Dear Heloise: I have one neighbor around the corner who just put up a flagpole in their front yard. I have another neighbor who has hung windchimes from a tree in their front yard. I can easily hear the clang clang from the flagpole and the ding ding from the chimes in my house, even though my windows are closed. I work from home, and this is very distracting. To make matters worse, I live in Buffalo, New York. In the winter, it is windy almost every day, which makes the noises louder. If I can hear the noises, even though I am not close to either house, I can only imagine how other neighbors feel, those who live closer. Homeowners should be considerate of neighbors before putting up flagpoles, windchimes or anything else that makes noise 24 hours a day! — Chris K.

A LOTION TRICK

Dear Heloise: I live in the beautiful Sonora Desert, where dry skin is a year-round concern. Our dermatologist said the best place to moisturize your skin is in the shower, after a quick dry off. Keeping the moisturizer in the shower is no problem, but how could I reach the mid-dle of my back? So I put a dab of moisturizer on the back of a long-handled plastic mixing spoon. This works great! — Chris R., in Sonora Desert, Arizona

Chris, yes the desert is so dry, but certainly also beautiful! What a fabulous way to give yourself an extra hand! — Heloise

WHITE BOARD

Dear Heloise: My husband is in assisted living. I keep an erasable white board in his room. When we have a visit or trip planned, I write it on the board. It helps him remember, and the staff loves it. That way, they make sure he’s ready. I also write sport schedules.

I keep the same type of board in our home garage. I write reminders: get gas, fill bird feed-ers, take X in the house, bring X to the garage. It saves me from standing in the mudroom trying to remember what I came for. Thank you. — Barb Crandell, via email

OILY VITAMINS

Dear Heloise: I store all my oily vitamins, like vitamins A and E, in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and so that they don’t stick together. If they do, just give the bottle a shake. — Eri-ka B., via email

BAKING FROZEN PIZZA

Dear Heloise: I have a different way than D.R.C. to keep my oven clean from melted pizza cheese. While the oven is heating up, I put a pizza pan on the shelf below, where the pizza will be. Melted cheese will drop onto this pan. When the pizza is done, I slide it off the rack onto the hot pan. The hot pan will keep the pizza warm longer.– C.C.B., in Vermont

OILY VITAMINS

Dear Heloise: I store all my oily vitamins, like vitamins A and E, in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and so that they don’t stick together. If they do, just give the bottle a shake. — Eri-ka B., via email

CLEANING DRYER SCREENS

Dear Heloise: I would like to add a much simpler solution to clean the lint off of a dryer screen. Just wet the tips of your fingers (I use the residual water in the dump sink next to the dryer), then swipe across the screen. Every bit of lint comes off instantly. Easy peasy! — Irene, New York

PET PAL

Dear Heloise: This is Eden, my Bishon Frise. She will be 2 in January and is the light of my life. — Barbara Smith, via email

Readers, to see Eden 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

Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.