Domestic Putterings

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.

Happy Holidaze!

How was Thanksgiving for everyone? It was a blissfully happy time for your Domestic Putterer, as her sister Deb and brother-in-law Marty came out from Connecticut for the holiday. They went nuts cooking the dinner down at John's parents' home, and the meal was a huge hit.

With them coming in on Tuesday and staying until Sunday, we were able to squeeze in some fun. Deb and I got pedicures, and all four of us went to see the Cleveland Symphony perform. They left early Sunday morning, and I had to go to work that afternoon, making the Thanksgiving weekend officially over.

Which means it's time to think about Christmas.

Don't Call it a Comeback

Have you looked through a fashion or celebrity magazine lately and gotten flashbacks? I have.

I've seen so many looks from my time -- the '80s -- making a comeback that it makes me wish I'd hung onto my boyfriend blazers and Ray-Bans. From leggings to tunic sweaters to bright colors to a redux of (shudder!) acid-washed jeans, it's like stepping back in time. Rihanna's lipstick (left) brings back memories of the Borghese lipstick so popular at the time. What's next, a mullet revival?

Home design trends are also seeing some old looks come back.

The Honeymoon's Over

Before I started my new job at the Chronicle-Telegram last month, John and I finally took our honeymoon.

John really wanted to honeymoon in South Beach and I was fine with that. But one layoff later, we scaled back the wedding and postponed the honeymoon until the fall.

We'd gone to the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York a few years ago. John is an oenophile, so he wanted to find out more about the wines of the region. That trip was wonderful, so we decided to do an expanded version of it for our fall honeymoon, and timed it so it'd be around peak foliage time. A longer trip meant we could go to the Lake George/Saratoga region, where I lived while I was working at the Post-Star in Glens Falls. I hadn't been there in almost 12 years.

Going Home ... and Coming Home

In case you're wondering about the long break between posts, your Domestic Putterer took a little vacation. And, it turns out, just in time.

I'd decided over the summer that, since I was out of work anyway, it'd be a good time to take a trip back to Connecticut to visit my family and friends. I'd missed my 25-year high school reunion last fall, and hadn't seen my grandmother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew in almost a year. Mackenzie and Nick are growing up so fast; I don't like missing such a big chunk of their lives. And, when your grandmother is in her mid-90s, you know -- but don't want to admit -- that opportunities for time together may be dwindling.

When plans started being made on Facebook for an all-years reunion for Pomperaug High, I figured I'd come back for that and stay about five or six days. Then it was announced that the Homecoming game for my college alma mater, Central Connecticut State, was the following weekend. So the trip got extended another five days. It'd leave me lots of time for family, but also time to see friends and just hang out. I knew that I wouldn't do half the stuff I'd want to, which led me to skip trips to New York City or the shore, and focus on people time close to home.

Kickin' it Old School

Once upon a time, kids, the 21st century was the stuff of fantasy. Oh, and such fantasies that were spun!

By this time, it was predicted, we would be getting to work with jet packs or on computer-controlled highways designed to relieve congestion. Our homes would be space-age marvels of plastic, fiberglass and other man-made materials, judging by Monsanto's House of the Future (see image above) at Disneyland in California. Our kitchens would be streamlined spaces of effortless food preparation. In 1956, GM and Frigidaire were promising a kitchen where you put a punch card into a slot and out came everything you'd need to make a meal. Eleven years later, in GE's future kitchen, you didn't even need to mix up ingredients. A computer would calculate the recommended nutritional intake for each member of the family, tailor a menu to fit it, and serve the meal on disposable dishes. We would have oodles of time for wholesome work and leisure.

Thinking Small

There's a lot of talk of downsizing these days. Corporations are downsizing, people are being downsized out of jobs, empty-nest boomers are downsizing, McMansions and starter castles are falling out of favor, people are downsizing the amount of their stuff.

The shelter media has been catching on. House Beautiful has a page on its web site devoted to ideas for small spaces, including common mistakes people make when approaching a small room or apartment. Better Homes & Gardens also has a page devoted to making small spaces shine. 

Sarah Susanka was prescient on this subject in 1998 when Taunton published her first book, "The Not So Big House." She's built the premise of living better instead of bigger into a movement and a good franchise for herself, including more books and house plans.

Everyone from Martha Stewart to Style Network's "Clean House" is on the decluttering/organizing bandwagon.

There are also great online resources such as Apartment Therapy, Small Living Journal and loving.living.small.

I've lived in small places my whole life. My childhood home was about 1,000 square feet. One bathroom was shared by all five of us. My sister Deb and I shared a room -- and a small closet -- until she got into high school and wanted her own room. Mom and Dad let her have the old playroom downstairs.

All About Me

Some of you may know me in real life, or as an "invisible friend." You may know me as Melissa, or Missy, or, if you knew me prior to 1983, Ish. But if you don't know me, an introduction is in order.

I'm a reporter by training and temperament, but not by trade anymore. I spent 10 years as a sportswriter, first in my native Connecticut then in upstate New York, picking up a few nice awards along the way, before moving to the sports copy desk and moving to Cleveland almost 10 years ago. The sports desk job was all right, but I missed writing and wanted to do something new. I'd always loved home stuff, decorating and design, largely due to the influence of my sister, Deborah, who is an interior designer. So when the Plain Dealer launced a weekly home/garden section, Inside & Out, in 2002, I moved over there to become the homes reporter. Those were some good years, as the advertising came in and we did lots of great stuff like the old Sophisticated Home magazine. Then the economy changed, the industry changed, and the axes started to fall. In December, the ax fell on me and 26 other good, talented people.