Tag Archives: volunteering

In Search of Woody Woodpecker

Posted on November 10, 2012 by AnnieRie

It seems to be turning into a birding weekend. And, I am really revealing my age since I remember watching Woody Woodpecker. Is that cartoon still around?

Between today and tomorrow, lots of birding being done. I missed the Howard club walk at Sharp’s this morning as I was working at the Conservancy on a bird feeding program for families. Making fruit kebabs, and having a blast with pine cones, corn cobs, peanut butter, suet, fruit and birdseed.

pine cones covered in peanut butter, seeds and currants

Yep, it was a bit messy but all of the 30+ little ones and about an equal number of parents and grandparents were out having fun making treats for the birds. It was one of the regular wonder walks, which became a short talk and lots of time to make three or four treats to take home for the birds. Treats like coffee lid pizza. Putting string through a lid so you can tie it on a railing on a balcony or deck, and keep birds happy that like to eat on platforms. We spread suet on the lid and decorated the pizza with raisins, currants and seeds.

coffee lid suet pizza

The real artists out there got into making totally covered pine cone treats, too. The good part of today was how easy it was to clean up as we just swept the suet and seeds out into the grass for the birds and, of course, the squirrels to find.

Before and after the event, we were visited by a couple of pileated woodpeckers. I did manage to grab the camera and get pictures. They wouldn’t come around while we were all there, just showed up on the same tree when there were just a few of us left.

pileated woodpecker

He had a compatriot there that I couldn’t identify, and there was a second pileated on a tree farther down the hill. I had to use my step and point method to get pics before they flew off.

I even caught one of them in flight.

And, if I am not all birded out, and can get up early tomorrow, at 8 am the Howard Bird Club Centennial park bird walk meets on the west end of the park. Enter off of Centennial Lane. Two or three hours searching for birds and walking the pathways and into the forested ponds off the trails.

An easy fun way to learn about birds. Last week they saw four great blue heron.

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Eating Locally: The Wrap Up for Summer

Posted on November 1, 2012 by AnnieRie

The Summer SOLE Food Challenge, SSFC, is over. I made it through remembering to post almost every week. Eating locally is so easy around here when the markets are still hopping.

Today is the East Columbia Market. Miller Library finished yesterday. The Glenwood and Oakland Mills markets will continue until the weekend before Thanksgiving, and East Columbia ends on the 15th of November. Stocking up on meats from the markets will allow me to continue to put something made in Howard County on my table throughout the winter.

We haven’t heard yet what would be included in the delivery and whether our CSA delivery will take place today. After I finish with the first graders at the Conservancy, I am either picking up a fall delivery, or heading to East Columbia to get a few things. I let the refrigerator get pretty empty before the storm.

I did remember to take some tomatoes and pesto out of the freezer yesterday so tonight there will be pizza with TLV bacon, tomatoes and pesto from my garden, and Bowling Green mozzarella. Mostly local, except for the crust.

The pesto and oven roasted tomatoes are defrosting today. The bacon is out, and I will fry up the entire package, crumble it and use it in salads, omelets and soups. I need eggs, as I hit zero yesterday. Sounds like a trip to TLV Saturday is in store.

You can eat healthy, organic, IPM, non GMO foods around here fairly easily. The ten of us from our challenge have all signed on to continue looking for sources and posting about what we do in the winter. Details are being worked out by us now. I will modify my Food Challenges page to reflect it.

I made a really good crock pot potato leek soup last night, letting the soup cook while we cleaned up the house, and put things back where they belonged. No pictures, because besides being exhausted, two of the potatoes were purple so the soup looked a little weird.

Yes, you can mix all sorts of potatoes into that soup. One of them was even a white sweet potato. I put half the soup in the blender just before serving so we had chunky creamy soup. Four leeks, all the potatoes, an onion, a little celery from the fridge, my homemade veggie broth as a starter, and towards the end I added a cup of almond milk to make it creamy but keep it lactose free. Everything was cut into cubes or small pieces and dumped in the crock pot with a little salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.

OFf to chase first graders around for a few hours. We are teaching rocks, fossils and extinct animals. Should be a fun morning. Here’s hoping the sun comes out.

