 BROOKLYN, NY - A cat that had been rumored missing or worse has shown up on the deck of Hawthorne Street once again. Spike, one of the founding members of the Feral Crew, has returned to his gang after a lengthy disappearance.
The strange disappearance of Spike had been causing the residents of Hawthorne Street Central and the surrounding buildings much agita, owing mostly to the presence of Cow, a large confrontational newcomer. [Photo not available] Cow had long been suspected in Spike's disappearance but never formally charged. Spike returned this morning hungry, gaunt, and slightly wary of his old friends, Blackie and Tanner. Former Feral Crew member and current HSC resident Ethel welcomed him back more warmly. Cow showed up and began harassing Ethel, however, so we still have our eye on him. (Or her; we've never gotten close enough to find out.) We'll provide an update when Spike calms down and gives a full report on his whereabouts. (Yes, I know it is Sunday, but Feral Caturday is a day that exists independently of your mere human calendar. Also, this post wouldn't have been possible yesterday.)
 Shortly after moving into her new home on Parkside Avenue in the fall of 2008, Nicole Fabri decided to organize local moms to cook for neighbors with newborns. Her project, Meals for Moms, took off in February 2009, when a neighbor of hers gave birth. The idea was something Fabri experienced first hand back when she gave birth to her son Marius three years ago in Michigan: a local moms group brought her family meals and offered emotional support and guidance. Fabri wanted to do the same thing in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, partly to get to know more local families, and partly for karmic reasons: to help moms through what can often be a very difficult time. "I remember one time when I hadn't slept in weeks," Fabri told me. "I was still in my pajamas, wearing the top halfway over my head, and looked like an insane person, when this other mom showed up." Despite the awkwardness, the other mom's help was a real boon. "She was really sweet, and it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to create a bond between mothers." Photos: (TOP) Karen Oh, shown with her newborn son, Cherokee (born
6/17), is one of the beneficiaries of Meals for Moms. (BELOW) Nicole
Fabri, founder of Meals For Moms, and her son, Marius. Since Meals For Moms' launch, the group has grown to 20 cooks and is now serving its eighth mom, Karen Oh. "It has gotten so big that in the last month that we've reorganized to minimize stress on the cooks," said Fabri. She has divided the group into two smaller groups, and each team serves one mother. On average, each cook makes a meal about once every 3-4 months, and each new mom gets about 10 meals. Meals For Moms is always looking for volunteers. If you'd like to get involved; or if you're pregnant, live in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and would appreciate the free service, please contact Nicole at nicole.fabri (at) clearenergybrokerage.com.
 When I moved to PLG, the site at 27 Lincoln Road was a crumbling building - one I charmingly referred to as a "festering rathole" - hidden behind construction fencing as the Lincoln Road overpass was being refurbished. The building was purchased by Henry Herbst who, amid considerable controversy, planned to turn it into a gleaming 23-story glass tower. The building was demolished and then the economy exploded. To nobody's surprise, the building hasn't progressed since the demolition. The only apparent work to date has been the PLGArts Wall Mural project.
 There was a break in the wall a few weeks ago, though, and I was able to reach my phone in and snap a picture of the inside of the site. There is always something a little beautiful about the way nature reclaims spaces after people abandon them (like, for example, the pre-renovation High Line).
I have since noticed that there is a glass window cut into the fence on the side of the lot facing Flatbush Avenue, so if you are interested in taking a closer look you are free to do so.
 The US might have been eliminated from the World Cup last week but, because we lost to Ghana, PLG still has skin in the game. You can cheer with your neighbors at Meytex at least one more time when Ghana takes on Uruguay today at 2:30.
I forgot to mention the celebratory scene outside of Meytex - where it has always been OK to root for the Black Stars - after Ghana's 2-1 victory on Saturday but it was wild. Fans of the victors poured onto the street cheering, blowing vuvuzelas and waving flags. Traffic on Flatbush - particularly northbound - was a mess because of the revelry. The best scene was when a police car finally pulled up alongside the double-parked party cars to ask them to move along and get Flatbush moving again. The crowd surrounded the car, laughing and cheering, and draped the Ghanaian flag across the windshield. You could tell that the policemen's hearts weren't really in breaking up the party. You can read some reports on what it was like to see the Ghana - US match at Meytex here and here and a report on the Australia game from someone other than me here. As long as Ghana is alive, Hawthorne Street will continue to root on the
Black Stars.
