Turkey Talk and More

To be filed under fun, but not an essential read, this piece in the Sun about Maple Lawn turkeys. If you don't pay for the digital subscription you may already be out of your free reads for the month. So I'll give you a little tidbit.

"We had a man call and say, 'I'm in trouble with my wife and need a turkey.' We ask what happened. He says, 'Well I took it home and put it in the washing machine in ice to keep it cold. And she ran a load of laundry.' So he needed a new turkey."

And not a new washing machine? Or a new wife?

I'm taking my daughter to see "Guys and Dolls" and the Olney Theatre Center this afternoon. Steve Charing's review is definitely encouraging. It's a long and winding road to Olney, though. I've enjoyed every show I've seen there, but I find myself wishing there were a better way to get there. Suggestions? Is there a "quick" way to Olney?

Finally, a little hyperlocal human interest story. I stopped by the Oakland Mills Food Lion on the night before Thanksgiving. As you might imagine, there were plenty of folks there. And it was one of those truly awesome Oakland Mills experiences where all different kinds of people were shopping, everyone was polite and generally pleasant. The staff was helpful. I even saw my County Councilman Calvin Ball and got a Thanksgiving hug.

As I was checking out, I saw a bunch of teen males clumped up together by the door, guarding at least three carts filled with food, bagged up and paid for. Waiting for a ride, maybe. They were laughing and joking, not rowdy, though. It was sweet. I felt like there was a story in it. I was, of course, too polite to go ask them why they were there.

So many people look at a group of teen males and are quick to think "hooligans", especially if those teens are non-white. And that's sad. These kids are our kids. All of them. Whether white or tan or brown, whether from a single family home or affordable housing--if they succeed we are all succeeding.

And on the eve of Thanksgiving it was good to see them smile.