Village Green/Town²

  I don’t get much mail, so this handwritten thank you note from Chiara D’Amore of the Community Ecology Institute stood out in the pile of catalogues and bills that arrived yesterday. It meant a lot to me because, frankly, I’m a small donor. I haven’t been doling out the big bucks. But I am a big fan of the work that CEI is doing at Freetown Farm. I first heard of Dr. D’Amore through her local initiative to get families out into nature. (Columbia Families in Nature)  This work has expanded in a variety of ways since then, including a program for children called  Roots & Wings Learning Community .  The mission of Roots & Wings is to provide an educational experience for home-schooled children, where their knowledge, creativity and voices are nurtured through experiential and nature-infused lessons and activities. I see that Roots and Wings has announced a gift raffle to support their programs. Here’s the information: Starting this Spring Equinox, we are kicki...

  I’ve been mulling this over for a few days, but this still makes no sense to me.  Howard Board of Education adds mental health positions to budget to assist school resource officer program  Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun It’s as though the Board of Education skimmed all the letters from the community, petitions, and accompanying data and the exhortation to have “counselors, not cops” stuck in their heads but in a wholly distorted way.  “Well, gee, we have lots of people here who are all riled up. Let’s give everybody something that they want. We’ll have counselors and cops.” No.  The movement to remove SROs from our schools continues to be active locally and is being considered at the state level as well. There is a big difference between “counselors, not cops” and “counselors and cops.” It seems that the BOE doesn’t really want to make that SRO decision. They’d rather someone else did it for them. But this move is a move of avoidance and it also disresp...

  I offer my apologies that my usual post didn’t materialize this morning. I was not finding local news to be the least bit inspiring, alas.  But here’s a tasty tater tidbit that I just can’t resist sinking my teeth into.  Mr. Potato Head brand goes gender neutral, sort of This quick-to-become-viral story is truly a non-story. Basically Hasbro is acknowledging something that has always been true: all of the toys are potatoes. It’s the child who plays with them who decides their gender. Isn’t that what the best play is all about? The child decides. I’m both amused and annoyed by those who are grandstanding about this as though it is a telling indicator of a liberal conspiracy to smash the “God-given” gender binary. It’s a toy. It’s a potato. Potatoes don’t have gender. But this is all obvious stuff.  As a career early childhood educator, I have spent enough time observing children play to have some educated opinions. I even have a few about Potato Head toys. For those...

  Okay, I’ll admit it. It was the lede that made me take a second look. Highland and Clarksville project an air of bucolic, genteel ease that only money can provide. But beneath their serene facade a revolutionary fervor has burned. It’s certainly some of the most exciting language I’ve read in the Howard County Times in many a year. Here’s what it looked like in a tweet: I hope I can be forgiven for assuming that the sentences had something to do with the photograph. It stands to reason that there’d be a connection, doesn’t it? So when I clicked to read the article I expected to read about how a revolutionary fervor burned beneath the serene facade of The Common Kitchen. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or be concerned.  How little I knew. The piece, by Mary Carole McCauley, is a part of a larger series of articles by the Howard County Times entitled “Community Guide 2021”. They seem to be under the Howard Magazine umbrella. The revolutionary fervor in question refers to act...

I have started and deleted this post about five times this morning. I hear the sounds of my husband getting ready to leave the house. It is not a happy day.  Our community has broken faith with its teachers. We are sending them into schools which are not adequately prepared, we are making them walk into situations where disease can be spread without being fully vaccinated, and we haven’t been able to hire the required number of support staff to make any sort of reasonable plan viable. None of this is safe. Asking teachers to risk their lives and their families’ lives when they are receiving so little support is unacceptable.  Yet clearly our community is full of those who think nothing of that. They are fine with inflicting long-term damage as long as they get their short-term benefits. There is a cost to breaking faith with people. My biggest fear right now is losing them to illness. But we will also lose the good people who will leave a system that has betrayed them. We are ...

