Issuu

Tidewater Times

January 2026

www.SaintMichaelsWaterfront.com

ST. MICHAELS WATERFRONT RETREAT - Beautifully designed, quality-constructed 5,400+ sq ft home (5-bedrooms; 4 full & 2-half baths) sited on a premier SW-facing 8.25-acre lot overlooking Harris Creek. Exceptional Sunset views! Fabulous waterside pool (heated). Deep-water dock w/boat lift...Everything you need to relax with family and friends and enjoy “Eastern Shore Living!” $2,998,000

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Benson & Mangold Real Estate

211 N. Talbot St., St. Michaels · 410-745-0415 Tom Crouch: 410-310-8916 Debra Crouch: 410-924-0771

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Vol. 74, No. 8

Published Monthly

January 2026

Features: About the Cover Photographer: Holly Fairbank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Not-So-Wild Turkey: Helen Chappell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Follow Your Heart: Kim Basta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Healthy Teeth - Healthy Life: Bonna L. Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Kaizen for Kids: Tracey F. Johns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Doodlebugs and Pufferbellies: Bill Dial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Clifton Hope & Son (an excerpt): Holly Fairbank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Tidewater Gardening K. Marc Teffeau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Signers: A.M. Foley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Tidewater Kitchen: Pamela Meredith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Let's Go Exploring: Mike Valliant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Dissonance: B. P. Gallagher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Departments: January Tide Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Easton Map and History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Dorchester Map and History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 St. Michaels Map and History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Oxford Map and History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Caroline County - A Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Queen Anne's County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Anne B. Farwell & John D. Farwell, Co-Publishers Editor: Jodie Littleton Deliveries: Nancy Smith, Brandon Coleman and Vito Vita P. O. Box 1141, Easton, Maryland 21601 410-714-9389 www.tidewatertimes.com info@tidewatertimes.com

Tidewater Times is published monthly by Bailey-Farwell, LLC. Advertising rates upon request. Subscription price is $45 per year. Individual copies are $4. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in part or whole without prior approval of the publisher. Printed by Delmarva Printing, Inc. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors and/or omissions.

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About the Cover Photographer Holly Fairbank Holly Fairbank, a St. Michaels, Maryland, native, has always felt a deep connection with and appreciation for nature. Over the course of her adult life she occasionally captured images of the outdoors with film cameras, but it wouldn’t be until she was in her fifties that she would become more dedicated to the craft. It was then that a professional photographer friend offered her an old digital Nikon to play around with along with some words of advice. Holly was instantly hooked and soon purchased her own digital camera. Now, nearly fifteen years later, her images of wildlife, flowers, landscapes, as well as other subjects are available at Psychedelic Bubble, located at 1013 S. Talbot St. in the St. Michaels Village Shopping Center. The store offers an eclectic mix of artwork, jewelry, anime, antiques and collectibles, and other fun finds. Hours are Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 11 to 4 and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 to 6. In December 2024, Holly published a book she wrote, Come with Me down Memory Lane: Scenes of Life in St. Michaels, MD, during the ’60s and ’70s through the Eyes of a Young Girl, under her own imprint, Long Lane Reflections Press LLC. Within its pages you will find interesting history as well as touching

and humorous stories about neighbors, the town bell, bomb shelters, the schools, the annual firemen’s carnival, local beaches and the big freeze of 1976–77, and a dozen businesses. An excerpt will be featured in this issue of Tidewater Times. You can purchase the book at Psychedelic Bubble or at The Artisans’ Gallery, 609 S. Talbot St. The gallery is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 to 5 and Sundays from 10 to 4. Holly is currently writing another book about St. Michaels, which will include historical photos taken by several generations of her family as well as images from other sources.

