Dear Sun Spots: I hope Sun Spots can please help me to find a platform for my medical scooter. It attaches to the hitch on my van. I may be reached at 782-2301. Thank you. – L.E.B., No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots spoke with Steven Page, sales consultant, with Ride-Away, Handicap Equipment Corp., 32 Lewiston Road, Unit 2B, Gray, ME 04039, 888-693-3344. Page says they have a cargo mate which hooks to the hitch. You drive the scooter onto the platform which then lifts the scooter up.

They also recommend you purchase a cover for your platform, given the weather here in Maine. Please note that this is a very specialized, custom job. The company will need to evaluate what will suit and be safe for your vehicle, your hitch, as well as you and your scooter. They’ll also need to ensure everything meets your current and future capabilities. Page says it’s not just a case of picking up any kind of platform and then attaching it. It’s about a two-week turnaround from evaluation to installation. Page says they’ll be happy to do an evaluation for you. There is no charge for this.

They are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and for sales only on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. So if you are planning on having the evaluation completed you should plan on visiting Monday through Friday.

Dear Sun Spots: I am looking for a breeder of full size Collies in Maine. I know of one in Leeds and one in China, but have no names or contact information. If anyone has information about these two or others, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone has player piano rolls from the early 1900s of waltzes, polkas and fox trots in any condition but with the ends intact, I would be interested in them as well. I may be reached at 375-8546. – No Name, Sabattus.

Answer: In addition to responses from readers, you might consider contacting Merlynn Kennel and Lynn Deschambeault who are listed on several collie breeder Web sites. You may reach them at R.R. #1, Box 897B, 342 Hio Ridge Road, Denmark, ME 04022, or phone 207-452-2898. Hopefully she’ll be able to assist you or at least steer you in the right direction.

Dear Sun Spots: What can I do to bring my blood sugar down? It is high and I don’t eat any sweets.

Also, what are the effects of a growth or tumor on the kidney? What are the symptoms? – Concerned, No Name.

Answer: This is not as simple as it seems. A good healthy diet and exercise also help. Other foods convert into sugar in your system and so even with not eating sweets, you’ll still have sugar in your blood. Sun Spots would strongly urge you to discuss these medical questions with your primary care physician. While Sun Spots can research some of these questions, she is not a trained professional. You might also consider contacting The Outpatient Diabetes Education Program at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, 777-8625. They offer diabetes education programs that may help you determine high and low blood sugar, healthy nutrition and more. You should also have your doctor call the program to refer you to it, if need be.

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). 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 also be posted at www.sunjournal.com in the Advice section under Opinion on the left-hand corner of your computer screen. In addition, you can e-mail your inquiries to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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