Still Life with Robin: Fun with Snowcrete!

by Peggy Robin

Last week the ice artists among us got the chance to show off their creativity and sense of play:

See snow scuptures, igloos, snowpersons, and more:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1199115835723962

Watch the whole reel!

Here's my favorite: The Snofa! (Category: Realistic Art)

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1473119211481514&set=a.219521823507932

My vote for Best Scupture (Abstract Art)

Capital Weather Gang posted this quartet of good ones, which they described below:

Some LEGIT igloos and snowcrete sculptures from our very talented readers!

So many great examples to scroll through here.

Thanks to these folks for sharing (in the order the photos appear):

1) Colored igloo in Silver Spring (the_meggolodon)

2) Ice nook in Annapolis (Tjeezey Mattizzle)

3) Polar bar guarding igloo (Enzoqueenie)

4) Sailboat sculptures (walter-in-falls-church)

https://x.com/capitalweather/status/2018139961413734471 

Posted by: Capital Weather Gang @capitalweather

You can add your own photos of winter scenes, ice sculptures, igloos, or snow art to the CP Listserv's Winter photo album 

Only eleven more months to go until we announce the Cleveland Park Listy award for Best Listserv photo! You could be a nominee....or even the winner of the GOLDEN LIKE!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! 2 Black History Month Events at Glen Echo Park on Saturday, February 7

by Peggy Robin

Black History Month at Glen Echo Park

Feb 7 2026

Glen Echo Park

7300 MacArthur Boulevard

Glen Echo Maryland 20812

Glen Echo Park Civil Rights and History Tour with National Park Service | Meet at the Dentzel carousel | February 7, 2026 at 10:00am

Who led the Civil Rights protests to desegregate Glen Echo Amusement Park in 1960? Which amusement park ride was a focal point of the protests? How did Glen Echo Park become part of the National Park System? Explore Glen Echo Park’s history on this 45-minute free walking tour and find out the answers to these questions and more! This 45-minute ranger-led tour starts at the Dentzel carousel at 10:00am. Free. No registration required.

Dentzel Carousel

FREE Film Screenings: Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round  | Ballroom Back Room | February 7, 2026 at 11:30am & 2:00pm

The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture presents two free screenings of “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round” in the Ballroom Back Room at Glen Echo Park. RSVPs required. The film has a runtime of 90 minutes. Read the full synopsis at aintnoback.com 

RSVP is required.

 

Free

Glen Echo Park

7300 MacArthur Blvd.  

Glen Echo, MD 20812 

Phone: (301)634-2222

info@glenechopark.org

https://glenechopark.org/visit

Map Directions

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The "Get Out" event of the week is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local usually on Thursdays but occasionally on a Friday.

Still Life with Robin: The Day I Beat Snow-crete

 by Peggy Robin

I have always hated being cold. I was never one of those kids who liked to play in the snow. I never did the "snow dance" on the night before snow was in the forecast, hoping for a day off from school, so I could go sledding or to build a snowman. And of course, the very worst thing about snow -- the thing that nobody likes -- is that you have to shovel it.

So, a week ago when the Capital Weather Gang (my favorite part of the all-but-decimated Washington Post) started telling us all to prepare for a lot of the white stuff, I wasn't happy. But I decided to grit my teeth and do the right thing: I made a plan get that slippery white stuff off my front walk. I wasn't going to let the coming snow/ice storm defeat me.

So on the evening before it started coming down - Saturday night the 24th - I put down a sprinkling of Snow Melt on the walkway.

I woke up on Sunday morning to find just an inch or two had fallen overnight. It was soft and mushy from having fallen on top of the salt. It was still coming down lightly when I went out, all bundled up like the Michelin Tire man, to attack it with my ergonomic snow shovel. It took me less than ten minutes to clear a narrow path.

It snowed all day that Sunday. So every two hours I went out and shoveled away another inch or two of snow. It was never more than that in a two-hour period, so it was never that much time or effort to shovel it aside.

When evening came, I went out to do one last go-round with the shovel to leave the walkway clear. Then I sprinkled another round of Snow Melt on the bare fieldstone. And went to bed. 

That night, no snow fell -- only freezing rain (tiny ice pellets) fell from the sky, coating the snow everywhere with a shiny hard layer of ice, turning the snow into the rock-solid "snowcrete" that was the worst thing about this storm. But on my clear, Snow-Melt-prepped walkway, the ice that fell everywhere else was turned into a layer of thin, soft, broken-up bits of slush. So it still wasn't too hard to shovel it off the walk.

