Village Green/Town²

Is it possible that there are some things that this blogger doesn't care about? Yes, yes there are. And here's a current list, in no particular order:   House of Cards Reality TV shows Awards Shows How the next Presidential race is shaping up What the new fashion colors are Charity social events* Getting more followers on Twitter Most (but not all) sports Having the best lawn in the neighborhood Television news *Wait--although I find myself rather lethargic due to this never-ending winter, with no desire to find, let alone put on a suitable cocktail dress, I still strongly support tonight's Evening in the Stacks at the Miller Branch Library. You can buy a ticket up until five pm today. It's always a fun time and it supports our fabulous library system. My pick for this year's Celebrity Bartender? Bita Dayhoff , of course.   ***** Now, for something I do care about. I read this obituary last week and it stood out to me as a particularly significan...

I was lucky enough to be able to spend yesterday with my daughters. If there's no school, I don't work. (I don't get paid, either, just so you know.) I picked up my older daughter, we went by Bon Fresco to get food, then back to our house to watch a movie and eat lunch. We watched the orginal 1988 version of Hairspray . This is John Waters all the way, before it was prettied up into Broadway musical format. It was truly educational. The story is far more Baltimore, more raw, more weird than you think it is if you've only seen John Travolta put on a dress and fake a Balmer accent, hon'. Afterwards we discussed the film while having dessert at the kitchen island. We talked about issues of race and how à propos this movie seems right now as we are mired again in issues of race, police brutality, and civil rights. We wondered whether John Waters had been subjected to the kind of quackish conversion therapy that he portrays in the film--only aimed instead at his homosexu...

As the snow comes down this morning, it might be a good time to remind you: Yes, it's Colonel Gateway again, photographed during last Saturday's snowstorm. I put out a message on Twitter inquiring as to his whereabouts, because I was worried about how he was weathering the storm. I must say he was quick to oblige with a photo and this tweet: @ColGateway: I appreciate your concern @macsmom ! It takes more than a cold front to keep the Colonel down. #hocosnow It's true that I am completely taken by this whimsical parody account. It's the kind of positive-minded silliness that Columbia needs more of. And I'm also fascinated by ADG Creative's "Love for the Gateway" music video. There's got to be more to all this. Where is it going? How will it unfold? Yesterday I was driving my daughter to a doctor's appointment and I spied a sign low to the ground. I didn't have time to focus on it, but I thought it had a Canada goose on it. A clue? More in...

Yesterday, in a 5-2 vote, the Howard County Board of Education voted to accept the Superintentdent's Budget. Yes, the budget that makes cuts to paraeducators and media secretaries. Was this an issue you cared about? Did you write a letter expressing your opinion? Well, there's something you should know. Board Member Sandra French, in talking about how people used to pack into the George Howard building and show support for the budget, said, "but that hasn't happened in a long time, people take our school system for granted and they are not satisfied, it's always me me me, more more more, I I I, and it has to stop. We have to talk about collective sacrifice, how can we work together to move forward our children who are the most needy and I think that's what the board did." (Paraphrased) I applaud Board Members Cindy Vaillancourt and Bess Altwerger for casting the nay votes on this budget. I only wish that they had better company on the board--being arrog...

I attended a community meeting last Friday night as a part of the collaboration between HCEA (Howard County Education Associations) and PATH (People Acting Together in Howard). Since last Spring, they've been working on a project to get parents together in small group meetings to articulate what they want for children in our community. (Be on the lookout for a meeting in your area.) This particular meeting was in Oakland Mills. The group contained parents, teens, teachers, and school staff. We each took a turn telling our desires for children in Howard County. It was only natural that most people's answers dwelled quite a bit on their own community--Oakland Mills. As we went around the table, a common theme emerged. Lifting up. How can we, as a community, lift up our children beyond the current restrictions of "the way things are"? Teaching charity and community involvement Feeding hungry children Nourishing self-esteem Challenging the mind-sets of both t...

