Village Green/Town²

I had a gloriously restful Thanksgiving with my family. I had time to do crafty things, think of ideas for my classroom, make some tentative Christmas plans. Yesterday the skies were dark and I returned to work and sense of heaviness and doom. No idea why. I felt tired and disoriented. Perhaps the change in the light has sapped my strength. This is the time of year that usually happens . It catches me by surprise every time. This year it is worse though. Like fellow-blogger Heather Kirk-Davidoff I am still grieving after the election. She writes: On November 13th, the Sunday after the election, our usually animated congregation was almost silent as we gathered for worship.  It felt like someone--or something--had died.  People have told me about struggling to get out of bed.  People have called me in tears over all that has happened. It's a dark time of year. And for some of us the darkness is especially more pronounced right now. Values and rights I care deeply ...

Charlie Brown:  If I start writing now when I'm not really rested, It could upset my thinking which is no good at all. I'll get a fresh start tomorrow and it's not due till Wednesday, So I'll have all of Tuesday unless something should happen. Why does this always happen? I should be outside playing Getting fresh air and sunshine, I work best under pressure, and there'll be lots of pressure If I wait til tomorrow. Hello, Tuesday. I'm channeling Charlie Brown this morning.  In the meantime I highly recommend the following posts: The New Farm Store in Town on AnnieRie Unplugged  What are your favorite local small businesses? And an oldie, but goodie from HoCo Rising,  What are your favorite local charities/non-profits to support? I'll be back tomorrow. Unless something should happen.

Saturday. December 3rd. Two performances only. Buy your tickets now for the Concert for Kids  . I wrote about it first two years ago in " A Powerful Statement " : 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. Hosted by Oakland Mills High School, under the baton of Philip Hale, this holiday extravaganza (and I don't use that word lightly) raises funds for the WBAL Radio Kids Campaign. To enhance your experience, our Holiday Boutique will be open from 2:00pm until approximately 10:00pm.  Hand crafted home decorations, ornaments and gifts will be available throughout the afternoon.  Performances by the Oakland Mills Middle School Jazz Band, Oakland Mills High School...

Over the holiday weekend there have been several themes running through my social media feed. Food Family Holiday Shopping Charitable Donations Election Fallout Suicide That last one surprised me. And yet it didn't. Holidays are often much harder than every day living for those with depression and other mental health issues. This post has been making the rounds: Hard time of the year for a lot of folks..Suicide Hotline 800-273-TALK (8255). A simple copy and paste might save someone's life. Paul Gessler of Fox Baltimore posted a promo to a Howard County connection . I n ~90 minutes, flip it to @FoxBaltimore for an inside look at Howard County's only crisis hotline in the midst of rising suicide rates. The headline: Crisis hotlines busy as they try to fight record suicide rates Howard County's only crisis hotline is operated by Grassroots .  The 24-hour hotline number is (410) 531-6677. They have recently developed a free app, "There is Hope...

There was definitely some Friday night excitement at Home Slyce   Columbia as I entered around 8:30 last night. The place was full and humming with activity. I was lucky to find a seat near the band, thanks to a welcoming group of folks that had one extra chair. I was there to see the debut of Dog Park All-Stars, a local duo comprised of Mickey Gomez and Aaron Barnett. After reading this promo, how could I not? Our band debuts ONE WEEK FROM TONIGHT.  Yes, I am in a band with Aaron Barnett. We both sing and play guitar. One of us can also rock a kazoo like you read about.  We're called the Dog Park All-Stars, because All Dogs love us and often show up to band practice with various plush squeaky toys.  Did I mention the part where this is our first official gig? We'll be trading sets with the amazingly talented Artistic Differences.  Pizza has been medically proven to be an antidote to excessive turkey consumption. I read that on Facebook.  ...

Howard County blogger Bill Woodcock reached 2000 posts this week. That's quite the milestone. He marked the occasion by pondering what changes the future may bring for his blog , The 53 . He's looking at a variety of interesting possibilities. Just for the record, I'm at 1297 posts and if we continue at this rate I will never catch up. And that's okay with me. An aside: why must the longest-running, most outspoken community bloggers be from Oakland Mills? Is there something in the water? Does Oakland Mills breed activism? HoCoRising and Columbia Compass used to provide perspective from other parts of town. I'd love to see someone jump in and do that now. About Bill. I wrote this in August: Bill and I both live in Oakland Mills, have both served on the Village Board, both write blogs. We're both interested in local affairs, and generally have something to say about them. Our opinions are frequently quite different. Or sometimes our opinions are similar b...

