Coming to a School Near You

Talbott Springs Elementary School PTA will be hosting a Breakfast Cereal Bar to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. I’ve seen quite the variety of teacher treats and events over the years but a cereal bar is new to me.

Teacher Appreciation Week? Yup. It starts Monday. 

From the website of the National PTA:

Teachers Light the Way to Brighter Futures: Teacher Appreciation Week: May 5-9, 2025

They even have a downloadable Teacher Appreciation Week toolkit, available in both English and Spanish. 

Indie bookstore Queen Takes Book will have an Educator Appreciation Day on Wednesday May 7th. Tell your teacher friends or perhaps pass it along to your school’s PTA so they can spread the word. (May 7th is an early dismissal day, in case you wondered about the timing.)

In a different sort of Teacher Appreciation: tonight at the George Howard Building teachers and education advocates will be turning out to support the school system’s full budget request at the County Council Budget Hearing. The meeting begins at 6 PM. 

What do teachers really want during Teacher Appreciation Week? They’d probably be willing to trade it for more genuine appreciation during all the other weeks of the year.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Who Will Buy?

Who will live in this home?

11501 Manorstone Lane, Columbia 

Listed by Keisha Mcclain, Brokered by Hubble Bisbee Real Estate Group, Offered at $1,699,999.

My first thought: that’s Columbia?

Well yes, I guess it is. Manorstone is your third left after Harper’s Farm Road if you are heading towards River Hill on Route 108. 

It just so happens that it doesn’t look much like the Columbia that I’m familiar with. But that’s another story altogether.

It has five bedrooms, four and a half baths, and the just thought of keeping it clean makes me feel anxious.

I once (unintentionally) crossed a line by having a little fun with a real estate listing that I thought had a lot of…personality. There’s no danger of that here. This home is exquisitely neutral. The only thing that even made me smile was this staging of a luxurious bathroom. 

If I had this kind of bathtub perhaps I, too, would invite a couple of friends over when I had a bath.

Image taken from property video - - Hubble Bisbee Real Estate Group

From what I have gleaned from shows on HGTV, professional staging is meant to help potential buyers imagine what it would be like to live in the home they are viewing. There must be something wrong with me because, not only can I not imagine living here, I can’t imagine anyone living here. 

There’s nothing wrong with it. Perhaps there is something wrong with me. 

This home was built in 2002. Today, in 2025, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. In Howard County a big chunk of residents who worked in public service and had comfortable (not exhorbitant) incomes have lost their jobs. 

Who will live in this home? 

What personal touches will they add? Will they send their children to public schools? Will they call the police every time they see some who ‘looks out of place’ in the neighborhood? Will they even know their neighbors? 

I have always thought of myself as an imaginative person. This one stumps me.  Perhaps I am looking at something beyond my range of life experiences. 

Perhaps it is the times we are living in. I just don’t know.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Whatever Happened To…?

 

Forgive my late start. I took *one* Benadryl when I got home from the outdoor concert in the park. Woke up feeling like I left my brain in my other pants. 

The concert was wonderful, and definitely worth the pollen exposure. I know I often get sappy about children dancing on the lawn but last night I saw a family with an infant so small that it was clear that the Maryland Winds Concert at the Chrysalis was their very first exposure to a live music performance. 

It wowed me, somehow.

There was also some kind of ball game going on amongst a group of elementary aged kids at the very top of the hill. They were engaged in some sort of rhubarb as I walked by to get to the food trucks. Yet they were completely inaudible down where the concert goers were seated. I wonder if Michael McCall imagined all of that as he laid out the space for the Chrysalis. 

It’s a pretty darned flexible space.

*****

On mornings when I am scrounging for inspiration I often go back ten years and scroll through my old posts. Guess where we were ten years ago? Fascinated by a new (old) man about town. This guy:

Remember Colonel Gateway? That was ten years ago. Depending on your perspective, it might feel like a millions years ago or only last week. Time is funny that way. 

At any rate, this eccentric fellow was not just the product of one individual’s quest for fun. It was a project of ADG Creative and the intent was to stir up interest in Gateway. It did. If you have time to go down memory lane here’s some background from the time.

There, There Village Green/Town², April 2, 2015

Seeing the image of Colonel Gateway made me think about all that has been going on in Gateway since the appearance of that whimsical fellow. I wonder what he would think of everything that has happened since then?

Thoughts? Opinions? Send them my way.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Ripped from the Headlines

 

It looks like plenty of fun things managed to happen yesterday despite the showers! A tip of the hat to event organizers throughout the county who had to decide how to deal with questionable forecasts. In Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods they had concerts going on all day - - impressive. 

If you missed out, have no fear. 

You can catch the Maryland Winds at the Chrysalis today at five pm and the weather is looking good. Here’s the Eventbrite link to register for your free tickets: Maryland Winds: A Stroll in the Park.

*****

Completely unrelated: I am so glad that I am not an elected official because I will never need to endure news articles which are misleading or just plain stupidly framed, nor the annoying comments they provoke.

Today’s example comes from the Baltimore Banner. Here’s what it looked like on Bluesky.

