Neighborhood – The Petrini Page

Two Toads

Bob and I took a walk through the neighborhood last evening, and we were surprised to see a toad on a walkway in front of a house. I remember frequently seeing toads (and frogs, turtles, skunks, and salamanders) in residential areas when I was a kid, but I seldom see them anymore. It was theContinue reading “Two Toads”

Wordless Wednesday: Street Piano

The Kindness of Strangers

Yesterday I walked into a favorite café. A frazzled mom in line in front of me was trying to rein in a high-energy toddler and wrestle a large diaper bag when she realized she did not have her wallet. She apologized profusely and tried to cancel her order, but it was already done. I wasContinue reading “The Kindness of Strangers”

Catalytic Converter Kidnapping

Bob got in our 17-year-old Prius to go to work this morning, and it sounded like a monster truck. Clearly, something was wrong. He drove straight to the dealership, where he was told that our catalytic converter had been stolen! I wondered why anyone would steal a part from a car that old. Well, itContinue reading “Catalytic Converter Kidnapping”

Snomicron Update

In honor of the Omicron coronavirus variant that’s blasting through the country right now, some have nicknamed yesterday’s snowstorm Snomicron. Monday’s snow was beautiful, but a foot of it was a lot more than anyone expected! In addition to losing at least one tree in our yard, we lost internet service for most of theContinue reading “Snomicron Update”

O, Tannenbomb

I’m starting to get into the holiday mood, so I’m thinking about Christmas trees. We pulled ours down from the attic and hope to set it up tomorrow. In the meantime, I’m remembering some past trees. This was one I helped created a few years back, with the Del Ray Yarn Bombers group that IContinue reading “O, Tannenbomb”

Election Day 2021

It’s Election Day in Virginia, and if you’re in the U.S., you’ve probably been hearing about how important (and how close) our race is for governor. Of course, that race is crucial, but it’s not the only one that is. Here in Alexandria, this is a HUGE election, at all levels, from School Board onContinue reading “Election Day 2021”

More Halloween Houses

Yesterday I posted photographs of some of the Halloween decorations in my neighborhood, including some of those that won our annual neighborhood contest for decorated homes. Today, I have a few more highlights. One of the contest finalists imagined a toxic zombie apocalypse, with workers in hazmat suits, spilled barrels of toxic waste, and zombiesContinue reading “More Halloween Houses”

The Night Before Halloween

We took a walk around the neighborhood this evening to see the finalists and grand prize winner of the neighborhood Halloween decorating contest. But we also saw some terrific decorations that were not entered into the contest. Here are three of my favorites. One of the most elaborate and creepiest is the Haunted Wedding house.Continue reading “The Night Before Halloween”

Photo Friday: Eating for a Good Cause

My neighborhood’s annual art festival, Art on the Avenue, is generally the busiest, most lucrative day of the year for local restaurants. After a year and a half of the pandemic, many of the businesses are operating on razor-thin margins. They needed a lot of sales during Art on the Avenue, held earlier this month.Continue reading “Photo Friday: Eating for a Good Cause”