Time to go through the old photos. Ever do that? Pictures of fascinating objects, moments, or maybe a recipe or two. I snap pictures for this column all the time, and then – sometimes – forget to share. Today’s the day to go down memory lane to bring some useful ideas to light.

This tip comes for anyone repairing a hem that is unraveling. Manufactured clothing – especially for women, often comes with hems that have double rows of stitching for hems. The factory machines are actually doing some kind of chain stitch which – if you don’t totally pull out the raveling thread that makes the stitch on the front side – will result in loops on the back side.

Very often, you can run your repair thread through those remaining loops of the chain on the back side to create an invisible fix. I’ve done this twice in the last month and created totally flawless repairs when viewed on the front side.

This trick was revealed to me by a dear, vertically-challenged, friend. Not sure Betty is even five feet tall, but this tip has even helped me – at 5’ 7 1/2 “  – to have better control with an electric beater.

Imagine my surprise when she placed her bowl in the sink to use the mixer. It helped with the task at hand, in spite of her being short, but when I also did it,  I was rewarded with an improved general control, catching those normal random splashes, and basically, made the job easier.

Thank you, Betty!

This one I’d classify as a hack. When it comes to pushing a grocery cart through the aisles, there’s quite a difference between over-handed and under-handed when it comes to hand placement.

How do you push your shopping cart? Probably over-handed like this:

Try pushing the shopping cart under-handed like this:

You will notice a little tension, and maybe even some minor ‘niggling’ in the abdominal area. Abdominal exercises in the middle of Harris Teeter! Now, I don’t know how many miles of cart pushing equals one crunch, but everything helps. If I can feel something going on, no matter how subtle, that’s a plus in the right direction.

Here’s another idea, if you like to do arm circle exercises, make a similar switch. Normally, people do arm circles with their palms facing down. Switch to palms facing the ceiling for a definite change and a bit of a challenge.

It’s been pegging near 100 degrees these last two days in Eastern North Carolina, that’s about all I can squeeze out today!

Stay cool. As one who used to love being in the heat on the back porch swing, I have had to come inside. Never been this old before … The heat causes vasodilation – blood vessels get bigger – and my blood pressure plummets. Even a cold glass of water or iced tea won’t help.

Sigh.

From the indoors-

Deidre