DEAR SUN SPOTS: Friends of Tommy’s Feral Felines are always so generous to our kitty friends, and another chance to help them is coming up. Please start setting aside your recyclable cans and bottles for an upcoming bottle drive to benefit Tommy’s and all of the feral cats for which it cares.

The bottle drive will be held on July 11 and 12 at Sports Trader, 707 Main St. in Lewiston. It is next to Cumberland Farms and across from Burger King. A truck will be in Sports Trader’s parking lot from 8 a.m. until dark to accept your bottles and cans.

Tommy’s Feral Feline Friends is a volunteer, no-kill organization which receives no official funding and relies solely on donations and the results of its fundraisers to keep going.

Tommy’s all-volunteer staff works hard 365 days a year in all kinds of Maine weather to support abandoned cats that live a feral existence as a result of human abandonment.

In addition to feeding and sheltering, they provide spaying, neutering, vaccinations and other medical care for the animals, many of which are too feral for adoption.

For further information you can contact Norm Blais at 207-650-8374 or, normblais39@yahoo.com or at P.O. Box 274, Greene, ME 04236.

This is an easy one, folks — nothing to bake or buy, just a great opportunity to clear out that garage or closet where you store those recyclables and at the same time help our furry friends. — Diane Fuller, jenora@aol.com

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thanks for a great column. Keep up the good work. I have a couple questions:

Why can’t you freeze ham?

Do they still have those reverse telephone books where the numbers are listed numerically and the names are after?

Thanks! — No Name, Lewiston

ANSWER: Not freezing ham is news to Sun Spots, who has been doing so for years and has lived to tell about it. The folks at foodsafety.gov probably wouldn’t approve, however, of how long ham stays in Sun Spots’ freezer.

Numbers on safe refrigeration and freezing are available at www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/hamstoragechart.html. It suggests one to two months for many kinds of ham, six months for fresh, uncooked ham. Do not freeze canned ham.

As for those reverse directories, Sun Spots makes use of online services, so to find out about the printed versions she called the Lewiston Public Library, where Elaina at the reference desk said they do indeed carry those volumes. One enables you to look up people or businesses by street address, the other by landline phone number.

Elaina said the directories are behind the desk, so you will need to ask for them.

Many of the online services seem to change constantly, and some charge. A report on CBS suggested using Facebook to look up phone numbers. Sun Spots tried this on her own phone number, and it worked. You can also just put a phone number in Google and frequently get a result as well.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I really enjoy your column. I am writing to see if any of your readers would know where I could find a 4- by 8-foot top for my four-seater outdoor glider. Thank you. — cv4evr39@aol.com

ANSWER: Sun Spots answered this same question on May 13 (sunjournal.com/news/sun-spots/2014/05/13/awning-swing-canopy-sought/1531766) and listed all the options, including upholsteres. For awnings, you can try:

* Dick Waters, J&W Awnings, Lisbon Falls, 207-353-8842, www.jwawning.com, jwawning@verizon.net

* Leo’s Custom Auto Upholstery, 300 Cressey Road, Monmouth, Lbeaudin50@yahoo.com, 207-782-3822

* Nuimage, 101 Merrow Road, Auburn, 800-901-3313, www.nuimageawningsofmaine.com

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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