Closet

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet - one-tenth the size of the average new American house - and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap - that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

After years of watching Lynn Weisberg purchase garment after garment, boutique manager Karen Ciurca-Weiner finally told her loyal customer a hard truth — she needed to stop buying and start looking at what she had. Ciurca-Weiner suggested that what Weisberg really needed was to organize her closet. "She kept buying all these clothes," Ciurca-Weiner said as she stood inside her client's closet, a 9-by-12-foot converted office space that now has shelving and drawers to accommodate Weisberg's clothes.

How would you describe your taste in clothing?Conservative for work -- I wear dresses and a few suits that are appropriate for work. On weekends, I like more contemporary clothes, like jeans and miniskirts. One dress I love is the one I bought for my daughter's christening. It's ivory lace with a high neck. I've only worn it once, but it would be great for a second wedding.What's the newest thing in your closet?I just bought four new dresses for fall. Khaki green is popular and I bought two of the same color, but different styles.

I've read a couple of stories recently about Episcopal congregations converting to Roman Catholicism ("Anglican parish in Towson switches to Catholicism," June 25). The reasons always cited by such parishioners are the Episcopal church's willingness to ordain women and gays into the priesthood, which your paper calls "liberal positions. " But giving full civil rights to all of God's children is now a mainstream position among Catholics as well as many others. Your articles make it sound like the wild-eyed Anglicans have run-off the decent folk.

Remember when a walk-in closet was considered a luxury item in a home? Now, what makes any fashion fan salivate is the idea of a closet room. Baltimore interior designer Amanda Austin says more and more homeowners are converting a room to a closet. "No one likes to dig for things; having things stashed underneath the bed," says Austin, who has created her own closet room. "I do think people are willing to have a smaller bedroom for a larger closet. ... I think everybody wishes to live in a state of convenience and bliss.

One may think that a favorite pastime of a fashion consultant is shopping - au contraire, mon ami! Don't get me wrong, it's a close second, but de-cluttering is what really warms my heart. Most Americans have far too many clothes, and of course what is the frequent complaint? “I have nothing to wear!” A closet can be cleaned, but if you are unaware of how it turned into a jungle in the first place, it's likely to reforest over and over.    Why is my closet cluttered?

On weekday mornings, I'll post the most controversial, shocking and (of course) ridiculous stories for your reading pleasure. That way, when you walk into work, you'll be the master of witty conversation. Articles  • Imagine no possessions : Report says John Lennon was a closet Republican. ( Toronto Sun )  • Pot, meet kettle: Obama scolds Congress for taking too many vacations. ( ABC )  • Somebody get Ban Ki-moon a straitjacket : United Nations appoints North Korea head of conference on disarmament.

Perhaps you saw the report on Drudge about "closet-gate,"  which broke this weekend , in which staffers for Vice President Joe Biden constrained a Florida journalist to closet during a fundraiser at a wealthy developer's house. But what you haven't heard about -- until now -- is the 4-minute phone call that preceded that deprivation of freedom. Through our well-placed sources at the White House, we present to you the entire transcript of that phone call between party host Alan Ginsburg and the vice president.

On weekday mornings, I'll post the most controversial, shocking and (of course) ridiculous stories for your reading pleasure. That way, when you walk into work, you'll be the master of witty conversation. National • Shocking: Rolling Stone publishes "Kill Team" photos from Afghanistan . (Rolling Stone) Warning: These are truly horrifying. Do not look if you are disturbed easily.  • Just following orders: Vice President Joe Biden's s taffers apologize for confining reporter to closet during fundraiser.

Everybody has a deep but not necessarily dark secret fantasy they carry with them, sometimes for a lifetime, sometimes for a shorter period like 15 minutes.For instance, after an eon in the newspaper business, not once have I aspired to be a publisher/CEO, editor or anything else that isn't accompanied by an expense account.Play big-league ball? Sure, but only if you cut that season down to a manageable 120 games, including the postseason. Same goes for managing. I'd do it for one season at a time, same as Smokey Alston did with the Dodgers.

There's a hidden jewel in Owings Mills and one that exists because of a greater good. Ruth's Closet, a resale boutique, offers women's clothing, shoes, and accessories. Every day brings a new treasure, and at bargain prices. Tired of your Jimmy Choo shoes, outgrown that cashmere sweater? No worries, donate those items to Ruth's Closet and your generosity will be far-reaching. This boutique is staffed primarily by volunteers and 100 percent of the profits go to the House of Ruth Maryland.

