Today's first great reader tip makes me laugh. Imagine a chicken standing to attention in a Bundt pan. This is the best idea I've heard all day, and I think you'll agree.

Never in my wildest imagination could I have predicted the response I would get to the column I wrote about the best thing I ever bought — a carpet cleaning machine. Trust me, it’s not just any carpet cleaner. MY machine has a solid tank for hot water, not simply a “bladder.” Please, please do not do what I do if you have any other kind of carpet cleaning machine. You could ruin your machine, and then I would feel terrible.