Make it a habit to check in on elderly when it’s hot

Dear Heloise: As a mother of two and a grandmother of three, I know what a chore it can be to get babies and toddlers to take their medicine, but my family came up with a genius idea. Unscrew the top of a bottle, pour the liquid into the nipple, and then hold the nipple for the baby to drink out of it. It works every time. — Joan Alberts, Saugerties, New York

Dear Heloise: Here’s an ingenious idea for CrockPot meals. We go fishing several times a year to June Lake. There aren’t a lot of options for places to eat after getting off the lake at a later time, so my sister came up with this idea. She fixed some chili beans in the CrockPot with a CrockPot liner, removed the beans in the liner and froze them. Now, all we have to do when we are ready to cook them is return them to the CrockPot. Then, dinner will be ready when we return from fishing for the day.

Now, we prepare meals ahead of time, so we can quickly fix our meals in the slow cooker. It’s a very easy cleanup as well. — Terry and Patty, Bakersfield, California

Dear Heloise: We love shrimp. They are great when you do stir-fry or gumbo, or wrap them in bacon. Several years ago, someone told me to get a quart-size freezer bag and put about 10-12 shrimp in it. Fill the bag full with enough water to cover the shrimp. Then burp out the air in the bag. (You’ll have a freezer bag that looks like a water bladder with shrimp in it.)

Put this bag in the freezer for long-term keeping. I have kept shrimp up to eight months without any problem. I just run warm water over it and into the bag to defrost the shrimp and enjoy them. — D.H., Houston

Dear Heloise: Instead of using hummingbird feeders, which are filled with sugar water and have to be cleaned once a week during the summer, we plant flowers. There are several red tube-shaped flowers that hummingbirds particularly like. We currently have pots of cigar plants (Cuphea ignea), and hummingbirds fly around them often.

In addition to requiring less care than a feeder, the nectar is probably healthier than sugar. Also, the birds become pollinators when they use real flowers instead of feeders. — Sarah Thomas, Springfield, Illinois

Send hints or questions to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio TX 78279-5001 or email [email protected].

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Dear Heloise: Here’s something to add to your reminder list during the oppressive, unrelenting heat of summer: How about reminding those who are able to check in on the elderly neighbors and long-distant parents? — Joan, HoustonDear Heloise: As a mother of two and a grandmother of three, I know what a chore it can be to get babies and toddlers to take their medicine, but my family came up with a genius idea. Unscrew the top of a bottle, pour the liquid into the nipple, and then hold the nipple for the baby to drink out of it. It works every time. — Joan Alberts, Saugerties, New YorkDear Heloise: Here’s an ingenious idea for CrockPot meals. We go fishing several times a year to June Lake. There aren’t a lot of options for places to eat after getting off the lake at a later time, so my sister came up with this idea. She fixed some chili beans in the CrockPot with a CrockPot liner, removed the beans in the liner and froze them. Now, all we have to do when we are ready to cook them is return them to the CrockPot. Then, dinner will be ready when we return from fishing for the day.Now, we prepare meals ahead of time, so we can quickly fix our meals in the slow cooker. It’s a very easy cleanup as well. — Terry and Patty, Bakersfield, CaliforniaDear Heloise: We love shrimp. They are great when you do stir-fry or gumbo, or wrap them in bacon. Several years ago, someone told me to get a quart-size freezer bag and put about 10-12 shrimp in it. Fill the bag full with enough water to cover the shrimp. Then burp out the air in the bag. (You’ll have a freezer bag that looks like a water bladder with shrimp in it.)Put this bag in the freezer for long-term keeping. I have kept shrimp up to eight months without any problem. I just run warm water over it and into the bag to defrost the shrimp and enjoy them. — D.H., HoustonDear Heloise: Instead of using hummingbird feeders, which are filled with sugar water and have to be cleaned once a week during the summer, we plant flowers. There are several red tube-shaped flowers that hummingbirds particularly like. We currently have pots of cigar plants (Cuphea ignea), and hummingbirds fly around them often.In addition to requiring less care than a feeder, the nectar is probably healthier than sugar. Also, the birds become pollinators when they use real flowers instead of feeders. — Sarah Thomas, Springfield, IllinoisKeep it Clean.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten.Be Truthful.Be Nice.Be Proactive.Share with Us.Terms of Use.