First was a letter from Beryl Lamb of Washington who sent along what she called "mature fingers gripper."
To demonstrate, Lamb sent a small paint brush probably not more than 1/8 inch in diameter. Over this, she had slipped a two-inch length of plastic tubing. To make the handle's circumference even larger, she covered the first tubing with another length of plastic tubing . . . and then yet another two-inch length of an even larger plastic tubing. (Note: Plastic tubing is available in hardware stores in a wide range of diameters. It is sold by the foot and sells for as little as 8 cents a foot.) When the circumference of the handle was large enough she slipped the foam sleeve from the curler over everything. If the foam sticks (and I found that it does) just smooth a bit of hand lotion over the tubing before covering. I tried it and it worked beautifully. In fact, the whole thing worked beautifully. The plastic provides the sturdiness and hardness, and the foam offers the softness and comfort. Great idea, Lamb!
The next letter in the basket contained a question from Orpha Brewer of Arizona. Brewer sent a picture of her fire hydrant . . . which apparently is in her yard! She doesn't seem to have a problem with the fact that it is in her yard, but with the fact that it's not very attractive and she wondered if we had any suggestions about how to decorate it. Our only suggestion was to paint it with wild and wonderful colors using some new paints on the market that are suitable for glass, metal, and other surfaces. A word of caution however, check with the authorities first to make sure it is legal!
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