Village Green/Town²

Dear People Who Improve the Roads, Now that most (maybe all?) of that work in Route 29 is done, I wanted to thank you for how gorgeous it is. Driving through that section after I get off 32 on my way home from work brings a kind of delicious little thrill. So smooth, so open and well, functional! All that waiting was worth it. You folks do good work. You're out in all kinds of weather and no one is ever happy to see you. The work is hard physical labor and you don't get positive feedback from end-users, I'm guessing. Just complaints. "How long is this going to take?"  "Will they ever finish?" I may not know who you are in real life, but I think of you every time I drive that stretch of road. Somehow I don't think that the community is going to hold one of those nice little wine and cheese receptions for you and show a lovely slide presentation of the highlights of the project. No testimonials from local officials on your dedication and expe...

I don't do it. Cute, that is. As far as I'm concerned, "cute" is a four-letter word. I've been teaching in the field of early childhood for almost thirty years and one thing I have never had the remotest interest in pursuing is "cute". Young children are curious, enthusiastic, creative, imaginative, thoughtful, and energetic. Their work is play. Their play and playtime creations can be thought-provoking, funny, complex, unusual, deceptively simple, unexpected, engaging. Teachers are there to support that vital work, and give them the tools to grow as artists, detectives, scientists, creators of worlds and builders of relationships. Too many people think that early childhood is handprint turkeys and identical holiday headbands. How often do we look at videos of tiny performers who were made to get up and parrot adorable songs for the amusement of their elders? "Oh, they're just too cute!" No. Just no. The work of early childhood ...

"Bridges are perhaps the most invisible form of public architecture."* "Most people don't notice a bridge unless it's particularly ugly or clogged with traffic" "Bridges become frames for looking at the world around us." On September 5th work will begin to transform the Route 29 footbridge that connects Oakland Mills with Downtown. This project started with a dream that looked more like this: And it included crossing capabilities for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit. The project that was approved and is moving forward does not include transit. I think that's a missed opportunity. But you can't always get 100 per cent of what you want, I guess. A shoutout to all the folks who dreamed this dream and then worked to make it happen. It's not Bridge Columbia in all its glory, but it's going to be a much, much better bridge. Comments are welcome here: https://www.facebook.com/VillageGr...

Crazy day for me today. Parents and students will be visiting classrooms. My brain is going in a thousand different directions. In lieu of a full-scale blog post, I'm going to recommend that you read this article : "The Disconnect Between Liberal Aspirations and Liberal Housing Policy is Killing U.S. Cities", by Shane Phillips It seems to be a relevant read as we are in the throes of APFO-mania around here. As always--what do you think? Comments are welcome here: https://www.facebook.com/VillageGreenTownSquared/?ref=bookmarks

The Lower School "read" at SSFS this Summer was Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. The book takes a hard look at issues of shame and what it takes to get beyond shame into a state which she describes as wholehearted living.  I found the book a difficult read, not because I disagreed with its premise, but because I felt so personally convicted by the message. In particular, I saw how necessary it would be for me to let go of perfectionism and what people think. Sometimes you have to stop telling yourself that your work has to be perfect and, instead, be willing to show up and do what you can do without judging yourself and sabotaging yourself. Perfectionism is ultimately paralyzing. Being willing to show up and do the work with all of one's imperfection is where that daring greatly comes into play. These concepts serve as a backdrop for me to this week's announcement by Courtney Watson that she is entering the race for State Delegate in 9B. This quote from the campaig...

Acting Superintendent of Schools Michael Martirano is making a big splash going from school to school during the inservice days leading up to opening day. He has been greeted by high school bands, cheerleaders, glow-in-the-dark percussion ensembles, and even made an entrance through the River Hill High School inflatable football tunnel in billowing clouds of smoke. What is this all about? Local residents who have endured carefully crafted media releases over the last few years can be forgiven for having a jaded mindset when looking at these celebratory images. Is it just more of the same but with a different slant? Are we in danger of getting suckered once more because we're just so relieved to be starting something new? I haven't been present at any of these events but the information I am taking away gives some decent clues as to what the underlying message is. The hero being heralded at each of these events is not the Superintendent. It's the teachers and school st...

So, I need your help I'd really like to win Best Blogger in the Howard Magazine Readers' Choice "Best of Howard County" Awards. Voting runs until the end of August. (Limit one ballot per person and per device.) So this isn't a crazy clickfest, you'll be glad to know. Just look for Category 62. If you have another favorite, that's okay with me. But if you're a frequent reader of my blog I'm hoping you'll consider casting a vote for me and helping me by spreading the word to others--the more the merrier! Readers of my blog are smart, committed, compassionate, and engaged citizens who have done amazing things to help make our community a better place. Surely nudging a little hometown blog along should be a piece of cake. Thanks for reading.

