The Right Time for Botox, Downtown Living and a Hankering for Hummus: Best of Patch 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 editor Susan Jenkins at susan@patch.com.

"Don't make October about Pink, make it all about awareness, get the word out, any way you can!" writes Crofton resident and breast cancer survivor Beth Kaufman. In her latest blog post called "October Is Here And So Am I!," she writes about the journey she's taken in recent years. Click here to read all of the posts in Beth's Blog.

Interested in learning more about the process of buying a home? Let blogger and Realtor Sarah Garza take you along on the Journey of First Time Home Buyers in her blog on Patch. The Anne Arundel County-based agent details her relationship with a couple she met at an open house and writes about what they went through before putting in an offer. Stay tuned to see what happens in the Real Estate Today with Sarah Garza blog.

Cooler weather is an ideal time to get outside and exercise—but you may find yourself injured and not sure what to do next. “Would you let the injury derail your hopes of staying active or would you find someone to help you get back to doing what you love?” writes Bill Cox in his blog. See his advice in the post: Chiropractic Care For Sports Injury.

Do you see lines creeping on to your face, prompting the question: When Is the Right Time to Start Botox? “Everybody ages differently, so it is difficult to give an exact age of when to start Botox treatment for everyone considering it,” writes

Maryland plastic surgeon Brent Birely. However, he has some suggestions for those considering procedures in his blog Artistry in Plastic Surgery.

Have a hankering for hummus? Towson Patch blogger Dr. Margaret Winters, a chiropractor in Towson, has an easy recipe to make it yourself. “This is a mild, tasty hummus you can use all year round – and it has a good balance of protein, fiber, unsaturated fat, minerals & vitamins,” she writes on her blog on Towson Patch. Find the whole recipe here.

Would you ever move to downtown Towson? Baltimore County government officials are promoting downtown living in their blog on Towson Patch. Fronda Cohen, with the Baltimore County Office of Communications, writes that more than 2,600 apartments and townhomes have either been recently built or are in development that are within five-minutes walking distance to downtown.

Have a great fall recipe? Post it in our open thread here, joining the readers who have posted about bacon butternut squash pizza, pineapple grilled pork chops and more.