The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Microwav can be very fussy machines POINTERS DEAR POLLY My microwave seems very inconsistent Sometimes it takes minutes to boil a cup of water and sometimes it seems to take almost three minutes I dont feel I can rely on set cooking times and this is making it very difficult to judge when things are done Is this usual Should my oven go in for re- pairJ HELEN DEAR LUCY There could be a number of reasons for these apparent Inconsistencies Are there other elec trical appliances on the same circuit as your microwave If Its on the same circuit as a coffee maker or the refrigerator for example whenever those are on the power going to the microwave could be reduced requir ing longer cooking times Or perhaps when you boll water the water does not always start out at the same temperature each time If you draw a cup from the cold water tap it will obviously take longer to boil than a cup of lukewarm or hot water The same Is true of food tem peratures Warming something chilled from the refrigerator will take longer than warming the Identical dish that has been sitting at room temperature for a while Examine your habits regarding such details to see if this could answer your question If youre convinced that the oven Is still very inconsistent a trip to the repair shop may Indeed be in order Perhaps there is some thing wrong with the device that regu lates the power levels or with the timing mechanism Its certainly worth checking out POLLY RECIPE OF THE WEEK- Choco latey with a hint of spice these brownstone shortbread cookies are perfect for filling up the family cook ie jar or as the stars of a holiday cookie plate Cream together cup softened but cup granulated sugar cup light brown sugar teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla ex tract until light and fluffy Mix to in a separate bowl cups flour cup cornstarch cup un sweetened cocoa powder preferably Dutch process and teaspoon salt Then work dry Ingredient mixture into the mixture un til well combined into a smooth dough Working with half the dough at a time turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and roll approximately inch thick Cut into simple shapes with cookie cutters or a knife THE HERALD OUTLOOK Saturday November 18 Page scrub Rinse with clear water This Is quite effective for removing stains and brightening up linoleum and vinyl flooring Its also good for removing oil stains from your driveway Even If you could afford It putting down a new piece of vinyl flooring is a big job You may want to cover the floor with a kitchen carpet remnant Instead Im not a fan of carpeting in food areas since spills are not always easy to clean up but if you can find an inexpensive remnant on sale it would be an easy way to improve the rooms appearance POLLY DEAR POLLY Shaking my dust cloth out of the screened windows of my upperstory apartment is diffi cult However with a firm hold on the cloth I can pull It across the nozzle of my vacuum cleaner This does a good job of removing dust from the cloth ac Make your own laundry soap hand soap and laundry as well as general household clean ers furniture polish and window washing fluid with the formulas In Pollys newsletter Homemade Soaps and Cleaners Bake on baking sheets In a preheated 350degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are set Do not let the cookies become too brown This recipe makes to dozen cookies depending on the size of the cutters used DEAR POLLY We just moved into all apartment with terribly stained dirtylooking linoleum In the kitchen and dining room We cant af ford to replace it right now and the landlord refuses to do so Is there some way to improve the appearance of this floor Ive gotten down on my hands and knees and washed it so I know Its clean but it still looks terri ble K W DEAR BKW Here are two suggestions- Try scrubbing the floor with trlso- dium phosphate or washing soda Dissolve a cup of in a buck et of hot water mop it onto the floor and let it sit for 10 minutes then DO YOU WANT YOUR HOUSE SOLD Call The Action Team DON PARKER Don Sales Rep Rn 519 9151 Toll Mountain view Road North GeorgetovwnOntarlo Assoc Broker Res Toll 7034 CHILDREN CAN PLAY SAFELY On this 66 x 237 deep lot on dead end street Cozy 3 bedroom home located within easy walking distance to schools shopping entertainment and GO train Call or Don Parker or Toll Free Pager 5517007 NRS9241 CUSTOM BRICK RANCH BUNGALOW Trafalgar Rd Ballinafad IDEAL COUNTRY LIVING Trafalgar Rd North FREE MARKET EVALUATION CaH us for a FREE Confidential Market Evaluation and j professional advice concerning your real estate needs Not Intended solicit properties presently listed OPEN HOUSE Sun Won lues Nov 19 21 am to 300 pm 290 MacDONALD BLVD ACTON SUPER NEW BUNGALOW Brand new square foot beautiful raised bungalow featuring a 2 car garage bedrooms family room A washrooms inlaw suite all on a super private town lot This home also boasts walkouts from the rear with one onto a large deck plus many more features Priced to sell at only Call now for more information Where else can you buy 2400 ft of finished area for only Presented By HALTON BUILDERSDEVELOPERS 519 8337140 ARE YOU SITTING ON A GOLD MINE If youre considering your home or just want to know what its really worth nows the time to call your CENTURY 21 neigh bourhood professional for a complimentary no- obbgation market analysis Call RAMSAY BABR at for Free Written Evaluation of home Put Your Trust In No THE LARGEST REAL ESTATE ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD Realty of Distinction Inc Realtor RAMSAY BARR Sales Representative BUSINESS 8731881 RESIDENCE 8730724 offering of