Once upon a time, before they moved the monument, before the rally in Arizona, was the Eclipse. Can you remember that far back? You recall, it was the event I wasn't all that jazzed up about because of all the hype. No one at my house was, really. Well, the morning of the long-awaited event dawned relatively clear. Things looked promising and I began to see posts from folks in town and those who had ventured far afield to get a better view. I began to feel a little tingle. A twinge, even. Was it FOMO? What if this eclipse really was a big deal and I was going to miss out because I was pulling a Cool Kid/Not Easiy Impressed attude? Hmm. I saw a friend put out a desperate Mom-call for a pair of eclipse glasses. I saw another, generous mom respond in the affirmative. And then I made my move. I messaged that generous mom privately and asked if she might possibly have one extra pair of eclipse glasses. Of course, if she didn't, that was No Big Deal. She did. She'd be g...

The Confederate monument has been removed and will be placed in a museum where it can take its place in an accurate historical context. Very likely this means among items illustrating the Jim Crow era. Coincidentally, this may be the only time I ever wrote to the County Executive and got action within 24 hours.. (Of course, I had put off writing my letter...) For the first time ever, I feel rather sad for the County Executive. It seems that a bunch of the folks who voted for him are truly mean-spirited people. And they don't look to be too loyal, either. I'm serious about this. Don't take this as snark. It can't feel good to see people who elected you spew ignorance and hatred. I don't usually recommend reading the comments but this time it's mighty educational. I'm not a political blogger. I certainly have political opinions. It was quite an eye-opener to see supporters of the County Executive say that this one act destroys his chances for reelecti...

Let's talk about tomatoes. There was a time when they were generally considered to be poisonous.  Deadly. They were were classified with Bella Donna and Nightshade and people were warned away from what would surely be disastrous consequences were they to be consumed. Probably no one was harmed by shunning tomatoes. They just didn't know any better. Now we do. Remember learning about legends in elementary school? Primitive cultures made up stories to explain what nowadays we are able to discern as scientific phenomenon. They just didn't know any better. I'm sure in elementary school we didn't go into the possible consequences of those primitive world views. (Human sacrifice, for instance.) We just shook our heads and said, "that was a long time ago and they didn't know any better." Now let's talk about the Nazis. And the Holocaust. We look at the pictures, or look away because we can't bear to look. We know someone who lived through ...

The last day of summer vacation has arrived for me. For those of you who work all through the year, I understand you may take a dim view of my taking the summer off. For many years I couldn't afford to. My gratitude at getting this time to spend with my family is immense. The luxury of having as much time as I want to write is both thrilling and daunting. A few local stories that are on my mind today as I watch the sands of summer fall through the hourglass: Rouse and swimming pools. I took two teens to the Hopewell Pool yesterday and remembered what was said when I went to the Undesign the Redline event hosted by Enterprise Community Partners. Rouse made sure every neighborhood had its own swimming pool because he was making a radical statement about integration: we all swim together here. I worry that we really need to do much more of that kind of 'swimming together' in our daily lives. Calling the police. I saw an online discussion in a community group about unfami...

He's not from Columbia or Howard County. But he is from Maryland. Kyle James Riley , actor, musician, graduate of UMBC and former student of my father-in-law Sam McCready , now lives in Ireland with his wife and children. And he makes music. My kind of music. Watch this video of one of his original songs, filmed in Ireland. It captures the essence of why I love doing what I do. There's so much joy. These days there are so many difficult conversations we need to have and crucial actions that we must take. But, right now, in this moment: a song. Feel free to use your social capital on this one: "Like" the video on YouTube, subscribe to his YouTube channel , share the video with someone who would enjoy it. Give the gift of a song today.

Last Sunday I launched a new venture in Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods. It was a free-form dance party with lots of hands-on materials. A varied playlist with everything from Laurie Berkner to Abba to Elvis to Raffi. The Imagination Playground materials for those who'd rather build than boogie. In short, it was fabulous. Huge thanks to everyone who shared the event page, and to all of the folks who took a chance and came out to something that's never happened before. We're doing it again on Saturday, September 16. Come on along. This week brought the news that the Chrysalis is on the cover of Architect magazine, featured in an article by Amanda Kolson Hurley. While the opening of the Chrysalis has certainly been a top story locally in recent months, this piece in the journal of the Institute of American Architects shows a  much broader reach. Pretty cool.   While it's too soon to say whether we'll be witnessing a pilgrimage of architect...

