If only....Also known as "Closet Detente"

I often wonder, what if people with evil in their hearts could redirect their passion towards good. How many problems could be solved? How many people could be helped? There are so many natural disasters and human tragedies already in the world. Do we really have to add more that are man-made?
That leads me to my husband's closet...
We just adopted a new kitten - currently named Kitty unless someone has a better name. Kitty joins Cocoa the dog and Pizza the cat (we have a food name theme going). The integration has been tenuous. Cocoa has come to tolerate the kitty pretty well though she doesn't understand why Kitty can't play tug of war with her. Pizza has been a lot less welcoming. Have you ever heard a cat growl? It's spooky! We've been on pins and needles waiting for these cats to either maul each other or become best buds. It seems Kitty is doing her share trying to get Pizza to engage. Pizza, a mature male, is keeping his distance. Until today.
My husband's walk-in closet has been a favorite hangout for Pizza and has become one for Kitty as well. Today, both cats are sleeping in the closet. I wouldn't call that interacting or acceptance necessarily, but I do think it's progress.
That got me thinking about other world problems. What if we locked adversaries in a messy closet and told them they couldn't come out until they were friends or at least would stop trying to kill each other. Would it work? Can we try it? I'm sure my husband would offer his closet for the experiment. Perhaps we can start with our own local bullying problem, then maybe we can move on to Syria. If only...

Biking in Olney: Up Close and Personal

This fall's mild temperatures have been a boon for my transportation in Olney. Although I've lived here more than a decade, I never dared to bike on Bowie Mill or Cashell Roads (the two major streets outside of my neighborhood) for fear of being hit by a car. Now that Cashell Road has a sidewalk running its entire length (unlike Bowie Mill Road), I feel connected to the outside world without even having to climb into a car.

Errands into town are a pleasant 15-minute bike ride from the corner of Bowie Mill and Cashell Roads to Morningwood Drive, along Morningwood and then out to Route 108 in any spot, depending on my destination. No need to worry about speed cameras, since I pedal at a brisk but leisurely pace (hence the 15 minutes into town). What I enjoy about biking is seeing people, places and scenes up close and at a slow speed (relative to driving). I may spot a vaguely familiar figure jogging in the distance only to realize as I ride closer that yes, I do know the person! Then I'll ride by, greeting the jogger with a friendly "Hey [name of person]! How's it going?" If I yelled this while driving by in a car, I would just seem like an anonymous stalker.

My up close viewpoint has afforded me glimpses into the Olney library construction site (gorgeous and coming along ... and hopefully worth the wait and future bike trips), the post office's mailboxes for cars (convenient!) and even the stalwart sign man in a wheelchair.  Everything is magnified to the senses, from the loud vacuum cleaners at Fletcher's car wash to the large, fast and sometimes scary cars at the Georgia Avenue/Route 108 intersection.

Hopefully the fine weather will last a bit longer so I can try the drive-through windows at the bank and CVS pharmacy. Technically, I am "driving" through on a bike, so I hope I'll be allowed to use these lanes. I don't think I'll try hauling home groceries (especially eggs and other perishables) by bike, though.

Onley in Olney

When I first moved to Olney, my puzzled friends asked, "You live in a town called ... Only?" I quickly learned to over-enunciate the first syllable and state  "Oll-ney, not Only." To drive the point home further, I'd automatically spell "O-l-n-e-y" to prevent any confusion with "Only." Now when asked where I live, I compulsively (and probably irritatingly to the listener) reply in a single breath "Oooolll-ney, O-l-n-e-y!"

Perhaps the sign maker for The Winemaker at Olney could had used my annoying delivery of "Oooolll-ney, O-l-n-e-y!"

Nesting and Launching

As I came into contact with one of nature's gifts this weekend, I am torn about whether this blog post should be a message about building a nest or leaving the nest.

On Saturday morning, my husband and I were on the side of our house looking at our little blueberries and little strawberries when some birds started screeching and dive bombing us. What the heck! Kamikaze Birds? We were under attack! My husband got curious as to the cause for the ruckus so he started looking around. Sure enough he found this precious little fledgling on the ground, recently launched or dropped from its nest.

