Village Green/Town²

Do you recognize this: (Not my photo. Read on to learn more.) They’re called resistance bands. Or, to preschoolers in my music and movement classes, they were called “the red stretchy things.” A resistance band is used in physical therapy and in some exercise programs to build muscle strength. Here’s the complete photograph from an online article entitled  “Types of Resistance Bands: How to Choose and Use.” [Resistance bands]  help you to build muscle strength by putting your muscles under tension as they work. The further you stretch the band, the harder your muscles work. By creating tension during movements, resistance bands engage muscles effectively, promoting muscle growth and enhancing overall fitness. As you pull against a resistance band, the tension in the band gradually increases. The further you pull, the harder your muscles have to work to keep stretching the band. As you can see, resistance bands come in a variety of colors. This is not merely to accommodate the ...

Look what I found on Columbia Patch ! Come join us for a fun-filled afternoon of giving back and getting creative! Bring along new or gently used adult and children's books you would like to donate to our book drive, and help us spread the love of reading to others in our community.  In return, create your own special bookmark to take home. Whether you're a book lover, a craft enthusiast, or just looking for a way to give back, this event is perfect for all ages.  Don't miss out on this opportunity to make a difference and have a great time doing it! Please note the multiple dates to donate and the drop off locations on the flyer:  February 28,2025 from 12PM-3PM, East Columbia Library Branch- Marvin Room and March 1, 2025 12pm-3pm, Central Library Branch - Collage Room. Here’s the bit that caught my eye: Books will be donated to the Howard County Reading Council's Laundromat Literacy Program. Back when the community was contemplating the proposal for a Lakefront Library...

  If you didn’t get a chance to read yesterday’s post , then I hope you will today. The topic means a lot to me. If you are planning on participating in the economic boycott on Friday, then please don’t forget that the best places to make any *necessary* purchases are local small businesses, and especially Black-owned and minority- owned businesses. How you choose to spend your money will make a difference. If it’s not the end of the world as we know it (hard to tell) then it might be good to mark your calendar for the Clarksville Commons Spring Preview Farmers’ Market this Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm. (Note the time change.) I hear there will be EGGS. If that’s a motivating factor, come early. I’m not seeing any rain in the forecast and I hope that holds.  If you need some inspiration/encouragement, then I recommend a list of positive things you can do (or may already be doing) from the Non-Profit AF website. Many of these have local applications, from “Pay attention to local ...

  In all seriousness, no one needs to know my opinion on the recent shooting event near the Mall in Columbia. I am not in a position to have any unique and or valuable insight on this topic.  Have you noticed that quite a few locals have never stopped to consider this concept? How many things have been posted in the last few days that fall under the category of “I’m as mad as hell and I have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about”? Everyone has the right to their own opinion but for heaven's sake I wish that more people had the good sense to think before they speak. The flood of thoughtless, hateful - - and yes, racist - - invective is more than unnecessary. It does harm. It floods the social media space and makes it impossible to hear different points of view. It silences quieter or more thoughtful voices. It pushes out people who might actually have unique and valuable insight.  This is why County Executive Calvin Ball’s  statement to the community , appealing ...

If you’re looking for something to really sink your teeth into, the February edition of The Merriweather Post blog is out.  I’m still working my way through it. The Merriweather Post - - February 2025 edition  ***** There’s an author event this evening at the Miller Branch from 6 to 8 pm. The speaker will be Lamar Giles, author of The Getaway (and at least nine other novels.) In addition to writing, Giles is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books .   You can learn more and register here . ***** If you’re looking for dinner ideas, the Periodic Table is hosting a Restaurant Night Out in support of the Howard County Veterans Foundation. The restaurant will be giving back 10% of the proceeds to the foundation. Both dine-in and carry out orders are welcome. Have a good Monday.  I’m hearing rumours of some pleasant weather this week and I think we could all get behind that kind of a local change. Village Green/Town² Comments

discretion, noun 1 a: individual choice or judgment left the decision to his discretion b: power of free decision or latitude of choice within certain legal bounds reached the age of discretion 2: the quality of having or showing discernment or good judgment : the quality of being discreet : CIRCUMSPECTION especially : cautious reserve in speech 3: ability to make responsible decisions 4: the result of separating or distinguishing - -  Merriam Webster   I wanted to talk about discretionary income today so I thought I’d start by looking up discretion. It’s interesting to see how the meaning is rooted in having a choice. individual choice or judgement power of free decision or latitude of choice  Back in the early days of the pandemic I wrote about the negative backlash against restaurant/hospitality workers who were able to receive unemployment benefits. The Truth About Choice , Village Green/Town² May 19, 2020 And again, a year later: Still Need More Voice for Choice , Vi...

