I have heard from some dog owners that a good way to keep the ‘activity’ down is to walk your dogs through the alley. This is not for every one and every alley. Another thing I was told, was cutting down the weeds and removing the trash, so the dealers would have fewer places to hide their products.
So for about and hour or so I took to cleaning a small part of my alley. I leave the regular maintenance to alley cleaning man, his broom, and his tersely written signs. I had a big garbage bag, some gardening gloves, some garden tools and a hatchet. For entertainment, music and an earphone in one ear, leaving the other free to listen out for cars that are occasionally known to drive through.
While I was cleaning and whacking down weeds I noticed a man on a cell phone near the mouth of the alley pacing by and looking down the alley. I got the feeling that if I weren’t in the alley he would have walked down it. Then a little bit later a red sedan, possibly mid to early 1990s model, started to turn into the alley. I moved out of the way, but it had enough room to change plans, and not come down the alley. About 10 minutes later, I swear the same car began to turn into the alley on the other end, backed up and drove away.
Well, 8 feet of the alley is now weed free-ish, and trash free, and whatever was to have happened in the alley thwarted.
Month: August 2008
Harris Teeter has Jelly Babies
Who cares?
Well if Tom Baker was your Doctor Who, then you may understand why this is blog worthy.
I went into HT for one thing. I’m getting better at walking into stores for just one thing and only walking out with 3, as opposed to a dozen things. Anyway, I like HT’s fish counter, so I went there for some scallops and decided to check out the rest of the store, as most of the time I don’t get past the seafood counter. When walking down the foreign foods aisle, there they were. Jelly Babies. They weren’t the usual brand I try to get when I do visit the UK, but there they were. At about $6 a box, they were way cheaper than flying over or mail ordering them.
For certain things the prices seem to be fine. Special things, yes, those are a bit more pricey. But being surprised with a candy you’ve been obsessed with since a teen, priceless.
Bloomingdale Farmers Market Better
Yesterday I stopped by the Dupont Circle market sometime after I had picked up fruits and corn from the Bloomingdale Farmers Market. I like BFM a bit better than DFM, and just as much as the PQ(Penn Quarter)FM.
Yes the Penn Quarter and Bloomingdale Farmer’s markets are smaller, but not as frigging crowded. Maybe the vendors like crowds, but I don’t. There just doesn’t seem to be enough room. Besides, I like the ‘crowd’ at BFM, as most of the time I run into a Truxton neighbor there.
Second, Bloomingdale is cheaper. I saw corn at Dupont for .70 cents an ear. Bloomingdale it was .50 cents. I know you don’t go to farmers markets to save money, but when you can, do.
Edible Front Lawn
Well it’s August and the edible front yard is moving along quite nicely.
Tomatoes– The patio tomatoes are near done and the bigger tomato plants are beginning to show some fruit. Well some of them. Some are just disappointing thus far, with lots of vines but no little green fruits to show for itself. It could be that other pants are getting in the way.
Beans– Beans, beans a wonderful fruit. The Parisian bean is dying if not dead. My beans seem to suffer from a spider mite problem that requires a nearly daily dose of spraying a strong stream of water of the leaves to knock the little buggers off. Unfortunately, with my spotty watering the mites won. At least I got a few nice Harcourt Verts out of them. The red emperor bean is giving me nice little red flowers but nothing else. I don’t think I’ll grow them again next year. Lastly I am very happy with the conch peas or Texas Cream 8 bean. Conch peas are what I used to eat as a child in Florida. I can’t seem to find these kind of peas/beans up here in DC. Though it is a very small amount that I am getting, I’m happy I’m getting them. I will grow more next year.
Thyme– It’s taking over every empty spot in the yard. This is the creeping variety, not the culinary kind. I can eat it but only when I’ve run out of the type I like.
Salad Greens– I don’t know the exact name of whatever is pictured here but whatever it is it suffers heat and spotty watering well. It hasn’t gone bitter like many other greens and is salad and sandwich worthy. Corn Mache didn’t like the heat, and those plants look pretty beat up, so I am hoping that they do better in the fall. The purslane is all over and I’m not eating it fast enough.
Beets– I like the ones I have and have taken the greens and sauted them in olive oil and garlic. I’m haing a problem with seeds I’ve placed in the ground recently as nothing is coming up and I want something around for winter.
Flowers– Daylilies are done. Pansys and Violas are going strong. I haven’t felt the need to put them in a salad. Nasturtiums have suffered in the heat and seem near dead.
Etc. Somewhere under a tomato vine is a sage plant dying for some sun. The mint is fine and I guess I should ponder another mojito party… or just make mojito sorbet. I haven’t done squat with the oregano, which has gone to flower. The Thai basil is about to flower. I’m ignoring the swiss chard. I should give more of it away. Make room for something else. The parsley looks sad.
So this s just my 14×8 front yard. Yes, it is crowded. Very much so. But growing in the city can be done. And it is quite fun to say everything (minus the weeds) can be eaten.
Two Shaw Area Blogs to Mention
BAANC Blog– That the Blagden Alley And (is that what the other A is for?) Naylor Court Blog. So get your announcements for the next BAA meeting here as well as other information around the BA/NC area.
And Bread for the City which has an office on 7th Street has a blog. From what I’ve read it is a group blog so keep note that the poster may not be the author. There are some Shaw topics, but most, so far deal with affordable housing. There are good reads, but there was at least one post that made my eyes roll. The latest post by Kate Perkins deserves a read because she talks about neighbors as neighbors and the limitations of mixed income projects. Well that’s how I read it, and I really like her humble tone.
My greatest danger is anything with a motor
Once again, I am nearly run down by a SUV. If I hadn’t read my paper I would have communicated to the driver of the SUV that I was much displeased by his nearly mowing me down by flinging my plastic wrapped newspaper at him. Instead I used my words. I had the right of way, he was making a right on to 7th, and the crossing sign had just lit up and was counting down when I stepped into the crosswalk of DEATH.
A week ago I was 10 seconds away from getting hit. At New Jersey Ave and R the light had just turned green for R, and I was still a ways on the sidewalk, and thought of running for it, but I was carrying something heavy and didn’t. If I had I might have been in the way of the sedan speeding north on New Jersey that didn’t seem to think that red light was meant for him. He did stop a few feet past the crosswalk to keep from hitting the car, travelling west on R, and the cyclist, also travelling on R.
Guns are the least of my worries when every other day I have to take care that I don’t get hit by some jackhole behind the wheel.