Progress in the hood

We were pleased to see a family setting up a portable swimming pool yesterday afternoon on our "adopted" lot and kids having a ball on what was once a weed-choked lot carpeted by litter and broken bottles. Residents in the row houses on Eutaw Place no longer dump their bags of garbage along the alley that runs by the lot. I think landlords are doing a better job providing enough garbage cans for their tenants and the city inspectors are doing a good job enforcing the ordinances. All around a good thing for the neighborhood. If I get bold enough, I might start a little garden on the lot and see how the neighbors take to that.

Speaking of garden, the RHHP garden is beginning to yield its bounty. We have been dining on freshly-picked lettuce, basil and Swiss chard this week. The tomatoes will ripen in earnest soon. I have already promised some to Gene, our elderly neighbor to the north of us. Here is a snapshot of Ellen with a head of romaine from the garden. I love Maryland weather. It lets me grow veggies here the way I could not in Seattle.

Baltimore's crumbling infrastructure

Hardly a week goes by without reports of broken water mains which disrupt the water supply to entire neighborhoods in the city as well as the county. It is a matter of time that Reservoir Hill's water main conk out on us. As part of emergency preparedness, we have stocked up fifteen gallons of distilled water for drinking. We recently purchased 3 garbage cans which will be our emergency water supply for flushing toilets. We think this should last us a couple of days.

Baltimore government service that works

Ever since we "adopted" the empty lot down the block, we have mowed it and kept the litter picked up. It is looks much better. However, the occasional dog still does its business on the grass. Father Tom suggested to Ellen that she call 311 and ask the city to put up a sign to remind dog owners of the city ordinance requiring dog owners to pick up after their dogs. Ellen called in early April and was told that a sign would be erected. Sure enough, a crew came out with spray cans a few days later to mark the spots where the signs would be placed. Nothing happened for several weeks and then suddenly last week three signs appeared! We mowed the lot again this morning and there were kids tossing a ball around on the lot. That was something we had not seen since we moved here more than two years ago. This lot often had grass up to the knee and broken glass made it hazardous for kids. That was gratifying to see kids have a place to play like normal kids. With all the coverage on city hall scandals and budget cuts, it is a pleasant surprise that such a service still existed.

June house meeting

Our monthly house meetings are on the first Sundays of each month. Attendance is required but with 15 residents and varied work schedules, full attendance is unusual. For example,Daniele, an asylee, will be in upstate New York for the rest of the summer for an engineering internship. Whenever the Orioles or Ravens have a home game on a Sunday afternoon, Michael has to work late in his job as a parking lot attendant.

We usually begin with devotions which have been readings from the commentary on the Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages by Joan Chittester which offer practical guidance on living in community. Sometimes important parts of the meeting are translated for the benefit of the residents whose primary language is not English.

The agenda for these meetings includes mundane house keeping such as the cleaning schedule and work days. Last night, Sarah and Joseph gave a demonstration on the proper way to assemble a blender. Recently the guest of a resident installed the O-ring incorrectly and ended up making rubber-flavored humus complete with bits of rubber. Follow each meeting is an action item which vary from a fire drill to celebrating the month's birthdays with cake. Last night was a party with cake, strawberry and ice-cream to celebrate Chak's birthday. It was a nice way to end the weekend.

RHHP wedding

Pam and Frederick were married at St Francis last Sunday morning after mass. Father Tom officiated the brief ceremony. Frederick is another Asylum Seekers Housing Network and RHHP success story. Possessing the mildest temperament you can find in anyone, he is an unlikely asylee from an African country. He sought and won his asylum while living at RHHP. A successful business man who owned a bank, a school and an insurance agency, he was forced to flee his homeland after he ran afoul with the dictator ruling the country. After gaining asylum, he worked in a factory packing clothing in plastic bags. He also received tutoring in English from an American woman who moved back to Baltimore from the Seattle area. They fell in love and now are married. Frederick is now attending a community college and hopes to transfer to a four-year college to obtain a bachelor's degree.