Skip to main content

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

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

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...