Picture Postcard Update

In hyperlocal news, the tree I brought home from Frank’s in December…

….that graced our home through the holidays…

…and stared wistfully out the window afterwards…

…has gone to a new home in the country, thanks to a good friend who came to the rescue.

I hope the transition to wintry weather hasn’t been too much of a shock to its system. I already miss the little guy.

Speaking of weather, I’ve enjoyed seeing people’s snow days pics on social media. Here’s mine.

It’s a lovely peaceful view until you realize one thing. The art project I had intended to do while snowed in?

It’s in that cute little red car. On the far side of the parking lot. Oh well.

Finally, I’ve noticed a new visual approach from local meteorologists lately. From the Capital Weather Service:

Sleet vs Freezing Rain courtesy of Capital Weather Service

And this from Justin Berk:

Freezing rain, sleet, plus winter precipitation from Justin Berk

You may recall that local weather folks have been on a kick of using various food items to teach meteorological concepts. Crab cakes, for instance.

Needless to say, I appreciate the opportunity to remind my readers that you have until noon today to enter my completely frivolous but also ecologically-friendly Doughnut Contest. See Friday’s post for details.

I’ve had some great entries so far and you can make my day by submitting yours* so that I will be awash in creativity (and sprinkles.)

Village Green/Town² Comments

*All entries must be received by noon on Monday, January 26th. Winners will be announced on Tuesday’s blog.

Comments

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...

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else. Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

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...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog