DEAR SUN SPOTS: Just wanted to share what I do with the child safety belts on shopping carts. There have been so many women having their purses stolen out of their shopping carts, but I lock the handle of my purse with the child safety belt. If someone wants to take my purse, the purse will be locked in and they will have to take the whole cart if they want the purse. Hopefully many women will read this and do the same. If the cart does not have one or it is broken, I look for a cart that has one working. Better safe than sorry. —  Louise Martel, Lewiston

ANSWER: An excellent tip, Louise. Sun Spots does something similar with her purse, which has a strap with a clip on it. She unclips the strap, wraps it around the handle of the cart and then re-clips it to her purse.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I will drive someone’s vehicle from Maine to Florida free of charge. We will be in Turner for Christmas, leaving for Florida soon after. I’m a 67-year-old male driver with an A-1 driving record, no tickets or accidents. My wife is 58 years old, and she is an A-1 driver also. Call Paul at 877-292-5221. — Paul, Turner

ANSWER: Readers need to be cautious about responding to offers such as Paul’s. While they can be very good deals for everyone involved, there is also potential for disaster. Even the best driver can have an accident through no fault of their own.

Make sure that your insurance will cover any other drivers and obtain personal references and copies of all appropriate papers, such as driver licenses and proof of insurance for the drivers, who need to be sure they are clear on their rights and responsibilities, too.

For those looking for cars to drive, you might want to check with some of the national car rental companies. They will sometimes give very good deals on car rentals to help move their fleet north or south, as the need may be.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have a document dated in the 1920s. It is called a sinking fun. It has a contact phone number on it. I have called this number several times, only to be able to leave a message. No one has called me back. Can you find out who I can call to speak to a live person about this? — T.P., Lewiston

ANSWER: Sun Spots thinks it’s highly unlikely that the phone number you are calling is for the sinking fund. More than 80 years is a long time to have the same phone number, and that one has probably been owned by several parties since your sinking fund was founded.

Remember that the 1920s were a go-go era with lots of novel investments, much like the one we have just stumbled through into the Great Recession. The economy crashed in 1929, along with a great many investments.

Sun Spots suggests that you take your paper to an investment adviser, such as you’d find at a brokerage house or large bank. Or you could make a photocopy of it at the library and mail it to them with a letter of explanation.

If you want to make an additional copy and send it to Sun Spots, she will look it up on the Internet, but that will not provide you with a complete answer, since, much to her dismay, Sun Spots is not an investment expert.

DEAR READERS: Sun Spots must admit to having made a mistake in her recent answer to a reader inquiring about viewing “Neighbor by Neighbor” again. Sun Spots said that it would be shown on Feb. 26 at the Lewiston Public Library. That is wrong. It was shown on Feb. 26, but in 2009, and is not scheduled again for 2010. Sun Spots overlooked that necessary little thing called a year when she visited the Web site. However, in speaking with Cindy from the library, she learned that the library has two DVD copies of this documentary that readers can borrow for viewing. Any documentary (meaning not an entertainment film) can be taken out from the library for a week at no charge.

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 also be e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.