Above the photo:

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball wants more youths employed this summer, Lillian Reed

Below the photo:

Howard County wants more youths employed this summer

Wow. At first glance this sounds like the County Executive wants to round up young people against their will as though they are enjoying too much leisure. This is truly unfortunate framing of the actual story. And here come the kind of comments you get from that kind of careless headline.

Because it’s not enough that both parents have to work to pad the billionaires’ pockets?

And:

That’s less than 4k per child for an entire summer of employment …?these rich idiots want to normalize child labor. it’s not normal. no child should need to work. Also giving opportunities only to people who can afford it is giving another advantage to an already privileged class.  250000/75 =3,333

My head is exploding over here. This is a news story about expanding summer employment opportunities for young people. Why should they be expanded? Because the program has been successful and the number of applications show that many more people want to participate than the slots that are presently available. 

The six-week program runs from July 1 to Aug. 9, and pairs young people with local businesses, nonprofits and government partners to practice job readiness skills and explore potential career opportunities in the county.

Is there no way that the Banner could have framed the story more accurately? Did they even try? How about: “Howard County Executive Calvin Ball looks to expand successful youth jobs program”?  That’s a title based on the facts contained in the story itself. 

I’m open to other suggestions. What do you think? 

Of course I can’t blame the oddball comments entirely on the Banner but, honestly, their framing left the door open for these kinds of responses. 

In the past, many of the best summer employment experiences for young people - - the kind that significantly contribute to future success - - were available only as unpaid internships. And unpaid internships are a barrier to anybody who legitimately needs to make money. Besides, they essentially  provide an extra boost to kids who already have the financial advantage of not “needing” to work.

When the County gets involved in creating and funding a summer jobs program they are providing opportunities for young people who want them. 

To the commenter who says that kids shouldn’t have to work, that sounds great to me. What’s your program for making that happen? I have to wonder if that sentiment holds until you see a group of teens hanging out someplace during the summer and assume they are “up to no good.”

I’m grateful that the Banner covers Howard County, really. I am. But is there no one who rereads titles like these and give that extra bit of thought? “What does this sound like?”  “What do we really want to say here?”

Human beings can and should apply that kind of thought. That’s what separates us from ‘journalism’ churned out via AI. Please tell me it’s still possible.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Will It, Won’t It?

 
 

There’s a ton of stuff going on HoCoLocally today. Alas, rain is also predicted. Some events have been pre-emptively canceled so check before you go. 

Something you can do no matter what the weather sends us: support Indie Bookstore Day. 

“One Day. Fifty States. 1600+ Bookstores.”

What’s an Indie Bookstore? Think mom and pop. Indies are, quite simply, independently owned. So the decisions on what books they carry and what kind of events they offer are made by real human beings in your community, not faceless committees in a corporate entity somewhere.

Here’s a list of HoCo indies (let me know if I’ve forgotten any.)

• Backwater Books
• Gramp’s Atric
• A Novel Refuge
• Queen Takes Book 
• Second Edition
• The Last Word at Omnihedral 
• The Last Word Mt. Airy

Indie bookstores carry the books that large chains may deem too risky or “controversial. “ They take chances on quirky books and often give little known authors a boost as they are starting out. You can build relationships with the folks at your local indie because they actively want to serve the communities where they are.

Blunt opinion here: books are far too precious to be left in the hands of corporations and chains. People who write books are essentially in the idea business. Corporations are in the money business. If they perceive certain kinds of ideas as counterproductive to their profits, they start narrowing what the public gets to see. 

Then we all lose. 

Even if you are far too busy to go to a bookstore today, you can still visit Bookshop.org and purchase a book through them which will benefit the local indie of your choice. Can’t do that? You can still bring some goodness into the world for our local independent bookstores by not buying any books from Amazon today. 

Yes, I’m going give you cool points for simply doing nothing. 

Amazon is running a book sale which will most certainly eat into the profits that local bookstores hope to make today. That’s not against the law but you don’t have to help them. 

In the meantime, if you are broke but desperate for a book, may I recommend our local libraries? 

What do you have planned for this “will it, won’t it” Spring Saturday? Whatever it is, you just might want to bring an umbrella. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: Feelings/Felines

Meanwhile, back at the emoji factory…

If you’ve seen me around Facebook lately you’ve probably noticed how often I’m using the Sad Face emoji to respond to current events. This is not simply because everything is making me sad. In fact, much of this stuff makes me very angry, even though I was socialized to believe that nice women don’t express anger.

No, I’d probably be hitting that Angry Face emoji with far greater frequency were it not for something I read from one of the resistance accounts. It seems that surges of Angry Faces to a given post triggers the great FB algorithm to clamp down on whatever account is getting those kind of responses. 

“If so many people are using the Angry Face, that account must be doing something wrong. We must intervene.”

Again, I can’t even remember where I read this. But it has made me suppress my urge to express anger lest I be the cause of Facebook freezing or ‘disappearing’ an account. 

So I’m just “sad.” Somehow this feels like so many times in my life where it was not acceptable for me as a woman to express anger so I just went and cried in the ladies room.

