DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thanks for all you do. I’m looking for the large (restaurant supply size) canned diced tomatoes, in hopes of getting a better price than the smaller cans. I haven’t found them at BJ’s or Sam’s.

Also, does anyone know of a local breakfast restaurant where one can get thick, fluffy omelets? Everyone seems to be making them by spreading the egg mix out, cooking it, then folding in layers of other ingredients. These are more like paper-thin crepes than omelets.

Thanks again! — Cookin’ Good via email

ANSWER: Readers, can you help?

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Several months ago you listed shoe repair by Ali on Maple Street  in Lewiston. I called the phone number that was listed several times, but no one answered. Please list the number on Maple Street and the hours he is open. I need the phone number, since I misplaced it. Thank you. — Harriet, Fakhery127@aol.com

ANSWER: Sun Spots got a disconnected notice for the phone number for Ali Shongole. Perhaps someone who knows him will write in with updated contact information.

Meanwhile, Sun Spots has other shoe repair services. While none are located in Lewiston, one offers service by mail and another has a pickup spot in town.

* Midcoast Shoe Repair, 14 Maine St., Brunswick, 725-8557, open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays by appointment only. Offers a courier service for shoe and leather repairs at Sound Limbs Orthotics & Prosthetics, 39 South Lisbon Road, Lewiston, Elizabeth Park, midcoastshoe@gmail.com.

* Morin Shoe Store, 171 Main St., Berlin, N.H., 603-752-4810.

* Paul’s Shoe Shop at 22 Cumberland St., Westbrook, ME 04092, cobblerinacan@yahoo.com, 854-4338, will provide service by mail. They are open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

* Tom Finn Shoe Repair, 165 Water St., Augusta, 623-8491, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Finn says he repairs anything leather, as well as shoes.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thanks to your research we’ve all had many questions answered. Now comes one more from me. Have any of your readers purchased a Pleasant Hearth pellet stove and if so, what are their comments? Thank you. — Gary Haskell, 783-2780, garyevanhaskell@aol.com.

ANSWER: Consumer Reports does include pellet stoves in its reviews. If you don’t want to sign up for a long-term subscription, you can access the website for a monthly fee ($6.95) and unsubscribe at any time.

Sun Spots reactivates her account whenever she is making a large purchase, then cancels before the month is up.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: With cold temperatures and wood stove and pellet stove usage high, I have an important fire safety tip. This happened to us, and I never would have thought of it.

Cats like to back to the stoves for warmth. If there is no screen, their fluffy tails may start to burn, which could ultimately start a house fire. Our cat’s tail started smoking, and we had to put her in the sink.

Never leave your stove without a screen. Your cat could perish and you could lose your home. I luckily saw it happen and was able to avert a disaster. — G.W., Oxford

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 emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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