The birds were protecting her and trying to distract us. The next day, she successfully made it up in the tree. Good girl!

As my daughter approaches her senior year of high school it won't be long before she is off to college (g-d willing), and then off to her new independent life. She will be the first to leave the nest we have built for her. What a  transition this will be for all of us! She can hardly wait. I thought I would be excited too but I don't think I'm ready for my little fledgling to take flight!

The Old Fish in the Creek

Today while hiking through Olney Mill Park I came across two treats. One was the return of what my husband and daughter lovingly call, the "ghost fish" or as I like to call him the "old man in the sea." It's the same orange and silver carp type fish that we see season after season swimming in the "pond" in this park. Against my wishes, my husband and daughter have tried to hook this old guy numerous times but he has always alluded them. Ergo the name, "ghost fish." Even though there's barely any water in there and he's alone, he always seems to endure. Good for him!

The second treat was all of the new landscaping that the MC Park Service has presumably done to sustain and beautify that park area. There's a new trail and lots of new plantings. It's quite a pleasant surprise so go check it out!

Where were you when the tornado hit?

There's nothing like a tornado in the evening and a serene white puffy cloud in the morning to remind you of the power of mother nature.

Olney-ites experienced a rare treat last night - a tornado touched down nearby. You heard me. A tornado.

My friend called me, "Hey you're in the know in Olney, where did the tornado touch down?"
"Huh?" A tornado hit Olney?"

Another friend wrote, "This isn't Kansas!"

As I was trying to make my way home from Rockville, my husband corralled my daughters, dog, and cat into a utility closet in the basement (aka "Mommy's closet") to wait out the warning. Apparently Pizza the cat did not like that much. Nor did the 15 year old who kept yelling, "We're going to die, we're going to die!"

Thursday, June 13, 2013 will forever be known in Olney as, "Where were you when the tornado hit?"

Luckily Olney didn't experience any damage (except for those 30 trees that were knocked down by the tornado). And today, we got to experience the most beautiful, cool and breezy day, and white puffy cloud-filled sky.  What a gift!

Go figure.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Actually, nothing. It's perfect. Pizza the cat admires his morning view, his morning cartoon. Fantasizing about what he's going to do when he gets out there. It's lovely. What's wrong is the picture I didn't take. The one of  my 15 year old daughter glued to the TV watching some inane kids show. And my 17 year old glued to her laptop watching some teen series or movie. They were completely plugged in as opposed to unplugged. No beautiful scenery or fresh air for them. What did I do wrong?

New Feature: That's News To Me..."

I'm starting a new feature on the OBEX and our Living in Olney blog called "That's News to Me..."
Feel free to play along.

Am I the only one who didn't know that Paneras had a "Hidden Menu?" Well
apparently they have additional menu items not found on their store menus. You
can read more here:
http://mypanera.panerabread.com/articlestips/article/access-into-paneras-hidden-\
menu.

You then go into the store and ask for the item. It seems there's a 50-50 chance
the cashier will know what you're talking about.

Me: I'd like the steak lettuce wrap (it's only 270 calories!)
Cashier #1: We don't have that
Cashier #2: Yes, we do, it's on the Hidden Menu

Well for $8.39 not exactly a bargain but it was good and low cal!

Enjoy!

Cries of Love?

I had heard about them but it wasn't until I heard the sound for myself that it all made sense. "Did anyone hear a horrible screaming sound last night?" asked the OBEX member. Well, the other morning, around 5am, I was awakened by a horrible screaming. It sounded like someone was being killed. It woke me up as well as my 14 year old daughter. "Did you hear that sound?" she asked. I immediately guessed what it was having heard about it on the OBEX. "I think it's a fox!" But could it really be? The sound was so foreign. Of course, my daughter found the fox sound on the internet and replayed it for me. She said it was the "mating cry." Oy! Good luck with that...

Gone with the Wind?

This week's howling winds remind me of Hurricane Sandy blowing through here last fall. Everywhere I see flying debris, trash cans in the streets ... even my huge Montgomery County-issued blue paper recycling cart was blown over!

