I finally made the 10-minute-or-so drive to the only wildlife research refuge in the U.S., the Patuxent Research Refuge.   I discovered that we have FDR to thank for carving out close to 13,000 acres from USDA and military land to help protect and conserve the nation’s wildlife and habitat.  So there’s room for forest, meadow and wetlands here, which are ...

This is the first of several posts about the artists-in-residence in Greenbelt’s Community Center, starting with Studio 302.  Great photos of some of the artists’ works coming soon! Next Studio 302 Event December 1-2 Juried Art and Craft Fair during Greenbelt’s Festival of Lights When:  December December 1, 10am-5pm & December 2, 11am-4pm Where: Greenbelt Community Center. From left, Gina, ...

For my first seven months in Old Greenbelt I was basically camping out in a construction site, a very noisy construction site. (My poor neighbors!  My poor cats!) But by late July the workers were finally GONE and I could start to enjoy the last of the construction projects – a new screened-in porch.   It’s my first ever, after ...

No religious institution has been more active fighting for marriage equality in Maryland than nearby St. George’s Episcopal Church, at least that I’ve noticed from here in Greenbelt.  So when I learned that St. George’s was planning a prayer service about Question 6 and history’s “Arc of Justice” for the night after the election, not knowing whether they’d be coming ...

Strolling my neighborhood in late October I spied one of my favorite plants along Ridge Road.  It’s Amsonia hubrichtii, a perennial native to this region that looks great in three seasons but this one’s the best, imho.  The orange gets even stronger! Then just down the road I discovered my new favorite garden in town, with this service-side display of ...

Whole Lotta Dancing Going On I can’t believe I’ve lived here 10 months and didn’t discover Artful Afternoons til now.   Turns out this city-run monthly event is a well attended and well loved, and I could see why. The theme of this month’s event was Greenbelt Dances! Expo with performances and super-fun workshops. These dancers performed are: Greenbelt Dance Studio, ...

Venturing out the morning after Sandy passed through was fun, and it was a relief to discover so little damage.  We could just enjoy  Roosevelt Center at its loveliest. The Greenbelt2012 blogger Eric Zhang. Of course Eric was there to capture the scene.  I’m loving his photoblog Greenbelt 2012.  Here’s his exhaustive tour of post-Sandy Greenbelt ...

Oh my goodness.  I knew that Amethyst Dwyer and Dorian Winterfeld invite all comers to their “Haunted Hollow” every Halloween from 6 to 8 p.m., and I planned to stop by.   But from the looks of this video, things WILL get creepy.  Presumably in a totally good way. Here’s a bit about this video from Youtube. Every year the owners ...

Michele Owens, my blogging partner in Upstate New York, recently showed off the wonderful woodland path where she walks with her “big handsome alpha dog” every day. Her story is that it took having a dog that needed walking for her to discover a place she enjoys as much as her own voluptuous vegetable garden. But as nice as Michele’s ...

Seen from Greenbelt Lake walking path. Halloween really brings out the kid in us grown-ups, and no longer are the options just in costumes.  House-decorating is BIG these days, and I saw these examples of it on my lake walk today. Seen along Maplewood Court. Above, Count Dracula here rises out of his crypt periodically.  We’re talking live action! ...

A colorful welcome to Greenbelt A couple of weeks ago when I was manning the information booth at Greenbelt’s Farmers Market a gentleman stopped to ask if anyone could name the colorful plants he’d seen growing in the median strip along Southway – the spot shown above.  Well yes, I happened to have photographed it and could list the plants ...

by Kim Rush-Lynch Many people are familiar with canning, but few people are aware of a traditional food preservation practice known as fermentation. Fermentation is the process where food is exposed to bacteria and yeasts, either through inoculation or naturally through the surrounding environment. When the conditions are favorable, these beneficial microorganisms outgrow their opportunistic competitors and consume the carbohydrates ...

For at least a decade Greenbelt’s Rotary Club has been supplying crayons, composition books and assorted other supplies for the kids at Springhill Lake Elementary School.  I know this because Rotary Club member Helen Svensen was tabling at the farmer’s market this summer, asking for donations for a long list of needed items.  (Rulers and glue sticks are still needed ...

First up, a Shih Tzu named Bernie kept his dad company at Saturday’s Harvest Festival.  He’s named for Glen Burnie, MD, where he was bred. Bernie. Or is it Burnie? And at this year’s Pouch Plunge, always the weekend after Labor Day, one dog stood out from the crowd.  Wish I’d ask who his stylist is! St. Bernard showing off ...

By Kristin Fletcher Click here to read Part 1 of the Greenbelt Solar Homes Tour, which also covers two homes. Stop #3:  103 Ridge Road, home of Joe and Alice Murray With many commemorative events surrounding Greenbelt’s 75th anniversary taking place in 2012, there has been frequent mention of the original town “pioneers.” One could certainly refer to Joe and ...

By Kristin Fletcher Fun solar fact: The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year.   Source: Solarbuzz.com Greenbelt held its own in the 22nd Annual Metro Washington, DC Tour of Solar and Green Homes, with six homeowners graciously opening up their doors to share a bevy of “green” (as ...

When the Greenbelt Museum announced its “Rexford Review” fund-raising evening at the Arts Center, the event poster said “Comedy!  Sideshow! Burlesque!” Little did we suspect that the burlesque would be the real deal. But before we get to that, check out the fabulous ’30s and ’40s dresses people were wearing! Above in their vintage finest are, from left, Kathy Labukas, ...

By Chelsea L. Calhoun, NASM CPT When I taught my dance fitness workout at the PG Sports and Learning Complex, I was surprised by how many people attending my class felt that yoga and Pilates are fluff workouts. Yoga was the class before mine, and as my students waited I’d hear them bashing yoga, saying that it doesn’t make you ...

A while back I wrote about my eagerness to Move my Money – for reasons both political and practical – and my intention to make the Greenbelt Credit Union my money’s new home. So here’s the latest: I still hadn’t closed my SunTrust account and transferred my automatic payment and deposit instructions to the credit union when I ran into ...

Jean Cook manning the GIVES office. GIVES is the apt acronym for the Greenbelt Intergenerational Volunteer Exchange Service, but it took me some sleuthing to figure it all out.  Thrown by the term “intergenerational”, I assumed it was strictly younger people helping the elderly but that’s not so. It’s for anyone of any age who needs help.  It did arise ...