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The Not-So-Wild Turkey by Helen Chappell

In my youth, for a couple of semesters, I would get up early to make a morning class. Leaving home around seven-thirty or eight, I would ride down a country road between fields and woodlots, and always see what wildlife was hovering on the edge of creeping exurbia. There were always deer hit by cars on the side of the road ~ a feast for eagles. There were also plenty of live deer. Once there was even a stray horse that looked none too thrilled as he trailed a lead and clopped up the road, turning in at a driveway. He knew where he was going, and, from the look he gave me, I knew he didn’t want or need

my help. Neither did the turkeys. Over the years, I’ve kept an eye on a flock of turkeys that seem to live in a woodlot not too far from town. A few years ago there were maybe five or six of them picking bugs off the weeds at the side of the road, a cock and several hens. They were very cool, I thought. Smaller than domestic turkeys, brown and lean, instead of white and heavy-breasted, with beady eyes on either side of their heads and wattles below the beaks that swung back and forth. They would lift their feet high and put them down again, heads bobbing to and fro like crackheads. And all the

Not-So-Wild

while they were foraging, they were also keeping an eye on me and my car. Sometimes they’d cross the road in search of better pickings, and the tom would stand in the middle of the road, spreading his tail and body in magnificent full display, sort of like a traffic cop letting me know his people had the right of way. Aside from the turkeys we used to make in kindergarten and grade school, I’d never seen a tom in full display before, and believe me, it is a magnificent show when that tail fans out and you get the hairy eyeball. A long time ago, I had a neighbor who kept peacocks. They would sometimes wander into my yard in

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Not-So-Wild

ing threatened. As long as I stayed in the car and knew my place, we all got along just fine. I admired them, and they basked in my fandom.

search of good bugs to eat, led by a magnificent male who could really put on a display. Those peacock tails are amazing fans, with the iridescent coloring and the eyes. The peacock flock itself was generally peaceable. When they weren’t picking bugs off my tomatoes, they were following me around the yard while I did my chores, admiring themselves in my glass door and the hubcaps of my car. We were flock, and they were fun. Wild turkeys, however, are not tame, nor are they fun. I had more sense than to get out of the car with them around, as I knew they can be very aggressive and bold when feel-

One morning, I was stopped to let them pass when a pickup came the other way and stopped. I thought this guy would just sit, watch and make a note for when wild turkey season opened, but I was wrong. I’m pretty sure he was a Bro because he did something only a Bro would do. Bros, in case you’re not up on your current slang, are young white guys who are loud, obnoxious, often high or drunk, and generally too young, too affluent, and too stupid for their own good. So, anyway, Bro gets out of his shiny new truck and approaches the flock crossing the road. Bad move, Bro. Whoa! Now wild turkeys may look as dumb as peacocks, but they are fast, and they are nasty if they feel the least bit threatened. The alpha tom displayed and gobbled out a warning. The hens froze and watched Bro with a kind of cold

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Not-So-Wild

ening, they’ll back down. But it all happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to get out of the car. Those turkeys were all over him like a cheap suit. He tried to defend himself, but he was no match for an angry threatened bird. He was just lucky they weren’t eagles, is all I can say. The turkeys backed him toward the truck, and I imagine the time the Bro spent trying to get the door open must have seemed like an eternity to him, all scratched up and bitten. They could have put his eyes out. They’re tough. Finally, he got into the cab and threw his truck into reverse, and almost ran into the ditch trying to get out of there. These days there are probably

dead look you might get if you wore a bathing suit to church. Now, at this point, a smart person would back off, but Bros are not noted for their intelligence. Turkeys may look slow, but they can fly, in short hops, up to 55 miles an hour, and those beaks, claws and wings can be nasty. The alpha and beta cocks were all over the Bro. Beaks and claws and wings came flapping at him before he could turn and run back to his truck. I suppose I could have done something, because experience with the peacocks taught me if you make yourself big, spreading your arms and legs and acting threat-

Not-So-Wild

For years, I’ve been hinting around to turkey hunters that I’d love to have a bird to cook for myself, but so far, no one has been that generous. I understand they are tough and dry, but so is goose, unless you put it in a meat smoker and slowly smoke it all day. Turkeys were here when the fi rst Europeans arrived. They are native to North and South America. The Europeans called them turkeys because they mistook them for another bird from the country of Turkey ~ what we call a guinea hen. Europeans also managed to practically decimate the entire turkey population of North America. Overhunting and an increasing lack of habitat meant turkeys were gone

about thirty or forty birds in the flock, and I like to go out just after dawn and watch them feeding in a field at the edge of the woods.

