Village Green/Town²

My husband insisted that we go to Millennium Park. We had one day left before returning home, and we were flying out of Chicago. A friend dropped us off after lunch at a riverside restaurant. It was hot. I didn't know what the point was. The sun was beating down, it was rather humid and I was having visions of cooling off at the Art Institute. But my husband was insistent. We kept moving forward. I sensed his excitement. And then we arrived at the Crown Fountain . No still photo could communicate the experience, but click on the link anyway. People of all ages were gathered to cool off in the spray. Children frolicked--yes,they still do that--dancing and laughing in the mist. Others rested on benches at the periphery. Many were gathered to watch the amazing video component of the fountains. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. I began to pay attention. When we arrived at the Jay Pritzger Pavillion I started taking pictures. On the top left you see the Pavillion. It is beautiful....

A recent changing of the guard on the Oakland Mills Village Board has produced a curious effect. Meeting are running longer. And longer. And longer. I noticed that now they will be starting the meetings at seven pm instead of seven-thirty. This may be in an effort to prevent meetings from running so late into the evening, or it may be that they just want more time for meeting. Oh. My. Goodness. How I hate long meetings. I hate sitting that long. I hate the panic that sets in when you realize that people feel they have an endless amount of time to regale you with every facet of their point of view. I hate the frustration of realizing that nothing significant will be accomplished. I hate the almost certain outcome: that residents, especially younger ones, will give up and go home in the face of interminable meetings. The vocal slice of Columbia that turned out this year to "take back Columbia" is doing more than just taking the reins of power. They are, quite literally, taking...

I just returned from a trip to visit family in Laporte, Indiana. Visiting Indiana for us means getting a taste of small town life. We soak up the beauty of older homes on criss-cross streets, and of Main Streets that have old fashioned architectural detail and personality. With the exception of our peculiar devotion to Dairy Queen (the closest one back home is at Arundel Mills Mall) all the restaurants we visited were individually owned. We noodled around shops in the tiny town of Chesterton, some beautiful, some off-beat, some retro-funky. We visited a butcher's shop which made its own beef jerky and sold actual bones for your dog to chew on. Margo got to help work on a float for the Laporte July 4th parade, walk in the sand along Lake Michigan, ride in the middle of the front seat of a car with bench seats, and watch as I struggled to remember how to drive a car with the shifting mechanism sticking out of the steering column. (Hint: it was hilarious.) Laporte has five small lakes...

Today's post comes from Michael Cornell, CA Board Rep from River Hill.   Transparency 2.0   Recent events at a CA Board meeting have revealed more than a few kinks in the system. Minutes into the meeting on June 12th, a motion was made to amend the agenda. The item being added concerned the Inner Arbor Trust – a non-profit corporation created by CA to develop the Park in Symphony Woods. Added to the end of the agenda, discussion started rather late. A motion was made at approximately 10:40 pm to declare the Trust in violation of the easement agreements. If passed, the motion could lead to delays or cancellation the development of the Park. Protocols outlined in our governing documents were collectively ignored, skirted, subverted or abused – by those who ran for office on the rally cry of transparency. Actions taken last minute, off agenda proposals made in the wee hours, are by the very nature anathema to transparency. Transparency is now something dragged out when a det...

I sent this letter to CA President Milton Matthews on June 16th, copying in the entire CA Board. I have received only one response, from River Hill rep Michael Cornell. That's a pretty poor response for an extremely important issue. So I thought I'd send it again, to our entire community. There's a CA Board Meeting tonight, if you'd like to add your voice during the Resident Speak-Out. ***** Subject: In reference to Board Meeting, June 12th Dear Mr. Matthews, Welcome to Columbia. I look forward to learning more about your ideas as you settle in to our community. We are on the brink of many wonderful improvements. I am excited to see Columbia moving forward. I must say that I don't think that the recent behavior of CA Board Members Avery, Klein, and Swatek on June 12th was at all an example of putting the best foot forward as you begin to work together. As you are new to Columbia, it puts you at quite a disadvantage to be compelled to decipher their mystifying ac...

