Category Archives: Volunteering

Event Overload Again

Posted on May 14, 2014 by AnnieRie

The third weekend in May. Absolutely one of the most overbooked event weekends around here.

Wine in the Woods. Both days, Saturday and Sunday.

The Preakness. Saturday is the race in Baltimore, and the Balloon Festival at Turf Valley the 15th-17th if the weather permits it.

The Columbia Triathlon is Sunday morning. Our love/hate relationship with this event depends on whether we need to get anywhere by car that morning. We live right off the bike race route.

The EC Tasting Gallery Pop Up at Bistro Blanc is Sunday night.

There is a Family Open House at Belmont Saturday morning 10-12, with guided hikes and other goodies. The Howard County Conservancy is providing environmental educational programs at the Belmont site.

We are volunteering for Big Cork at Wine in the Woods.

Been fans of their wines since they opened the winery. Love the chardonnay, and really am looking forward to the release of their first red wines this fall. And, their new building out in Rohrersville.

As for that pop up dinner, we will be there. I can’t wait to see what the EC chefs and Chef Johnny at Bistro Blanc create in a culinary culture tour.

If I can drag myself out of bed Saturday morning to see the mass ascension at Oh-Dark=Thirty up at Turf Valley, I will be doing that too.

Belmont does interfere with Wine in the Woods. Darn. Van Wensil is leading two guided hikes which should be wonderful to do.

Sunday morning finds us cheering on the leaders in the triathlon as they pass the Royal Farms at the circle where Dayton and Glenelg meet. We like heading up there for coffee and bagels and to watch the world class athletes as they head out, and then back, from their loop out to Triadelphia.

And, can’t forget to sit out and watch the Preakness while sipping a Black Eyed Susan. Last year they changed the recipe for the cocktail. Sounds really interesting, if you have St. Germain around the house.

What are you doing this weekend? Are you guilty of event overload, too? I’ll need a week to recover from all this entertainment.

Oh, and the azaleas at Brighton Dam are still blooming. If the rain the next two days doesn’t mess them up.

#hocoblogs

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Posted in Adventures, Community, Food, Hobbies, Howard County, Real Food, Restaurants, Travel, Volunteering, Wine and tagged community, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, MD Wine, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Weather Or Not

Posted on May 7, 2014 by AnnieRie

As in extreme weather. The conference.

It may have started out sunny, but we did have a serious little storm with some lightning and thunder, so we brought the conference in from the rain.

I volunteer for field trips. This one, for ninth graders from four local schools, was the second year the Conservancy hosted all sorts of stations and presentations about extreme weather.

Want to know about power lines, and why you should be really careful around them? Let BG&E demonstrate what happens when live wires come in contact with ladders, poles, and gloves.

Oh, and they roasted a hot dog for the students. I missed that picture. At that point, we were checking the clouds rolling in and using the resources around us, including the Office of Emergency Management’s Command Unit.

I am always impressed by the thoroughness and the complexity of events hosted by the Conservancy. From Ava Marie’s opening remarks to the presentations all over the grounds, and the learning activities, and the displays, this was another chance to engage the community and have a fun day as well.

It was a pretty full house, and most of the students seemed to be intrigued and interested in what they were learning.

If only Mother Nature had cooperated and didn’t make us cancel the last session, as thunder roared and cloud to ground lightning was seen in the western sky. Oh, and getting back to the buses while it poured rain. Just what we are used to seeing around here. Wait a few minutes and the weather will change.

I love my volunteer “job”. We are never too old to stop learning, and sharing knowledge is even more rewarding. Congrats to Ann Strozyk and all the volunteers today, for putting on this conference for over 100 students.

#hocoblogs

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Posted in Adventures, Community, Howard County, Nature, Retirement, Volunteering, Weather and tagged community, Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, volunteering, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Busy Season at the Conservancy

Posted on April 23, 2014 by AnnieRie

Just about everyone who reads my blog knows I spend way too much time (just kidding) at my volunteer “job” at the Howard County Conservancy. April and May are two of the busiest months. But, they are chock full of fun things to do, and in a location that just takes away all the stress in my life the minute I enter the driveway.

How can you resist the lure of this view?

