imagecourtesydesignsponge Peeps, Today, it's Election Day in my former home-town (Alexandria, VA) and the stakes are high. I believe that fourteen candidates are vying for eight seats on the City Council. While I no longer reside within that county, I am well aware of two pressing issues which need to be addressed, either by new council-members or those who remain for the next term of office. Recently, in the city's zeal to embrace new growth (in the form of more housing, retail and office space) zoning variances and tax breaks were granted in exchange for a larger number of 'affordable units' to be made available to low-income residents, many of who previously resided in public-housing complexes (now razed by the wrecking ball). While the opportunity to live in the charming row-house style units (complete with a manufactured charm suggestive of Old Towne gentility) that have cropped up in the northern sections of the city may seem like a godsend, some...
imagecourtesybijouxandbohemeblog Peeps, It would be fair to say that those of us fortunate to have our mothers still in our lives, are infinitely blessed. Others, perhaps not so fortunate, live with memories. On reflecting upon my vocation of creating interiors and gardens, full credit must be given to my mother for fostering a deep appreciation for the aesthetic, even if at times during my teenage years it all seemed like a tiresome burden. While other kids seemed to have the entire length of summer vacations for innumerable games of soccer or bike-rides that stretched endlessly, my all too-brief break from the monotony of high-school invariably involved a summer-redux of our home in which walls were dusted and cleaned in preparation for painting (perhaps done every 2nd year to coincide with some ancient ritual I've yet to discover). All the furniture had to be polished, window-treatments carefully washed and repaired, mattresses aired, and rugs beaten w...
image,karinarems courtesy79ideasblog Peeps, First, one, then the other, and another, we slowly and steadily departed from our parent's home after high school to walk further on the path of our respective lives. Sometimes hesitantly, or fearfully, or resentfully, each sibling exited on a certain day, at an unfixed hour. Not quite a tradition, though certainly customary by the time my turn arrived, all winds blew out towards adventure and adulthood, and in my mind, total freedom. Some returned, if just for a brief visit at holidays, others would not for reasons to varied to remember, yet certainly discussed in great length at the breakfast table, or whispered about behind closed doors to which I habitually pressed my ear. I am told that my mother seemed to have lost some of the glow she once had, now living in a silent and child-less house. I am told that she would swing on our front-porch early in the evenings through nightfall, staring into the dis...
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