Not-So-Wild

quite know what to do with an aggressive bird. (Make yourself big, big, big!) A hen will lay a clutch of five to ten eggs, and the hatchlings can take care of themselves within 24 hours of leaving the egg. Like most birds, they will implant on their mother, and stay with her until they’re about nine months old. As I’ve learned from watching my flock from a safe distance across a field, they are LOUD. You can hear them gobbling and fussing at each other for over a mile away. They really are fun to watch at a safe distance. But, after having seen what I have seen, I’m not about to get up close and personal with my feathered friends.

from the Eastern Shore by the beginning of the 19th century. In the 1930s, conservation groups and state natural resources started to reintroduce the bird. Early experiments with hand-raised birds didn’t work well when the semi-tame turkeys were released into the wild. Without a mother to teach them how to forage and behave, they didn’t fare well. Repeated experiments produced successful breeding populations, and now they’re all over the state, from marshland to mountain. Sometimes they will wander into populated areas and create a problem for suburbanites who don’t

Helen Chappell is the creator of the Sam and Hollis mystery series and the Oysterback stories, as well as The Chesapeake Book of the Dead. Under her pen name, Rebecca Baldwin, she has published a number of historical novels.

WINK COWEE, ASSOCIATE BROKER Benson & Mangold Real Estate 211 N. Talbot St. St. Michaels, MD 21663

410-310-0208 (DIRECT) 410-745-0415 (OFFICE) www.BuyTheChesapeake.com winkcowee@gmail.com

Tucked away on nearly four private acres, this inviting waterfront cottage combines quality construction, a well-designed floor plan, and sweeping broad water views. The main level features an open kitchen with abundant storage, a large island and granite counters. It flows seamlessly into the living room, sunroom, and waterside deck. Tile flooring and radiant heat provide comfort throughout this level. Upstairs, heart pine floors highlight two bedrooms, a full bath, and a versatile bonus room ideal for an office, workout space, or walk-in closet. Enjoy a private pier with floating dock and boat ramp plus a detached two-car garage and workshop. Offered at $995,900

Brimming with natural light, this architecturally interesting cottage sits just minutes from St. Michaels and close to a public landing and park. Carefully restored and updated by a master carpenter, it showcases open beams, wood floors throughout, and exceptional character at every turn. The home offers multiple living areas— including living, dining, and family rooms—plus 2 bedrooms, 2 office spaces, and abundant storage. Recent upgrades include appliances, HVAC system, and more. A screened porch provides a relaxing outdoor retreat in this beautifully crafted home. $385,000

Follow Your Heart by Kim Basta

I have often heard it said that you never know where life will take you. My husband, Henry, and I have discovered how true that saying can be. Our story begins one summer years ago. We were boaters and decided to cruise over to St. Michaels from our marina in Middle River. It was our first visit by boat; the weather was perfect and it was a beautiful day on the water. As we arrived in St. Michaels, the majestic Hooper Strait Lighthouse at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum greeted us. The British

f lags gracefully waved to us in the breeze from St. Michaels Marina and welcomed us to come ashore. This little town is an awesome place to visit by car, but it is even more breathtaking by water. After we docked our boat and got all tied up at the marina, we followed the sweet sounds of the church bells into town. I had always been infatuated with the idea of living in a small town just like “Mayberry,” and the Eastern Shore seemed so similar. While strolling down Talbot Street that day, I thought how

Follow Your Heart

Shore to pick up a copy of that little magazine. It gave me a glimpse of living on the shore, and it was fun to dream about. Now, fast forward seven years, and that is when we relocated our 40-foot Sea Ray from the Western Shore to a Kent Island marina and fell in love with the area all over again. It was exciting because we had new destinations to navigate and creeks to explore each summer. As we got closer to retirement, we decided that it wasn’t fair that our boat got to live on the shore; why couldn’t we? So almost three years ago, Henry and I took the leap! We retired; we sold our home in Harford County, and relocated here to the Eastern Shore.

