Village Green/Town²

  Postcards. When you go on vacation, do you send them? Do you enjoy receiving them? Has their meaning changed over the years? Now that anyone can go online and enjoy vistas from far away places, does the shiny image of the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel towel have the same impact? I’m inclined to believe that the relationship you have with the person who sent you the card has become far more important. Last week this postcard image popped up on BlueSky. I did not know there were Columbia postcards. Image from BlueSky account postcardbot, this card sent by Ann from Southern, Maryland, U.S.A. on December 20, 1994. Text on the reverse:  Columbia, Maryland Completed in 1967, Columbia was one of the the first of the modern planned cities. Designed by the Rouse Co., the city was termed a "garden for the growing of people." In the foreground is Lake Kittamaqundi; the background, office buildings and Columbia Mall. Does any word there leap out at you? Read the blurb again. “Compl...

  Today is one of the coolest events of the year and it’s free. Downtown Columbia Maker Faire  , Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, 12  - 4 pm. I’m not recovered enough yet from surgery so I can’t be there but I hope you will go. If you are as intrigued as I am by this quirky and wondrous celebration of creativity, tinkering, and just plain fun - - don’t miss it!  It’s more than just looking at things. It’s a very open-ended, hands-on experience. So, if you have kids, or you happen to be someone like me…Maker Faire is for you. And there are plenty of well-cared for trees in The Park so you will have shade if you need it.  Tickets are free but you must pre-register so they know how many people to expect and how to manage the parking logistics. Downtown Columbia Maker Faire Registration  From the event page: Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning, creating, and love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to...

  Fear. Everyone has it. Here are my top three fears from my early childhood: Being forced to participate in gymnastics activities in PE class. Going for car rides after dark with my family. Old, wrinkled, dusty balloons. My top three today look different: Having my Social Security cut off. What the future holds for my children. Unremediated pain or asthma But I’m not here today to talk about what I’m afraid of. I here to talk about what I am not afraid of.  I am not afraid of Zohran Mamdani.  There are a lot of folks out there telling me I should be, but: I’m not. I spent some time on Thursday investigating my feelings about this and I realized I have been blessed by something that a lot of people haven’t: I have a Muslim friend.  I’m not saying: I can’t be Islamophobic because I have a Muslim friend. That’s not a claim I could fairly make because I was raised swimming in white culture and I make mistakes all the time. I am saying that I look at this candidate for...

  Good morning, beautiful people. It has been oh, so therapeutic to talk to you about my life for the past few days. But now I think I should try to get back to work.  **** Elections. We haz ‘em. If you haven’t noticed, the magic alarm clock that indicates the next election cycle has sounded. People are “declaring.” There’s some preliminary info on that over at The Merriweather Post Blog, along with commentary if you are interested.  So far I’m noticing candidates for County Executive, County Council, and State Delegate. Have I missed anything? Here’s my question. How do you feel about these upcoming local elections? What are you looking for? What issues are the most important to you?  Are there qualities of the public servants we have now that you truly value and you’d like to see more of? Are there things you really wanted out of the last election and they didn’t materialize?  I will make an embarrassing confession here: one of the things I dearly wanted out o...

First things first: thank you. Thanks to everyone who reached out yesterday , who helped yesterday, who offered words of advice and encouragement. You truly helped carry me/us through. A special thank you to Howard County Constituent Services, most especially Paul Thompson, who managed to listen with empathy and make me feel as though I was the Queen of England at the same time. There are other folks who went above and beyond but I don’t know if I have permission to name them, so: if you are reading this: thank you. I sincerely hope you know who you are.  A special shout-out to the friend who taught me the magic words: I would like to escalate this to a manager.  A quick update: I am eating breakfast at the Doubletree which, if you know where I live, is almost like walking down the street to stay with Grandma. We finally got authorization for emergency housing late yesterday afternoon. It turns out the delay in getting help from our insurance company was that someone at Libert...

