Still Photo in Action

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.  No, don’t stop me. I’m going to tell it anyway.

This photo was taken at an event at the Chrysalis in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods. 

I remember clearly what we were discussing. I had been hearing that my council representative was considering a run for County Executive. I didn’t doubt that he had the skills and innate ability to do the job well. My concern was something else entirely, and I told him so.

“People are going to be horrible to you. Hurtful, racist, demeaning.”

He already knew that. His response was, “If not now, when?” 

If he felt called to the job and was determined to make a difference, it made no sense to wait until the haters weren’t so hateful or the waters could be assured to be smooth. That might never happen.

And the opportunity to do good for his community would be lost.

We all know what happened. My county council representative Calvin Ball ran for Counry Executive and won. Twice. 

The waters have been anything but smooth. It is challenging enough to be County Executive. Add to that a global pandemic and a presidential election that led to significant job losses in the County. 

The haters have been every bit as hateful as I feared. No: worse. 

Every job has challenges, difficult coworkers, and situations that test you and make you feel you could done better. This is different. This is people responding to every decision, every policy announcement, every social media post with arrogance, ignorance, and a deep-seated desire to wound. Their racism isn’t even thinly-veiled anymore. They’ve employed every racist trope in the book. 

Some of these folks have just about made it their job to ‘cut that Black man down to size.’ 

If you knew you’d be taking on that kind of unceasing hatred - - would you want the job? 

He knew. He did it anyway. 

You do not have to agree with someone’s political views to understand that they are human and deserve to be treated with basic human dignity. They are not required to be perfect in every respect. You do not get to define what “perfect in every respect” means, either.

But you know that. I wish more people knew that.

“Lives change worlds. People can save planets or wreck them. That’s the choice. Be the best of humanity.”- - The 13th Doctor, Orphan 55

Happy Birthday, Dr. Ball.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

The People We Forget

 

And the year rolls on. Summer begins with Memorial Day Weekend and ends with Labor Day Weekend. In each case many folks, though not all, are able to have a day off from work. But the framing is quite different.

Memorial Day honors those who lost their lives in battle. It is right to honor their service and sacrifice. But along with that comes a sort of guilt-tripping to the nation. “When you enjoy your Memorial Day picnic, will you remember the deaths that made your freedom possible?”

I am uncomfortable with how easy it is for politicians to shape and even twist the loss of life into an enormous billboard for their own political views. The dead cannot come back to argue the point. We make cartoon superheroes out of very real human beings and we do them a disservice. They have become easy props for bad speeches about militarism, jingoism, and questionable patriotism. 

It’s interesting that we do not honor those whose work brought the rights of American laborers into being. They also sacrificed and believed in working for a free and just society. Some lost their lives in the fight for better conditions and better pay. 

We ought to lift up and celebrate their lives and work with the same reverence we are taught to feel on Memorial Day. Often, we do not. I suspect this is because politicians don’t find it as easy to mold and manipulate the message of worker’s rights in a way that suits their personal agendas.

The message of the American Labor movement is uncomfortably blunt and specific to those (not just politicians) who seek to mute or erase it. Fair wages, reasonable hours of work, safe working conditions, workers’ rights and their autonomy as valuable parts of our nation’s economy and culture. This is not something you can drape a flag over with pretty words and call it a day.

This year it's painfully obvious that the people in power are actively trying to strip away and erase the hard-won rights that Labor Day remembers and celebrates. 

If we are to mark Memorial Day with an almost religious devotion then we should understand why Labor Day is equally holy. Labor Day is every bit as rooted in work, and risk, and sacrifice, and in fighting for the rights of others and not just yourself. 

They, too, fought for freedom and the American Way. They, too were patriots. Are still patriots. Are still working for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

We forget them at our peril.

*****

There’s a concert today at the Chrysalis. Come out and enjoy music, community, and the opportunity to support the things that make the country a better place for all. 

The Accord Symphony Orchestra returns to the Chrysalis stage for the 5th time on Labor Day for a free evening of pops, film scores, and more! Enjoy a beautiful evening outside in Columbia's Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods.

This free, family-friendly event is the perfect for both newcomers and longtime lovers of orchestral music! The evening will be complete with food trucks on site as well as concessions sold by the park.

Register for your free tickets to the Labor Day Concert with Accord Symphony Orchestra.

Sugar and Spice Lives On

 

One of the items that was lost in the great summer ceiling debacle was an old book from my childhood entitled Sugar and Spice: The ABC’s of Being a Girl, by Phyllis McGinley.  It was my sister’s book, but it made a deep impression on me. Some years back I bought my own copy from an online purveyor of used books, largely to see if it was as awful as I remembered.

It was. 

When I am eighteen or a little bit older

I’m going to wear earrings that hang to my shoulder.