wonderful it would be to actually live in a small town on the shore. As I went in and out of the shops, I remember picking up a local little magazine from one of them. It was only 4.5” x 6” and I was very intrigued by the unique size of it. I dropped it into one of my shopping bags to take a look at later. Back on the pier that evening, I sat down and read it cover to cover. I read the short stories, I looked at the beautiful photos, checked out the local real estate, and perused the businesses that advertised in the area. After that summer, I made it a habit when we cruised to different places on the Eastern

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Cooke’s Hope Waterfront This custom waterfront home in the Oxford Road corridor offers breathtaking views, an open one-level layout and vaulted ceilings. Boasting 3 bedroom, 2.5 baths waterside primary suite, fabulous kitchen, private den & cupola studio. A well appointed 1 bedroom guest apartment provides extra space. Enjoy a screened porch, waterside deck, and a private setting, perfect for serene waterfront living. $1,695,000

Follow Your Heart

little publication I have been talking about; you are reading it right now. It is the Tidewater Times.

People have asked us if we moved here to be closer to our family and we laugh and say “no, we wanted to be closer to our boat!” But to tell the truth, it is only natural that this is where we want to be. The Chesapeake Bay has always f lowed through our veins, and it will continue to because it is a part of who we are. My husband and I were both born in Maryland, we lived blocks from the water, and we have been cruising on her waterways for over 40 years together. Our children grew up boating here and now we have a little granddaughter who I hope will love it too. In case you haven’t guessed what

It has almost been three years since we drove that moving truck over the Bay Bridge to our new life. I never would have imagined that I would be sitting here now in our home on the shore, typing away and telling my story for an article in the same publication that captivated my heart that day in St. Michaels. I don’t have far to travel now to pick up my copy of that little magazine, and I proudly display it on my coffee table every month. Just seeing it sitting there brings back wonderful memories for me. It reminds me every day that dreams do come true and I feel very thankful. So let me end my story here by saying that it is never too late to plot a new course for yourself in life! Just push off from the pier and follow your heart!

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Chuck Mangold Jr. - Associate Broker BENSON & MANGOLD R E A L E S TAT E C 410.924.8832

O 410.822.6665

chuck@chuckmangold.com · www.chuckmangold.com 31 Goldsborough Street, Easton, Maryland 21601

Prime investment opportunity in the heart of historic Easton, Maryland. This charming and historic 5-plex apartment building is ideally situated on the corner of Goldsborough and Aurora Streets, just a few short blocks from downtown Easton’s shops, acclaimed restaurants, galleries, and entertainment venues. Tenants will appreciate the convenience of oﬀ-street parking and a shared laundry area. Currently 100% occupied and perfect for investors seeking steady rental income in a thriving, historic community.

EASTON | $895,000 | 301GoldsboroughStreet.com 25

Chuck Mangold Jr. - Associate Broker BENSON & MANGOLD R E A L E S TAT E C 410.924.8832

O 410.822.6665

chuck@chuckmangold.com · www.chuckmangold.com 31 Goldsborough Street, Easton, Maryland 21601

A rare opportunity in the heart of St. Michaels: this half-acre+ wooded parcel offers the privacy of a tucked-away retreat with the everyday convenience of an in-town location. Restaurants, shops, seasonal events, waterfront parks, and the character of the historic district are all close at hand, yet the setting feels quiet and natural. Approximately three times the size of a typical in-town lot, the property provides remarkable flexibility for home placement, architectural style, and outdoor living spaces. The generous buildable envelope allows for a variety of layouts, and driveway access can be configured from Miles Avenue, Canton Street, or both, depending on the design. Infrastructure upgrades are already complete, including paved roads, a State-approved gravel extension, town water, county sewer, electric service, and fiber-optic internet. With the appropriate Town approvals, the parcel also offers future subdivision potential. Adjacent to the scenic Railsto-Trails corridor and near San Domingo Creek, the Miles River, and multiple neighborhood parks, the location provides access to nature and open space without giving up the benefits of being in town. Architectural concept drawings illustrating one potential approach to the site will convey to the new owner, with the option to continue working with the original architect if desired. A unique chance to create something truly exceptional in one of the Eastern Shore’s most sought-after communities: space, privacy, and the freedom to design a home that reflects your vision.

