Village Green/Town²

  What could be a more quintessential sign of suburban summer than a lemonade stand? Even if we drive by in a hurry, we smile at the sight of one. We remember carefree days of our own childhoods. If we do stop we usually put more money in the till than they are asking, especially if it’s for a charitable cause. I, too, have gotten home from a drive and posted the location of a lemonade stand on social media to try to drum up more business for them. It’s almost as though there’s something precious about this occurrence. I feel an inner responsibility to help preserve it.  So many things that children used to be able to do independently are now gone.  The lemonade stand is a reminder of all those other things we used to do on our own, without parental supervision and hovering. If it disappears then all of that golden magic of our childhoods is gone forever. Once we were that eager child hoping to make a sale for the sheer fun of it. Now we want to enter into that joy as the...

Well, the primary election is over and there are no more secrets, at least about who won and who lost. I’ll have a few more words on that soon, but first… Apparently Columbia has plenty of secrets yet untold, according to the tweet from Moe Lane. The full Columbia, Maryland: City of Secrets. “This was one of the first RPG settings that I did for the Patreon, and I finally put it all together in one place… Who is Moe Lane? And why did he make what looks like a game out of our secrets? Well, according to Amazon, Moe Lane is: …a stay-at-home father and unrepentant geek who is interested in fantasy, science fiction, and roleplaying games. He's had a variety of jobs over the years, from retail worker to political New Media blogger/digital activist; but now he writes books, short stories, and gaming supplements. He finds it all very, very restful. He has a website/blog where he informs the reader that he is “…an evil giraffe. Who no longer blogs about politics. ”  His blog used to have a...

  I’ve been thinking about preservation since I heard a piece on NPR about video game manuals. Every English Super Nintendo manual is publicly available, thanks to this streamer ,  by Megan Kim, Sarah Handel. Kerry Hays, known as "Peebs" on Twitch, has archived copies of every Super Nintendo game manual in the English language, and made the collection available to the public. You might be surprised that I was interested in this particular topic. I don’t play video games. What drew me in was the dedication of Hays to completing his task. It was clearly meaningful to him, and worth every minute of the work. This quote contains the nugget which has been rattling around in my brain ever since. "Preservation to me is everybody has access to this stuff when they want it and where they want it," he said. "It would be lovely to get paid, you know, a standard paycheck for this. That's just not what it's about." - - Kerry Hays What was important to Hays abou...

  An online reference to an establishment called Café Columbia took me on a merry chase last night.  Enjoyed a tasty savory crepe at Café Columbia for lunch.  There’s a place called Café Columbia and I’ve never heard of it? Where is it? How long has it been open? This is Café Columbia: (Photos from a Google search of Café Columbia) They are located at 5550 Sterrett Place, #103, a location described by one helpful reviewer as, “…tucked in behind Cana Hair Salon and near Whole Foods and Exxon.” From Café Columbia: We're a café that serves crepes, Belgium waffles, ice cream, milkshakes, coffee, teas, and more. Our mission is to create a comfortable space for people to connect over a crepe or a cup of coffee. They don’t have a traditional website or Facebook page, but you will find plenty of information at the link above. I haven’t been able to ascertain when they opened, however.  So far this all seems pretty straightforward. Until I looked at this map. (Image from Goog...

If you’re interested in comedy, or if you’re interested in what kind of things are happening Busboys and Poets in Downtown Columbia, may I present:   From the Twitter account of “unsung comedy legend @RobertMaction”: #WaitOneWeek to catch me #standupping at @busboysandpoets in Columbia, MD. #WOW! #MarkYourCalendars Check the 8/1 link in bio and don't forget to tell your friends! #Thanks. As for me, I’m just interested in the hashtag. Standupping? When did that become a word? Has it entered common usage while I wasn’t looking? I’m a word person. I want to know. It reminded me of the time I discovered a new word while waiting in line at Starbucks. Not Trend-Worthy As I waited for my Venti iced coffee (just cream, no sugar) I noticed one of those little chalkboard signs announcing a new product. Now, when you order your drink “with a shot”, you can have it “updosed”. Wait, what? That’s right, “updosed”, a made up term which means you can chose how strong you want the added shot of e...

  On Monday, in the middle of the night, a twelve year old girl in our community died suddenly and unexpectedly. Perhaps you can remember yourself at twelve. Or maybe you have children or grandchildren whose childhood years you can remember clearly. What is twelve?  The end of elementary school and the almost the beginning of being a teenager. It is a time of so much change. Parents often see strengths emerge that will form major pillars of their children’s adult selves. All the while, remnants of childhood co-exist with burgeoning plans for the future: stuffed animals on a bed or cuddly animal-headed pajamas. Twelve is what has been and what will be and a million other contradictions.  Today a child will never realize her dreams and plans. Her mother will never see the unfolding and fluttering wings of young adulthood. Will never see her soar. The story of how she died is all over social media and the news, most likely. You can find it pretty easily if you want to know m...