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, SSFC, Volunteering and tagged cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, CSA, farmer's markets, Food, heirloom tomatoes, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, tomatoes, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Making A Difference

Posted on October 31, 2012 by AnnieRie

LisaB, Mrs.S had a great post about how lucky most of us were, when it came to the end of the wind and rain. In her update she mentioned The Volunteer Center and what they recommend in terms of helping out in the aftermath of the storm. I am monitoring that site to see when they get requests for help, and will post any opportunities I find.

I agree we were extremely lucky. A little bit farther south if the storm had turned up the Chesapeake Bay instead of going at New Jersey, and we could have had more damage across the area and the state. Right now, as I write this, 50000 people in the BGE coverage area still have no power 48 hours after the beginning when the earliest bands of bad weather started hitting Maryland. Anything we can do to assist our neighbors in the county and state will be helpful.

I agree that any financial help we can give the organizations that regularly assist others is the best way to help. But even little things mean quite a bit, and helping the other organizations in the area as well as the disaster relief organizations is just a way to give back if you were one of the lucky ones.

I will take some of my items to the Food Bank. They always need assistance, County residents who could use the help whether or not the storm affected them. I spent some time this morning looking through the pantry for items I bought and didn’t use, and to gather up those tuna cans and other staples that I can easily spare, and replace later, like pasta and sauces.

a bag for the food bank

I will also finally get the bag together for the local clothing collection bins, like the St. Vincent de Paul bin down at Kendalls Hardware. The contributions to them go to local residents in Maryland. I really do need to let go and donate all those extra work clothes I no longer need. I mean, one or two blazers, a few skirts, that’s all I need. Not the huge work wardrobe I still have sitting in a spare closet. Gloves, hats and shoes, too. I had way too much stuff left after retiring. Time to have it help another, who would like to have nice work clothes, or dress clothes.

Besides all that, I will make a point to help the disaster organizations with a donation. If you, like us, were relatively unaffected by this disaster that hit the east coast, consider helping out in whatever way you can, even if it is something as simple as helping an elderly neighbor clean up debris, or giving blood, or writing a small check.

Making a difference. Here at home.

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Posted in Commentary, Community, Food, Howard County, Volunteering, Weather and tagged commentary, community, Food, Howard County, hurricane sandy, volunteering, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

1 2 3 Eyes on Me

Posted on October 24, 2012 by AnnieRie

Now, that phrase comes easily to me. The way to redirect 9 first graders from 9 different places to look, at me. Today I found how easily I have slipped into “teacherspeak”. Yeah, thirty five years ago I was a teacher. Now, I am a volunteer leading field trips.

Today, 110 first graders came to visit us at the Howard County Conservancy. I think I can say it is successful when you hear things like we did, when a first grader runs excitedly up to his teacher and exclaims, “This is so cool!”. Maybe it was petting our corn snake. Or jumping in the puddles from the well water hand washing station. Or, just everything he got to do today.

First graders are studying rocks, fossils and extinct animals in their earth science curriculum. Today, they got to identify animals, touch fossils and use magnifying glasses to study rocks.

bank barn foundation

They also got to see foundations, walls, roadways, sidewalks and all the other ways rocks are part of our lives. Oh, and they found woolly bear caterpillars, fed the goats, and some of them got to see a baby eastern worm snake (no pics, I didn’t have the camera with me).

Holly, our pygmy goat

In other words, they had a blast outdoors on a perfect fall day.

By the way, we could use a few more volunteers. Today, two called in sick. We had to expand the number of students we each had assigned to us on the hikes. Spring training takes place in March. We are a bit short on numbers, since the Howard County schools are increasing their enrollment. 80-90 students we can handle easily. When you hit 110 or 120 like some of our schools, we need 8-9 volunteers each field trip.

If you want a really rewarding way to add interest to your life, if you work at home and are flexible, or are retired like many of us, this is a no brainer. A great way to spend crisp fall and warm spring days making a difference.

