Hudson's Corner: Blend T lemon passes taste test and is on its way to a store near you

We all have the nightmare of being late to class, forgetting to study for the exam or being late to a test. At three score and four, I have now lived that nightmare. 

Hudsons Corner: Lights of the season spark joy and hope, and illuminate remembrances

With this year's Thanksgiving the earliest it could occur, lights have gone on earlier than usual, too. Some in the neighborhood were unintentional lights of the season.

Hudson's Corner: From eye doctors to Northern District police, let's hear it for responsiveness

Over the last month, we have had several incidents that point out how effectiveness and success correlate with responsiveness.

Hudson's Corner: Baltimore drivers live up to city's dubious distinction in annual Allstate report

After my husband and I had a recent, but too-brief beach getaway, we knew we were back in Baltimore the minute we drove onto Russell Street. There, we were greeted by erratic drivers, who shifted at speeds close to 80 miles per hour.

Hudson's Corner: Despite rash of bike thefts, Roland Park is one of city's safest neighborhoods

We live in one of the safest neighborhoods in Baltimore, as reiterated by representatives of the police and fire departments at the Roland Park Civic League's meeting Sept. 6.

Hudson's Corner: Derecho serves as metaphor for some sudden, devastating events of summer

Summers seem to whiz by faster every year. In many ways, this summer was defined by the late June derecho. Some area homeowners and Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. are still trying to sort out the damage, repair homes and gardens, and make things...

Hudson's Corner: Michael Phelps is now just another swimmer in lane 5 at Meadowbrook

How does the most decorated Olympian decompress after a triumphant finale in London? He goes on an all-boys trip to the exotic Maldives. He poses in Louis Vuitton ads in a bathtub and with the previous top Olympic medalist, Larisa Latynina. He also...

Hudson's Corner: The only thing missing at Meadowbrook pool lately is Olympian Michael Phelps

The other morning I was swimming my laps at Meadowbrook. Almost no one was there. Only two others were in the deep, outdoor lanes that are my choice when the North Baltimore Aquatic Club swimmers and Meadowbrook Tomatoes are not racing or...

Hudson's Corner: Three weeks later, effects of derecho storm and more wet weather being felt

Because of the late June derecho, this is beginning to feel like the summer that wasn't. Many homeowners, neighborhood volunteers and leaders in Roland Park are still working to clean up and resolve problems created by the June 29 maelstrom in...

Hudson's Corner: Storm shows Baltimore area is unprepared for weather emergencies

After the derecho storm struck Baltimore, our Roland Park neighborhood resembled a war zone when I returned 18 hours later from the beach. We had experienced tornado force winds and a water spout there that week, but we were unprepared for the damage...

Hudson's Corner: Complex near Cold Spring light rail a sign of smart growth

I am not one to push for more development in north Baltimore, but a proposal presented at the June 7 meeting of the Roland Park Civic League makes a lot of sense.

Roland Park looking green in June, but the same can't be said for Falls Road

June is the height of Roland Park verdancy. Trees, plants, grass and weeds are at their vegetative max.

Hudson's Corner: $10 million for club land is a lot of money, but it buys peace of mind

It was almost deja vu. Tuesday, May 22 was the annual meeting of the Roland Park Civic League. Many of the same people who spoke at the October 2008, standing-room-only meeting at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School, spoke there again: Civic...

Hudson's Corner: Baltimore's appearance is a mixed bag upon returning from a weekend at the beach

The first weekend of May, my husband and I always head to the beach. Few are there. We walk empty beaches, eat in half-filled restaurants and enjoy days of solitude before we return to a flurry of May-June graduations, weddings and end-of-year...

Roland Park turns hat-trick of community events, all happening over May 4 weekend

Three Roland Park-sponsored events fall together over the weekend of May 4. The annual Spring Celebration kicks off the community's hat-trick Friday at The Woman's Club of Roland Park, while the third Tunes @ the Tower and the fifth ciclovia happen...

Hudson's Corner: Turnout for DOT meeting was low, but value is high in Roland Avenue resurfacing project

Only about 30 north Baltimoreans turned out for the Baltimore City Department of Transportation's April 12 meeting at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School to review plans to resurface Roland Avenue, among other improvements.

The Giant is Back

Focus on Roland Park

Cold Snap

Cold Spring Lane Spruce-Up

Take a look. The Greater Roland Park Master Planis beginning to show. Cold Spring Lane east of Roland Avenue is looking spiffy.  

Spring Break, Part II

Spring Break

I was away this weekend in Rehoboth. As usual, I experienced one of the best parts of travel: unexpected pleasures. On Friday I rode down with a woman I’ve known all but 10 years of my life.  Being with a friend of so many years is like...

