Dear Heloise: Sixty years ago when our home had been built, my husband solved my jewelry tangle in a simple, beautiful way. He painted a 7-by-2-foot pegboard medium blue, framed it with narrow stained cove strips, and hung it on our bedroom wall with numerous hooks. Necklaces and bracelets are visible, quickly accessible, and a focal point of the room’s decor. Earrings and pins take up less room in the drawers with inserts from candy boxes. — Donna, in Canandaigua, New York

CARRYING HEAVY LOADS

Dear Heloise: Recently, someone wrote in that they could no longer carry in economical heavy bags of pet food and potting soil from their trunk when they got home, and their solution was to divvy up these contents into smaller bags that were easier to carry and dispense from.

As a lifelong pet owner, I do want to recommend to everyone that when you transfer pet food from large bags to smaller containers, please be sure to hold on to the original bag until you have finished up the contents. These days, there are many pet food recalls, and the only way to identify yours is by the date and lot numbers printed on the bag.

It is a “best practice” that I have always followed, and it provides me with peace of mind. I hope this helps folks to remember the importance of being able to confirm the safety of your pet’s food if there is a recall. — Stacy E., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Stacy, another solution might be to purchase a hand cart to move the bags around. You can roll the bag out of the trunk and slowly slide it onto a dolly, aka a hand cart. It’s what I usually do to save my back. — Heloise

CRACKED HEELS

Dear Heloise: I have had dry, cracked heels for years. I tried petroleum jelly and lotions with no luck. I found that eczema cream works. Use a pumice stone to help remove the dead skin, then apply the cream because it will help with this problem. — Joyce, in California

AVOID STORING JEWELRY IN PLASTIC BAGS

Dear Heloise: Regarding your reader’s advice to store jewelry in plastic bags, please tell your readers not to do this. I inadvertently destroyed a beautiful keepsake bracelet by storing in a baggie. I was subsequently told that due to plastic outgassing and moisture retention, gemstones and various metals may be irreparably damaged when stored in plastic. I learned the hard way that plastic baggies are not for jewelry storage. — Lisa G., in California

NO BREAD FOR SQUIRRELS

Dear Heloise: I was disappointed to see a recent reader’s letter about feeding bread to squirrels. Bread of any kind is really bad for squirrels! They are adapted to only eat nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Squirrels will eat bread, but it is missing the essential nutrients they need. Eating it can lead to serious health problems for them.

Please ask your readers to only feed squirrels the proper foods that are good for them. — Tom, in St. Louis

DISPOSING MORPHINE

Dear Heloise: My 101-year-old father was in hospice for a short time before he passed away. I administered his comfort meds including morphine. When the hospice nurse came to Dad’s home after he passed, I asked how to dispose of the morphine. She crushed the pills, placed the powder in the pill bottle, added water and dish detergent, then gave it a good shake. I guess this either destroys the morphine or renders it unusable. — Mark B., via email

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.