Here is the upcoming calendar.
APR 26- Saturday 8am-1pm Earth Day: Make a Difference!

Start with a bird walk. Grab some gardening tools and pitch in and plant trees. Or, clean out some invasive species. Buy some native plants at the plant sale.

APR 28- Monday 9-12am Home School Day

This field trip is one of my favorites. Home school families will come to the Conservancy. A handful of us will be manning stations to teach them. And, they have some large group activities as well. Always a great interactive day with people who are passionate about teaching their children.

MAY 4 – Sunday 3- 6 pm Belmont Preview Event

The Conservancy is officially kicking off their management of the Belmont Mansion site. With an open house. If you have never been to Belmont you should check out this event.

MAY 10- Saturday 10am Mothers’ Day Special- Tea, Scones & Gardens

This year I am making scones for this Mother’s Day party. The local garden clubs who maintain the various gardens on the property will be on hand to show off the spring finery, and there will be tea and scones.

MAY 29- Thursday 5-8pm 8th Annual Wine in the Garden

The annual major fund raiser for the Conservancy. And, a wonderful night in the honors garden. With silent auction. Many caterers providing small bites (enough altogether to make a light fancy feast). Numerous wines, some local. This year the event is after Memorial Day, so an easier night to attend without interfering with holiday plans.

Check out the upcoming events page. Come join us, for one or more of them, or just come visit. Spring is busting out all over.

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Posted in Community, Howard County, Volunteering and tagged community, gardening, howard county conservancy, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Perfection

Posted on April 21, 2014 by AnnieRie

The weather. The garden. The grilling.

All came together to make one perfect day out here. We spent part of the day tilling, and came home to grill a good dinner.

68° and sun and breeze and no humidity. Why we live here. Spring is my favorite season.

Tomorrow, Sharp’s Farm opens and we will be there picking out tomatoes for the garden. If you want a huge selection of vegetables, flowers, and herbs to plant, try and get out to the greenhouses. They are open Tuesdays through Saturdays for picking out plants.

It may rain tomorrow night but the rest of the week should give us more perfection.

Crank up the grill. Plant some herbs, or lettuce.

Find some flower seeds to sprinkle in the ground. Tomorrow is Earth Day. And, come join us for a bird walk and some projects at the Conservancy this Saturday to celebrate.

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Posted in Gardening, Howard County, Nature, Volunteering, Weather and tagged community, gardening, Howard County, howard county conservancy, spring flowers, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Chickens …

Posted on April 6, 2014 by AnnieRie

… in a fun tour of coop-to-coop.

April 12th. 10 am to 2 pm. A number of Howard County chicken owners are opening their coops for the chance to meet the “girls” and see what fun chickens are. Sponsored as a free program from the Howard County Conservancy. Visit the upcoming event page to learn all about this program.

You can get a description of the tour and some information on the coops. Visit as many as you like.

I saw this great program a few years back in a blog about living in Sonoma County. Suggested the program to our friends on the committee at the Conservancy. This is the inaugural event.

There are eleven sites on the tour. Come out with us. Bring your friends. I really think this is a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Updated: Because one of the links isn’t working right for everyone. Visit the Conservancy page to see about the event and get a corrected copy.

#hocoblogs

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Posted in Birds, Community, Farms, Howard County, Volunteering and tagged birds, farms, Howard County, howard county conservancy, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Diggin’ The Garden

Posted on April 5, 2014 by AnnieRie

At long last, a day to get outside and start working on the gardening. But, that wind chill made it a bit hard to get lots done.

I spent most of today out at the Community Gardens. The Food Bank plot team was preparing the double plot for spring plantings. I have started cilantro from seed, in my garage window, and will be donating some of those plants for the herb site there.

I was there today to assist in the row cover sale and orders.

We were over in the restored Montjoy barn today. Trying to stay out of the wind. Cutting and folding row cover and selling hoops for low rows. We are going to put in one row so that is next week’s project, if we get the ground dry enough to till. I would like to start some spring plants there.

Monday I am off to Sharp’s to return the unused thin version of the row cover, and the last of the hoops. Sharp’s Waterford Farm on Jennings Chapel Road is a great supporter of local businesses and garden clubs all over the area. They open for business on April 22nd this year.

