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by Peggy Robin We don't award this Listy every year. In fact, we've awarded it only once before, in 2022, to Eleanor Oliver, for her posts about the past -- her oral histories of neighborhood life going back to the sixties (Message #196424, Dec 31, 2022). We're awarding it this year for posts about the present. Our award winner, Meghan K., has posted excellent messages all year long, on the widest possible range of topics -- messages that were always lively, engaging, and useful contributations to the Listserv. What's more, her posts were all properly formatted, grammatically correct, signed at the end, and all the other adjectives that characterize a good Listserv message: kind, helpful, brave, clean, and completely Listworthy. When totting up the nominess, I found that Meghan had a solid contender in in fve of the seven categories, missing only Best Giveaway and Best Query. In the category of Best Advice alone, she could have had all five nominations! But that seemed unfair to all the other posters who were potential nominees, to have one list member up for some many awards. Then we hit upon the solution -- and here it is: Forget the separate nominations and recognize Meghan K. as POSTER OF THE YEAR. Here are the posts that might have been nominated in five of the seven categories: Best Animal Post: Spotted lantern fly is here! Sept 20, Message #217943 with photo! Ack! Spotted this spotted lantern fly on the Connecticut Avenue bridge over the Klingle Valley Trail! I tried to stomp on it but was distracted trying to explain invasive species to my 5-year old. If you see them, smush them. This is just one of five of her posts that could have been a contender for Best Advice: Re: Recycling question. (Mar 25, Message #211910) Since the recycling questions are going strong, I thought I would share a few resources: Charlotte Dreizen on X/Twitter - hands down the best place to learn about recycling in DC Zero Waste DC Electronics Recycling DC I'm also attaching the cheat sheet I put together for my multi-family building. [You can find that attachment in her original message at Message #211910] The big thing to remember is to not "WISHcycle." When we put items we wish (or think) could be recycled in the blue bins, it leads to contamination. If the contamination levels are too high, the entire load is diverted to the trash. Most common wishcycled things I see - wire hangers, plastics bags (in household recycling), wires and electronics, bubble wrap, plastic mailers, and tea bags/used coffee filters. Also, all items must be larger than 2x2 - so if it's smaller than a post-it note, it has to go in the trash. This is why you need to screw plastic caps back on plastic bottles and leave can lids attached to the can. Photo of the year FS: Vintage Wood Rocking Horse (May 5, Message #213355). Our kiddo has outgrown the wooden rocking horse that used to be her dad's. This is vintage from the '80s. Definitely old school but still in great shape. [snip] Best post in a LONG DISCUSSION. Moving away from gas appliances. Message #220421 , "Depending on where your interests/concerns lie, research has shown that gas appliances are an attributable factor to childhood asthma -https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9819315/ There are also other health factors mostly related to respiratory issues but also methane release as it negatively impacts climate change - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10704234/ Good, solid message, brief but informative, citing reputable sources. Last: and for Post of the Year, this charming recounting of her kids' non-candy Halloween haul -- plus the bit about the side-eye to the GIANT pixie stick. Funny, helpful....sweet, but not TOO sweet: Re: Candy v. Potatos - Halloween Survey Results !!! (Message #219328 on Nov 1) "This year, on top of the usual candy selection, our kiddo came home with stickers, pencils, a popcorn snack bag, a hostess cupcake, and a banana dressed like a mummy. It was the most diverse bag of treats! The only one I, as a mom, side-eyed at was the GIANT pixie stick. If you want to break away

