Village Green/Town²

I received this letter from Oakland Mills Village Manager Sandy Cederbaum right before Christmas. On this last day of the year I want to thank Fred Eiland for his work and say goodbye to the Community Organizer position, which grew out of the OM Revitalization. Over the years it evolved into being a liaison between the voiceless and underserved and the OMCA. ***** Oakland Mills Community, This week marks the conclusion of the Community Organizer position that Fred Eiland has held for the past 4 ½ years. The Community Organizer was created for Oakland Mills nine years ago and funded for the majority of time by the Columbia Association. Beginning in May 2014, the Community Organizer was funded through a new Columbia Association Village Community Grant. The current grant allows each of Columbia's 10 Village Associations to request up to $10,000 for annual community initiatives. Oakland Mills was awarded its grant and used it for Fred Eiland to continue as our Community Organizer a...

Oscar sings about it. Mr. Gilly collects it. But most of us don't think much about it. Yep, that's right: trash. We generate plenty of it. We've gotten better at separating out the recyclables. Some of us have food scrap pick up. Some of us compost at home. Some of us throw everything into one big bin and bury our heads in the sand. But we all have trash. And someone must come to take it away. Normally we don't spend much time contemplating this, but now that there's a strike affecting some areas of Howard County, we just might. For some it's just the basic questions-- Will I be affected? Will my trash be picked up on time? How will I know if my trash won't be picked up? I'd like to suggest a few more. It appears that our sanitation workers are not employed by the County directly. We contract with multiple private firms that do the hiring, scheduling, and supervising. And one of these firms, Unity Disposal, is involved in a labor dispute with its driv...

I retain a peculiar fascination with old-time, small town news papers whose existence became known to me largely through reading books of newspaper bloopers. St. John's Church is forming a Little Mothers Club. All women wishing to become Little Mothers should meet with the pastor in his private study after the service. The bride's mother, Eugenia Brantley Scoggins, enters the church. All eyes are on her as she picks her seat. The Smiths are away visiting relatives in Greece. We wish them well as they see family and other antiquities. In some ways Facebook has returned us to the days of the small town newspaper. Where before, all news was gathered by word of mouth and had to be typed up, printed, and disseminated, today we are inundated in our own homes with a seemingly endless flow of personal anecdotes. Yes, I know there are plenty of significant news stories to be had. But just imagine, if you will, a collection of small-town news in the style of Grovers Corners, New Hampshi...

Remember when Governor-elect Hogan said that the Grand Jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri "really doesn't impact Maryland"? Recent events in Howard County would suggest otherwise. While incidents involving violent response from police towards unarmed African American men have not occurred here, their implications resonate far beyond their place of origin. Residents participated in a #BlackLivesMatter vigil on December 12th. In fact, the vigil continues each evening at the corner of 175 and Brokenland Parkway. Candles are lit, signs held up, names chanted in memory of the dead. Events in Ferguson and around the country do have an impact here in Howard County. Citizens are struggling to find a way to have a fruitful dialogue about race and racial injustice. Yesterday, a group of HCPD officers were in New York, "with thousands from around the country to pay respects to NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos." I was stunned to see this statement on Twitter from the Howar...

Yesterday I broke down and subscribed to the Sun's online digital news service. I had to face facts that, although I talk the talk of how important journalism is, I haven't been willing to pay for it. That's just wrong. So why am I still scouring Twitter for local news? Well... @Corebear_: Howard County is like the shy boring cousin of the Maryland County family @StevenMHines: The fact that there isn't a Chipotle in Clarksville is the worst part about Howard County. It's fun. It's wacky. It is extremely local. Sometimes it provides a better close-up of what is happening than the Sun could ever have. On the other hand, much of what people say is completely subjective, unverified, incomplete. Often it feels like watching people passing notes in class--remember that? Before there was texting? Little snippets of communication. In that way tweets are like primary sources. I remember being granted permission to visit the library at the Maryland Historical Society (fo...

Imagine you are divorced, and you have a child. (Or children.) The experience of holidays as a divorced parent is an ongoing reliving of your divorce. For every holiday there must be plans. There will be negotiations, sometimes complicated arrangements. Some years you will feel overwhelmed by having to make everything happen by yourself, other years you will feel bereft, adrift: a childless castoff, hoping to find a place at some charitable person's holiday dinner. It's not pretty. You learn to adjust, but I don't think you ever get used to it. At least I didn't. My good intentions of giving my child the support of both parents through joint custody were put to the test by every major holiday. I grieved. I got angry all over again. Some years I bought her too many presents. Other years I was too poor to give her the kind of Christmas that I longed to be able to provide. At some point during those years someone recommended the movie "An American Tale." What wer...

