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A year ago today I had surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. So far the fix has held up well, although it somehow managed to cause our bedroom ceiling to collapse.* It’s not surprising that I woke up with a mix of those memories swirling around in my mind today.

It’s a Saturday and there are plenty of things to do. I’m just not plugged into that mood this morning - - my apologies.

Three things:

1. Interesting house for sale in Brookeville which is somehow Howard County. I don’t quite understand how that works. Shouldn’t Brookeville be Montgomery County? It’s interesting to see a style that I remember being so new and challenging the status quo now looking so…dated? humbled? I can’t quite explain it.


What do you think?

*****


2. I’m still troubled by a Thursday post on Facebook by the Howard County Historical Society. Here it is. 



The Historical Center & Archives will be closed tomorrow
Friday, June 19th, 2026 in observance of Juneteenth. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we will resume normal business hours on Monday.

The wording feels off. So I decided to check how the worded their most recent holiday closing before this one.



Can you see the difference? I can. So I asked.


Why do you apologize for "the inconvenience" of closing on the Juneteenth federal holiday but not for closing on Memorial Day? Why do you think one is more inconvenient than the other?

I’m still waiting for a response. 

*****

3. A reminder: it’s always a good day to check out HoCoLocal blog, Threw Mikes Eyez - - Original Writings, Images, Video and Artworks of Mike Hartley. I always feel a bit more human after immersing myself in his writing and photographic images.

*****

One last thing. I recently saw these two photos of the Lakefront and I think I’ve fallen in love with the tree. No, not the People Tree.



These photos do not belong to me. They were taken by two different people. But I think it’s the same tree.



It almost puts the People Tree to shame, doesn’t it? Or, at the very least, it reminds you of the power of a live, physical tree as a symbol of something wonderful. 

To be clear, I’m not dissing the venerable Lakefront icon. I have a soft spot in my heart for all those peoples.


I probably always will.


Village Green/Town² Comments 


*Yeah, yeah. I know. Correlation ≠ causation.

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  1. Julia A. McCreadyJune 20, 2026 at 5:09 AM

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