V.w.verweij

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood.  If you love the animal fix and want to ensure PoPville’s long term viability please consider donating to our Patreon page here. Every little bit helps.

“This is Berkeley the Dog of Takoma, enjoying a special treat of pistachio ice cream on his 13th birthday.”

“Loki (above) and Thor (below) Both of Greenbelt.”

Photo Credit: Roshan Patel/Smithsonian’s National Zoo

From the National Zoo:

“Giant panda Bei Bei (BAY-BAY) celebrated his third birthday Aug. 22 with an ice cake made from frozen, diluted fruit juices and decorated with apples, pears, sweet potatoes, carrots, sugar cane and bamboo.

Now weighing in at almost 215 pounds, Bei Bei has been taking full advantage of his summer

–splashing around in his big green tub, and napping in trees and on his new hammock.

Tian Tian is the next giant panda to celebrate a birthday. He turns 21 on Monday, Aug. 27 and will also receive a special cake at 11 a.m.”

Photo Credit: Roshan Patel/Smithsonian’s National Zoo

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood.  If you love the animal fix and want to ensure PoPville’s long term viability please consider donating to our Patreon page here. Every little bit helps.

“Finn looking sad.”

“Loki on the scoreboard”

“Gus loving the pillow”

Saturday, August 4, 2018. 3527 14th Street, NW

On Thursday I asked what is this ridiculousness? seen in the photo below. It was a huge fence only facing one side and it was ridiculous. So many questions. Anyway, on Saturday I saw the current set up of a now smaller fence and totally out of proportion giant door (photo above.) Many questions remain.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Today I share the prescient words of the great Albert Camus:

“Basically, at the very bottom of life, which seduces us all, there is only absurdity, and more absurdity. And maybe that’s what gives us our joy for living, because the only thing that can defeat absurdity is lucidity.”

More photos of the current setup:

“Dear PoPville,

Shot in the dark for the owners of this lost pet:

So I was enjoying a late brunch on the patio of Napoli Pasta Bar Sunday afternoon (great brunch, by the way), lazily watching the Sherman Avenue traffic roll past in the wilting heat, when a black truck turning left on Girard Street catches my eye — and I’ll be damned if there isn’t a long, white ferret dangling out the passenger-side window. The passenger, it seemed, was stone asleep, and the driver apparently unaware of the critter trying to make its escape. The truck makes its turn, disappears up the street, and the next thing I see is a white furry face peeking out from behind the wheel of a parked car — the little guy made his escape.

Sherman and Girard St, NW

I notified animal control, and spent the remainder of the meal with one eye on my eggs and one on the albino ferret skulking around under a blue sedan across the street. Our meal complete, and the animal control officer nowhere to be found, we couldn’t leave the poor little guy to the ravages of urban traffic, so we and a few other curious, concerned passers-by spent a good half hour chasing Garrett (as we came to call him) away from moving vehicles, trying to entice him with water, bread, and other refreshments, and wondering what to do. Mostly he seemed pretty overwhelmed by the day’s adventures, and content to nap in the shade beneath his favorite blue sedan.

Fortunately, the owner of said sedan appeared, and happened to have farmboy credentials and experience capturing wildlife. I, fortunately, was in possession of a cardboard box (yesterday was moving day; a real community effort). So when it became clear that animal control was still a good 30 minutes away, we put Garrett the Ferret in a box, and drove him up to the Humane Rescue Alliance. His arrival was warmly celebrated by a team of animal-lovers, who noted that he was “alert, hydrated, and curious,” which I guess is the trifecta of ferret health.

So all of this is just to say: if your ferret might have leapt from the passenger window of your truck on Sunday afternoon in Columbia Heights, we would like to applaud you for raising such an alert, curious, and charming ferret, admonish you to keep your windows rolled up, and inform you that you can collect him from the Humane Rescue Alliance of Washington DC. If he is not claimed in the next day or so, he will be put up for adoption, and let me tell you, Garrett was such a charmer I’m having second thoughts myself!

“Dear PoPville,

Columbia Heights penis window.

Just wanted to report that I was walking down 13th and noticed in the 2100 block 13th Street, NW that someone had taken the glass and screen out of the front window of a row home, hung up what looked like a sheet or a blanket, cut a small hole and presented their erect penis through the hole.

It was around 8:40/8:45 pm. I called the police and am writing in part to encourage others to report similar instances to the police, in the hopes that sexually deviant behavior like this will be reported in the future. Thanks.”

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July 2nd, 2018: GUESS WHAT I HAVE A NEW BOOK!! It's coming out this September and it's called HOW TO INVENT EVERYTHING and I really hope you like it! – Ryan

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June 27th, 2018: Portcon was great - thank you to everyone who came by! I ate: all the seafood and drank: all the Moxie. – Ryan

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June 25th, 2018: Portcon was great - thank you to everyone who came by! I ate: all the seafood and drank: all the Moxie. – Ryan

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June 18th, 2018: GUESS WHAT I HAVE A NEW BOOK!! It's coming out this September and it's called HOW TO INVENT EVERYTHING and I really hope you like it! – Ryan

Convergent evolution is the process by which unrelated organisms evolve similar traits in response to similar environmental constraints. One amazing example of convergent evolution has occurred among the Aloe and Agave. These two distinct lineages are separated both in space and time and yet they often look so similar that it can be hard for the average person to tell them apart. With that in mind, lets consider the similarities and differences between these two lineages.