It's the last school day before Winter Vacation. What a lovely day of celebration it will be! There will be classroom parties, Christmas card or Secret Santa exchanges, games and holiday-themed activities. No, wait. That was *my* childhood. For a variety of reasons, our schools don't observe Christmas the way we did when I was little. And some of them make sense. For instance, where I grew up in the '60's, Christmas was the assumed celebration. At least now we understand that the world is not default white Protestant. There was a time when Christmas celebrations evolved into learning about other observances: Hanukkah, Kwanza, Diwali, and perhaps even Ramadan, depending on the timing. Multi-cultural activities were woven into the curriculum. But as No Child Left Behind marched through our schools, less and less genuine celebration time could be justified. Relaxation, fun, and social interaction aren't on the test, you know. (Even though they are extremely valuable li...

The kid was sick most of last week. This morning my husband woke up with a sore throat and I woke up with an ear-ache. It promises to be a challenging week. Things I would talk about today if I didn't feel like death warmed over: Going to the Symphony of Lights with the family and bringing someone new along. The amazing folks at the Route 100 Bob Evans who threw dinner together for us so brilliantly even though we came in twenty minutes to close. My inlaws' amazing stories of the Hong Kong Occupy movement. The cool guy from AAA who diagnosed and then replaced my car battery in the parking lot of Dayton Oaks Elementary School late Friday afternoon. My fun shopping trip to Old EC yesterday afternoon. Questions about the new school wellness policy as they pertain to classroom holiday parties. Why standing up for the equality of Arts Education does not in any way denigrate or belittle Math/Science Education. So you see, I have a lot on my mind. I'm just not in any ...

Santa and Santa's helpers have been taxed to the max in Howard County this year. It seems that every holiday season brings more opportunities to see the Man in Red. I can just imagine a staff meeting at the North Pole... "Okay everybody, let's get this show on the road." "Aw, c'mon man, it's only Halloweeeeeen!" "You know the drill. It gets earlier every year. Gotta keep up with the times." "Everybody have their calendar?" iPads, phones, and Blackberries are pulled out. Santa himself clings to his beloved Day-Timer but his Head Administrative Elf double-checks everything and enters it into the Main Schedule on his MacBook. "Herb?" "Mumph?" "Herb, what are you doing? That's an Advent Calendar. You can't open that up yet!" "It's last year's. Didn't eat all the chocolate yet." The Head Administrative Elf sighs and hands him one of those nice glossy calendars that the North P...

Recently a friend suggested that the children's Christmas classic, "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" was, in fact, not so classic.   Hot take: there needs to be a new, updated version of "Rudolph" or the character will cease to be relevant in a decade or two. #getwiththetimes #stopmotionisweird #Donnerisabadfather What followed was a fascinating discussion about: the history of the show, what people liked about it, what they didn't like, and the deep-seated flaws embedded in the story. I must admit I was taken aback by the whole thing. It's such a part of my childhood that I have always accepted it, whole cloth. There was plenty of rudimentary animation in kids cartoons back in the day, so the stop motion animation of Rudolph was deliciously detailed to my eyes. I looked forward every year to the opening scenes where stylishly ornamented felt trees glistened and adorable woodland animals sang along with a dapper snowman. But the abominable snow monster alw...

There's been a bit of chatter amongst my group of friends on Facebook about a new program being offered next year at Oakland Mills High School. This is the information that parents were given: OAKLAND MILLS HIGH SCHOOL EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM Important Parent Night to find out about the program-January 13@6:30pm Parents, please plan to attend a Parent Orientation Night about the new Oakland Mills HS Early College Program. Students who are selected will graduate high school with a high school diploma AND 30 credits of college credit towards an AA Degree from Howard Community College! The focus will be on a supportive cohort experience for a science and education college pathway. Science focus : Prepare for careers in science, pharmaceuticals, medicine and others Education focus : Prepare for careers in math or science education ESSENTIAL FEATURES : Grade 8: Above grade level math or G/T math Grade 9/10: High school classes with cohort experience Grade 11: Some...

