Village Green/Town²

  Trees. I’ve decided that trees are at the center of the HoCoLocal universe.  The county runs an annual tree giveaway. Images from HoCo Rec and Parks social media  And don’t forget how every new project in town must face the outcry over trees being removed. This includes false accusations that trees in Symhony Woods were decimated to build the Merriweather District. (The Merriweather District isn’t in Symphony Woods.) Of course trees are important. Much of our existence is intertwined with them.  That’s why these two recent stories caught my eye. Human composter plans to spread soil on Eastern Shore site, Brian Shane, Baltimore Banner  A funerary business that transforms human remains into compost as an alternative to burial and cremation says it's buying land on the Eastern Shore, where the loamy byproduct will be used to cultivate a forest of native trees. Columbia Wood-Processing Facility To Focus On Locally Grown Trees , Kristin Danley-Greiner, Columbia ...

  I was trying to find someone’s house yesterday in a perfectly lovely neighborhood in Columbia. And I just about gave up and went home. Beautiful houses, beautiful yards.  Very few house numbers. I realize that this is a relatively minute topic to be carping about, but: aren’t dwellings required to have house numbers?  Perhaps I am wrong about this. Perhaps labeling your house is a free choice activity. Or perhaps we have a surprising number of locals whose homes are enrolled in a witness protection program.  I did some quick checking this morning. Howard County does have regulations pertaining to house numbers, primarily to aid first responders. That makes sense. I’m curious as to the reasoning behind leaving one’s house unlabeled. It seems like the oddest “you can’t find me” game ever. People often complain about all the rules in Columbia pertaining to the exterior of one’s home. And there are a lot of them. Color, style, windows, doors, fences…I hate to be the p...

  What’s the scoop? I caught this quick video about a place called Sweet Finishes on YouTube and I realized that I had no idea where it was. Aha! The Business Monthly covered their opening in June.  Apparently they’re in the TCBY* space on Snowden. Have you been there? Any recommendations? You can find Sweet Finishes on Instagram but, at the moment, they’re pushing out a bunch of AI slop so I’m not going to link to that here. Here’s a menu I found online if you are curious. (Their use of fonts made my eyeballs itch.)  Sweet Finishes is an independent, Black-owned business in Columbia, a place where we bemoan the proliferation of chains yet somehow inexplicably fail to patronize the mom and pops. I hope they’ll be able to succeed in their new incarnation.  There’s talk on Reddit that Meadows in Hickory Ridge is going to close due to issues with Kimco. I thought I had heard long ago that the current Meadows owner wanted to retire and was looking for someone to take i...

  The thing I found this week on Facebook Marketplace that completely creeped me out: a bear head. Yes, just the head. For two hundred dollars you think you’d get the entire bear. I think it’s safe to say that I have a soft spot in my heart for teddy bears but that does not extend to large, disembodied teddy bear heads. Yikes. In better bear-themed news, a recent read from HCLS through Libby was about a much smaller fellow. Probably my favorite part of the reading experience was learning this from author Katherine Applegate: Soon after I began working on POCKET BEAR, I learned about a company in London called “Loved Before.” Their motto is, “Saving the planet, one teddy at a time.” I loved the idea of recycling toys. Pretty soon, The Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured found its way into my book. Loved Before? Remember them? I’ve been fangirling over Loved Before since 2022 when I imagined what it would be like to spend one’s life surrounded by plush friends looking fo...

Are they playing your song? The Ellicott City Partnership alerted me to this opportunity: And here’s a post about it from HoCo Rec and Parks: CALLING ALL MUSIC LOVERS! Come join us at the new Capitoline Center (the old Ellicott City Courthouse) from 11am-3pm on August 29 as we celebrate International Play Music on the Porch Day. We have space in the front and back of the building. Bring your own chairs, instrument (s), a few songs to lead or share, and your enthusiasm! Come out for a wonderful time making the world beautiful one note at a time. You can learn more about the origins of Play Music on the Porch Day at the official website. HoCo ARTsites 2026 are officially installed and ready to be viewed throughout Columbia/HoCo. You can see the full list of works and their locations here plus a few photographs as well.  Yet again I’m going to challenge myself to actually get out and visit all of them. I think I’ll start here. "Two Birds, One Stone" by Robert Donovan at Inner A...