When I was done, I put my shovel down, looked at the result of my labors, and was pleased.

I have never been prouder of myself for a physical cleaning task well done. In fact, I've never had occasion to brag before this about anything it's been my job to clean. Tidying up, has never been one of my strengths (understatement of the year!).

This is what it looked like once the snow/ice was done:

However, I will be even happier if I never have to do that again!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! (if you can) and see what Potomac Phil predicts! It's Groundhog Day at Dupont Circle, Monday, Feb 2

by Peggy Robin

Ready to brave the cold? No? Will you be ready by Monday, February 2 at 8:30 AM? Here's where the action will be:

The 15th Annual Groundhog Day

February 2, 8;30-9:00am

Dupont Circle Park

https://www.facebook.com/events/1984305112116465/

It’s GROUNDHOG DAY, and Potomac Phil, the National Groundhog, is ready to emerge in Dupont Circle to dispense his famed meteorological and political wisdom. Will we face six more weeks of winter blues, or is an early springtime on the horizon?

Join the excitement at DC’s quirkiest annual ritual (IYKYK), featuring banging polka hits, free coffee and pastries while supplies last to keep you warm, VIP celebrities making surprise appearances, and much more. The festivities begin at the Dupont Circle fountain, with Potomac Phil’s grand emergence happening at 8:30 AM sharp. Punctuality is key, because Potomac Phil waits for no one.

Hosted by: Dupont Festival

Photo from Groundhog Day 2024

Groundhog Day “Potomac Phil 5K” Race

Monday, February 2, 2026 | 7:30 a.m. sharp

Connecticut Avenue & Q St NW

Want to break a sweat before Potomac Phil reveals his forecast? Our friends at November Project DC are hosting the Potomac Phil 5K, featuring a route shaped like a top hat around Dupont Circle. Lace up your running shoes and join the fun at 7:30 a.m., starting at Connecticut Avenue and Q Street NW. After the run, head over to Dupont Circle to join the Groundhog Day festivities, which kick off at 8:30 a.m. sharp, complete with complimentary coffee and morning snacks to warm your heart and soul.

This year marks the 15th time Potomac Phil has held court in Dupont Circle, a tenure that outlasts Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. 

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The "Get Out!" event of the week is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays.

Still Life with Robin: Notes of a Pre-Snow Shopper*

by Peggy Robin

 

Like practically everyone else in DC before a snowstorm, I went shopping to stock up on essentials before "the big one" arrives sometime tonight. On Thursday evening, around 5:30pm, I went to the Cathedral Commons Giant  Predictably, It was mobbed. About as crowded as it was on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving -- I'd guess -- except instead of usual holiday fare, the carts were filled with flats of bottled water, gallons of milk, loaves of bread, cartons of eggs, plenty ofcanned goods, and of course, supersized packages of toilet paper. I didn't check to see if the shelves had been emptied of Snow-Melt bags or any other snowstorm-specific items, because I'm already well-fixed in that department and didn't need to go searching for it.

 

The Giant seemed to be restocking to keep up with the demand, so I was able to buy everything on my list.

 

My impression was that shoppers were not in panic-mode...yet. They seemed  downright cheerful to me -- maybe because it's been a while since we've had a "big one," or possibly because so many shoppers were accompanied by their kids, who looked positively giddy with anticipation. So many school districts have already cancelled school on Monday.

 

The checkout lines were not too long; Giant had lots of employees working the registers or helping the self-checkout customers. (I never use self-checkout myself, as I'll inevitably find myself unable to ring something up and will become impatient while waiting for an experienced checkout clerk to rescue me.)

 

I got home on Thursday night, feeling secure in the knowledge that I have the one perfect item to see me through the storm: the makings of a really good cup of hot cocoa. 

Corner of Ashley Terrace & Highland Place, 2009. Note yardstick on the wooden bench.

* Please note: The above observations were all written on Thursday, more than 48 hours before the predicted start of the snowfall. I haven't been back to the Giant to check on things but am assuming the panic-buying has begun in earnest, and now most of the shelves are bare. I welcome updates from those who waited until today to get their pre-snow supplies.

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Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! There's an amazing light show on at the Washington National Cathedral

by Peggy Robin

This was first announced on the CP Listserv in Message #232988   on January 19 -- but you still have three evenings left to see it. (Or maybe just two, if the whole town gets shut down by snow on Saturday night!)