    On a painfully hot Monday afternoon Mr. Howard County Teacher lay down to take a nap after a morning of music curriculum writing. As he drifted off he thought he noticed a crack on the ceiling. When he awoke it looked as though the crack was getting bigger. That’s when he heard the crackling noises. Alarmed, he grabbed his phone and sprang from the bed as the seam connecting the sheets of drywall opened up and pieces began to fall. He ran downstairs. His wife, Mrs. Retired Teacher, sat in the recliner recovering from recent abdominal surgery. She could tell from the look on his face that something was not good. As he recounted the series of events they heard a heavy thump. A big chunk of their bedroom ceiling was now on their bed.  Telephone calls were made. A report to insurance was filed. The insurance company requested more photos which is how Mr. Howard County Teacher happened to be in the bedroom when the rest of the ceiling collapsed. He escaped, as they say, wi...

  The original date on this post is June 22, 2018. I’m sure that not everything I have written has aged well. This, on the other hand, has become even more true. - - jam ***** Proactive   Leadership looks forward. It is proactive, not reactive. After the hateful rhetoric of the 2016 presidential election there were some very wise people who read the signs and saw what was coming. All those hate filled rallies on the campaign trail had everything to do with demonizing brown people at the border. Any border, any brown people. Locally in Howard County there were many who didn’t take the proposal of CB9 seriously. They accused its proponents of nothing more than petty politics. There was no danger. We were doing just fine the way we were. I wonder if any of them knew what was coming? ICE agents searching Greyhound buses demanding papers? Children separated from parents without plans for return? Travelers refused entry because of their religion? Maybe some did, and that’s exactly w...

Seven years ago I stumbled into an online rant which I dubbed the Great Columbia Grass-Cutting War. The problem? Someone in the village of Harper’s Choice had not mowed their lawn. This. Means. War.  Village Green/Town², May, 2018 A (long-suffering?) gentleman came forward to re-iterate the steps that Harper’s Choice was already taking to address the situation. Do you guys think that if someone violates a covenant we can immediately sue them? These processes take time. Would you like me to go to your house, find all of the issues, and then give you 7 days to fix them all before I start fining you by the day? Probably not. That is why the process is civil. The grass sucks but it will get cut. We are on it. And then, he shared a bit of golden information: The new owners didn’t know their responsibility. This town is very complex. People don’t realize. The village center itself is owned by over 4 entities. This town is confusing. I was thoroughly impressed and charmed by this fellow’s...

  Honestly? It’s a No Blog Day. But I just couldn’t leave you hanging. Do you know where playground animals go when they retire? Now you do.   I adored this the moment  I saw it, although I had a hard time believing it was really true. It is. Check this out on Secret NYC.  NYC Parks even hosted a retirement party for them. !!! I hope this story made you smile and that you have a great Friday. See you tomorrow. Village Green/Town² Comments

 “Pools, parks, pathways.” It’s a sort of colloquial shorthand for the what Columbia Association does. If you live here long enough you begin to realize that’s far too simple a definition.  We’re entering a season where CA shines as a facilitator of all things Lakefront. Today they’ll be hosting Juneteenth festivities beginning at 2 pm.  Music by DJ G-Money  Line dancing with April "Dancing Diva" Williams   Performances by B. Funk Dance Company  Black-owned food trucks  Kids activities   Vendor village  Special appearance by Kyaira I don’t know if it has been like this in years past, but Lakefest comes twenty four hours later - - probably less, if you count clean up for one event and set up for the other. Wowza. That’s a whole lot of logistics. Lakefest used to be wholly a production of the Columbia Festival of the Arts. It now appears to be a cooperative venture between several groups, CA being a part of the mix. If you haven’t ever been, I’...

  I’ve been spending a lot more time on YouTube since I discovered how to watch it on our big flat screen television. Last night the following promo caught my eye: The Simple Genius of the Interstate Highway System: The US’ Greatest Ever Investment Now, I have nothing against the Interstate Highway System. But my first thought was: the greatest investment in the United States was the institution of public school systems.  This is, of course, a rather apples to oranges comparison, since the long history of schools in this country is a story of local and state investment in education. The federal government got involved rather further down the line. But the word I was focused on was “investment.” I truly believe that the greatest investment a nation can make is in the education of young people. Yes, the interstate high way system can get you places. In the long run, a good public school education can get you many, many more places.  Do you see where I’m going with this? To...