  Some happy news to start your day in one minute and forty-five seconds from UMD Science: Science Terp staff traveled to Columbia, Maryland, to deliver a life-changing surprise! Watch incoming freshman neuroscience major Leah Boka react to winning the Siegall Scholarship—an award that covers four years of tuition, room and board, books and fees. The Clay Siegall Scholarship, a four-year full scholarship for a life science major, was created by Siegall, B.S. '82, zoology, the founder and CEO of Seattle Genetics. Ms. Boka is a graduate of Long Reach High School in Columbia.  You may have seen recently that Long Reach High School is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. County Executive Calvin Ball featured their kick-off celebration on his Facebook page. Images from County Executive’s social media  We celebrated 30 years of Long Reach High School, honoring three decades of academic achievement, student leadership, community connection, and a proud legacy that conti...

  It’s six forty five am. Do you know where your food is? There’s a chance it might have come from farms on the Eastern Shore and passed through the  Maryland Food Center Authority  in Jessup on its way to stores, restaurants, and your refrigerator. This six minute video from MPT’s Farm and Harvest gives you a behind the scenes look at how that all works. How Fresh Produce Gets From Farm to Grocery Store Overnight  PBS, Maryland Public Television  If you aren’t familiar with the show Maryland Farm and Harvest then here's a snippet of how they describe themselves:  Hosted by Joanne Clendining, Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers around the state to see and experience what it's like to run a 21st century farm – from technological advances and conservation challenges to age-old complications such as weather hardships. MF&H also captures the number one reason why planters and growers dedicate themselves to it all: their simple love of farming. They’ve...

  There is an odd point in the summer where you arrive at The Last Weekend Before School Starts. It is especially odd since, weather-wise, it doesn’t feel like summer is over at all. I tend to feel as though we could go along doing our favorite summer things for at least several more weeks.  But, here we are. The date is circled on the calendar, supplies are piling up around the house. What did you do on that last weekend of freedom before the annual plunge into the school year? Friday night I requested a trip to Pepperjacks (Scaggsville.)  It was just the right kind of weather for eating dinner outside and enjoying a root beer float - - a summer-specific beverage from my childhood that I’ve never outgrown. I have sentimental feelings about this place. When the weather gets warm enough to eat outside I always think of them. And, when I need to say farewell to those precious summer days, Pepperjacks calls my name.  Saturday morning I wasn’t at all sure about the weat...

  And tomorrow is the first day of school. I know this because I keep track of current events and, closer to home, I live with a teacher. The other day when I wrote about safety issues in school zones a commenter raised an issue about school buses, specifically: concern that school buses are not equipped with seat belts. Now, there are ongoing arguments as to whether seatbelts are needed or whether they would be logistically practical. I’m not going to wade into that now. I am going to predict that, in less that two weeks, local online communities will see more than one complaint about students having to stand on school buses due to lack of seats. If I am wrong I will be thrilled.  Whether or not students are sufficiently protected in school buses without seatbelts becomes rather beside the point when those buses are routinely carrying standing passengers. And, unlike subways, school buses are not equipped with those handy-dandy overhead straps.  Over the years one of t...

  Tut, tut. It looks like rain. - - A. A. Milne Yes, Saturday has rolled around again and you may have been hoping to enjoy some outdoor activities. Good news! The pollen is low. Bad news! It looks like rain.  The theme for tonight’s Lakefront Live was intended to be Y2K Night but I swear to you that I saw a cancellation notice due to rain somewhere. Since I can’t confirm that, here’s the Eventbrite link to register  and get more information. Lakefront Live August 22 Another event which may or may not be impacted by the weather is the Patuxent Jazz Band concert at Carroll Baldwin Hall this evening:   Late summer lingers into dusk as Patuxent Jazz Band joins Carroll Baldwin Hall and Gottaswing! to present an evening of swing. Bring a chair for the lawn or your dancing shoes to hit the Hall's historic floor - either way, your toes will be tapping! Still need to learn to swing dance? Join Gottaswing inside the Hall at 5:30pm for a FREE beginner's lesson! Live music fol...

