Skip to main content

First Green


 

And today is the first day of Spring. Seasonal allergies, anyone? I heard recently on a television quiz show that there are no recorded mentions of “hay fever” until the 1800’s, which may very well mean that it didn’t exist before then. I’d love to know more about how that happened. 

Today’s weather report calls for some sun, some clouds, some rain, and pollen. In other words: Spring.

But, let’s get local. What are the usual HoCoLocal signs of Spring? I’ll start us off:

  • Columbia elections 
  • Blossoms of Hope
  • The daily watch for high school graduation dates and times 
  • Event season begins at the Chrysalis 
  • Clark’s Elioak Farm opens
  • Spring/ Earth Day clean up events
  • SpringFest in Old Ellicott City
  • A rush of inquiries about which restaurants have outdoor dining spaces so you can eat dinner while looking at your car

Now it’s your turn. Help me add to the list. What are your favorite HoCo signs of Spring? Are there any particular local events you look forward to each year? Or perhaps the best ones are small things near where you live: flowers coming up, trees in bloom, signs of the season in parks and along pathways.

Let me know.

By the day, does Rita’s still do free Italian ice on the first day of Spring? 

 

Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Post a Comment

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more