Dear Readers: Well, looks like we got over a big hurdle. After tragic death tolls, billions of dollars lost, jobs on hiatus and the disruption of our everyday lives for over one year, COVID looks to be on its way to becoming under control.

Many people have been vaccinated, which is great, but officials are concerned because people are going back to pre-COVID behaviors, like dropping social-distancing barriers and not wearing masks. In fact, doctors are seeing more instances of the common cold, sore throats and the flu than when we were all masked up.

Wearing masks is still recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.CDC.gov), especially for children over age 2.

Some CDC-recommended behaviors have become habit — for example, not shaking hands and cleaning surfaces more frequently.

What will the office of the future look like? Will we all be at home? Will delivery service companies skyrocket in popularity? Stay tuned …

Balance is critical, but COVID has definitely changed the world around us. Let’s all be careful, smart and safe. — Heloise

TECH TALK TUESDAY

Dear Readers: Who’s in charge of the ink cartridges in your office? Did you know? Primary colors in printer-speak are not red, yellow and blue; they are magenta, yellow, cyan and key (black). — Heloise

CAR QUEST

Dear Heloise: My husband and I just returned from a trip and could not locate our car in the airport parking garage. What we learned is that you must know your license plate number and the VIN of the car.

We had to call our insurance agent to get all that information. So, FYI, take that information with you when you travel, and also take a photo of where you are parked, or write it down someplace that will be convenient to find once you get home. — Corrinne B., in Universal City, Texas

STUFFED SHIRT

Dear Heloise: Something that has always puzzled me as I “unlock” the wrapping on a newly-purchased men’s shirt: Why are men’s dress shirts packaged with all the pins, cardboard, tissue, plastic, etc., rather than on hangers like most women’s shirts and blouses?

In this day and age, hangers would seem like a savings in waste, in addition to doing away with a pet peeve of mine! — Carol C., Arcadia, Calif.

MAKING CONTACT

Dear Heloise: I appreciated your column urging people to use all the capabilities of their phones and computers. My favorite hint is to use the contacts feature to store all kinds of information that I need to access from time to time.

I open a new contact for “Refrigerator” and record the make, model and serial number, take a picture of the serial number plate and use it as the contact photo. I also can make a note for the date that I had a repair done, who did it, if I liked their service and how much it cost. I also add the repair person to my contact list.

I made a contact called “Bras” and keep a record of the brand and size, as well as when I purchased it, from what store and at what price. That way I can cut out the tags. — Sheri C.

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.

(c)2021 by King Features Syndicate Inc.