One inch. Did you know that one inch can negatively impact your educational experience? How could that be? Perhaps, if one of your legs were one inch shorter than the other, it could be painful and exhausting to get around a traditional school building. Would it prevent you from learning? Would it prevent someone else's learning? Perhaps, if one inch of your pointer finger didn't exist due to a birth defect or an accident, you might have difficulty holding a pencil, operating a computer keyboard, or participating in other fine motor activities. Would it prevent you from learning? Would it prevent others from learning? Perhaps, if one inch of your visual field was occluded due to injury or disease, you would have difficulty with peripheral vision, have a hard time viewing presentations in the classroom or participating in sports. Would it keep you from learning? Would it keep others from learning? One inch. One. On Wednesday of this last week my daught...

The school budget season is upon us, and the Superintendent's budget proposes make cuts to kindergarten para-educators, media para-educators and media secretaries. We are assured that these cuts must be made in order to have funds to hire teachers for the expected new enrollment of approximately 1645 children. If only it were that simple. It's not. First of all, cuts to services that directly impact childen should be the very last thing we are considering. Para-educators provide direct support to students, and media secretaries perform work that allows media specialists to work directly with students. Research and common sense show that, especially in vulnerable populations, the building of sustained relationships is crucial for academic and emotional success. So, what have we been spending money on in Howard County that causes the Superintendent to suggest that cutting back on student services is necessary and appropriate? Almost a million dollars Over five hundred thou...

I've been sitting on this for a while now. Sometimes I have a topic that I know I want to write about, but I'm looking for the best context in which to present it. And now a month has gone by and I still don't have the perfect way to say it. Should I just let it go? No. That would almost prove the point I am trying to address. So, in the absence of perfection, here goes: On January 26 Center Maryland published a piece by Josh Kurtz entitled Maryland's Mad Men. It paints an ugly picture of a culture of sexual harassment in Annapolis during the legislative season. A sample: Talk to women legislators and lobbyists and advocates and staffers and interns – and I interviewed a dozen – and they all have a story to tell. About the delegate who isn’t allowed to have female interns anymore because he was getting a little too "hands-on." About the senior lawmaker who cut a woman lobbyist off with a "Not now, honey" when she began to speak during a five-pe...

After Wednesday's post I received a note from a reader. She said, I appreciated the blog you did on Not on the Test. I am so upset about the loss of our kids educational experience that sometimes it makes me want to scream in frustration. I don't know if you would consider it, but the Howard County Republican Club is getting ready to have a monthly meeting next week on Thursday the 26th at the Ellicott City VFW at 7 pm. We will have a speaker coming to talk about how parents in MD can refuse the standardized tests for their children. I would love to see a movement started right here in Howard Co. that spreads to other counties that really starts to push back like they were able to in NY. For this meeting it doesn't matter if people are members or even if they are Republican. Until I read this I had never really thought about whether responses to high stakes testing were influenced by one's politcal party. Are they? Most people I know who are strongly opposed to tes...

I went to the dentist yesterday for my six-month check up. Big deal, right? Doesn't everyone? Well, no, but that's another story. For me it is a kind of big deal because for years I didn't really have the money for regular dental care, and even in recent years I haven't been all that good at coming in more than once a year or even every two years. Not fear. Just good old fashioned procrastination. I almost cancelled because I realized that I've really been backsliding in the flossing department. The dentist will know, I thought. Maybe I should cancel and work really hard for six months so I can come in looking good, I thought. But my daughter had an appointment too, and I knew that cancelling would look irresponsible, so I went ahead and faced the music. I confessed up front, to the dental hygienist and the dentist. They were both pretty nice about it. They gave me some suggestions to "get back on the wagon" so to speak. Something the dentist said struck...