Tickets ($27 - $30): https://cathedral.org/calendar/luxmuralis-light-show-general-admission-4/

Here's a little preview:

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AVfBKxFB7/

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The "Get Out" event of the week is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays.

Still Life with Robin: Making the Switch

 by Peggy Robin

A couple of months ago I needed an electrician to do a few small repairs. He came over right away to give me an estimate, and schedule a time to come back and do thework. As he was almost out the door, I realized, before he left, I should ask him about a "migh's'well" job. 

What is a "migh's'well" job? (you may ask). A "migh's'well" (pronounced "mise-well") is a job that you think could be done quickly and cheaply, once a contractor is in your home already, doing other things. The full- sentence meaning of a migh'swll job is: "While you are here, you might as well do this other thing, too."

In this case, the "migh's'well" job was a little quirk of the house wiring that had been annoying me since 1988, the year we moved in. We have a tiny, downstairs half-bathroom toward the back of the front hall. It's windowless, so you always want to reach in and flick the light on before you enter. If you don't do that, and you close the door behind you, you will be in near-total darkness.

But the moment the light comes on, so does the fan. They're on the same switch. And that old fan is NOISY. From the moment we moved in, I was thinking, "Why didn't they put in a separate switch for the fan?" The other bathrooms in the house all have separate switches for the fan. Why doesn't this one?" And then I would think to myself, "One of these days...."

For 37 years  I have had the "one of these days" thought as I flicked on that bathroom. And then, in November, "one of these days" turned into "TODAY."

The electrician said it was a simple matter, and it didn't add much to the overall bill. He came back at the appointed date and time, did his thing, and when he was done, here was my new bathroom switch:

Looks good, right? So what's my problem now?

Muscle memory -- that's what. I've had 37 years of reaching into the bathroom and flicking a switch upward before I step in. Now I have to reach in and flick the switch sideways. Simple change of direction. But after 37 years of the upward flick, it seems like my brain can't adjust to the new hand movement Or maybe my fingers are automatically primed to make the up-down flick because that's what's been imprinted in my finger-muscles for several decades. But here I am, two months later, still trying to flick upwards.

I kind of wish the electrician could have wired it to give me a teeny little electric shock if I touch the switch from the wrong direction, to train me to make the right finger motion.

No wait, bad idea! Better one: turn the switch into one of those voice-activated ones. I just say "ON!"

Well, one of these days I just might look into that....

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

GET OUT! Winter Restaurant Week starts on Monday, January 19!

by Peggy Robin

 

It's cold and people aren't going out as much, but during DC Restaruant Week, there are so many good deals, you should go out at least once. Or go out every day from January 19 - 25. 

 

And you don't need to go far!

 

Here are the participating restaurants in Cleveland Park, Cathedral Heights/Tenleytown, Palisades, and Woodley Park.

 

Cleveland Park

Little Blackbird

Cuisine: Contemporary, Global, International

Wine Bar

Paired Wine or Cocktail

$55 Dinner  $65 Dinner

Sababa

Cusine: Israeli, Mediterranean

Paired Wine or Cocktail

$40 Dinner  $55 Dinner

Cathedral Heights / Tenleytown / Van Ness

Acqua Bistecca

Cuisine: Contemporary Italian

Paired Wine or Cocktail

$65 Dinner

Palisades

BlackSalt

Cuisine: Seafood

$35 Lunch

Lupo Verde Osteria

Cuisine: Italian

$25 Brunch  $35 Lunch  $55 Dinner

Woodley Park

New Heights Restaurant

Cuisine: New American, Seafood

$55 Dinner

What more? Go to https://www.ramw.org/restaurantweek and scroll down the page until you get to the section that lets you filter results by:

• Cuisine
• Cocktails/Wine
• Neighborhood
• Outdoor Dining
• Price
• ...and more!

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The "Get Out" event of the week is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays.

Still Life with Robin: The Little Cactus That Grew (An Inspirational Story for National Houseplant Day)

 by Peggy Robin

Today, January 10th, is National Houseplant Appreciation Day, I want to take this opportunity to express my admiration -- and astonishment! -- for my one and only potted plant, a cactus, fast approaching its 28th birthday. It's lasted longer than any of the cars I've ever owned -- though given far less care and attention. 

