Two Point Three on One Slash Two

This morning’s big local news is an earthquake. I slept right through it but I’m seeing plenty of hocolocals who did not. The 2.3 quake occurred just before one am, west of Rockville. Foot’s Forecast can give you a bit more information plus some early predictions on the possible snow headed our way this weekend. (Could my ridiculous prediction come true?)

January 1st is a great day for those who participate in the First Day Walk tradition. Or, maybe that’s First Day Hikes, in some cases. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has a generous listing of First Day Hike ideas in Maryland’s State Parks. January 1st may have passed but there’s no reason you can’t try them any other day of the year.

Here in Old Ellicott City, some local residents decided to create a new tradition of their own. Check out the full story and photos at Howard County Maryland Black History.

On the 1st day of 2024, something wonderful happened in Old Ellicott City. In the Maryland State Parks there were First Walks scheduled, but none in Howard County. So, a group of three women decided to create one that was centered around some of the new Ellicott City Black history revealed in 2023 by the local history nonprofit HCLTR, Inc. while we engaged in fellowship and got our bodies moving! Won’t tag the person who says “motion is lotion.” New history. First Walk. First Day of the Year. - - Marlena Jareaux, HCLTR

I hope you’ll take a moment to click on over there to see what this wonderful walk was all about.

I stumbled into an event this morning while looking through the Facebook Events page that made me laugh a little. Daniels in Elkridge is planning ahead for some Valentine’s Day blues.

It’s their annual Anti-Love Valentine’s Day bash. That’s one scary looking heart in their promo poster! If you’re sick of the whole Valentine’s Day industrial complex, it looks like Daniels will be the place for you on February 10. You might even meet somebody nice and, I don’t know, not fall in love with them.

While taking a look at local events coming up I noticed that making vision boards seems to be popular at this time of year. Have you ever made a vision board? Have you participated in a dedicated event guided by a knowledgeable facilitator? I’m curious.

If it’s your first day back to work after the holidays, hang in there. That goes for the kiddos, too. That abrupt change in the sleep cycle can be brutal.

Village Green/Town² Comments

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Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Columbia Chance Connection

Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!” We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...

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