This post could also be entitled: A Day Late and A Dollar Short. You’ll soon see why. Last night at Union Jack’s: Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City, Maryland, a scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, held their monthly meeting to explore and enjoy the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Well, not just any of his works, but specifically the cases of the great detective Sherlock Holmes.  In all my years in Howard County I had never heard of them. Have you? The Baltimore Sun had. I discovered they did a lovely write up (with photographs) in 2019.  Watson’s Tin Box gets its name from a section of the tale, The Problem of Thor Bridge: The group, founded by Steve Clarkson and Paul Churchill, held their first meeting in 1990. They meet monthly at Union Jack’s for dinner, presentations, discussions, and even a quiz of their vast Sherlockian knowledge. (Or would it be Holmesian?) So, you’ve already missed this month’s gathering but do not despair. Upcoming dates are set and the t...

   So I’m not the only one who has housing on the brain these days. Have you seen the recent Baltimore Banner article? Buying a house in Howard County? You may be waiting a while, Hallie Miller  As per usual, I came away wondering if anyone local had shopped this topic to them or whether it was already on their radar. It would be hard to miss. Still, I’m a busybody that way. I swear to you that the first time I saw this article online it was accompanied by the words “Housing in Howard County is mess.” Wait, here it is. Rather blunt, but: I’d agree. Not everyone thinks so, of course. I don’t usually recommend reading the comments but in this instance they’re more educational than toxic. I’m not saying they’re helpful - - but certainly eye-opening. My personal favorite is the poster who blames all of Howard County’s housing woes on Baltimore because nobody wants to live there .  By that sort of logic we could also blame ourselves for being too appealing. We should ha...

Were you at a peaceful protest yesterday? Or did you view photos of some of the many across the country? I’ve seen a number of online comments from folks who are proud that their protests were peaceful, especially right here in Howard County.  I’m glad they were peaceful, too. The right to protest is guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Constitution. But there’s something that white people sometimes miss in these situations. This comment last night on Bluesky spells it out.  Basically any time protests “turn violent” it’s because the cops decided to start shooting at people. I learned this during Bloomberg here in NYC and in Boston during Trump I. Delighted to see other people learning this too but sorry it’s being learned through experience. The protests in LA are peaceful, too. But they have been met with oppressive shows of force. That’s the difference. It’s not that we in Columbia, Maryland are somehow innately better at “doing it right.”  I’m going to go a step ...

  It’s a little bit of this and that this morning. First, don’t miss your chance to see the official debut  of Althea’s newest food truck at the Oakland Mills Farmers Market tomorrow. Her Jamaican patties are exquisite. Perhaps Dad would like some? Speaking of Dad: I was tickled to hear from a few actual dads in response to Thursday’s blog post. If any other actual dads are reading this right now, I hope your Father’s Day is just the kind of celebration you enjoy. Even if that means you are taking a nap.  Apologies for missing their opening night, but twice today and once tomorrow, Stand Up for…Theatre presents Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at DoodleHATCH. Tickets are 20/18 and are available at the door. (Here’s a review from Theatre Bloom.) The mission of Stand Up For…Theatre is to promote acceptance for the LGBTQIA community. Pride Month feels like a great time to see a show and support their cause.  ***** Before I go, a few words on the significance of the ...

  These days I am more apt to wax eloquent about A Really Good Box, but there was a time when I would have been far more fascinated by a Really Good Stick. Those were the days when we almost always played outside after school, weather permitting. Back when a stick was for digging holes or imagining sword play or magic wands.  I remember hunting for just the right one.  I went through a phase of wanting to “prepare” the stick by peeling off all the bark, smoothing it with rough stones, pretending I was some sort of ancient craftsman. I think I just liked twiddling and fiddling with things while I created imaginary worlds in my head. I was a dreamer more often than a running-and-climbing sort of kid.  All of this came back to me as I listened to a recent episode of the podcast Kelly Corrigan Wonders . Corrigan has been hosting an ongoing series of shows on Making, which I touched on back  in March .  This one introduced me to something so wholesome and joyful...