There was an article  by Tim Schwartz in the paper yesterday about the Centennial High School Varsity Football Program. Turnout this year for participation on the team was low. Numbers are not where they should be in order to run a viable program. Football, especially high school football, is a tradition. It's not just the physical challenge of the sport. It's Friday night lights, cheerleaders, marching band, boosters selling snacks, families turning out to cheer on the teams. It's young kids dreaming of when they'll be in high school. It's parents remembering when they were. And yet. It becomes clearer all the time that football has been and continues to be the cause of traumatic brain injury in players. Not just the pros. High school players. The NFL keeps trying to beat back the data and reshape the conversation but the fact remains that youth participants are getting damaged in ways that cannot be remediated. Does it happen to everyone? No. Would you ris...

Recently I've seen discussions online focused around this question: "What's the most unpopular benign opinion you hold? (i.e. not politically dodgy, just socially derided)"- Stephanie Boland, Prospect Mag Local blogger/podcaster/community activist Candace Dodson Reed ended up with a thread of 532 comments on Facebook. It was lightheatrted fun. It was only about two weeks ago but it feels like eons. People enjoyed being able to say, "I know everyone else likes this, but..." I don't like chocolate and peanut butter together. Ever. Just so you know. Something else I'm not all that exciting by is the upcoming eclipse. I lived through one in the 1970's and it didn't live up to the hype. Of course, my location in Cleveland probably had something to do with that. It didn't feel like a total eclipse. More like a cloudy afternoon. I do remember that there was live national news coverage throughout and that they closed with the Beatles'...

I spent yesterday with an all-day migraine plus hours of illness from anesthesia. I understand your day wasn't so great, either. When I was able to look at my iPad at around ten pm, it was as though another wave of sickness came upon me. A president has betrayed a nation. And on the home front, things aren't much better. Some who spoke about removing Confederate moments in Howard County were trolled in the most aggressive and vitriolic ways. A citizen who asked her elected officials to make a public statement about Charlottesville was accused by others of trying to stir up trouble or "rally her base" to run for office. To be honest, I'm still probably too sick to be writing a decent blog post. But this is a time when common human decency does not have the luxury of taking a sick day. So, here goes. All men and women and created equal. All must be afforded equal treatment under the law: in communities, in businesses, in schools, in churches, in public...

Blast From the past TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013 Parties and Profiles Do you remember the old  Dewar's Profiles ?  I must have taken myself a little too seriously from an early age, because I always wanted to see myself in one. By the time I was actually old enough to drink, I realized that I hated Scotch. But that wasn't the point. I wanted to find myself gracing the pages of some upscale magazine, having attained the  cultural status  of a Dewar's Profile. Sometimes you have to make your own fifteen minutes of fame. So, in honor of  tomorrow  night's Blog Party at The Second Chance Saloon, I am instituting the HoCoBlogs Profile. Here's mine: Home: Oakland Mills, Columbia Age: 54 Profession: Teacher--Music and Movement for Preschoolers with Special Needs Hobbies: Crafting, Singing, Reading, Blogging Last Book Read: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind  (ed. J. Glei) Last Accomplishment...

I should be writing. I'm sitting in my chair, I'm drinking coffee and I should be writing. My head is swirling from the events of the weekend and I don't know how to start. I went to the rally at the mall yesterday. It's there every month. It's a Black Lives Matter rally hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia. I've been a few times before. There's always a stack of extra signs and you pick one if you haven't brought your own and stand along Little Patuxent Parkway. Yesterday they ran out of signs before I got there and I was not late. The outpouring of anguish from the community to do something to speak out against the events in Charlottesville was evident as people continued to arrive and line the street. Both sides. A gentleman passed me and said, "I bet I know what you'll be writing about tomorrow." He was right. I can't begin to guess exactly what motivated people who hadn't been before to show up ...

Yesterday I received this letter in response to my post. I am sharing it today with permission. ***** I am the Director of the Historical Society and I would like to address your recent blog post about our music concert series.   I feel it is unfair for you to display us publicly as an organization that is not diverse or that we in any way support segregation.  I invite you to learn about all of our programming before you make such a narrow interpretation of who we are and what we do. 1)  The music concert series is open to any bands that apply, regardless of color, ethnicity or gender.  The band's come to us.  Last year we had two reggae bands (both African American artists) Two years ago we had Tekeytha Fullwood, African American lyricist.  This year none of those artists were available.  With regards to Jimmi.  He is a good friend of mine from High School who has studied and played Blues music and is well qualified to represen...