Read on Facebook this week. Shared with permission. So I'm at the supermarket finishing up my Thanksgiving shopping, and wearing my safety pin, when a Middle Eastern woman walks up to me with her teenage daughter. She looks nervous. She speaks with a very strong accent, but her English is pretty good. She asks, "May I ask you for some help?" Of course, I answer. I have no idea what she's going to ask. And she says... "How do you make stuffing?" I smile. She has asked the right person. I explain: Bake cornbread out of a mix, add some chicken broth, add anything you want. "Celery?" she asks, looked worried. Sure. Celery, onions, apples, pecans, other kinds of nuts. I tell her that I always put figs in my stuffing. "Figs?" Sure, I tell her. Or you could put dates in it. Her face lights up. "You can put dates in stuffing?" You can put anything you want in stuffing, I tell her. She looks relieved, but— "How long do you co...

I woke up at five am, as I usually do, to write. It's 6:55 and I still don't have something to write about. Time's a-wasting!  On my mind this morning: HCPSS  has sent out a survey asking for input on four proposals for changing school start times and none of the choices are any good. And there's "no none of the above" option, no "write in your own" option. Does this surprise me? No. There  is  a place for comments. That would be a good place to remind them that the American Academy of Pediatics recommends that school should begin after eight, preferably eight thirty, for everyone, not just teens. Councilman Calvin Ball has submitted a resolution  "calling on the Human Rights Commission to study the recruitment, hiring, retention,and promotion practices of certain units of the Howard County government, the Howard County Sheriff, and the Howard CountyPublic School System, submit a report and make recommendations; and generally...

I went to four parent teacher conferences at my daughter's school last night. Wednesday morning I have three more. Why? Because I can. Because I want to touch base with them and see if there is anything they want me to know about how my child is doing. And I want to thank them. Overall my daughter has been very positive about her classes this year. That matters a lot to me. We seem to have achieved the right balance of work expectation, interest in subject, supportive environment, support from the teacher. Anyone who has a student in high school these days knows that can be hugely difficult to achieve. What I learned from my conferences last night is that my daughter's teachers have a good handle on who my daughter is but they're open to learning more. They love the subject they teach and they want to pass that love along. They have insight into how my daughter can grow. They can give me examples on how she interacts with peers in a classroom setting. Wow, they are...

What about all that wind this weekend--pretty impressive, right? It put a chill on our house and made me want to snuggle deep down under the covers. We went from a Friday where I didn't need a coat on the playground to a Sunday where I was looking for the lining to my winter jacket. Brr. Perhaps it's because my daughter received her Olney Theatre Center tickets in the mail and her first show is Mary Poppins, but all this wind made me think of the line of potential governesses lined up at the Banks's house on Cherry Tree Lane. Do you remember the scene where the wind comes and blows away all the dour, somber-looking applicants? Off they go, clutching their newspaper adverts and their inside-out umbrelllas. Mary Poppins arrives with a change in the wind and makes it clear to the children that she will leave in the same way--when the wind changes. Most of us don't pay attention to changes in the wind in the literal sense anymore. You may remember that the Banks's neig...

Something that's been gnawing at me since the election is this post from a local journalist I respect. Look, I know we're all pretty much tired of the election but honestly this seems dumb. Dear college boys and girls, we'll all wake up and put our pants on and go about our business tomorrow no matter what happens tonight. Promise. This was his introduction to an  article  entitled, "Universities help students cope with Election Day stress." The comments that followed were the usual about "special snowflakes", "I wonder if they're potty-trained yet", "a generation of p***ies," "put your pants on and get to work," etc. I respectfully suggested that there might be some reasons to be anxious, and that I didn't think it was helpful to roll our eyes at this state of affairs. The response: They'll be fine. There's no instruction book for anything in life. We all navigated it in one form or another. I...

If there were a local award for a blogger who doesn't really have a blog but finds ways to blog anyway, it would probably go to Ian Kennedy. He's a very busy man. If you don't believe, just Google him. (Make sure you include Howard County in your search or you'll get the baseball player.) On his LinkedIn Page Mr. Kennedy describes himself as follows: Professional policy wonk, story-teller, and all around do-gooder. Here is a story he told over a series of tweets this week: My first involvement in #ColumbiaMD community stuff was on an environmental subcommittee for @ColumbiaAssn. At our first meeting CA’s staff liaison tried to get us to settle on a regular meeting date. Coordinating calendars was difficult, to say the least. And he joked: “The is Columbia, where everyone’s favorite hobby is going to meetings.” I was in my early 20s, not yet married & didn’t even have a job (in grad school). But I remember thinking: “wow, that sounds [not fun]”. But time...