by Peggy Robin This is the last category -- and the best! -- in the 2024 Listies: 1. Holiday traditions at our house. This message by Eleanor O. (posted on Oct 26 #219130) is long, so I'll quote from just the middle section: "My father made my first Advent Calendar. He used graph paper. He was a toolmaker and precision was everything. The windows were evenly spaced out and cut on three sides so the fourth side could act as a hinge. They were randomly numbered, however, and that was the challenge in the simpler days of my early childhood. We taped the “Advent Calendar” to the window of the kitchen door and every morning I came rushing in for breakfast and the opening of another little window. I was the only kid I knew who had an Advent Calendar! That made it even more special. "My favorite season of the year is the whole month of Advent. It follows the Autumnal Equinox and marks the changing of the season from equinox to solstice—the Hibernian Solstice! Advent lasts a whole month and you can celebrate a little more each day, perhaps by lighting a candle, then another and another, maybe at sunset, or whenever you like in the evening. "My daughter in Massachusetts, calls it candle time. I still cling to the ethnic traditions of my forebears and light an additional candle each Sunday during the Advent season. I set them in a wreath, an Advent wreath, of course. No matter how evenly I try to burn the candles, by Christmas some are still shorter, some are still taller than the others." Can't you just smell the piney scent of the wreath and see the flicker of candlelight? So Christmas-y and so List-mas-y! 2. Witness to a bike accident. Over the years we've had our share of posts seeking witnesses to a crash, usually, to try to find the driver at fault, and, on occasion, to try to find the good samaritan who stopped to help, in order to express proper thanks. But this message is a first: a witness who wants to find out if the person who got taken away in the ambulance is okay. Whitney P. posted this compassionate query on the Listserv on June 30, Message #215274: "Bike Accident on Newark Street. I was the first on the scene to a bike accident on the south side of Newark St opposite of 3136 Newark. A male, initials DM, was badly injured and bleeding from his head and face. I called 911 who responded quickly and took over." [snip] This is a two-part nominee for Post of the Year, as part 2 of the story is the one with the heartwarming conclusion: "Follow-up on bike accident on Newark St last Saturday. Thanks to this listserve, I was able to connect with the twin brother of the man I helped on Newark St last Saturday after he had a bad bike accident. I have been able to visit him in the hospital where he is recovering." (July 8, Message #215536 ) We extend our sincere wishes to the victim for a full recovery...and we extend a Listy nomination to Whitney for her compassionate use of the Listserv. 3. The Delft Mug Essay Contest. Gail G. was giving away this lovely Delft mug (Message #212121 on March 30) but she didn't just leave it out for pickup for the first to respond, as giveaway posters typically do -- she set up an essay contest. How creative! She received six submissions, each wonderful in its own way. I just wish I had space to reproduce all six here, but a few are long; instead I urge you to read them in full at Message #212119, posted April 1 ....and don't let the date mislead you -- they're all responses by real list members....although one is labeled a joke. The winning entry was by Stewart W. -- and if Gail G. wins the Listy for Post of the Year, it's only fair to give one to Stewart W., too. (And please do read his essay -- you will be glad you did!) 4. Giverny Gone Wild 2024 edition...with soundrack! It's Message #216273 posted by Henry D., July 31. But first, a bit of background. We must go back to the 2023 nominated posts in the categoriy of Photo of the Year. Kathy R. posted the photo of a hillside in bloom, but the planting was done by Henry R, so they both shared the nomination. You can see the photo in Message #20

by Peggy Robin Let's start out with the concession that Groups.io is far from the ideal platform to show photos. Groups.io handles just one image format consistently well -- that's .JPG -- and it severely limits the free storage of images, driving frugal list owners to set strict size maximums on photos if they don't want to upgrade to a more expensive level of service. Even within these limits, we still get some pretty darn good pix! Here are the five up for the Listy in the category of Best Picture of 2024 (a/k/a Photo of the Year) 1. Bald Eagle Looking Regal, taken by Bill M. and posted on July 22 Message #216030 Aurora at the National Cathedral, photo by Andrew L. and included in the "Best Show in Town" compilation of aurora photos in Message #21865, Oct 12. 3. Juvenile cardinal, Rock Creek Park was posted in Message #219557 on November 9. The photographer, Tom Hentoff, who won last year's Photo of the Year Listy for his "Woodpecker on Rodman Street," is back with another incredible bird pic -- this guy, who seems to look down at us with amused disdain. 4. "Pink View of the Castle." This photo appeared in the Tuscan estate rental ad posted by Jennifer Johnson-Calari on Oct 21, Message #218964. At first I thought it was a painting -- a finely executed, idealized watercolor. Real life is seldom so lush, so glowingly beautiful. Only when you click on the link to the property and scroll down to the fourth photo does it become clear that you are indeed looking at a photograph. Definitely worth viewing the full-size version on that site! Magical! Bonus! You can view 51 photos of the property here: https://www.chianticasa.com/en/overview#gallery. There are at least half a dozen Listy-worthy contenders in the numbered album, including these particularly well composed images: #1 Poppies along the drive; #20 View from the back terrace; #39 View from the guest house window; #41 View of the olive grove and castle at dusk; #42 Night view; #44 Nightscape. Warning for those suffering from acute property-envy: Proceed with caution -- you may never get over it! 5. "Our Own Stumpy, " photo by Susan B.,on March 19, Message #211649. Cleveland Park's own little cherry tree that could! And unlike the original, ours is still standing! Just had to show it some love with a nom for a Listy! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Next up: Nominations for POST OF THE YEAR. ------------------ Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays. The Cleveland Park Listies nominations will be posted in a series of messages, this Saturday and next Saturday, December 21, and the winners will be announced on December 28. -----------------