Last night I noticed that the Howard County Historical Society had added an event . I look a look. "The history of the Blues with Jimmi Sexton". Cool! After the recent charity event that felt mighty, mighty white, an evening of the blues is a great way to make a comeback in being inclusive. After all,  Blues is a genre and musical form originated by African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the end of the 19th century.  ( Wikipedia ) I went to the Howard County Historical Society's webpage to learn more. I was a bit startled to see that Jimmi Sexton is, in fact, white. (Quick note: if I'm wrong here tell me and I'll publicly correct.) FYI: I was wrong. Mr. Sexton is of mixed race. Can white folks play the blues?  Sure. Is it a problem for me that the Historical Society booked a white musician to impart the history of an African American art form? Yes, I think so. Let's take a look at the events booked at the Historical Society...

Over at Elevate Maryland, the question of the summer seems to be, "ice cream or snowballs?" For me that's pretty simple. Snowballs in the summer. Ice cream the rest of the time. This week's Howard County Times feature a nice photo-heavy piece about the Snowball Stand in Woodstock. (Is there anything Jen Rynda does not do well?)  I've never been there and it looks like an adventure I should put on my Summer Bucket List. If anyone had asked me to choose a snowball stand to feature in the newspaper, I would have steered them to Pete's. Pete's Snowballs is a summer tradition in my neck of the woods. It sits at the intersection of Oakland Mills Road and....Oakland Mills Road. I'm not kidding. Here, in a little patch of land that time forgot and decades have not improved, Pete and his family grow produce, make honey, and sell snowballs. I visited Pete's yesterday and was floored by how crazy that end of Oakland Mills Road has become due to road co...

I learned a little tidbit from a friend the other day. This is how it goes: Centennial High School was supposed to be Harper's Choice High School. It would have been where Cedar Lane Park is now. But, depending on whose version of the story you may have heard, either A) Howard Countians were tired of Columbia getting all the new things, or B) there were Howard Countians who didn't want their children going to school with "those Columbia kids". You can hear that dog whistle, can't you? I know I have readers who were around when this all actually went down, so feel free to jump in and flesh out the story. I continue to bump into reasons why what James Rouse did in Columbia was so revolutionary. Housing: integrated. Schools: integrated. Swimming Pools: integrated. I think some if us would like to believe that racism used to be a problem but that we've really made so much progress that it's really a thing of the past. The truth is that for every step...

When I'm not blogging or offering my two cents at public meetings, I have another life as an early childhood educator. While I'm working as a generalist these days, for many years my primary focus was music and movement. So, when I heard that the folks at the Inner Arbor Trust were looking for family-friendly programming this summer, I realized I had something to offer. So, here goes: Sunday August 13th, rain or shine! A free family event for parents and preschoolers. Chrysalis Kids: Music and Movement on the Chrysalis Stage. Come experience the beauty of Columbia's newest performance space with your little ones. From 10 to 12,  Early Childhood Music Specialist Julia McCready will play DJ with your favorite Kids Tunes. There will be plenty of room to move and groove, and hands-on materials to explore! Admission is free. Tell your friends. Come along if you have young children and grandchildren. To be clear: this is not a show. It's a free-form, hand...

I am grateful to have had to opportunity to speak at last night's open meeting of the Inner Arbor Trust. Sadly disappointed with some members of the CA Board for their arrogant and rude behavior. Anyone who has the gall to say to Nina Basu , "I don't think you've thought any of this out," really doesn't have the sense God gave a grasshopper. Here are my remarks: I'm excited to be here for a meeting of the Inner Arbor Trust and the CA Board. It gives me the opportunity to thank all of you for your work to support the park and its mission to be where arts, culture, and community come together. As I gathered my thoughts for this evening I could hear the sound of the rain outside, which brought back memories of the day we broke ground for the Chrysalis, and the day of its official opening in April. So far I've been to events at Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods in the rain, on the hottest of afternoons, in fair and temperate weather, and o...

This weekend I walked out of my house to this: The photo above shows what it had been. The photo below shows what I woke up to. My first thought was that it was a human prank, which irritated me. But, the more that I thought about it, I realized that it must have been a hungry rabbit or deer. And that's okay with me. I'll miss the flowers. But not enough to be angry at a wild creature whose home is a suburbanized hybrid of the natural world. What I woke up to this morning: Cockatoo hair. No one to be mad at but myself, for sleeping with it wet. If only this were a "look" to which I genuinely aspired. Sigh. Something I woke up to on Thursday was the announcement that this year's Best of Howard County Readers Poll f or 2017 is up and running. If you are interested, the Best Blog is category 62. New this year is a write-in category for Best Come-Back from the Ellicott City Flood. I voted for Sweet Elizabeth Jane. My husband voted for the Clock. What ...