BE KIND TO YUUR FEET

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19626, 21 October 1933, Page 11

BE KIND TO YUUR FEET

EXTRA CARE AND ATTENTION. During the summer you will be preparing for hiking parties or tennis matches. All of these things make extra work for your feet, so don’t you think it is only fair to give them some extra care and attention. If you don’t, you may be sorry, for feet will not suffer in silence. Well-cared-for feet, on the other hand, are comfortable, smart and something to be proud of. Bathe the feet daily in warm water, using plenty of toilet soap, sponge them with cold water and dry briskly. If the skin is tender, or the feet tend to become achy, rub them with methylated spirit. This not only hardens the skin, but draws out all pain. Fnally, dust with talc powder and pull on your stockings. Never be tempted to hike in silk stockings; or, if you must, then wear a pair of light woollen sockettes over them. If you find any thickened or callous skin, this should be soaked and scrubbed gently with a stiff nailbrush or pumice stone. An application of cold cream or olive oil before your bath keeps the skin on your feet soft and supple and prevents cracks and chapping. Cut your toe nails straight across level with your toe, then keep them filed down to a straight edge. A straight-edged toe nail very seldom becomes ingrown, nor will it wear a hole in a stocking. Boracic acid poured into shoes and stockings will relieve feet which perspire excessively, and people who suffer in this way should make a point of changing as frequently as possible and always after sport or walking. Never begrudge money spent on your feet. Have any corns, bunions or other disablities treated by an expert. Your stockings and shoes should fit well, your consideration being the shape of your foot rather than your pocket. Your shoes should be perfectly comfortable from the day you purchase them, not only after they are half worn out and have become soft and pliable at the expense of your feet.

YOUR WINTER FURS. With the arrival of spring and the promise of warmer days, one shall soon be thinking of discarding winter furs and furcoats for something more seasonable. After they have been worn continuously during the winter, most furs will be ready for spring cleaning before they are put to bed for the summer. An easy and economical way to clean them at home is to warm some bran in the oven, and rub this well into the fur with a soft cloth or brush. If the fur is long, part with the fingers and make sure that yau work the bran right down into the skin. Go over the whole of the fur article in this manner, shake vigorously, beat lightly on the rSverse side with a thin cane, and brush well with a very soft brush. Kang in the sun for an hour or so, and store in newspaper to keep free from months. You will then find your fur quite fresh and ready to wear when you come to take it from its hibernating bed next autumn. LIQUID FLOOR POLISH. The following is a “grandmother’s” well-tried recipe for a good liquid floor polish:—Dissolve lib. beeswax in a pint of turpentine. Standing in a dish of boiling water is the safest way, as it is highly inflammable at this stage. When wax has dissolved, scrape in 2oz. of common soap, and add 1 pint of water. Stir till cold. Bottle and cork. Very little is needed for a high polish if plenty of energy is put into the rubbing. CARRY A HOT DISH. Too often picnic menus are planned in a haphazard fashion with an unbalanced meal as the result. If these careless meals are repeated frequently, much damage may be done to the digestion. Unfortunately, it’s the children who are the chief sufferers at picnics because their needs are seldom considered. The same principles of nutrition must be kept in mind whether a family dinner is being planned or luncheon is being selected from a menu card in a restaurant.

The picnic composed of sandwiches, fruit, and a drink is the easiest meal to plan. The sandwiches do duty for the “main dish” and must be high in food value and easy to digest. A menu which is a bit more elaborate adds a salad to the sandwiches and little cakes or cookies to the fruit. Here again the sandwiches may be the chief source of protein, although a meat or fish salad may be chosen and vegetable sandwiches provided. If hearty sandwiches are planned, then the salad should furnish bulk, mineral constituents, and vitamins as well as adding piquancy and interest to the meal. Always choose a salad which carries well, for unless the dish is attractive it’s a doubtful addition to the repast. The picnic planned to take the place of dinner at home adds a hot dish to the salad and sandwich menu. The hot dish might well be a “one-piece” concoction which combines vegetables and meat. Macaroni or rice combination dishes are also suitable. Scolloped tomatoes with bacon, scolloped cauliflower in cheese sauce, combinations of vegetables with meat cooked in a casserole, stuffed baked vegetables—the dishes are legion that are acceptable for such a meal. These mixtures are satisfactorily carried in the dish in which they were baked and can be kept hot several hours if wrapped in many thicknesses of newspaper if one of the wide-mouthed vacuum jugs is not available. Sometimes it seems advisable to carry the salad ingredients in separate containers and combine them when ready to serve. A closely-covered tin pail keeps lettuce deliciously crisp. The dressing may be carried in a glass jar and the other materials packed in paper containers which can be destroyed when empty.