My zinnias recently stopped blooming and all the remaining flowers browned. That gave me a bounty of zinnia seeds. How? Take the dried flowers and, using a newspaper to contain the seeds, crush the flowers in your fingers releasing the seeds. Place the seeds in an envelope, store in a dry place and, in the spring, you'll have free flowers!

We have some friends who have a lemon tree and every year they wonder what to do with all the lemons. The first choices are obvious - make lemonade, use them with seafood, etc. Well, here's a tip I recently came across. Use lemons to dissolve soap scum. Apparently a halved lemon with baking soda sprinkled on top will scrub dishes and stains. The juice can also be mixed with baking soda to make a cleaning paste for sinks and surfaces. This one I've heard of with oranges - put a whole lemon peel through the garbage disposal to freshen the drain and the kitchen. Enjoy those lemons.