Village Green/Town²

  Monday evening found me doing something I had never done before: sitting around a table at a book club. Something familiar to all my years in school: I hadn’t finished the book yet.  The place was HoCoLocal indie bookstore Queen Takes Book. We were all there to discuss: Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. (Yes, I wrote about them back in March after hearing an episode of Kelly Corrigan Wonders about Making.)  Drawing helps me listen. I don’t go out much, and I’ve never done the book club thing, but I felt that the universe was telling me that this was the one. So I signed up and bought the book. True to form, I left it until after Christmas and then discovered it was not the easy read I had expected it to be. I purchased the audio book to use in conjunction with the print version and by the day before the event I had also downloaded a study guide. I’m still working on it. I refuse to be defeated by a book about the arts! But, enough about me.  ...

  One year ago today. What do you remember?  1/20/2025 At twelve noon I made a cup of ginger tea   And reached out to tell my children  How much we love them. It was like death was hurtling towards me, Nothing in its way.  I saw the destruction of all that I love before my eyes. The tea was warm.  The day was bitter. There was no holding back the great death,  The waves of loss.  Silently the minutes passed.  When I realized the day was over  My cup was empty. And my heart was numb. The great death had begun. The messages of love are all that’s left - -  Last minute incantations of protection. Just wanted to let you know how much we love you  and that we are here for you no matter what.  Dear God, please keep them safe.  ***** Every act of ignorance, cruelty, and injustice: sponsored by people we know. People in our community and across the nation.  I need a day off. See you tomorrow. Village Green/Town² Comments...

  Two years ago I canceled my subscription to the Baltimore Sun and used that money to make a regular donation to Baltimore Beat. A reminder: You don’t have to pay money to read Baltimore Beat because there’s no paywall.  But, of course, they need money to make it all happen.  Monday Night Monopoly Games , Village Green/Town², January 16, 2024 Baltimore Beat is a Black-led, Black-controlled nonprofit newspaper and media outlet. Our mission is to honor the tradition of the Black press and the spirit of alt-weekly journalism with reporting that focuses on community, questions power structures, and prioritizes thoughtful engagement with our readers. We aim to serve all of Baltimore City, including those with limited internet access and those who are a part of underrepresented communities. Our organization aspires toward a more equitable, accountable, and rigorous future for journalism that fully represents the stories of all our neighbors. - - Baltimore Beat I went on to sa...

I’m so disturbed by this local news story that I almost don’t know where to begin. Fatal crash follows an attempted traffic stop in Howard County , Sara Ruberg, Baltimore Banner A minor died in a crash Saturday after fleeing from a Howard County Police officer in an unmarked vehicle who attempted to make a traffic stop, officials said. I saw this posted on social media last night with less information. I wish I had kept a copy. It basically said  - - and I am paraphrasing here - - fatality after fleeing from an attempted traffic stop. And some folks responded with laughing faces.  The Howard County Times posted it like this: A driver is dead after fleeing an attempted traffic stop in the early hours of Saturday morning in Howard County. This morning I looked at the two additional pieces of information: Unmarked car Driver was a minor I just felt sick. There is a huge difference between those two descriptions. They are both  “the truth” but only one is remotely close to “t...

  Much of this weekend in Howard County leans towards the celebration of the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, so that’s where I’m going to put my focus today. (A tip of the hat to the Harpers Choice Village Assocation for highlighting a lot of these opportunities on their social media accounts.) Today:  The Community Ecology Institute is hosting an MLK Weekend of Service at Freetown Farm and Green Farmacy Garden, check the event page for more information  . Tomorrow: The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, coordinated through the Howard County Office of Human Rights & Equity, will be held at Howard Community College beginning at six pm. There will also be a live stream . You can l earn more here. Monday:  The National Pan Hellenic Council of Howard County will be collecting food donations for the Howard County Food Bank. You can support them by making a donation at one of the participating local grocery store locations. (Does anyone h...

  You may have seen this floating around on social media. Everybody's longing for community. We long to be part of a village. We long to have people come over and help us. But when's the last time you've hosted something? When's the last time you helped somebody move? When's the last time you picked somebody up at the airport? Priya Parker, Author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters, on building community I know people who are tremendously good at this. I am not. For the first time in many years, I am beginning to make progress in learning. A large part of what holds me back, I believe, comes from being raised that there were only two ways to do things: my mother’s way and the wrong way. It’s not surprising that I grew up to believe that 1) there was always a perfect way to do something and 2) I was probably not going to figure it out. A great recipe for paralysis.  I raise this now because our days are both horrifying and bleak. I think I am see...

