A regular summary of irregular news and notes from neighborhood blogs and email lists around the District.

Appropriate Accommodations: A reader writes to Frozen Tropics to ask, “I’m hoping to move to Trinidad soon, right by Gallaudet. (A short sale, cross your fingers for me!) The place has a great basement and we plan to do some renovation to make it rentable. We want to make sure that the apartment will be suitable for everybody in the neighborhood, and so want to make sure that it could accommodate a deaf tenant. The only knowledge I have about making a safe place for a deaf tenant is from a dorm room in college one of my friends was in. It had flashing fire alarms and a flashing doorbell.” Readers suggest, “Good lighting is important because it makes it easier to see the conversation” and “The most important consideration is to have the main living area be as open as possible. There should be excellent line-of-sight because if someone’s in the kitchen, they want to be able to sign to someone on the couch.”

Overly Friendly Is Better Than Angry: On the New Hill East email list, a member posts this observation: “Three African Americans, one female and two males are already happy on alcohol and drinking it openly in front of 1508 Mass Ave SE. One can at a time and two glasses. They are overly friendly and not mean spirited with drink. The open container and drinking is getting much more prevalent since the Holiday. People are walking from the Liguor Store drinking as they walk down the street, some pushing strollers. They have large single cans.” It is unclear whether this is intended to be an indictment, complaint, or mere sketch of neighborhood character.

Foiled: The Cleveland Park lilac thief has seen his time in the spotlight. Now, it appears as if unaffiliated parties are going further—to the roots. A member of the Shepherd Park email list writes, “2 women are at the elementry school taking soil that was dropped off for the school Garden. I’ve called but who knows when someone will show” in a thread entitled “soil stealing.”

At Least It Wasn’t Dead Bird Fungus: “We’re seeking info on an odd fungus (we think) found in 4 patches in our yard. White, looks like sprayed foam, then sets and turns brown. Has attached itself to shrub stems and holds dark, dense, sand-like spores inside. May only be a coincidence but we also found 3 dead birds in the yard nearby. Our neighbors have not seen it before either. Just wondering if anyone else has it or knows anything about it,” writes a member of the Palisades email list. Later, from the same member, comes an update: “Have found the fungus online at robsplants.com and it has the unfortunate name: dog vomit fungus. Truly. At least it seems harmless.”