Village Green/Town²

This post is not about pancakes. Fuel up for tomorrow's big game. Stop here for an incredible brunch first before heading to the stadium.... or stay and watch the game here. Either way, these Bananas Foster Pancakes won't eat themselves. Image from Mutiny Facebook page This post is not about football. It's GAME DAY! We'll have the big game on all our TVs with the SOUND ON so you won't miss a minute of the action! Plus, our Game Day Sampler Platter is back! Available starting at 2pm. Image from Mutiny Facebook page This post is about a community of workers who went to bed Sunday night after long shifts and woke up unemployed. It has been a honor to serve you.  From the bottom of our hearts... thank you. Image from Mutiny Facebook page People who work in restaurants are no different than the rest of us. They need to eat, pay rent, care for their kids, pay for doctor bills and medication. Just because we as patrons see restaurants as places for recreation doesn’t mean ...

Limiting the amount of driving that you do is good for the environment. Alas, it is bad for your car battery. Here is the battery in question, after having been removed from my sadly de-energized car.  Three cheers for the friendly AAA guys who came and fixed me up with a new battery. My car is a Mazda 5, almost fourteen years old. I’d like to keep it going for as long as possible. The Triple A technicians explained how the few, short trips I have been taking per week are hard on my battery, especially in very cold weather. Well, phooey. Here I was, so proud of how little gas I was using. Now I guess I should take up a new career as a traveling salesman.  If you have ever been through this experience then you’ll know that the next step after getting your new battery is driving your car around for about forty-five minutes. So I did. The problem was that I had no particular place to go. Any errands I might have wanted to run involved stopping the car to run in. That was a no-no....

  Have you heard people talking about Restorative Justice and wondered what that meant? Or have you done some reading on the subject but still wondered how it would work in real-life situations? This weekend you have an opportunity to gain some first hand knowledge and broaden your perspective on Restorative Justice at The People’s Conference: a Relational Approach to Community. It’s a two-day mini-conference presented by the Restorative Justice Partnership, taking place at the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center. Here’s the agenda: The Invitation: Friday, February 2, 2024 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Please join us for a cocktail hour from 5-6pm, followed by a panel of local educators, families, students, and community members sharing their personal insights, stories, and paths of implementing restorative justice. Panelists include Julia Tarawali, Student (Wilde Lake High School); Kori Jones, Director (Harriet Tubman Cultural Center); Lizz Hammon, Parent (Swansfield Elementary School); Monica Ste...

I have a Gateway problem.      I’ve been seeing lots of overhead Gateway views this week.  The next one is from COPT Defense properties: And here’s an announcement from the County about the Gateway Master Plan Open House that was held this week: ICYMI #HoCoMD, @HoCoGov DPZ & its consultant team to host Gateway Master Plan Open House event tomorrow, 1/25, to learn more about the Gateway Master Plan process & to offer feedback on Gateway's future as an innovation district.  Did you go? Did you learn anything interesting? If I had even made an attempt to go I would’ve gotten lost. As I said, I have a Gateway problem. Looking at all these overhead views has been rather mind-blowing to me. They all look so green and pleasant and almost benign. They give no indication of the wrong turns and the recurring intersections that all look alike. Gateway is practically Columbia’s Hotel California. You can check in but you can never leave. Sometimes you can’t even arr...

That Friday evening news dump that has tongues wagging is, of course, the opening of El Gran Sabor in Oakland Mills. I should say “at long last” since we’ve been waiting since November of 2022.  You can check out their menu here . I can’t see days/hours of operation but I will add them in when I find them. In other Oakland Mills-centric news, Althea Hanson of Althea’s Almost Famous  has been nominated for Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland. Voting begin January 29th. I’ll post a link when voting goes live. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sampling Ms. Hanson’s delicious Jamaican cuisine, I hope you’ll cast a vote in support! If you haven’t, come by her food truck in Oakland Mills sometime soon. Right now she’s there on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from twelve noon until six pm. Next up, the only thing about the Super Bowl that I will be celebrating: The Common Kitchen is hosting a Souper Bowl Weekend. Three days only. Eleven international soups...

I’ve been hanging on to this tweet from NPR’s Steve Inskeep because something about it bothered me. Steve Inskeep:  This conversation with Michele Norris  on her book Our Hidden Conversations carried me away when I listened back to it. She is soft-spoken in real life—never needs to raise her voice because she chooses words that carry.  Can you guess what it was? I’ll give you a hint. This is how I responded: Great conversation. I’d like to add that, should she decide to raise her voice, I would have every bit as much respect for her as when she speaks quietly.  I’m a big fan of public radio. I think Steve Inskeep does good work and takes the responsibility of his role as a journalist seriously. Yet here he is, a white man, praising colleague Michele Norris, a Black woman, for being soft-spoken. “Never needs to raise her voice.”  That just doesn’t sit right with me. The dominant culture in the U.S. is driven by the power, money, and attitudes of whites, who gate...

