Category: Living in Shaw

Front Yard Tomatoes

Walking around the hood I’m noticing more folks growing tomatoes in their front yards. I’m wondering if it is a fluke? Are they accidental tomato plants grown from a stray tomato seed from a) a discarded sandwich or b) compost- those tomato seeds seem to survive compost?
Regardless I’m happy to see a part of the Shaw lawn going to food production. I haven’t had too many worries about growing things in the front yard. My concerns are:
1. Kids playing on the sidewalk will almost always throw a ball in your yard knocking over and possibly destroying plants.
2. G-dd-mned squirrels eating unripe fruit and leaving them 1/2 eaten on the step, or fence or high spot you can’t reach.
3. Newspaper delivery people aiming for plants.

I have gotten emails with concerns about front yard tomatoes getting stolen and attracting rats. I don’t know about rats, as I haven’t seen any evidence of them and I figure the fruit grows too high for them to reach and I collect all of it so none of it hits the ground. And the only ones who’ve stolen from me are the squirrels.

Dead Body in a bathtub lottery

In yesterday’s Washington Post there was the District of Columbia Notice of Real Property Tax Sale (J section). It lists the properties for which taxes or other things owed to the city have not been paid and their liens are up for auction. As you may remember the Tax auction was how Edmund A. Wilson lost his house. But he had left this earthly plane (or is it plain?) without notice and material things like houses probably meant little to him afterwards. Yes, he was the dead body, found in the bathtub, when the new owners took possession.
The tax sale is from July 10 till all the tax liens have been auctioned off. Most people, particularly in this Real Estate market, like ninety someodd percent, pay their delinquent taxes or what have you. The tiny percentage of properties where the owners don’t pay their taxes are up for foreclosure. The problem with foreclosure is that there might be a huge mortgage on the property or other liabilities, would would need to be paid by the foreclosurer. But sometimes, like the lottery, you win big, and you get a property.
Since more than likely one won’t get a property at auction the reason to participate is the interest rate. According to what I could pull out of the tax sale rules (pdf) interest accrues at 1.5% per month. My poor math skills tell me that is 18% a year. Not bad considering my credit union is offering about 4.5% on a 6 month CD. But, that is only on the taxes owed, not the amount you bid over, or that nasty $150 auction fee added to the bidding. Because the auction room includes idiots who believe they will actually get a house with the auction (no just a lien) they tend to bid the properties above an amount that would give back a decent return in interest. But not for all properties, so it is possible to make a little money on the tax sale.
I’m debating about participating this year. I have to see what extra money I have laying around that can be tied up for 6 months. Last year I bid but didn’t get anything because the bids went above a decent rate of return (is that the right term?) and I wasn’t going to bid just to bid.
Update: I noticed that the DC.Gov doesn’t have the list of properties up and there doesn’t seem to be an electronic version of it on the Post or Times websites. There are several properties owing the tax man. 1419 and 1421 3rd St are on the list, so is 206 Bates, 1504 1st St, 142 Bates, and many more. Let’s say, more than I’d rather list.

The State of the In Shaw Blog

Looking back at last January’s entries I’m a little late posting the State of the Blog.
The blog is okay.
In 2004 I did a fair number of open house reviews. I did fewer as the year went on. Mainly because I noticed fewer open houses in Truxton Circle and I found that hanging out with Nathan’s family on a Sunday evening was more fun than open houses. But fear not, a Realtor approached me recently and I hope to get a report of some sort of real estate deals in the area.
There are a few things like this that may be new for 2006. So far you have seen or heard TC the InShaw podcast. I’m scribbling up a script/notes for February’s podcast. My webhost has expanded the amount of space and bandwidth I have so I’m going to make the best of it.
The state of the Truxton & Eastern Shaw neighborhood is improving even if at times it seems that it isn’t. Several steps forward and a couple of steps back. In March we got Thai X-ing. Well LeDroit Park got Thai Xing, but considering Taw is only a 5 minute leisurely stroll away from the house, I consider him ours too. Yeah, it’s a carry out but it is a good carry out. The steps back have been in the area of crime. A few neighbors have been mugged and then there is the crackhead/crackdealer problems. The good thing is the noticeable number of crack dealers and crackheads has been going down over the past two years. Some problem families moved away, such as Screaming Woman and I think my block’s resident crackhead left. Last year Scott and Matt officially launched TruxtonCircle.Org the better neighborhood site and a great way to link neighbors, which then launched the wonderful Truxton Circle Happy Hours. Scott and Matt also helped out with the 2005 garden tour, which Mary Anne was the head of, and that got the neighborhood some good press.
Personally, I haven’t improved that much. There is more grey hair on the head. This blog has brought a small bit of fame but it has yet to give me a nice trophy husband. I have noticed I got a bit more involved in some neighborhood causes. The ongoing struggle with Mondie being one. Will I have the energy to do more? I dunno, we’ll see.