Ah, December! Your email in-box is filling up with manic offers from retailers--free shipping! amazing discounts! last minute deals! And appeals for end-of-year giving--you can make a difference! we celebrate your commitment! help us sustain our good works! Somebody turn down the noise already. Well, I can help. Forget all that for a minute, and consider my wish list. It'll take your mind off all that other nonsense. Top Five Christmas Wishes, 2014: 5. Monty and Mabel , plush. From the heartwarming John Lewis advert . They sold out in less than 24 hours. Now they're being hawked on eBay for exhorbitant prices. 4. Bean bag couch bed . Doesn't really exist. Just a prototype. I want one. 3. 6116 Encounter Row. Coolest house in Oakland Mills. Currently listed at $475,000.00. And conveniently located down the street from my daughter and son-in law. 2. Bridge Columbia . It never hurts to have a few big-ticket items on your list. Besides, it's useful and the whole family co...

My teenaged daughter has become used to periodic lectures in P.E. and Health class about the spectre of Type II diabetes. "You have to exercise an hour a day!" the teachers exhort the students, as they put them through yet another round of physical fitness assessments. Too late, too late, too late. All through my daughter's elementary years her recess time was limited and the focus was on the push, push, push for better standardized test scores. Parent requests for more recess were met with responses about "college and career ready." All through the years of skill and drill mandated by No Child Left Behind, opportunities for movement went down while, outside of school, children spent more time inside on devices and less time playing outside. All the while parents were working more hours to try to get by and falling back on fast food choices in their exhaustion. It all adds up. Now...when I was little...(you knew that was coming) each day in elementary school l...

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood... So begins every episode of iconic children's program Mr. Rogers Neighborhood . I used to use this piece in a class I taught about the power of music. "Music can make you see things in your head," I'd tell the students. They would deny it. Then I'd play some of this. Eyes would light up. "He's getting his sweater!" "He's putting on his sneakers!" They got it. It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood... The children in the RECC program where I teach have been learning about neighborhoods. When I entered one classroom the teacher, who follows my comings and goings on Facebook, said to the class, "Ms. Julia loves her neighborhood!" I think I must have glowed. If other people can see how much I care about Oakland Mills, I must be doing something right. I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. Now, actually living in relationship with one's neighbors is a...

Thursday CA announced it will be moving its headquarters from a place that's in the center of everything and yet often hard to find to a place that's relatively obscure and will very likely be hard to find. It is fairly safe to say that if all Columbia residents had been polled on this issue that a decision to suit everyone would never have been found and Milton Matthews would be standing out on Little Patuxent Parkway with a filing cabinet. Moving on. Friday night area residents participated in a Black Lives Matter Vigil at the intersection of Route 175 and Tamar. Participants noted the support of local police in keeping the event safe for everyone. Were you there? Or did you pass by? Sunday the Howard County Historical Society held its 38th annual Holiday House tour. Blogger Angie Koslowski tweeted some great pics and I am hoping she will write it up on her blog . Speaking of the House Tour, it was just one of many events to be found on the new area calendar, Totally...

I'm having a hard time getting ready for Christmas this year. Most of the time it feels as thought I am running in the opposite direction. I'm going to take a stab at it this morning by putting up the Christmas Village with my daughter. In the meantime, here is one of my favorite seasonal poems. [little tree] by e.e. cummings little tree little silent Christmas tree you are so little you are more like a flower who found you in the green forest and were you very sorry to come away? see i will comfort you because you smell so sweetly i will kiss your cool bark and hug you safe and tight just as your mother would, only don't be afraid look the spangles that sleep all the year in a dark box dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine, the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads, put up your little arms and i'll give them all to you to hold every finger shall have its ring and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy then when you...

I stood by the side of the road last night, my sign illuminated by passing headlights. I stood with family, friends, and neighbors I had never met on a cold December night in Howard County. There was no bellringing, there was no carol singing. The air was filled with traffic noise and the chants of remembrance and calls for change. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Mike Brown. As the the names rang out we responded to each. Sending love. Not one more. As the rhythm of the call and response washed over me I thought of my days in the choir of Grace and Saint Peter's church, processing round and round the great space as we chanted The Great Litany. Incense, vestments, candles, and processional cross making the time-honored journey of saints and remembrance. Saint John Baptist, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, Pray for us. Saint Michael, Pray for us. Our church last night was the side of the road and our vestments were winter jackets and reflective vests. Our c...

