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Errands



I left the house yesterday. (Alert the media.)  At long last I have returned my library books to the Columbia East Branch. I noticed there was a “farm stand” advertised when I pulled in to the parking lot. There were a few tents set up in the back. The Columbia East Branch used to be one of the official sites of the Howard County Farmers Market, but, no more. I don’t know how those decisions are made, but I was sorry to see them go.

Is the farm stand on Thursdays a regular thing now? I saw several cars headed in that direction while I was loading my books into the book return. If there’s a way to maintain access to Farmer-produced food at that location I think it’s a good thing. The nearest regular Farmers Market is in Oakland Mills on Sundays, but not everyone is available to shop on a Sunday morning. 

My other errand was dropping off an item to someone from my Buy Nothing Group who is immune-compromised and cannot leave the house. It was easy enough to do a contactless delivery while I was out and about. My destination was Hopewell, an area off of Snowden that you might not even know is there if you haven’t been to the Hopewell Pool (with it’s delightful splashpad.) 

I find Hopewell a fascinating little island of Columbia. At least, it feels like an island to me. I should consult a map. It feels disconnected from the rest of Columbia. Technically is it in Owen Brown. Here is a screen grab from Google Maps.


I see now that it’s Lake Elkhorn that the Hopewell neighborhood backs up to. So it’s equally valid to say that Hopewell is connected to the rest of Owen Brown by Lake Elkhorn. It always feels like an island unto itself to me. Of course, it’s an island that has quick access to Chinese Food, Indian Food, and the other businesses on Snowden River Parkway. So they are not exactly marooned apart from civilization over there.

As I home I noticed a sign placed facing the road. It was in the back yard of a house that backs onto Rustling Leaf. It read: Honk for Dr. Fauci.

I was sorely tempted. But it’s an extremely quiet residential neighborhood and I am not really a horn-honker. So, I thought good thoughts for Dr. Fauci all the way home.


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