*****

Over on Bluesky, this guy has well and truly ticked people off:

The world is on fire and you're posting cat photos... please stop. I know, life goes on right?

Maybe not.

If DJT and fElon Musk aren't stopped soon, life could

literally end, for a lot of people!

So save your cute cat pics for a happier time... we simply cannot afford to be distracted right now. - - DadRants

Seriously? Luckily it didn’t take long for this to meet with significant pushback.

The world is on fire and you're sitting here on social media lecturing people? Go outside and do something about it. - - Captain Ruck

Do not mess with people who post cat pictures. They are not having your nonsense, and for good reason. Whether it’s cats, or dogs, nature, a beloved artwork, or something quirky in your neighborhood, those images are at the very least harmless self expression. More often, though, they are a moment of human connection, a spark of joy in the midst of panic and gloom, a reminder to take a breath. 

I myself do not post cat pictures but I have been known to share pics of Buddy Bear as a form of reassurance when folks express a need for moral support.

That’s not his beer. He doesn’t drink.

Telling people to stop doing things that bring comfort and joy is not going to bring about justice or political change with any greater speed. It’s just small minded and mean spirited.

Unrelated to the cat discussion, yet somehow relevant, this description of the current political administration sums it up perfectly:

This is what happens when your entire politics is revenge, retribution, and anger. You can never build anything because building requires dreaming and dreaming requires joy. - - girl fieri 

Building requires dreaming and dreaming requires joy.

I am angry (and I am also sad) but please don’t let me ever lose the ability to dream and to experience joy.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Fibers and Fabric

I need your expertise, folks. Have you ever been to Toby’s? I’m curious about this:

Image from Toby’s Dinner Theatre social media

Thank you to Linda Rose Payne and Mary Quinn, who have been working to refurbish and create new lobby soft sculptures, a longtime presence in our lobby.

These look intriguing. Is there a backstory to how they got there? Is there any way to look at them without attending a show?

I do know that you won’t need to buy a ticket to see the current display of quilts at the library’s Central Branch. The annual display by the Milltown Quilters is hung in the main staircase for everyone to enjoy.  They’ll be on view through May 18th. You can catch a glimpse in this screenshot below. See more of the exhibit at this link.

Images taken from Howard County Library social media 

Coming up in May, the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival offers numerous Fiber Arts Seminars if that’s more in line with what you fancy. 

Check out the workshops on offer and sign up soon because registration closes April 26th.

I had fun hunting for textile and fiber arts opportunities in HoCo but I was surprised not to find more. If you know of any, send them my way. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

Food Farewells

 

Duchess, the adorable little sandwich shop with milkshakes, has closed. For me it was one of those places that I always meant to get to. Someday.

Alas.

The last several weeks have brought other closings: Bippy’s Pub, R & R Tacqueria, Chicken & Whiskey, Bennie’s Pizza, Today’s Catch. 

Is it a trend? Or does each place have its own unique reasons? I’d be more inclined towards the latter. 

Sometimes folks have worked a very, very long time and there is no one to continue the business once they have retired. Food service is grueling work. Not everyone wants to take it on.

There are a few other reasons that we may be seeing restaurants and other food related businesses closing in Howard County in the coming months.

• Supply chain issues
• Increased food costs
• A loss of workers due to ICE fears
• Decreased business due to job loss in the community 

Those reasons are all completely avoidable. None of those things needed to happen. 

I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve seen people mock leadership in Howard County for taking positions on things that happen in Washington. 

That’s not your job. Nobody wants to hear what you think. What happens in Washington has nothing to do with Howard County.

Guess what? The next time you go to your favorite restaurant, only to see that it has closed, think on this:

We don’t exist in some safe little silo. Things that happen in Washington absolutely do matter here. Leaders who are able to assess the big picture are smarter than you think. 

If you can, go to that place you’ve always been meaning to go. Then, at the very least, you won’t have that regret that I’m feeling today about Duchess. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Artsy

 

On this day eight years ago, the Chrysalis amphitheater was opened with speeches and celebrations. These words from State Senator Guy Guzzone turned up in my Facebook memories for today:

The arts show us who we are: good and bad. And in many ways they show us how we can be better.

These words are every bit as relevant today.

We recently had the opportunity to see the play Tick, Tick…Boom! At the Greenbelt Arts Center.

Director's Note

Our rehearsal process coincided with what would be Jonathan Larson's 65th birthday. He died right after turning 36. For someone to have such an awareness of his own mortality and create art to help others through their own grief, it's almost magical. I have loved this show since I was 17. This show deals with Jon completing a project he's worked on for five years, Superbia. I found that so poignant because I myself have been planning this show for six years. But what happens when we as artists have worked so long on a project we love so deeply? As Jon's agent says, we move onto the next, we create new art. That's what eventually led to Larson's biggest hit and most known part of his legacy, Rent. This musical also tells the story of Michael, a former actor who now works in corporate, and Susan, a dancer who now mainly teaches instead of performs. For anyone, no matter their career, it is essential to have art in their life. Art, music, literature, and theatre are where we gain knowledge and empathy.

