Author: Shirley K. Washburn
By Lisa Keys (New York Jewish Week via JTA) — Immortalized by pop-culture phenomena like “Dirty Dancing” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” New York’s Catskill Mountains were once the go-to summer destination for hundreds of thousands of Jewish New Yorkers. According to the Catskills Institute at Northeastern University, “by the 1950s a half-million people each year inhabited the ‘summer world’ of bungalow colonies, summer camps and small hotels.” And now, a little piece of Catskills history is up for grabs: A bungalow colony in Ulster County is currently on the market for $795,000. The property is located the hamlet of…
Ground cover plants can benefit gardens in terms of soil prevention, moisture retention and weed suppression. Looking for an environmentally responsible way to add texture and color to your landscape? Ground cover plants just might be the solution. Ground covers are low-growing plants you can install in addition to, or in place of, a high-maintenance lawn that can be expensive to mow and treat. Other benefits to ground covers include soil erosion prevention, weed protection, and moisture retention. Last but not least, ground covers are great pollinators for bees, butterflies and birds. Good ground cover choices for shaded areas include:…
This article was provided by The Maryland Energy Administration. Maryland residents have a wide variety of solar energy options available including purchase, and lease agreements as well as community solar offerings. The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) provides expert information and grants to help expand clean, and renewable solar energy. Information about “Free” solar for Maryland homeowners is everywhere. Here is what consumers need to know before signing a home solar contract. The MEA offers a wide variety of incentives that help residents close the savings gap on everything from home heating to electric vehicle charging equipment. Read about some of…
Think shade and gardening don’t mix? Think again! Whether you want to spruce up a shady backyard, bring life to a woodland path or add potted plants to a porch, a well-thought-out design and carefully selected plants can create an exciting and unique landscape that blooms from March to October. Getting Started A garden journal is key to tracking success and identifying areas that need extra TLC. Keep a record of the names and types of plants; where and when they were purchased; whether they are native or non-native; their dimensions in height and width; and their flower color. Don’t…
Confusion can feel uncomfortable and even scary. But if you are at a point in your career where you are feeling confused, that might actually be a good thing! What it means is that you are ready for something new, something different, and that you are on the cusp of change, growth and evolution. Feeling confused can mean you are being an active participant in your life. Confusion sometimes happens when you try to reconcile new pieces of information or realizations with your existing knowledge and/or biases. Tension between these pieces can create uncertainty, fear, and doubt; however, as NPR…
We sat high above home plate Saturday evening for the Orioles’ combination victory party and sentimental journey. The club was celebrating 30 years of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and moving somehow, miraculously, closer to a playoff spot. For baseball purposes, they beat up the Pittsburgh Pirates. For sentimental purposes, they brought in a bunch of old, treasured Orioles, and between innings showed glorious flashbacks in O’s history on the big scoreboard out in centerfield. Brooks Robinson, the most idolized Hall of Fame Oriole, was ushered down to the O’s locker room before the game and delivered some words of…
By Rabbi Adina Lewittes Fasting and praying for 25 hours — many of them in sweltering heat — isn’t anyone’s idea of summer vacation. But that’s not the only reason why Tisha B’Av — the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, which begins at sundown on Saturday night, Aug. 6, and ends at nightfall on Sunday evening, Aug. 7 — is among the least observed days on the Jewish calendar, despite its status as a “major” fast day shared only with Yom Kippur. On Tisha B’Av, we lament the destruction of Jerusalem’s ancient Temples. But in a Jewish…
We’ve all got memories of glad times at the downtown building at 201 W. Baltimore St., if only we can remember its litany of names over the years: the Civic Center, 1st Mariner Arena, Royal Farms Arena and, at least for the moment, the Baltimore Arena. The place has been around so long — 60 years — it’s lived through nearly as many name changes as Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Warner Fortensky. And how about the names who have played there: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, Woody Allen, Bob…
We say goodbye today to Jerry Ceppos, a gentle soul who believed in the importance of America’s daily newspapers even as those around him were insisting the whole business was over. We lost Jerry over the weekend. He was 75. The obit in the San Jose Mercury News said the cause of death was sepsis, brought on by an infection. The obit also said he’d been editor of that newspaper and helped bring it into the era of digital media. Jerry Ceppos (Facebook) The digital part sounded a little jarring, since Jerry was part of that last generation to come…
By Milton Kline Rabbi Jacob S. Green, who died last month at the age of almost 98, was my first rabbi while he was serving the old Har Zion Synagogue on North Avenue in West Baltimore. My first meeting with the rabbi was a day after my mother died, when I was 11 years old. My mother died suddenly at the age of 33. Ironically, the first day of my saying Kaddish for my mother was Rabbi Green’s first day at Har Zion. At the end of the morning service, the rabbi beckoned me to come over. He asked if I…