 We're always eager to spread rumors about other people's local businesses, so we're especially excited to announce a new business of our own: This fall, I'm opening up a children's resale clothing shop here in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. We'll sell not only gently used clothing, but children's books, toys, gear and even a few new items and gifts. I'll save the details for later. For now, I'd just like to get word out to all parent types that we're looking to buy inventory for fall and winter. Here's what we need:
- Children's clothing (up to size 8): needs to be clean and in excellent condition; sizes from 4T to 8 are especially needed
- Children's books
- Baby carriers, slings
- Shoes
- DVDs
- Toys/puzzles with all pieces
If you've got some clothes your kids have outgrown, email me at brooklynite282@gmail.com and we'll arrange for an appointment.
 Great news, people: Our friend and neighbor, Taeko Suzuki, is planning on opening a small, upscale grocer here in PLG -- a place that will sell fresh bread, quality cheeses, pestos, and other things you can't typically find here. In order to do so, she needs your help: please take a few moments to fill out this survey. She'd like to hear feedback from the community on what kinds of groceries you'd like to see more of in PLG. This will help her finish the business plan and negotiate her lease (She's looking at spaces on Flatbush). Taeko has impeccable taste, and we expect that anything she's involved in would be excellent.
GROCERY SHOPPING SURVEY
(Photo: Nova Scola)
Where can you enjoy the opportunity to purchase piles of cheap baby/toddler clothing, shoes, toys, adult clothing, chandelier, vinyl records, books, CDs, furniture, kitchen items, household items, and more? The Fenimore One stoop sale, that's where. From 10ish to 4ish.
There was a lot going on at the Community Board meeting Tuesday night so let's jump right in... EMPIRE/OCEAN/FLATBUSH TRAFFIC CALMING The most exciting news to my mind is that the Empire/Ocean/Flatbush intersection is getting a revamp to make it safer for pedestrians. We've been calling for this for two years now and are pretty impressed with the Department of Transportation's response:
- 3 of the 4 crosswalks at the intersection will get new splitter islands: raised platforms with trees and other plantings placed in-between north- and southbound lanes. The islands will slow down traffic and give pedestrians a refuge in case they get stuff between lights.
- Left turns from northbound vehicles on Flatbush (onto Ocean) are now banned. The DOT found that no one was doing left turns here, anyway, so it won't hurt traffic flow.
- Ocean Avenue will get a a new curb extension, which will slow down turning vehicles and shorten the distance pedestrians need to travel to cross the street.
- Alignment of traffic lanes will be improved.
Our neighbor, Dynishal, raised the point that the traffic lights for cars on Flatbush are out of sync, so DOT Rep Hillary Poole said she would look at that. Plans to remake the intersection should begin in a couple of weeks or so. Fire up!
NOSTRAND AVENUE SELECT BUS SERVICE
The improvements to bus service will also have a direct impact on our neighborhood, whether you ride this bus or not: faster buses means more riders, fewer cars, and better air quality.
The Select Bus Service (SBS) will replace the limited bus on Nostrand. There will be two stops in PLG, one at Empire and one at Clarkson. A few highlights from the meeting:
Continue reading "Notes From Community Board Meeting: Safe Streets, Rapid Buses and Scary Water" »
 Brownstoner has featured 495 Flatbush—aka Phat Albert's—as building of the day, in an effort to get readers to see beyond the $1 t-shirts and toilet seats and to appreciate the building's history and beauty.
Neighbors here have long fantasized about turning this place into a gym, school (the Lefferts Gardens Charter School was interested), or other community space, but the owners ain't selling. There's also been talk of landmarking, which would be swell, though I'd be content if they could just get all the giant beer billboards off of the walls. (Photo: Brownstoner)
 Things have just gotten a little crazy in PLG. It took a lot of crazy results for it to happen, but the next game for the United States will be .... Ghana.This is kind of a worst-case scenario for me because I was really hoping to keep rooting for Ghana in the World Cup. Sadly, I can't do that anymore.  As readers of this blog know, Meytex Cafe is Ghana's Brooklyn World Cup headquarters. I was there last weekend for the Ghana - Australia game and even came home with a Ghana jersey. Sadly, I can't bring myself to go to Meytex this weekend to root against Ghana. I'd feel like the turd in the punchbowl - and if a lot people rooting for the US happen to show up at a Ghanaian restaurant to root against Ghana, well, that would be a lot of turds in a small punchbowl. I'm afraid that if PLGers rooting for the US take over Meytex it will ruin the one safe place for Ghanaians to gather and root on their Motherland. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise in the comments section.
Wherever you want to watch, on Saturday at 2:30, The Yanks will be facing the Black Stars to move on
to the Quarterfinals. In other news, the downstairs apartment of the home of this blog is currently occupied by an Argentinian, a Mexican and their ArgeMexAmerican infant daughter. With all three teams on to the next round, the opening round has been a pretty good showing for Hawthorne Street Central. US image via Getty Images/Kevork Djansezian; Ghana image via AP/Gero Breloer
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