The Pony Express Might be Faster

Sprucing Up

Sudden summerlike heat has prompted a flurry of activity. Man and nature are suddenly abuzz in the Greater Roland Park area. Bees are hovering around our Yoshino cherry tree that is about to break forth and join its cousin, the pinker Okame cherry,...

Serious 'Cornfusion'

A longtime “cornfusion” (our family word for confusion) surfaced Thursday.  First came the obituary for Walter Herman, former Roland Avenue neighbor, News American writer and relative to my sister by marriage. He...

Suddenly Spring

On Thursday, my iPad said the temperature was 75.  Daffodils and crocuses all over Baltimore bloomed. Ditto Okame cherry trees. The buds on Yoshinos cherry trees swelled, but they did not open to create the pink ballerina tutus that make...

Childhood Music

My earliest memories of music are of my grandmother singing “Once in Royal David City,” as she drove me the half-hour from our house to her apartment, and of listening to my mother’s classical record colllection.

Moving Forward after the George Huguely Trial

Losing Detail

In the warmer, yet still refreshing temperatures of this week, I have walked more often than usual. With trees not yet leafed out and in spite of early cherry blossoms, architectural details of houses are easy to admire.

Grace Turnbull's Guilford Home Revisited

McCormick Returns to the Harbor

P.O. Box Delivery

My husband and I have long used a post office box at the Roland Park post office for business mail. Our street address includes the letter “B,”...

Hoping for Fresh Market at the Rotunda

Media Stir after Roland Park Shopping Center Robbery

Amtrak Off the Track

Staying Power

In winter, houses and structures are more obvious than in other seasons when abundant foliage obscures their view. On a recent walk in Roland Park, we passed one longstanding institution after another.  I thought of what staying power these...

Lost Cell Phone

Grass Cutting in Winter

When Baltimore City cut the grass on the Roland Avenue median for the last time this fall, an adjacent plot of grass was skipped. The point at the intersection of Roland Avenue, Ridgewood Road and Cold Spring Lane looked like a prairie for months....

Sprucing up the Roland Park Shopping Center

Hudson's Corner

At the January meeting of the Roland Park Civic League, residential parking permits were on the agenda. West University Parkway homeowners near

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Holiday Decompression

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, we’ve started to decompress from the holidays. The day after Christmas started the recycling effort. Bags, wrapping paper and boxes were readied for Friday’s pickup. Gifts that...

Let There Be Light

The finally finished parking garage by the Roland Park post office has been bustling with cars all holiday season. The renovations brought no improvement in the careful navigation required there. It is still tight, with caution required not to...

Second Chapter

The second chapter in the story of my cracked iPad begins with a late trip last Thursday to the Apple    store in Towson.  

'Tis the Season

‘Tis the season of too much activity and busyness. This is when accidents happen. Stoves are left on, and fires begin. Speed, in driving or walking, leads to car crashes and falls. We rush around as if we are on life-saving deadlines, as if...

Postal Season

‘Tis the season for long lines at the post office. Already, things are off to a rocky start around our neighborhood. 

First Thursday Lighting

Small Business Saturday

Seizing the Day

On Tuesday, my niece came home from Charlottesville. I picked her up at the train station. We headed up Charles Street to pick up Kay Magruder, whom we both consider a close friend.

Coincidental Travelers

Last Monday, I flew to the West Palm Beach airport to visit friends in Florida.  On the way down I sat in a window seat, and a blond woman sat in the aisle seat. The seat between us was empty. 

False Alarm

We recently received a notice from the Housing Authority of Baltimore City saying that we have an alarm system that is not currently registered. We registered our system years ago and renewed its registration several times by sending in a check.

The Visiting Corner

Much of the draw of a small, neighborhood grocery store is the neighborliness it fosters. In the Roland Park area we’ve had several over time. Graul’s once sat where Eddie’s on Roland Avenue is today. Graul’s was also...

Deer in Roland Park

I had an email this week from a reader who spotted two deer crossing Roland Avenue near Lake Avenue at about 10:30 at night. Only a few cars were on the street. Bright lights made...

Two is Too Much

It doesn’t take much to snarl traffic in Roland Park. One event on Roland Avenue, Falls Road, University Parkway or Cold Spring Lane can do it. 

Boo!

Hooray for a New Bulletin Board

On Golden Pool

Late Tuesday afternoon I went to Meadowbrook. These are the last days of outdoor swimming, and I know it. I take advantage of every last afternoon.

Roadblock

Pumpkin Surprise

When I walked outside Saturday morning, a squirrel was feasting on the small pumpkin I had brought home the previous weekend. He had made a huge hole clear into the center. Seeds were strewn all over the brick steps.

Art and Gardens at Hospitals

I have spent three half-days at a hospital this week. Two were at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins  and one was at Mercy...

Temperature Drop

Temperatures plummeted into the 50s over the weekend. My daily swimming routine plummeted too. I had been to Meadowbrook almost daily during the previous week, even swimming under newly installed outdoor lights...

Old Plants

City Response

Spoke Too Soon

Last Thursday, when I came home from Baltimore County, the knee-high grass at the intersection of Roland Avenue, Ridgewood Road and Cold Spring Lane had been cut. I thought it was a result of a 311 call I’d made earlier that day. 

Kudos to 311

Bethany Beach Color

We were at the beach over the weekend. The well-tended gardens and containers at Bethany Beach shone brilliantly with color. What a difference they make to visitors coming into the commercial district.

Not a Pretty Sight

Hurricanes Irene and Lee have created horrible flooding, damage, displacement and loss of life. Lives are forever changed by their fury.

Late Summer Color

Speed Deterrent

During the Irene aftermath, some non-functioning stoplights have kept the pace slower at some intersections. Yes, they’ve caused traffic backups, but slower speeds and drivers trying to be a little more aware have been a welcomed change of...

Remembering Irene

We’re remembering Irene on Monday, as we resume life after she passed our way. She did not pack the wallop we’d feared, and for that we’re grateful. It was good that we had practice in preparing for such a potentially devastating...

Preparing to Meet Irene

A Moving Occasion

Hudson's Corner: Ivy Bookshop owner plans to retire, sell store

I was on Long Island when I received an e-mail from Darielle Linehan, owner of The Ivy Bookshop, saying that she plans to retire in 2012 and wants to sell the store.  I have been in denial ever since. Say it ain’t so!

Growing Attraction

Gutter Veg

At the end of our street, a tomato plant is growing in the gutter.  It’s been growing there quite awhile. That’s a good thing; no one has disturbed it. No one noticed it until about nine days ago, when green tomatoes became evident.&...

Below 80 Degrees

Cloudy Day

A Dream Come True

Several years ago my husband and I spotted a shredding truck in a Timonium shopping center. I asked the driver if his company went to residences.

Middle Grades Partnership program makes you want to go back to school

Monday morning is often tedious. The phone rings non-stop. My own "to call" list is a mile long. On a recent Monday, temperatures started to climb into the 90's, so I had to water the garden more than usual before starting the day. I felt tired by...

Pique over PeakRewards

On Friday when temperatures soared into the 100’s, some with air conditioning lost it for more than eight hours.  They had enrolled in BGE’s PeakRewards program and thought they were doing a good thing for the environment and for...

10 Ways to Cope with the Heat

1) Pull down the shades. Our south and west windows have had the blinds down most of the week. We feel like moles, but it helps keep the baking sun out.

Caught by Surprise

Monday morning is not usually a great time. The phone rings non-stop. My own “to call” list is a mile long. This Monday, temperatures started to climb into the 90’s, so I had to water the garden more than usual before starting my...

Yogi

I have just completed my second year of yoga. My cousin says going into a third year, I am now officially a “yogi.”

Never Say Never

About a month ago, I said I was finished planting annuals for the season. Wrong.  I just planted six more on Sunday morning.

Goodwill to a Regular Swimmer

Home from Paris

Coming home after a week in Paris with my niece feels like trying to swim to the surface in a pool of pea soup. Coming up is tedious and slow. I cannot see all that needs doing.

Happenstance

Happenstance is one of the joys of travel.  Sunday in Paris for my niece and me was filled with it.

La Maison et le jardin de Monet sont beaux in any language

After 37 years, I am back in Paris. It feels as if I had just left about a month ago.

Last Planting

I can always plant more, and I always want to plant more, but for now I am finished. On Friday morning I planted the last stragglers of annuals: three pale pink impatiens, one begonia and two dusty miller.

Breathless June

The change in weather since Monday has helped restore energy and good cheer during this breathless month of activity.

New Home for North Baltimore's 'Hudson's Corner on the Web'

Moving is always stressful. Learning the complexities of advanced computer programs is too. Put them together, and it’s the stuff of one writer’s tension. But I’ll survive.

Pajamas as Prevention

On Monday I had to wear pajamas down to breakfast. No, it wasn’t because I was ill. No, it wasn’t because I had no clean clothes. And no, it wasn’t because I was feeling lazy.

Peony Profusion

This spring our lilacs weren’t spectacular, but the peonies outnumber any year in our garden’s history. Planted in 1922 and 1926, a sea of peonies, single pale and magenta pink to frilly pink (plain or with cream centers), deep magenta,...