Skip to main content

Java Jive

It feels like a good morning for extra coffee.

If you are feeling the time change the way we are over at my house, you could probably use some. So here's a recent HoCo Times article by Tony Glaros which takes in some HoCo local coffee shops. Have you been to all of them? Are there some you feel should have made the list? ("Finding space in Howard County's smaller coffee shops", March 10th)

I've never been to Ruthie's or Casual Gourmet. Not my neck of the woods, I guess. And I notice they didn't include Riverside, a place near to me. Although, I haven't been there for a long time. I don't really know how it's doing these days.

Why not? Well, because when I go for coffee these days, I usually go to Starbucks.

(Insert squeamish feeling of corporate sell-out here.)

I'd much rather be supporting a local business, so why don't I? Is it because I want the reassurance that comes from the uniformity of the Starbucks brand? I know what to expect, no surprises. Have I really reached that stage of my life? I just don't want any surprises?

I think it's time to challenge myself on this one.

There's an empty space next to the Oakland Mills Food Lion which has been available for a long time. It would be so great for a mom and pop coffee place to open up there. I promise you I would absolutely choose that over Starbucks every time. Years ago we had a place called the Blue Cow in Thunder Hill and it is still missed.

How cool would it be to hang out in my own neighborhood and connect with folks from the Village? It would be awesome.

Where do you go for coffee, and why? What keeps you coming back?

 

 

 

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...