Scrolling through Twitter, looking for blog topics, I saw this tidbit: Howard county has the best schools but the worst drivers. No elaboration, no explanation. That’s it, that’s the tweet. I do think we have pretty great schools, although they’re under a crushing amount of stress at the moment. But, the worst drivers? What do you you think?  Particulars aside, I thought the format of the tweet would make for an entertaining pastime. What’s your best and worst of Howard County? Columbia, even? Of course it’s important to stress that any such statement is an over-generalization by default. And I’m loath to make statements that are outright mean-spirited. With that being said, what are some things that occur to you, right off the top of your head? Columbia has the best pathways but the worst walkability. Howard County has the best neighborhoods but the worst affordability. Columbia has the best aspirations but the worst execution. (Okay, this borders on being too harsh.) Howard Coun...

  News to me, although clearly not new to residents of Baltimore, are the yellow salt boxes that appear around the city in the winter time. Although I lived in the city from 1985 - 1991, I somehow don’t have any recollection of the things. What makes them a big story this year is the contributions of some creative citizen artists. Baltimore artist Juliet Ames was inspired to give new life to a salt box in Hamden, and was relieved and gratified that the powers that be gave their approval for her efforts. You can read more here , plus see a sampling of the artistically enhanced salt boxes. As an added bonus, Ms. Ames offers a free printable coloring page for kids to design their own salt box. The winner will have their design painted in the Fall of 2021.  In the past two months, more than 100 of the decorated salt boxes have appeared around Baltimore, including more than 25 adorned by Ames herself. The boxes celebrate such iconic Baltimore figures as the filmmaker John Waters, ...

  I must admit I have been appalled by the lack of concern among some people about the armed riots and attack on the Capitol on 1/6. Despite deaths, and injuries, the frightening breach of security, property damage, theft, and the horrific spectacle of a hangman’s noose, we continue to see comments that downplay or even deny the events of that day.  It leaves me wondering one thing: how much? How much death would have been enough for these people? Is there a number? Or is it rather whose death would have been significant or motivating? Would more losses from one particular group have produced more horror or remorse? What’s the limit for these people? Where would they draw the line? Would they? As the county schools push forward with their abrupt turn-around to send teachers back into classrooms I see a similar set of circumstances falling into place. We know that not all teachers and staff members have been able to get vaccinated. We suspect that the safety measures required ...

  Some dates coming up that may interest you: The Columbia Association is holding an informational session for those who may be interesting in running for the CA Board. Don’t roll over and go back to sleep; it’s this morning at 10 am. Learn more here . You can become a member of the Friends and Foundation of the Howard County Library and possibly score a ticket to this year’s virtual Evening in the Stacks event.  Deadline is Monday, so get moving! Wednesday would be a good day to pick up dinner from Shake Shack and support Bridges to Housing Stability. Take a look for more information on their website . The Columbia Orchestra will be presenting their next concert as a YouTube premiere on March 13th.   It’s free, but I’m sure they’d be thrilled to accept a free-will offering from grateful community members. Sobar is back with ideas for a fun Saint Patrick’s Day event, along with a fundraising auction. To register for the event, click here . For the auction, you can u...

  I’m still rolling my eyes at this piece from Maryland Reporter : Power Ladies and their Most Adored Pearl Sets , Hannah Madison Oh my word. Who thought this was a good idea? “Power Ladies?”  Maryland Reporter calls itself “the news site for government and politics in the Free State.” This piece of content is neither news, politics, nor relevant to the Free State. In short, it’s wildly sexist and embarrassingly out of place. If you have any doubts, ask yourself if have you ever read an article on a news, government and politics site called “Power Gentlemen and their Most Adored Tie Clips?”  I thought not. A closer inspection reveals that this piece is labeled “sponsored content”. Oh. It’s an advert? Well, not exactly. Why would you use sponsored content? By publishing a helpful article, a brand positions themselves as an expert, or a major storytelling voice, in their field. The goal is to establish trust with customers so they can rely on a company’s information and pr...