I’ll feel like an empress 

I’ll walk like a queen

In high heels and earrings, when l am eighteen.

Something about this book left me with a feeling that there was some secret mystery about being a girl and that I was never, ever going to be on the inside of that secret. Over the years I realized that the worldview championed in this book wasn’t the be-all and end-all of who I could be. I didn’t have to fit this mold to be acceptable as a girl/teen/woman.

I had a choice. (Thank you, Women’s Lib/Feminist Movement.)

I had a flashback to those words this morning as I read:

A Columbia Firm is Saving Tween Darling Claire’s Jewelry from Extinction, Bria Overs, Baltimore Banner

A brief explanation of what’s happening here:

Ames Watson, headquartered in Columbia, is purchasing the intellectual property and “a significant number of stores” in North America for $104 million, according to a press release this month. It could be up to 950 retail locations, Fast Company reported Tuesday.

Writer Bria Overs pairs the nuts and bolts information of why Claire’s has been in financial trouble - -  along with the particulars of what Ames Watson hopes to do - - with some personal insight from a Claire’s shopper.

Courtney Fisher, a 22-year-old Morgan State University student, got her ears pierced at a Claire’s at age 13. It was “one of the most memorable experiences” of her life, she said.

Fisher, who grew up going to teen-focused stores like, Claire’s, Justice and Club Libby Lu, said losing the chain would be “disappointing.”

“I feel like it’s kind of unfortunate for young girls,” Fisher said. “They don’t really get to experience that as I did as a girl growing up. I feel like it’s a part of girlhood and developing into a young woman.”

There it was again. It may sound silly, but I was a bit startled. 

Sure, I’ve taken my daughters to Claire’s over the years. Im not suggesting that there’s anything inherently evil about it. In my personal opinion the worst part about it is all the mass produced junk that we keep putting out into the universe. That can’t be good for the long term health of the planet. 

But to hear a young woman say in 2025 that shopping at Claire’s was a valuable part of girlhood and developing into a young woman surprised me. Do people still think like that? I guess they do. And the people at Ames Watson thinks that Claire’s has a future, so they must be betting on consumers like Ms. Fisher.

And, to be honest, she has a choice to feel that way. It’s not a requirement.

Claire’s is a place to play dress up and try on different ways of appearing without any long term commitment. You can put on and take off a variety of looks with all the seriousness of considering Halloween costumes. It doesn’t need to define you if you don’t want it to.

As a place to experiment and just have fun I can see its attraction. As a component in developing womanhood…

I’m sorry. That still kind of gives me the creeps. 

What do you think?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Chill

 

Labor Day Weeknd around here is not jam-packed with activities and that makes sense to me. Some folks take a last trip to the beach. Some host or attend cookouts. Somehow it doesn’t feel like a weekend where your free time should be driven by a ton of commitments. 

But maybe that’s just me. 

Still, don’t forget the markets today: Clarksville Commons and Old Ellicott City.

The movie tonight at the Win Bin is Pirate Radio. 

Down at the Lakefront, Guys in Thin Ties bring the 80’s to Columbia! will be presented tonight courtesy of the Columbia Association.

There’s a ticketed event at the Jim Rouse Theatre in Wilde Lake called Horror Circus. Possibly not for young children, yikes. I’m not recommending it necessarily - - but seeing the information made me wonder if there’s a central listing of all the (non-school) performances at the Rouse Theatre. Will check.

A group called Misspent Youth will be performing at Glory Days Grill this evening. What intrigues me about this are the words, “On our new Outdoor Stage!” I’m trying to envision the lay of the land over there. Where would they fit an outdoor stage - - on the roof?

Hmm…I’m also wondering whose misspent youth influences their musical stylings. So many decades. So many questionable choices.

Have a wonderful Saturday whether it is full of plans or blissfully plan-free.

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: The Weirdest Summer

 

Yesterday afternoon I sat at a picnic table in the shade as my youngest and I enjoyed snowballs with ice cream on top at Opie’s in Catonsville. The weather was perfect. The moment was perfect.

“You know…” I began - - more for myself, I think - - “This has been the most normal summer afternoon after what has been the weirdest summer of my life.”

We had started with a visit to Scrap B’more, the creative reuse store for art and craft supplies. (I first wrote about them in 2018.)  Yes, they are still going strong but they’ve moved to a new location in Pigtown. They were doing a brisk business while we were there and I suspect many of the young women we saw were teachers. I found a decent used watercolor set and M. walked out with a collections of beads, buttons, bangles, and stencils. 

I made a mental note as we walked back to the car that I should make an appointment to donate some of my craft stash that I don’t need. It’s such a great way to keep these materials out of a landfill.