  What would you get up early for? Perhaps to pick up someone at the airport? Drive a kid to the drop-off for a school field trip? A royal wedding? Or maybe a sport that is played in a different time zone? Now, imagine this: the Orioles Caravan is coming to town. In fact, it’s here right now at Banditos in the Merriweather District.  That’s right, the kick-off event for the Orioles Caravan is in Columbia from 5:30 am to 10 am in the morning. In a place that does not serve breakfast. Belly up to the Banditos bar with the Birds, boys. Kickoff Caravan with Justin, Scott & Spiegel Live from Banditos, presented by Corona Live Justin, Scott & Spiegel 98 Rock Morning Show with in-person interviews and photos with players + raffle prizes and giveaways Time: 5:30 - 10:00 a.m. Location: Banditos Tacos & Tequila in Columbia Address: 6000 Merriweather Dr, Columbia, MD 21044 Admission: No ticket required, limited capacity, open to all fans Featuring: Danny Coulombe, Colton Cow...

Snowden River Parkway runs from Route 100 on the one end to - -  essentially - - Broken Land Parkway on the other. Its name was “inspired by the original name of the Patuxent River's Little Branch, Snowden's River of Patuxent, as shown on the original land grant to Richard Snowden in 1736.” (See Autumn Walk .) You can probably learn more in the following article, but, I’m no longer a Sun subscriber. “ Columbia has Snowden River Parkway. Where is Snowden River ?” Community Q, Baltimore Sun, 2005 Today I have three things for you from Snowden River Parkway. 1. Did you know that Columbia has a squash academy ? We do. It’s located at 9315 Snowden River Parkway. I didn’t know squash was all that popular here. If squash isn’t your thing, they also have badminton. 2. Lincoln Tech  (9325 Snowden River Parkway) now trains students on Teslas . In December they celebrated their inaugural class of Tesla technicians wth a speech from Tony Bridges, the Assistant Secretary for Transportation...

  Did you know that Howard County has a bird club ? I came across that fact when reading this heartwarming story about a local bird rescue: Lucky loon saved from frozen pond by Howard Co. couple , Michelle Murillo, WTOP News This post contains suspense, drama, and quotes from the Vice President of the Howard County Bird Club, whose last name just happens to be Swan. (I kid you not.) Born to birding, I suppose. Best of all, the entire narrative leads to a pun that I should have anticipated but absolutely did not. The story of Howard County’s endangered loon has all the makings of a major motion picture or at least a highly-charged episode on a nature/wild life program. Read the article . Best of all, watch the video release of the loon into safer waters.  Did you watch it? Good. Now you know what a loon sounds like. You can find out more about the Howard County Bird Club at their website , on Facebook , and on YouTube . If you’re excited about local bird sightings, you can sub...

Yesterday’s question:  What do you think are the top stories in Columbia/HoCo right now? Nobody chimed in on this one. That’s okay. It was Sunday. Maybe you weren’t in the mood for heavy thoughts.  Let me give you mine: The HCPSS Budget woes, of which there are many. Why did the HOME plan (housing opportunity meant for everyone) meet such a curious end before the County Council? It appears to have just…fizzled. The Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan. It seems to me that every concrete step taken has been met with responses of “nothing is being done.” Am I missing something? Heartbreak over recent local shootings and traffic fatalities. COVID cases are astoundingly high again, so let’s…all go out to eat? The 50 plus center in East Columbia is close to opening - - how will that impact community connection for Seniors on my side of town? What the purchase of the Baltimore Sun by Sinclair’s David Smith will mean to Columbia/HoCo news coverage, if anything.  Israel and Gaza. Te...

We’ve been without heat over here for over twenty-four hours. I’d like to thank Environmental Systems for coming out on a Saturday and diagnosing our problem. It’s not their fault that we need a part that has to be ordered on Monday and that we probably won’t have heat until midweek. I’d like to thank my husband for remembering that we had two space heaters and actually knowing where we put them, and for going out and buying each of us furry heated blankets. Big thanks to all the folks who offered to put us up during our time of coldness. So far my desire to be in my own home is outweighing any discomfort from the low temperatures.  Possibly because of all of this, the filter I have that keeps me from saying exactly what I am thinking is malfunctioning. You may think that having my own blog means getting to say what ever I feel like saying whenever I feel like it. Maybe some folks do that. I have a lot of internal battles. Sometimes I feel that letting it all hang out will do more...