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Posted in Commentary, Howard County, Nature, Retirement, Volunteering, West HoCo and tagged commentary, community, Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, photography, retirement, volunteering, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

A Fall Saturday in West HoCo

Posted on October 20, 2012 by AnnieRie

Just some random pictures and suggestions for fun things to check out, and some of the early leaf pictures. With all the festivals out there, we could pick and choose what we would like to do today. Don’t forget the local farms still have mazes and pumpkins galore, through the rest of the month.

I started out the day organizing the groups out at the conservancy for a family hike. We had about three dozen people show up this morning, including a dedicated group of volunteers. Dividing the attendees up into age appropriate smaller groups is the way we conduct these fall and spring family wanderings. No real topic for these. Just an appreciation of what you can find on the trails.

A recent addition to the natural play area is the carved owl. The detail is stunning.

Two of the naturalists took families with little ones on a loop around the farmhouse and out on the edge of the grasslands. They got an up close look at one of the abandoned nests in the bluebird boxes. They could see exactly what birds use to make their nests.

They all visited the barn and learned more about the local farms, as there are now exhibits of early farming tools inside, courtesy of a local Girl Scout troop.

The farmhouse is surrounded by brilliant fall color. We seem to be getting near that peak where the colors are brightest.

It seems everyone had a great time. There were also other small groups of visitors, going birding, playing in the field, gardening, having engagement photos shot by a photographer, and checking out the building for future use for a wedding. It was a pretty full parking lot this morning.

After I left at noon, my husband and I decided to indulge in a Saturday brunch at Bistro Blanc. Marc, the chef, started at 3 am today to roast a suckling pig. He really has a great time doing special events like this. They had a wine tasting and a wine sale going on today. We enjoyed the “pig” buffet. It was set up with some interesting, seasonal mostly local side dishes, like Southern style greens, some biscuits, root veggies with chestnuts. Casual, informal and a chance to see some of our fellow west countians.

Then, home to do some minor clean up. We will be doing major leaf clean up this week, with the leaves going in our compost, and some for the rake and take program. Our partner in this, a neighbor down the road, comes and gets what we don’t use, for her compost piles. The yard really exploded in color this week. That frost a week ago is what did it.

Unfortunately, my mums got beaten down by the rain.

There were lots of runners and bikers out on our roads today, getting some exercise while enjoying the scenery. It will get better out here for the next few weeks, so head out and visit the local farms, or just take a ride. Me, I am waiting patiently to capture this year’s peak at sunset, like this one I got a few years back. I need the perfect light to do it though. It looks like the woods are on fire.

Have a great fall weekend, wherever you wander. We are off to Baugher’s tomorrow to pick apples. A bit beyond west hoco, but still a great place to visit. Particularly if I get some of their black walnuts for baking this fall.

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Posted in Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Nature, Real Food, Restaurants, Volunteering, Weather, West HoCo, Wine and tagged Food, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, real food, volunteering, weather, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Another Busy Weekend Around The Area

Posted on October 18, 2012 by AnnieRie

I am prioritizing where we will go, as again, there are multiple events that interest us this weekend. I have a definite commitment to host the Family Hike this weekend at the Conservancy. Spring and Fall, we have a special hike, with naturalists leading groups, through the trails and the property. The fall colors are just beginning to paint the hillsides. Who wouldn’t want to follow this trail down to the creek on a lovely fall Saturday morning?

grasslands trail at Howard County Conservancy

The Family hike begins at 10 am on the 20th of October. The conservancy is on Rt. 99 a few miles east of Marriottsville Rd. After the hike, the Woodstock snowball stand is open, and with temperatures in the high 60s, not a bad choice for a treat.

Now, us? After the hike, we will be heading back towards home to catch the pig roast at Bistro Blanc. Marc is roasting a whole pig. They have a wine tasting and wine sale as well. 11-2 on the 20th. Bistro Blanc is our favorite local hangout for a great meal. Marc does incredibly good dishes, using many local foods. This pig roast should be a fun event.

Sunday, I will be tagging along as my better half is off to the Westminster Carroll County hamfest, with his amateur radio buddies. After the event, we are heading for Baugher’s to pick apples, and to get the supplies I need for an event in November at the Conservancy. I need corn cobs for the children to use to make bird feeding stations. Baugher’s sells large boxes and bags of feed corn, which works perfectly without great expense. And, one of my all time favorite roasted corn meals. I use this to make cornbread, and a killer polenta.

roasted corn meal

There are corn mazes and fall festivals again, all over the area, if you haven’t yet picked up your pumpkins for cooking or decorating. If you get the chance, head out to one of the local farms and get into that spirit. If pumpkins aren’t your thing, apple cider, heated and spiced, is a perfect choice to eat locally. Or, pick up some fall squash to make soups.