I am so thankful for every person that comes to see this show. I hope everyone leaves with new inspiration for their art or how to cherish those that are still with us. And, of course, I hope you enjoy the show.

~Margo Myst McCready, Director

For anyone, no matter their career, it is essential to have art in their life. Art, music, literature, and theatre are where we gain knowledge and empathy.

The director (whose name may look familiar) said that this note was written during the same time that the leadership and board of the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts were being decimated. Reading those words understanding that those events are the backdrop makes them all the more poignant and chilling.  Just imagine what those destructive actions by the current administration in Washington are having on those in the arts all over this country. 

If you care about the arts you have some local opportunities both to learn and express yourself. On Wednesday night the Columbia Association is holding the next in its ongoing series: Change in Columbia. Entitled: The Impact of Art, it will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm at Stone House in Long Reach. Discussions will focus on art as a community builder. Although Stone House is well-known as Columbia’s center for visual arts, I am assured that the focus will be inclusive of all of the arts. 

We all need art. Why? 

 It expresses the most unique parts of us and reflects our most intimate  emotions. And it's part of the foundation of Columbia.

Tap into your inner artist.

Experience the transformative power of art through interactive activities.

Participate in the conversation about how we use art to push boundaries, connect to one another and fit with the role of art in our ever-changing landscape.

 Join us at Change In Columbia: The Impact of Art

The event is free and free childcare will be provided but you must pre-register.

Register at ColumbiaAssociation.org/Change You may also register to participate via Zoom.

The Howard County Arts Council is inviting residents to take a survey as they formulate an Arts and Culture Master Plan. 

Help shape the future of arts & culture in Howard County by taking our quick survey today! 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XK2R8LC

Your voice will be part of the HoCo Arts and Culture Plan, guiding local creative growth, celebrating our community’s assets, and driving future investments. 

This is your chance to influence the future of the arts in Howard County! 

We are invited to participate and to make our voices heard. What a precious opportunity that is, especially right now. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

Five Things: Short and Sweet Monday

 

Why is Easter Monday a day off from school? Well, because the state of Maryland requires it. But why does the state of Maryland require it? 

Explain it to me like I’m five.

As a former church musician who was also a teacher this was a welcome day of recovery. I can’t deny that. But I’m not certain that’s a good enough reason to make that day an unchangeable day off.

What do you think?

*****

Three cheers and a tip of the hat to all the good HoCoLocal folks who have been bringing resistance to Gorman Road and to Little Patuxent Parkway. While trolls on the Internet continue to tell me that the United States is not a democracy, thank goodness that some people think that democracy is worth standing up for. 

*****

We had a great meal outside at the White Oak Tavern yesterday. The food was delicious, the service was excellent and the weather was practically made to order. I don’t think they shoukd make waitstaff wear bunny ears but that’s just me. The enormous bunny balloon sculpture inside next to the performance area was a nice touch. 

I wonder what happens to balloon sculptures when they have outlived their usefulness?

*****

I keep bumping into posts on Blue Sky from an entity called Citizen Portal AI. They’re covering Howard County Council meetings, among other things. (Here’s an example.) As you might imagine, I take a dim view of AI as a replacement for journalism. Does anyone know any more information about Citizen Portal AI? Who is behind it? Is there any means of accountability?

*****

It was wonderful to be back in The Park for the first Chrysalis Kids concert of the season. The Culture Queen had the kids up and dancing! As always, the availability of the giant soft blocks from Imagination Playground provided an active alternative for the non-dancing contingent. 

I spent some time tree-watching during the concert. I can’t decide if this particular tree was dancing along or whether its branches indicate “Darned if I know.”

Shrugging tree?

Seen any cool trees lately? Spring is a good time to be on the lookout.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Don’t Dine and Drag

About a week ago I came across a rather rambling complaint against a local restaurant on the Howard County Eats page. I probably would have ignored it except the poster claimed that entire experience was made exponentially worse because it was a “black-owned business.”

At that point I saw red. I asked, 

“I'm curious why you make a point of it being a Black-owned business. Why is that relevant?”

There was no response. In fact, there was no response to any of the comments on their post, most of which were skeptical. Further scrutiny revealed that the account of the original poster appeared to be a fake one. 

This person probably intended to vent their anger in a public way and to possibly start a social media pile-on that would harm the restaurant. I’m happy to say that it failed rather spectacularly. In addition, I’m probably more likely to try this restaurant than I was before.

It doesn’t always work like that. Some folks just love to drag restaurants and others jump into the fray. It takes on all the senseless enthusiasm of a fight in the lunchroom. Yes, having a bad experience in a restaurant is disappointing but destroying a local business is…irresponsible? Out of proportion? Reckless?

I’m unable to find this particular post right now so perhaps the OP thought better of it or perhaps it was removed by moderators. Yes, I took a screenshot, but it’s a private group and I respect that. Suffice it to say that this time good sense prevailed.

Bonus content today:

My friend Marge has resurrected her blog, Scribbles from the Margen, after a hiatus which I would describe as “too darn long.” I have missed her writing. It just so happens her post today touches on a similar situation. A disgruntled customer takes their restaurant rant to social media and the general response is not what they were expecting. It’s rather hilarious.

