Category Archives: Volunteering

The Hospital at Middle Age

Posted on July 10, 2013 by AnnieRie

HCGH turned forty yesterday. Hard to believe it has been that long. I arrived here in the county eighteen months later, as a new college graduate in my first apartment, so I remember all the growth, and watched a tiny hospital turn into something for the whole region. Got my first visit that winter to ER to have stitches for an ice skating accident.

The reason I am writing this post, though, is to highlight this Saturday’s anniversary wellness fair. I will be volunteering there at the Howard County Conservancy table. We will be handing out information about our educational family programs, and just enjoying the festivities.

In their description, they mention all sorts of free screenings and a few giveaways. As well as the walk through heart exhibit, oh, and free food. Wonder how healthy those minicupcakes are going to be. Just kidding.

I also have to remember to bring that stash of my old eyeglasses to donate to the Lions Club.

For me, there have been many visits of patients, a few stays, quite a few ER encounters, and of course, my regular visits to the farmer’s market.

I love the fact that they give up an area of the parking lot for six months of Fridays for the market.

Hope to see many friends and neighbors as we lived right up the road from the hospital for 23 years. Stop by our table and say “HI”.

Happy 40th Birthday to HoCoGenHosp!

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Posted in Commentary, Community, Farmer's Markets, Howard County, Local Businesses, Remember When, Volunteering and tagged commentary, community, farmer's markets, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Build It and They Will Come … Building Fairy Houses

Posted on July 9, 2013 by AnnieRie

In the woods at the Howard County Conservancy this Saturday, the 13th. Down by the stream near the Hodge Podge Lodge, “construction” of the homes for the fairies will take place. Last year, the children got incredibly creative.

The description from the web site:

JUL 13- Saturday 10am Fairy Houses: Magic in the Woods with Florence Miller, Van Wensil and Audrey Suhr– In the spirit of “Build It and They Will Come,” bring your children and join other families to build beautiful dwellings for the fairies in the Conservancy’s woodlands and stream edges. We will have bark and twigs and cones and nuts as “construction materials.”

Before you come, how about grabbing a basket and taking a walk with your children to hunt for natural building materials near your home – and bringing them with you. We’re sure the magic of our woods will bring the fairies to appreciate your constructions! We’ll photograph the beautiful “country homes” and tree-side “villages” your families build, and add these images of your ephemeral master-constructions to our Fairy House Memory Book on the Conservancy’s classroom display table – where you can re-visit them…. “forever!” Ages 10 and under. Parents, please plan to remain with your child during the program. FREE

As you can see from the description, a few hours in the woods with the materials provided. Just bring your imagination.

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

Fiddlers and Fireflies

Posted on June 25, 2013 by AnnieRie

This Thursday night.

Description from the Conservancy Web Site.

JUN 27- Thursday 6-9pm Fiddlers and Fireflies- Bring your family and picnic dinner to the Conservancy as Fiddlers and Fireflies, one of our most popular programs, returns this summer. As the fireflies begin to flicker in the tall grasses around the property at Mt. Pleasant, listen to great performers of fiddle music, Steve Hickman’s band, who have electrified audiences for close to thirty years. Children and adults alike will join in the dancing with the fiddles and the fireflies. Kids will also learn interesting facts about fireflies and are invited to make a firefly craft. Bring your own picnic blanket or chairs $10/car

Last year the crafts tables were really popular. Making fireflies, coloring activities, other crafts. Along with the picnicing and dancing.

As you can see, the little ones were the first ones up enjoying the music. And, last year a surprise visit from one of the two goats who are part of the Conservancy “family”, being friendly and getting fed leaves by the children.

Lots to do. Great music. A bargain for a family at $10 a car to cover the musicians’ fee. Even a bargain for a couple, or a group of friends, who could set up their picnic anywhere on the hillside and listen to the music while watching the sunset and look for the fireflies to come out. Or, maybe play a game of catch. This is one of my favorite summer traditions.

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Volunteering, West HoCo and tagged community, Food, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Givers and Takers

Posted on June 24, 2013 by AnnieRie

This weekend I spent time with loads of givers. People who give of their time, their investment, their heart, soul, money, you name it. I am so amazed at the passion and dedication of my fellow “hams” and their spouses and families.

There have been calls for this to be the #summerofneighbors by a local Columbia blogger. Where you connect with your neighbors and post it on twitter. I would think I could overload twitter with the sheer volume of “neighborliness” found in the amateur radio community.

Look at this picture.

Filled with givers. Father and son. Jon and Dave. Others who were there from beginning to end.

I look at the food board. Full of contributions from wives and families.

And, there are club members like Dave, checking in even while attending family weddings.

I heard conversations over the weekend about other community events. Bike race support. Non profit board meetings. The next big radio contest where we will be using the national call sign to represent the US in an international competition.

Here in our hobby, long time leaders teaching new volunteers. Like Maurice teaching Melanie.

Getting the newer members interested and active in our organization is something we know is important to our continued success.

