Potato masher works for egg salad

Dear Heloise: A potato masher is terrific for making an egg salad. It helps break up hard-boiled eggs faster and better. Adele Bloom,via email Dear Heloise: I wanted to write in regarding the recent letters printed from seniors who had to tell family and friends that they may visit their lake house or vacation home by invitation only.The most wonderful memories of my life are from the times I spent at my grandparents' as a child. Did the children make messes, raid the refrigerator, and eat all the snacks? Absolutely! But later in life, our grandparents developed dementia and cancer. They begged us, "Please don't send me to a nursing home." They wanted to pass on at home surrounded by family.So, all the children and grandchildren came together to feed them, bathe them, and love on them. For my husband's parents and mine, thankfully we were with them at home when they passed.Seniors, you better use all the time you have left to love on your family and not exclude them. A sad picture is visiting a nursing home and seeing seniors die alone after staring at the walls for years without one visitor. R.D.S.,in North Carolina Dear Heloise: I read your column each day and always love the hints. Recently I was reading about ways to keep parchment paper in place. What I do to keep unruly parchment in place is to spray cooking spray on the pan, then lay the parchment paper down. It works like a charm; no more sliding parchment paper! Adrienne Harris,via email Dear Heloise: L. Russell's suggestion about tea lights in a glass jar sounds good, but is the jar tempered? If not, heat could cause it to break. I have a battery and an LED lamp that I use if the lights go out. It works great. A.M.S.,via email Dear Heloise: Do you have a substitute for sour cream? My husband hates sour cream, but the recipe I want to try calls for sour cream to be mixed into the sauce. Kelsie A.,in Tennessee Kelsie, you can try using plain yogurt or perhaps 6 ounces of cottage cheese mixed well with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Use a blender or a food processor to create a fine texture. Heloise Dear Heloise: I love healthy wheat and oat bran cereals and not just for breakfast; it's easy to make a delicious trail mix snack with them. I can add nuts, pretzels, dried fruit, candy-coated chocolates, marshmallows, corn chips. ... The possibilities are many! Anne,in Texas Dear Heloise: I'd been buying items online every few weeks or months and paying it off with a credit card. At the end of last year, I decided to stop buying things online so that I could go on a cruise this year. I made a resolution and am sticking to it!Now I'd rather get in the car, go to the store, and pay in cash -- and I can afford the cruise. Virginia,in California Virginia, I'm glad it was worth the sacrifice. Enjoy your reward! Heloise Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.