ST. MICHAELS | $295,000 | 108MilesAvenue.com 26

Chuck Mangold Jr. - Associate Broker BENSON & MANGOLD R E A L E S TAT E C 410.924.8832

O 410.822.6665

chuck@chuckmangold.com · www.chuckmangold.com 31 Goldsborough Street, Easton, Maryland 21601

Located in the Chapel East neighborhood, this split-level home offers a practical and inviting layout. The main-level features an open floor plan with the kitchen flowing into the living room, and updated flooring extends throughout the main-level and the finished basement. The basement provides a versatile space ideal for a recreation room, home office, or hobby area. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and a full bathroom, with the primary suite including a private half bath for added convenience. Outside, enjoy a fully fenced backyard with a deck and two storage sheds, offering plenty of room for both relaxation and storage.

EASTON | $349,900 | 9134HoneysuckleDrive.com 27

Healthy Teeth, Healthy Life! by Bonna L. Nelson Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond. Miguel de Cervantes It’s a beautiful day to save your teeth. ~ Unknown Start the new year right by making a resolution to focus on your dental health. Smiles are a welcoming way to greet family, friends and strangers. A smile can be the first thing that people notice about us and can convey our warmth and approachability. Our teeth are the foundation of our smiles. We usually don’t think much about

our teeth. We mostly mindlessly brush our teeth and maybe get dental checkups unless a tooth problem or flare up occurs. When pain from a tooth or gum hits, it’s a wakeup call. Pain might be the first sign that something is wrong. A cavity? A chipped tooth? Bleeding gum? We imagine all the possibilities.

Healthy Teeth

Dr. Shafi and Dr. Wood explained the plan, the procedures and process of removing the tooth and receiving an implant, which would take close to a year to complete. I was initially shocked by the length of time required by an implant due to various wait periods for healing between processes and then comforted by knowing that I was in good hands. There were no other options other than to remove the tooth and undergo an implant procedure or to leave a gap near the upper front of my mouth, an unpleasant smile and misalignment with the matching bottom tooth. I met frequently with Dr. Shafi and his staff of specialists, including Christine, Amanda and Zoe, and with Dr. Wood and his staff during what resulted in a ten-month journey, and they were always supportive and encouraging. Both doctors always asked me if I had any questions. I decided to ask Dr. Shafi for general dental health tips, and I will share his thoughts along with other research with you for your dental journey. Before I began my research, I did not realize how much oral health impacts whole body health and its connection to certain medical challenges. I learned from the American Dental Association (ADA) that: Taking good care of your teeth and gums isn’t just about preventing cavities or bad breath. The mouth is

Dr. Abubakr Shafi I spent last year on a dental journey involving an unexpected cracked tooth and a dental implant. During the journey, I frequently met with and talked to my general dentist, Dr. Abubakr Shafi, who identified the tooth causing the pain, which was cracked to the root, and Dr. Horace Wood, who extracted the tooth and per formed the implant surgical procedure.