Yet standing undisturbed in the gale-force winds are the two speed cameras on Route 108. Last summer after they were installed, I had to remind myself to slow down in certain spots (Speed Camera Paranoia). Shortly before Hurricane Sandy in October, as people battened down the hatches and tied down anything that moved, the speed cameras disappeared. "What? Where did they go?" I asked myself before realizing that of course they were removed in preparation for the storm. By November and after the storm, the cameras were back in place.

But then in early December, the camera on 108's westbound side right before St. John's disappeared ...  only to reappear in a spot past St. John's. Therefore, with a false sense of relief motorists would tell themselves, "Oh good, no more speed camera" and whiz past St. John's only to realize a second later, "Hey, wait, what's that white thing up there --" FLASH! And then in early January, just when everyone was used to slowing down after St. John's, the westbound speed camera was moved back to its original spot before St. John's. I guess this game of musical chairs is supposed to keep us drivers on our toes (or maybe our feet off the gas).

Strangely, the speed camera next to the post office has never budged; it stands sentry over 108's eastbound traffic, unshakable in the tempestuous winds.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow?

Ah -- winter again in Olney! After last year's snowless, eerily mild "winter", the natural order of things has returned with below-freezing temperatures. Last "winter" my daughter never had a chance to wear her new snow boots, the brand-new snow saucer collected dust, and my tulips came up too early (the ones I planted in Tiptoe Through the Tulips). If someone does not believe in global warming, I present last year's "winter" as creepy proof.

At the Olney Swim Center on Wednesday, I overhead several people admitting in hushed voices that they wanted true winter weather this year. "I hate to say this, but we need the freezing temperatures ... at least to kill off germs," one woman whispered. "I hope we get at least some snow," her friend murmured while glancing around to make sure she was not overheard.

After Friday's snowfall -- of only about an inch, but we'll take what we can get -- my daughter donned her snow pants, pulled on her still-new snow boots (I actually might get my money's worth) and gleefully slid down a nearby hill on the previously unused, dusted-off snow saucer (new tags finally and legitimately cut off).

I agree with Richy Slyon's celebratory posting on the return of snow (Sniff, sniff. Love the Snow)  ... but only up to a point.  After last week's 4-day weekend, the kids returned to a full day of school on Wednesday only to have a delayed opening on Thursday. And then on Friday, MCPS closed schools 2 1/2 hours early in anticipation of ... the 1-inch snowfall. I am from New Jersey, where schools do not close unless we are attacked by a blizzard of 12 inches or more! Monday morning's weather forecast predicts ice and I sense another delayed opening. Yes, I welcome the return of true winter but be careful what you wish for.

Sniff, sniff. Love the snow

Well, our first 2 hour delay of the school year. It was well worth the wait.  Nothings beats the opportunity of sleeping in for another glorious two hours. And this one was such a nice treat. Hopes were high last winter for something, anything, frozen and cold to fall. Doesn't count if it's on the weekend or a holiday. So, really enjoyed this. Now if only I didn't take a sick day off it would have been even more special...

The Birds

Sunday's warm temperatures brought people out and about; I went for a walk and saw kids playing and adults taking down holiday decorations. My husband decided to wash my car, because:

• he is sweet;
• he wanted to wash the salt and sand off the car;
• he didn't purchase a car wash (and save .20 a gallon!) while pumping gas at Fletcher's earlier; and
• the birds are at it again.  

Our feathered friends haven't flown south for the winter, probably because Olney winters have been unseasonably warm recently. And like local deer, the birds seem to have found plenty to eat, as evinced by their multicolored droppings all over our driveway, cars, and garage door. Yes, you read that correctly -- garage door. How does THAT even happen? How globs falling from the sky manage to land on a vertical surface partially covered by an overhanging roof defies physics to me!

My poor husband frequently laments the birds' attraction to our cars as toilets. However, I pointed out to him that unlike the doomed people in Hitchcock's macabre classic The Birds, we are not being attacked by homicidal fowl. I asked, "Which situation would you rather be in: menaced by beasts of flight or having your car pooped on by them?"

Besides, having bird droppings land on you is supposedly a sign of good fortune. If this superstition is true, we should win the next lottery.