A Diasporan Checks In

Pittsburgh Diasporans turn up in the oddest places. Today, for example, one writes to the columnist at the Post-Gazette who deals in affairs of the heart under the hed, "Cat's Call":

DEAR CAT: I was born in Pennsylvania, left when I was 18, joined the Navy, and now live in Hemet, Calif. I have been a huge Steelers fan since the 1970s. I have a Steelers tattoo and eventually my Harley Davidson will be painted with a Steelers theme. It took a year and a half to convince my wife to paint our house black and gold, but now the neighbors are complaining about the color.

Mostly the wives are complaining, the husbands say I'm lucky to have a wife that understands my passion for the Steelers.To stop all the neighborhood talk, my wife now wants to paint our house a bland color like every other house on the block. How do I politely tell neighbors to shut up about
my choice of colors?

-- CITIZEN OF STEELER NATION

Clearly, this is someone who needs to get a life. As in: Remember your Pittsburgh roots! To her enormous credit, Cat tells him to do just that:

Some neighbors might find that decorative "accent" a bit garish, but it's your house and you're free to decorate it however you wish. You don't have to tell them to shut up, in fact you don't have to say anything.

Cat's Call: If it makes you and your wife happy, that's all that matters.

Sixburgh. Coming to a California suburb today.