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A Typical Day at the Conservancy

Posted on October 16, 2012 by AnnieRie

Today I had an entertaining and interesting day at the Conservancy, with lots to see and do. After my first hike with the second graders, I had a slow group and got back after all the others had been assigned. But, that was good, because, I got to take pictures and record what naturalists do when we lead field trips. Today’s topic was “It’s Not Just Dirt”.

I checked out the students down at the soil pit. they were learning the layering of top soil. Seeing how things change as you go deeper into the soil.

They were also seeing the local “products” like black walnuts, that grow on trees in our region.

black walnuts

And, milkweed. A wondrous plant that attracts monarch butterflies. Our milkweed is splitting open and sending seeds over the land to hopefully land and create new plants in the future. We had students sending seeds aloft to float over the land to come to rest.

milkweed

We took them to the Master Gardeners historic gardens to show them what good soil will do. Like the wonderful greens in the salad table.

And, we taught them why good soil is important, and why compost is black gold.

The second graders loved their day in the grasslands, following naturalists around learning about what helps their favorite plants grow. This second grade, from Dayton Oaks, knew all about what grows around them. When asked, they knew carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, beans and fruit. Smart, aren’t they? They really enjoyed learning about science in a fun place. And, loved saying hi to Ranger, the owl.

When they were all done, after hand washing from the well water, they got to go off for a picnic lunch.

While I was out there, I caught at least a half dozen bluebirds wandering around looking for insects. These four on the fence were watching the ones on the ground. Stalking them was a little difficult.

Fall at the Conservancy. What could be better?

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

Retiring “To” Something

Posted on October 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

Great Advice. We heard it twice last weekend. Once at the wedding, and again, while talking at the dinner at RdV. My uncle was talking to someone who was considering retirement. His first advice. Don’t retire in the winter unless you have something lined up and ready for you to do. And, I don’t consider digging out of Snowpocalypse a highlight of retirement.

blizzards 2010

Even if you retired like I did, in spring. Or summer. When there is an overload of things to do outside. Or even now, in October, while we are still activity-driven for weeks until the weather changes and days get shorter. My first winter was easy, because I did the HoLLIE training twice a week. Spring naturalist training, as well. With HoLLIE gearing up, the info program tonight at Miller Library 7 pm is a good place to hear about opportunities for active Howard Countians, who are retired or thinking about it.

Moving from a circle of work friends to that new circle of fellow volunteers, or hobby sharers. Finding people with like interests is difficult for many of us. Especially when we worked in DC or Baltimore. I found that after 18 months, even if I got together with old working buddies, we had no bond to keep the conversations going. So many changes in their offices. I knew few names, and finally knew we had to build our retirement circle.

Now, filling my hours with fellow naturalists, gardeners, wine lovers and the amateur radio community, oh yeah, almost forgot, the bird club and my fellow bloggers, I hardly have time to think.

Somewhere in there, we do get housework and yard work done, and a few home improvement projects. Traveling not as much, but we did way too much of that for our jobs. It is actually nice to stay home for a while and see the local world. And, make a difference.

nature photo program for families at Conservancy

Whether it is leading programs for families. Leading hikes for the schools. Cleaning up the streams that feed the Patapsco. Working on the watershed programs. Caring for the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. Or any of the other activities my fellow retirees are doing, the satisfaction of a job well done keeps us feeling that we matter.

One recent example this past year. Greenfest was filled with countians who focused on their interests while having a great time.

Greenfest at the Community College

I love the work the Master Gardeners have done, creating different historical garden plots at the Conservancy.

And, all the volunteers who organize and support Earth Day. Besides the Day itself, volunteers spend hours planning and preparing materials for events.

