A little background
The first decorative wallpapers date back as far as 200 B.C., when the Chinese painted designs on rice paper panels. Around the eighth century A.D., word of wallpaper spread to Arabia and then north into Europe.

A jarful of memories
With Gerber announcing its new delivery -- in plastic -- you shared your uses for the glass jars that will soon be history.

The Home Front
Briefs and news of note

Readers find themselves in a giving mood
Who says it's too hot to get useful work done? Certainly not many of the readers whose letters appear in today's column. Giveaways are the subject, many of them the result of spring cleaning that extended into summer, so browse through and see what interests you.

Set rules for owner comments to board
Question: I am the president of a homeowner association. The new Florida Homeowner Act provides no specific right for owners to speak at board meetings, even though meetings must be open to members. There also is confusion about the right to record meetings. Can you clarify?

What happens to animals in shock
Question: What do veterinarians mean when they say an animal could go into shock?

Drought teaches benefits of mulch
As grassy lawns of necessity give way to dressed flowerbeds, gardeners can find plentiful sources of water-preserving mulch right in their own back yards.

National Archives contains treasures from old Southeast
ATLANTA -- Let's dispel a few myths about the National Archives and Records Administration's Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta. Vital records are not stored here. No real estate records, either. And the staff doesn't do credit checks.