ANSWER: Having to commute through town each day en route to and from the office, Sun Spots understands your frustration. It will be interesting to see how construction will impact the flow of traffic.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have had a garden all my life. We have canned the vegetables and frozen them. What is the proper time in the 8 or 10 months to eat them? Are they okay to eat after 10 months? Thank you. — John, Rumford.

ANSWER: Much of how long home-canned or frozen vegetables last depends on how they are prepared and stored. According the National Center for Home Food Preservation, properly stored frozen fruits and vegetables will maintain their quality for between 8 and 12 months, while canned garden bounty should be used within a year.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’m having trouble finding a place to have shrink wrapping of a poster done. It seems this used to be a fairly common option. I would appreciate any help with this. Thanks so much. — No Name, No Town.

ANSWER: Most professional framing shops offer the shrink wrap technique for posters or maps. Hobby Lobby in Auburn offers this service. They’re located at 65 Mount Hope Ave. and you can call them at (207) 782-6026. If you’re willing to take a nice drive in the beautiful spring weather, then Just Framing located at 149 Front St. in Bath also offers shrink wrap. You can make the most of your trip by calling ahead at (207) 443-3076.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Regarding your April 19 response to deer eating evergreen shrubs, I was surprised that you were not told about black pepper and ivory soap (used bar) to naturally shun deer from your hosts. — Sherry, No Town.

Advertisement

ANSWER: Thanks for the info. Sun Spots enjoys learning about old-school remedies and is happy to pass along the info to any of our readers who may be experiencing similar issues with deer snacking on their shrubbery.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: We had no power on April 7, so we decided to go to Margaritas for dinner. At the end of our meal, the waitress told us that someone has “paid it forward” and our check had been paid. I would like to thank the generous people for their act of kindness. — Brian and Debbie, No Town.

ANSWER: Thank goodness for generous people in this world. If Sun Spots recalls correctly, that was a particularly windy evening, and many people all over the state lost their power. Kudos to the people who made that whole evening a more pleasant experience for you.

Use the QR code to go to Sun Spots online for additional information and links. This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com, tweeted @SJ_SunSpots or posted on the Sun Spots Facebook page at facebook.com/SunJournalSunSpots. This column can also be read online at sunjournal.com/sunspots. We’ve joined Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/sj_sunspots.

filed under: