Schools are back in session. Summer life is over. I am in denial as I swim outdoors and head to the Jersey shore for a few days. I am not quite ready to tackle all that needs doing just yet.It has been an unusual summer. The results of the Department of Justice investigation into the Baltimore City Police Department need to be addressed. The climbing homicide rate is also alarming, despite an eerie numbness to that reality.Molly Macauley's brutal murder continues to loom over this neighborhood. Her murder remains unsolved. Accolades by her colleagues in the space policy community continue. A mutual friend shared a link to some of these tributes with me: www.journals.elsevier.com/space-policy/news/tribute-to-dr-molly-macauleyIt is heartbreaking to read of this person, whose life as an economist, space policy expert and devout Christian Scientist focused positively on our world and its future, while she met such a brutal end.As a way to honor Macauley's lifelong effort to be an influence for good and to transcend acts of violence, the Christian Science community has begun a prayer initiative for healing in our community and the city. More information is on the church website: christiansciencebaltimore.org.Molly is also being remembered by her Foundation for the Future colleagues at a symposium on Sept. 23, when a scholarship for young women in her field is being established. Her positive legacy lingers. Let's hope for similar positive efforts in this neighborhood.The rancor over the Roland Park cycle track is something that needs healing. Summer has not erased the tension and upset over it. Speeding on Roland Avenue continues, as fewer Roland Avenue residents park in front of their houses.Having the Civic League cycle track committee is a positive step. Its recommendation that the cycle track be eliminated in front of St. David's Church and day school is something I hope happens immediately. The area by the businesses in the Eddie's block remains an issue.It will be interesting to see how many students ride bikes to the Roland Avenue schools this fall. Last spring, I did not see many on the cycle track. It was, however, designed to encourage safe riding to the schools. Everyone is for safety; that is a given. How it is best achieved for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in that business block south of the schools is still a hot topic of discussion.Other fallout from the Roland Avenue construction includes the state of the trees on Roland Avenue. Thanks to the Civic League, the Japanese zelkovas were fed in spring to encourage root growth. At summer's end they seem no worse. Although damage from the curb cutting might still show up in the next two years, the trees now look stable.The grass in the median looks better than it did in the spring. Some remaining bare spots should be reseeded. Along the green verges on either side of Roland, some spots are bare while others are overgrown. A reminder to adjacent owners, including churches and businesses: Grass cutting, watering of new trees, and weeding on those green strips is not something the city or Roland Park Roads and Maintenance does. Please mow the grass, water the trees and weed the mulch around the new trees.It is sad to see trees that have twice been planted in front of homes dwindle from lack of water. It is also upsetting to see trees and planters in and by the business blocks suffer from lack of water. No one seems to water the recently plant tree on Upland Road. Not all containers in the shopping center by Bank of America receive regular watering either. The ones by Petit Louis look good, but some others do not. Perplexing to me are the artificial spiral-cut trees in those planters. A few lean so precariously that it makes their "fakeness" stand out. Can't we do better at this historic shopping center?High grass and weeds are overtaking the Clethra bushes in some of the new bump-outs on Roland. The Civic League is in the process of obtaining an estimate to weed and mulch them from a company that mows the median.On University Parkway, where community-spirited residents tackled the overgrowth diligently this year, weeds and vines have made a strong comeback. Let's hope enough Roland Park homeowners have paid full Roads and Maintenance fees this summer. Then, maybe those residents who have already put in dozens of hours of work can receive some professional help.The excessive signage that has sprung up on Roland Avenue also needs addressing. So many signs create visual distraction and ugliness.Much needs doing this fall. I hope a quick trip to the beach will give me the boost I need to buckle down and join neighbors in trying to make Roland Park and Baltimore safer, better places to live.