It seems that not that long ago I was writing about A Sunday in May.   And here comes a Sunday in June. Father’s Day Spending to Reach Record $24 Billion In case you are wondering, it’s 34.1 billion for Mother’s Day.  I’ve always felt that part of Mother’s Day spending rests on making up for all the drudgery that moms do that no one helps them with. It’s kind of like Teacher Appreciation Week. We know they do it, we know it isn’t fair, but we’re not stepping up to change the inherent unfairness of, it, either.  The theme of Father’s Day seems to be more like “You’re a great guy, Dad!” Our culture doesn’t define and limit men to their procreative status. Therefore much of the traditional Father’s Day is centered around lauding Dad for his “masculine” qualities. The commercial approach leans heavily into masculine-coded activities such as golfing, car care, and backyard grill prowess.  It’s a whole different ball game. Anyway… I’m more interested in what HoCoLocal...

  The rescue of a missing child is always a feel-good story.  Howard County police officers find missing Dayton girl via ground, drone search, video shows , WBALTV The Howard County Police Department began using drones in 2020.   (The following quotes are from an article by Jess Nocera in the Howard County Times.) The Howard County, Md., Police Department has purchased three drones costing $33,800, with the procurement made possible in part by a $20,000 contribution from the Howard County Police Foundation. Do you remember all the brouhaha about this decision? In November, police announced the impending purchase of the drones, months after disbanding its aviation program, which ended in April 2019 due to the county’s anticipated deficit. You may remember that I wrote about this back in 2019. Fruit Salad , Village Green/Town², April 2019 Even though the discontinuation of the police aviation program had been advocated for by previous Republican County Executive, Alla...

A couple of years ago a perfectly innocent typo caused some unexpected merriment for me: I will probably never live this down. Yesterday morning I posted what I thought was a perfectly normal question and I got some curiously irreverent answers. Should I stop feeding the birds during our local beer season? I feel bad about letting the birds down.  It honestly took me several minutes to figure out the problem.  CORRECTION: Should I stop feeding the birds during our local BEAR season? Gotta love my witty friends, lol. One friend pointed out, “It’s always beer season!” All this silliness gave me an idea. I put out a call: I’m interested in what you would call a signature, quintessential local brew if you were given the naming rights. Don’t limit yourself to Columbia, either. Any part of the county is fair game!  I got some fabulous answers and, as far as I can tell, I never got around to sharing them here. The topic came up in my Facebook memories this morning. Honestly, my...

  Have you ever felt a sense of hopelessness while stuck behind a large piece of farm equipment? Impatience? Anxiety? If you have it’s because you live in a place where there is ongoing agricultural activity. Like Howard County. This video explains the challenges of moving large farm equipment and what happens when impatient drivers try to circumvent the wait. These behemoths cannot go fast and they must use the same roads that we do. And, let’s face it, a world without farm equipment getting in our way is also a world without food.  Yikes. The video imtroduces a safety-inspired acronym for drivers in these situations: SAM. Slow down. Assessment your surroundings. Move with caution. It must be something about the way I was raised, but every time I even contemplate crossing a double yellow line on the road a little voice inside me says, “If you cross a yellow line you will die .” Apparently not everyone was raised this way. Of course, that’s easy for me to say since these days...

  You can’t go home again but you can apparently revisit summer vacation. You know, the kind that lasts 104 days. On Friday, June 6th, season 5 of Phineas and Ferb became available for streaming on Disney. Ten years ago I bid them farewell. SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015 Hello Goodbye Summer Last night I watched the final episode of Phineas and Ferb with my daughter. The summer we thought would never end is over. The episode, entitled "Last Day of Summer" aired, ironically, just as we are about to get out of school. Real summer beckons. But for Phineas and Ferb, the rollicking 104 day ride is over. There was a time when we watched every episode religiously, many multiple times. We downloaded music from the show, even acted out Rollercoaster: The Musical. My daughter practically memorized the Wiki. But in recent years, as my daughter moved away from childhood, watching the show was more of an afterthought, something she did more for me than anything else. Phineas and Ferb has been a ...