame.
• Glue on a plant pot to make it one of a kind.
• Pass on to a school or day-care center. —Heloise
Dear Heloise: At the beginning of a year, I start a new checkbook register to record my checks. During the year, I use a colored marker to highlight special checks: blue for taxes, green for donations, pink for medical and yellow for insurance. Then at the end of the year, it is easy to find how much was spent in each category. The register and bank statements are then filed away by year. — Pat Howard, Houston
Dear Heloise: Our old house is on a septic system, and we have no garbage disposal. When fixing dinner or a big meal, I put a plastic grocery bag in a bowl in the second sink, and all the wet, smelly stuff goes in there. When done or its time to clean up the kitchen, I tie the bag, and it goes in the trash can outside. We do compost many things, but this helps in regular households, too. — Danny B., via e-mail
Dear Heloise: Music players have wires that tangle with a mind of their own! To solve this tangling problem, take a plastic soda straw and carefully slit one side lengthwise with a sharp hobby knife. Place wires within the straw and tape with small pieces of cellophane tape at several places along its length. This will keep the wires under control. —W.F. "Bill" Gabella, Escondido, Calif.
Dear Heloise: I like to use colored paper when I am printing out recipes from the computer. I do main dishes, vegetables, appetizers and desserts each on a different color. Now at a glance I know which folder to look in to find a favorite recipe. —Susie, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: I have a hint for the free magnets that businesses give out. I get magnets with sports teams' schedules or a yearly calendar from my local real-estate agent. These magnets are quite large. I use my computer to print out pictures of my two children and size to fit the magnet. I glue the picture to the magnet and give the "new picture magnet" to my mother to hang on her refrigerator. She can enjoy the pictures of her grandchildren and not have to worry about frames taking up a lot of space. —Janice in Germantown, Md.
Dear Heloise:When putting on makeup without my glasses, the little clear-plastic covers are hard to see. When I put them on the counter, I couldn't find them. So, I put bright-red nail polish on them, and I have no trouble seeing them. — Kitty from Texas
Send a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax: 1-210-435-6473; e-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
© King Features Syndicate Inc.