To be honest, it's not even technically my cactus. It was given to my daughter at age 7, in lieu of a goody-bag at a chlld's birthday party. Rather than let the little party-goers leave with the usual little baggies of candy and tchotchkes (plastic bead bracelets, stickers, rub-on tattoos and so on), the birthday girl's parents had the creative idea of giving each child a miniature cactus in a little plastic pot. It came with a little care-card that said to water it every ten days.

So we stuck in the kitchen window and remembered to water it on schedule (well, most of the time), and it grew. And it grew. Eventually, all the other houseplants I've owned have withered and died (I'm notorious in the vegetative world for my killer brown thumb) -- but somehow the little cactus continued to grow..

Cactus in it orignal little plastic pot, its long "finger" propped up by twist-ties and a dowel

My daughter, the actual owner, grew up and moved away, as her cactus grew taller and thinner in her absence.

One day its long skinny digit reached a height that its body could not sustain, and it broke off. But that didn't kill it! 

Cactus with its fallen part laid across the pot.

I just took the still-green part of the fallen segment and planted it back in the soil of the pot, and now it lives on as the offspring of the original cactus, sharing the same pot.

So today on this Houseplant Appreciation Day I express my sincere appreciation for its unquenchable will to live, surviving my haphazard and occasionally even neglectul guardianship.

Thank you, Cactus, for sticking with me all these years!

Cactus today, January 10, 2026

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Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! And Swap Clothes for a Good Cause - Sunday, Jan 11, 12-2pm at Union Market, Dock 5

 by Peggy Robin

Happy Daze Clothing Swap at Dock 5

Sunday, January 11, 12-2 PM

1309 5th St NE Washington, DC 20002

Want to start off the new year refreshing your closet in a sustainable and thrifty way? Join us for a FREE clothing swap on Sunday, January 11th from 12-2pm at Dock 5 at @unionmarketdc

We’re excited to also have @caferosebay on-site selling delicious drinks ☕️ and @toimoibakery selling unique and tasty pastries!! 🥐

We are so excited to partner with @sowhatelsehelps and give them all the leftover unclaimed clothes to help those in the DMV!

Play the video here: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DS3femZjBgE/

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The "Get Out" event of the week is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays.

Still Life with Robin: Looking Ahead to 2026 - Blue Moons, Fridays the 13th, Historic Anniversaries and More!

 by Peggy Robin

Lots of drama in the sky this year!

Supermoons and Blue Moons.

The first supermoon of the year occurred in the wee hours of this morning, January 3. It's called the Wolf Moon. Here's what I found out about it from a Facebook poster quoting The Old Farmer's Almanac. Full Moon for January 2026: The Wolf Moon.:

The first full moon of the year, known as the Super Wolf Moon, is set to peak on January 3, providing a spectacular start to the lunar calendar. This event occurs when the moon reaches perigee, the point in its orbit where it is closest to Earth. As a result, the lunar surface will appear approximately 14% larger and 30% more radiant than a typical micromoon, offering an exceptional opportunity for photographers and skywatchers alike to witness its brilliance against the winter sky.

While the name 'Wolf Moon' evokes images of starving animals in the dead of winter, its origins are rooted in complex biological behaviors observed by ancient cultures. Wolves were often heard howling more frequently during this period, but modern science reveals these calls are more about social structure than hunger. These nocturnal predators utilize the increased visibility and crisp winter air to communicate across long distances, helping them coordinate hunting packs and define territorial boundaries during the most challenging months of the year.

If you missed it, your next chance to see the moon so large and bright in the sky won't be until November 24, 2026 - called the Beaver Moon.

In May we will have the extra treat of two full moons within the same calendar month. The second one is called a Blue Moon -- which makes 2026 a rare year with 13 instead of 12 full moons.

Eclipses - Lunar and Solar.

2026 is an eclipse lover’s dream. ....but you will need to travel far, far from here.

Four powerful eclipses will unfold across the year—two solar and two lunar—turning 2026 into one of the most dramatic skywatching years of this decade. 

1. Annular Solar Eclipse — February 17, 2026

The famous “Ring of Fire”

Where:

Annular (Ring of Fire): Antarctica.

Partial: Southern South America (Chile, Argentina), Southern Africa, and parts of the Indian/Atlantic Oceans.

