diff --git a/packages/ui/domrange.js b/packages/ui/domrange.js
index f2d4cef524..dc851b1f8d 100644
--- a/packages/ui/domrange.js
+++ b/packages/ui/domrange.js
@@ -56,8 +56,6 @@ var isSignificantNode = function (n) {
              /^\s+$/.test(n.nodeValue)));
 };
 
-var nextColor = 1;
-
 var DomRange = function (component) {
   var start = document.createTextNode("");
   var end = document.createTextNode("");
@@ -79,6 +77,7 @@ var DomRange = function (component) {
 
   this.members = {};
   this.nextMemberId = 1;
+  this.owner = null;
 };
 
 _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
@@ -154,6 +153,7 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
         throw new Error("Component not built");
       // Range
       var range = newMember.dom;
+      range.owner = this.component;
       var nodes = range.getNodes();
       for (var i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++)
         insertNode(nodes[i], parentNode, nextNode);
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
       this.removeAll();
       removeNode(this.start);
       removeNode(this.end);
+      this.owner = null;
       return;
     }
 
@@ -194,6 +195,7 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
     if ('dom' in member) {
       // Range
       var range = member.dom;
+      range.owner = null;
       // Don't mind if range (specifically its start
       // marker) has been removed already.
       if (range.start.parentNode === parentNode)
@@ -265,10 +267,12 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
       if ('dom' in mem) {
         // Range
         var range = mem.dom;
-        if (range.start.parentNode === parentNode)
+        if (range.start.parentNode === parentNode) {
           rangeFunc && rangeFunc(range); // still there
-        else
+        } else {
+          range.owner = null;
           delete members[k]; // gone
+        }
       } else {
         // Node
         var node = mem;
@@ -316,8 +320,6 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
   // see `getInsertionPoint`.  Adding multiple members
   // at once using `add(array)` is faster.
   refresh: function () {
-    var color = nextColor++;
-    this.color = color;
 
     var someNode = null;
     var someRange = null;
@@ -329,7 +331,6 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
       numMembers++;
     }, function (range) {
       range.refresh();
-      range.color = color;
       someRange = range;
       numMembers++;
     });
@@ -366,14 +367,17 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
       for (var node = parentNode.firstChild;
            node; node = node.nextSibling) {
 
+        var nodeOwner;
         if (node.$ui &&
-            ((node.$ui.dom === this &&
+            (nodeOwner = node.$ui.dom) &&
+            ((nodeOwner === this &&
               node !== this.start &&
               node !== this.end &&
               isSignificantNode(node)) ||
-             (node.$ui.dom !== this &&
-              node.$ui.dom.color === color &&
-              node.$ui.dom.start === node))) {
+             (nodeOwner !== this &&
+              nodeOwner.owner &&
+              nodeOwner.owner.dom === this &&
+              nodeOwner.start === node))) {
           // found a member range or node
           // (excluding "insignificant" empty text nodes,
           // which won't be moved by, say, jQuery)
@@ -409,11 +413,11 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
       // nodes as well.
       for (var n;
            (n = firstNode.previousSibling) &&
-           n.$ui && n.$ui.dom.color === color;)
+           n.$ui && n.$ui.dom === this;)
         firstNode = n;
       for (var n;
            (n = lastNode.nextSibling) &&
-           n.$ui && n.$ui.dom.color === color;)
+           n.$ui && n.$ui.dom === this;)
         lastNode = n;
       // adjust our start/end pointers
       if (firstNode !== this.start)
@@ -452,6 +456,8 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
         // still there
         range.refresh();
         return range.start;
+      } else {
+        range.owner = null;
       }
     } else {
       // Node
@@ -467,4 +473,32 @@ _extend(DomRange.prototype, {
   }
 });
 
