Signs of the Times

Whew — we blew through another blustery day! I hope that no one lost electricity this time. 

Before yesterday, the last extremely windy day we endured was Friday, March 2. 

On Monday, March 4, one the Olney-Brookeville Exchange writer asked, “What happened to the Sherwood sign at the intersection? The frame is out and bent and the sign itself is pushed in. Was it a car, vandalism or the wind?”

Another writer quickly responded, “Don’t you think wind? Nothing else around it is damaged.”

Maybe nothing around the sign was damaged, but plenty of branches and debris were scattered on roads around Olney.

Sure enough, when I stopped at the Georgia Avenue-Route 108 traffic light, I saw this:

Indeed, wind was the winner.

Look at this poor sign from the sides!

Not far south of Olney on Georgia Avenue, I recently did a double-take when I saw this:

Was this gas price for regular gas too good to be true? Did the wind have something to do with the missing numbers? Probably not–the wind couldn’t have blown off the numbers because the sign is electric. Or maybe the sign just has a glitch on its own.

Darn, I wish my car used regular gas.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrr! I keep waiting for these frigid days to pass but it is only early February. For a few months already, we've endured freezing temperatures and howling winds strangely punctuated by unseasonably warm (60ºF!) days. I run (well, walk) outside and witness many people out and about, taking advantage of the mild weather before we snap back into the cold.

Right now we are experiencing yet another cold snap. Always reading funny sayings on Adeptus Partners' sign while stuck at the traffic light at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Route 108, I found this statement from last month that still is appropriate now:

Well said! In past posts, I noted other thought-provoking and spooky sayings on Adepts Partners' signs. Keep your eye out for more.

A friend commented that we normally don’t dress for the weather, but wear just enough for running between our cars and offices or houses. But if you put effort into dressing for the cold (with long underwear, double socks, etc.), he believes you can find outdoor cold weather activities (like tailgating games, sledding, walking the dog) "fun."

This outdoor activity (in video) looks fun, but Olney hasn't been cold enough for this experiment to work. Believe me; I tried it.

What are People Reading These Days?

Avoid shoveling the snow, stay inside and curl up with a good book. Since March is National Reading Month, I want to highlight the Friends of the Library (FOL) Used Book Sale at the Olney library. Other volunteers and I sift through, organize and shelve donations from local residents. We receive and sell bestselling novels, nonfiction, popular children’s (preschool through teenage) books, even DVDs of recent movies – all for 50 cents to one dollar a piece! 

A few years ago, I shared my unscientific observations of the Olney community based on donations to the MGH Women's annual used book sale. While working on FOL Used Book Sale, I've noticed trends in donations, including: 

*   Romance novels (Nora Roberts, Danielle Steele, etc.)

*   Erotic romance (series like Fifty Shades of Grey, Bared to You, One Night Promised/Denied, Beneath This Man)

*   Crime (James Patterson, Patricia Cornwall, etc.)

*   Travel (guidebooks, foreign language phrase books, travelogues)

*   Self-help/inspirational nonfiction (Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Eat, Pray, Love, etc. )

*   Humor (Chelsea Handler, Mindy Kaling, Woody Allen, Dave Barry, etc.) 

If this selection truly reflects readers’ tastes, Olney seems to be an escapist community, traveling through guidebooks, frothy romances, erotic tales, whodunnit mysteries, Zen/”finding oneself” memoirs or just good old-fashioned humor.

Visit the FOL Used Book Sale at the Olney library to find a bargain “staycation” … or at least to spy on what other people read.