Timings (UTC):

• Eclipse begins: ~09:57

• Eclipse ends: ~14:27

During this event, the Moon will be slightly too far from Earth to fully cover the Sun, leaving behind a glowing ring of sunlight—one of the most beautiful solar sights possible

2. Total Lunar Eclipse — March 3, 2026

A deep Blood Moon

Where: North & South America, the Pacific Ocean, Australia, and Eastern Asia.

Timings:

Partial Eclipse Begins: 09:50

Totality Begins: 11:04

Maximum Eclipse: 11:33

Totality Ends: 12:02

Partial Eclipse Ends: 13:17

The Moon will pass entirely into Earth’s shadow, turning a dramatic copper-red as sunlight filters through our atmosphere 

3. Total Solar Eclipse — August 12, 2026

The crown jewel of the year

Where: Totality: Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Northern Spain, Portugal (small sliver).

Partial: Most of Europe, North Africa, North America, and the Atlantic.

Timings (UTC):

Partial Eclipse Begins: 15:34

Totality Begins: 16:58

Maximum Eclipse: 17:46

Totality Ends: 18:34

Partial Eclipse Ends: 19:58

Day will briefly turn into night as the Sun is completely hidden, revealing the solar corona—an awe-inspiring sight few ever forget

4. Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse — August 28, 2026

How deep? About 93% of the Moon will be covered by the dark umbral shadow!

Where: North & South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Timings (UTC):

Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 01:23

Partial Eclipse Begins: 02:33

Maximum Eclipse: 04:12

Partial Eclipse Ends: 05:52

Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 07:01

A subtle but elegant shadow will glide across the Moon, closing the eclipse season softly

2026 Maxes Out on Fridays the 13th

Hope you're not a Paraskevidekatriaphobe! That's someone with a superstitious fear of Friday the 13th. 2026 will have three of them - the maximum number possible in a calendar year.

Watch out for these dates:

Friday, February 13, 2026

Friday, March 13, 2026

Friday, November 13, 2026  

A June-ful of Palindrome Dates

 

Palindrome dates read the same forwards and backward. Here are the 10 palindrome dates in June 2026 (using the one-digit month/two digit date/two-digit year format) -- or 11 dates if you add in June 2, 2026, using a one digit month/one digit date/two digit year format. Using the four digit year format, there's only one: 6-20-2026.

M/DD/YY

• June 20, 2026 (6-20-26)
• June 21, 2026 (6-21-26)
• June 22, 2026 (6-22-26)
• June 23, 2026 (6-23-26)
• June 24, 2026 (6-24-26)
• June 25, 2026 (6-25-26)
• June 26, 2026 (6-26-26)
• June 27, 2026 (6-27-26)
• June 28, 2026 (6-28-26)
• June 29, 2026 (6-29-26)

M/D/YY

• June 2, 2026 (6-2-26)

M/DD/YYYY

• June 20, 2026 (6-20-2026)
  

Big Anniversaries.

The biggest of the big ones is of course America's 250 birthday, happening this 4th of July. There will be so much hoopla and razzle-dazzle around this event, I don't need to tell you about it; it will be inescapable. So let's move on to some notable anniversaries you might otherwise have missed:

March 10, 2026 - It's the sesquicentennial  (150 years) of the first telephone call. Alexander Graham Bell said, “Mr Watson, come here. I want you.” Now when you tell this story to your kids, they wonder why he didn't just text-message instead of calling. [https://commongoodmag.com/looking-back-anniversaries-in-2026/]

May 24, 2026 - It's the 400th year anniversary of the sale of Manhattan island. Buyer: Dutch trader Peter Minuet. Sellers: Lenape/Shinnecock leaders. Price: trade goods valued at 60 guilders. We were taught in elementary school that the bartered trinkets were worth approximately $24. Wikipedia tells us that in 2020 dollars, the value was $1,143.

June 1, 2026. Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday. Have a lollipop in her honor -- and be sure you don't get the fuzzy end. [Scene from "Some Like It Hot"]

Video clip: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2854397528168458

And now skipping back some 1,100 years... at some point in 926, Anglo-Saxon King Æthelstan significantly expanded his control by annexing Northumbria after the death of Viking ruler Sihtric, forcing submission from Welsh, Scottish, and Strathclyde leaders, solidifying his position as overlord of Britain. This pivotal year marked Æthelstan's consolidation of power in England before his later great victories, establishing him as the first effective ruler of a united England.

...And they're not even putting on a fireworks show in his honor in the England he forged out of many smaller kingdoms!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life is Local on Saturdays.