Have you ever thought your house or apartment was a bit blah? Most people have. It doesn't have to be that way, though. You might try adding a piece of architectural salvage.

Every year, old buildings are torn down. A lot of them have beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows, stone carvings, or even just a nice brass doorknob. All that isn't usually hauled off to a dumpster. It's usually salvaged and made available for people who think their home needs that something extra.

Believe it or not, one of the USA's most well-known purveyor of items like these is located right in Downtown Toledo. It's called Architectural Artifacts and you'd be amazed by their store, at 20 South Ontario. It's packed. The first floor has the real gems. There's everything from wooden mantels to life-size marble statues. Upstairs, you'll find doors, stair rails, hardware, and everything you could possibly use to decorate a building. Other interesting antiques aren't neglected, either. Be sure to say hello to the two very friendly resident cats. If you're a cat person, I am, they might supervise your tour themselves.

Can't make it to Toledo? Try the website at the link below. Architectural Artifacts does a lot of e-business. One more thing. If you need something they don't have, which is hard to believe once you've seen the place, just let them know. You never know. It might just turn up the next day.

My mother-in-law is wild about quilting and, luckily for us, she shares what she makes. When she emails me about a neat quilt store she's found, I know it's great. Here is her tip for anyone looking for a place that will give you some inspiration and goods if you're in the mood to buy. She also really likes the owner. Since Thymbles is located in Smithville at the edge of Amish country, this would be a fun jaunt for a day trip.

Thymble's website is still being added to but there are class offerings and special events. Last weekend, for example, there was a quilting retreat. If you're looking for what else there is to do in Smithville and the surrounding area, it's in Wayne County with plenty of places to poke around. Be sure to eat at The Barn Restaurant in Smithville. This was one of the restaurants that a lot of Ohio Magazine readers wrote in about as one of the best destination restaurants. It's no wonder. There's an electric train that goes around the lobby (you can hear it on the website). You can also feed ducks, smash a penny, play checkers and more. On the restaurant's website you can also hear bees and the tractor that kids can pretend to ride.

The quilt in the photo was made by Jane Hardy Miller and was used as the design for the quilt retreat. The pattern in called French Braid.

Northwest Ohio has a good variety of small to mid-size businesses. One of the best, and certainly the easiest on the nose, is Swan Creek Candles. I've been to their store in Toledo's Warehouse District, right across from Fifth Third Field, so I can vouch for the fact that the company's promises about fragrance aren't exaggerated at all. Their candles are long burning, too.

Swan Creek Candles has been in business for twenty years and, considering their expansion to six outlet stores, seems to be doing well. What's their secret? Their products aren't the usual cheap paraffin candles. They're made from a blend of American soybean wax and natural botanical waxes. This makes the candles lead free and cleaner burning than most. I know people who swear by them.

Another good point about Swan Creek Candle outlet stores, they have a really nice assortment of candle holders and gift items. This is in addition to all shapes and sizes of candles, in more than fifty scents. You'll find trendy smells like kiwi watermelon and crisp cotton, as well as old favorite like lavender, lilac, and patchouli. Hey, what can I say? I survived the sixties. Patchouli is an old favorite of mine.

If you'd like more of an introduction before visiting a store, check out their website at the link, below. There are stores in Toledo, Swanton, Vermilion, and three in Michigan. If you can't resist candles, you'll love them all.

Bono, lead singer for U2 and advocate for improved conditions in the underdeveloped parts of the world, especially Africa, has partnered with students at Miami of Ohio to market African-made cotton t-shirts.

Students in Miami's Center for Social Entrepreneurship buy the edun Live brand T's for about $4 per, screen print messages and art on them, and sell them to other
campus and off-campus groups for around $10. Among the messages they've come up with so far is "I know who made my shirt: do you?" Proceeds for the shirts will be used to further the Center's mission by bringing in speakers and perhaps sending students to Africa.

edun Live hopes to expand the program to many other campuses. Bono started the company in order to provide jobs and trade to developing countries, promoting the idea of 'trade, not aid'.

I have found no explanation why the company name spelled backwards is 'Evil nude'.

While most people who head somewhere on Ohio's highways rush by the clusters of reed-like trees that dot the landscape, Rick Pratt is on the lookout for them. His livelihood depends on them. The patches look a bit like mushroom clouds in the distance. Once you know what you're looking for, you too, can know a willow patch when you see one.

Rick follows the growth of about 50 patches, mostly in the northern part of the state, to keep track of which ones have grown to what sizes. Larger ones get used for table legs. Thin ones may be made into picture frames or bent into baskets.