Who’s that knocking on the door

Be on the look out for weird people coming to your door. There was a story on I think in the Truxton Circle Dispatch (of which I can’t bring up because the archive is screwy) about a woman knocking on the door of a female resident at night asking about the house next door in a somewhat confused manner. Which in itself is nothing to write about but the knocking woman was also peering through the window of the female resident. Window peeping is off limits.
Then a few days later on the Mount Vernon Square discussion list a resident wrote:

Please be aware of a suspicious person in the neighborhood who may come to your door and ask for Metro directions or money. Today, an individual, white male, thin build, approximately 35 years old, approx 5’6″-5’8″, light hair, mustache, wearing a light shirt and dark jacket, came to my door about 4:00pm asking for directions to the Metro. I know this guy- as I almost arrested him about two months ago after he became belligerent when I wouldn’t give him Metro money in exchange for his “work tools”. At that time, he was extremely belligerent and was crossing the line to attempted assault when I identified myself as law enforcement. Had I not, I’m sure it would have escalated into a physical altercation. His quick change of demeanor made me suspect he was under the influence of narcotics. He claimed to work on one of the construction projects on 6th. Funny that in two months of “working” in the neighborhood, he doesn’t know where Metro is. He just caught me off guard actually coming to my door today at the same time I was expecting someone else. Lesson to all of us to be careful – especially around he
holidays…..

I think I ran into contractor/need help with the metro guy several months ago on 5th St when he asked me for money for the metro. I see he’s making house calls. That is troubling.

Cancelled Party

Cancelled Party

I was planning a pretty good party. For All Saints Day, Nov 2, a few friends, a few copies of historical documents, some readings, & food.

But my contractor wants to start early. Party cancelled.

I got to clean out the dining room to make a staging area for the kitchen redo. Toss out some things, box alot of things, toss out the non-functioning CD player, and figure out how I’m going to live without a kitchen for nearly a month…. 2 words. Hot plate.

Truxton Fantasy

Truxton Fantasy #1

I ask my best friend Mikey a lot of stupid questions like, if you had $10 million dollars… and such. But today I asked myself a stupid question, if I had the power to change the character and nature of Truxton Cirlce (Eastern Shaw) what would I change it to?

Transportation

1. I’d make it way easy to catch a cab on New Jersey or Rhode Island, regardless of the hailer’s color or destination. Cabbies are evil and at times hard to find.

2. I’d allow left handed turns on New York Avenue. Anyone who has gotten stuck on NY trying to turn left KNOWS what I’m talking about.

3. I’d put rumble strips on residential roads.

4. Mt. Sinai Baptist would build a parking garage, that residents can use M-F.

People/Residents

1. Diversity balance would be maintained. Meaning families, seniors, whites, blacks, latinos, asians, gays, straights, professionals, blue color workers, low income folks, college kids, teens, natives, immigrants, English-speaking, ESL folks, car people, metro people, joggers, walkers, cyclists, fat/cubby/chunky people, ana-looking women, athletic beautiful people all have a place in the neighborhood.

2. There would be a good critical mass of civic minded involved citizenry who would dedicate themselves to the improvement of the neighborhood. There are such people now, but not a critical mass of them.

3. Residents and guests would respect the people of the neighborhood by not dumping trash in the alleys and on the streets. Nor would they roll through with loud thumping bass. Nor would they honk their horns as an alternative to knocking on their intended’s door.

4. People would take pride in their homes and themselves.

Business/Commerical

1. There would be 2-3 decent sit down eateries, at least 1 table-cloth’ed restaurant (think Mimi’s not Subways) either in Truxton Circle or along 7th Street between S and P.

2. The commerical strip would be dotted with businesses that promote walking and provide an environment for neighbors and friends to run into one another.

3. There would be only a small handful of liquor stores and those stores would sell only decent quality beverages. Few 40s, few MD 20/20, few Wild Irish Rose. The bulk of their sales would not be from things that get you smashed real fast. They would have a good selection of red wines.

4. A bookstore would exist in my fantasy version of the hood. That or a Krispy Kreme. Actually, I can go downtown for books, give me a Krispy Kreme.

Okay, now I got KK on the brain. If you’ve had a fresh, hot Krispy Creme dougnut, you know what I mean.

drool.

Trading Up – Neighbors move

Trading Up
I told my neighbor I wouldn’t tell anyone how much she’s selling her house for, so I won’t. But it is a sh*tload of $$. She deserves every single cent of it. She lived in the house for a little under 9 years. She’s going to trade in a townhouse with leaky basement and no parking for a house with a yard and a garage in BFE Maryland. All the cool stuff in the city that is attracting people means nothing to her. She has a car and kids. Metro and clubs don’t mean squat. Good schools and no shooting and no (as my Daddy would put it) dumbas$ n*ggas hanging out, that is what she wants and needs.
At the price the house is going for apparently only whites can afford it, so the demographics of the block will head in a particular direction. Called ET and told her to score one point for her people. Last month a white couple moved in on one end of the block, changing the trend of houses on the north end changing demographically from black renters to white homeowners and renters, so now the Euro-Americans are coming from both ends.
I am so thankful she did not decide to rent the house out to get Section 8 money. I pray to G-d above that Mr. Mesfin will sell his house too. Last I spoke to him he STILL had not decided if he was going to rent or sell. I hope he sells because I can tell he’s cheap and will be a slumlord.