  In the movies we’d have seen scrappy newsboys shouting on the corners, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” In real life I saw it emerge in a tweet, and then another, then proliferating like so many popcorn kernels exploding in a hot pan. Baltimore Sun Media poised to be acquired by nonprofit from Tribune Publishing   Christopher Dinsmore for the Baltimore Sun In short: Returning The Baltimore Sun to Maryland hands, the state’s largest newspaper and its affiliates are poised to be acquired by a nonprofit formed by businessman and philanthropist Stewart Bainum Jr. that would operate the media organization for the benefit of the community. If you have been following the trials and tribulations of the Sun and its affiliated publications, you will already be aware of the profound disrespect with which corporate ownership has treated local journalists. Despite a proven record for award-winning journalism, employees at the Sun are overworked, underpaid, and subject to wave after wa...

  As time goes on it has become apparent that not all the local voices on the topic of teachers and schools are of the Re-Open variety. I have been heartened to see a growing chorus of parents and community members supporting teachers and making the case for returning to face-to-face learning when it is actually safe. Considering how hard teachers are working, the verbal abuse they have been taking on social media, and the ridiculous and frustrating process for getting vaccinated, it must be a welcome change for them to receive some community support. You can help. Tonight there will be a safe, socially distanced car rally to support safe schools. It will begin at Howard High School and proceed to the Board of Education Building. From the event page: We meet at Howard High School on February 16th at 5 pm. We will travel to the Howard County Board of Education to make our demands for a pause on returning to buildings until educators who want vaccines get them, metrics-based decisio...

  I can’t remember when I first started hearing people rave about R. House , the food hall in Baltimore created from a building that once housed the Anderson Automotive showroom. I do remember what they talked about: the delicious and out of the ordinary food, the variety of vendors, the flexibility of eating there, the convenience of having an in-house bar to pick up a drink to go with your meal. It was a whole new concept in the restaurant business for Baltimore. That’s why I was so excited when work was kicked off right here in Howard County for the  Common Kitchen , which is in many ways a hometown version of R. House. I particularly enjoy the Common Kitchen for its emphasis on being a part of the local community. Whether inviting high school groups to perform or hosting a local podcast, the folks at the Common Kitchen (and Clarksville Commons as a whole) have made their venue more than a place to pick up a bite to eat. I miss the days when my daily commute took me right b...

  On February 14, 2020 I was wrapping up things at work and feeling sorry for myself. My husband was out of town and I knew I would be all alone for Valentine’s Day weekend. To top it off, I could tell I was coming down with something.  I don’t remember anything else about that evening and yet last February 14th is a date I will now remember for the rest of my life. What seemed like a run of the mill, you-catch-it-at-work sort of ailment was still going strong on March 12th when most schools and places of work shut down due to the coronavirus. By this time I had already been on antibiotics, and was soon to move to oral steroids. In a way I considered myself fortunate to have some additional time to recuperate. Since that time I have had sinus scans, chest x-rays, numerous blood draws, a dizzying variety of antibiotics and courses of steroids, multiple inhalers, and sinus surgery. I’ll be having a chest CT scan on Monday. I’m still sick. Since February 14, 2020, there has not b...

  I’ve been thinking a lot about the break-ins and damage at local restaurants in Columbia and Ellicott City. It has been covered widely by local news and it's all over social media. Like any unsolved crime, there are facts that we know and things that remain unknown. There are pieces of information that point to things that we suspect may be true. County Executive Calvin Ball received some pushback for releasing the following statement: Today our community is saddened by a string of burglaries that occurred in the last 24 hours. Our restaurant community is going through one of the toughest years that has ever existed for their industry and these crimes are adding unnecessary economic and mental stress on these owners, their employees, and our community. I encourage neighbors to reach out, support, and patronize all these businesses during this difficult time and as they recover.   Furthermore, many of these restaurants are owned and operated by members of our Asian business ...

  I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about Valentine’s Day this year. As I can’t even leave the house to buy a card or gifts, I’m going to need to get creative. And something about being homebound for a year lends a different perspective to the whole mood. Here’s a look back on some of my earlier takes on The Big Day: Hearts and Flowers (Tuesday, February 9, 2016) Yesterday a friend asked for responses on this question:  Poll: Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? She then added: I have a theory that I'll reveal once I've received some responses. But, you know, try to go about your regular routines while you anticipate that. My response: I adore Valentine's Day. No one else in my immediate family feels the same way. But when I was divorced as a single parent I kind of hated it. This morning Facebook reminded me of this, written back when "Notes" were a thing: VALENTINE'S DAY TOP TEN--A WOMAN STRIKES BACK! February 9, 2010 Really tired of hearing men dis...

