Village Green/Town²

See things in a new way.  That could apply to a lot of things today: Easter, the change of seasons and the coming of Spring, International Transgender Day of Visibility, probably more that I don’t know about. It is often hard to see things in a new way especially if it involves some kind of personal transformation. And sometimes it requires downright grieving and loss. Folks who live around the Key Bridge in Baltimore are now required to see things in a new way that they most certainly didn’t ask for.  We all hope that seeing things in a new way will be cause to rejoice, although, some of us find more joy in maintaining what we know. Forget change: we know what we like. It’s hard to see things in a new way.  For some odd reason, something that has always helped me is finding a quite literal way to change my perspective. Photo credit Michael McCall I love looking at ceilings.* When I was little my mother handed me my dad’s shaving mirror and told me to look down into it wh...

  When I go online looking for local stories, it’s hard to find anything about Elkridge. This frustrates me. I know that many hocolocals feel that Elkridge doesn’t get the respect that other communities get, so I am always on the lookout for Elkridge-centric information. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong places. If you have some good online sources for all things Elkridge, please point me in the right direction. But today - - miracle of miracles - - TwitterX yielded three perfectly respectable Elkridge mentions and I’m taking this as a sign. First up, Visit Howard County is crowing about getaway visits to our area. Their post features Cascade Falls in Elkridge. True confession: I’ve never been there and had to look it up. That’s when I discovered it’s in Elkridge. Orioles broadcaster Ben Wagner snapped a pic of two happy kids on Openung Day at OPACY. You guessed it - - one of them is from Elkridge. The next post was more of a learning experience for me. I thought the T & J Waff...

  Playing tonight at The Reckless Shepherd: The Players Band , bringing some Jamaican Ska and Reggae to the end of a long, sad week.  You may wonder why this doesn’t look like a usual Free Form Friday. Well, it’s been a long, sad week. And I’ve been just flattened by the amount of hateful, ugly racism unleashed almost every where I look. It has honestly stopped my brain from doing that creative thing I love to do. So how about this: there will be music playing tonight if you want to go. The Players Band features hocolocal David Saunier, well known around town as a member of the Unity Reggae Band . Saunier has recently released a song on iTunes (or wherever you get your music.) I was introduced to David Saunier at an event at the Chrysalis several years ago. (I’ve met some of the most interesting people there!) To learn more about his music, take a listen to this Episode of the Ska Dads Podcast: David Saunier explains Why It’s Good To Be King. Let there be music. Right now i...

  It has been about a year since the Mall in Columbia instituted new rules pertaining to the entry of teens. Falling In , Village Green/Town²,  March 25, 2023 The Mall in Columbia announced Thursday that youth must be chaperoned by adults after reports of unruly behavior at the shopping center. The "parental guidance required" rule will take effect on March 31. Any visitors under 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult who is at least 21 years old after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, the mall said. During those hours, officers will be present to check the IDs of young visitors.  So, how’s that going? Is the Mall the kind of institution that will look back on twelve months of the practice and assess whether or not it has value? Has it fostered a safer place overall or has it unnecessarily targeted Black and Brown teens in order to placate white adults? I’m curious. Howard County Government stepped up to offer increased Youth Engagement Programming...

  Today’s post takes us out of The Bubble. Like most of us, I took in a lot of information yesterday, both in images and verbal responses to a horrific tragedy. The following short essay stayed with me. Suzannah Porter lives in Baltimore and her words about calling places and people by their true names moved me. It is shared here with permission.   ***** Biden is not my favorite person, but ngl, his address on the Key Bridge weirdly comforted me. And it wasn't just that he pledged to fully front the cost of rebuilding the bridge. I mean, America has to. The money they will lose each day is massive. I had to sit in it a bit, trying to figure out why I was down with his address. Then I figured it out.  He pronounced it "right".  I heard "balmer" and "bawdimore" several times. And it was his default. Like it was his backyard and he was a little territorial the way I was. Last time Baltimore made the national news this big it was the death of Freddie Gray....

