Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tissues

Instead of a handkerchief or tissues, Dad’s pockets always contained a paper towel. Usually used. And if he noticed any of us kids sniffling during a church service, out came the dirty Brawny. I feared and hated that paper towel. Even at a young age, I had a sense that one hanky for one nose was a good rule to live by. Often I would shake my head at him, as if to say, “No wipe needed here.” If he kept coming, I’d say in my firmest church whisper, “No, thank you.” Sometimes that worked, but usually Dad wasn’t deterred. It’s as though he was captain of the snot police; the slightest sniffle would cause a seemingly involuntary reaction in Dad to reach into his pocket and pull out the paper towel. I can’t tell you how many times I spent all Mass long concentrating on not sniffling. I’d hold my nose closed. I’d sneakily run a sleeve under my nose. I got good at the silent sniffle.

It wasn’t just the idea that Dad might have already used the paper towel that made me hate it. The darn thing hurt my nose. To the nose of a little girl who’s just entered a warm church after walking outdoors on a New England winter’s morning, a paper towel feels like 100-grit sandpaper.

In those days, I envied the kids in school who would arrive at church with their own mini packets of soft, white, clean tissues. I secretly longed for one of those personal tissue packs. But my parents had lived through the Depression. Tissues were a luxury in their minds, and luxuries were something you lived without. For the same reason, they only bought the one-ply econo brand toilet paper (but that’s for another column).

Sponsored
Sponsored

So, when my daughter walked in for breakfast last week, her nose red and chapped from blowing with toilet paper, I thought it best to bring some softness into the house for her sniffer. I rarely buy tissues, except around flu season, when I pick up whatever is on sale. But perhaps there is a best buy in the tissue world. To find out, I surveyed friends and found that people have either strong opinions about tissues or no opinions at all.

“We are not tissue users,” smiled gal pal Erica. “We use toilet paper.”

“People are always asking me if I have some tissues, and I almost never have any in the house,” explained college chum Sarah. “Once in a blue moon I will buy whatever is the cheapest brand, but I have no favorites.”

Frank, my pal Bernice’s husband, a longtime allergy sufferer, is a tissue fan. He has a box of tissues in each room of his house.

“When Bernice and I were first married, she was horrified to learn that I used rolls of toilet paper as tissue sources. They would be left all over the house — it was so trashy! She started buying lots and lots of tissues, but if it was anything other than Kleenex [white tissues, 200-count, $2.00 at Vons], I would moan about my poor chafed nostrils. So, she bought tissues with lotion, and that only made me complain even more. Poor, long-suffering woman. I do not like the tissues that come with lotion. I hate the aloe-covered tissues. It feels like the tissue comes pre-snot-slickened. My nose never feels clean afterward.”

“Whatever I have a coupon for,” snickered sis Nancy, “that’s what I buy when it comes to tissues.”

But her hubby Leon did offer a fave. “I like the Puffs with lotion. You can definitely tell the difference between them and a generic tissue. Your nose will thank you for it.”

Liz, mother of an asthma sufferer, also had a strong opinion. “I love tissues,” she laughed. “I have them all throughout my house. My son gets lots of colds because of his asthma, so we are always wiping that poor guy’s nose. We’ve tried a lot of brands, and I only recommend using Puffs Plus Lotion [$2.49 for 132-count at Vons]. They are so soft, thick, and durable. When you blow, they don’t blow through. And they’re soft on your nose, so it doesn’t lead to chapping. They’re a little bit more expensive than other tissues, but some of the generic tissues feel so stiff and crispy, they feel like you are using tissue paper. The only negative I have with the Puffs is when it comes to wiping lipstick off your lips: they leave a little lotion-y film on your lips. So, use toilet paper for that.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Next Article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks

Instead of a handkerchief or tissues, Dad’s pockets always contained a paper towel. Usually used. And if he noticed any of us kids sniffling during a church service, out came the dirty Brawny. I feared and hated that paper towel. Even at a young age, I had a sense that one hanky for one nose was a good rule to live by. Often I would shake my head at him, as if to say, “No wipe needed here.” If he kept coming, I’d say in my firmest church whisper, “No, thank you.” Sometimes that worked, but usually Dad wasn’t deterred. It’s as though he was captain of the snot police; the slightest sniffle would cause a seemingly involuntary reaction in Dad to reach into his pocket and pull out the paper towel. I can’t tell you how many times I spent all Mass long concentrating on not sniffling. I’d hold my nose closed. I’d sneakily run a sleeve under my nose. I got good at the silent sniffle.

It wasn’t just the idea that Dad might have already used the paper towel that made me hate it. The darn thing hurt my nose. To the nose of a little girl who’s just entered a warm church after walking outdoors on a New England winter’s morning, a paper towel feels like 100-grit sandpaper.

In those days, I envied the kids in school who would arrive at church with their own mini packets of soft, white, clean tissues. I secretly longed for one of those personal tissue packs. But my parents had lived through the Depression. Tissues were a luxury in their minds, and luxuries were something you lived without. For the same reason, they only bought the one-ply econo brand toilet paper (but that’s for another column).

Sponsored
Sponsored

So, when my daughter walked in for breakfast last week, her nose red and chapped from blowing with toilet paper, I thought it best to bring some softness into the house for her sniffer. I rarely buy tissues, except around flu season, when I pick up whatever is on sale. But perhaps there is a best buy in the tissue world. To find out, I surveyed friends and found that people have either strong opinions about tissues or no opinions at all.

“We are not tissue users,” smiled gal pal Erica. “We use toilet paper.”

“People are always asking me if I have some tissues, and I almost never have any in the house,” explained college chum Sarah. “Once in a blue moon I will buy whatever is the cheapest brand, but I have no favorites.”

Frank, my pal Bernice’s husband, a longtime allergy sufferer, is a tissue fan. He has a box of tissues in each room of his house.

“When Bernice and I were first married, she was horrified to learn that I used rolls of toilet paper as tissue sources. They would be left all over the house — it was so trashy! She started buying lots and lots of tissues, but if it was anything other than Kleenex [white tissues, 200-count, $2.00 at Vons], I would moan about my poor chafed nostrils. So, she bought tissues with lotion, and that only made me complain even more. Poor, long-suffering woman. I do not like the tissues that come with lotion. I hate the aloe-covered tissues. It feels like the tissue comes pre-snot-slickened. My nose never feels clean afterward.”

“Whatever I have a coupon for,” snickered sis Nancy, “that’s what I buy when it comes to tissues.”

But her hubby Leon did offer a fave. “I like the Puffs with lotion. You can definitely tell the difference between them and a generic tissue. Your nose will thank you for it.”

Liz, mother of an asthma sufferer, also had a strong opinion. “I love tissues,” she laughed. “I have them all throughout my house. My son gets lots of colds because of his asthma, so we are always wiping that poor guy’s nose. We’ve tried a lot of brands, and I only recommend using Puffs Plus Lotion [$2.49 for 132-count at Vons]. They are so soft, thick, and durable. When you blow, they don’t blow through. And they’re soft on your nose, so it doesn’t lead to chapping. They’re a little bit more expensive than other tissues, but some of the generic tissues feel so stiff and crispy, they feel like you are using tissue paper. The only negative I have with the Puffs is when it comes to wiping lipstick off your lips: they leave a little lotion-y film on your lips. So, use toilet paper for that.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks
Next Article

OSHA rules wall falls our fault

Who, U.S.?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.