To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka.  The stuff dissolves adhesives.

To clean caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set 5 minutes, and wash clean.

To clean your eyeglasses, simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka.  The alcohol cleans the glass and kills germs.

Spray vodka on wine stains, scrub with a brush, and blot dry.

Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-oz. bottle of shampoo.  The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from the hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.

That vodka-filled spray bottle can also be used to kill bees and wasps.

To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.

To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.

Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.

Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the urushiol oil from your skin.

Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth.  Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.

Who knew?  And to think….until now I’ve only been drinking the stuff!

S

Our mini-schnauzer, Emma Belle, is around 9 years old…we think.  It’s difficult to tell because of her fur color:

The groomer said she is a somewhat unusual “platinum” color, where most of her breed are black or brown.  Trouble is, I’m not sure if she’s showing any gray hair or if this is just her normal “platinum”?  This all comes to mind now because several days over the past week or so our elevator has been down for maintenance.  Emma is fine walking down the steps (we’re on the 4th floor), but climbing back up she poops out one floor short.  Today when K took her out to potty during the lunch hour she had to carry her back up that last flight of stairs.  ’Course, it’s hot out and poor Emma is wearing a fur coat, so maybe that’s why.  Let’s hope.  I’m looking forward to many more years out of my ‘lil friend.

S

First, some fun stuff:  Today is Kelly’s thirty-something birthday.  (I don’t think I’m supposed to say 39.)  Why not drop by her blog and wish her a happy one.

Remember a while back I told of the NTTA…the North Texas Tollway Authority…and their plan to RAISE tolls because ridership was down?  Good one guys, entice ‘em back by raising tolls. Here’s what they’re up to now:  As of July 1st they no longer have any manned toll booths or change machines.  If you have a tolltag you just drive through and your credit card account is automatically debited with your toll.  If you DON’T have a tolltag, you just drive right through and they take a photo of your license plate and send you a bill.  They have it figured this will save them money even after paying for all that postage.  So far, so good.

Except they seem to have forgotten about all those out-of-state drivers who use our tollways, and here in Texas there are a LOT of them.  Before, an honest out-of-state visitor would stop and pay his toll and drive on.  A dishonest visitor would just drive through and take their chances on ever getting caught.  Now there is no way for an out-of-state resident to pay a toll, even if they wanted to.  Remember, there are no booths or change baskets.  And there is currently no way the NTTA can access other state’s license plate/address records to send them a bill.  They don’t have that authority.  Duh!!

So they’re short of money, they would love to raise tolls on those few of us who still have an extra buck a day to pay, yet they’re leaving thousands (millions?) of dollars on the table.  K says they surely took that into account, but I don’t think they’re that smart.  Nope, I think Texas just has the world’s dumbest bureaucrats.

S