If you love books, and you’ve lived in the area awhile, you’ll know why this turned up in my Facebook memories this morning.  Daedalus books, located on Gerwig Lane in Columbia, closed in March of 2018 and its passing did not go unnoticed.  Daedalus Books Warehouse Store Closing , Away from the Things of Man, Eric Freed Last Call , Village Green/Town²  It exists now as an online entity which does nothing for those of us who loved to noodle around the store in person. It’s just not the same. That serendipitous joy of discovery is gone forever.  I didn’t feel quite so wistful seeing that memory pop up today because of this: From Queen Takes Book: MARK YOUR CALENDARS, BOOK LOVERS! We are officially open on April 4th.  Doors open at 10am.  See you there! We’re getting close to opening day! No, sorry O’s, I mean the official opening of Queen Takes Book, Columbia/HoCo’s newest bookstore. It will also be Columbia’s only Indie bookstore, which means “Mom and Pop” r...

  Yesterday I was having a bit of pity party about turning sixty-five. Other birthdays come with exhortations to treat yourself or try new things. This birthday comes with an email from the drugstore. Today I awoke with ideas for treating myself and  for trying new things. Go figure. You may recall that I wrote about the limitations of my scope recently in “ Community Blogs: The Larger Puzzle.” If I had my way Columbia/HoCo would have as many community blogs as there are communities. I want to read about what’s happening in Kings Contrivance, learn more about the ins and outs of Elkridge, understand how all the different areas of Ellicott City are connected, and get a peek into what it’s like to live in Western HoCo. Yes, I would read all of them, if they existed. This response from a longtime reader got me thinking: If I recall correctly, in the past you’ve had guest bloggers. Perhaps you could start a series where we hear from an author in a different village or part of HoCo...

  Today is my birthday and for some reason I’m having a hard time with this one. It’s rather a milestone age and I feel, well, conflicted. Other birthdays come with exhortations to treat yourself or try new things. This birthday comes with an email from the drugstore. On the other hand, this birthday comes with some vivid reminders of how lucky I am to be alive. This week our community learned of the passing of Patti Gonzalez, a fierce, loving, and beautiful soul who worked for good and never stopped learning. I met Patti only twice in real life but knew her well from our interactions online. She was wise and funny, a persistent advocate for good in so many ways. The world is not as bright without her but she most certainly put so much brightness into it while she was here. Patti worked for many years as a science assistant at Wilde Lake High School. She cared about education in Howard County and she cared about kids - - not idealized ones who came from the “best” neighborhoods or...

  Thursday’s high winds brought some unwanted visitors into my front garden bed: a plastic trash bag, some bubble wrap, and a paper plate. Where did it all come from? If you follow the daily exploits of Sharky D’Shark , you’ll know that a better question might be “Where didn’t it come from?” Here’s a recent pic of Sharky at work cleaning up trash in Prince George’s County: Image from Sharky d’Shark Facebook Page Just who is Sharky? According to his Facebook Fan Page - - created in July of 2022 - - “Sharkey cares about our world and works to pick up trash everywhere so it doesn't reach the ocean!” The page documents his travels around Maryland with an unseen human companion named Jon, gathering and safely disposing of trash, junk, recyclables, and other unwanted and uncategorizable stuff. Are you following the adventures of Sharkey d'Shark? Well you should. Sharkey has been cleaning trash from our waterways in the Patapsco region and beyond. He’s been inspiring others too. Good...

Where are you from?  No, let me rephrase that. If you are far from home and need to tell people where you are from, what do you say? Do you say Columbia or Howard County? Do you just say Maryland? Or do you go so far as to say “near Baltimore” or “close to DC?” We tend to think we are living in a very important place here in Columbia/HoCo. But the farther way you get, the smaller we are.  This thought came to mind after I discovered an interesting post on TwitterX about a musician from Columbia. North White School Corporation @NWhiteSchools: Thanks to singer/songwriter Evan Nicole Bell for making the trip from Columbia, Maryland to join us for a two day artist in residence session with our music students at North White.@SecJennerIN @PurdueEDU @EducateIN This is Evan Nicole Bell performing “Cross Cut Saw”. Video posted on You Tube According to the tweet/twix? above she is from Columbia, Maryland. But if you go to her website , it tells you she is from Baltimore. Hmm. Bell is a ...