And, yes, spring is officially here. That would be evident as it was opening day at the Woodstock Snowball Stand. A little cold for snowballs, but such a welcome sight.

So, Howard Countians. Get out there! Plant a few herbs. Take a ride and get a snowball. Spring is definitely here.

#hocoblogs

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Posted in Community, Farms, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Volunteering, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, farms, Food, gardening, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, volunteering, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Four Years In

Posted on March 31, 2014 by AnnieRie

Time flies when you are having fun.

As in being retired.

I have to admit though, this winter tested that “fun” thing.

Four years ago tomorrow, April 1st was my last day at work. I never intended to work again. I was positive that there was enough to do.

There certainly is quite a bit to do around here. Like volunteer. And, learn new things. Like gardening, leading hikes, the environment and so much more.

Robinson Nature Center needs lots of volunteers. So does the Howard County Conservancy, where I hang out. Master gardeners. Master naturalists.

School volunteers. Park volunteers. Greenway clean up teams.

For me, my spring and fall are busy with leading field trips. Spring, summer and fall I have my garden. Usually in the winter there is still a lot to do, but this winter was tough with all the snow and the cold.

All in all, Howard County is a great place to retire, if you want to keep your mind and body active.

Here’s to retirement, the third trimester of my life.

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Posted in Howard County, Retirement, Volunteering and tagged howard county conservancy, retirement, volunteering, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Searching for Signs of Spring

Posted on March 12, 2014 by AnnieRie

As the skies in the west darken. The temperatures may drop forty degrees tonight. Storms will rip through. And, we may get one or two more snow events before winter leaves us.

Will spring ever arrive? Tomorrow we have volunteer training, including hiking, in temperatures that may barely hit freezing, as a high. That should be interesting.

Heavy rain is hitting the front of our house. Cross your fingers that our radio tower does OK. It is a year old this week.

I see no evidence of garlic in the garden. I planted it last fall, and covered it heavily with mulch. Normally by now, there would be something out there.

This was last year on the 29th of March.

Tulips? Not very far along either. Barely seen. Not like last year when they popped above the ground in January.

I moved the tractor up to the garage today, to get picked up for service tomorrow. I don’t think we will be cutting grass anytime soon.

This has been a cold winter. One that, I hope, will cut down on the number of destructive pests that kill my garden plants. If only it would kill the stink bugs. That would be celebration worthy.

Are you tired of winter too?

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Nature, Volunteering, Weather and tagged Food, gardening, nature, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

One Crazy Busy Thursday

Posted on March 11, 2014 by AnnieRie

I just realized that this Thursday is going to be extremely busy for me. Mostly over at the Howard County Conservancy where I volunteer.

What with elementary school field trip training, a pot luck luncheon for volunteers, picking up my Friends and Farms basket, bringing it home to process, putting out a simple dinner for my husband, and heading off to the art reception for the evening.

I really should go back to work. I think I need the rest.

We always have a pot luck luncheon during volunteer training. I like to use garden goodies when I can.

This time I am using some of my garlic scape pesto from the freezer to make a couscous salad.

As for the art show, this time having an opening reception gives the artists something they are used to having. The chance to talk to those interested in what inspires them. I really enjoy this evening. Plus, we have the opportunity to buy one of Greg Mort’s awesome items. He has been so generous with his time, his art, his books. Donating so much to the Conservancy.

As for time spent at the Conservancy, I agree with those who say it is a respite from the hectic stress filled hours. Every time I drive into the driveway and walk those paths I feel so relaxed.

I have to say, spring seems to be so close, but just a bit out of reach. I do know I can’t wait to get back outdoors and enjoy all of the surroundings here where we live.

Here’s to many more busy days!

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The Artist As Messenger

Posted on March 9, 2014 by AnnieRie

The juried art show at the Howard County Conservancy.

We were hanging pictures yesterday in advance of the reception this Thursday night.

The judging took place yesterday also. The judges, Greg Mort, Rebecca Hoffberger and Anne Raver, all back for their fifth year of participation, had their largest set of entries this year.

The Conservancy is hosting the reception where the winners will be revealed. The art is available for viewing until Easter.