Too Much of Everything, Bathroom Style, Fear on the Line: Best of Maryland Bloggers

Here are the best of this week's Local Voices posts from our Patch sites all around Maryland. Want to share your thoughts on local politics, sports or entertainment? Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Start a Blog" under "Post Something" on your Patch homepage. If you need help getting started, email community editors at susan@patch.com or lisa.rossi@patch.com.

"What is a 'Too Much' problem?" writes blogger Nettie Owens. "It is having so much of something that it impacts your daily living. Too much weight. Too much stuff. Too many commitments and responsibilities." 

Read the full blog post to find out what specific issues are "too much" for locals in Harford County to deal with—there's even a link to a survey for you to add your own opinion. Owens also offers some help in the form of workshops in Havre de Grace she will lead with Barbara Wagner in October.

Welcome new blogger and real estate agent David Orso, who wrote about the hot fall housing market in part of Anne Arundel County. "Lately, the news has focused on the lack of homes for sale right now for buyers, but the data tells a different story in our local market of Severna Park," Orso wrote. Click to read more in the blog: 28 New Listings Since Sept. 1 in Severna Park.

Mike Murray, another Anne Arundel County real estate agent, warns about the impact a government shutdown could have on the housing market in his blog: Government Shutdown May Equal Housing Slowdown.

What is the style of your bathroom? If you're not sure, see the latest blog post by Robert Bollinger: 3 Styles of Bathroom Design You Should Know About. Bollinger describes the Maryland Bathroom Remodeling blog as a place "to share tips on where to store your supplies, how to make more room, when to toss and when to repair, and many other questions." Leave a comment to ask a specific bath design or remodeling question.

Now that fall is officially here, are you thinking about cleaning up your landscape before it's covered with leaves? If you're not sure where to get started, check out the Gardening with Greenstreet! blog. "Start by taking a walk around your property, closely examining your lawn, garden, and individual plants," writes Tim Hamilton in the blog. Get more tips in the blog: It's Time for Some Autumn Housekeeping.

Do you ever delight in finding misspellings in the newspaper or in an online news story? Well then this blog post is for you. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Blogger Lejla Sarcevic, a graduate student at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, covered a recent spelling bee at the National Press Club, which pitted journalists against politicians. Want to know who won? Click here.

A Silver Spring man is putting his fear on the line—literally—and promising to rappel down the side of the Westin Arlington hotel if he raises enough money in the name of food allergies. Silver Spring Patch blogger Michael Spigler is asking for help in meeting his fundraising goal of $2,000, money that would be used to raise awareness about food allergies.

A new group that will advocate for “quality education in Baltimore County” is forming in the aftermath of an arrest at a public forum on education that went viral. Towson Patch Blogger Meg O’Hare writes that the name of the group is EXPECT. She had this to say about the recent arrest: “I guess this is what America has degenerated into. It is the police state we thought was fantasy when Orwell wrote 1984 64 years ago.”

Are you interested in blogging on Patch but not sure how to get started? Contact Lisa Rossi at lisa.rossi@patch.com or Susan Jenkins at susan@patch.com for details.