I am thinking of having business cards printed up to carry to concerts. I am thinking they should say, "Please don't talk during the concert. I love music and I want to hear every note." Or perhaps, "I am scouting talent for the Juilliard School. Please refrain from talking so I can give the performers a fair hearing." What do you think? So many people seem to think that all music is "background music." To them, being at a concert is no different than talking during during the half-time show at the football game. Music plays in restaurants, in elevators, at the dentist's office, while you wait, "on hold", for your telephone call to go through. Music is just treated as some sort of comforting white noise that keeps you from being alone with your thoughts. In those cases it seems as though someone has just left the taps running and forgotten to turn them off. There is no significance to the sounds we are hearing. It's "just music...

I have written before about body-shaming girls at school through the punitive enforcement of lopsided dress codes. I firmly believe that placing a burden on girls to "not distract boys" contributes to the continuation of Rape Culture in our society. In addition, teen girls are already under so much pressure as their bodies mature. They are attacked on every side by false images of digitally enhanced "perfection" that no one could ever attain. When the schools decide it is their job to "protect" boys from an extra half inch of leg, or a bra strap, they are choosing to put the boys' education before the girls' sense of value and self-worth. Doesn't being shamed negatively impact the girls' learning experience? Doesn't fear of being shamed disctract the girls from focusing on their work? Twice this Fall I have attended high school concerts where female dancers performed in costumes which would be rejected by school dress codes. They didn...

Yesterday I bumped into Byron MacFarlane at a holiday potluck I attended with my daughter. I'm sure you won't be suprised to learn that she immediately ditched me to hang out with her friends, so I was eating dinner more or less on my own. I had set aside my plate and gotten out my crocheting when he came in the room, spotted me, and came over to say hello. In case you don't know, Byron is the Register of Wills in Howard County. I haven't ever needed to see him in his official capacity. I know him solely from conversations at social events. Like this one. I feel a bit of kinship with him as my father and grandfather's name were Byron, and it is such a rare name that there's almost a burden attached to it. But that's another story altogether. We talked about crocheting (something good to do with your hands if you're shy), the recent election, local people we admire, and his second swearing-in and how it felt to be beginning a second term in office. It st...

I passed the bulletin boards several times. There were at least four of them along the hallway, possibly the work of the entire grade, First grade, by the look of it. They had titles like "Cruisin' into the 50's", "Rockin' the 50's" and so on.   The assignment was this: If I had 50 ____________, I would ___________. So far, so good. But each paper was the body of a construction paper boy or girl styled to look like the 1950's. All girls had pink skirts. All boys had blue pants. All skin parts were white paper. As I looked at the display, I felt troubled.   A few children had laboriously scribbled in darker skin tones. It must have made their work take much longer than the others. Why, in 2014, are we handing out white paper to children as the default skin tone? Why is that acceptable? Imagine if my daughter always received brown paper and was told that if it really made a difference to her, she could use an eraser and try to rub it out so t...

Friday night my daughter and I went to Oakland Mills High School for the WBAL Concert for Kids. According to Conductor Philip Hale, this event started about eight years ago, with about twenty-five students performing. Last year they raised $10,500 and this year was their first official "sold out" show. And from twenty-five students performers it has grown to a full sized orchestra, chorus, dancers, and collaboration with the Bridgeway Community Church Choir. Oh, and a visit from the Man in Red, reading "A Visit from Saint Nicholas." It is hard to put into words how awe-inspiring this event was. It was absolutely the best in student performance that Howard County has to offer: singing, instrumental playing, and dance. And it was the picture of Rouse's dream for Columbia: racially, ethnically, and economically diverse--all coming together, using their talents, to help others. Oakland Mills doesn't need reinventing. I defy anyone who was in that room on Fr...

Time for a sermon. You'll find it here . In her piece, "The Luxury of Lies", HoCoHouseHon blogger Alice Marks challenges us to look beyond easy answers to the horrible truth behind them. " And we were lied to in school, because the lesson was always that racism was over in this country. The happy lies we were taught - that Martin Luther King fixed this all for us, that Rosa Parks changed public transportation forever in one brave moment of fatigue, that broken Black bodies were a thing of the past and nobly martyred for the cause of a post-racial America - are just that. They are lies. " This Friday you have a chance to stand up against the racism and institutionalized violence at Black Lives Matter - Vigil in Howard County. Join if you can. We cannot remain silent while our friends and neighbors, brother and sisters, need us.     Posted with Blogsy

