Homes: Home Front

Home & Garden

Special report

Last mission to repair the Hubble telescope
Hubble space telescope discoveries have enriched our understanding of the cosmos. In this special report, you will see facts about the Hubble space telescope, discoveries it has made and what the last mission's goals are.
More special reports

Video report

For their own good
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
More video reports

Multimedia report

Rays fan guide to the Trop
Here are some insider tips to Tropicana Field and area information.
More multimedia reports

Home Front

Briefs and news of note.

By JUDY STARK
Published June 10, 2006

Cool looks

The weather tells us summer's here (no kidding), and the house needs a little perking up to feel cool and beachy. Ideas from TJ Maxx: nautical wall hangings, something adorned with shells, a bed quilt in red, blue or patchwork, wooden place mats, whimsical china. One zingy turquoise pillow or a stack of towels embroidered with red coral, the hot image this year, may be all you need to fluff and puff for a fresh look.

How-to for Dad

You know what next Sunday is: Father's Day. For dads who take their housekeeping responsibilities seriously, or those who'd like to, here's the handbook: Dad's Own Housekeeping Book, by David Bowers (Workman, $10.95). Five-minute attack strategies for every room, picking your battles with the kids, mastering the basics of dusting and bedmaking, survival recipes, folding laundry. Lots of diagrams, lists, Dad-to-Dad tips.

Any way you grill it

Four out of five American households own a grill and will use it 22 times this year, the propane industry estimates. A standard tank holds 4 gallons of fuel, enough to cook for 15 hours. Men buy 58 percent of all grills, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association estimates. Seventy-seven percent of women and 62 percent of men say the thing they like best about cooking on the grill is no pots and pans to clean up, the association reports.

Care for cars

If you're spending too much time in the car these days - and who is not? - stock up on supplies to make life bearable behind the wheel. Vroom, a house brand sold at Target, offers hand wipes, interior refreshing spray, leather wipes (all $3.99) and vent fresheners (clip to the dashboard, $5.99) for your home away from home. They come in sea flower, basil verbena, lavender vanilla, mandarin melon and almond (don't confuse these with the flavors of smoothies at the drive-through). There's also a line of Vroom car-care products.