They call it Mellow Yellow

That's the color we're painting our house. Actually, it's Yellow Lotus from Benjamin Moore, which we're getting at Catalina Paints on Oxnard Street and Van Nuys Boulevard. It used to be a Magic Muffler shop, meaning it was purple, and they were able to cover that up just fine. And it's not as overrun as Dunn-Edwards on Sepulveda Boulevard.

And yes, we're doing it ourselves. Upon first scrape, I can tell you that our house, which is 57 years old, has been painted a grand total of ... twice. First color: Mylanta Green, if such a color exists. Second coat ... a generic off-white/tan.

As Ilene says, there's a lot of politics involved in painting your own house, especially if the color you choose is not Navajo White and you're not treating the exterior of the dwelling as if it's a 17th-century sideboard.

We're going to do it in stages -- one side at a time. First the front, then the west side, then back and east side.