  Back in the accumulation phase of my life, I collected cookbooks. My mother used to say she read cookbooks the way some people read murder mysteries. I was pretty much the same. I especially liked cookbooks that had historical interest, quirky and unusual cookbooks, and ones that just made you shake your head. The one that described making a tasty sandwich spread out of Crisco shortening comes to mind. I much prefer the study of history when it pertains to what real people were doing in their daily lives, which is why older cookbooks appeal to me. Spare me the dry accounts of kings, battles, and treaties. I want to know what they ate, what they wore, how they lived.  A few years ago I enjoyed a book I borrowed from the Howard County Library about the history of Betty Crocker, a culinary expert and personality created by the Gold Medal Flour Company. (Later General Mills.)  It’s a fascinating story, full of all sorts of the historical tidbits that I love. Highly recommen...

  Something tells me that today is the day to lead with something makes me smile.  A few weeks ago I received an email from Monica Rogers Williams, baker extraordinaire of From Momma’s Kitchen about her website relaunch. Clicking on the link resulted in the delightful image above. “This website uses cookies.” Well, of course it does. And they’re pretty darn delicious ones, too. I reached out to Ms. Williams to see if there was anything I could share with my readers about her website’s new look. It turns out she has something else on her mind. But it’s not about business. She wants to encourage us to follow our dreams. Ms. Williams, or Momma, as I sometimes think of her, has been dividing her time over the last year between her baking business and a whole new kind of online DJ experience on Twitch which I must admit I don’t totally understand. As an experienced local DJ, she has taken her skills and talents to a whole new platform during the pandemic. Just as she has continual...

  Lots of people - including me - are hitting what I’m calling the pandemic wall this week. The burnout from working non stop, no break from news, childcare and isolation is hard. - -  Tanzina Vega* I seem to have hit the “ pandemic wall ” as far as the blog is concerned. The term originated with a series of tweets by host of The Takeaway , Tanzina Vega. Other terms that come to mind are the Slough of Despond  or the Doldrums . A daily task which ought to be be easy for me has become well nigh unto impossible. It’s ok not to be ok right now. I think we need to accept that.  So I’m crowdsourcing this today. Have you experienced the feeling of hitting the pandemic wall? Have you found ordinary tasks becoming more difficult? What have you done to counteract that? Do you have any techniques to share? Can’t think straight? Can’t sleep? Brain fog? Depression? Even random physical symptoms? I think it’s all pandemic burnout.  What works? What doesn’t? Burnout means no...

  I overslept this morning, so I’m going to send you over to Suzi Gerb’s blog while I attempt to caffeinate myself for the day. Highly recommended: The county deals with vaccine shortage by shorting teachers If you have been wondering what it’s like to be a teacher trying to get vaccinated, this post will definitely school you in the realities of the situation. Alas, it’s not pretty. Over the weekend I saw some references on social media that a certain member of the County Council is calling teachers “entitled” for wanting to be vaccinated before returning to face-to-face instruction. I didn’t witness these online conversations myself so I’m not going to name this individual. I can tell you that insisting that teachers put themselves, along with staff, students, and families in harm’s way during a pandemic when there is a way to provide instruction that prevents the spread of illness and death is  the most entitled view imaginable. No one is claiming that distance learning is ...

I fell back asleep this morning and when I woke up again it was snowing. I’ve never outgrown that childhood feeling that snow is innately magical. I’m happy to pull open the curtains and just watch. I feel obliged to call attention to a weather-related advert on social media that makes no sense to me. I’m not going to name the business because that strikes me as mean-spirited, but, I’m not sure they thought this one through. Don't brave the bad road conditions.  Order your favorite items online from Doordash. That’s not how this works. If the road conditions are bad, they aren’t going to be any better for Door Dash drivers. Either you got your snow snacks before it all started or you’re going to need to lay low until it’s safe to go out again. I understand that local businesses need revenue but this borders on the unsafe. Speaking of bordering on the unsafe, why is the Baltimore Sun running an article about the best foods to bring to Super Bowl parties?  Is it possible that th...