I've never been so close to an election before. I have never known so many people personally who were running for public office. It has been educational and exhilarating. And, at times, stressful. As much as I have been inspired and hopeful, I have also been indignant. What some people do when they want to win makes you question the whole process. I'm thrilled for Tom Coale. It's difficult to find any other words. Running for the right reasons, doing it the right way, he made small-minded attempts to derail his candidacy shrink down to nothingness. How? 1) Just by being himself. 2) Empowering others to get involved. I'd like to see a whole lot more of that in politics. I'm excited to see that candidates for Board Of Education whom I supported will be advancing to the November election. In particular, it is lovely to see Cindy Vaillancourt as the top vote-getter. Ms. Vaillancourt has continually showed respect for parents and the community in the educational proc...

Almost one year ago I attended Tom Coale's announcement to run for the newly-formed 9B seat for the Maryland House of Delegates. I wrote about the significance of his choosing to stand in the middle of everyone as he spoke. I am sharing that post again today because everything that has happened in the last year has borne those observations out: Tom is the kind of leader who is willing to take risks to reach out to others. He sees leadership as an interactive process. He is honest about who he is, he is open about his views, he is positive in his message. Last year: In Medias Res This Year: On the Brink Tom Coale's candidacy is more than an ambition of one man. It is the promise that one really good person in public service can make a difference, and that his success will open the door to others who have the same goals: working together to make things better for everyone. If you think Annapolis needs someone like this and that Ellicott City deserves representation like this, sha...

I met HowChow quite serendiptously. I was down at the Second Chance one evening eating dinner and getting some work done on the old iPad, when I spied his tweet looking for somewhere local to eat outside on a lovely Spring evening. Naturally, with my deep loyalty to my local pub and my hometown village of Oakland Mills, I suggested that he "come on down." He did . As I was leaving I look a risk and approached what I thought might be his table. (He is rather anonymous, you know.) HowChow and his wife graciously allowed me to join them for a bit of conversation. I was struck not only by how friendly and easy-going he was, but also how respectful he was of his wife. He was a true gentleman, and I mean that according to the spirit of that term: courteous and honorable. Of course HowChow has become every bit the local celebrity in Howard County. People go places based on his recommendations. Restaurants brag if he writes them up. And this is meaningful in a town that doesn't ...

It's the last day of school. I realize that not everyone's lives are focused around an academic calendar. Mine always has. For someone who really hated school, I seem to have found a strange way of expressing it. All of my jobs have been in academic institutions. Maybe I am expressing it by attempting to exorcise the past. If I can make school a better place for other children, it somehow redeems the past. I digress. A traditional last day of school exercise is the "What I learned this year" essay. Wait--does anyone write essays in school anymore? Sadly, they probably don't. Alright, how about a list? Here's mine: Seventh grade is better than sixth grade, especially as you make friends and find your niche. Dress codes and their enforcement are an exercise in body shaming for girls. Middle school teachers are frustrated by the academic toll NCLB has left on students--kids are unable to do what they used to be able to do in middle school. (Thinking skill...

The Howard County Schools are well known for educational excellence. They enjoy a respected place on our community. The school system wants parents to know that they hire the best teachers, and that we can entrust our children to these highly trained, carefully selected education professionals. It's just one big, happy family. Except when it isn't. When negotiations between HCEA, the Teacher's Union, and HCPSS aren't going well, that whole happy family thing goes right out the window. The Superintendent is using the bully pulpit of the hcpss website --and even reaching out to the Baltimore Sun --to cast doubt into parents' minds about the motivations of those very same teachers. In fact, now even a retired Superintendent has been brought on board to make teachers look bad. If you follow HCEA on Facebook , you will have seen that their goals have remained consistent throughout the negotiating process. You will also be able to clearly see that neither public statemen...

Photography by James Binckley. Used with permission. My daughter and I looked at this photograph, posted on Facebook, as we thought about going to Lakefest on Saturday. "Look! The Fountain's on!" We talked a litle bit about whether people ever play in the fountain. This led to a discussion of liability and how people are more prone to sue than they used to be. Ah, well. Later that day we were there. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seemed more alive to me than in years past. The mild, slightly breezy temperatures with low humidity probably helped. The addition of the Petit Louis restaurants added to the liveliness of the scene. It almost looked like a place you would come to when it wasn't Lakefest. We started at the end closer to the Sheraton, and worked our way towards the concert stage. When we got to Clyde's I looked at all the paddle boats in the lake and got a lump in my throat. Seeing the Lakefront so alive made me think of someone wh...

