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Summer is Coming


 

Summer is coming. I know this not from anything I see from looking out my windows, nor from anything I feel when I step outside. Honestly, it’s hard to believe that anything is assured these days but here are a few things that tell me that summer is not all that far way

The Howard County Beekeepers Association has announced their annual beekeeping short course. I hear that this is the best introduction for first time beekeepers.


The first session is Wednesday January 29th and the course runs from 7 - 9:15 pm in the Howard County Fairgrounds Dining Hall. Visit their website to learn more and to register. 

Another sign that summer must be on its way? The surge in online adverts for area summer camps. 

  1. Kids on Campus already has a digital camp catalogue available and registration opens January 23rd. 
  2. I’m not seeing any link to Camps on the Columbia Association website home page, but if you click on Community Programs you will find camps as an option. You’ll find general information there but it looks like online registration isn’t open yet. 
  3. You can take a look at Rec and Parks digital summer camp guide  at the Rec and Parks website. Registration for county residents begins February 5th. 
Of course there are many other fascinating hoco summer camp opportunities but I see those as being “the big three” locally. Are there others that you would recommend? By far our best summer camp experience through the years was at Slayton House Camp of the Arts in Wilde Lake. Sadly, that camp no longer exists in its original form. We’ve got great memories, though. 

Are there any other local signs that are reassuring you that summer is coming? I’m not a gardener but I’ve heard that a big part of the off-season involves looking at seed catalogs* and dreaming of next year’s garden.  So I’m imagining the good folks at Clarksville Commons sitting by a toasty fire somewhere while planning this year’s farmers’ markets and community events in the same sort of way. 

What about you? Are you yearning for warmer temperatures or are you perfectly content to enjoy more of the white stuff? I’m usually pretty outspoken about my loathing of heat and humidity but this year’s cold temperatures have me beat. 




* Speaking of seeds, The Howard County Library is hosting a Seed Share event on January 25th at the Miller Branch from 1 - 4 pm. 

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