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Hints from Heloise — Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Dear Readers: Today is St. Patrick’s Day, named for St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland — a day to celebrate the legacy and customs of the Irish. Celebrate with green pancakes shaped into shamrocks, or pop some green food coloring into any food or drink. — Heloise

DONATION NATION

Dear Heloise: I’m annoyed by all the social media birthday fundraiser requests people promote. Is it safe to donate money to them? — Candace C. in Illinois

Candace, I understand your frustration. However, rest assured, the recipients of the donations have been confirmed as legitimate (vetted) by most of the big social media platforms (SMP).

The SMPs ensure that the charity is a nonprofit organization and that they are registered with the Internal Revenue Service. Also, your credit/debit information should be safe; the biggest SMPs utilize encryption, which guarantees the agency will not see your card information.

Not up to giving cash? Consider volunteering for the charity to honor your friend’s birthday — that’s always needed. — Heloise

TECH TUESDAY

Dear Heloise: When it comes to computers, what’s a hyperlink? — Fred in Florida

Fred, a hyperlink, or simply a link, is a portion of text, an icon or a graphic within a document, and it may appear bold or a different color, usually blue. When you click on the hyperlink, it will typically open another browser window on your computer and take you to a new document or website, presumably to a subject that is referenced in the initial document.

Methods can vary, but to create a hyperlink in your text document, highlight the word where you want the link to be, right click and select hyperlink from the dropdown menu. You can then select another text document as the linked item or look for the globe icon to link to another website. — Heloise

SIGN YOUR CREDIT CARD?

Dear Heloise: In today’s electronic age, signing a credit card serves very little purpose.

No one verifies a signature when the card is:

— Used at a self-checkout card reader.

— Below a certain dollar amount.

— Used at a gas pump.

— Online or by phone.

— At a restaurant.

So, there is no harm, of course, signing the card, but there is little identity theft deterrence value. — Tim D., Kettering, OH

HOT WASH

Dear Heloise: When my kids were little, I would clean many of their plastic baby toys in the dishwasher. I never had any problems with the plastic toys melting or fading.

This was easier than hand-washing, and I could do it overnight when they were sleeping. — Ruth, Dallas, TX

The temperatures in the dishwasher tend to get hotter than hand-washing — great for a good clean. — Heloise

Exotic pets

Dear Readers: Exotic pets, loosely defined, are those animals that are not a dog, cat or farm animal. Do you have one or know someone who does? Here are some things to consider:

Ferrets, hedgehogs, snakes, turtles, rabbits, among many others, can be found in pet stores, but there can be problems with keeping them as pets. Chiefly, they require specialized veterinary care, which can be hard to find and expensive.

Habitat is another concern. Tons of research must be done to provide an environment that’s safe and conducive to healthy living. Wild animals may have been taken from their natural habitat, which could have been done illegally. When you take an exotic, sometimes wild, animal into your private home and captivity, the animal’s mood and behavior can turn, which can lead to biting and other attacks.

All in all, exotic pets are best left in the care of experts, who will have the time and training to care for them. — Heloise

CORNER THOSE COBWEBS

Dear Heloise: There are many cobwebs from spiders around the corners of my ceilings, especially in the living room. What is the best thing to use for getting cobwebs off the ceiling? I am allergic to harsh chemicals such as bleach and hydrogen peroxide. What do you suggest? — Georgia B. via email

Georgia, try using a microfiber cloth attached to a broom to grab and pull them down. Each strand of microfiber is triangular-shaped, which leaves more area on which the webs can settle. Just throw the cloth in the wash when you’re done. Oh, and prevention is practically impossible. — Heloise

IT’S IN THE BAG

Dear Heloise: A friend hired a nursery to plant a young tree. The nursery provided two green vinyl bags that zip together and circle the trunk. The homeowner fills the two bags with water and then the water continuously drips out of the bags to keep the ground and roots moist. — Karen Z., Canton, Ohio

Karen, these slow-release watering systems are great for trees and the environment. — Heloise

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