Evangelism can be an uncomfortable business if you don't come from an evangelical tradition. As an Episcopalian, I often heard people joke that while we were in the Decade of Evangelism, no one knew, because it was just too unseemly to toot our own horn. In Howard County there is a narrow swath of people who read blogs regularly. And of those, a narrower swath read my blog regularly. But of that select group, I am guessing that a majority are regular and faithful voters. You are, right? You know about the League of Women Voters, yes? You are probably even fabulously up-to-date with the new social media voter tool from Jessie Newburn at HoCoBlogs. Have you voted yet? I am voting tomorrow with my daughter, the one who just bought the house in Stevens Forest. In fact, I may bring my younger daughter as well. You can't start too young. I admit that writing yet again about voting very likely constitutes one more go-around at preaching to the choir. But this time, it is about evang...

Once upon a time, in my first job out of Mount Holyoke, I was the head of Circulation at a small college library. And into our community came a gentleman from the South, a rather successful fellow who had made his mark writing easy-to-sing touchy-feely choral anthems. Coming from a patriarchal tradition, he naturally assumed that the Head Librarian of the College and her entire staff were his personal secretaries. He had a rude awakening. We were an academic institution and we expected him to follow the same procedures as the other professors. He refused. Not only did he not use the library after that, he encouraged other students to do likewise. "If you want to read these books, come to my office. I have them in my own personal collection." For a while we all just assumed he was an arrogant chauvinist pig, not a difficult assumption to make under the circumstances. And then it dawned on us. He didn't know how to use a library. Dewey decimal system, Library of Congress, ...

Do you participate in the Village Election process? Do you find it easy to understand and participate in? Do you like going to a lot of meetings? Do you like writing letters to the editor at the newspaper and hoping they get published? No? How about clicking a link and sharing an idea? Does that feel more sensible and more convenient to you? Don't say nobody asked you. The Columbia Association is asking you, and I am asking you. Your opinion matters. Your life is already full with work, family, volunteering, kids' activities... The history of Columbia is fascinating and inspiring. I learn so much from talking to people who were here at the beginning, or who grew up in this wonderful community. But what is going to happen today and tomorrow is a challenge for all of us , and we all need to speak out. Register on Inspire Columbia , and speak your mind while someone is really listening. After what happened at the Board Meeting on Thursday night, it is hard to predict how long a ...

A roundup of what's going on in the world of VG/TS: Marshmallow Man comments on Thursday night's attempt at a minority power grab at the CA Board Meeting. Hint: write to Milton Matthews and the CA Board. On a side note, Reg Avery appears to be pursuing a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde approach to running for County Council. My neighbor Jesse is filling a U-haul and leaving to move back to South Carolina today. We'll miss him. If you know anyone who wants to rent half a house, let me know. Great neighborhood, great neighbors.   Music at the Ellicott City Farmers Market this morning. Your choice of Debby Iny Greene & friend or Jared Denhard! Oh, yeah, and fresh produce. The festival atmosphere is in full swing at Columbia Festival of the Arts kickoff weekend. It looks like beautiful weather, no rain and reasonable humidity levels. Early voting continues. Just do it! Saving the best for last: From my friend Justin--"Just a quick update: Yesterday I heard and felt my heart...

Remember when a majority of Columbians turned out to support the Inner Arbor Plan for Symphony Woods at a CA Board Meeting? I do. I was there . So were my daughters. And many of my friends. I think somebody forgot. Last night a minority faction of the CA Board tried to pull a fast one with a motion which had nothing to do with the evening's published agenda. From an eyewitness account: Reg Avery made a motion to declare that the Inner Arbor Trust plans, as submitted to the County, contain material changes from the Concept Plan attached as an exhibit to the easement, and directing the President to notify the Inner Arbor Trust that they are in breach of the easement. Russ Swatek seconded. There was some heated discussion. Reg, Russ, and Alan Klein voted for, everyone else against. As Michael Cornell and Brian Dunn noted, this was done in secret, without notice, and was planned to exclude public input and to exclude the residents who came out in droves to support the plan. Reg Avery...