Last night a dear friend treated my daughters and me to an evening of musical theatre at the Olney Theatre Center . I had never been there, and now I'm just kicking myself. I had no idea how close they were, or what a cool place it is. I thought that regional theatre meant Baltimore City or DC. It's gratifying to know there's another choice. We'll definitely be back. We saw The Little Mermaid, which is a stage adaptation of the original Disney animated film version. Disney has given so many of those classic films a second life as fully-fleshed stage musicals. This is the first one of those that I have seen. It is full of visual spectacle: undulating fabric waves, dancing schools of fish, puppetry, and more. I don't want to give away any of the more spectacular bits just in case you decide to see it. And it runs through December 28th , so you still can. I could give you a full-scale theatrical review, although Steve Charing does such an excellent job at that. I ...

I have an issue which has been weighing heavily on my conscience for quite some time now. I strive to be honest and forthright on is blog and I take pride in not misleading my readers. So I owe you an explanation, and perhaps an apology. At some point in the last year (I am even having trouble finding my own link) I wrote a piece declaring that I was finally calling it quits with the Oakland Mills Food Lion. I had plenty of good reasons. I had been impressed by amazing displays of produce in other area stores. I was tired of lackluster checkout experiences, or the many occasions when the store seemed to look like an unmade bed. I had spent a long time advocating for our neighborhood store, but I was tired of making excuses. I was done. I was breaking up and I was ready to see other grocery stores. All this I said in good faith. But the truth? Well, the truth ends up being a different story. I lasted all of three days without the Food Lion. Sure, I tried other stores. But what brought ...

Good morning, class. Are we ready to discuss the assigned reading? Was there anything in the text that you found especially interesting? Blair Ames wrote a comprehensive piece about new and returning members to the Board of Education. He quotes new member Christine O'Connor. "The only thing I can do as an individual is listen and be very thoughtful in my decisions," O'Connor said. "I will do everything I can to facilitate proper teamwork." It's a positive comment in a positive article that makes one hope for a new day on the Board of Education. Tom Coale, on his blog , HoCoRising, is a little dubious about that. He respectfully points out that "...BoE politics continue to be some of the nastiest in our County and I don't see anything in the results that would change that." Our stage is now set for the first board meeting after the election. We come to the election of officers. Returning Board member Dr. Janet Siddiqui is elected Chair. W...

Okay, I lied. It's not a quiz. It's homework. Are you still with me? Highly recommended reading for today: Blair Ames' article about the new Board of Ed. Tom Coale's analysis on his blog. (Scroll down to Links.) Blair Ames' article about what happened at the first Board meeting.   And we'll talk about it tomorrow. (Yes, I have an 8:30 meeting and not enough time to do this justice.)   Posted with Blogsy

It seems as though I am always asking you to go to a meeting, write a letter, or give testimony. Today I am asking you to go have fun. Here are two dates coming up soon that are chock-full of Columbia goodness. The Second Chance Saloon is celebrating six years this Friday. We came pretty close to losing them. What a thrill it is to mark another year for a successful mom-and-pop establishment that is making a go of it in one of Columbia's older village centers. Stop by Friday for dinner, a quick drink, or some delicious pub snacks and offer your congratulations. If you want to see more local flavor and fewer impersonal chains, vote with your feet. I hope to see you there. The Oakland Mills Cookie Swaptacular returns for its ninth year at the Other Barn. You can RSVP here . You can learn more at the Fan Page here . It is more than just a cookie swap, and you don't have to be from Oakland Mills to participate. There's delicious hot drinks and cookie-tasting, time for socia...

Recently a permission slip came home from my daughter's middle school about something called the Maryland Youth Tobacco and Risk Behavior Survey. I looked at the form briefly. It said I could opt out and return the form. It said I could contact the school if I had any questions. If I didn't return the form, she would take the survey. My father died of COPD/emphysema, as did both of my grandparents: all lifelong smokers. I took one look at the permission slip and interpreted it to mean "a survey on risk behaviors for future tobacco use." Great! I thought. Get 'em while they're young. Awesome. I was wrong. My daughter came home from school saying, "We had to take this survey and it was weird." "Oh, yes. The tobacco survey. How was it weird?" "It wasn't just about smoking, mom. It was about drugs and alcohol and sex and suicide..." And she kept on going, as teenagers do. "It was ninety questions." Oh. Did I not r...