Village Green/Town²

  I’ve realized that my brain operates on a simple assumption: Each new experience is an opportunity to screw up. Over the last several years I’ve realized that spending most of my life with undiagnosed ADHD has a lot to do with that. Having an extremely judgemental mother didn’t help, either. I envy folks who feel exhilarated by new adventures. I immediately start making mental lists of how something new could be awful or how I could fail. I decided I wanted to rewrite that script which has been dominating my thoughts for far too long. At first, I tried this: Each new experience is an opportunity for something wonderful to happen. At this suggestion, my brain just laughed. This was just too big a leap. As much as I believe in positive self-talk, this was more like trying to convince myself that there were fairies living at the bottom of the garden. I tried again. Each new experience is an opportunity. How about that , Brain? Open-ended enough for you? Brain was not entirely convin...

  Columbia/HoCo has a split personality when it comes to leaves. Autumn leaves. We all love looking at the changing colors and sharing photos of the best ones near where we live. But, once they start falling… Environmental groups t ell us to “leave the leaves.” Our HOAs tell us to rake them and how to bag them and dispose of them. My village, Oakland Mills, publishes an entire page on the accepted protocol for dealing with Fall leaves. So, which is it? From Columbia Families in Nature, an arm of the Community Ecology Institute: Bumblebee Queens Spend The Winter Hidden Under Fallen Leaves. To Protect The Queen Leave The Leaves Wherever Possible. And Don't Use Leaf Blowers or Pesticides. Where I live the yard work is handled through our HOA. They definitely use leaf blowers. Here is a picture of our birdbath after the leaf blowers came through. So, make up your mind, folks. Are autumn leaves a natural phenomenon that we shouldn’t interfere with, or an untidy mess that make the neighb...

 I somehow slept through my alarm. My apologies. That’s the problem with running my life through my iPad- - sometimes I fall asleep without making sure my sound is turned on. I want to point you to a local story I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t stumbled across this piece in the Catholic Review. St. Mary’s Cemetery, resting place to enslaved people, will undergo revitalization  , Kyle Taylor, Catholic Review Why should you read this story? It has: A church in Ellicott City A well-known HoCo landmark High school aged Girl Scouts Local history Collaboration with local government An historical discovery  I grew up being dragged from one historical house museum to another. My mother adored old houses and, in particular, the history one could learn from them. She was always that one person in the tour group that could answer questions that the docent couldn’t. It’s hard to have a parent like that, even while admiring her wide range of general knowledge. My feelings about...

 Howard County has a television channel. Do you watch it? Recently County Executive Calvin Ball highlighted the work of Howard County Government Television on social media, reminding the public of this resource. GTV is accessible on Comcast Channel 99 and Verizon Channel 44. For a detailed program schedule and further information, please refer to our official page at:  https://www.howardcountymd.gov/public-information/gtv-program-schedule . I have a confession to make: I don’t watch it. It has been my understanding that it’s mostly there to broadcast County Council meetings. While I have watched some of those over the years, it’s not a regular commitment for me. They also have a running Bulletin Board for local information. That’s about it, right?  Is there something I am missing?   If you are an avid fan of the Howard County channel, please fill me in. I am just straight up revealing my ignorance here.  I can tell you that I’m a devotee of The Ball Bulletin, t...

  The story set off something in my brain. DHL distribution center in Elkridge set to close, relocate in February 2024 , Dominick Philippe-Auguste, WMAR TV 2 Is this the place that packages go to die? You may be familiar with this phenomenon. You order something, they ship it, you think you’ll get it any day now and…nothing. You check the tracking system. Invariably it’s in a facility in Elkridge, Maryland. If you don’t believe me, search DHL Elkridge on TwitterX, Yelp, or Google reviews. My personal favorite: I’m gonna need to have a talk with whoever works at that DHL place in Elkridge MD. Y’all only got one employee? There hasn’t been a single time a package has passed through there and not taken a damn week. Maryland, everything about your dumb ass state sucks. Okay, let’s not drag the entire state, ma’am. The distribution center in Elkridge has 120 employees (a lot more than one!) who will be impacted by the closure. They are being given the opportunity to move to a DHL center...

  Brianna Dania Thompson is missing. She was last seen October 27. That was over a week ago. Thompson is a resident of Columbia, Maryland. Location Last Seen: Brianna was last seen on October 27, 2023 at approximately 5pm in the 7300 blk of Kerry Hill Court, wearing a sweatpants and a sweater. Circumstances of Disappearance: According to Brianna's mother, she left to hangout with her friend, who is also missing. Last Seen Wearing: Sweatpants, shirt and a sweater. Identifying Marks or Characteristics: A very noticeable birthmark on her forearm. The information about Ms. Thompson comes from The Black and Missing Foundation website.  Black and Missing Foundation, Inc (BAMFI) has been established as a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring awareness to missing persons of color; provide vital resources and tools to missing person’s families and friends and to educate the minority community on personal safety. Why a Foundation for those who are Black and missing? This pa...

  ‘Tis the weekend for getting crafty, it seems. There’s a whole lot of that sort of stuff going on around town. Oakland Mills High School 34th Annual Craft Fair, 10-3 pm in the OMHS gym. 9410 Kilimanjaro Road, Columbia, MD 21045. Learn more here . In case this link doesn’t work: Abiding Savior Lutheran Church will be having a Fall and Christmas Bazaar from 8:00 - Noon. You'll find gifts, holiday decor and crafts, as well as homemade cookies, cakes, and breads for sale. Proceeds will support Grass Roots, Columbia Community Care, and ASLC ministries. 10689 Owen Brown Rd. Columbia, MD 21044. Learn more here . Clarksville Commons Saturday Market, 10 - 2 pm.  It’s the last regular one of the season. Not technically a craft fair  but there are a variety of vendors including my new favorite The Salvaged Stitch. On the Plaza at 12230 & 12250, Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, MD 21029. Learn more here . Howard County Crafts Spectacular, 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is $5.00. Als...