Dr. Horace Wood 30

Healthy Teeth

SPEAK! I never stopped to consider that during my ho hum tooth brushing routine. What would life be like without being able to eat and speak? Without healthy teeth, chewing can be painful or even impossible, limiting our diet and affecting our health. But UPenn says that is just the beginning when it comes to oral health. Good oral health prevents tooth decay, tooth loss and gum disease. Losing even one tooth causes the other teeth to shift, possibly causing gum disease, bone loss and facial structure changes. Tooth loss can contribute to shortened lifespan, so keeping your teeth healthy can lead to a longer life. Who knew?

a window into the health of the body. It can show if you are not eating the right foods that are best for you or signal that you may be at risk for a disease. Diseases that affect the entire body (such as diabetes) may first be noticed because of mouth sores or other oral problems. The mouth is filled with countless bacteria, some linked to tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease. Periodontal disease may be connected with diabetes and cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke). A link between these systemic (whole body) conditions and periodontal disease does not mean that one condition causes the other, however. Who knew? I also learned from Penn Dental Health at the University of Pennsylvania that oral health is important because it is crucial to being able to eat and speak. Wow, EAT and

Oral health problems can increase the risk of heart issues, heart disease, diabetes issues, cancer, A lzheimer’s and other dementia diseases, whole body inflammation, respiratory infections and pneumonia. Mental health may be affected by tooth loss, including a loss of conf idence, inhibition and selfconsciousness negatively affecting social interactions. 32

Healthy Teeth

as orange juice and maple syrup. I thought that was strange! I had never heard that before! Who knew? I always rinse after brushing, but it makes sense to leave the fluoride on your teeth. We have well water, therefore non-f luoridated water. Leaving the toothpaste on your teeth allows the fluoride to work to protect your tooth enamel. Experts also say that if you feel you need to rinse, delay rinsing by 20 minutes and only rinse with a small sip of water or gargle with a fluoride mouthwash. The A DA states t hat f luor ide toothpaste is critical to good dental health because of the power it has to help fight cavities and tooth decay proven by decades of research. Another tip from ADA is that you only need to use a pea-size amount of toothpaste on your brush. Look for the ADA seal of approval on the toothpaste package.

Spit....but, don’t rinse. Negative behaviors that contribute to poor oral health include poor oral hygiene, not brushing, not flossing and missing dental checkups; an unhealthy diet; excessive alcohol use and tobacco use. Financial challenges, lack of insurance and lack of access to quality dental care can also cause barriers to dental treatment. The Mayo Clinic and Dr. Shafi recommend brushing your teeth and tongue twice a day for two minutes each time using a soft bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Eat a healthy diet limiting sugary food and drinks. Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months or before if bristles are worn out. See your dentist twice a year for examinations or as advised by your dentist, and don’t use tobacco. Dr. Shafi also recommends brushing teeth before breakfast and leaving the fluoride toothpaste on your teeth to protect them from the sugars and acids in breakfast foods such

Brush your tongue, too. Plaque is a buildup on the teeth and gums, a film mostly composed of bacteria, food particles and saliva that lead to cavities and gum disease. Microorganisms in the mouth, such as 34

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Healthy Teeth

than a toothbrush alone. It is especially effective for reaching food between the teeth, cleaning plaque between tightly packed teeth, and cleaning teeth with braces or bands. There are many options for flossing and other cleaning devices. The standard string method, waxed or unwaxed, is recommended, as well as floss picks, which I like. I also like the interdental cleaning picks and brushes in various widths, dental toothpicks, gum brushes and soft picks. I have tried and used them all two to three times a day. Amanda, my dental hygienist, recommends assorted sizes and types and shares samples with me after cleanings.

bacteria, can also cause a bad taste in your mouth and odor. He also recommends using an electric toothbrush because they do an excellent job cleaning the teeth for you. Electric toothbrushes rotate, vibrate and oscillate to loosen food particles. My dentist said that some e-brushes have timers to tell you how long to brush, and he especially likes that they have pressure sensors that alert you if you are brushing too hard, which can negatively affect tooth enamel. Mouthwash with fluoride can also be used to coat the teeth, protecting them the same way that f luoride toothpaste does, and it can coat more areas of the teeth. My dental hygienist also paints my teeth with fluoride at the end of my dental examinations.

