Category: Uncategorized

My renting friends keep saying the market is going to bust. The housing market, because 5 years ago, they, with their single salaries could have bought in the city. Nothing big mind you, but a small bit of terra firma, or a very small studio condo. But they were too cool or what they could buy was not good enough, so they waited. And now we are here with vacant crack houses starting at 200K. So they (okay mainly just Bigg Al) keeps saying the market is going to bust, it is going to bust like the tech stocks. I say deflate. Also even if my house reverts back to the price I bought it at, I still got a house. Roof over my head. Bed to sleep in. Basement that floods. Mine, all mine. Unlike tech stocks I’m not left with just worthless numbers on a screen.
Keep saying the sky is falling, as long as terrorists don’t strike and the roof stays up, I’m good.

Back when Sala Thai opened I asked them if they delivered to my house, thinking I was well in their 2 mile delivery zone. Well no. So I come home today and in the mail is a menu for Sala Thai. “Bastards,” I think to myself. They taunt me with their menu when I can’t order delivery from them. Phooey, I spit on them. So I call them up, to demand why they tease me with descriptions of cilantro and lemon grass. Well, apparently, now they deliver to this neck of the hood. Go figure. So I order and in 45 minutes I’m eating Panang Gai on the floor in front of my TV.
Now I gotta see if Pizza Hut has changed its delivery policy.

Came across a useful UK based site for gardeners Thompson & Morgan. They have a seed germination guide, a vegetable growing guide, and a few other useful tips if you are wondering (as I am) when stuff goes into the ground.

I know it is warm so that is a perfectly good reason to open the windows. One of the neighbors on the other side of the alley has had her windows up for the past few days so when I sit out in the back I can hear them perfectly. All their family business. I don’t want to hear their family business, but it’s like being on the metro where the girl is talking to her friend on the phone real loud about something in the TMI range, you can’t help but to hear. Makes it kind of hard to enjoy the backyard, listening to a woman constantly screaming at her kids and whomever also happens to be in the house. I understand the occasional “pick up your X” or other command screams, but from past history, I know that it can go into a hour long tirade of throat drying yelling about anything under the sun.
Add on that recently they have lost or pulled up the binds so you can see into the house from the alley. So pictures with sound. This is a bit easier to ignore. I can always veer my eyes away but the screaming draws them back to the source.
I guess my biggest problem is with the yelling. The never ending screams.

A little warning as I saw one of our local crackheads peaking into a car and testing the door this morning as I was running to work. Dude? Have you no shame? I’m right here and looking at you! And I know it wasn’t your car.
If you have crackheads, or crackheads pass through and you own a car, lock it. Don’t assume that no one will try the doors. Also don’t leave anything that will give them hope that there is something they may want in your car. So clean it out, or at least transfer it all to the trunk.

My compost brings
all the worms to
the yard
And they’re like,
better than yours.
Dang right better
than yours

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had a good time gettin’ dirty. Mixing potting soil, peat moss, sand and compost, good times. Most of the compost was pretty much composted, with a few things that will take a forever and a half to decay, like avacado skins and mango pits, still entact. And the worms! My, they have been busy. So many worms. I’m gonna have to expand. I’m going to have to eat more veggies, or throw out more. I’ve got several hundered spineless mouths to feed.
Also discovered the importance of turning the compost. The bottom of the trash can/ compost pail wasn’t aerated and when I got to it. OH MY GAWD! Smelled like a hog farm in July. Used it anyway, and after a few days the smell is not as bad.
To deal with the aeration problem, I’m thinking I will move to plastic bins that are shallow enough for my short girlie arms. The problem with the trash can is that it is too deep to get to all of the matter.
Anyway, good compost will hopefully make for a good crop this year.