+// In a real-life case where you need a refresh,
+// you probably don't have easy
+// access to the appropriate DomRange or component,
+// just the enclosing element:
+//
+// ```
+// {{#Sortable}}
+//   <div>
+//     {{#each}}
+//       ...
+// ```
+//
+// In this case, Sortable wants to call `refresh`
+// on the div, not the each, so it would use this function.
+DomRange.refresh = function (element) {
+  var topLevelRanges = [];
+  for (var n = element.firstChild;
+       n; n = n.nextSibling) {
+    if (n.$ui && n === n.$ui.dom.start &&
+        ! n.$ui.dom.owner)
+      topLevelRanges.push(n.$ui.dom);
+  }
+
+  for (var i = 0, N = topLevelRanges.length;
+       i < N; i++)
+    topLevelRanges[i].refresh();
+};
+
 UI.DomRange = DomRange;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/ui/domrange_tests.js b/packages/ui/domrange_tests.js
index dfcadba032..97234d450e 100644
--- a/packages/ui/domrange_tests.js
+++ b/packages/ui/domrange_tests.js
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - basic", function (test) {
   s.add(span);
   r.add(s);
   test.equal(_.keys(r.members).length, 2);
+  test.isFalse(r.owner);
+  test.equal(s.owner, r);
 
   // DOM should go: rStart, DIV, sStart, SPAN, sEnd, rEnd.
   test.equal(span.previousSibling, s.startNode());
@@ -73,6 +75,7 @@ Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - basic", function (test) {
 
   // removal
   s.remove();
+  test.isFalse(s.owner);
   // sStart, SPAN, sEnd are gone from the DOM.
   test.equal(rStart.nextSibling, div);
   test.equal(rEnd.previousSibling, div);
@@ -168,6 +171,11 @@ Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - shuffling", function (test) {
   test.equal(r.get('I'), I);
   test.equal(r.get('U'), U);
 
+  test.isFalse(r.owner);
+  test.equal(X.dom.owner, r);
+  test.equal(Y.dom.owner, r);
+  test.equal(Z.dom.owner, r);
+
   r.remove('Y');
   test.equal(spellDom(), '((Z)(X)BAAIU)');
   test.equal(r.get('Y'), null);
@@ -203,7 +211,7 @@ Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - nested", function (test) {
 
   // nest empty ranges; should work even though
   // there are no element nodes
-  var A,B,C,D,E,F,G;
+  var A,B,C,D,E,F;
 
   test.equal(spellDom(), '()');
   r.add(A = new Comp('A'));
@@ -228,9 +236,13 @@ Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - nested", function (test) {
   test.equal(spellDom(), '(AaCcBFfDdb)');
   r.remove('B');
   test.equal(spellDom(), '(AaCc)');
+
+  test.isFalse(r.owner);
+  test.equal(A.dom.owner, r);
+  test.equal(C.dom.owner, r);
 });
 
-Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - outside moves", function (test) {
+Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - external moves", function (test) {
   // In this one, uppercase letters are div elements,
   // lowercase letters are marker text nodes, as follows:
   //
@@ -323,6 +335,13 @@ Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - outside moves", function (test) {
   test.equal(spellDom(),
              strip('(a-X-b - c-d-Y-Z-e-f - g-h-i-W-j-k-l V)'));
 
+  test.equal(ab.dom.owner, r);
+  test.equal(cf.dom.owner, r);
+  test.equal(de.dom.owner, cf);
+  test.equal(gl.dom.owner, r);
+  test.equal(hk.dom.owner, gl);
+  test.equal(ij.dom.owner, hk);
+
   // all right, now let's mess around with these elements!
 
   $([Y,Z]).insertBefore(X);
@@ -436,9 +455,19 @@ Tinytest.add("ui - DomRange - outside moves", function (test) {
   //
   // See `range.getInsertionPoint`.
 
-  r.refresh();
+  // Same as `r.refresh()` but tests
+  // the convenience function `DomRange.refresh(element)`:
+  DomRange.refresh(r.parentNode());
+
   r.moveBefore('gl', null);
 
   test.equal(spellDom(),
-             strip('------------- (- aXb ghiWjkl)'));
-});
\ No newline at end of file
+             strip('-------------- (aXb ghiWjkl)'));
+});
+
+
+// TO TEST STILL:
+// - external remove element
+// - double-add, double-remove
+// - external entire remove
+// - element adoption during move/remove/refresh
\ No newline at end of file