After tales of toilet troubles and tails of a mouse in the house in recent columns, it's time to play some catch-up with the SFH mailbag.

B.J. of St. Paul writes that she bought her first house at age 55: "Shades of my childhood, I loved the spacious corner lot, the front porch, and the big maple tree in the backyard best. I pictured myself reading, not repairing."

Yeah, right. But when the toilet needed replacing, she wasn't afraid to tackle the task herself.

"I decided to take the plunge — small pun intended. After wrestling the old tank off the wall and prying the base up with a crowbar, I lugged them into the garage where they sat for three weeks before going to the annual neighborhood recycling shindig.

"I bought a shiny new flush-efficient toilet and looked at it for another three weeks while I perused the manual. (Happily, I have a working toilet in the basement.) Six long-distance calls to my cousin's plumber husband in Iowa City and three (yes, only three!) trips to 7 Corners Hardware later, I had a new toilet that worked. I accepted kudos from friends and acquaintances, male and female."

And kudos from this SFH as well.

But B.J.'s sister ran into some furnace and sewer trouble and, "We started wondering if there isn't some organization that just gives money to worthy women for worthy projects? Sort of a proactive 'Ask This Old House/Habitat for Humanity' combo agency.

"We know about home-equity loans, energy tax incentives

and the like, but ... any other type of help out there for the hard-working woman with heart but no cash?"

Anybody have any ideas?

HEAD OF THE SHOWERHEAD CLASS

After reading a mid-March column about cleaning my showerhead by attaching a plastic container full of vinegar, married female homeowner Pat said: "I used the drawstring plastic bag method, which has an added bonus of being easier to attach to the shower head (for me, anyway) than the basket method. I left it for about 24 hours. Then I put baking soda down the bathroom sink, poured the vinegar on it — being careful so I wouldn't have the mess of a Mentos-Coke reaction. It bubbled, it foamed and finally, exhausted from its exertions, left the drain, which now drains beautifully. It also acts as a sanitizing agent if needed."

BRANDWAGON

And finally, in a column about brand loyalty months ago, when I lamented that I suspected that Procter and Gamble had messed with the scent of "original scent" Dawn dishwashing soap, I heard from several people who agreed with me (though all PG did was send a coupon). Jo e-mailed to say she noticed the same thing and added that she thinks it makes her dishrag smell funny. She went on to say she's big on brand loyalty.

"It is really maddening when they change a taste you love," Jo wrote. "For instance, I loved Hellmans Tartar Sauce! I could eat it straight from the jar without fish sticks. Then one day, I had some and it didn't taste right. So, like you I thought it was old and bought a new jar. Same thing. I looked closer at the label and it said 'New Taste'! I was so bummed, now it tastes like all the other brands. I e-mailed Hellmans about it, and they replied saying they will let their quality assurance department know, and that taste is subjective and they are always trying to improve."

And Cyndi wanted me to know that though my heart is pledged to Pledge dusting spray, I should give Endust a try: "I was raised a Pledge person, my mom and grandma always used it and so did I — until I got married to an Endust person. I tried it, and I've never gone back.

"Recently, it's been difficult to find Endust, the big stores aren't carrying it anymore and my grocery store clearanced it out about 6 months ago. I was afraid they weren't making it anymore. About two weeks ago my last can was almost gone, and I was thinking I'd have to go back to Pledge when I found it at the local dollar store. I have to say it was the highlight of my day and I couldn't wait to tell my husband when he came home."

This column, written alternating weeks by the Veteran SFH and the Rookie SFH, appears every other week. Today's column as written by the Veteran SFH. Contact her at sfh@ pioneerpress.com.