Impatiens are a pain to grow from seed. They take too long. The Canendula (pot marigold)is much better, pops up after a few days. Tomatoes did well from seed. The key in many of the seedlings was to snip away the other seedlings growing near.
I haven’t been very good about waiting till the 15th of April to put plants out. The tomatoes have been stuck in the ground and in outdoor pots. I’ve put out the thyme seedlings, several marigolds, coriander and one impatiens. Of course, I do have plenty of back ups growing inside, just in case a cold snap comes.

oh you know I’m showing up to this one.
Anyway, from our great leader Jim:

Neighbors,

In addition to the folks who are coming to talk about the benefits of
historic preservation, I have invited DPW Inspector Brooks and Raman
Bhatia, from an organization known as Community Greens, to make remarks
tomorrow.
I’m sure you all know who Inspector Brooks is, but you may not have
heard of Community Greens. Specifically, Community Greens is a partnership
between Ashoka: Innovators for the Public and The National Trust for
Historic Preservation. Their work is supported by the Fannie Mae
Foundation, Graham Foundation, and the Kodak American Greenways Awards. They
received initial seed funding from HUD. The mission of Community Greens is to
catalyze the development of shared green spaces inside residential
blocks in cities across the United States. At this point, thery are trying to
focus on neighborhoods across the country that have limited access to
quality green spaces.
Hope to see you tomorrow!
Best,
Jim Berry
BACA

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MONTHLY MEETING NOTICE

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Guest Speakers Include:
Rebecca Miller
Administrator
DC Preservation League

and

Patsy Fletcher
Outreach Coordinator
DC Office of Planning
Historic Preservation Office

Monday, April 4, 2005
Mount Sinai Baptist Church
3rd and Q Streets, N.W.
Rooms 1 and 2
7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATE

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Forestry Grant Writing Workshop:

The Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) in the District Department of
Transportation (DDOT) offers competitive matching grants from $1,000 to
$10,000 for community re-greening projects that increase and improve
the District’s urban forest while DC residents learn more about and take
ownership of the trees in their urban environment. These Green Grants
are offered to local government units and schools, 501(c) 3 non-profit
organizations or other local community tree volunteer groups. Projects
must be located within Washington, DC and require a 1-1 match from
non-federal funding sources.
To assist potential applicants, UFA is holding a proposal writing
workshop Saturday, April 9th at the Reeves Center 6th Floor Conference Room,
2000 14th Street NW from 9am to 2pm. Interested persons should RSVP by
calling Toni Jefferson, 202-671-5133.
Applicants must submit a complete application package to the Urban
Forestry Administration by May 31st, 2005.
UFA is the local government entity responsible for managing the
District’s street trees. UFA works in close cooperation with its federal partner,
the USDA Forest Service (USFS), to raise the level of understanding and
awareness regarding urban and community forestry within the District of
Columbia. Since the early 1990s, UFA has received both technical and
financial assistance from USFS to fund the DC Green Grants Program.
For further details on the Green Grants Program and application
requirements, visit UFA online at
http://ddot.dc.gov/ufa/cwp/view,a,1293,q,575536,ufaNav_GID,1631,ufaNav,|3269
.

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E-cycling Collection Events:

On Saturday, April 23, 2005 and again on Saturday, May 14, 2005, from
9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Washington, DC residents may dispose of
electronic items at Carter Barron Amphitheater Parking Lot, 16th and Kennedy
Streets, W. Items that will be collected for recycling are (1) computers; (2)
consumer batteries (dry cell); (3) electronics; (4) cell phones; (5)
inkjet, laser, & copier cartridges; and (6) foam packaging. These evens are
being sponsored by the DC Office of the Clean City, Washington, DC Recycles,
the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, The George Washington
University, DELL, US Department of Justice UNICOR Federal Prison
Industries, Inc., Rethink, Reduce, Reuse (and then Recycle); Whole Foods; and the
Association for Quality Education, Inc. For more information call
(202)
645-8245 or (202) 727-1000.