Along with his wife, Denise, Rick has been at this for years. While he does a lot of the grunt work, which means heading out at the crack of dawn on some days (like at 4:30ish, I know because I dragged myself out of bed for a ride-along)--and he makes most of the furniture and the accessories that are snapped up at high-end craft fairs across the United States, Denise is the main designer.

Their offerings through their company, "Around the Bend, " in Wooster, are quality fare that range from the classic to the contemporary. You can even have them make you a one-of-a-kind design. Some folks have ordered custom made corner cabinets and headboards, for example. Check out the Around the Bend website where you can see a sample of what they sell and order on-line.

Here is a link to an article about Rick and Denise that I wrote for Ohio Magazine.

I am so sorry, Blogging Ohio, but I have been involved with just a whirlwind of activity lately! This is what happens when you're a demi-wedding planner-assistant.

This past weekend, I accompanied my aunt on yet another bridal journey, this time, to Pat Catan's. Or, should I say, to Catan Fashions, the bridal gown, prom dress, special occasion dress, and mother of the bride outfit store that used to be part of Pat Catan's! Since we live near the Strongsville location, that's the one we went to, and it is enormous. The store used to be the entire Pat Catan's craft store, and now it is nothing but dresses. It is a sight to be seen! And we saw it all.

And I'm sad to say, this is the first time that I will deliver a slightly-less-than-glowing review. I have to got to say, the organization at Catan Fashions is not all it could be. Now, it was a Saturday, so we expected some busyness, but this was crazy. My aunt, my mom and I waited for almost an hour before a very pleasant young lady managed to help us. But because my aunt, my mom and I are ingenious individuals, we went about this a different way. Instead of waiting for the little bridal dress person to help us - we helped ourselves. We grabbed whatever dresses looked good to us, and tried them on! Quite a few wedding gowns, as well as some white prom dresses. Now, I don't want to diss Catan's too much, because they were quite helpful, and they had a huge selection. But, I've got to say, we were less than thrilled with the wait, and also less than thrilled with finding out that for an April wedding, we could get almost no dresses! Did you know that? Most wedding dresses take well over three months to be ordered. Terrible. But we muddled through, and Catan Fashions was a help.

Ohio is on the radar for puppy mills. It seems that the number of pet stores in Ohio is a possible indication that many dogs are forced bred in this state to produce the dogs that people want. Puppy mill dogs are a problem from what I've read and heard. Over bred dogs are unhealthy since their bodies don't recover between litters, plus dogs bred in a puppy mill may have more behavior issues and poorer health.

Since we're not exactly designer dog people, and we wanted a dog that was stellar in other ways, we took a tip from a woman I met who had a cute black Lab (I'm not sure if I'm a dog person at all,) and headed down to Vinton County to Camelot Puppy Sanctuary . We ended up picking out a terrier beagle mix. If you want your own Fido or Rover, go here. I was impressed by the unhurried approach when we were looking for our dog. Instead of thinking that we had to make a quick decision, we watched the dogs romp around the property's pond for an hour or so until our minds were made up.

At the sanctuary, there are always several dogs, mostly young ones, available. Check out the website to look at the dogs and then call ahead. The phone number is listed. We didn't plan on getting this particular dog type, but when we were among all the adoptable options, our dog picked us.

Camelot Puppy Sanctuary is a dog paradise of sorts. Run by two women who delight in saving abandoned dogs, the sanctuary is a wonderful option to consider when looking to expand your family. Reading the website descriptions is a lot of fun since each blurb captures a specific quality about each dog's personality.

The dog featured in the picture is Nickolas, a Laborador Retriever/terrier mix. Here is his description.

Here is an article about the puppy mill problem from an NBC channel wkyc.com.

Some things I don't want to know too much about, including (in Twain's words) the making of law and sausages. However, if you are curious about the sanitation in your favorite dining establishment, the Columbus Board of Health inspection reports can give you the down and dirty.

The department is about start a new program in which restaurants will be required to color-coded signs indicating the findings of the most recent inspection. Green will indicate a clean slate, yellow for corrections needed, white for probation and red for restaurants shut down for violations. A blue sign indicates a place that has had no problems for at least a year.

I checked a few local restaurants at random, to get a sense of what the inspectors look for and how strictly they inspect. I was impressed by the detail of their work, and pleased with the results of their inspections.

For an example, I looked at a few recent inspections, (and understand these are not worse-cases; they are simply random choices, and all of the have satisfied these Health Department's concerns). Their reports:

The Cheesecake Factory: mid-priced casual dining at Easton Mall.
Soda guns soiled with mold inside. Cook used bare hands to put cheese on pasta. Garlic and oil at 65F, should be 41F or below.