Last night I attended my first "Wine, Women, and Watson" event. I could tell you about the wine, of course. I could describe the food, the setting, and what people were wearing. But this is not the Society column. Courtney Watson stood in front of a group of women last night as a candidate for Howard County Executive. She carries with her the experience of serving on the County Council and the Board of Education. She has earned an advanced degree, worked to establish her career, and committed herself to loving and supporting her family. Every woman attending the event knows and owns a piece of that in their own lives. We talk the talk and walk the walk every day. The speech last night touched on building on past successes, responding to new challenges, the willingness to take on new ventures to help our community. Courtney used this moment not only to make the case for her own candidacy, but to share the spotlight with other local women who are taking the risk to get involve...

My mind is reeling this morning with a bunch of things. "Why, why, why?" Why did the Oakland Mills Village Board invite Cy Paumier to give a presentation on his vision for Symphony Woods, and call it "Discussion on alternatives to the Inner Arbor/Symphony Woods controversy" ? Why is Corey Andrews back in the Board of Education race? I thought I had a good handle on why he dropped out, but I really don't get why he is dropping back in. Why did Board Member Cynthia Vaillancourt have to file a PIA request with the Maryland State Attorney General's Office to get information about Board/School System financing of the trip to China? What kind of system are we operating if that kind of information is withheld from Board members? Why do we keep installing more doors and more safety buzzers in our schools while we make no meaningful progress as a nation protecting our children from gun violence? And, other questions, not so deep: Why is it more likel...

What a thrill it is to read good news in the paper these days. I loved Blair Ames' article in the Sun about "We Here", the graduation anthem created by Long Reach High School students. After you read the article, you can listen to the song itself on YouTube. Whether or not this is the style of music you like best, you've got to admit: these kids have talent. Talent. What does that mean, anyway? Is talent some magic fairy dust sprinkled on a chosen few at birth? Or is it like the ' talents ' in Matthew 25:14-30--worth nothing unless you work to do something with it, worth less than nothing if it lies buried. Consider this: when kids read well, or do math well we often credit excellent instructors, creative curriculum and teaching methods, but when they do music well we often say, "oh, they're so talented!" as though their knowledge, skills, and mastery came from nowhere. Poof! Like a rabbit out of a hat. Yes, these students are talented, ...

  (Photo from Scientific American)   NPR reported recently about the newest trend in cognitive improvement: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. tDCS , as it is known, has been shown in a scientific study with Air Force pilots to improve performance on training tests by 25 per cent. Johns Hopkins Medicine describes it as " cheap, non-invasive, painless and safe." It also doesn't take much time per session. Now this is data that should be getting everyone excited. Here is scientific proof that we can overcome the achievement gap in our schools without cutting back on music or art. We don't need rigid scheduling formats like Departmentalization. We don't need thirty minutes of world language per day from age four onward. Children will be able to retain more with less class time. We need tDCS. Howard County has always been at the forefront of educational trends. I can't think of a better addition to Vision 2018...

NPR reported recently about the newest trend in cognitive improvement: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. tDCS , as it is known, has been shown in a scientific study with Air Force pilots to improve performance on training tests by 25 per cent. Johns Hopkins Medicine describes it as " cheap, non-invasive, painless and safe." It also doesn't take much time per session. Now this is data that should be getting everyone excited. Here is scientific proof that we can overcome the achievement gap in our schools without cutting back on music or art. We don't need rigid scheduling formats like Departmentalization. We don't need thirty minutes of world language per day from age four onward. Children will be able to retain more with less class time. We need tCDS. Howard County has always been at the forefront of educational trends. I can't think of a better addition to Vision 2018 than the cutting edge science of tCDS. What's that? You don't feel like the...