I've just received word that I need to allow extra time this morning to find a parking space because there will be educational dignitaries visitng the school where I am teaching. This put me in mind if what I would say if I ever got to meet any such dignitaries. And I realized that I wouldn't say anything, I'd sing . Please click the link, and watch the whole thing. It's pretty alarming to me that this was written in 2008 and things have only been getting worse since then. This was written to address the narrowing of school curriculum that was happening in response to NCLB. Read Tom Chapin's explanatory essay here . He states: ... I so appreciate the tough job that faces every teacher. I believe they need all the help they can get: anything that excites a student, opens their eyes, and hearts and minds is a positive that makes a child invest in school. And, later: Now we are teaching by rote again - where the test, and only the test, becomes the reason to teac...

When I wrote about pedestrian safety on Snowden River Parkway last week, a friend mentioned: You know someone died there on Wednesday morning...drove his car into a tree right near Lincoln Tech. Now you make me wonder...was he swerving to avoid a pedestrian? That is a truly scary thought. I haven't seen any followup to that crash, other than the suggestion that speed was a factor. Andy Stack, the CA Rep from Owen Brown, sent me a note responding to the same post. I ready your article about the walk-ability of Snowden River Parkway. The County has a plan to widen Snowden River Parkway to 3 lanes and to add sidewalks/bike lanes between Broken Land Parkway and Oakland Mills Road. The Owen Brown Village Board has been carefully following this and it wants to ensure that the sidewalks and bike lanes get built. We believe they would be a great addition and improve the usability of Snowden River Parkway. Walk-ability is important to Owen Brown. I believe we have asked...

Have you noticed a change in the weather? No, I'm not referring to climate change, or record cold-temperatures "gripping" the area. Have you noticed a change in how Howard County Government social media accounts handle weather events? I have. Take a look:   Between Friday at 3:51 pm and Sunday at 12:28 pm there was absolutely no outreach. Holiday weekend, right? Slow news days in local government? Not exactly. From late Saturday afternoon into Sunday we had a pretty significant weather event: snow, high winds, dropping temperatures. Citizen reports painted pictures of extremely poor visibility, numerous car accidents, slippery roads. And it's a good thing we had those citizen reports because from HoCoGov we had crickets. Nothing. Now, of course Notify Me Howard has become the butt of jokes for over-notifying citizens to the point of annoyance. And I do have some friends whose overall view of the past administration leans towards a disdain for something they mi...

Yesterday was the first Valentine's Day in fifteen years that I haven't been with my husband. He was wrapping things up at a music convention in San Antonio, then heading home. It felt weird. We don't really do elaborate things to celebrate, actually. We exchange cards and sometimes little gifts. But we're together . I was feeling a bit blue when I came across this post from my next door neighbor: So I'm in line at the grocery store and there's a boy in front of me all by himself with a large bouquet of long stem red roses. His total comes to $21.15 and he whips out a $20 bill. The cashier informs him that he is $1.15 short and the boy, who is just adorable says all I have is $20. The cashier says I'm sorry kid but I can't help you out. There was no way I was going to let this boy not have the Valentine's Day that he was planning so there was only one thing I could do. I went ahead and paid the difference for him and with the biggest smile he gives m...

Since sometime in September of 2014, as far as I can tell, Colonel Gateway has been maintaining a presence on Twitter and entertaining those of us in the Bubble who may have originally thought that the "Col" on the Columbia Gateway sign stood for Colonel. It's a delightful parody account. He's chatty, he's fun, and he interacts with his followers. Here's a closeup photo:   Columbia is an odd duck in the world of municipalities. In fact, it isn't one. It's an overgrown homeowners association. We don't have our own TV station, radio station, or even a truly local newspaper. But now we have Colonel Gateway. He's our odd duck . He tweets about the traffic, the weather, the flocks of Canada geese, a good place to get lunch. Colonel Gateway: the hyperlocal hero. So, when I saw this video about the Gateway area, which features the Colonel, I was pretty tickled. The Official Anthem for Gateway Drive? Produced by ADG Creative , it's quirk...

