I actually learned this yesterday…my county has a “ fix it” clinic once a month and it is awesome. Residents can bring in household items needing repairs and volunteers will help them fix the problem. I have a fairly new (3 year old) cordless vacuum cleaner which was overheating and not working correctly because it needed to be taken apart and cleaned. Even with watching the videos on line I couldn’t figure out how to open it up. But the nice volunteer at the clinic was able to help me, and now it’s working again!
They even weigh the items repaired at the clinic and post how many pounds of stuff is kept out of landfills because of this!
Recently learned (actually got reminded) that you can slow down banana ripening by wrapping the stems in aluminum foil. And it actually works! Why did I spend so many decades tossing overripe bananas !?!? Should have tried it when I first read about it. Plastic wrap works too, and it helps other nearby fruit.
I learned that knee surgery sutures are not the dissolvable type. PT said they are starting to “grow over”. Yikes. I’m frantically trying to find someone to take them out.
Banana purists will gasp, but when I come home from the market I put some of my bananas in the fridge. The skin turns black, but the fruit stays pretty good. I take it out of fridge slice halfo into my morning cereal and put the other half back in the fridge.
Yesterday I learned there’s a great tool and calculator for calculating basis on Schwab’s website. A very nice agent on tollfree line took me patiently step by step so we could calculate the basis on a stock that had been acquired by Exxon and we could figure the basis as of the date the owner died years before the acquisition. I never knew there was a calculator. It was easy to use.
I have the Walmart app. When shopping in store you can look up an item to find its location. I was looking for pimento in a jar. Said Aisle 6. Great! But still couldn’t find it since aisle six is still pretty long. Walmart employee says, “I’ll show you a secret!”
If you tap on the product it’ll show more numbers–A615 for example. Each aisle is also numbered all the way down by little stickers on the top row which you wouldn’t normally notice. So in this case it’s Aisle six, section 15. And there’s even another number which tells you what shelf it’s on! Major game changer.
My dad would put bananas in the fridge and they would turn black but surprisingly good inside. So much so it finally convinced my husband to do the same (and that takes a lot!)
Yesterday, I learned our local PBS station has a lot of local shows and content free on its website. It keeps it there indefinitely and can be accessed via youtube or their website for FREE!
We were invited for a tour of their lovely new station and got to see a snippet of a program with beloved songs and singers from the 1970s, the era most of us donors IDd with.
I knew that. Walmart is good at labeling where they put things. They have a lot of grocery pickup which I see when I actually go into the store to shop.
Unfortunately not every grocery store chain is as good.
I learned about this program today when a local police department posted that they have joined the initiative. It’s a fantastic idea, and I’m going to encourage my own police department to do the same.
The p.d. will maintain a registry of people whom family and friends/caregivers identify. 911 operators will share the information if there’s a call. In addition, people with special needs who drive can contact them to receive a special packet that they can give to law enforcement if pulled over. The packet contains information that will help the police understand the driver and their individual situation, along with copies of all the information police request when they pull a driver over.
I adore real maple syrup and real boysenberry syrup on pancakes and french toast. It’s been more than a decade since I’ve found real boysenberry syrup (just fruit and sugar, no other fillers). The other day, something made me wonder if I could get some on Amazon. So I pawed through, but no, nothing. But I was reading reviews on one product, and someone’s review said, “I guess I need a trip to So Cal and Knott’s Berry Farm to find the real deal” All my body sat at attention! I live 10 miles from Knott’s Berry Farm and never even thought about that. Anyway, they have an entire marketplace, with an hour free parking(!) and yes, I did indeed go over! I now am the proud owner of real boysenberry syrup! I bought 3 bottles for $10 each and will gift 2. I actually hope the recipients (my D and my BFF) don’t want them!
