Please be considerate with noise

Dear Heloise: I have one neighbor around the corner who just put up a flagpole in their front yard. I have another neighbor who has hung windchimes from a tree in their front yard. I can easily hear the clang clang from the flagpole and the ding ding from the chimes in my house, even though my windows are closed. I work from home, and this is very distracting. To make matters worse, I live in Buffalo, New York. In the winter, it is windy almost every day, which makes the noises louder. If I can hear the noises, even though I am not close to either house, I can only imagine how other neighbors feel, those who live closer. Homeowners should be considerate of neighbors before putting up flagpoles, windchimes or anything else that makes noise 24 hours a day! — Chris K.

A LOTION TRICK

Dear Heloise: I live in the beautiful Sonora Desert, where dry skin is a year-round concern. Our dermatologist said the best place to moisturize your skin is in the shower, after a quick dry off. Keeping the moisturizer in the shower is no problem, but how could I reach the mid-dle of my back? So I put a dab of moisturizer on the back of a long-handled plastic mixing spoon. This works great! — Chris R., in Sonora Desert, Arizona

Chris, yes the desert is so dry, but certainly also beautiful! What a fabulous way to give yourself an extra hand! — Heloise

WHITE BOARD

Dear Heloise: My husband is in assisted living. I keep an erasable white board in his room. When we have a visit or trip planned, I write it on the board. It helps him remember, and the staff loves it. That way, they make sure he’s ready. I also write sport schedules.

I keep the same type of board in our home garage. I write reminders: get gas, fill bird feed-ers, take X in the house, bring X to the garage. It saves me from standing in the mudroom trying to remember what I came for. Thank you. — Barb Crandell, via email

BAKING

FROZEN PIZZA

Dear Heloise: I have a different way than D.R.C. to keep my oven clean from melted pizza cheese. While the oven is heating up, I put a pizza pan on the shelf below, where the pizza will be. Melted cheese will drop onto this pan. When the pizza is done, I slide it off the rack onto the hot pan. The hot pan will keep the pizza warm longer.– C.C.B., in Vermont