Why did the Lincoln Tech student cross the road? No, this is not a joke. I mean really, why? There's this big parking lot in front of Lincoln Tech, and it's full of cars. Why on earth are all those people trying to cross Snowden River Parkway? Why don't they just get in their cars and drive like normal people? It's a strange phenomenon. Around midday you see them. Clumps of people by the side of the road, waiting for their chance. Therre's no traffic light, no crosswalk, in fact there's no sidewalk at all. The median strip isn't even a level playing field here; it's a grassy slope at quite an angle. Even if you make it up to the midpoint and scale the hill, you still have to clamber over the traffic barrier and cross the other side of traffic on Snowden. Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone do that every day? To get lunch, I suspect. Maybe some of those students don't have cars. Is it possible that some arrive by bus or are dropped...

On Tuesday I received an email from Joel Gallihue, the Manager of School Planning for Howard County Public Schools. He was responding to the two posts I wrote concerning the closing of the RECC at Ducketts Lane and my concerns that both Veterans and Ducketts exceeded their capacity so quickly. He wrote, I supervise the development of enrollment projections and long range capital planning which is documented annually in the Feasibility Study. I read your blog posts which reference the Feasibility Study. Please feel free to contact the Office of School Planning directly with your questions. We are always very happy to help. And so, dear readers, I put the question to you. What questions do you have for Mr. Gallihue? I have asked a few friends for their thoughts on this, but I want to spread the net wider before I get back to him. Since he has been helpful enough to step forward, I want to give him some really decent questions. And yes, that does mean thoughtful and respectful rath...

Show of hands: how many of you live on Columbia assessed property? Okay, how many of you vote in your village elections? What do you mean, what village? Yes, it's that time of year again. It's time to turn our attention to village elections and how we, as members of what may be the largest homeowners asociation ever, can best participate. Each village has a board, which deals with issues specific to their village community association, and each village elects a Columbia Association representative, who then represents the village on the Columbia Council. (Yes, I know it's a bit more complicated than that, but it's a start.) The CA Board/Columbia Council votes on issues that affect members Columbia-wide, for instance, the creation of the Inner Arbor Trust, funding for remodeling of facilities, preservation of Open Space, and a whole lot more. Now, the work itself is performed by the Columbia Association. The Board is an advisory body meant to set broader themes rath...

Have you heard the story about the new Sports Complex in Oakland Mills? If you have, it's probably because of a publicity campaign launched on social media in recent weeks. Letters have been targeted to residents in other Columbia villages and throughout the county, drumming up support for this project. Unfortunately, the pitch omits a key piece of information: i t is predicated on a desire to displace poor and minority residents and diminish opportunities for affordable housing in Oakland Mills. Supporters of the proposed Sports Complex are part of a small but vocal group who have for many years claimed that everything wrong with Oakland Mills could be traced to affordable housing. In addition, they have been quite vocal in their complaints that other Columbia villages were not "doing their fare share" in shouldering the burden of affordable housing. Therefore I find it disingenuous to be reaching out to these same villages asking for support while withholding the tru...

On 32 North, past 108, at one pm a twist of fate Brought a mom and her daughter (learning to drive) And a truck with a box with a sheep inside. How did it happen? No one knew if the truck hit a bump but out it flew Flew through the air and fell to the side From the truck flew the box with the sheep inside. Did you see what happened? Does any one know? Was the sheep okay by the side of the road? (It doesn't seem safe to try your luck With a sheep in a box in the back of a truck.) Past 108, on Route 32 Marks the landing spot of the sheep who flew Eye witness reports say the sheep survived-- It's truly amazing that sheep's alive. White sheep, black spots An unusual sight Was returned to the box then strapped down tight In the bed of the truck for a safer ride. That truck with the box with the sheep inside.         Posted with Blogsy

