Village Green/Town²

School is coming. Even if you don’t have kids in school you are surely seeing posts online about the upcoming school year. Or perhaps you’ve noticed back to school sales when you are out and about.  Over at the Threw Mikes Eyez blog he’s contemplating his own school years. Wishing I Learned  , Threw Mikes Eyez What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?  - - asks the daily writing prompt. Give it a look if you can. It’s a quick read and it really made me think.  One thing I honestly wished schools had taught me was how to enjoy walking. Yes, I’m serious. When I was in school there was often a big divide between academics and athletics. I was horrible at anything athletic and the big push at home was for me to excel at academics. (If you’ve read my ADHD saga you’ll know how that went.)  Arts education was my saving grace because there was so much more room for kids who, in one way or another, didn’t fit.  Reading Mike’s post make me realize how one ver...

  On the morning of July 29th an unexpected occurrence in the Village of Wilde Lake was reported in the Howard County Eats Facebook Group. Starbucks was closed. Here’s a close up. I filed this away in my ‘curious things I probably should follow up on’ file. When I saw this article in the Baltimore Banner it jogged my memory. Baristas at Columbia’s Wilde Lake Starbucks vote to unionize , Jess Nocera,  Baltimore Banner  In a 19-to-3 vote, the Columbia location’s workers voted to join Starbucks Workers United late last month. “Late last month.” July 29th, perhaps? Might that explain the morning closure in Wilde Lake? As an aside, I was startled to see exactly who the Banner seems to think those baristas are. Take a closer look at the photo. Caption reads: Baristas at the Wilde Lake Starbucks in Columbia have voted to unionize. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner) Friends, those are not the baristas you are looking for, unless life in retirement for former local electeds is ...

  Celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month today at the Chrysalis!  The event is from 3-7 pm, Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods: Join Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, the Office of Human Rights and Equity, and Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods as we celebrate the diverse and vibrant heritage of the Caribbean at our 2026 Caribbean American Heritage Month (CAHM) Festival! This family-friendly event will showcase traditional Caribbean dances, children's activities, live music performances, interactive exercise classes, vendors, and delicious Caribbean cuisine. Don't miss out on this opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich heritage of the Caribbean. Come experience a taste of the islands! FEATURED PERFORMERS: DJ Shomari KRL Lennard Jack Jr. SocaRobics White House Studios Eclipse International Band The announcement mentions food but I have not seen a list of today’s vendors. If you have this information, let me know and I will add it in here. Saturday, August 8, 2026...

  I couldn’t resolve the bill by phone. I couldn’t resolve the bill by mail. So yesterday I got in my car and drove forty-five minutes to the place where they generate the bills. They call what they do there Customer Service. When I arrived I discovered that the building is locked to anyone who doesn’t work there and that customers are never allowed in the building.  Surprise.  It’s a long story and I won’t trouble you with the details. The upshot is that I found myself in Middle River at around eleven am and I was too mentally exhausted to hop right back in the car and drive home. I was in a place that reminded me a bit of Maple Lawn. Very, very new. Mixed use - - offices, a cute little retail center that was mostly restaurants, a few office buildings. Oh, and a hotel.  Welcome to Greenleigh .* Image from Greenleigh.com Greenleigh is Baltimore County's fastest-growing mixed-use community. The master-planned, 1,000-acre project features commercial office, flex, and r...

  The dramatic photographs just won’t stop coming.  Vultures flock to a Columbia neighborhood where woman won’t stop feeding them raw meat, Lillian Reed, Baltimore Banner  Image from Baltimore Banner includes this caption: In a photo provided by a resident, black vultures are seen standing on a deck in the Glenmont neighborhood. As per usual, my attention has been drawn somewhere else. I don’t care about the raw meat. Why has this woman thrown her teddy bear to the vultures??? Who would do that?  I guess you can be tenderhearted enough to want to care for birds that revolt and scare everybody else and somehow not tenderhearted enough to care about…teddy bears. I have feelings about this.  Anyway the story is not about teddy bears and if you want to follow the entire saga, it’s here . You will never feel the same way about raw chicken again.  I find it wild that this could have been going on so long in a community where we have so many restrictions on what...

  The girl gets around. Photo credit Jessie Newburn, HoCo Blogs No, not me. Her. Ginger Breadgirl, AKA Pink Gingerbread Girl Gingerbread Girl became a bit of a HoCoLocal celebrity as a spokesperson for Howard County Tourism in the early teens. She made her big comeback in conjunction with the movement and restoration of many of the old Enchanted Forest figures to Clark’s Elioak Farm on Route 108. For a time you could take a selfie with her at the Howard County Welcome Center on Main Street in Old Ellicott City. Not sure if she’s still there. She had her own Facebook account  documenting her travels.* Ambassador at Large at Visit Howard County, Maryland Former Farm Hand at Clark's Elioak Farm This girl was everywhere and (seemingly) all at once. As you can see from the opening photo she turned up at a blogtail party at the Second Chance Saloon. (She didn’t drink.) I even bumped into her at the Inn at Norwood in Sykesville once.  Apparently Pink Gingerbread Girl was a well-...