by Peggy Robin Last Saturday, we presented five nominations in these four categories: BEST GIVEAWAY Hyperlink BEST ANIMAL STORY BEST QUERY/ISO linked BEST ADVICE/RESPONSE TO A QUERY Today the show goes on with the nominations in these three categories: BEST LONG DISCUSSION THREAD PHOTO OF THE YEAR POST OF THE YEAR As explained last week (in Message #220602), we'll be presenting the nominations in one message per category, to allow sufficient space to describe what makes each nominated post Listy-worthy and include any photos, without making any one message excessively long or going over the 500 kb maximum for images in a message. First up: BEST LONG DISCUSSION THREAD. This is the only category that requires a note about the qualifications: "Long" means at least six messages sent in by separate list members, and "discussion" means that differing points of view are advanced, which rules out, for example, a long thread that simply names good shoe repair places or fun sports bars. ---------------- 1. Going Carless in DC. Nancy R. kicked off the discussion on Feb 18, Message #210683, when she posted that she'd given up her car and maybe should've asked for tips on carfree living first, but in any case, she'd welcome them now. Ten different car-free list members were happy to give advice and encouragement, including practical tips about all of the following: car-shares, good delivery services, short-term rentals (with some pros &cons for specific rental apps); public transportation (bus/rail); insurance considerations, and of course, the health benefits of being outdoors and getting some exercise on foot -- 13 good messages over 6 days. If this one wins the Listy, I wish I could award it to every single one of the dozen list members who contributed, but my stock of little, golden "Like" statuettes is limited, and so they'd have to accept a virtual nod, while the physical object would go to Nancy R. 2. Ranked Choice Voting. A few weeks before the November 2024 election (remember that -- or are you trying to forget?), with Initiative 83 "Ranked Choice Voting" up for a vote, the CP Listserv hosted a lengthy debate -- 63 messages! --on the ballot measure, and I am happy to report it was everything a moderator could want in a Listserv debate. Posters on both sides made thoughtful, evidence-based arguments. The messages were, for the most part, informative, respectful of points made by the other side, and free of hyperbole, finger-pointing, or the sort of straw-man target-shooting that has all too often characterized debates on most other forms of social media. I would also venture to guess the discussion helped a good many on-the-fence voters make up their minds. But with dozens of different posters, who gets the nomination? Normally, my first choice would be the poster who kicked off the discussion....but in this case, that would be....me. On October 5, in Message #218376 I posted an announcement of a public discussion panel being held at a church, where civic leaders would discuss the pros & cons of Initiative 83. The Listserv discussion took off from there. So, having reviewed all 63 messages, I nominate the one I thought made the most persuasive argument. For me, that would be Sarah B., who looked at the results of the Ward 7 Democratic Primary in June 2024, a race that featured ten candidates, with the winner getting a mere 23.6% of the vote -- and who went on to present her analysis of the vote, making the point that RCV would have given far more voters a say in the outcome (Message #218610 on October 11). The entire thread ran just one day short of 3 weeks, from Oct 5 to Oct 24, under three different subject lines, but you will find the bulk of them threaded together by the subject line ISO pro/con on Initiative 83, 3. The Art Critics of Cleveland Park. The jumping-off point for this discussion was an agenda item (Section VII., item #1) tucked away inside the announcement of the July meeting of ANC 3C proposing that the ANC send a letter of support for a DC government arts grant to fund the painting of a mural along the seco

We keep getting mail for this person, despite sending each letter back to the post office marked as "incorrect address." Some of the mail looks important. Thanks, Bonnie bonnieroskes@... [bonnieroskes @ gmail dot com]

Visit Little Gallery at www.littlegallery.org or, in person, at 4400 Fessenden St NW to learn more about the artists. Let me know if you'd like to exhibit. -- Sid Edelmann Little Gallery Celebrating Creativity in the Neighborhood 4400 Fessenden Street NW www.LittleGallery.org sidedelmann@... [sidedelmann @ gmail dot com] Cleveland Park Listserv Sponsor

Free for porch pickup near VanNess and Reno: - Teal Costco umbrella stroller with sunshade - Kitchen items: cheese knives, nut cracker (new in package), spatula - LED light bulb - 40 W - Halloween themed candle holder -Thermometer for porch, etc. - Pry tool to open painted shut windows (never used) Email for exact address. Martha -- Martha W. Buckley marthabuckley@... [marthabuckley @ gmail dot com]