In March I wrote about things that had become too much . Leading off the list was this: "A friend who is in constant pain, who has waited far too long for a heart transplant." Last night I had trouble sleeping and went downstairs with my ipad to lie on the couch. At around two in the morning, this status update was posted on a Facebook. "On the way. New heart ! Prayers, everyone. It's a perfect match." My friend has so much more life to live, so much more music to make. Please pray, offer up good thoughts, positive energy--whatever it is that you do--please send prayers up for Justin and the team of doctors, nurses, and ALL involved in his care today. This is Justin. And this is what he does. Posted with Blogsy

This image is taken from a series of cartoons by James Thurber, entitled "The War Between Men and Women." It came to mind this morning in light of the recent controversy surrounding the #YesAllWomen hashtag, and the defensive counter-hashtag #NotAllMen. Around Howard County we don't have much of an all-out war, but there are days when it feels as though women in public service, political races, and even blogging have to work twice as hard to be thought half as good. We have a bit of a Boys Club at work here: not ruthless, not mean-spirited, but careless and unseeing. What do I mean? Take a look at this: Women Tag or recount all present at an event RT, Share, comment, and praise work by both men and women Engage in online dialogue with both men and women Respond to comments from both men and women Support both male and female candidates   Men More likely to tag or recount men present More likely to RT, share, comment, and praise work by men More likely to engage in onli...

Finally. It's here. After living in Cinnamon Tree at Talbott Springs since June, 1999, it's happening. My # summerofneighbors . Cinnamon Tree at Talbott Springs is a community of quadroplexes near the Oakland Mills Village Center. When they were initially built, they cost more than some of the single family homes because they came with central air conditioning. This was a desirable place to be. During the housing bubble in the early 2000's, folks were anxious to get out and buy a bigger house before it was too late--we weren't seen as desirable anymore. The houses weren't bright and shiny anymore. They needed work. After the housing bubble burst and the economy tanked, these houses were extremely difficult to sell. Many owners resorted to renting them out. People came and went. Some were friendly, some were not. It just wasn't the kind of place where people hung out together, went trick or treating, or borrowed a cup of sugar. It was still a safe and lovely pla...

What does it mean when one has so many good, politically active friends? Is there something about me that just causes people to run? (For office,that is.) This year's election season has brought me a boatload. In particular, the race for Democratic Central Committee comes to mind. I served wth Abby Hendrix and Marcia White on the Oakland Mills Village Board. I have first-hand experience of their skills in problem solving, working with the community, consensus building, and perseverance. Whether running a meeting, working on a committee, brainstorming ideas, or reaching out to stakeholders, Abby and Marcia are effective, thoughtful, and respectful leaders. Kimberly Pruim and Candace Dodson-Reed have helped me time and again when I needed answers to questions or solutions to problems. Both of these women exemplify the high level of constituent service that Howard County is rightly known for. If you call them or send them an email they get back to you right away, let you know what...

Now that I have made my endorsements for the Board of Education race, there are a few remaining issues that need to be addressed. First: if there were a category for Most Improved, it would definitely go to Corey Andrews. He clearly worked to educate himself between his last run and this one. He wasn't at the top of my list but he is clearly sincere in his interest. His withdrawal from the race may have been ridiculed by some. But it seems to me that he made a clear choice to shed some light on the underhandedness and toxicity at work in this election. I am hoping that Blair Ames will continue to work on this story as more information comes out. Speaking of which, the action of some of the Board Members to censure or shame Cindy Vaillancourt publicly is nothing but dirty politics. They present no evidence as "it's confidential" and thus Ms. Vaillancourt can't really defend herself without appearing to violate confidentiality. This feels like the actions of the sec...

You knew it was coming. This is the annual ASLC Flea Market post. It is the rummage of rummages, jumble sale of jumble sales, with everything from bicycles to DVDs to household linens to Christmas decorations to toys...and more. Last year my daughter bought a snake in a basket. Really.   In addition to remarkable bargains you will find cheerful hearts, helpful advisors, and energetic assistance from church members young and old. All have a sincere desire to give you a price you want to hear along with a sense of humor. Even if you buy nothing (extremely unlikely) you will come away feeling better than when you arrived. Abiding Savior is the Lake Woebegon of Columbia parishes, almost too small to be found on a map. And yet every year this flea market raises a hefty sum for charity. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "though we be but small, we are fierce." This year all proceeds will go to Winter Growth who assist patients and families in Alzheimer's care. Did I mention that th...