  A few years back I wrote about some problems at the polls during a recent election. Supercharged  October 30, 2020 I don’t know whether I thought at the time that such controversy was an anomaly. I do know that I didn’t understand why it had to occur at all. It may sound very over-the-hill to say this, but why can’t election volunteers for campaigns be friendly and courteous to one another and to voters, and leave it at that?  Why am I raising this issue again? Well, because the same old multi-headed monster has been on the rampage in Columbia/HoCo since the primary. This time it has widened to include candidates, racist tropes, and more. These accusations of bad behavior have been popping up on social media along with outrage both real and manufactured.  All of it - - surprise! - - confirms what the person or group thought already.  I wasn’t present for any of this and it would be irresponsible for me to try to write about it in any journalistic fashion. It w...

  “How do you close a lake?” I saw a friend ask on Facebook.  A dome? A zipper? A tarp ? My imagination took off in several directions. I was not alone. Over on the Howard County Recreation and Parks page, the following announcement drew a flurry questions. The lake at Centennial Park is currently closed.  We apologize for the inconvenience. That’s it. No other explanatory information.  People wanted to know more. They wanted to know why. They wanted to know for how long. They wanted to know particulars of what this meant for park visitors. Sadly, whoever posted this did not anticipate the necessity of human interaction. As far as I know, they posted this and then went on vacation. Silence. And, you know what they say about nature abhorring a vacuum… People started making things up. Go and look for yourself. Hints of a crime scene were suggested. Elsewhere I saw a friend suggest Lake Monsters. At some point someone shared a post from Special Olympics MD Howard Count...

  There’s some pretty cool stuff going today in Columbia/HoCo. Continuing its successful run this season, the Farmers Market at Clarksville Commons will be open from 10 am - 2 pm. Today’s Farmers Market is going to be hot but plentiful! 15 different vendors, kids crafts with Clarksville Youth Care Group , and music by Mike Walls. Come out to shop and join the fun! Click here for more information about today’s vendors. Down at the Lakefront, The 3rd is hosting a pop up event featuring “kidpreneurs”. The 3rd is a non-profit based in Columbia that aims to support and elevate women of color entrepreneurs. But this Saturday, we are super excited to support local kid business owners who will be vending at The 3rd!!! Let's pack The 3rd tomorrow and show our youth the love and support needed to keep them growing, learning, and earning as entrepreneurs.  The 3rd is open outside, so come out and purchase products from the young in our community tomorrow, Saturday, July 23rd, from 12:...

  I’m taking you back ten whole years for a little post-election reflection. Love Made Visible, November 12, 2012 Yes, folks, it's going to get a little awkward today. We're going to talk about love.  Not the lovey-dovey, stars-in-your-eyes kind of love, either.  The messy, "why do I always have to be the one who cleans the bathtub?" kind of love. And I mean that quite literally.  For thirteen years I have been cleaning hair out of the bathtub.  And it's not my hair.  I have gone through stages on this.  First there was a honeymoon period, then annoyance, then anger, then resentment, then forgiveness, then... My mother died.  And something odd happened.  She started turning up in unexpected ways during my daily life:  when I read to my daughter, or listened to music, or watched a program on television.  And when I cleaned the bathtub. I realized that, in all the years while I was growing up, our bathtub was immaculate. I never gave ...

  In this week's issue of the Columbia Flier, a story from July 5th: ‘She’s an inspiration for gender equality’: Wilde Lake’s Chantal Ridlon Thacker to be first woman JV head football coach in Howard County , Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun The quote in the title of the piece is from Matt Sillers, assistant principal of WLHS. I’m not sure I would have featured it so prominently. Being an inspiration for gender equality isn’t that far from being stuck with accolades like being a credit to one’s race.  Don’t misunderstand me. I’m happy to see Ms. Thacker getting a job doing something she is good at and that she clearly loves. I’m a bit uneasy with the burden than this kind of coverage places on her. It could go one of two ways. Is it truly a celebration of who she is or does it set her up to be carrying the ball for all women who want to move forward in traditionally-male careers? Speaking of traditionally-male careers, last time I checked HCPSS had not even one single band direc...

  Now that it’s all over I might as well tell you how I voted. There were so many names on the ballot it’s hard to remember them all. Here they are, in no particular order: In Health and Wellness I voted for Accupuncture and Integrative Medicine, in Eye Care I voted for Physicians Eye Care. And why wasn’t my dentist a nominee? Grr. Plumbing? Earhardt. Heating and Air Conditioning? Environmental Systems. Best place to have an event: The Other Barn, Oakland Mills  Caterer: Althea’s Almost Famous Farmer’s Market: Oakland Mills, of course Garden Center/Store: Freetown Farm Community Non-profit: Columbia Community Care Childcare: Bet Yeladim Preschool Boutique: Sweet Elizabeth Jane  Art Gallery: Horse Spirit Arts Gallery School Principal: Rick Robb, Patuxent Valley Middle School Elected official Calvin Ball, County Executive  Pastor/Congregational Leader: Paige Getty (Let’s get ASLC’s Lura Groen on this list next year!) Blogger: Me.  Well, why not? I didn’t vote in a...

