ActiveRain Spring Flowers Challenge: TulipsCharlotte, North Carolina blogger Debe Maxwell, CRS has issued the May Challenge for ActiveRain blogger members.Simply post your favorite photo of a flower (or more than one in one blog post) that you are especially fond of. Include the name of the flower and any additional information about where the photo was taken and why it's your favorite.By sharing our love for these beautiful flowers, we can bring a little bit of joy and positivity to the world. Let's embrace the challenge and celebrate the wonders of springtime together!Since flower photography is a hobby for me, It is a challenge to select favorites among my photographs. So, I decided to select one kind of flower and use photographs taken on one day in the spring. My selection of locat... 05/31/2023

Listening to various buyers, I started listing what they said was important when buying a Baltimore home. These things come after selecting the right location, condition, style and of course price range.Here are a few, and they are in no particular order.Kitchen: open floor plan, white cabinets; double ovens; center island; gas cooking, stone or quartz counters; a single large sink; and a walk-in pantry.Parking: two-car garage, carport, but, at the minimum, definitely off-street parking.Butler's pantry for those who like to entertain.Main-level primary suite and laundry on bedroom level. Mudroom or a suitable place to unload groceries, packages, and hide shoes and coats with lots of hooks and storage.Wood flooring/or high-quality engineered wood.Double vanities and at least one bathtub.... 05/27/2023

Montgomery County Joins ‘Capital Area Solar Switch’ Montgomery County is again joining the “Capital Area Solar Switch,” an innovative program that leverages the power of groups to help residents and businesses throughout the Washington metropolitan area learn about and install rooftop solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicle charging stations.This is the third year that Montgomery County has joined forces with Solar United Neighbors and other jurisdictions to create the opportunity for people living in and around the D.C. area.In addition to competitive pricing on solar panels, members of Capital Area Solar Switch receive a direct line to ask questions about the process and access to a team that vets qualified installers to compete for the group’s business.The program will con... 06/01/2023

Book Recommendation: Red Knife by William Kent KruegerDolores and I enjoyed reading Red Knife (2008) by New York Times bestselling author and American novelist William Kent Krueger and recommend this novel and the Cork O'Connor Mystery Series for your reading list. This is book #8 in the series. Click on the links to learn more about the author and this novel Private investigator Cork O’Connor finds himself caught in the middle of a racial gang war that’s turning picturesque Tamarack County, Minnesota, into a battlefield.When the daughter of a powerful businessman dies as a result of her meth addiction, her father, strong-willed and brutal Buck Reinhardt, vows revenge. His target is the Red Boyz, a gang of Ojibwe youths accused of supplying the girl’s fatal drug dose. When the head of t... 05/30/2023