When we look at what we accomplished, another successful, safe and enjoyable event, we realize it is all because we are surrounded by Givers. Not Takers. Not people who sit on the sidelines and criticize or expect something for nothing. GIVERS!

I blogged last year how I thought the motto on those bumper stickers “Choose Civility” didn’t go far enough. You really need a community mindset to make a difference.

CARA and PVRC exhibit this every year for this national event. People give time, money, and passion to make it successful. I realize now, after a few years of volunteering, that I can look at all the pictures and I know the names of everyone in them. Isn’t that what neighborly really means? Is just going somewhere a neighborly thing?

Isn’t immersion in your community to the extent that you know the people, know their children’s names, know their food preferences, their favorite things, important?

Are you a giver? Or, someone watching on the sidelines? Step up. Find your passion. Invest in Howard County. Your home.

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Posted in Commentary, Howard County, Volunteering, West HoCo and tagged amateur radio, commentary, community, Howard County, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Wrapping Up Another Year … W3AO

Posted on June 23, 2013 by AnnieRie

Every year the list gets longer as more and more people support the two local radio clubs, CARA and PVRC, in making the annual Field Day bigger and better.

Watching W3LPL roll up his cables, this year with the help of KD4D, I think to myself, they are walking two miles combined. After operating their radios for most of the 24 hour contest period.

They, along with about a dozen other very tired, but elated, participants, took down all the towers, all the wires, all the computers, a half dozen tents, and all those other little jobs that would leave the school field looking just like it did when they arrived.

Earlier today, it was cooler, a little overcast, but then the wind kicked up, the flags showed the weather changing, and everyone thought we would be tearing down the setup in bad weather.

Jim, N3KTV was prepared for a rainy tear down, but thankfully after an hour of drizzle and some heavy rain, it did clear up in time for the grilled lunch. Unfortunately, hot, humid weather made it a bit uncomfortable to work out there. I think we went through dozens of bottles of water, and lots of watermelon, bananas, and grapes.

At one point, I was driving around the fields giving out water bottles and offering more sun screen. We had multiple teams pulling down antennas, cranking down towers along with the dismantling of the operating tents.

Here I do want to pay tribute to the sometimes unsung heroes in any endeavor, like this weekend event. Those members of the clubs and their friends and families who spend hours after the end of the event cleaning up and putting it all away until next time. Even after long hours. And, to KE3Q, for making the Get On The Air (GOTA) station a much used and appreciated station for young and old alike to be introduced to the magic of contacting someone anywhere in the US and Canada.

Without the dedicated team players, any organization, non profit or otherwise, can’t succeed. I think W3AO succeeds because of all of those dedicated people. Glad that they are our neighbors and friends. It was another great event. Safely conducted. Can’t wait to see the final results and looking forward to next year, our fifteenth anniversary of operating here in Howard County.

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The Perfect Pairing – Wine and Food

Posted on May 20, 2013 by AnnieRie

Wine in the Garden. At the Howard County Conservancy. Coming this Thursday night. I just saw the menu and the paired wines that will be poured. What I love most about this evening is how the caterers and the wine vendors select those perfect matches to serve. And, of course, the gardens.

Listen to some of these pairings.

New Orleans BBQ shrimp with cheddar cheese grits, would go very well with the Loire Valley Vouvray.

Cucumber cups filled with salmon mousse served with a lightly oaked Central Valley CA Chardonnay.

Or, what would you like with Mussels Provencale? Red or white. Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from Sonoma. They are serving both.

Crab dip. You will have to get me away from that caterer. I love crab dip. Depending on the spice, the Vouvray or the Chardonnay will work, as will some of the exotic wines from Far Eastern Shore Winery of MD.

Jerk chicken kebabs. Definitely a slightly sweeter choice. Maybe a Linganore wine, or the blush styled wine from Far Eastern Shore.

Shrimp salad. Chicken salad. Pasta salads. The list goes on and on. This isn’t a measly set of choices here. I saw at least 15 items including a bruschetta bar, and one I am intrigued with. Spicy shrimp cilantro cups.

Lots of dessert choices in there too. Red wine and chocolate meet your fancy. There is a blended red being poured. A blend of zinfandel, syrah and cabernet. A caterer is bringing cake bites. Something small, sweet and you can experiment with all sorts of different wine pairings.

If you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time. Or, come pay at the door. The party is from 5-8 on Thursday the 23rd. The silent auction has some cool wine and food items too. I saw that they have a private tour and tasting for eight people at Black Ankle Winery. Now that’s a great night out.

See you there?

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Posted in Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Volunteering, Wine and tagged Food, foodie, Howard County, howard county conservancy, Locavore, real food, spring flowers, volunteering, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Two Tickets to Paradise …

Posted on May 16, 2013 by AnnieRie

… at Wine in the Garden. So, what do Eddie Money and Howard County Conservancy have in common. Those two tickets.