So I was thinking about the Mobbies yesterday, and how Howard County bloggers always feel like fringe interlopers at what is essentially a Baltimore-centric event. And then I wondered what it would be like if Howard County had its own version of the Mobbies. What would we call it? Well, the Hobbies, of course. At least, that's what popped into my head. And that made me laugh. Because, with the exception of some business/commercial blogs, writing a blog is a hobby. You don't have to have any particular training. You don't have to answer to anyone but your readers, if that. Whether dilettante or maven, the blogger's credentials are essentially self -proclaimed. Professional standards? Those are for the newspapers. Friends, we need newspapers. Especially now. We need trained and experienced journalists who understand and adhere to journalistic ethics. I love writing a blog and I try to be very clear on what I know and what I have a gut feeling about but cannot pro...

It's that time again.  Last year I got a little thrill attending the annual Mobbies Party at The Creative Alliance and receiving the Mobbie in the Most Influential category for Village Green/Town² . It was something that had mattered a lot to me for quite some time. I got a piece of paper, a silly hat, and an extremely unflattering photograph but that's how it goes, right? I'm a writer, not a movie star. This year I'd like to highlight some other HoCo Bloggers who are up for Mobbies. I've had my moment of fame and it was awesome. But for some reason my heart just isn't in it this year. So here are some recommendations for your clicks.  Vote  every day through November 25th. Most Creative: Ms. Frizz  Most Informative: ScottE's Blog Most Supportive: AnnieRieUnplugged Best Use of Business/Organization: Colonel Gateway Best Blog: ScottE's Blog  *Best Community: HowChow  Best Newcomer: HoCoMDcc *In Best Community, ScottE and Village G...

I knew it would be different from the last Black Lives Matter Vigil I had attended. For one thing, it would be on the outskirts of the Mall, rather than on Route 175 by St. John Baptist Church. And it was still light out, unlike that December  night  in 2014. And then, this notice: ****IMPORTANT UPDATE***** Tomorrow's Black Lives Matter vigil will be a little different in light of this week's racist attacks on Howard County students. We will center the students' voices and bear witness to their experiences. We will denounce these hateful acts, and offer safety, support, and love. Bring chairs and be ready to show the students that we love, respect, and believe them. That didn't sound at all like what I was expecting. It sounded like it might be awkward or uncomfortable.  I went anyway. I couldn't stay away. Sitting at home and doing nothing while students were faced with racist, violent hate speech in our community suddenly loomed large in my mind, like a...

The time change is wreaking havoc on the blog. I fall asleep earlier, awaken later, feeling dopey and unrested. I'm either going to need to start setting an alarm for five am or make myself write the night before. This is, of course, a prelude to saying that I'm not conscious enough this morning to write a substantive post. A recommendation, though: take a look at this post on HoCo Connect which highlights a walk in Oakland Mills sponsored by the Columbia Association. Oakland Mills is on my mind because tonight is the presentation of the Oakland Mills Village Center Area Feasibility Study. It is being held at Oakland Mills Middle School from 7-9 pm. Wow, that's a lot of Oakland Mills for one paragraph. I'm hoping that the results of the Feasibility Study show an understanding of the village I know and love. Of course, if they don't, you'll be reading about it here. Happy 16th Birthday to my younger daughter, who is the reason I won't be attending any public...

Just caught this post on twitter: New report out today about mold issue in @HCPSS schools; will be presented to the county council @ABC2NEWS #GMM2 It's attached to an article from August. Could what's happening today be the analysis from the environmental sustainability board? I'm looking forward to learning more. I attended the Black Lives Matter Vigil at the Mall yesterday. The voices of Howard County students were powerful and heartbreaking. More on that tomorrow. Just one question: why wasn't the Superintendent there to stand with them? Her absence was a powerful statement. A shoutout to Board Member Bess Altwerger for attending and speaking up in support of our students.    

In June of 1999 my older daughter and I moved to Columbia, in preparation for a major life event. On November 13th I remarried and the journey of creating a new family began. We began our marriage as commuters--he to Towson University each day to teach in the Music Department, I to Baltimore City to teach in an independent elementary school. For a while we didn't have much time or energy to put down roots, and the arrival of our younger daughter meant even less. When our jobs both shifted to teaching in Howard County, we began to explore and engage. There were picnics at Lake Elkhorn with plenty of time to play on the playground, Village events in Oakland Mills, Lakefest, weekly trips to the East Columbia Branch Library. There was summer camp at Slayton House in Wilde Lake, Peabody rehearsals at Abiding Savior in Hickory Ridge, blog parties all over Howard County. Our relationship didn't begin here. It began in the choir stalls of Grace and Saint Peter's church in the Mount...

