Domestic Putterings

In the Pink

This Domestic Putterer is going to be walking a bit stiffly for the next day or so.

But it's worth it.

I spend Saturday morning walking the 5-kilometer Komen Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure in downtown Cleveland.

The weather was perfect. There were just enough clouds to keep the sun from getting to strong, the weather was mild and there was a slight breeze.

For someone who is on more of a second-shift schedule, having to get up before 7 a.m. is not a fun thing. But some things are more important than sleep.

Like my sister.

And your sister. And our moms, our aunts, our grandmas, our cousins, our friends, our colleagues.

Life with a Lizard

Buckwheat got a treat the other night.

Pitching In

My delightful, wonderful friend Julie is one of those people who went to New Orleans and found her home. Not even Hurricane Katrina and its devastation could keep her from returning to make the Crescent City her home. It is the passion of people like her that have helped New Orleans reach for a future.

She writes a blog, NOJuju, about New Orleans food, style and culture.

But lately, Julie has been dealing with her recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and all the joys associated with it. Terrible wrist and hand pain have made it hard for her to keep up with the blog, as she's had to marshal all her strength towards doing her actual paying job.

Julie put out the call to her friends, asking them to contribute material. Tim wrote about oysters. Melinda wrote about turning the cabbage in her Seattle garden into a vegetarian version of stuffed cabbage.

I'm the latest to help out, touting Cleveland a bit in an entry about Bar Symon.

Laissez les bon temps roullez!

A Hole in our Home, and in our Hearts

Four summers ago, a scraggly, sick, more-than-half-starved black cat half-walked, half-crawled into the back yard.

Friday, she left our home for the last time.

We made the difficult decision Friday to put Lenny to sleep. I did not expect to have to make this decision so soon, or so suddenly.

This is what you sign up for when you take a pet. Their lives, their well-being, are all up to you. It is the responsibility you get for the reward of companionship and love.

And, oh, were we rewarded by Lenny.

We Are Family

Some people collect model trains. Or baseball cards.

Ray Kowiako collected family. And I was blessed to be a part of that collection.

Ray passed away August 1, just a few weeks shy of his 82nd birthday. He had been slowly going downhill the past few months and the rest of the family knew things weren't good when he missed Ben's graduation party, then Rachel's wedding. One of Ray's favorite things in the world was a family gathering, and it would take a lot for him to not be at one, let alone two.

Beat the Heat

The thermometer has gone past 90 degrees, the humidity is somewhere between Turkish bath and sauna, and it's officially icky out. Hardly a breath of wind to be had, and, it looks like, no rain for the week. Our poor yard is already en route to Kentucky Fried.

While there were some things I could have accomplished this weekend, it's just too darned hot. Fortunately, I have a bag of limes from Costco, a flourishing mint plant on the front porch, and a husband who lists bartending as one of his favorite hobbies.

Mojito time!

Speaking of Fiestaware...

It's not just for on the table, it could be the table. Or a lot of other things.

If you're feeling creative and crafty, check out the great projects online that use broken pieces of Fiestaware to make mosaics that work inside and outside.

You can find the Fiestaware pieces online, at places like Etsy, eBay and Art Fire. The pieces come in one color, a color grouping (such as Christmas or patriotic) or all jumbled together.

What you can make is whatever you imagine. You can frame a mirror, make wall art, create a gorgeous tabletop, make a bowl. And how cool is this kitchen sink?

Falling for Fiestaware

I'd always associated Fiestaware with vintage shops, retro diners and hipster-wannabes who thought dressing like a Fonz caricature or Flo from "Alice" was somehow ironic.

Then about 10 years ago, my mom got me four placesettings of Fiestaware in yellow. She'd seen it on sale and thought it would look pretty in my new apartment.

That's all it took. I became a Fiesta Fanatic.

Wild Kingdom

We brought Buckwheat out this weekend to hang out in the sun. He doesn't like it for very long. I think the big, open space and sky freaks him out. He was getting cranky by the time John was finished taking pictures.

Grill, Baby, Grill!

Check out our new toy!

After talking about it and researching it and hesitating and talking about it some more, John and I finally took the plunge and got a new grill.

One of the things that attracted me to this house when I was house-hunting was that the grill was hooked up to the natural gas line. No more schlepping propane tanks! No more running out of propane in the middle of grilling!

The old grill was a Ducane, but it was more than a few years old when I bought the house. It slowly declined each summer. The jets were uneven, the ignite button never worked, then the left side control broke completely. We were left with half a working grill, and that half didn't work very well. I also risked a trip to the burn unit every cookout thanks to flames shooting out the vent hole in the front above the right side control knob.

We considered just getting a propane grill for now. But we realized that a natural gas grill would be a good investment in the home, and we liked the convenience. Coincidentally, John found a review of gas grills in the new issue of Consumer Reports, and we chose the best grill for our budget.