Let me begin frankly by again wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Have you ever had a time when your thoughts just wouldn’t come together and you really didn’t have anything constructive you wanted to say? Even though it’s the beginning of a new year, the task of writing a column from one week to the other sometimes takes a lot out of you and you become brain dead. I know a lot of you can agree with that. You ask yourself what day of the week it is and try to decide what you had scheduled to do for that day. There are just so many things you have to do and so little time to do them all. Then, of course, there has to be some &uot;me&uot; time. I have to have time to myself to reflect and to gather my thoughts for the coming week. You have at least two loads of clothes that need to be washed. You have some paperwork you’ve been putting off for weeks and you know that back room that has become a &uot;catch all,&uot; you really do need to clean that up before company comes.

I’m not one for resolutions. I gave that up a long time ago. With that in mind, I don’t have to worry about keeping resolutions that I won’t fulfill and I can just keep moving on with whatever else I want to do. This is what happens when your thoughts are few and there’s not anything specific you want to talk about. That’s when writers like myself share something they’ve read somewhere else and hope that my friends would enjoy it. It’s time once again for some helpful tips some you may have heard of before and others, maybe not.

Here’s some tips just for you.

To keep cakes from sticking, sprinkle the tins with equal parts of four and fine sugar.

When bread is baking, a small dish of water in the oven will help to keep the crust from getting too hard.

Never beat egg whites in an aluminum pan, as it is sure to darken them.

Always allow plenty of space around the refrigerator for free air circulation so that the condenser coils will be properly cooled and work well.

Foods in most refrigerators should be covered, cold dry air evaporates the moisture from foods and deposits it as frost on the evaporator coils.

If an egg breaks on one end, crack the other end and you can boil it without the contents coming out of the shell.

Heat lemons well before using; there will be twice the quantity of juice.

Don’t leave a spoon or other metal in a pot that you want to come to a boil quickly. The metal deflects the heat lengthening the time to reach the boiling point.

Lemon juice or vinegar in the water cauliflower is cooked in makes it keep its snowy white color.

A tablespoon of black pepper added to the first suds in which you are washing cottons will keep the colors from running.

When you are washing and rinsing colored materials, a teaspoon of Epsom Salts added to each gallon of water will prevent even the most delicate shades from fading or running.

Dampened clothes will not mildew for several days if you put them into the lower part of the refrigerator.

When washing or ironing, put a thick rug under your feet and you will find you do not tire as easily.

Wet ink stains may be removed by washing in milk or better still, buttermilk. Wash, changing the milk frequently.

Grease spots generally may be removed with hot water and soap. If stains have become fixed by long standing, they may be removed by chloroform, either or naphtha. If any of these chemicals are used, keep them at a safe distance from fire or artificial light.

Table Salt and cream of tartar, equal parts, will remove rust stains. Wet the spot and spread the mixture on thickly then place the material in the sun.

To remove chewing gum from fabrics rub with ice and the gum will roll off and leave no marks. I do hope that some of these helpful tips may come in handy in the weeks and months to come. I know I was a little surprised with a few of them and know you probably were too. Enjoy yourselves and have a Happy New Year.