More changes on the block

For the last couple summers, we have adopted the empty lot across the street. The city owns half the lot and the other half is owned by someone who lives a couple of doors down. The lot had been neglected and as a result, it became weedy and trashy. After becoming tired of looking at the knee-high weeds which seem to be permission to litter and and invitation for nearby residents to dump their trash we decided to mow it on weekends. Even as I mowed the empty lot, the owner of the house adjacent to the lot would have a yard crew mow his back yard every couple of weeks. However, as I fell behind on the mowing in the past couple of months because of travel and weather, the yard crew began to mow the lot and to edge it. It is looking nice. Kids are playing on it more often. It may not seem like much but it is nice to see kids actually playing on the field. There is an abundance of empty lots but there are not many that are safe for kids.

Is this another step in the revitalization of Reservoir Hill? I'd like to believe so. It is a modest yet significant indicator of progress. At the least, another Reservoir Hill home owner believes strongly enough in the neighborhood to invest his own money in an empty lot.

Harvesting

The recent rains and our housemate Bekoli's faithful watering has done wonders on the garden. The basil thriving and we are having several cantaloupes growing on the lawn. This morning we had eggplants, beets, a bowling pin size zucchini and a cantaloupe. I had a nice bunch of baby carrots from thinning out the row of carrots. While at it, I also eradicated an infestation of harlequin beetles which decimated the kale. I discovered that a spray bottle and a strong solution of dish detergent worked wonders.

In one photo, you will see a cantaloupe hanging off our chain link fence. It's anybody's guess if the vine will be able to support a full-size cantaloupe. I allowed it to climb up the fence thinking it was a cucumber plant.

Temporary residents

We had a wonderful family who lived with us for a few weeks until they moved into their own house in East Baltimore. Matt is handy with his hands and made a number of repairs around the house that were overdue. Joanne is expecting their second child and busy with her residency at Johns Hopkins. Jessie, their gregarious son, brought much joy to our household.

Comings and goings

August is a month of transitions. The volunteers moved out over the past week and three new ones will move in over the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, three asylum seekers moved in. For the first time we have someone from El Salvador. The other two are from Congo and Cameroon.

Earlier, Stephanie, a native of Baltimore, moved into the "loft room". Amy, who attends NBMC, will move into a room on the third floor later this month. When the dust settles, we will have fifteen residents in our house.

Our new resident from El Salvador happens to make a mean pupusa. She whipped up a batch for us last week. They were delicious and better than the ones from our favorite Salvadoran restaurant in Fells Point.

It has been a great summer for growing basil. I have been making pesto for freezing every couple of weeks and will have enough to last us through the winter. When they are frozen, I just pop them out of the ice-cube tray and keep them in Ziploc bags. All I have to do is to make the pasta and defrost a few cubes for pesto pasta.

Catching up from the earlier part of summer - Jeff's birthday celebration

Jeff celebrated his birthday with a blueberry cake that Sarah made. Here he is blowing out the candles.