The other night, I couldn’t fall asleep because of sirens and a constantly circling Foxtrot helicopter. In New York, I can’t see or recognize sounds coming from the air but here it’s easy. And it was so close and so relentless that I began to wonder if there was a fugitive hiding out in my house. Naturally, I checked Twitter and saw that the Baltimore Police were reporting a murder about seven blocks from me.

My niece and I were talking about this just last week, how in this city there are no buffer zones and you will have a great street right next to a scary-terrible block. And earlier that very day, my neighbor and I were talking about what am amazing block this is and how many people who grew up here ended up buying homes and moving back with their families. It was a strange juxtaposition.

But in packing up to leave, I’d like to focus on the awesome stuff, which I’ve described so much that I won’t re-hash. Instead, I’ll post this picture of just some of the delights of Baltimore which I will miss. Mmmm.

PS, I swear paint colors are coming soon; I’ve just been enjoying the weather too much!

I’m sitting out on the deck, partially because it’s amazingly good weather and partially because something about sitting outside makes me want to write in the same way that sitting on the sofa makes me want to read. And I knew I really should be writing. Sitting a few feet from me is my brand new Off Lantern and I truly hope this is going to work because if I get bitten up once again, I think I will be reverting to my indoor ways. I find, as I imagined, that I spend a lot more time indoors here because I really walk nowhere. I have even given up on my strategy of parking far away from the mammoth stores at which I shop and now get myself as close as possible with my poor parking skills.

This has been the longest stretch of time that I’ve been here and as real life (i.e. the school year) approaches, I find myself in disbelief that I’ll be leaving and only coming back sometimes. And that the house is still mostly undecorated. But that’s OK, because I wanted a relaxing summer and I’ve had one. I’ve seen movies, gone to baseball games, visited with friends and local relatives, and just enjoyed hanging around in the central air-conditioned, light-filled wonderland that is this house.

I do have most of the colors picked out and when I am not so chill (despite the fact that the guy next door has just begun mowing his lawn), I will post the color swatches next to each room. I owe a kind of debt to all the decorating blogs that have included pictures of what paint colors look like on real walls that I am determined to do that myself. But for now, with the house still being builder’s beige, the swatches will have to do.

In the meantime, I have the rhythm of living here down. I get my trash out in time, I park in the right place on my street, I can get basic places without GPS (and find my way when I inevitably get lost), and I have found both the local Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods as well as the independent coffee bar, bakery, and gourmet food store. Oh, and the farmer’s market, which is awesome and on Tuesday evenings so I don’t have to get up early. But, in fact, I do get up early. Every day and naturally. I think it’s because of the light. I have no shades or curtains yet in my room (they were chosen, if you recall, but I figured I’d wait till the paint was up) and while I don’t wake up at sunrise, I am up every day at 8ish, rain or shine. This makes me realize how very cavelike my existence is in New York. In fact, I don’t miss New York at all, but I would if I lived here all the time. So I’m glad I have both and I’m glad I have had this lovely summer, which, despite all the commercials, isn’t quite over yet.

Here’s hoping your summer has been great, too, and that the final weeks will be just as good.