Items of local interest to the four-state area (Western Md, Southern PA, Northern VA, and Eastern WV).
Hard to believe, but another year-end is fast approaching. 2021 is almost in the history books, and 2022 will soon be upon us. That means it’s time to make that annual list of resolutions that we’ll all attempt (and mostly fail) for the new year. Between crowded gyms (that will be ghost towns by mid-March), a fridge full of fresh vegetables (that you’ll end up throwing away by January 15th), and a pile of books from the library (that will…
Dear Amazon: Let me be the first to say that although your billionaire CEO annoys me on a regular basis, I have to admit you provide a wonderful service. With the addition of the multiple (and massive) shipping facilities you have recently built in my area, the turnaround time from order to delivery is surprisingly fast (sometimes within an astonishing twenty-four hours). I also have noticed a plethora of Amazon delivery trucks on the highways and byways of my daily…
I absolutely love this festive time of the year. The decorations, the wrapping paper, the music, the lights – and the gloriously decorated Christmas trees. If you want to experience a family-friendly way to see all of this and more, then you still have time to go and see the Celebration of Trees, being held at the historic Springfield Barn in Williamsport, MD. The event was started back in 2009, when organizers got the bright idea to try and recycle…
Ahhhh, December. The merriment and joy of the holiday season is all around us – and after a full day of lugging down box after box of Christmas decorations from my attic, my house is finally adorned in its annual holiday splendor. There’s nothing better than sitting in my living room in the evenings, the room aglow with just the lights of the tree (and elsewhere in the room) providing all of the illumination. It’s cold outside, my fireplace is…
As we move into Thanksgiving week, once the turkey has been carved, the football games have been watched, and the pumpkin pie has been served, many Americans then turn their sights towards their next holiday tradition. Black Friday. These shopping sentinels arise in the middle of the night, put on their favorite PJs or sweats, grab their lattes and their shopping lists, and head into the breach to join hordes of other would-be bargain hunters on their quest for the…
I don’t know if you’ve had the pleasure (or misfortune) to visit an emergency room lately, but if the ER visit is a litmus test on the current state of the US healthcare system, we are badly failing as a society. Let me relay our most recent experience with a local health system provider – whose name I will withhold, but if you live anywhere near me, you’ll know exactly what organization I’m talking about. My mother was involved in…
My youngest daughter is experiencing a whole lot of “firsts” in her life this week. She’s on fall break from her college, and she decided to fly down to see her grandmother, extended family, and a few friends in Florida. So naturally, there was some planning to do. Some “adult” things to take care of – as with any journey – but in the past these things were always handled by myself or her mother. This time, she is the…
There are some foods that are synonymous with a state’s identity. Maine has its lobster, Georgia has their peaches, Louisiana has the crawfish; however, in Maryland, one food item reigns supreme. The Maryland blue crab. Nothing beats sitting down at a long, paper-covered table piled high with freshly steamed blue crabs, the air filled with the signature smell of Old Bay seasoning. Armed with a mallet and a small knife, it’s now each diner’s job to dissect these crustaceans, picking…
My small town of Clear Spring, MD (population 479 – salute!) celebrated a big milestone this past weekend. It was the town’s 200th anniversary. Now, it’s not every day you get to live in a town that has been around long enough to celebrate its own bicentennial, but for an “older” gal, I have to say she still looks pretty good. This past weekend was celebrated with home tours, scavenger hunts, and panckake breakfasts. Lots of folks were popping in…
Perhaps you’ve seen examples of this in your town. A big shopping plaza filled with several big-box stores opens up to great fanfare, then as the years go by, the stores close one-by-one, leaving large, abandoned buildings and deserted parking lots to litter the landscape. Do you know what I mean? I’ll use some examples from the largest town near me – Hagerstown, MD (population @40,000). It’s at the intersection of two major highways, I-70 and I-81. You’d think that…