Is There a Problem Here?, Marge Neal, Scribbles from the Margen

Please take the moment to click on over. It’s delightful.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Hot in HoCo

Looking for Saturday fun? It may reach eighty degrees and the pollen will be high. I object. Still, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Here’s a sampling:

Earth Day Celebration, 10 am to 1 pm, Clarksville Commons 

Secondhand and Sustainable: The Ultimate Wardrobe Refresh, 10 am to 12 pm, Ellicott City Goodwill

Meet and Greet with the Easter Bunny, 10 am to 1 pm, Lakeside Title

Kids Fest Hosted by Howard County Recreation and Parks, 11 am to 2 pm, Meadowbrook Lane* 

Upcycled Earth Day Cleanup, 11 am to 1 pm, Savage Mill Trail*

Chrysalis Kids: Culture Queen Concert, 11 am, Chrysalis Amphitheater*

Earthapalooza, 9 am to 1 pm, Freetown Farm

The asterisk indicates that prior registration and/or ticket purchase is required. Click the link to learn more. 

It is interesting to note that the event at Lakeside Title is billed as a Meet-and-Greet. This suggests to me that the Easter Bunny is running for higher office. I’m trying to imagine which one. 

Have a wonderful Saturday, whatever you decide to do. If you have other HoCoLocal recommendations, share them in the comments.

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: Renouncing RFK, Jr. and All His Works

Best headline on this particular topic:

RFK Jr. Says There Are No Autistic Poets. We Asked an Autistic Poet. Julia Mètraux, Mother Jones 

Read it.

I am so enraged by yesterday’s comments by RFK Jr. that I honestly can’t string words together. But I can’t remain silent, either. So here are some screenshots from Bluesky, because sometimes other people say it better than I ever could. 

I honestly can't stop thinking about this RFK speech. A lot of the outrage around it is focused on pointing out that it's not true.

But so fucking what if it was?

Do people whose bodies don't work not deserve to exist in society? If all these things were true for a person are they less worthy?

You all desperately need to consider the possibility that it's ok and good actually for disabled people to exist and our existence doesn't make our lives less real or worthy or human. We're not a drain on society. We're not a burden.

We're literally just people. - - Erin Biba

fwiw, i think both arguments are important and need to be repeated until they sink in; because everybody DOES deserve to exist with dignity, AND because autistic people specifically are so frequently infantilized as a means to deprive us of our agency - - bubbe yaga 

The focus on disabled children rather than adults is always to further dehumanize people with disabilities, as children are often not viewed as people yet, and purposely ignores the existence of disabled adults who are alive and thriving because they want to create the illusion of no future for them. - - Bree

Autistic children deserve to become happy fully supported autistic adults, in whatever capacity that looks like to them. - - selfcaregamer 

Guys, I love all of you, but the answer to RFK, Jr. is not that autistic adults hold jobs, pay taxes, and get laid, it's that everyone deserves to live even if they can't work, pay taxes, or get laid. - - Ridley

*****

We are told that women must not have reproductive rights because anything that interferes with conception is against God's will and is, essentially murder. That each human life is precious. Yet almost in the same breath we are told that if you are autistic you ought not to be alive. 

There is nothing pro-life about this. This is the language of eugenics and extermination. If you obviously need supports then your life has no value. If you are desperately masking in order to “pass” then you clearly never needed supports, anyway.

That is the future that RFK Jr is preaching. 

It’s completely dehumanizing. He didn’t lead with “poet.” He led with they’ll never pay taxes, they’ll never have a job. It’s just “useless eaters” rhetoric. And then he fluffs it up with, they’ll never write a poem. They’ll never play baseball. Some people won’t—some people have higher support needs. They are still people. They have a right to live and a right to dignity. And that’s not what he wants for us. He is using the straight-up eugenicist playbook. People who can’t go to the toilet by themselves are still people. People who can’t write a poem are still people. I doubt [Kennedy] can write a poem, but he’s still a person.

You can’t eradicate autism without eradicating autistic people. It’s genocidal rhetoric against us that’s justified by “autism destroys families. It destroys children.” No, it doesn’t. It’s bias against autistic people. - - Elizabeth McClennan, autistic poet

Touch Grass

 

Does your inner monologue sound like this these days?

What good can I do? I’m only one person. There are so many things demanding my attention, so many crises that are overwhelming me. I know I shouldn’t keep scrolling on social media but I just feel paralyzed.

Got twenty minutes? Go outside. Here’s an activity from Live Green Howard County that anyone can do.

