She Enjoys the Notoriety, Thank You

Sherry Barber of Whittier has always written her thank-you notes on yellow Thank-U-Grams and found them terrific for that purpose, but she can’t find them anymore. Can you help Barber get some note-oriety, or will an ounce of sense tell her that there must be better way to tell write from wrong?

For her husband, Toye Brill of Simi Valley is trying to locate knit jockey-style shorts in mid-thigh length , and she doesn’t care if they are 100% cotton or blends. The Jockey and Haines brands she used to purchase seem to have disappeared from the shelves. Can you help Brill’s husband from getting caught short, or will she just have to thigh and forget it?

Nancy Rorty of Palos Verdes Estates needs a source for Finish Feeder furniture polish , which apparently cleans and feeds wood furniture; a friend gave her some to use. Can you help smooth the path for Rorty, or will she wonder whether this wood be the end?

Bernard R. Glennon of Whittier is looking for someone to teach him etching on glass and for a source for tools and supplies (all preferably in his area). Can you help before Glennon’s hopes are completely shattered, or will it be transparent that a class in glass just can’t cut it out there?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Virginia at (818) 951-1722 is looking for old cookbooks, especially one compiled by Dorothy Kirk and put out by Woman’s Home Companion in the 1940s. Please help Virginia let off some steam by keeping the pot boiling on her stove. . . . Because she has a back problem, Carol at (714) 998-9284 needs to buy an old-fashioned mangle for her ironing, but no one seems to make these any more. Please stand up for Carol and give her a chance to iron out her problem. . . . When Catherine at (714) 498-7172 was married 43 years ago, she bought Rocksharp crystal, but the firm went out of business years ago. Now she would like to obtain some claret or champagne glasses to finally complete her set. Please look sharp and make it crystal clear to Catherine that she is no longer stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items and for products no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that others may contact you directly.

More good news for readers looking for difficult-to-find fragrances. Anitra Earle, owner of the Encore Perfume & Resale Boutique, 6318 Vesper Ave., Van Nuys, Calif. 91411-2378, (818) 781-4360, writes that she specializes in locating and stocking discontinued and “lost” fragrances and perfumes. Earle adds that she also keeps a file of requests and notifies customers when that item becomes available.

The Chemex filters that Kathlyn asked for a few weeks ago are, according to W. S. Williams of Pasadena, available for $4.99 for 100 at the Tea & Coffee Co. in the Glendale Galleria.

For overseas traveler Lorraine McKeighan of Thousand Oaks, who was looking for a plastic raincoat that folds into an envelope-sized package, we have several sources. The one nearest to her might be Lindy’s Luggage Shop, 1119 State St., Santa Barbara, (805) 687-7817; according to Barbara Edmiston of Solvang, they sell full-length plastic raincoats for $3.50. Betty Bathgate of Indian Wells says she bought a similar coat at one of the Ports of Call locations and is sure all their stores carry them. Louise Arnold of La Jolla mentions luggage shops that carry travel accessories. She also suggests, wisely, that since spring weather can be very cold in Europe, McKeighan might be better off in a regular raincoat with a zip-in lining and carry a folding umbrella.

Patricia Marsden of Bellflower, who was looking for old-fashioned ink blotters, will soon be able to blot the experience out of her memory. Virginia of Computer & Quill in Huntington Beach says to contact Ziller of Kansas City, 7930 State Line, Suite 112, Prairie Village, Kan. 66208. According to Virginia, they have reasonable prices and excellent service. We also heard from a Carpinteria reader who has a few of these blotters; name and address have been sent to Marsden.

Herb Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who need--or have--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.