I'm embarrassed to say I woke myself up snoring this morning. It was early, around five am. I didn't want to run the risk of waking up my husband, so I went downstairs to sleep on the couch. Once I got downstairs it was chilly, so I grabbed a couple of the throw blankets we keep for just such occasions, got comfy and dozed off. When I eventually woke up at eight, I toddled on into the kitchen, made coffee, and brought it upstairs. No big deal. Well, it's a big deal if you're homeless. None of that would be possible if I didn't have a place to call home. Last night my church, Abiding Savior Lutheran, became another one of the growing number of congregations to host a chili cook-off to support Bridges to Housing Stability. The plan for a chili cook-off is simple: you need a variety of cooks, and number of willing tasters. The winner is chosen as tasters "tip" their favorites--bringing a lot of single dollar bills is highly recommended. Our small but mi...

I'm not the only one who feels nostalgia for the school valentine cards of childhood. As time in school for any child-centered celebrations has diminished, adult longing for a more normal childhood increases. Purely on the basis of what I am seeing on the Internet, I am going to posit the theory that there's some correlation here. Things that have pretty much disappeared from schools: The messy, doily-and-construction-paper creation of Valentine card mailboxes Time set aside specifically for Valentine's Day parties Celebratory food and drink for said parties Things that I am seeing in abundance on Facebook and Pinterest: Creative new ideas for handmade Valentine card boxes Elaborate, treat-laden Valentine card ideas Beautiful cupcakes and cookies with a Valentine theme It seems as though the less our children get to celebrate, the more social media explodes with Valentine fervor. In particular, the rise of the Valentine-plus-gift cards, seen here and here . ...

Updates on this and that. After I re-sent my letter about the Oakland Mills "Sports Complex" I received responses within 24 hours from: CA Board Members--Alan Klein, Jeanne Ketley, Nancy McCord, Reginald Avery, Andrew Stack, And Tom O'Connor County Executive Allan Kittleman For those of you following along at home, that means I have heard from everyone except for Long Reach CA Board Member Russ Swatek. That's really an amazing response and I have learned a lot. Remember the OBCRC? (Operating Budget Citizens Review Commitee) Correction: it's the Citizen's Operating Budget Review Committee . Although officially dissolved by the Board of Education, it has reformed itself and has already begun meeting to evaluate the Superintendent's 2016 budget. Talk about dedication! Here are some notes from their first work session. Lots of good questions here. Someone must have an advanced degree, methinks... I received a letter in the mail yesterday from someone at The...

"Strathmore, why can't we have one?" I thought as I moved through the gleaming, bustling arts venue filled with concert-goers chatting, having cocktails, or eating dinner at the sit-down café. The crowd was a good mix of younger, older, with representation from different racial/ethnic groups. Don't get me wrong, it was mostly older, mostly white, as supporters of the arts tend to be these days, but there were significantly more folks who didn't fit that mold. And that was good to see. Perhaps it was the event itself: the first half was to be the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, the second half, the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra performing Marsalis' Blues Symphony , which is based on musical themes and styles from African-American music. At any rate, the joint, as they say, was jumping. When we got to our seats we noticed that we were surrounded by kids. Well, not really kids. Young college students, I'm guessing, were filing in and chatting and tryin...

I wanted to take a moment today to give an update in my quest to reach local elected officials about the proposed "Sports Complex" project in Oakland Mills. You will recall that I first heard from: Howard County Councilman Calvin Ball Howard County Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty Maryland State Delegate Shane Pendergrass Maryland State Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary Howard Councilwoman Jen Terrasa And, since Friday I have also heard from: Howard County Councilman Jon Weinstein Maryland State Senator Guy Guzzone Columbia Association President and CEO Milton Matthews I was puzzled that I hadn't heard from anyone at all on the CA Board, which made me wonder if somehow my email had been lost in the ether. So I reached out to two members I know to make sure they had received it. They had. Michael Cornell (River Hill) said, and this is really good to know, that emails addressed to everyone are less likely to receive a response than ones addressed individual...