March 1973

What's happening to the American family?

Editor's Note: For some years now, social critics have been predicting the death of the American family. We hear of a generation gap, a rising divorce rate, role confusion, a rootless society. One commentator has said that the family is "near the point of complete extinction."

The unexpected pleasures of painting a house

The most complex and elaborate projects usually begin with one small thing going wrong. So it happened that I was shutting all the windows during a thunderstorm when I noticed that one of the casement windows in my sons' bathroom had rotted away, rotted so badly that it now had the toughness and consistency of a honeycomb.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN EYEGLASSES AND CONTACTS

It's a remarkable person who has perfect eyesight for a lifetime. This means that at some point in your life you'll probably need supplementary lenses placed in front of your eyes to help you see your way. All of which makes you a good candidate for glasses or contact lenses (or both, in rare cases).

Shöûld yôùr yøüñgstér stùdy îñ Éürøpè thîs sůmmér?

Your teen-aged son rushes in one afternoon and announces: "I want to go to Europe this summer. All the kids are doing it. How about it?"

CARBURETORS NEED CARE TOO

For the do-it-yourselfer, carburetor maintenance is simple enough. There are only two adjustments to be concerned with: idle speed and idle mixture.

Can you thwart car theft?

Detroit's anti-car-theft engineers are in a quandary. Each year they add more theft-dispelling gadgetry to their cars. Each year more cars are stolen than the year before. In a decade, the number of auto thefts has nearly doubled-- reaching a million this year-- despite the Detroit engineers' best efforts.

Self-cleaning steam iron

Counter-top juicer/blender

Lightweight chain saw

Quiet, remote control slide projector

Folding car-top boat

INSTALLMENT LOANS: HOW TO KEEP COSTS LOW

It's a common temptation to try to rearrange installment loans for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you want to renew a current loan in order to reduce your monthly payments. Or you'd like to add a small remaining balance of an old loan into a new loan. Sometimes consolidating several loans seems a good idea, because then you'd have just one payment to make.

Dual-control divider

STORAGE SOLUTIONS FOR THE OVERSTUFFED HOUSE

Whether you live in a modern house built for you or a house built in another time for someone else, there never seems to be enough storage space. But cheer up-- there are lots of ways to get rid of that stuffed feeling. One solution is to borrow (or steal) space at the end of a room or around a closet.

GARDENING IN MARCH

Occasionally you hear or see a certain woody plant referred to as hardy for cultivation in such and such a zone. The zone numbers usually referred to are shown on the accompanying zone hardiness map. This map has been in use for several years and is the result of analyzing data compiled by the United States Department of Agriculture.

How to take care of your feet

Our poor, mistreated feet. They bear the weight of a body throughout an entire lifetime. There are 52 bones (26 per foot) holding each of us upright during a day. Connecting the essential 26 bones are 33 joints to enable us to run, jump, or just plain walk.

KITCHEN PROBLEM SOLVED

The owner of the poorly organized "before" kitchen had some definite remodeling goals. She wanted to make the kitchen efficient, with ample storage areas and adequate light for each. And she wanted to do it all without costly structural changes.

When should you see a doctor about moles?

Don't be unduly alarmed if you have a large number of moles. The average white American adult has from 12 to 40 moles distributed over his body. Indeed, no Caucasian adult is entirely free of moles. In most cases they're harmless.

DOES IT PAY TO RECYCLE A HOUSE?

Most families think "new house" when they decide they want to upgrade their way of living. But dollar for dollar, remodeling a house is often as good an investment as buying a brand-new one.

Special gardens

Whatever your taste and whatever your space, there's a garden specially suited to you. And the very things that may seem like handicaps --such as a tiny yard or too much shade-- can turn out to be assets because, in surmounting them, you come up with something unique. On the following pages, we'll prove the point with some special gardens to fit all sorts of people-- whether you fancy lots of color or the permanence of a rock garden... a rose garden or a wild, back-to-nature look... an extravagance of fragrance or a practical salad garden... a garden to enjoy in the shade or one with a nostalgic old-fashioned look.

To sift or not to sift?

If you need to gain weight

... folks are inundated ... reducing plans, exercise ... attitude reexaminations, and advice about how to ... But pointers are scarce ... people who need to gain ... If you're in that ... start by asking your doctor ... help you determine the best ... for your height and bone ...

Baby-sitting co-ops--a boon to the family budget

One way to cut family costs and give yourself some free time as well is to ... with friends in a baby-sitting cooperative. Quite simply, a group of parents agree to exchange baby-sitting services. But, instead of depending upon haphazard arrangements, a coop provides an organized clearinghouse that makes these arrangements much easier.

Drink dress-ups

An extra touch just before serving can give any beverage a festive look. As a reminder, tape these pointers on the cabinet door where you store your glasses and coffee cups.

Choosing a new mattress

Before you rush out and buy a new mattress, ask yourself a few questions. Do you prefer innerspring or foam? Would you be more comfortable with queenor king-size bedding? Are you allergy-prone? Do you like a soft mattress or a firm one? You'll be living with your new mattress ten years or more, so make sure you choose the right one.

Thrifty spring arrangements

Just a few spring flowers in the right container can add up to a very attractive arrangement. When you work with sparse blooms, make sure that they're correctly scaled to the container-- and then apply some of our foliage tricks.

A slick cleanup center

What important documents should you keep--and where?

Every family should have a safe place and an efficient system for keeping important documents and papers. Some valuable and irreplaceable papers really belong in a safe deposit box or an equally secure place. (Safe deposit boxes at your bank cost just a few dollars a year, and the fee is tax-deductible.) Other papers and records-- ones to which you'll want to refer more frequently-- can be kept in a file at home. You also may want to keep duplicates there.

Have your wipers had it?

A defective windshield wiper has a lot in common with a hole in your roof. When ... rains, it's too late to do much about the problem and when it's dry, you tend to ... it. The big difference, of course, is ... a hole in the roof can't hurt you; driving in the rain with a bad wiper can.

Traveling with sports equipment

Rented equipment can be the bane of a sportsman's vacation. You're probably right if you think you'd play better golf in Puerto Rico with your own clubs or schuss more smoothly in Courchevel on your own skis. And you'll be pleased to learn that if you fly to such places, you can take your equipment with you at little extra cost.

THE BRITISH ISLES

In the minds of most Americans old enough to have children, a family trip to Europe is still a once-in-a-lifetime event-- and that attitude often leads to poor planning. Driven by the fear that they'll never pass this way again, parents try to show their kids the whole continent on one visit, and, as a consequence, really see none of it.

Care for the aging dog

You can't hold back time, but there are steps you can take to make your aging dog comfortable and content.

What's what in weather instruments

Everyone talks about the weather, so why not be the only one in the group who knows what he's talking about?

HOUSEPLANT HOW-TO

Is it an anthurium? No. Although it belongs to the same family, it's far easier to grow. It is commonly known by its botanical name: spathiphyllum. Say it two or three times and you'll toss it off as easily as you do "chrysanthemum," which is a genuine botanical term.

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the fun and convenience of shopping by mail! You can order with complete confidence any of the items shown: each company will refund your money if you're not delighted.

The man next door

Our bachelor friend, Mr. Bell, is really looking forward to Spring's arrival-- the season in which, he notes, "the trees begin to cover their limbs and the girls begin to bare theirs."