  Late yesterday afternoon the Howard County School System released the schedule of graduation dates and times. You can see them all in one image on Instagram . What followed was the annual tradition which is peculiar to Columbia/HoCo: the sharing of the graduation information. For about twenty four hours, I’d say, it is socially acceptable to share this information anywhere, to anyone, for any reason. It is the local equivalent of: The Lord be with you. And also with you. During this time window you can post that information and receive nothing but positive feedback. No one will question your motivation. No one will accuse you of spreading fake news. There will be no resulting controversy and no one will be told off, trolled, blocked, or dropped from the group chat. I wish there were more times like that.  As silly as it is to live in a community whose high school graduations are essentially held hostage by the commercial music industry/concert market, it is also most assure...

I’m absolutely cheating here by copying and pasting a post I made yesterday on a local education-oriented site. If you have already read it, you may want your money back. Food for thought: I’ve seen several posts from community members suggesting that we forego the expense of a national search for a new superintendent. I think it’s wonderful that Mr. Barnes has such widespread support. But there are people who were upset that we didn’t do a search *last time*, because we bypassed the responsibility of considering applicants regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and so on. For them a choice to pick a white man to follow a white man - - without considering anyone else - - could be hurtful. Now, the Board is absolutely going to fulfill its responsibility to have a complete search for a new superintendent and yes, it feels wildly expensive, especially right now. We all have a need in our back pocket for that money - - a school need, I mean. I’m not an expert in the process or how one choo...

  The Howard County Board of Education is running a survey to learn what the public wants in a new Superintendent of Schools.  Howard County Government is running a survey about the new Downtown Library. The theatre group in residence at DoodleHATCH, Stand Up for Theatre, would like to know what shows you’re interested in seeing. Here’s their survey .  Howard County Government has formed the West Friendship Park Agricultural Programming Focus Group to generate ideas f or, well, just what the title says. Can a survey be far behind? Won’t they want to know what the public thinks about the ideas they come up with? It feels as though we are awash in surveys at the moment. (Almost as much as we used to be awash in Task Forces back in the day.) I have mixed feelings. I think it’s great to solicit input. I do believe that the information gathered will be looked at and considered. That doesn’t mean the decisions made will reflect my point of view one hundred per cent. Some folks...

Three micromini local stories for your Sunday: Is it legal to own goats in Columbia, Maryland? I do not know. I know there are rules about chickens, but - - goats? It seems to me that goats are more likely to turn up in a Columbia street name than in Columbia neighborhoods. How about “Serene Goat Way” or “Green Goat Garth”? Be that as it may, this advert from Clark’s Ace Hardware in Columbia made me smile. Spring into the season with a fresh and clean pup...or goat!  We love supporting our amazing customers- including all your furry friends! Why not treat them to our deluxe self-serve dog wash, iClean? Celebrity narrations walk you through the brief, yet thorough, wash cycle making a somewhat uninspired chore an event to remember (for both you and your canine...or any furry companion)! I don’t know if they are truly serious about washing your goat or just seizing an opportunity to recommend their convenient dog washing station. Certainly you wouldn’t have to live in Columbia proper...

Happy Saturday! My weather app tells me it’s going to be a sunny and clear Spring day (but watch out for the pollen.) Here are three indoor activities that might entice you away from nature walks or yard work: Check out the Sustainability Clothing Swap at Freetown Farm/Community Ecology Institute from 11 am to 1pm.  CEl's Green SEEDS interns invite you to a Sustainability Clothing Swap at Freetown Farm (8000 Harriet Tubman Ln) on Saturday, March 16th from 11am - 1pm. Bring clothing you're ready to part with and a bag to bring home your clothing swap finds! New and gently used clothing only. No undergarments, please. This clothing swap is part of the interns' Climate Action Plan Project - Strategy: Expand the Use of Sustainable Materials and Reduce Waste Generation and Disposal Action: Reduce the use of single-use items, particularly plastics and promote waste reduction and reuse throughout Howard County. Columbia Moms of Multiples is back for another year of their Children...