I am continuing on the theme of last week's column, which showed small renovations or decorative solutions that can be done over a weekend or two. Here are three more projects inspired by reader letters: a color switch, furniture reorganization and fireplace makeover.

House plan: HMAFAPW01295.

We revisit a Southern icon again, Vidalia onions, because June Sassard of Mount Pleasant has sweet memories of a casserole made by a Georgia friend.

Q I currently have two dogs and a cat. I recently put my 15-year-old dog down. They were all rescues and I would love to add another shelter dog to the mix.

THE ARMCHAIR BOOK OF GARDENS: A Miscellany. By Jane Billinghurst. Lyons Press. 304 pages. $24.95.

n my childhood and all through my life, there was always a four-legged friend in our home. Our companion of many years passed away a few years back and I had been yearning for a new chapter in our lives to begin. A puppy was just what this empty nest needed.

If you are too cold to be outside without a coat, your dog probably is too. If your cat eats just one of your acetaminophen cold or flu pills, it could be fatal.

If you feel like getting out in the garden, now is as good a time as any to spread rock on the ground. Or not (more on that later). You say your ground already has enough rocks in it?

Latin is a bit like a zombie: Dead but still clamoring to get into our brains. In one discipline, however, Latin just got a bit deader. For at least 400 years, botanists across the globe have relied on Latin as their emlingua francaem, but the ardor has cooled.

New government guidelines broaden the spectrum of what's possible to grow in Lowcountry gardens. The Department of Agriculture last week unveiled a new plant hardiness zone map for the entire country, the first revision since 1990.

The neighbors' cat and I have an understanding. She doesn't hunt at my bird feeders when I can see her. But heaven only knows how many chickadees and cardinals she gets when I'm not home.

A Cottageville reader wanted to shake loose some recipes for preparing a tasty pork loin roast. In case there's any confusion, a pork loin roast and tenderloin are different cuts of the pig. A loin roast comes from the area between the shoulder and the beginning of the leg.

Mr. Winston came to me via my vet. He was a stray and probably 5 weeks old when I got him. I really didn't need another cat, but he was so small and cute! About four months later, another kitten came to my door in a terrible rain storm.

Confused about this warm-cold-warm-again winter? So is your lawn, and your ornamental plants and trees. Grass might be struggling to sprout. Plants might be shriveling or thinking about blooming already. As if the drought weren't bad enough. Don't fret. There are a few things you can do.

Wintertime finds us all indoors more, and, especially after the holiday decorations come down, home base just might be calling out for a bit of a boost. It really does not take much to add a refreshing punch to any room.

Soon, we won't carry a smartphone. It'll be a chip embedded in our brain. We won't need to memorize facts, we'll download them. We'll text message like mind readers.

The Mohawk pepper will fool you. It looks like it will light your mouth up like a fiery blaze, but it leaves you craving more of its sweet flavor. The Mohawk just fits perfectly where I have been leading you the last few weeks with plants that are small or compact.