  In recent years we’ve subscribed to a food delivery service called Hungryroot. Like many companies these  days, they have what is called an online community on Facebook. Normally this is a place where people share recipe ideas, their favorite menu items, and/or ask questions. The other day we had what felt like an anonymous troll visit. Like it or don’t, just FYI…all Thomas Farms meats are Halal.  There were a variety of responses. Most were of the, “Why did you think this post was necessary?” variety. I decided to go the innocently cheery route. Good to know! Now I can feel comfortable recommending Hungry Root to my Muslim friends. I was much disturbed by the person who responded with the 🤮 emoji.  I wondered what that commenter was thinking. I wondered if they even knew what halal meant. Our old friend Google told me what people are asking when it comes to “halal.” Here’s the top ten for two searches. Two thoughts: 1) good for people who made the effort to try t...

  The continuing saga of invisible villages… You probably know that Columbia has ten villages.   Nine of them have central shopping/activity areas called Village Centers. Town Center does not - - I’m guessing that is because they have the Mall. As a newbie back in the early oughts, I was so proud of myself for familiarizing myself with information and lore about my new home in Columbia.This is why I was especially puzzled by ads claiming to represent Columbia’s Village Centers - - that didn’t include all of them.  That irked me. Here’s a recent one. The answer I got was that these particular Village Centers are owned and managed by one company: Kimco. The others aren’t. It wasn’t going to be as straightforward as I wanted it to be.  I still think you shouldn’t bill yourself as “Columbia’s Village Centers” if you don’t include all of them. It’s misleading if not downright factually incorrect. Oh, well. I delved into a recent article about Columbia’s Village Cent...

  A while back I posted this image from Marketa because it looked homemade to me.  I reached out to Marketa on Facebook and they told me it was legit. This week I saw this image promoting a local yoga session: Do you see it? The eerie similarities? Now I’m not sure either one was made by a human and I hate living like this. What do you think? ***** August brings one of my favorite anniversaries. You know the one. Apparently August is the month for this sort of thing. It looks like DC has joined the club. I still think an accordion is better. Also, there’s a difference between “electric” and “electronic” and I suspect this writer doesn’t know the difference.  *****  True confession: I can’t make myself read this article. “We’re All Over the Flood”: A Decade Later, Ellicott City Thrives Again , Julekha Dash, Baltimore Magazine It’s not because I think there’s anything wrong with the piece. It’s the title. “We’re All Over the Flood.” I don’t think of myself as superstit...

  I was gratified to see that yesterday’s topic resonated with so many readers. The responses confirm the degree to which the housing shortage has squeezed all kinds of people in our community. At the risk of repeating myself, the point of writing about this for me is not to put the focus on “now our kids can’t get apartments!”  The most appalling housing insecurity and injustice is and has been experienced by Black and Hispanic residents. And, for far too long, their needs weren’t considered reason enough to push for a reasonable quantity of rental housing.  The end result is that there isn’t enough rental housing for anyone who needs it and - - surprise! - - our choices as a community eventually impact us, too.  Towards the end of the day I discovered that I wasn’t the only person to write about the coalition of community groups working with the Horizon Foundation on Housing Justice. I refer you to the post on the HoCo APFO Facebook* page. (It’s not long. You have ...

  We want our kids to have the best. The best neighborhoods, the best schools, the best educational experiences, the best hobbies and activities, the best everything.  We hope all of that prepares them for the best colleges and/or career opportunities. We hope they will have happy lives. But we don’t want them to have homes. At least, not anywhere in Columbia/HoCo.  Before you protest, take a look at this listing on Redfin . I bumped into this listing on Bluesky along with commentary from Barbara Samuels, a knowledgeable Fair Housing and Affordable Housing attorney in Baltimore: 10,000 sq ft, 6BRs, 7BA, 4 car garage, guest house & pool. Must be small apt building & ADU right? No, not allowed! It is what passes for single family outside the HoCo PFA in western Ellicott City. How does it make sense to allow this use [for] 5 valuable acres but not apartments? I’ll be honest with you. Big, fancy houses houses like this used to spark my imagination. Now they just make ...