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Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day:

On Saturday, May 14, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Washington,
DC residents may dispose of household hazardous waste items at Carter
Barron Amphitheater Parking Lot, 16th and Kennedy Streets, W. Items that will
be collected for recycling are: (1) acids; (2) aerosols; (3) antifreeze;
(4) asbestos tile; (5) batteries; (6) cleaning chemicals; (7) drain
openers; (8a) furniture stripper; (9) ink; (10) varnish; lawn and garden
chemicals; (12) fertilizer; (13) lighter fluid; (14) mercury themometers; (15)
moth balls; (16) motor oil; (17) paint; (18) pesticides and poisons; (19
roofing tar; (20) solvents/thinners; (21) transmission, windshield wiper and
brake fluids; (22) wood preservatives; and (23) your old green or maroon
recycling bin. This event is being sponsored by the DC Department of Public
Works.
For more information call (202) 727-1000.

I had some friends over for dinner, themed as the meeting of lapsed and current comic book geeks. It was boy, girl, boy, girl, with a difference being the girls were property owners and the guys were renters. Anyway we’re talking about various things comic and non-comic related and Nora and I get to chatting about home repair things like sanding. The guys start zoning out a bit. We’re talking power tools, POWER TOOLS! And the guys are zoning out, what’s wrong with them? On other tangents of home repair, stuff breaking down, and such the guys start getting smug. Ha, ha! We don’t have to deal with that nah nanny nah nah.
Whatever.
There are a lot of things that are a joy and a frustration with being single and owning a home. Then throw on the being female part and it adds another layer. First off, there is only one income and one person dealing with the repairs, maintenance and improvements. Sometimes you can get your friends to chip in their labor for the price of tasty beverages and snacks, but for the bulk it is all on you. A plus of being single, is I don’t have to compromise on what it is I want. I can paint the house whatever color I desire and any other improvements are limited only by my finances. Being female is problem when it comes to dealing with some tradesmen. I don’t like being talked down to and I don’t like dumb assumptions about what I want because I’m a woman. Also the weak girly arms and the lousy upper body strength in general is annoying when taking on some household tasks, like hanging drywall. I mean, I could do it, but I tire out easy.
I know I’m not a freak of nature, as about 1/2 of single women are homeowners. I mean once I figured I was going to stay in the DC metro area for a length of time, it just made sense to buy something, after several years of renting.
I remember a male colleague (a renter who I might say earned 2x more than me) asking me about my decision to buy in relation to a guy I was dating at the time. My answer was “what about him?” I didn’t see a ring on my finger, so whomever I was dating had no relationship to my homebuying wants or needs. Over dinner with the comic book geeks, we girls tried to explain to the guys, that should Mr. Right come along, we ain’t moving. We do like our houses, they fit very well into our lives, and unless he has something that is amazingly better than our homes (which we put in hours and days of sweat equity in), we ain’t moving. He’ll have to rent out his property. Besides, most of the (datable) guys we know are renters. Course, I’m willing to move for a house closer to the metro, a Mercedes, swimming pool and room for a pony.
Going back to another point, being the only income for this household, and being the only one in the household, a household of one, impacted what I could buy and where I could live. I could rent a better location, closer to the metro but buying, even before the crack fueled crazed housing prices was hard. I didn’t make that much, entry level professional’s salary and qualified for some housing programs, but even with that, there just wasn’t a lot in my price range, especially for a fee simple (not a condo) house. Almost everything I saw needed work. From the research I did, I knew what metro-able neighborhoods I could afford. Logan, no. U-Street, maybe something falling down. Columbia Heights, only east of 11th, maybe. LeDroit, eastside of 2nd. Now, as a single homeowner the problem is with inaccessible equity I can’t tap into because of the single income. The notion of ‘safe’ was another issue, as a single woman, I had to play around with. I mapped out Shaw according to my comfort level, coloring streets and blocks by my willingness to walk down them. Do I worry when coming home at night? Depends. If I am feeling unsure, I take a cab or grab a 90something bus from U Street.
With the current housing prices I don’t know if a single woman can buy a house in Shaw. She’s got to be making a lot of money if she can buy because even shells are going for well over 200K. There are condos coming up, but throw on condo fees and that’s a big monthly payment. I don’t know if the streets are safer or if I’ve gotten more comfortable. The gangs of kids are more annoying than scary.