  If you haven’t voted yet, today is the day. Make it the most important thing on your schedule, because: it is. A few thoughts: the states where reproductive rights are safest in the nation are the states where Democrats hold the majority in the state legislature. Maryland is one of them, and yet, because of the actions of a Republican Governor, necessary funds for training providers haven’t been released.  I’m not seeing any Republican candidates campaigning on reproductive rights. In this case, the concept of people suffering and dying due to a lack of appropriate health care is not a top issue for them. It is for me. ***** I continue to be more excited by the candidacy of Brooke Lierman for Maryland State Comptroller than any other race in the state. (My apologies to all the other candidates.) If you want to know why, here’s my piece from earlier this year. “Still Excited” ***** Pet peeves: misplaced political signs and sign theft. For Heaven’s sake, people. Can’t we get a...

  You may recall now-retired radio journalist Chris Core, who gave daily commentary on WTOP under the title, “Core Values.” Clearly I’m snagging his concept. The values, however, are all mine. ***** I said I’d write about the Board of Education race when I wrote last about values . The more I think about it, one of the most telling differences between this crop of candidates is whether they frame themselves as running because they are for something or against something. I am most drawn to the candidates who have clearly articulated what and who they support . I find the candidates who have targeted their energies into what they are against not just uninspiring but in some cases, actually dangerous. I see quite clearly where they could do significant harm to students, teachers, and our school community. Since I think schools are for all children, I’m looking for candidates who share that value. That means clearly articulated support for LGBTQ+ students, special needs students, Bl...

It seems as though I’m doing quite a bit of driving these days, what with the weekday Baltimore commute. The first few trips were all about paying attention to the directions. After that I could relax and become more aware of my surroundings as I drove. One unexpected sight became the start of a rather entertaining Facebook thread: Why is there an abandoned backyard grill in the median on Route 175? Odd place for a cookout. Somewhere, there's an abandoned Plymouth on someone's patio and their grill is missing. Imagine how confused they are right now. We saw that yesterday! You’ve got to grill when the spirit hits you! Police are grilling suspects right now. Thanks for the fyi on the BBQ! I saw that grill today myself. Its legs were detached and so it is stuck there. Wait - - so you mean it won’t be able to walk away? Not unless an EMT stopped by and fixed it up! I am blessed with many witty friends. How would you just happen to drive by and eject a barbecue grill on Route 175 w...

This week there’s been some hubbub about a local political endorsement which leaned heavily on Jim Rouse’s name in an attempt to assert credibility. The subsequent discussions were mostly about who has the correct ideology to invoke the name of Rouse. I object. I would like to be done with this practice now and forever. I have decided to create a new term for this: “Rouse-signalling”.* My objection is to anyone trotting out Jim Rouse’s name when it serves them - - especially when they want to win something - - as though it’s a celebrity endorsement. I felt the same way about The Rouse Project. I do wonder every so often what Rouse would think of various goings-on today. Of course, if it were possible, it would be fascinating to get his take on the here and now.  But that’s not how life works. And I’m guessing he didn’t think he was God. He probably thought we’d be able to stand on our own feet by now, but: who knows?  At least, I think we should. Right now in Baltimore t...

I had only one first cousin in this world, Kenneth Keep, the son of my mother’s brother Harry. I met him exactly one time. He was driving across the country to San Francisco where he was going to get married. Ken had cooked up a plan to visit all the members of the Keep family as he traveled from one side of the country to the other and to document all of us in photographs. He brought a professional-quality camera with him and snapped pictures throughout his visit. He told us that the Keep family in the US is so small that everyone with the Keep surname is related. I’ve always been fascinated by that, though I haven’t put it to the test. My mother mused privately that he must have been motivated as much by securing free room and board on his trip as he was documenting his relatives. Maybe.  He was young - - perhaps 29 - - and a naturally playful sort of fellow. I was fourteen. We enjoyed the visit and learned some new family stories. When he got to California he mailed us some phot...

  From Wikipedia: A slate is a group of candidates that run in multi-seat or multi-position elections on a common platform. The common platform may be because the candidates are all members of a political party, have the same or similar policies, or some other reason. In United States legislative elections: In states whose state legislatures are elected from multi-member districts, it is common for groups of candidates to form slates in primary and general elections. Elections to the Maryland General Assembly are a prime example, with most districts electing one member of the Maryland Senate and three members of the Maryland House of Delegates. Candidates for senator and delegate (usually incumbents) often join together prior to the primary election, registering their slates as separate campaign committees to enable them to raise funds separately. They are commonly called "Leadership Teams". Today’s post is about my Democratic state representatives, known around Columbia/HoCo...