Waffle House, Dublin-Granville Road: You know Waffle House!
Cook changed gloves without washing hands. Raw beef stored above sliced ham and cream in fridge. Can opener and prep sink dirty.

Pizza House, E. Lincoln Ave. Both carryout and in-house dining.
Raw eggs stored above soda in fridge, cheese stored too warm, lack of date-marking of sliced ham, food surfaces dirty, employees drinking from unlidded containers in kitchen, cook did not know proper way to cool foods, raw chicken and beef stored above bread, food prep with bare hands, salad stored in garbage can, dirty can opener, ice machine drainage improperly air gapped.

M- Perhaps the most upscale restaurant in town.
Partially eaten apple on cold prep table. Chef assembled mini-burger with bare hands. Mashed potatoes held for hours were not time-dated. Waiter didn't properly warn patron of the danger of under-cooked meat. Ice machine was soiled.

I am reassured both by the detailed inspection and the fairly mundane violations found.

Has anyone else read this story? I'm frankly pretty appalled. According to a few different newspapers now, Tashina Byrd (of Springfield, OH) and her boyfriend Brian O'Neill (of Columbus, OH) went to a Wal-Mart with a pharmacy in Columbus and asked at the pharmacy for the Plan B pill. According to Byrd, the attendant said that the store did stock the pill, but nobody would give it to them. Byrd has written Governor Ted Strickland, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Wal-Mart Watch. The pharmacist claims that he was right in refusing to fill the prescription. As of right now, Wal-Mart is investigating the incident, as are the other operations.

Without opening the door to a lot of arguing about birth control and abortions, etc., let's just acknowledge this fact. If the morning after pill (or Plan B pill) is now legally available, which it has been decreed as by the Food and Drug Administration, then it must be legally available. That is the only part of the story that I'm horrified about.

My heart breaks a little every time I see a house or other building with wonderful ornamentations and appointments rot in place. Fortunately, the architectural salvage business is prospering, allowing us to reuse some of those old features in new settings.

Ohio has a number of companies in the trade, but not as many as we might wish. A few of the most prominent:

Old School Architectural Salvage, Cleveland. They offer everything from doors to floors, hardware, water fountains, beams, decking and utility poles. They work mostly wholesale, so call before visiting, 216-509-5303, no web site.

Toledo Architectural Artifacts, Inc. Over 3,000 doors, are included in their 20,000 piece inventory, as well as iron gates, heat vents, and even a lavender cast-iron bathtub.

Scioto Architectural Salvage, Chillicothe. The Scioto Valley, after the opening of the canal, was for a short time the breadbasket of the country, and you can see the effect of that wealth in homes built at that time. This company recycles that craftsmanship. They are currently preparing to host a film crew from the History Channel preparing an hour-long feature on salvage. Their entire catalogue is on-line for your browsing.

Olde Wood Ltd. In North Canton specializes in antique flooring, timber frames and hand-hewn timbers.

Wooden Nickel, Cincinnati. They both sell antique pieces such as bars, stained glass and make reproductions or original designs with period authenticity.

Also don't overlook your local Habitat for Humanity's second-hand shops for antique building supplies

Kiplinger Magazine has released results of a new survey rating the value of education received at America's public universities. Only two Ohio schools made it into their top 100. Miami of Ohio finished 38th in value, but first in cost.

Results-

• Miami of Ohio, 38th for residents, 38th for non-residents
• Ohio State: 62nd for residents, 79th for non-residents

The top three schools in value received were North Carolina, Florida (OUCH!), and William and Mary.

The rating were based on a combination of cost and academic programs, with more weight given to the latter. Among the data factored into academics were SAT scores, student-faculty ratios, and graduation rates. Financial aid was factored into cost.

The average per-year cost of Miami is $32,377, which was a staggering $11,000 more than any other school among the top 100. (Why in the world is a state-supported school so overwhelmingly expensive?) OSU costs $17,157. Least expensive among the 100 was the Mississippi University for Women at $9,100.

On the bright side, since cost and quality are both factored into this table, Miami must offer some terrific education to finish on this list at all, given their costs. But where are the rest of our universities?

eBay is great for common items, but when you're looking for collectibles and fine antiques, you might do better with a more targeted site. TIAS.com is perhaps the best known for this market.

I spent some time browsing through their offerings of Ohio-related goods, and found, beyond the thousands of postcards offered, an amazing assortment of "treasures".

