Village Green/Town²

  How do you see yourself? Glass half full or half empty? Are you inclined to see life through rose colored glasses or do you have more of the Eeyore gloomy outlook? Are you trying to maintain a sense of clear-eyed truth in pursuit of current reality while somehow maintaining some hope? Hmm… I’ve been thinking about this as I’ve discovered a genre of YouTube videos that look like the following: All of This Is Gone: The Dark Story Behind Maryland’s Beloved Fairy Tale Park: Enchanted Forest Dark. Dark Story, Dark Truth, Dark Revelations, Dark History… It’s a vibe, as the young folks say. The word dark must be one of those things that make people click. Sell that video. Get more eyeballs on it. Draw people in… …to the darkness. There aren’t necessarily any deep, dark revelations in these videos. I haven’t done any in depth study on them so this is purely anecdotal, of course. But I suspect you could take any local subject you want and make it dark.  The dark story of Azlon I. (Fi...

Spring is apparently going to do its thing and I am contemplating buying masks specifically for warding off pollen. Does anyone know where I can find this shade of green? The alternative is staying inside until the first frost. (Masking outside makes me feel ridiculous but it sure beats steroids.) Speaking of Spring, there are plenty of good reasons for wanting to be outside. The 2026 season over at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods begins in April. Take a look at what’s coming up. Possibly my favorite outdoor-oriented local post is this one from Clark’s Elioak Farm. . ISO: Volunteers at the farm. We're looking for kids 12 years (or older) or adults to come out on the weekends. Volunteers are stationed in our Bunny Barn, holding rabbits and Chicks for our visitors to pet and learn about. Morning shift of 10 AM to 1:30 PM or an afternoon shift of 1 PM to 4:30 PM. Please message for more details. Serious inquiries only please. We're looking to create a consistent schedule- now ...

  What can you do in two minutes? It’s not a new game show nor is it an idle question.  Howard High Schools to start 2 minutes earlier, beginning in May , Kiersten Hacker, Baltimore Sun A two-hour delay on March 3 and a three-hour early dismissal on March 16, when the state experienced tornado threats, caused a four-hour deficit for the Howard County Public School System. To make up the hours, June 8 will be a full school day for all students, and high school students will start their days at 7:48 a.m. instead of 7:50 a.m., beginning May 4. The conflict between the spirit and the letter of the law is right out in front here. It says a lot about state requirements that this kind of a solution is considered to be reasonable. Who will be responsible for those extra two minutes of high school instruction? Teachers, of course. I sure hope they are ready to make those minutes meaningful. A Google search didn’t turn up many classroom-oriented suggestions. But maybe some of these wil...

It’s a classic cartoon set-up. “I like your _________.” “Thanks, it _________.” Part of a four-panel comic by @lumpyquinn What makes these so fun is an unexpected response. For example: Comic by @jimshoenbill We may somehow be willing to accept dogs standing upright, in suits, holding wine glasses. Still, the second dog’s comeback makes us giggle. Why? Could it be because it transgresses polite cocktail party conversation? Maybe. What do you think? I once heard a story about the very young child of college professors who occasionally made the rounds of department wine and cheese events with her parents. She observed the way that adults talked at these gatherings. Maybe they talked about things they liked, the weather, health, or issues of mutual concern. Drawing on her personal knowledge, she approached a small group of academics and asked, “Are you ever bothered by diaper rash?” I can’t tell you how many times I have wished I could use that opener at an awkward cocktail party or polit...

  It isn’t. A view from the train, I mean. But take a look. Doesn’t it feel like it could be? This was my view at the doctor’s office yesterday afternoon. I was not moving, but the world around me was. Walkers and joggers on the pathway. Folks strolling with their dogs. People chatting on benches. Behind them, cars zipping along on Route 29.  It’s a view I probably never would have focused on without the ability to sit in a treatment room, waiting for my doctor to come in.  While I also enjoyed all the burgeoning signs of spring outside I also recognized the irony of being in that building to treat allergies and asthma. Spring: yay! Pollen: boo! I was curious about the tall building in the background. Columbia doesn’t have many. I was having trouble visualizing exactly what I was looking at in relationship to Lake Kittamaqundi. Luckily Columbia-savvy people on Facebook filled me in. It’s an apartment complex called Aspen at Lake Trail. It used to be called High Tor. What ...

The Merriweather Post has done one of those comprehensive write-ups for which it is rightly known - - this one is about the groundbreaking for the new senior housing project Oxford Hills.  What Erickson Senior Living’s New Oxford Hills Retirement Community Actually Means for Howard County , Jeremy Dommu, The Merriweather Post It is thorough. It is long. I’ve skimmed it twice and gotten bogged down both times but I’m still recommending it because your attention span may be longer than mine.  To me the most important part occurs in this paragraph: Seniors on fixed Social Security income, who may rent rather than own, or who own modest homes and have spent years of savings on medical costs, or who simply don't have $300,000 to $500,000 in home equity - these seniors have no real options either. Oxford Hills does nothing for them. What they need is actual, dedicated, affordable senior housing — purpose-built communities with services, stability, and dignity — at prices they can a...