Would you enjoy some music while you shop? Do you get a kick out of young people enjoying themselves  and working hard at something they love? Head over to Savage Mill this afternoon. These cold winter days are a great time to discover talent in your own community. Stop by the Mill this Saturday 1:15-3pm for Music in the Commons: Oakland Mills High School's annual concert. Featuring performances by the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the Modern Band Ensemble. - - Savage Mill Images from Savage Mill social media  From the event page: The Oakland Mills High School Tri-M Music Honor Society consists of student musicians at the school who seek to support and advocate for music performance within their school and greater community. The Oakland Mills High School Modern Band Ensemble consists of various advanced musicians within the school, selected through audition only. Musical selections will be wide-ranging, and include options such as AWB, Frankie Beverly, Tom Misch, SunKissed Lol...

  First up: if you didn’t get a chance to see part one if the WBAL report on special education in the Howard County Schools, here’s the link.  Left Behind , Tolly Taylor, WBAL TV ***** Something else school-related. In an online conversation about local schools, one poster held that you should never be able to tell what political party that a teacher belongs to. Essentially, they claimed that this was a mark of good teaching. On its face this seems reasonable. We don’t want teachers using their influence to endorse one political party over the other in the classroom as a means of shaping how young people think.  But we’re at a point where deeply held values that have long been associated with American democracy overall are now being labeled as Leftist “indoctrination”. For example:  1. We teach the truth about history. 2. Everyone deserves acceptance and respect. 3. Libraries support intellectual freedom. I’m not saying that our country has been stellar at upholding ...

  Truth in advertising: the main reason I don’t write about something which is local, timely, and pertinent is that I am afraid I can’t do it perfectly. That’s almost always what stymies me. If you struggle with perfectionism you know the feeling.  Today I’m going ahead anyway.  Tonight WBAL begins a two-part series on special education in Howard County Schools. Here’s a promotional trailer.  WBAL TV: TOMORROW AT 5pm: 11 News Investigates has spent months looking into why one of the top public school districts in the state has a special education crisis, leaving students with unmet needs and teachers begging for help. You may already know that the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) gave a present the February 12 BOE meeting. You may also know that the Howard County Educators Association (HCEA) has raised the issue of understaffing in Special Education repeatedly in testimony before the Board. But that would mean that you follow Board of Education m...

There are plenty of things that are bothering me this morning. It occurs to me that my readers would probably appreciate more than my daily laments and rants. We all have plenty of our own. I have been wracking my brain to think of one positive local thing that I’m prepared to write about today. To be honest, the best thing that happened to me yesterday was that I went to a doctor’s appointment full of trepidation and came away reassured, largely because the doctor treated me like a human being. The doctor practices in Columbia so we’re going to count this as a local story - - okay? (Let’s call this artistic license.) A brief sermon here: every time someone treats you like a human being or you treat someone else like a human being the good released into the world is powerful, no matter how small. It’s hard to keep that in mind right now, but it’s absolutely true. If you’ve read the blog for any length of time you are familiar with this quote from Aesop: No act of kindness, however smal...

  Heart-wrenching conversations I never thought I’d see are taking place right now about young people and mental health care.  Parents are terrified that newly confirmed Robert Kennedy Secretary of Health and Human Services will make good on his threats to strip doctors of the ability to prescribe medications for depression, anxiety - - even those for ADHD. Yet again we see an insistence to interfere with doctor-patient relationships and the desire to prevent parents from doing what they know is best for their children. Almost beyond belief are Kennedy’s proposals to send these young people to so called “wellness farms” in lieu of allowing them to be supported by medically vetted and time tested treatments.  With these conversations on my mind it’s not surprising that this post on Instagram caught my eye. Howard County Association of Student Councils is hosting a Mental Health Panel event in collaboration with Nourish Teens at the Elkridge Branch Library in February 22nd ...

  We did not lose power as a result of last night’s storm and high winds. You can bet I am suitably grateful about that. We had a perfectly boring, rather retro suburban dinner planned and I was able to cook it without any difficulties.  It used to be that a good deal of Columbia felt insulated from power outages due to our lines being underground. That hasn’t been as true in recent years, or, maybe I’m imagining things. That being said, I’ve certainly observed a fair amount of smugness over the years from the Columbia contingent when the topic of power outages comes up. So I went to bed feeling grateful that the power outage gods had passed over us and this morning I woke up feeling like an idiot. I’ll tell you why.  Last night I saw post after post from folks looking for restaurants that hadn’t been impacted by the power outage. Eat in, carry out, delivery - - you name it. Sadly, there were plenty of posts from restaurants announcing that they’d be closed for the evenin...

  Today the Robinson Nature Center is hosting their first-ever Bird Bonanza. It’s a family -friendly event presented in cooperation with Howard County Recreation and Parks: Join Robinson staff, volunteers, and the Howard County Bird Club to celebrate birds and contribute to the worldwide community science effort of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Stop by tomorrow between Noon-4pm to come get a picture with our Osprey friend and enjoy fun activities, live animals, and bird walks. This event will be held rain or shine. Image from Robinson Nature Center social media  What to expect: Bird-themed crafts, games, and activity stations.  Meet a live raptor.  Gather at the campfire and warm beverages  Guided bird walk with the Howard County Bird Club  Help with the Great Backyard Bird Count.  Beginners encouraged!  Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. For ages 3 yrs +. Located at the Robinson Nature Center. $6 for center member, $8 for nonmem...

