Home Sweet Home

The courtyard patio at the classic California Spanish house was ringed by camellia bushes. In the living room, the fireplace boasted genuine Malibu tile and in the dining room, the original thin-planked oak floors gleamed. Listed for sale at $2.6 million, the immaculately maintained, three-bedroom home - a blend of traditional and modern stylings in one of Santa Monica's toniest neighborhoods - could go either way: to a family who falls in love with its character. Or to a builder, as a teardown.

The courtyard patio at the classic California Spanish house was ringed by camellia bushes. In the living room, the fireplace boasted genuine Malibu tile and in the dining room, the original thin-planked oak floors gleamed. Listed for sale at $2.6 million, the immaculately maintained, three-bedroom home - a blend of traditional and modern stylings in one of Santa Monica's toniest neighborhoods - could go either way: to a family who falls in love with its character. Or to a builder, as a teardown.

I think the Kings still have a chance for the Stanley Cup. If they can end the season in eighth place, they will have road-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. GARY MARUMOTO Torrance

Does anyone in Ireland have a happy childhood? From Frank McCourt to Martin McDonagh, the Emerald Isle seems to eat its young with alarming frequency. And according to “Silent,” the florid solo show written and performed by Pat Kinevane, now in its final weekend at the Odyssey Theatre, a lad's better off on the Bataan Death March than home sweet home. Barefoot, bald and dressed in torn black sweats, the striking Kinevane plays Tino, a homeless man whose cinema-crazed family named him after Rudolph Valentino.

Americans resist the notion that homelessness is now normal in their country. Anyone older than 20 can remember when virtually no one was living on the streets of the United States. The hope lingers that something that came with such speed will pass with equal speed. Unfortunately, an impressive body of research suggests the opposite. If homelessness is a disease with no quick cure, are there at least palliatives for it?

Re "Loving your house again," Opinion, Aug. 17 In Chris Ayres' fantastical commentary from Cloud Cuckoo Land, he labors hard to make a case for feeling good about buying overpriced housing in recent years. But his bedrock assumption -- that consumer price inflation will save the day -- is fatally flawed. In case the author hadn't noticed, home prices in Los Angeles are not keeping pace with inflation. The latest Case-Shiller index of home values shows that prices in Los Angeles decreased by 24.5% between May 2007 and May 2008.

The first low-income senior housing project built in Carson in 15 years opened last week to rave reviews from city officials and new residents. And who can argue with them? For $390 to $446 a month, senior citizens who qualify can move into the 91-unit Avalon Courtyard. The Spanish-style complex was built by a developer in partnership with the Carson Redevelopment Agency, which invested $5 million and will subsidize rents.

Baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, rubbing alcohol and even cat litter will help rid a home of many odors. The best way to keep a house smelling fresh, however, is to keep it clean. Air rooms, closets and drawers regularly. Use disinfectants such as chlorine bleach to prevent mildew and old-garbage smell. Here are some tips on winning the battle against common household odors: * To rid books of musty odor, store them for a few days in a paper bag filled with crumpled newspaper.

Architect Richard Dalrymple's continually evolving San Diego bungalow is a personal laboratory of deconstructivist living. The 1,300-square-foot, two-story house has 30 different levels on which to pause, stand, sit and sleep. "It's about parcelization," Dalrymple says. "This house deals with parts rather than a sense of wholeness."

Spring rains have turned the expansive mound that is Love Canal into a green playground for worm-fat robins feeding at the site of the former chemical dump. "It's peaceful here," said Nunzio LoVerdi, one of a few residents fighting to remain in their neighborhood among the boarded-up houses and yellow signs that warn of toxic contamination. LoVerdi and others are in danger of losing their homes.

Actors Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have listed their house in Malibu for sale at $2.675 million. The recently renovated 2,300-square-foot house sits on 1.73 acres covered in native plants and fruit trees. The single-story home, built in the 1960s, features 100-year-old French oak floors, three bedrooms and 21/2 bathrooms. Custom-built sliding doors lead outside to multiple decks and sitting areas. There is a chicken coop and a small horse corral. Spelling, 38, played Donna Martin in "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990-2000)

Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas," one of the biggest-selling songs of all time, with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Although the wistful tune soothed homesick soldiers in such God-awful places as Guadalcanal more than half a century ago, and no doubt it still plays in Kandahar today, Berlin most likely wrote what he called "the best song that anybody's ever written" somewhere in the sunny Southwest, probably while sitting by a swanky hotel swimming...

Fred MacMurray was a 26-year-old, square-jawed guy from Beaver Dam, Wis., when he became a Hollywood star, signing a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1934. Two years later he'd earned enough money to marry his sweetheart, model Lillian Lamont. They had what Mommie-Not-So-Dearest Joan Crawford called "one of the few happy and well-adjusted marriages. " MacMurray was a straight shooter, a hard-working, All-American success who batted the ball out of the park in a 50-year film and TV career.

The long and Longhorns' season is over, the Rose Bowl is empty and Alabama and Texas fans are slogging toward home (once they clear airport security). We pause to recollect and reminisce about some of the top memories and moments of this inspiring, tiring and expiring college football season. Home sweet home 1 Joy returned to a proud program that survived an Xs and O's downturn in the last decade that included NCAA probation, scandals involving coaches Mike DuBose and Mike Price, Dennis Franchione's treasonous departure to Texas A&M, and Mike Shula's mediocrity.

Re "Breaking free of America's cult of homeownership," Opinion, Nov. 12 In addition to omitting the tax benefits that owning a home provides, Eric S. Belsky also ignored the other obvious, tangible piece of homeownership: emotion. There is a great deal of pride, stability, comfort and peace in knowing that the walls you paint or the garden you plant is yours. Yes, homeownership is a financial commitment and needs to be entered into responsibly. But Belsky's analysis is based only on numbers, and owning a home is a lot more than just making mortgage payments.

Home sweet home Re "Breaking free of America's cult of homeownership," Opinion, Nov. 12 In addition to omitting the tax benefits that owning a home provides, Eric S. Belsky also ignored the other obvious, tangible piece of homeownership: emotion. There is a great deal of pride, stability, comfort and peace in knowing that the walls you paint or the garden you plant is yours. Yes, homeownership is a financial commitment and needs to be entered into responsibly. But Belsky's analysis is based only on numbers, and owning a home is a lot more than just making mortgage payments.

During the week, the room is Alan Dan Orme's living room. But on Sundays the folding chairs are set out, and the room is transformed into the meeting place for the University Church of Athens, Ga. "We deliberately did not make the room look like a church," said Orme, 56, who is pastor. He added that the living room environment creates a feeling of camaraderie among worshipers.

At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Henry Armenta and Lisa Acuna sat in their comfortable living room taking stock of things. The two had been evacuated Monday from the Placentia home they share with Armenta's family and had spent Monday night in a Red Cross shelter at Katella High School in Anaheim. Tuesday night about 10 p.m., they were told they could return home. In the morning they fed their parrot, Chencho, which survived the ordeal inside a cage in the living room.

Vince Young blew kisses and high-fived fans before pointing to a sign that read: "VY Wish You Were Here." The Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback couldn't have scripted a homecoming as sweet. Young ran for a 39-yard touchdown in overtime Sunday to give Tennessee a 26-20 win over the Houston Texans for a third straight comeback victory and fourth win in a row. Young said Titans owner Bud Adams approached him after the game and asked what he was thinking on the winning run.