From there we headed to Opie’s for snowballs. I have a soft spot in my heart for this place because it was our kid’s discovery, introduced to us. There’s something particularly sweet about having one’s offspring declare, “We need to go to this cool place I found.” It’s a passing of the torch moment, in a way. 

In an ordinary summer this would have been just a nice day. But this has not been an ordinary summer.

I guess having your ceiling collapse puts your life in perspective. 

This summer has been a rollercoaster of emotional, physical, and logistical challenges. I’ve learned a lot about what’s important. It is hard to lose an entire room’s worth of material possessions. It’s a lot easier to accept when you realize that someone you love was seconds away from bearing the weight of all this destruction. 

I’m still processing.

So yesterday was more than a nice day in an ordinary summer. It was a celebration that I still have moments and experiences and people who bring me joy. 

And good folks like you to share it all with. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Cast Aside Thoughts and Prayers

 

The violence that we are inflicting on our children, both here and abroad, is so reprehensible and morally shameful.

No child should be shot while praying. Or shot at all.

How can the United States rapidly decrease its VIOLENCE FOOTPRINT?

That's the question we should be asking, answering, and implementing solutions around in our legislative halls, Oval Office, pews, corporate suites, homes, and educational institutions.

May we pray with our action.

BE LOVE

Bernice A. King

*****

King, whose childhood memories include the massacre of little girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and the brutal assassination of her own father, speaks from painful experience. Notice how she says:

“The violence we are inflicting on our children, both here and abroad…”

 - - because she knows and acknowledges that they are all our children. No exceptions, no omissions, no carve-outs for those we don’t care about or place value upon. They are all our children and we are responsible. 

Our love and our prayer, King says, must be action. 

*****

The following reference is sadly becoming my equivalent to The Onion’s “ ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens” article.  It is written from the viewpoint of a teacher required to participate in an active shooter drill at school.

Final Thoughts

This is the world I’m giving my daughter. A world of mass shooters and death unprepared, where school and church, mall and workplace are all potential pits of blood and bodies. What kind of a parent am I? How can I simply pack her into a car and drop her off when I know I can do nothing to protect her?

*****

"Everything we don't address in society lands in a teacher’s lap." Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT

Marquez-Greene founded the AnaGraceProject “…as a response to the tragedy that took her daughter’s life in Sandy Hook, CT on 12/14/12.”

Promoting love, community and connection family

for every child and family.

At The Ana Grace Project, we know that communities are healthier and safer when we:

1) Value relationships and connection -> reducing social isolation

2) Teach tools for empathy, self regulation and self care

3) Move, play and create

4) Respect diversity

5) Provide help, hope and information

6) Promote acts of service

The "Love Wins" movement of The Ana Grace Project recognizes that all children/families have stories and every story has value. We believe that all children and families can succeed with proper supports - and healthy relational networks are essential. Through our partner schools, professional development and music/arts initiatives - The Ana Grace Project reaches thousands of children, families and providers in education, medicine, mental health/social services and the private sector.

Love wins. It also saves lives.

You’ll notice there’s no reference to “thoughts and prayers” there. That’s because they are passive. 

And love is not. Love is an active verb.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

The New Housing Trend

This week I learned that it is possible to talk about the shortage of housing without having the whole world crash down on you. Really. It’s easy once you know the secret.

Thanks to all the kids and families who joined the Conservancy at Belmont last weekend to combat the fairy housing shortage. With natural materials that our volunteers gathered, little ones planned and built their fairy village in the pine forest. Now we just need patience and a quiet dark night for the fairies to choose their abodes!

Image from Howard County Consevancy social media 

Yes, there it is: a fairy housing shortage. You can relax now.  No one is going to come along and ask what color the fairies are or demand that the fairy children go to someone else’s school or live in someone else’s neighborhood. 

It’s a perfectly lovely and playful experience - - immersed in nature and imagination. The children who participated probably have a strong concept of home and that everyone needs one. Why not fairies?

Today: building fairy houses. Tomorrow? Plan Howard Academy.

Applications Now Open for PlanHoward Academy Fall 2025

The Academy is an award-winning planning course designed by the Department of Planning and Zoning that educates residents on how the planning and land development process works. The free, five-week course includes in-class instruction, hands-on learning exercises and take-home materials. Taught by professional planners and legal experts, the Academy provides residents with a thought provoking, interactive curriculum focused on the underpinnings of land development in Howard County.

Yes, it says “hands-on learning exercises” but somehow I don’t think you’ll get to make Fairy Houses. Still…perhaps there’s an adult equivalent. I’m all for hands-on learning. 

Interested? Apply here. The deadline to apply is Sunday, September 7th at 11:59 pm.  Don’t put it off til the last minute, or you just might turn into a pumpkin. 

Images from Woodlark Blog