Newt Gingrich wants to pay poor kids to clean toilets. And all of the right people are horrified. The Nation says Mr. Gingrich is running on "a platform that seems to have been written by the unreformed Ebenezer Scrooge. " The editors of the Newark Star-Ledger proclaim Mr. Gingrich wants to "bring back the days of Oliver Twist. " The host of "Meet the Press," David Gregory, suggests Mr. Gingrich's take on the inner-city poor is a "grotesque distortion. " This controversy started last month at Harvard, when Mr. Gingrich suggested in a speech that perhaps the best way to break the cycle of poverty in inner cities is to break the culture of poverty that sustains it by, among other things, paying kids to do janitorial work.

Have you ever had a skirt, top or other fabulous garment that you just adored and for some reason (maybe it became shrunken or stained) you could no longer wear? Remember how hard it was to give away? Or perhaps you couldn't bear to give it away and it just took up space in your closet. Before you consider casting off something special: Rethink, repurpose and refashion. I am not suggesting keeping every cast-off, but certainly there are special pieces that just say “you.” Imagine giving life to them in the form of home furnishings!

One may think that a favorite pastime of a fashion consultant is shopping - au contraire, mon ami! Don't get me wrong, it's a close second, but de-cluttering is what really warms my heart. Most Americans have far too many clothes, and of course what is the frequent complaint? “I have nothing to wear!” A closet can be cleaned, but if you are unaware of how it turned into a jungle in the first place, it's likely to reforest over and over.    Why is my closet cluttered?

Late July is the height of vacation season, but instead of a week at the beach or a trip to Europe this year, many Americans are still opting for the staycation or choosing to visit friends or relatives for a long weekend. Whether you find yourself bunking at your sister's place in San Francisco or are in the position of hosting out-of-town guests yourself, one thing is for sure: You'll soon understand the importance of a well-appointed guest room. An uncomfortable guest room sets the stage for a memorable visit — for all the wrong reasons.

On weekday mornings, I'll post the most controversial, shocking and (of course) ridiculous stories for your reading pleasure. That way, when you walk into work, you'll be the master of witty conversation. Articles  • Imagine no possessions : Report says John Lennon was a closet Republican. ( Toronto Sun )  • Pot, meet kettle: Obama scolds Congress for taking too many vacations. ( ABC )  • Somebody get Ban Ki-moon a straitjacket : United Nations appoints North Korea head of conference on disarmament.

Baltimore County police are investigating the death of a newborn baby found in a closet yesterday in the 900 block of Beaver Bank Circle in Towson. A resident in the house called 911 about 6:30 a.m. to report that a 29-year-old woman was bleeding internally. The woman was taken by ambulance to Greater Baltimore Medical Center, where doctors discovered that the woman had given birth. While being questioned at the hospital, the woman told police that she placed the baby in a closet at the home.

The other night I gave three short doorbell blasts at my old family Guilford Avenue home. Soon my two twin nieces, Mary and Katie, were working the locks to admit their uncle, whom they informed was late for dinner. I was. I had missed a bus. My sister Ann ushered me into the kitchen and offered a chair at the table. As she put it, it was Pop's chair, meaning the seat and place normally reserved for my grandfather, Edward Jacques Monaghan Sr., who died in 1963. After all these years, it's still Pop's chair, except for the days when Father Al Mack, a Jesuit priest, occasionally visited and took the honored seat.

Ken Mehlman has been an open member of the club for less than a year, but he's already made its "who's who" list. The Baltimore native who served as a campaign manager for President George W. Bush in 2004 and chaired the Republican National Committee from 2005 to 2007 told the world he was gay in an interview with The Atlantic in August. Now he's made New York Observer's list of The New Power Gays : NYC's Top 50. Writes one reader, annoyed that Mehlman remained in the closet as the party he led pursued an anti-gay agenda: "We could have used your help 8 years ago. Thanks anyway.

Nina's Closet Exchange 6375 Ten Oaks Road Clarksville 410-300-0106 Jeanine “Nina” Baumgardner always enjoyed shopping at yard sales and flea markets. So she decided to hang an open sign on her own consignment shop, Nina's Closet Exchange, in Clarksville. Baumgardner, a Columbia resident of 30 years who opened shop in September 2010, calls her place “cozy and family friendly.” The Blue Goose 3715 Old Columbia Pike Ellicott City 410-461-6072 TheBlueGoose@verizon.net Original works by local artists, new and pre-owned home furnishings on consignment and other affordable treasures stock The Blue Goose, in Historic Ellicott City.