File this under daydreams at six am… When I am a millionaire I will get to pick the people in the Howard County Library’s Evening in the Stacks promotional videos. Heck, if I’m a multimillionaire maybe I can write the scripts! This is not to say that I think any of this needs improving. It simply looks like so much fun that I imagine that it would be delightful to get in on the act.  Evening in the Stacks is the library system’s big ticket fundraising event. Often glamorous, always fun* - - it might be easy to forget the point of it all. Did you know that only 54 percent of Howard County’s children enter their first year of school kindergarten-ready? (per 2023-2024 Maryland Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report)  That number has declined since 2019 and is even lowerfor children of color, children with disabilities, and low-income households.This year, our goal is to raise $150,000 to support thevital work HCLS does to help prepare young children for kindergarten. Libraries ...

I’ve been hearing rumours of snow although maybe they are no more than wishful thinking. This photo popped up in my Facebook memories this morning and now I’m doing a bit of wishful thinking, too. Chrysalis in the snow, photo credit Nate Pesce, January 2019 This is one of my favorite views of one of my favorite places. Although the Chrysalis holds events in the Spring, Summer, and Fall, this image shows how well it functions as a piece of public art no matter what the season. The credit for all of the photos in this piece* is listed as “Nate Pesce, for Baltimore Sun Media Group” which makes me think that Pesce was working as a freelance photographer at this time. Certainly he is right now.  If you search Nate Pesce on Facebook the results will be full of local photos he has taken through the years. High school sports, the opening of a school, snaps at the dog park, political events, Lakefest, library fundraisers, with a smattering of weddings and such. I was tickled to see one of m...

  I’m confused. The title of this piece about the superintendent of schools Bill Barnes’ proposed budget startled me.  Howard County superintendent’s budget targets struggling students, Jess Nocera, Baltimore Banner  “Targets.” Targets? I tend to think as target being largely defined in reference to attack. That’s the last thing that struggling students need and, I suspect, the last thing that Superintendent Barnes has in mind. Yes, “target” can be used in more than one way but I really think we have had more than enough targeting here in Howard County lately and that the Banner might have made a better word choice.  For instance, this from CBS News:  “…aims to help struggling students.” There’s a difference. We know what target means, don’t we? The Associated Press sure does. (Found in a quick search of the Baltimore Sun.) Speaking of targets, this feels relevant.  Twin Cities Local community members cry for Target to stand with Minnesotans,  Jason R...

  Just about a year ago I wrote about a fellow named Bill Ackman and my concerns as he and his investment company, Pershing Square, ramped up purchases of Howard Hughes stock with the intent of gaining control of it operations. My thoughts: When you are a company that makes something, or does something, you are keenly aware of where your focus should be. What constitutes excellence? Making the best somethings, or doing the best job at the something you do. If you are Bill Ackman, you are so far removed from that concept that your goals are wholly disconnected from what created those companies in the first place.   - -  Food Chain , Village Green/Town², 1/15/2025 The Baltimore Banner has been following Ackman’s progress. From their article in May: The hedge fund will pay $100 per share to snap up nine million newly issued shares in Howard Hughes while giving the company access to Pershing Square’s resources and expertise. The agreement limits the hedge fund‘s voting p...

  Yesterday was rainy. For goodness sake, it’s January. It should have been snow. I didn’t want to go out at all but we were out of milk. And I needed milk for coffee and I really needed coffee. Dunkin would have to be my first stop. It was so crowded that I could barely make my way across the parking lot to get to the Dunkin drive-through to get my iced coffee. The clerk had so much trouble taking my order that I didn’t even order any food for myself. What a mess. After all that, it took more than one pass to find a parking place for the LA Mart. And there were so many people in the grocery! Strange looking people. Funny looking food with labels I couldn’t read. I hurried to the dairy case to pick up the lactose free whole milk and went to the checkout and there was a long line in every one. So I had to wait.  I just knew my husband’s bagel was getting cold in the car.  On the way home I could see Canada geese mucking around in the school field. Do they even have a permi...

  Lesson learned: more folks than usual will read a Friday post if it has a reference to bad language. I suspect that’s because it’s a rare occurrence. I won’t wear it out, never fear. I would like to extend my full congratulations to the Baltimore Sun for spelling the word doughnut correctly. Today is a good day for planning ahead if you want a summer job with HoCo Rec & Parks or a role in Fiddler on the Roof  with Howard County Summer Theater. When I am low on inspiration and ideas I continue to find my way to the blog of HoCo local Mike Hartley.  Mission , Threw Mikes Eyez, Mike Hartley, January 9, 2026 Many of us are simultaneously despairing of current events while also trying to envision our personal paths for 2026. Hartley’s post brought me a sense of peace and a reminder of how much good there is around us. My mission is to smile. To make other people smile. To be a good father and grandfather, to love. To be a good friend, to be truthful and ethical. To hav...