Help us celebrate Earth Month by planning a 20 Minute Cleanup in your community any time during the entire month of April!  The 20 Minute Cleanup is Howard County's annual spring-cleaning project and anyone can be involved. Either in a group or on your own, safely pick up litter for at least 20 minutes at the time and place of your choosing. Dispose of the trash and recycling as part of your regular collection.  We want to know your results! Tag us and use #20MinuteCleanup on social media (photos welcomed!) or email 20minutecleanup@howardcountymd.gov.  https://livegreenhoward.com/recycling-waste/litter-cleanups/

Here’s a local example from Ellicott City H-Mart to kickstart your motivation:

 

A special #20MinuteCleanup shout out to the Ellicott City H Mart for setting an example for the community. H Mart staff recently transformed the litter-laden ravine and pond area just beyond their parking lot into a clean and green haven.  See how you can join in the movement this month:  learn more about Howard County's 20 Minute Cleanup initiative at https://livegreenhoward.com/recycling-waste/litter-cleanups/

The expression “touch grass” is explained here by Merriam Webster:

touch grass - -  idiomatic phrase

: to participate in normal activities in the real world especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions

• To be told to touch grass is intended as an insult for people who spend too much time online, disconnected from the reality outside their pixelated screens.

- Catriona Morton

I don't want to become one of those people who does so well in their career, but ... has never touched grass a day in their life.

- Antoni Bumba, quoted at vox.com

Today I’m using those words not as an insult but as an invitation. And not just to my readers but to myself as well. We can’t save the world by ourselves. We can’t stay sane being sucked into scrolling the Internet. We can go outside for twenty minutes and pick up trash. It’s doable. And it will make a difference.

Have you participated in the 20 minute clean up in past years? I’d love to hear about it. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Be True to Your School

 

I read recently that more and more schools in Howard County are having difficulty keeping their PTA’s going. If you can’t find officers to lead, the program will fold. If the number of folks willing/able to volunteer for events and initiatives dwindles, those who are volunteering are overworked and experience burnout.

There are a number of factors that are contributing to the current decline in school PTA’s and I’d be interested to hear what my readers think. But one suggestion that resonated with me is that PTA’s have always relied on the unpaid labor of women. Maybe, just maybe, that’s not a sustainable model.

In many homes it is a necessity for women to be employed, yet they are still somehow expected to pick up the unpaid services that support family and community life. PTA is only one of the things that could be making demands on their time. There is only so much time. Human beings only have so much energy. 

I wrote a post (so long ago that I can’t find it) about how much of what we perceived as neighborhood safety was dependent on stay at home moms being ever-present. That, too, relied upon the unpaid labor of women. Some folks think that this was an idyllic state to which we can return by taking away women’s rights and working at subjugating them with more zeal and enthusiasm. 

I am no expert on what it takes to run a school PTA. I welcome feedback. But, if we value this kind of support for students, teachers, and school programs then is it possible that a model which still depends so heavily on women’s unpaid contributions is just not feasible?

How might it look different? What works best? 

Village Green/Town² Comments

“Make Good Choices” - - How?

Heads up!

A friend recommended this to me and I wanted to highlight this event to all of you. It’s at seven pm tonight and it’s online. No need to leave your house. 
 

This evening’s meeting of the HCPSS Community Advisory Council will focus on programs for positive male models in school communities. All are welcome. And here is the event link. 

Why does it matter? Let me share what Lizz Hammon (recipient of this year’s HCPSS Friend of Education Award) had to say:

At a time when so many seem to be focused on metal detectors, security assistants, mall bans, and curfews — it’s important to me to highlight the awesome programs that are available to our young male students. In the case of STAND Mentorship specifically, their mentors are all volunteers, their mentees are some of the most at-risk students in our schools and they work with their entire families, after school, evenings and weekends. They de-escalate so much conflict but they’re only able to reach about 75 kids at a time. Imagine if we invested in these programs so that more students could take advantage instead of wasting money on ineffective weapons detection technology.

What if we invested in meaningful interventions that had long term benefits? If that’s important to you or if you are simply curious to learn what that looks like, tonight’s meeting is for you.

I have to admit that reading these words at five in the morning didn’t truly penetrate until Facebook threw the following post into my feed. Serendipitous, really. The name of this account is NeuroWild and it is run by Emily Hammond, an AuADHD Speech Pathologist.

I hate the phrase 'make a good choice', because it's often said to overwhelmed neurodivergent kids.

Like, 'do better with the zero resources you have right now.'

Instead of giving them yet another expectation, we need to reduce the other stuff that's draining their capacity.

Then they can more readily access *all* their skills.

Take a look at the accompanying graphic. Instead of saying ‘make a good choice, try saying…’

When I read this, something in my brain clicked. 

…’do better with the zero resources you have right now’

…reduce the other stuff that's draining their capacity

…they can more readily access *all* their skills

This is just as relevant to students who are coming to school impacted by poverty, family instability, and experiencing long-term trauma. It is of no help to repeat admonitions like “make good choices” when they have zero mental/emotional resources to tap into. What can we do to reduce the other stuff that’s draining their capacity? How can we help them build the inner resources they need so they can more readily access all their skills? 

I complain daily about all of the unasked-for junk that Facebook throws into my feed but this was the exception. It made the importance of tonight’s online meeting of the Community Advisory Council more vivid and easier for me to comprehend. 

We can invest in reactive “solutions” that look like assorted ways to police transgressions or we can invest in building up and nourishing that which has been damaged and depleted inside of the kids who are members of our community. We could do that. I believe it would have more long term, overall impact and would be a better use of our funds as well.

Curious? Tune in tonight. And tell me what you think.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Roadblocks and Stumbling Blocks

Who stands in your way? When something doesn’t happen the way you want it, whose fault is it? 