Some folks run out to the store to stock up before a big thump of snow.  The oft-repeated trinity of bread, milk, and toilet paper notwithstanding, there are certain foods we tend to turn to when the white stuff takes over our plans and everything shuts down. Many folks make a big pot of soup, or chili with cornbread. Others are bread bakers and pancake makers. Grilled cheese and tomato soup, or hot chocolate with marshmallows are great post-sledding fuel. Not all of our snow day hankerings are sensible, however. There are always those few who will brave the snow and trudge through the drifts to the village center for pizza or Chinese carry out. In Leslie Gray Streeter’s recent column for the Baltimore Banner she reminisces about childhood snow days in Baltimore. Her food memories? Pizza and fries with gravy. There’s something about a snow day that brings out a desire to roll out a slumber party sort of menu: things you might not normally allow yourself to indulge in. For me that’...

  This morning I am feeling sorry for the Children’s Manor Montessori School in Ellicott City.  Man found shot outside Montessori School in Howard County , Bryna Zumer, WBAL TV I’m also kind of sorry for this sentence which leads off the article. ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — A man was critically injured after being found shot in the parking lot of a Montessori school in Ellicott City this morning. I am sorry for WBAL journalist Bryna Zumer because a website called Otto News is running her story as its own without attribution. Of course I am mostly sorry that a man was shot and critically injured. But let’s back up the truck here and look at all this. I feel sorry for the Children’s Manor Montessori School in Ellicott City because they will now be forever known as “the place with the shooting.” It’s very likely that this violent event had absolutely nothing to do with them, but the pall of it will hang over them nonetheless. I’m familiar with this phenomenon because I have seen it ...

  Did you notice the sunset last night?  I just happened to look out the window at just the right time. I do love the aspect of social media which allows folks to share photos of glorious sunsets, rainbows, snowy days and other exceptional moments in nature. Columbia/HoCo provides so many beautiful vistas for us to experience and be nourished by. Several days ago a new local resident asked the following in the Columbia MD Reddit: What are the best places to watch the sunset? Maybe the highest point? Bonus points if it’s accessible by bike and/or accessible to the public. The question received some interesting responses, including: the second floor parking lot at Wegmans, Fairway Hills Golf Club at the 10th hole, the roof of Howard High School, and Jackson Pond. You might have some suggestions of your own. I enjoyed the conversation, especially since the topic was new to me. I’ve seen many conversations over the years about the best places to watch fireworks, for instance, but ...

Snow was falling on Monday at the end of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The talk of the evening was expected to be about the Iowa caucuses, the Emmys, and football. At around six pm local news went sideways with the following announcement: The Baltimore Sun purchased by Sinclair’s David D. Smith , Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun Smith is the Executive Chair of Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which includes Baltimore’s Fox 45 channel. A spokesman for Sinclair said Monday that Smith made the acquisition with his personal assets and that “Sinclair Inc. has no involvement with the transaction. Mr. Smith will continue to be our executive chairman and chairman of the board.” There was a time when ownership of a major newspaper and a television station in one market would have been blocked by the FCC, under a law passed in 1975.* (See explanation below.) Since 1996, however, the FCC’s commitment to preserving a significant variety of voices in local media has wavered, if not crumbled. Si...

  I overslept, I woke up during REM sleep, and I was stunned by the view outside my window. I’m still not entirely convinced that I’m awake.  Two things for your day: 1. The MLK Holiday Commission is holding a non-perishable food drive today at a variety of locations. You can read the details below.  2. The Anti-Racist Education Alliance has created a survey focused on the impact of the Israel-Gaza War on school students and staff. Here is their press release: Here is the link to the survey itself:  AREA School Staff and Student Support Survey   It’s not long. Even though I don’t fall in either category I was interested to read the survey and learn what it was all about. I’ve been following the world of AREA since its inception and I have a lot of respect for them. The words I shared yesterday from Dr. King’s daughter come to mind once more: When you evoke my father this #MLKDay, remember that he was resolute about eradicating racism, poverty, and militarism. An...

  Today is the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Howard Community College admission is free but you need to sign up through Eventbrite.  Tomorrow is the MLK Day of Service which will be held at the Harriet Tubman Center. You can learn more here.  HopeWorks of Howard County is holding a Teen Listening Session from 12-1 on Monday, also at the Harriet Tubman Center. In addition, they will be collecting what they are calling a Special Item Pantry Drive on Monday from 9-12 at the Non Profit Collaborative location on Patuxent Woods Drive.  Many of our clients are in crisis, suddenly away from home and without bare essentials. You can help. In honor of Martin Luther King Day of Service, HopeWorks will be holding a Special Item Pantry Drive on Monday, January 15, 2024, from 9am-12pm. Donate an Essentials Tote or a Fresh Start Basket that we can provide to our clients and help them start down the road to healing. Interested in group donations? Email us...