Earth Day supplies

Many times in conversations, at clubs, or at events, we hear how shorthanded the nonprofits, and the service organizations have become. I have heard that the numbers of people who stay retired is smaller. Many go back to work due to those long term effects of a slow economy. Others, who now are supporting elderly parents, have limited free time. If you have retired, or are thinking about it, take time to consider where you might find your calling. Your thing. What makes you smile, and feel good at the end of the day.

HoLLIE 2012 class heading out for a hike at Sharps

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Posted in Adventures, Commentary, Community, Hobbies, Howard County, Retirement, Volunteering and tagged commentary, community, hobbies, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, retirement, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Thirty Months

Posted on October 2, 2012 by AnnieRie

Two and a half years. Today. That’s how long I have been retired now. April Fool’s Day 2010 was my last day of work.

People told me I would get bored. I would want to come back as a rehired annuitant, or become what we called in DC, a beltway bandit. A contractor. But, that hasn’t happened. I have no desire to return to the work force.

My retirement “jobs” are way more fun. Jobs like volunteering at the Conservancy, and completing the HoLLIE program. I spent most of my career in DC and VA, while living in Howard County. Finally, I feel like I live here, instead of just sleeping and eating, between commuting and traveling for 30 years. I experienced some lovely days at places like Sharp’s Farm, with a talk about farming, and a guided hike by Denise Sharp. My interests in local foods and farms shaped my volunteer efforts for this past two years.

Denise Sharp, leading a hoLLIE hike on the farm

What is HoLLIE? Howard Legacy Leadership Institute for the Environment. I found out in 2011, when I completed the six weeks of lectures, field trips, reading and discussion, with 12 other class members. I did my internship at the Conservancy, where I am now a volunteer naturalist, leading field trips for local schools. Getting trained for it, using opportunities like a guided history tour of the property.

learning the history of the farmhouse at the Conservancy

I also am a member of the program committee. It was part of my placement to become a part of the committee and assist in planning Wonder Walks and other events. The cool thing about HoLLIE was learning more and more about local, regional, national and global concerns. But, we could focus on what mattered to us. Like for me, working with the local farmers, to bring programs to the Conservancy about their farms and food.

breezy willow at the glenwood market

Want to help the public school system with activities like the Our Environment in Our Hands activities for fourth graders, held at the fairgrounds? Or, volunteer at Robinson Nature Center, as the Gift Shop Leader, or maybe the Discovery Room Leader? Or, help keep the Patapsco clean by volunteering with the Friends of the Patapsco Valley? Or, with Parks and Rec?

All sorts of things for those of us who have retired, and want to still be useful. To make a difference. There is an information night being held at Miller Library, on October 9th, from 7 until 8:30 pm. Many graduates of the program will be there to talk about their experience.

If you are like me, retired and wanting to give to Howard County, check out this program. You can’t say you are bored if you do. My calendar is as full as I like it, with hikes and festivals and more.

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Posted in Adventures, Community, Farmer's Markets, Howard County, Retirement, Volunteering and tagged community, farmer's markets, Howard County, howard county conservancy, retirement, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Tonight We Fiddle, Saturday We Farm, Later We Look for Fairy Houses

Posted on July 12, 2012 by AnnieRie

My volunteering schedule is pretty full this week. We held a planning meeting Wednesday for upcoming events at the Conservancy, and this is the busy part of the summer.

Fiddlers and Fireflies, a picnic with music and crafts, is tonight starting at 6 PM. It costs $10/car, and the music is great. Bring a blanket, chairs and a picnic dinner. The event is held in the lower front yard, where the sisters had their garden.

This Saturday, the 14th, there will be one of the monthly Wonder Walks, that focuses on living and farming on the 230+ acre property. We will be leading groups down and around the buildings and talking about what it was like to live here from the early 1800s until the time that the sisters gave the property to the Conservancy.

Naturalists will be leading groups. The event starts at 10 am, and is no cost. I will be leading a group and we will be visiting the out buildings, the barns, the gardens, and take a walk down to the grasslands to see how the farmers used their land to the best advantage to grow crops and keep their farm animals.

A little farther out this month there will be another special event. Looking for Fairy Houses in the forest. It is on the 28th of July. Another free Wonder Walk that is geared towards the little ones, ages 4-10.