Village Green/Town²

  The thing I found this week on Facebook Marketplace that completely creeped me out: a bear head. Yes, just the head. For two hundred dollars you think you’d get the entire bear. I think it’s safe to say that I have a soft spot in my heart for teddy bears but that does not extend to large, disembodied teddy bear heads. Yikes. In better bear-themed news, a recent read from HCLS through Libby was about a much smaller fellow. Probably my favorite part of the reading experience was learning this from author Katherine Applegate: Soon after I began working on POCKET BEAR, I learned about a company in London called “Loved Before.” Their motto is, “Saving the planet, one teddy at a time.” I loved the idea of recycling toys. Pretty soon, The Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured found its way into my book. Loved Before? Remember them? I’ve been fangirling over Loved Before since 2022 when I imagined what it would be like to spend one’s life surrounded by plush friends looking fo...

Are they playing your song? The Ellicott City Partnership alerted me to this opportunity: And here’s a post about it from HoCo Rec and Parks: CALLING ALL MUSIC LOVERS! Come join us at the new Capitoline Center (the old Ellicott City Courthouse) from 11am-3pm on August 29 as we celebrate International Play Music on the Porch Day. We have space in the front and back of the building. Bring your own chairs, instrument (s), a few songs to lead or share, and your enthusiasm! Come out for a wonderful time making the world beautiful one note at a time. You can learn more about the origins of Play Music on the Porch Day at the official website. HoCo ARTsites 2026 are officially installed and ready to be viewed throughout Columbia/HoCo. You can see the full list of works and their locations here plus a few photographs as well.  Yet again I’m going to challenge myself to actually get out and visit all of them. I think I’ll start here. "Two Birds, One Stone" by Robert Donovan at Inner A...

  Some happy news to start your day in one minute and forty-five seconds from UMD Science: Science Terp staff traveled to Columbia, Maryland, to deliver a life-changing surprise! Watch incoming freshman neuroscience major Leah Boka react to winning the Siegall Scholarship—an award that covers four years of tuition, room and board, books and fees. The Clay Siegall Scholarship, a four-year full scholarship for a life science major, was created by Siegall, B.S. '82, zoology, the founder and CEO of Seattle Genetics. Ms. Boka is a graduate of Long Reach High School in Columbia.  You may have seen recently that Long Reach High School is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. County Executive Calvin Ball featured their kick-off celebration on his Facebook page. Images from County Executive’s social media  We celebrated 30 years of Long Reach High School, honoring three decades of academic achievement, student leadership, community connection, and a proud legacy that conti...

  It’s six forty five am. Do you know where your food is? There’s a chance it might have come from farms on the Eastern Shore and passed through the  Maryland Food Center Authority  in Jessup on its way to stores, restaurants, and your refrigerator. This six minute video from MPT’s Farm and Harvest gives you a behind the scenes look at how that all works. How Fresh Produce Gets From Farm to Grocery Store Overnight  PBS, Maryland Public Television  If you aren’t familiar with the show Maryland Farm and Harvest then here's a snippet of how they describe themselves:  Hosted by Joanne Clendining, Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers around the state to see and experience what it's like to run a 21st century farm – from technological advances and conservation challenges to age-old complications such as weather hardships. MF&H also captures the number one reason why planters and growers dedicate themselves to it all: their simple love of farming. They’ve...

  There is an odd point in the summer where you arrive at The Last Weekend Before School Starts. It is especially odd since, weather-wise, it doesn’t feel like summer is over at all. I tend to feel as though we could go along doing our favorite summer things for at least several more weeks.  But, here we are. The date is circled on the calendar, supplies are piling up around the house. What did you do on that last weekend of freedom before the annual plunge into the school year? Friday night I requested a trip to Pepperjacks (Scaggsville.)  It was just the right kind of weather for eating dinner outside and enjoying a root beer float - - a summer-specific beverage from my childhood that I’ve never outgrown. I have sentimental feelings about this place. When the weather gets warm enough to eat outside I always think of them. And, when I need to say farewell to those precious summer days, Pepperjacks calls my name.  Saturday morning I wasn’t at all sure about the weat...

  And tomorrow is the first day of school. I know this because I keep track of current events and, closer to home, I live with a teacher. The other day when I wrote about safety issues in school zones a commenter raised an issue about school buses, specifically: concern that school buses are not equipped with seat belts. Now, there are ongoing arguments as to whether seatbelts are needed or whether they would be logistically practical. I’m not going to wade into that now. I am going to predict that, in less that two weeks, local online communities will see more than one complaint about students having to stand on school buses due to lack of seats. If I am wrong I will be thrilled.  Whether or not students are sufficiently protected in school buses without seatbelts becomes rather beside the point when those buses are routinely carrying standing passengers. And, unlike subways, school buses are not equipped with those handy-dandy overhead straps.  Over the years one of t...