Now Here’s a Tip – April 6, 2021

#Middlebury

• Trying to spot roof damage but not quite sure you’re ready for a trip up the ladder? Before you get up on the roof, get out your binoculars. You’d be surprised how much you can see from the ground, and you can do a cursory examination and then decide if anything needs a closer look.
• Upcycle an unused bread box as a charging station. Simply mount a power strip in the back of the box on the inside, and you can put phones and other small devices directly inside to charge. Run a cord through the side so that larger tablets can sit on top of the box to charge.
• “Use lip balm to help a too-tight ring slide off of a finger. This happened to me when I tried on my sister’s ring in church. I had some lip balm in my pocket, and it helped me get the ring off quickly and quietly without having to get up.” – A.E. in Washington
• If your phone’s buzzing and ringing with alerts has you distracted during your workday, use the “do not disturb” function to create periods of quiet. Schedule blocks of deep focus time by making an appointment with yourself in your calendar. This can help you to organize your time to get things done.
• Using cold water for laundering protects colors and uses less energy.
• If you have some sticky gum that’s stuck on fabric, it might be best to set it aside and wait for it to harden. Or if you can’t wait that long, try using a piece of duct tape. Press the tape over the gum, then lift off from the side. You can repeat this process to pull up all of the gum.

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