To start, Aloe and Agave hail from two completely different spots on the botanical family tree. Each also has its own unique geographic origin. Agave is a New World genus with species ranging in their distribution from tropical South America north into arid portions of North America. Genetic analysis places the genus Agave in the family Asparagaceae.

Agave americana in bloom

Aloe, on the other hand, enjoys an Old World distribution, from Africa and Madagascar to the Arabian Peninsula as well as many islands scattered throughout the Indian Ocean. Taxonomically speaking, Aloe has undergone more than a few revisions through time, however, recent genetic work suggests that the Aloe belong to the family Asphodelaceae.

Experts believe that the lineages that gave rise to these two distinct genera branched off from a common ancestor some 93 million years ago. Despite all of that intervening time and space, the rigors of their arid habitats have managed to shape these plants in strikingly similar ways. Morphologically speaking, there is a lot of superficial similarity between Aloe and Agave.

Aloe hereroensis in situ

Both groups exhibit water-storing, succulent leaves arranged in rosettes. These leaves are often adorned with spines or other protrusions aimed at deterring herbivores. Both groups also utilize CAM photosynthesis for their energy needs. When it comes time to flower, both groups frequently produce brightly colored, tubular flowers arranged at the tip of long stalks.

It is worth noting that the harsh environments that have shaped these two plant lineages also seems to have induced a backup plan for reproduction. Both Aloe and Agave produce tiny offshoots called "pups." These pups gain nourishment from the parent plant until they are large enough to fend for themselves. All pups are clones but if the parent plant had what it takes to survive in that spot, there is a good chance that its cloned offspring will as well. That way, even if sexual reproduction fails, these cloned progeny will get another shot.

Despite all of this convergence, these two lineages nonetheless exhibit vastly different developmental pathways and thus there are plenty of differences separating the two. For starters, slice into the leaves of each type and you will quickly find one major morphological difference. As many already know, Aloe leaves are largely filled with a gooey pulp and not much else. Aloe leaves function as water storage organs. Agave also store plenty of liquid in their leaves, however, they also produce numerous long strands of fiber that provide much more structural integrity.

Cross section of an Aloe leaf showing gelatinous pulp.

Agave leaf showing fibrous interior.

Aloe and Agave each have evolved their own reproductive strategies as well. Aloe are perennial bloomers. Under the right conditions, many Aloe species will produce a profusion of flower stalks year after year. The stalks emerge from between the leaves and are largely pollinated by birds and insects in their native habitats. Agave, on the other hand, are monocarpic meaning they invest all of their energy into one single bloom. The Agave flowering stalk emerges from the center of the rosette and are pollinated by myriad insects, birds, and even bats. After flowering is complete, the main Agave plant dies.

Aloe flowers

Agave flowers

Convergent evolution will never cease to amaze me. Despite millions of years and hundreds of miles separating these two lineages, Aloe and Agave have nonetheless been shaped in similar ways by similar environmental conditions.

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons

Further Reading: [1]

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Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

There are 365 days in the year. My mom worked 376 days in the year raising me and my brothers and sisters. So how is it we only celebrate one lousy measly day for MOM? Seems a little unfair to me. We should celebrate every day — because Moms do a lot and are always out there for us.

Guess what? The Bird Moms of your backyards also do a lot. They are ever active this time of Spring with laying eggs, hatching chicks, feeding them and then getting them fledged and out of the nest. It is fascinating to be able to observe all this behavior right in your back and front yards.

We are very lucky because Bird moms come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Here are some of the most fascinating behaviors from around the world of mother birds.

• Most Talented Mom — It takes as many as 12 days for a female Oriole to weave her nest. One Baltimore Oriole was observed spending 40 hours interlacing her basket-like nest. It included over 10,000 stitches and thousands of knots, all done by mom’s talented beak.
• Most Loyal Mom — A pair bond may form between a male and a female Carolina Wren at any time of the year. She will stay with him for life, always foraging and moving around within sight of her mate.
• Quickest Mom — Black-capped Chickadees have one of the shortest incubation periods of all birds. Their eggs can hatch in as little as 11 days.
• Trickiest Mom — By singing a “male” song, the female Black-headed Grosbeak can trick her mate into thinking a rival male is nearby, forcing him to stay close to the nest.
• Supersized Mom — Sharp-shinned Hawk females average over 40% larger than their male counterparts. This size difference is the largest of all of North American birds of prey.
• Mini-Mom — A mother hummingbird weighs only about eight times more than the eggs she lays.
• Most Overworked Mom — Mourning Dove moms may raise up to six broods per year, more than any other native North American bird.
• Most Laid-back Mom — Unlike most other bird moms, robins do not lay their eggs at sunrise. They lay their eggs several hours later during the mid-morning. Since earthworms are easier to find during early morning, they feed first and then return to the nest to lay their eggs.
• Most Devoted to Mom — Young Tufted Titmice often remain with their parents throughout their first winter. They have been known stay with mom into the next nesting season and help her to raise the next brood.
• One Cold & Small Mom — The Rufous Hummingbird nests in Alaska
• The Last Mom — American Goldfinch moms are one of the last songbirds to nest each year, waiting until mid-to-late summer when thistle seeds and down are readily available

So why not help out the moms of this world? Stop in and grab your mom a fancy new feeder, a pair of earrings or chimes. If you grab mom a feeder she can enjoy a relaxing morning watching the birds feed their babies. It’s a win-win mom moment!

