When you live on a corner you have the whole side yard thing to think about.

While raking (with a rake, not one of those infernal machines I hear in the background) I think about making new flower beds on this hidden side of my house. You can't see most of this from any place in or around the house, so I don't give it much serious thought except when I'm raking. No one else sees this side yard much either because it faces parkland. Neighbor cars zip by but there's no stop sign (it's a rolling corner, not a hard corner) so the only people who stop here are those who've discovered that it's a good place to drink and make out late at night.

Hardy cactus.

These are in central Maryland, not exactly a desert-like place. I guess that means cactuses don't necessary need a desert-like climate to thrive.

Indulge me. George and Anabelle, children of Sarah and Kevin. (Sarah is my niece.)

The lavender flowers look like they're tucking in their heads to ward off the cold. Very cold tonight and all weekend.

I'm still sort of giddy about the election.

I commented recently that I might go to the inauguration, since the White House is just 12 miles or so from my house. But local reports say that the city expects 4 million attendees. When I went to the first Clinton inauguration there were under 2 million. Ummmm, never mind. I think I'll just stay home and watch on TV.

Citrus trees, grown from seeds. They have to come inside for the winter and they're getting a little too big to fit.

Not much blooming at the local nursery but what's there is cherce.

Snow in Gormania, WV!

Yesterday afternoon from my sister's front porch.

B & T ????

I'm reading this book (light as a feather; it's so light that I can read it and think about the economy at the same time). When I asked the librarian what the "B&T" on the spine stood for she said what sounded like "Bacon Taylor," or "Bake and Tailor." I repeated it back to her: "Bake and Taylor? What does that mean?" She said "it's a new collection of books we're carrying." I was bewildered. Decided not to ask more questions. Any ideas?

More berries from the park. They seem to be from a hardy vine.

Enough with the depressing photos. A view in the park next door.

An Olympic team of leaf-blowers just 2 doors away.

There were four guys with blowers and one guy with a big machine that seemed more elaborate than just a lawn mower. Maybe one of those punch-holes-in-the-ground machines.

It was a nightmare. I will admit that they were done very quickly.

I took this bad picture a wk ago while driving. It's an ICC construction site on Old Columbia Pike, NE Silver Spring, near Burtonsville.

I was listening to NPR just now and heard about a new effort, petition I believe, to stop construction of the ICC. I'm generally against the ICC, but not because I've studied the issue. I'll have to drive over there soon and see if the construction has stopped. I'm betting on no.

New and old veggie garden.

Look at that hideous wall behind the gardens! I never noticed it until I took this picture, even though I've obviously looked at it thousands of times. May paint it. Not sure what. Would have to be subtle. Hideous. When I finish digging up the new garden (in the foreground) I'll top it off with Gormania worm castings and my own compost. Yum. I'm leaving a little narrow grass pathway through the new half for walking. I'll cut it with scissors I guess. (Sure wish I could have a couple of goats. I guess they'd eat grass.) Combined gardens will be roughly 5 x 10 when I'm done.

Mr. Canada Goose.

Unusual fallen leaves make a nice carpet. (Next door to the beaver lodge.)

Rainy day at the pond next door.

The beavers have been actively remodeling.

Garden bloggers have a tradition called Bloom Day. The 15th of every month is the day to post pictures of what's blooming in your garden. Lavender!

Where my mom's ashes were scattered. Far western Maryland. So pretty. Hi mom.

Still getting lettuce, a few stray nasturtiums, chives, and fennel from my garden.

Next year I'll plant a lot more lettuce in the late summer / early fall. Lots more. Temps going into mid-high 60s on Saturday. Good lettuce-growing weather.

Great cover!

I love the houses in DC. So much more attractive than those McMansions.

These row houses are on 13th Street, just a few miles from the White House. Where I hear a nice new family will move in on January 20th.

I spent about half an hour with this guy today at the corner of 14th & U.

His name is Cal Surak and he was born on 7/31/08, and he's a dream. I literally met him at a building on the corner of 14th and U, NW, DC. (New location of Project 4 gallery.)
He's divine. And so serene.

Anabelle and George. My niece's children. Sweet and cute. Wish I'd taken more pictures.

I'm very interested in this product. Must find some. For cleaning out drains. I've paid my last big bucks to Roto-Rooter for sink unplugging.

Mystery shrub, or vine, from the park. The berries look fake but they're not.

Halloween bug.

Yesterday I took my first yoga class here in historic Greenbelt, MD (and maybe it's a placebo effect but I feel pretty damn limber today).

From MarylandHistoricalTrust.net:
The ... City of Greenbelt ... was established and expanded between 1935 and 1941 as one of three "green towns" founded by the United States government under the New Deal as an attempt to solve social and economic problems confronting the nation. ... Of the three towns, Greenbelt is the only one to still retain many of the original features such as the buildings and sections of the surrounding "greenbelt." Greenbelt also continues the concept of community responsibility as the majority of the housing is owned by a cooperative.

This is how a lot of far, far northwestern Maryland looks.

Sidling Mountain near Cumberland, MD.

"They" cut a big hole in this mountain to build this highway. Check out the interesting rock sheers (is that what it's called?).

It's looking very peaky around here.

Romanesque. That's what this was called at the Amish Market today. I bought it for the picture, but will of course eat it.

Blogs are so great. I found a great picture (http://www.ianhayhurst.co.uk/w/IMG2832) from someone in the U.K., and this quirky description (http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2007/02/romanesque-fractal-broccoli.html):
"What is this light green vegetable which delights a Paris market shopper, which prompts musings of the Fibonacci sequence...?

"It's romanesque, or romanesque broccoli, the “fractal vegetable”. The geometric symmetry is mesmerizing, discernible even as a little tiny piece.

"With its firm texture and taste reminiscent of young broccoli or cauliflower, it held its own among absolutely gorgeous itty-bitty vegetables in the burrata and gnocchi dish I mentioned in the previous post. A vegetable to savor? Precisely."

Sometimes I'm glad I'm a packrat.

Found this old drawing, from November 1991. Check out my sweet daughter's note on the back of the drawing. Also note hearts flowing up between us. And my shoulder pads. In 1991 I may have indeed had such shoulder pads in my dresses. Also note that she signs it "Becka" and "Becky." And I call her Becca.

Near the highest point in Maryland.

My sister's house. Where we had a great weekend.

Oct 31, 2008

Obama will win
Washington
Oregon
Calif
Minn
Wisc
Mich
Iowa
Illinois
Michigan
Illinois
New York
Vermont
New Hamp
Maine
Mass
RI
Conn
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
DC
Hawaii

McCain will win (??? electoral votes)

Tossups (Obama needs 32 to win)
Nevada - 5
New Mex - 5
Colorado - 9
VA - 13
(the 4 above = 32)

Indiana - 11
Pennsylvania - 21
(the 2 above = 32)

Ohio - 20