RecycleMORE BaltiMORE

It would be nice if the City would publicize this kind of thing a little more, but eh, whatever. We'll do our civic duty and tell you about some good news for all of us. The acceptable items list for recycling has been expanded, making it even easier to send your trash to be recycled instead of taking up space in the landfill. Most notably:

To be included in your curbside single stream recycling bin—January 2009:

• Wide-mouth plastic containers used for margarine, yogurt, cottage cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream.
• Empty prescription bottles (lids and caps do not need to be removed)
• Plastic drinking cups
• Aluminum foil and aluminum pie pans
• Clean milk and juice cartons

These can now be included with your usual recycling, which already includes:

Acceptable Recycling Material:

• Clean paper - all colors and types. - This includes catalogs, magazines, junk mail, newspapers and non-metallic wrapping paper Cardboard and paperboard boxes (including cereal boxes without liners and frozen food packaging)
• Books (including paperbacks, textbooks and hardbacks)
• Aerosol Cans (empty)
• Glass containers such as jars and bottles
• Metal food and beverage containers
• Narrow-neck plastic containers (other than for motor oil) which carry codes 1 through 7 on the bottom.

You can find out more at the Baltimore City DPW Recycling website.

I'm ready for Spring ....

Pedaling down Harford Road?

There's been a lot of chatter on the WNIA listserv about the newest addition to the world of Hamilton restaurants, "50's Diner." So far the reviews are mostly positive, although there is one suspect upset stomach issue -- which may be a virus after all -- and the open hours seem a little inconsistent. I haven't been there yet, but what impresses me the most about this news is the enthusiasm of the neighborhood to try out yet another new restaurant.

I'm really looking ahead to the spring. The heart of Hamilton seems just a little out of walking distance (especially the uphill trip back home!), but the newly paved street seems perfect for a bicycle. I've lived in other cities where I rode my bike around town, and because I now have an hour long drive each to work, I would love to be able to give my car a break and pedal down to the CVS, the Hamilton Tavern, the bank, the yoga studio, etc., etc.

But bicycles don't seem to be part of the culture here in Northeast Baltimore (except for that guy I pass sometimes in the morning on Walther Blvd at 6:30 am who appears to be riding to work). I'm wondering what you all think about bicycling in our neighborhood. Do you do it? Where do you park your bike? Do drivers respect you? Harass you? See you?

Let me know in the comments section.

We're a democracy here, too

The voting booth is closed here at Harford Road, Hon, and the results have been tallied. First let me say that I am slightly disappointed that so few readers took the time to vote, because there are many more of you on the site meter. But for whatever reason, only a few of you voted. Well, that's your right, too.

And t certainly makes it easy to count the votes! The results are as follows: 50% Love the new design; 30% Hate it and want the old one back; 20% couldn't care less.

So with apologies to the 30% who hate it, we're going to stay with the new look. I promise to do some tweaking as possible and improve on what we have at the moment as much as I can within the confines of blogger.

Request for Photos

Hey there Westfieldians -- I know that some of you lurk here, too shy to post or comment. Or perhaps you even think that you don't have anything worth writing about -- that's just silly! Look at the piffle I post -- and yet you still come back, don't you?

So how about some photos? When you take your jog through the neighborhood, or walk the dog to the park, or amble up to the 7-11 for smokes -- take your camera with you. We have lots of photo-worthy sights in our neighborhood, down every alley and up every street.

Then, just email your photos to me at pookyshoehorn@gmail.com and I'll take care of the rest. You can even stay completely anonymous, if you'd like.

C'mon, You know you wanna ....

Legum's New Line

Passing along a great new blog covering Maryland politics: Legum's New Line. I'm always happy to have new sources of information, and hope you will enjoy this new blog as well.

The Wilds of Westfield: Vulpes vulpes

It's been a while since we wrote about wildlife in our neighborhood, but Fritz the Dog and I had a wonderful siting the other night. I didn't get a photo, because it was quite unexpected, and rather dark, too. But the fellow (or gal) we saw looked like this:


This little furry friend was was a red fox (Vulpes vulpes), getting a drink from our fishpond out back when we stepped outside for a last trip before heading to bed. Furry friend was as surprised to see us as we were to see him/her. He/she slipped through the picket fence and into the alley before Fritz even realized an intruder was at the edge of the yard.

Much barking ensued!

Then what a beautiful sight it was to see this animal trotting away down the alley behind our house. But there was one last stop and we were given this very look in the photo above. Just too cool for school, was this one!

And before anyone gets worried about a fox in the neighborhood, let me assure you that this creature was doing exactly what it should be doing: out at night (nocturnal), fearful of humans and dogs (not a threat), and please don't forget: these guys eat mice and rats! (Cats are way too much trouble for them, if that's what you are thinking ....)

We have a lot of green space in our neighborhood, and I for one enjoy seeing the diverse wildlife that lives here.

We're One Degree Away from Greatness!

One of our very own contributors here at Harford Road, Hon has been nominated as a finalist in the 2008 Weblog Awards! Rachel of Coconut & Lime would never brag, but we're proud to let you know that she both blogs here and lives here.

So go show some bloggy love and vote for Coconut & Lime for the Best Food Blog. You can vote once every 24 hours. (Once from each computer, that is. Wink wink. Nudge nudge!)

Congratulations, Rachel!

$40,000 for Handmade Rugs?

I'm all for style, but this story in yesterday's Baltimore Sun is pretty unbelievable, given the state of our economy:

Fancy new threads for State House

From its new perch on the wall of an ornate State House meeting room, the recently unveiled portrait of former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. can finally gaze down on the $37,500 rug he ordered in early 2006.

The handmade custom piece from India - featuring an 8-foot-in-diameter replica of the Maryland seal - is one of several lush touches to a $10 million renovation receiving its de facto unveiling today. Less visible will be the rich red fabric that covers faded wallpaper in Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's inner office - part of a separate $10,000 job paid for with Senate funds, according to Miller's chief of staff, Vicki Gruber.

As a furloughed State employee, maybe I'll take road trip on one of those days when I don't get paid, and go look at the "lush touches to a $10 million renovation." It's o.k. that State employees don't get paid, as long as our politicians can enjoy "lush" accommodations ....