  The man asks a question. I’m curious, when do you think everything went to shit in the U.S.? I think it was 1976, when Reagan made his first run for the presidency and the tide began to turn in favor of deregulation of everything. The woman answers. Sadly: from the beginning. From colonizers slaughtering native peoples to the institution of chattel slavery. In those things are the seeds of destruction. To the extent that we haven’t reckoned with that, we perpetually weaken the democracy we wanted to have. The man asks another question. What would that reckoning look like, in your view? The woman answers. Owning up to the truth. Reparations. Laws that address systemic racism. Saying “When did it go bad?”seems to me like saying “When did it go bad for white people?” because it was always bad for nonwhites. Ten years ago I wouldn’t have been considering any of this, by the way. The man counters. I don't fully agree. I think there was a very brief period, basically between 1965 and 1...

  Good morning to everyone except the woman on Facebook who told me I am living in the armpit of Howard County.  ***** It’s another morning where events playing out on the national stage are devastating. Two thoughts are fighting for dominance. 1. I want to acknowledging the evil. I know that how we - - as individuals and as a nation - - reckon with the times we are living in is more important than anything I could write about.  2. Just keep swimming. ***** On Tuesday I was treated to what I might describe as a grown-up field trip.  Image from Montgomery County Library website  This is the Wheaton Library in Montgomery County. It’s also known as the Wheaton Library and Recreation Center. This brightly colored building houses the library, and the Friends of the Library bookstore. (Hint: we came for the bookstore.) It also houses a gymnasium, a game room, a full service cafe with seating area, a walking track, a fitness center, and multiple study rooms.* My frien...

In late October of 2024 I received this message from a dear friend of our family:  If you want to support a local small business in Columbia, this is a restaurant owned by niece of one of my Mount de Sales former students.  Grand Opening is tomorrow! I am here this morning to say that, on the evening on January 6th, 2026 I finally succeeded in honoring her request. The restaurant: Old Line Kitchen & Wine Bar.  Image property of Old Line Kitchen Wine Bar We went for an early dinner, to avoid the “peopley” aspect. The bulk of patrons were grouped companionably at the bar area. I snapped a view pics of the dining room. It was both elegant and cozy. As I awaited the arrival of my lovely companion I splurged on a rare gin and tonic. Dry January? Well, it’s complicated. The last cocktail I had was probably more than a year ago so I’m going to cut myself some slack. I probably should have memorialized this occasion before I drank most of it.  What can I say? It was a t...

On this day one year ago Howard County Schools were closed due to an impending weather event. Unlike many such impending events, this one did pan out. I know this because I noted that kids were sledding down the hill in front of our house. On this day in 2021 a lawless mob took part in acts of insurrection at the national Capitol building in hopes of preventing the peaceful transfer of presidential power. Meanwhile, in Howard County… Someone smashed their way into the Board of Education building. It was a scary ending to a scary day. On this day in 2017 former blogger Tom Coale (HoCoRising) wrote a piece entitled “Safe for Six Year Olds” which I liked enough to pass along on Facebook. Thanks to the work of two diligent readers, I have the link for you. “ Safe for Six Year Olds ” Tom Coale, HoCoRising 1/6/2017 In 2015 social media was abuzz with the antics of a man named Kirby Delauter. I had forgotten all about him. On this day in 2011 I posted the following: On this day 15 years ago ...

  Yesterday when the writing part of brain was stuck I solicited suggestions for getting myself unstuck. A friend recommended fresh air and movement. I have that on my agenda for today.  Today’s search for topics brings us someone who clearly knows and benefits from this already: Howard County resident George Pelikan. Here he is biking the Old Ellicott City Connector Trail. Video from the YouTube channel of George Pelikan It’s not long, about two and a half minutes. In case you have wondered what the Connector Trail is like, this will give you a pretty good idea. (I don’t know the music Pelikan has used for the soundtrack and he doesn’t appear to have credited the musician. Grr.) I imagine that observing the changes through the seasons here could be pretty amazing. Parts of the video feel a little bit like being on a thrill ride but it’s mostly pretty mellow. If you’re interested in learning more about this relatively new trail, (Spring, 2024) take a look at this page on the F...