Yesterday, like many of us, I learned from reading the announcement by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball that former Delegate Frank Turner had died. Turner was the first Black delegate to represent Howard County in Annapolis in the General Assembly. He was elected in 1995 and served until 2019. Let me just pause for a moment here. Howard County had its first Black delegate in 1995 ? I’m appalled by that but perhaps not surprised.  If you are able, please read Turner’s obituary in the Baltimore Banner. Frank Turner, Howard County’s first Black delegate, dies at 77 , Jess Nocera, Baltimore Banner I did not know Mr. Turner personally and much of what I read in his obituary was new to me. I knew that he was a local legend but I didn’t have any in-depth knowledge of his life and career in public service. As we are seeing such a concerted effort to completely erase Black history and accomplishments in this country I hope our community will take some time to learn more and contemplate ...

  I hadn’t exactly expected to receive a public service announcement from the discount store Five Below, but: here we are. Image from Five Below social media  PSA: Flowers fade, but plushies are forever. As someone with a longstanding itch to adopt and love adorable stuffed cuddly creatures, I never thought I’d say this. They’re right: flowers fade, but plushies are forever. And maybe that’s why flowers are the better option. Or, rather: do we really want to celebrate love and romance and Valentine friendships by purchasing more stuff that cannot be recycled? Flowers at least can be composted. Most stuffies will eventually end up in a landfill . (Boy, am I ever a killjoy today!) Now, flowers may not be your thing nor even remotely affordable around Valentine’s Day. That’s okay. What other ways do we have to celebrate and express affection that don’t eventually cause environmental harm? Many Valentine cards can be recyclable but you need to avoid certain materials if that’s yo...

  Okay, I admit it. This post has nothing with the MPT children’s program but I did discover that it has a Howard County connection . I chose that title because I don’t have much for you this morning other than scraps and bits of this and that.  1. The Howard County Future Farmers of America has released the names of local students honored with their “3.0 Award.” The 3.0 Award recognizes students enrolled in Agricultural Science courses who achieved a 3.0 or Greater GPA in the 2nd Quarter.  Revealing my ignorance here: I didn’t know that HCPSS offered an Agricultural Science curriculum. I do now.  2. I’m curious about this project by Maryland artist Art Hondros. Why Ellicott City? Why the 1940’s? Hondros recently had an art show in Olney at the BeachKraft Gallery. That’s about all I know. Also: has anyone ever seen Tarzan and the Amazons? 3. This lead-in to an article in the Banner about a ribbon-cutting at the Lakefront annoys me. That is all. I realize that my ...

The deadline to purchase tickets for the Bridges to Housing Stability Heroes for Housing event is today!  Tickets are $100 and the event will be held at 18th & 21st in Columbia on Monday February 17th. There will be food, cocktails, a silent auction, and music to benefit Bridges to Housing Stability. Their mission is  “to provide a path to self-sufficiency to prevent and end homelessness through affordable housing solutions and advocacy in Howard County, Maryland.”  Check out this video to learn more about what they do. Bridges to Housing Stability  ***** There’s an impressive line up of performing artists on the bill for this year’s Luminus fundraising event. Coming up on February 23rd at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, “ More Than Hope ” will raise funds and awareness in a multicultural celebration. "More than Hope"  is billed as a Benefit Dance/ Music Concert in Support of Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Tickets are $25 and are available for ...

What we are seeing unfold nationally right now are the vengeful actions of deeply racist people. They are also deeply fearful people. There is no other way to explain the venomous suppression of Black History being foisted upon the American people: wealthy white people, who hold our country by the throat, are afraid.  Afraid of losing power. Afraid of facing the consequences of their own actions. Afraid of a future where they and people who look like them are no longer the default “Americans.” I’m bringing back this post from last February because it feels frighteningly relevant. Until the Lion Tells the Story , Village Green/Town² 2/25/2024 The other evening I found myself drawn in to a documentary film on public television entitled “ Finding Fellowship .” It’s the story of a community in Maryland that doesn’t exist anymore, called Quince Orchard. From the film’s website: FINDING FELLOWSHIP, BUILDING COMMUNITY How can a community that evolved for more than 100 years only carry on ...

Do you know any high school pianists? It looks like they are hoping for more entrants to the Young Musicians Piano Solo Competition at HCC: Attention High School Pianists! Deadline Extended! You now have until February 18 to submit your video entry! Showcase your talent and compete for cash prizes in the Young Musicians Piano Solo Competition at HCC! Prizes: 1st Place: $1,000 HCC scholarship plus $350 cash, 2nd Place: $250 cash, 3rd Place: $150 cash. For more information and an application, visit the Piano Competition page on the HCC website.  There will be a Showcase Concert on Friday, March 21, 2025 at 7:00 p.m where winners will be announced and those in attendance will get a vote in choosing the Audience Favorite. True confession: the real reason that this piano competition made it into the blog today has to do with the fact that three piano stories presented themselves to me within 24 hours. I took this as a sign. The Washington Post featured the story of a young man named Jo...