DEAR SUN SPOTS: Where else would one ever go with an odd request? Sun Spots, of course!

I have two “recipe boxes” that were my deceased partner’s, and they are filled with hundreds of index cards of recipes, fairly well organized in food categories. He was a gourmet cook and I am not! Many of these recipes are handwritten, from up to a hundred years ago, maybe more.

Do you have any ideas what to do with these, or who might want them? I’d like to think that they would be appreciated by someone who will use them, and an inquiry could reach me at [email protected]. 

Thank you for being here for us! — No name, Greene

ANSWER: I don’t think this is odd at all, but rather intriguing, and perhaps there’s an even bigger story here than a Sun Spots request. Also, you may get several answers from other curious Sun Spotters who are also foodies. Let us know what happens!

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am looking for a place that will accept used sharps that we have in buckets for disposal. They were for the prescriptions of Mounjaro and Heparin. Do you have any information as to what places accept these? — No name, no town

ANSWER: According to https://www.maine.gov/dep/waste/biomedical/sharps.html, you are allowed under Maine law to dispose of sharps in your household trash if you take the proper precautions to secure and label the container before doing so.

Use a designated sharps container that you can purchase at the drug store or make your own sharps container using a heavy puncture-proof plastic bottle – like one used for laundry detergent—not a soda bottle or other clear bottle. Place sharps in the bottle or container and when it’s full, seal it with the cap and heavy-duty tape. Write “Do Not Recycle” on the container and place it in your household trash.

If you’re not comfortable doing that, many pharmacies participate in sharps collection. Check with Hannaford on Spring Street in Auburn and on Sabattus Street in Lewiston, Bedard Pharmacy (Auburn/Lewiston), and CVS (Auburn/Lewiston) for drop-off points. Your health provider may also have a disposal bin for your sharps. 

The Environmental Services Department at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston can help you as well as local law enforcement offices. Confirm with a phone call before you go there. 

For more information, contact the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Biomedical Waste Program at 287-7688 or visit  https://www.maine.gov/dep/waste/biomedical/sharps.html. 

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’m curious. I still send out Christmas cards and wonder if anyone else in Sun Spots Land does this. It still brings me joy so I keep doing it. — No name, no town

I still send cards, although not as many as I used to. And yes, it still makes me happy. I even write notes in them! Who else still does this? 

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 [email protected].