Wine in the Garden is the annual fundraiser held in the Honors Garden at the Conservancy.

Always the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend. Details for tickets are here.

This year Southwest donated two unrestricted tickets to anywhere they fly in the US, worth up to $800. The Conservancy is holding a raffle of these tickets instead of putting them in the silent auction. $10 a raffle ticket. You can buy the raffle tickets in advance or at the event on the 23rd of May. Drawing the night of the event.

We love attending Wine in the Garden. I don’t volunteer to pour wine, although I do it at enough events there. This is our fun event. We buy our tickets in advance to take advantage of the discount, and spend the evening strolling around, listening to the music, tasting wine, and checking out all the small plate goodies from the caterers.

This year, too, some of the silent auction items look really intriguing. We have won a couple of items in the past. My favorite is still the reclining fold up chair that was donated by REI. Particularly love this necklace that the Conservancy highlighted on their facebook page recently.

This year fourteen caterers are signed up. Three different suppliers of wines. Cindy’s Spirits from Elkridge is providing a selection of wines, and two Maryland wineries will be pouring their wines. Far Eastern Shore and Linganore Winecellars.

Nice to have this mix of wines. Many of the caterers bring spicy items that pair well with some of Far Eastern Shore, and Linganore has a selection of dry and sweet. You can match a wine with a food and really enjoy the variety. Like we did when we were looking for a slightly sweeter wine that would go well with shrimp.

This event is also very popular. Hundreds of people mingle and visit. Lots of old friends of ours show up here. We run into people we haven’t seen in ages.

Joining us there?

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Posted in Community, Howard County, Local Businesses, Volunteering, Wine and tagged community, Howard County, howard county conservancy, spring flowers, volunteering, weather, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

A Mother’s Day Garden Party

Posted on May 9, 2013 by AnnieRie

At the Conservancy.

May 11th Saturday morning at 10am. A Mothers’ Day Special-

Enjoy a beautiful Springtime morning out with your mother or a friend! Sip tea and sample home baked scones at the historic Brown sisters’ farmhouse.

Stroll to the Conservancy’s 8 gardens and talk with the garden clubs, Master Gardeners, and staff who design and maintain these gardens year round.

$5 per person, $10/family. In case of inclement weather, check website. This is something new the volunteers have been working. A Mother’s Day event. Last year we had children make cards and bouquets for their moms and grandmoms. This year, eight of the gardens will be open with many of them having the local garden clubs there to talk about what they do, at the Conservancy and in their clubs.

Additionally, the Master Gardeners will be at the historic garden plots. The community garden managers will be there to talk about their gardens, and the volunteers who will be busy grooming the Honors Gardens for Wine in the Garden will be hard at work, taking care of the three acre native plant site.

Crossing our fingers that the weather is lovely. At least the gardens are flourishing from these spring showers.

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

It’s Twenty Minute Clean Up Day

Posted on April 18, 2013 by AnnieRie

Now that the sun has come out there is no excuse to miss the opportunity to pick up a little trash. Today is Twenty Minute Clean Up Day in Howard County.

I collected close to fifteen pounds of trash in the roadway along our property line on both sides of the street. Mostly cans, plastic bottles, at least 50-60 cigarette butts, but also quite a bit of cardboard, coffee cups, aluminum foil, and lots of blown recycling material. Plus, waterlogged newspapers (you know, those “free” annoying ones). And, the remains of our neighbor’s mailbox.

Mailboxes here have a half life of about a year. We are on our third in eight years. Our neighbor, at least five or six. His is first in the line and gets whacked the most, with debris strewn all over the hillside.

No one takes care of the roads in Adopt a Road out here, as it is dangerous to work with no shoulders, and in two or three days after any clean up it is back to being a mess.

This year again I used my handy pick up tool, that my husband bought me last year after my surgery. Works really well to grab even small pieces of trash.

After I finished on the property line, I did a perimeter sweep of our mulched beds and picked up whatever blew into them from the road. We get lots of debris on recycling days.

If you get a chance this afternoon, grab a bag and pick up some trash. Email Green Central Station and let them know what you did. Last year over 2300 people participated. If you can’t do anything today, how about coming out for Earth Day at one of the sites and help clean up or plant trees.

I will be at the Conservancy Saturday. There are other events at County Parks too.

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Connections @hcconservancy

Posted on April 17, 2013 by AnnieRie

Connections. All sorts. This time I am talking about art. At the Conservancy tomorrow night the 18th of April.

Starting at 6 pm, there will be a reception, silent auction and words about the juried art show, by artists and the judges. The art is amazing, and has been on display in the large hall on the Conservancy grounds. Tickets are $12 at the door. I find this a wonderful place to get art from local artists, already matted and framed.

If you love art with a nature theme, and want to support local artists and the Conservancy, please join us there. I will be volunteering at the event, and having a lovely evening “connecting” with friends, both new ones and long time friends.

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Posted in Howard County, Nature, People, Volunteering and tagged hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, photography, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.