Buckinghamshire

Hill Rag Wall Art

With great anticipation the August Hill Rag arrived in the corner newsstand boxes today. I always look forward to each issue because of the cover art. Every month is something entirely different and unique from the previous month. The best part is that the most recent magazine is displayed in our tv room. They always seem to match the decor. Aside from the usefulness it serves as a rotating art exhibit, we like to read about the events and real estate in the neighborhood. It is probably the only hard copy of anything we get anymore. Everything we read is on line, including the New Yorker. One of these days I'm hoping one of my digital works of art lands
somewhere in the publication. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Yellow Dog

USDA Farmers Market

On Independence Avenue and 12th Street is the USDA Farmers Market. It is open every Friday and runs from June to mid November. The idea is to support healthy eating, and local growers. One sees farmers markets just about everywhere these days. A small one was even set up in the Library of Congress cafe this year. It is odd to see one amongst the concrete and marble along the avenue. It is even stranger to see corn growing in front of the Department of Agriculture. If you prefer heading in the opposite direction, there is always Eastern Market. It is open all year long and has a tremendous variety of everything. It is also one of the oldest of its kind. It's nice to know we have options. And it is all within walking distance.

Free Parking and More

There is a stretch along First Street right next to the renovated Truckers Building that has no permit or metered parking. In this neighborhood, it is very unusual to observe ten car owners have little to no concern about a car once it is parked. The Truckers Building added underground parking, so the need to park on the street is less essential than in the past. But for folks who actually live in the neighborhood and pay taxes for questionable city services, it is most irritating to witness free parking. Since we no longer have the luxury of a garage, every little space counts. So, I wrote to our Council member about the possibility of raising some revenue there and about three other items. One was about permit parking passes for homeowners; another was for a very dangerous intersection where just yesterday I witnessed another near miss accident; and the third was about constant road construction that eats up even more parking spaces. I did get a response to these issues in short order with a bunch of cc's. Let's see how long it takes for any action to be taken on any of these issues. Stay tuned!

Copenhagen

The Blighted Garden

We started the summer off with great enthusiasm for our little vegetable garden on the patio. We put in two tomato plants, two cucumber vines, and one eggplant. It seems the only plant that is braving the odd temperature fluctuations is one cucumber vine. We had a few tomatoes, but the ripened items turn black on the plant. It seems there is a blight affecting the East Coast and has spread to our little patch. The eggplant blooms but nothing happens. In frustration, my husband pulled out both tomato plants. The garden looks a lot less crowded. I harvested the one little cucumber today and it was delicious! At least we had a little bit of a crop. Let's hope August is more bountiful.