For example:

A WWII Ohio Art Co. Navy tin metal drum bank, $145. For this price, you may not have anything left to put in it.

Brochure for the Sterling Pocket Meter, made in Cleveland. $32. This was a hand-held scale that could be taken to the grocery to double-check weights at the meat counter. Shoppers were tougher in those days.

Vintage Aunt Jemima syrup pitcher, salt and pepper shakers from the F&F Mold & Die Works in Dayton. $229. The perfect gift for the racist on your list.

A Faultless Improved Wonder Stock Colon Tube, from Faultless Rubber in Ashland. $85 for what appears to be a short section of hose, and I don't even want to know how it was to be used. I even more don't want to know if it was. For sale by "Thanks for the Memories"- is that ironic, or what?

1922 New Cincinnati Subway Tunnels article: $8.50 An article about the Queen City's vision of combining underground, surface and elevated train travel to combat congestion. I'd suggest the Columbus streetcar promoters check this out, see if there are any hints they can pick up from the visionaries of 80 years ago.

Civil War letter describing an amputation: How can you live without your very own amputation letter? Relates a sad occurance among Ohioan Gen. Sherman's troops. A steal at $850. (Yes, it'll cost you an arm and a leg.)

Peppy Le Pew Skunk Thermometer from 1954. From the Miller Studios in Ohio, and only $79.99! Invest in this and come out smelling like a rose.

An unopened one quart can of Cen-Pe-Co Diesel-Klenz from the Central Petroleum Co. of Cleveland. Only $20.

Commemorative beer glass from the 1959-60 American Bowling Congress held in Toledo. $20.

A can of Kroger Thyme spice, $4.00. I have an identical can in my spice drawer even now. Do you suppose the flavor may have faded?

Collecting can be a fun hobby. I can't help but think, however, that before we spend money on stuff like this we might consider using it to fund our schools!

The arts and crafts scene in Ohio thrives, with shows just about every weekend somewhere. Locally, for example, we have a number of Saturday morning farmer's markets that have become excellent venues for artists such as my friend Carolyn. The state also supports some lucrative competitions that can help pay the bills while you pursue your passion.

If you have works that you'd like to take to market or enter into a contest, take a look at the Ohio Arts Council's 2007 Ohio Arts Festivals and Competitions Directory. The publication compiles the dates, locations, and other pertinent info for the entrepreneurial artist.

The guide is available in dead-tree form either by calling 1-800-BUCKEYE or sending $1.17 in postage along with an SASE to the Ohio Arts Council, 727 E. Main St., Columbus OH 43205.

Better yet, access the info on-line at OAC's web site.

Tip- don't overlook OAC's own award programs when looking for funding for your chosen art. There's more info here.

The Eastwood Mall in Niles, Ohio has opened a space called "The Outreach Gallery", which features art created by children and young adults and their mentors in the surrounding area. The gallery is divided into three sections: The Youth Gallery, The Professional Gallery, and the Youngstown State University Student Print Gallery.

Almost all of the art is for sale, even the children's, which was vibrant and alive with a lot of creative energy when I visited the gallery over the holidays. The space is large, well-balanced and brings a warm feeling to the rest of the commercial hallways in the mall. Sponsors of the Outreach Gallery are: the Eastwood Mall, the Warren Junior Women's League, and the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County.

These days Art has been reduced to an irregular status in our schools, and because of that it's been reduced to an irregular status in the lives of not only our children, but our own. If you happen to be visiting the Eastwood Mall, stop in the Outreach Gallery and make it a part of yours and your family's day. It may just bring a warm feeling to your own life as well as to the commercial halls of the Eastwood Mall.

Jamie's recent post about emergency rooms reminded me about this story. Lima's St. Rita's Medical Center has launched an innovative program to reduce wait times in the emergency room. They guarantee their patients that they will wait no longer than 30 minutes before seeing a clinician. If the hospital fails to keep this promise, the patient receives his/her choice of a $25 gas card, gift certificate to a local retailer or a donation in their name to a charity.

According to Ft.Wayne.com, of the 58,000 visitors to St. Rita's ER last year only about 2% received the gift.

The hospital began the program as an in-house incentive to maintain standards and focus on patient care, patterned on similar programs at hospitals such as Sarasota Memorial in Florida.

This wait contrasts with the 3 hours and 42 minute average in most ERs nationally, according to a study cited by Ft.Wayne.com.

Other hospitals in the U.S. are testing similar programs. This seems like a gutsy call, and I applaud their commitment. No Columbus hospitals, to my knowledge, yet offer such a guarantee.

Now, if they could only guarantee recovery...