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HINTS FROM HELOISE: Flatten your chicken with cereal bags

DEAR HELOISE: I’ve discovered a second use for empty cereal bags (that go inside boxes of cereal). I use them for flattening chicken breasts. They’re much more durable than waxed paper, not as slippery as plastic wrap, and more sanitary than just using a cutting board and a meat mallet. I pop the breast into the bag, pound away, and repeat. If I’ve trimmed any excess fat off the meat, it goes into the bag when I’m done, then into the trash. — Margie, Damascus, Oregon DEAR HELOISE: A small flannel jewelry cloth can come in handy at estate sales and garage sales. It helps ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Low iron levels can bring many symptoms

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 62-year-old woman in fairly good health. I’m currently on Wellbutrin, carvedilol, Farxiga, Entresto and spironolactone, and my blood pressure is very well-controlled. I also recently started Zoloft. About eight months ago, I started feeling bad and spoke to my doctor about it. She wasn’t concerned at the time and said that it might be due to my recent weight loss. I’ve lost about 25 pounds. I went to my cardiologist and had an echocardiogram and stress test done, and both were normal. Recently, I read about ferritin levels and the symptoms of a low ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

1. You are sure to make the slam if the opposing clubs are divided 3-2, so all of your thoughts should be centered on how to overcome a 4-1 or 5-0 club division. By far the best approach, after winning the spade lead with the ace, is to play as many trumps as necessary until the opponents have exactly one trump remaining. You deliberately do not draw this last trump, but instead next play the ace of hearts and A-K of clubs. If both opponents follow to both clubs, you draw the missing trump and concede a club trick. If the clubs divide 4-1 or 5-0, and the ace or king of clubs gets ...

Hints from Heloise: Clean showers with ease

DEAR HELOISE: The easiest way to clean a shower is with a squeegee. They come in different widths, and it only takes a minute to run the squeegee over the door when you’re finished showering. I also use them to wash windows, which makes this task a snap. — Mara T., in Alexandria, Louisiana DEAR HELOISE: Here are some things that I’ve learned from taking care of my disabled spouse: — Attach tennis balls to the feet of walkers for easy gliding. — If someone has vision problems, attach a small piece of contrasting tape to the top of one of their shoes and tell them which ...

To Your Good Health: Dementia worsens after case of delirium

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 83-year-old sister underwent the simple procedure of replacing her pacemaker battery. She’s also been diagnosed with early signs of dementia. They gave her propofol, and when she woke up, she had extreme vertigo. Since it was an outpatient facility, they dumped her in the emergency room. She spent four days in the ER because there weren’t any beds in the hospital. On the second day, she developed a bad case of delirium. After four days, she had to be transferred to a nursing home, where she spent 17 days trying to recover. She still isn’t 100% as this delirium ...