I had another post lined up for today. It will have to wait. This week two separate incidents of Howard County students using social media to publicly share racist hate speech and threats have come to light. And when am say "come to light" I really mean that African American students found them and exposed them. They shared them, and shared them, and shared them. Why? Because they don't trust the school system to address this unless they are publicly forced to do so. I think that parents who have tried to get a response from the school system on bullying, or mold, or special education have a pretty good idea where these students are coming from. If you have a sense of trust that your concerns will be addressed fairly you don't feel the need to shout for justice from the mountain tops. I have seen a variety of responses to what these students posted. Most, like me, are outraged,disgusted, heartbroken. But there are some people who appear to be more concerned about the ...

It feels like a good time to talk about building a bridge. Actually, the bridge is already there, but the improvements have been long in coming. Readers of this blog know I am a long-time fan of the Bridge Columbia initiative. Recently the County held a presentation on options to upgrade the Route 29 bridge. From Oakland Mills Village: Check out design options to improve the Pedestrian Bridge over Route 29 from Stevens Forest to Lake Kittamaquandi! Howard County's Office of Transportation has unveiled a project that will greatly improve the current bridge with a new design, security camera improvements, enhanced and increased lighting and architectural features to make the bridge an iconic crossing. As of now, the bridge is still being considered for use solely by pedestrians and bicyclists. The original Bridge Columbia concept included public transit. I'd love to see that incorporated as well. I understand that the transit folks are still thinking about that. I think the suc...

I should be writing about the County Council's passage of Downtown Columbia legislation last night, but I don't have it in me. I'm still reeling from the national election, just exhausted. I'll need another twenty-four hours to get my thoughts together on this vote and what it means. If you want more info on last night's meeting, Ian Kennedy was live-tweeting @iankennedy7 . So was @hocoapfo , if you are looking for a contrasting view. Fatimah Waseem's write-up for the HoCo Times is here . I remember my mother telling me that the hardest part of being an adult was realizing that most decisions weren't black or white, but far more complicated and nuanced. At the time this was not something I wanted to hear. As an adolescent I was pretty clear about the difference between right and wrong and I wanted none of that shades of gray nonsense. And yet. This decision on Downtown has been one of those complicated issues for me. And a lot of that has to do with my deep...

It's 1:27 and I can't sleep. I fell asleep too early when the world was still sane and I woke up to national news which fills me with a sick dread. But this is a local community blog, so let's not talk about that. At this moment it looks reasonably certain that three of the challenger candidates have been elected to the school board and that incumbent Janet Siddiqui has not. Congratulations to Kirsten Coombs, Christina Delmint-Small, and Mavis Ellis. This is a change that has been a long time in coming and it wouldn't have happened without the hard work of many people who believed in something better for our schools. I want to give a shoutout to candidates Vicky Cutroneo and Robert Miller whose dedication and sincere desire to bring positive change to the school system impressed me. I wish there had been spots on the board for both of them. I hope that the new board will be open to community input.I get the feeling that they will be. Cutroneo and Miller have much to of...

When you read yesterday's post, I bet you realized something was missing. I did. Didn't read yesterday's pos t? Now would be a good time. Here goes: The road to today's election began with a long, pretty dry stretch where parents and teachers knew that things needed to change but they didn't have influence to change the local conversation. So they got together, and worked together, and spread the word, and reached out to local officials. And they sent information to local papers and television reporters. But little, if anything happened. This went on for a while. Concerned citizens spoke at the BOE Public Forum. People wrote letters to the Board of Education, and to the County Executive, and to members of the County Council. More advocacy groups formed, HCEA teamed with PATH to have a community conversation on how to build better schools. Momentum began to build. And here and there fruitful conversations started happening and news articles began to appear. After a w...

And so it has come to pass that the Howard County School System has lost its way and now functions much like the feudal system of medieval Europe.   Think about it. You remember learning about the feudal system in school, right? Absolute power is bestowed upon one ruler who wields it with the assurance of divine right. Power is maintained by barons and lords who are the enforcers of the ruler's policies and visions. It falls to the serfs to do the actual labor. They exist at the level of subsistence and they live in fear of those above them. At every level there is required obeisance. Everyone owes someone something. One's continued existence depends upon providing the desired goods, service, and loyalty to those at the next level up. Power must be protected. Challenge to the hierarchy must be punished. Those below the ruler are honor-bound to provide the might and muscle to fight off challengers. It is such a peculiar notion to think that what we have right now in Howard Co...