Is that how you look at life?

There seems to be a good deal of this sort of thinking these days. Folks turn disappointment about a local (or national) issue into an attack on the person or a particular group of people that must be at fault. Thus their disappointment morphs into targeted anger. 

Their original desire may have been to solve a genuine problem. Now it is simply to punish/annihilate that person/group that stands in their way. 

At this point no genuine problem-solving is possible. It is war. 

Unscrupulous politicians, demagogues, and other would-be leaders encourage this. Angry people who have chosen a target and who have really stopped accessing rational thought are easier to manipulate and they are loud.

Really, really loud.

It is one thing to feel, “I am mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” It is quite another to turn that into: it’s their fault.

• “the Gays”
• undocumented workers
• transgender students playing sports
• the unions’
• libraries
• greedy developers
• Black Americans in your workplace 

Do you get my drift?

This morning I came smack up against someone who has turned their crusade for a local school into an outright attack on the people that they think are standing in their way. It just so happens that those people are living in the Village of Oakland Mills. Obviously, that’s where it gets a bit personal for me.

I won’t go into detail here because it would be wrong for me to turn my frustration into a personal attack. But I am exhausted and disheartened by this way of operating in public life. It looks like this:  if I can’t get what I want by fair and reasonable means, then maybe I can stir up enough hatred against whoever I think is in my way to mow them down. 

Anyone who endorses these tactics tells you everything you need to know about whether they will be thoughtful, trustworthy, or honest in their dealings. 

Who stands in your way? Whose fault is it? Is it “those people?” 

You may have a problem.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Green for a Day?

 

Today is Greenfest, which is Howard County’s largest celebration of Earth Day. It’s certainly not the only way that HoCo celebrates Earth Day during the month of April, but, it is truly a “one-stop-shopping” experience for all things related to sustainability and care for the environment.

Here are some helpful links:

Howard County Greenfest website

Greenfest 2025 Guide

The very first GreenFest was held in 2007 in the parking lot of the Howard County Dorsey building. Following its successful debut, the 2008 event was held at the Glenwood Community Center. From 2009 onwards it has been hosted by Howard County Community College. I wouldn’t know any of this had I not stumbled upon a delightful piece by Lindsay DeMarzo (now Stormwater Programs Manager.)

Greenfest: Tales from Beneath the Leaf, Lindsay DeMarzo, 2011

If you have a minute, it’s a fun and engaging read describing the early years and evolution of GreenFest. I particularly loved this recollection of GreenFest 2008: 

We lucked out – people showed and so did the sun.  Lots of people, in fact. … We did learn that year that even though it was sunny, wind is not a vendor’s friend so we made a note to self: Keep everyone inside next year or provide a lot of rocks for paper weights.

Anyone who has ever participated in an outdoor festival on a windy day knows exactly what DeMarzo is talking about. 

One more thing: if you are heading over to GreenFest today, you can assist the HCC Fueling Dragons Campus Food Pantry while you are there. 

Campus Food Pantry

Donations of food and personal care items will be collected on the first floor of the Galleria during GreenFest. The Fueling Dragons program supports current HCC students overcome food insecurity and cultivate healthy habits. Visit their website for more details.

• GreenFest 2025
• Howard Community College 
• Saturday April 12th from 10 am to 3 pm

How to get there?

Bike: Choose a "green" mode of transportation this year! Bike HoCo is partnering with GreenFest to provide a free bike corral for visitors and volunteers. If the journey is too far to cycle, consider bringing your bike to an outlying parking lot and biking to the corral. 

Bus: There are three RTA buses that serve the Howard Community College campus: 401, 404 and 414. Download the Transit app for real-time date.

Drive: Consider carpooling with other GreenFest attendees! Vendors and attendees should park in the East Garage for easy accessibility to the Academic Commons and outdoor activities.

If you can’t make it to GreenFest today, Clarksville Commons will be celebrating Earth Day on April 19th and Oakland Mills Village will hold their celebration on April 26th.

Are there other HoCoLocal Earth Day events we should know about? Let me know. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

F ³: Ask Me

 

Years ago, when I was young and impressionable, I saw someone I knew wearing a big button that said, “Ask Me!” So I did.

It turned out they were selling nutritional meal-replacing diet shakes. That tasted like chalk. (Ask me how I know…)

This memory comes to mind this morning as I ponder questions. Podcast host/television interviewer Kelly Corrigan has referenced this more than once in describing the difficulty we have in interacting with one another these days. Something that is missing is the ability to ask really good questions and then truly listen to the answers.

Our conversations ping back and forth with personal anecdotes and an exchange of information, often feeling more like two people simply waiting for their turn to talk. But we are missing out on something. We come away wondering why no one cares enough about us to ask us. 

Human beings have a deep longing to be known. There’s something crippling about existing in a universe where the most anyone will ask you is “How was your day?” Or “How was your weekend?” 

We are so much more than that. 

So, here’s where you come in. What are the questions that you wish people would ask you? These are probably things that are genuinely important to you and yet no one seems to notice or be curious about. We walk around in a vague sadness of being unasked.

