Category: Uncategorized

|—————————————-|
| THE |
| Regular Yearly Picnic |
| of the |
| Blagden Alley |
| and |
| Naylor Court |
| Peoples |
| |
| Saturday, August 26, 2006 |
| Historical, Brick-Paved |
| Naylor Court |
| 6:00pm-9:00pm |
| (See map in newsletter) |
| |
| THIS IS NOT A DRILL! |
|—————————————-|

The picnic announcement is at

http://www.pro-messenger.com/Blagden/Monthly%20Pages/2006%20Monthly%20Pages/BAN_2006_08_P1.html

Two August newsletter pages are at
http://www.pro-messenger.com/Blagden/Monthly%20Pages/2006%20Monthly%20Pages/BAN_2006_08_P2.html

Noticed plywood over several units. What’s up with that?
My un-educated gut guess is that the owners are trying to sell it and so aren’t filling the units up with new tenants. Of course, there could have been a fire. I don’t know.
So anybody know what’s going on?

There is an annoying point in dieting when after you’ve made incredible progress there is a long period of nothing. No matter what you do, nada. However, you need to keep doing what you are doing so you could possibly progress and not go back. That’s how I’m feeling about the corner.
This week I’ve seen the cops, lights flashing, stopped at the corner. And it has been quieter on the corner than it has been in years past. But I will see the guys hanging out on the corner on occasion. They are not gone. I don’t always expect them to be there, but I’m not surprised if I do see them. I would like to be surprised, but it seems we’re not getting past not surprised.
I am thankful for the progress we’ve made in my little section of the neighborhood. I hope that all of the TC can improve in ways that make it a safer and nicer place.

I noticed him first at the corner of Adelphi Road and East-West Hwy in Hyattsville. He’s Latino with his right leg bending back when normally it should go forward. I felt badly for him. Then a few weeks ago I saw him up on Georgia Ave somewhere in that mass called Silver Spring, with his cup out taking charity. Just yesterday I saw him again, on Connecticut Ave by Farragut North with a orange juice box shaking it at passersby. For a guy with a screwed up leg he does get around.

When I go to IKEA I’m spending more time looking at the little showrooms and paying attention to the square footage. I’m not exactly complaining (complaining is in the ear if the listener) but my place is small and it is not going to get bigger anytime soon. Within the limited space I need to fit in ‘stuff’ for living and not feel cramped. IKEA is space sensitive and I look to this store to show me how to maximize my space.
So I am happy to see there is like an IKEA show, on TV, Canadian TV, but TV none the less, with a website. Space for Living appears to be in its second season, not sure, but I’ve already got some ideas. Sadly, they don’t give square footage.
Credit to IKEA Hacker

I saw this article from a local neighborhood list serv about how gas prices could be the end of the suburban migration pattern. I’m not sure it’s going to happen that fast, but I think it’ll certainly be something on people’s mind when shopping for places to live.

This probably really isn’t news to anyone who decided to live in Shaw. In fact, it was a big part of the reason I personally chose the ‘hood so if I thought of it– well, everyone else probably did too. But the article is a good read arguing for better urban land use.

Three cheers for central location and public transportation.

This was longer but the computer did a bad, bad thing and deleted… well I won’t get into it.
Fifth and O reports the camera has landed and it needs lights.
Also the District section of the Post has something on the “Free Our Library” thing.

Got an email that nearly went into the trash because A)- it went to the att.net address and B)-it was just a website. No explaination or anything. A Mr. Kevin Chapple is running for the ANC 2C02 seat that is currently being held by the colorful Leroy Thorpe.
I must say. Mr. Chapple has a very nice looking website. I don’t know if he has the 25 signatures needed to run and challenge Thorpe but if I were in 2C02, I’d sign it. It would make for an interesting election at the very least.

I can’t let the tomatoes get too red on the vine or the birds will start pecking at them.
The squirrels, I have decided, are stealing my and my neighbor’s tomatoes because their old food source is gone. There was a huge mulberry tree in the alley, but the people who owned it chopped it down. It was a big producer, and now it is gone and the squirrels need to eat. I have let fruit get ripe on the cherry tomato vine in hopes that the rodents go for the smaller tomatoes and leave the big ones alone.
It has been a rough year for the tomatoes.
The chard is fine. Growing, looking good, tasting good.
The beans are ok too. Unfortunately, I haven’t been much in the mood for beans.
The impatiens that I grew from seed are exploding. They are taken over the hanging basket that holds a dying pansy.
The squash is a loss. I am losing them to squash borers, again. I don’t think I will grew them again.
Although it is hot, there is a salad that is still working for me after all the others have bolted and are inedible, arugula. A handful of arugula, chopped up, throw in some tuna and avocado with a lime garlic dressing, good stuff. When it cools down again, I may use some left over seed to grow more salad.
The edible lawn is so-so. The Greek oregano spreads out nicely and suffered mowing well. I can’t say the same for some thymes. The tarragon did not like foot traffic and died. The mint, the weed that it is, is of course flourishing and wandering into parts it should not. The mini-mint expands but then dies back on its own, so I am not too concern with it getting out of control.

This weekend I noticed someone put up the banner (poorly shown in this picture) reading “Free Our Library”. Which must be a protest about the fence, which essentially closes the unoffical homeless summer camp that had been on the library premises. It cannot be a statement about the library itself as it has been closed for so long I don’t remember when it did close.
Also it is not really a library anymore. It is a ‘library’ building, but without a librarian with an ALA approved MLS, it is just a badly run bookstore with no coffee. It does us no good to free the building if it isn’t going to be a functional library. That’s what the community needs is a functional library. Good lord only knows when that will be.