Moms also need water — we have some beautiful new birdbaths in stock, you can add a dripper or a mister and watch those little babies learn to bathe. Whatever you do this Mother’s Day, make sure to remember to get mom something special!

If you’re a mom who is reading this, stop on in and treat yourself to whatever you want! Or leave your kids a giant photo of a feeder and we will help them out!

3917 Georgia Ave, NW at opening back in 2009

“Dear PoPville,

It looks like the building that houses Qualia is on the market. The listing makes it sound like tenants won’t be sticking around.”

From Qualia Coffee’s owner Joel Finkelstein:

“Our lease is expiring near the end of 2019 and I have chosen not to renew it. We have been in business in that location for just over nine years now, the past four continuously. As anyone who has visited Qualia on a busy day may attest, the physical space simply is not equipped to handle the level of traffic we are now seeing.

In addition to the annoyances this causes for both our staff and our customers, it also imposes substantial inefficiencies that have undermined our financial success. We are exploring all options for buying the building or finding some other way to remain in Petworth. Either way, there is a high likelihood that we will have to close down for a period during any renovations.

On a personal note, I have worked very hard over the past decade to ensure that Qualia has acted as much as a community space as an expression of my own passion for great coffee. The neighborhood has changed a lot over that time, and while I would like to believe that we have played an integral role in that process, I am not convinced that we still serve an indispensable service to our neighbors.”

Ed. Note: It’s hard to explain the massive impact Qualia had when they first opened back in 2009. Along with Domku, Qualia chose to invest and become an integral part of Petworth before many had even heard of Upshur Street. Here’s to hoping they ultimately find a space that fits their needs – and if they don’t – all who love the Petworth that thrives today – owe them a big debt of gratitude. In the meantime, you can show some love in person for another year and a half at least!

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Ollie, a 3-year-old Pekingese/Shih Tzu mix who enjoys stealing socks and chasing his ballerina hippo.

Here is what his owner, Georgina, had to say:

This is Ollie (short for Oliver), a hairy 3-year-old Pekingese/Shih Tzu mix from Rockville, MD. Ollie is a staple in the Clarendon area, often seen plopped on the busy sidewalks with his arms tucked in. Ollie is an independent three-year-old but loves to cuddle with mom’s friends and family.

Ollie’s favorite locations include James Hunter dog park where he chases the big dogs, is more interested cuddling up with the humans on the benches and drinking water as his leisure; the stores at Market Common where he can smell the treats behind the registers from far away and of course home.

You can find Ollie acting as the Chinese Emperor’s guard dog at home protecting his home, chasing after his ballerina hippo, stealing human’s socks, or sunbathing on the balcony.

His favorite place to hide is under his mom’s bed and favorite hangout spot is the Persian carpet in the living room.

The County Board is set to consider formally changing Oakgrove Park’s name to Oak Grove Park, after Cherrydale residents fought to resurrect the park’s older spelling.

Arlington’s Park and Recreation Commission and the County Manager’s office is recommending the naming clarification, which Harry Specter, a Cherrydale resident who argued in favor of the change, called “a typographical error that was never corrected.”

Per a County Board agenda item, the park was created at the same time that I-66 was in the 1970s. At the time, the park was known by the two word “Oak Grove” Park.

At some point in the 1990s, signage was installed that seems to have mischaracterized the park’s name, omitting the space and calling it “Oakgrove Park.”

The agenda item stated that staff had “not found an official record of a formal park naming process for either the two-word spelling or the one-word spelling” of the park.

However, there has been some inconsistency in how the park was referred to in planning documents, according to the agenda item:

The current Public Spaces Master Plan (PSMP) from 2005 details this park as “Oakgrove” Park. The current General Land Use Plan (GLUP) (2011) and previous versions have identified this park as “Oak Grove” Park. Other County Board adopted documents which characterize this park as “Oak Grove” Park include the Cherrydale Neighborhood Conservation Plan (originally adopted in 1987 with updates in 2005 and 2014) and the Lee Highway-Cherrydale Revitalization Plan (1994).

The Oakgrove Park playground improvements project, slated to wrap up this May, already included “two new metal panels (custom entrance sign)” that would “be installed and will cost about $550 each (approximately $1,100 total)” in the plan.

The “new” name will be on the new signs, so no dedicated costs will be incurred regarding the park’s formal renaming.