Dear Heloise: I am an old granddad (I prefer that to “grandpa”), and I spent many, many years reading your mom’s column. I was thrilled when you took over. You’re almost like family to me. I have lived alone for over 25 years. During that time, I’ve become a reasonably good cook.

About a year ago, I expanded my repertoire to include baking. Among the easier items I loved to bake were cookies, especially for my three grandchildren! A couple months ago, I thought, “Why use the prefigured cookie cutter shapes all the time?”

I experimented using a pizza cutter to make my own shapes, and voila! It worked perfectly! I’ve got a granddaughter going off to college next year who wants me to send her cookies. Now, not only will it be easier for me to make shapes, but I can bake tons of medium-sized square cookies, cut to fit in the shipping box I normally use.

This makes packing more efficient and safer (less broken cookies), plus I have a happier granddaughter! — Granddad Cutting a Cookie Rug, Omaha, Nebraska

NO SOGGY CEREAL

Dear Heloise: Put fruit in a bowl first. Add milk. Then, add cereal. You’ll enjoy having crispy bites as you read Heloise! — Pat Chaffin, via email

PET PAL

Dear Heloise: Here’s a birthday picture of our senior rescue Boots. We adopted Boots in May 2017, after his elderly owner passed away. He was 16 and could not handle being in a shelter. It took a lot of patience and time for us to get to know each other. He was not happy about having another cat living in the same house. We had a feral cat named Smokey that we brought home in 2007.Smokey was a sweetheart, but we lost her some time ago to lymphoma. She was only 13. We were heartbroken! — Cynthia Zahorcak, via email

Readers, to see Boots and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Do you have a furry friend to share with our readers? Send a photo and a brief description to Heloise@Heloise.com. — Heloise