Helpful Hints

There is something about below zero temps, water and snow that just creates some of the most amazing photos --well, I think they are amazing!

And yes, that water does look cold -- no swimming allowed on this day -- ye gads.

Coffee filters...who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Store for almost nothing.

• Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave.Coffee filters make excellent covers.



• Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.



• Protect China - Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.



• Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.



• Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.



• Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.



• Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.



• Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.



• Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.



• Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to preventthe soil from going through the drainage holes.



• Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.



• Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.



• Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.



• Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."



• OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS

Now for some more photos. Here's the Norwood Ice Rink and I for one have yet to see anyone use it, which is sad because it takes time and work to make this sucker and it can be fun to skate on it (I tried last year and well, not very graceful on the ice but I had a blast). The other shot is "beside" the ice rink, maybe it's the "starter rink" for new skaters? Whatever, that rink is there and should be used!

When it warms up a bit, get out there and enjoy the outdoors -- its really beautiful and peaceful.