Village Green/Town²

  Village Green/Town² is on what I hope will be a limited break. Sending love to all my readers and hope for a way out of the darkness. - - jam

 

  We are close to one of the well-known rituals of the Columbia year: the Fourth of July fireworks. We all know they are at the Lakefront. We know they are sponsored by Howard County and that all are welcome. There will be announcements about when it is permissible to come down to the Lakefront and stake out one’s spot with a blanket. There will be folks who disregard this.  Afterwards there will be complaints about the traffic or the parking or something or other that was displeasing and inconvenient. Perhaps this is why there are alternative viewing spots around town that provide a good-enough view without the hassle. Many are shared by word of mouth. Some are whispered only among close friends, like the secret knock at a speakeasy. In my neighborhood the elementary school nearby has been such a gathering place over the years. (I don’t think it is anymore since the reconfiguration of the school’s footprint.) It has taken on its own personality, its own festival atmosphere wh...

  Friends, watching people cheer suffering is breaking me.  I have entered a new phase of doubting the world can go on. And yet…and yet. People are getting up today and going to work. Bookstores and libraries will be inviting us to read. Childcare workers will nurture children, restaurants will feed people, hospitals will treat the sick, and people will keep going to work. Except the people who have no more jobs because of DOGE. Or those who have been kidnapped and disappeared by ICE. Or those who need to work but are afraid to leave their homes because of same. People work in most cases because they must. And the more desperate they become (and/or the more ignorant) the more easily they will be conquered. Not by a foreign adversary but by native bigotry and greed.  Because in desperation you have no choice. Those of us who still have a sliver of choice are called to take on more. I’m moved by local examples and I suspect there are plenty we don’t see.  People in our...

  Postcards. When you go on vacation, do you send them? Do you enjoy receiving them? Has their meaning changed over the years? Now that anyone can go online and enjoy vistas from far away places, does the shiny image of the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel towel have the same impact? I’m inclined to believe that the relationship you have with the person who sent you the card has become far more important. Last week this postcard image popped up on BlueSky. I did not know there were Columbia postcards. Image from BlueSky account postcardbot, this card sent by Ann from Southern, Maryland, U.S.A. on December 20, 1994. Text on the reverse:  Columbia, Maryland Completed in 1967, Columbia was one of the the first of the modern planned cities. Designed by the Rouse Co., the city was termed a "garden for the growing of people." In the foreground is Lake Kittamaqundi; the background, office buildings and Columbia Mall. Does any word there leap out at you? Read the blurb again. “Compl...

  Today is one of the coolest events of the year and it’s free. Downtown Columbia Maker Faire  , Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, 12  - 4 pm. I’m not recovered enough yet from surgery so I can’t be there but I hope you will go. If you are as intrigued as I am by this quirky and wondrous celebration of creativity, tinkering, and just plain fun - - don’t miss it!  It’s more than just looking at things. It’s a very open-ended, hands-on experience. So, if you have kids, or you happen to be someone like me…Maker Faire is for you. And there are plenty of well-cared for trees in The Park so you will have shade if you need it.  Tickets are free but you must pre-register so they know how many people to expect and how to manage the parking logistics. Downtown Columbia Maker Faire Registration  From the event page: Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning, creating, and love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to...

  Fear. Everyone has it. Here are my top three fears from my early childhood: Being forced to participate in gymnastics activities in PE class. Going for car rides after dark with my family. Old, wrinkled, dusty balloons. My top three today look different: Having my Social Security cut off. What the future holds for my children. Unremediated pain or asthma But I’m not here today to talk about what I’m afraid of. I here to talk about what I am not afraid of.  I am not afraid of Zohran Mamdani.  There are a lot of folks out there telling me I should be, but: I’m not. I spent some time on Thursday investigating my feelings about this and I realized I have been blessed by something that a lot of people haven’t: I have a Muslim friend.  I’m not saying: I can’t be Islamophobic because I have a Muslim friend. That’s not a claim I could fairly make because I was raised swimming in white culture and I make mistakes all the time. I am saying that I look at this candidate for...