What a joy it would be to know someone who is genuinely curious and excited about knowing you, even after a long time. Especially after a long time.

What do you think? What are the questions that you are waiting for people to ask? 

I’m asking you. It’s your turn.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

More Than Book Things

I’m in love with a music video. 

No, I haven’t traveled back in time to the 1980’s. I’m celebrating National Library Week with this original song and engaging images created by HCLS Instructor and Research Specialist Kimberly Johanson.

More Than Book Things, Music by Zach Seals, Lyrics by Kimberly Johanson. Performed by Zach Seals.

True confession: I would have embedded the video here but I only know how to do that if it’s posted on YouTube. And, for some reason, HCLS is posting less on YouTube these days. So click the link and enjoy Howard County’s hottest new tune. It’s two minutes and forty seven seconds long. You have time.

*****

“Now more than ever, communities need strong libraries.”

I posted that sentence on Facebook recently and was met with a question: why? We’re an affluent community, even low-income people here have their own access to that stuff. 

This prompted me to ask, “What do you think libraries are?” Because it seemed to me that this person thought that libraries were buildings full of stuff. If you have the stuff, you don’t need a library.

As the song says, our libraries are more than book things. They are also more than buildings full of stuff.

This video was created to celebrate National Library Workers Day, a part of National Library Week which honors the people who make the library magic happen. Their slogan: Libraries Work Because We Do. I couldn’t agree more.

Think about the video you just watched. What is it showing us?

Libraries are people. Libraries are communities. Libraries are where anyone can go to get connected to: 

• What they want to know
• What they want to do
• Who they want to be 

Libraries provide free access to everyone. There is no extra special Platinum Card service for the wealthy. There is no dress code or membership requirements which keep out the poor or unhoused. All members of the community are welcome and all library materials and programs are designed with that in mind. 

More than book things

Not just buildings

H-C-L-S

We’ll guide, don’t stress

Your place, you know

To learn, connect, grow

Happy National Library Week. Here’s a reminder that libraries will continue to work for us as long as we make it a priority to support the work they do. 

What do you love about your library? 

Village Green/Town² Comments

Right Here in River City

 

Yesterday was the official groundbreaking event for the new Howard County Performing Arts Center and Artist Flats, held at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. This project has been in the works for a long, long time. I haven’t always been one hundred percent certain how I felt about it but, in the end, I am convinced by two things:

The arts are good, housing is good, and this is a community investment worth making.

We could argue from now until next year about whether any project is the best possible incarnation of community needs, the best possible use of money, the best possible design, the best combination of components…

And then we would not do anything. Perhaps that would be reassuring if our primary goal is to never do anything unless it is The Best. 

A thousand ships unsailed, dreams unrealized, needs unmet. 

I found it fascinating that yesterday’s ceremony took place on the set of Toby’s current production, The Music Man. How on earth did we ever get anything new and exciting off the ground right here in River City?

Images from Toby’s Dinner Theatre Facebook page. 

If you haven’t seen the musical, then it is important for you to know that River City is a town deeply set in its ways. They are so hung up on maintaining the status quo that the very thought of a single woman running a library alarms them.  Thus they are easily bamboozled by a stranger from out of town when he works them into a frenzy about the dangers of a billiard parlor.

The play is set in 1912. Somehow these issues don’t feel so unfamiliar today.

I grew up listening to the sound tracks of those old classic musicals and The Music Man was definitely one of them. Included in the liner notes of the original cast album is an anecdote from creator Meredith Wilson. He describes the show as being inspired by a trunk full of songs he had written over the years about his home town of Mason, Iowa.  Wilson built the musical around those songs. One by one, the songs were replaced by new material as it became apparent that something different was needed to establish character or forward the plot. The story goes that the very last of those original songs was replaced quite close to the show’s official opening. 

So, now he had The Music Man. But he still somehow had that old trunk full of songs because the show had grown and changed and blossomed into something different than his original concept. And he went with that. He had the skills and the ability and the vision to evolve along with it. Wilson didn’t throw away his concept. He adapted: re-envisioned, improved, reshaped, deepened. 

If you haven’t already guessed, I see a straight line from that story to how we handle growth and change in Columbia and in Howard County as a whole. 

Wilson had to let go of things that he liked and was probably emotionally invested in so that what he was creating would be better and more true to itself. Wow, that’s hard. 

Several weeks ago I found myself writing the following in my journal:

Trying new things is a leap and an effort. And I don’t want to make an effort. I want everything to feel better and I don’t even want to try. Or: I only want to try with success and pleasure assured in advance. 

This is probably why I wince a little at the statement which heads County Executive Calvin Ball’s Facebook page: Bold Solutions Build the Best Communities. Not because I think it is wrong, but because it can be so hard to be bold. 

And it is darned near impossible for all of us to feel bold at the same time. It is truly amazing that we get anything meaningful accomplished. 

We can’t have success and pleasure assured in advance. We can’t guarantee that it is the best of this, that, and the other thing. We can keep working to make our community better and truer to itself.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

*You can view the complete set of photos from the event at Toby’s Facebook page.