bluehouse Weblog

Sadly, people might not realize right away bluehouse is, most certainly, accessible to our guests with special needs. We would not accept any other scenario. Visitors who use wheelchairs, or strollers, can enter through the lower lobby doors, and then take a speedy elevator ride up to bluehouse. We can buzz you in, if the door is locked. Please come see us!

Fall is finally here, in temperature and not just the date, and thankfully we perfectly timed the return of .   .   .   soup! We were waiting for the weather to cool down before putting soup back on the menu but finally lost patience earlier this week. This means we were ready for customers who wanted a warm fall lunch when it turned chilly mid-week.

Instinctually, this time of year makes everything seem more pressing. The urge to stock up on supplies for the Winter can be all consuming, and can cause some of us to become… all consuming, especially with the Holidays apparently approaching faster and faster every year.

Sadly, this phenomenon is all too symbolic of the growing disconnect between many Americans, and the natural world. We feel alienated, and often have to search for meaning in our lives, forgetting that at one time, Life, itself, was the meaning. The words “Fall” and “Autumn” came into use only in the 16th century. Prior to that time, the beginning of the dormant time of year was simply known as “Harvest.” But as more of the United States’ literate, non-native population moved from land-work to towns, the term slowly lost meaning, just as the entire language of our illiterate population was lost.

Perhaps now is the time to reconnect. To slow down, and re-examine the truly meaningful bounty and abundance of the Earth. Take some hot soup, walk around outside in a sweater, look at the changing leaves, and remember that each of us is actually, literally, part of our environment. By protecting it, we are protecting our children, our food supply, and ourselves.

That is all. 

Congratulations, Velocipede Bike Project, on demonstrating unstoppable human potential for positive change. Oh yeah, and your “Best of Baltimore” win, as well.

From their website:

“Velocipede Bike Project is a collectively run non-profit dedicated to helping people use bicycles as transportation. We collect donated, second-hand, and landfill-bound bikes, which we then use to teach people how to repair and build their own bicycles. We also provide affordable and safe refurbished bicycles and bicycle parts.

Through our programming, we seek to:

• provide transportation to people of low and moderate incomes
• encourage healthy lifestyles
• reduce the waste flow into our landfills
• decrease dependence on unsustainable fossil fuels

The Velocipede Bicycles Project operates through the volunteer time and contributions of people of many ages and backgrounds from across Baltimore. Through, recycling, education, and using the love of the bicycle as a tool to build community, we are working together to build a healthier urban environment.”

And, not only are the Velocipede Members achieving these noble aims, but they, too, are demonstrating that we here are just as smart and forward thinking as those in San Francisco, or even Paris, if not more autonomous. While we at bluehouse are struggling to make one bike rack a reality, this collective has changed attitudes and made waves. Bravo.