The experts also say drinking more water is healthy for teeth and the body. Drink less acidic beverages— soda, coffee, tea, and some juices, which can erode enamel. The ADA offers healthy smile tips in their pamphlet, Your Smile, An Owner’s Manual. The ADA describes the components and layers of teeth including crown, enamel, dentin, pulp chamber, gingiva, root including dentin, jawbone and ligament. They suggest tooth cleaning and

And don’t forget about f lossing teeth, another good oral health practice. It is recommended to floss before brushing. Flossing can reach and dislodge more food and plaque 36

Healthy Teeth flossing methods and use of mouth rinses. Back to my cracked tooth and implant story. I do take particularly diligent care of my teeth and try to follow the suggestions for good oral hygiene. But sometimes stuff still happens. Thus, a sudden pain in an upper tooth, gum and jaw led me to see Dr. Shafi to find the cause. Kim and Zoe, the keepers of the appointments, quickly fit me in and Dr. Shafi determined that my tooth had completely split into the root nerve and needed to be removed before infection set in. The cause was probable age-related wear and tear, not grinding (I wear a nightguard), eating ice or something hard or impact trauma.

cial Surgeon, to determine if I was a suitable candidate for an implant. The worry was that I am in treatment for osteoporosis. The disease and treatment for it can affect whether the jaw is strong enough to accept the titanium implant, which looks like a screw and actually screws into the jaw. I passed Dr. Wood’s oral exam and various detailed x-ray studies, and a date was set for extraction and followup exams ending months later with implant, then uncovering implant, abutment and crown. Months of healing occurred between visits to ensure that the jaw and implant area healed well. Dr. Wood was able to extract the two pieces of cracked tooth, applied my own blood (autologous blood) to the gum and jaw to encourage healing and discourage infection then stitched the opening successfully surgically. He had drawn blood before surgery and manipulated it in a centrifuge machine creating the platelet rich plasma (PRP). It worked. Who knew? I returned to Dr. Wood for followup exams and 3D images of my

Dr. Shafi explained the steps on the implant journey which included total erupted tooth extraction, many mont hs of wa it ing a nd hea ling between procedures, a temporary interim partial denture, an implant, an abutment, then a crown. My next step was an appointment with Dr. Wood, Oral and Maxillofa38

Healthy Teeth

zine article, Hold onto Your Smile, stated that poor oral health can lead to discomfort and pain; problems speaking, chew ing, swallow ing; and tooth loss. That can alter what foods we can eat, lead to nutritional deficiencies and affect our emotional health, self-esteem and quality of life. And that gum disease is a progressive disease that your dental professional can identify and treat. Take care of those pearly whites. Practice the dos and don’ts of oral hygiene as directed by your dentist and the dental experts, like ADA. Give up habits that can cause damage to teeth, gums, and mouth such as chewing ice, grinding teeth, thumb sucking, lip biting, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. For more information on dental health contact Dr. Abubakr Shahi at 410-770-9590, 538 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD, drquimbydds.com. Contact Dr. Horace Wood at 410770-3130, at 508C Cynwood Drive, Easton, Maryland, eastonms.com. There are many great dentists in the area. The important thing is to visit regularly to ward off problems before they happen! Make your 2026 resolution to be a stickler about dental health, a healthy smile for a healthy body and long life!

skull, jaw and implant space. The 3D machine circulated around my head taking the images. Dr. Wood made a plastic mold matching my upper teeth with a metal hole where the implant (titanium screw) would be inserted. The 3D reports include photos of my skull, teeth, size of implant and size of jaw drill bits to be used. Dr. Wood shared the images and report with me and patiently explained each step. The PRP process would again be repeated and used to coat the jaw before and after the implant. All went according to plan. Thanks to Drs. Shafi and Wood, my implant procedure was successful and looks very natural. My husband had a partial tooth crack shortly after my experience and he had to have a root canal to save the tooth and prevent infection. This is another important dental procedure to save teeth. I have had several root canals as well as other procedures such as braces for straightening bite, whitening and impacted wisdom teeth extractions all with the goal of healthy teeth, healthy life. A June/July 2025 AARP maga-

Bonna L. Nelson is a Bay-area writer, columnist, photographer and world traveler. She resides in Easton with her husband, John. 40

TIDE TABLE

OXFORD, MD

HIGH PM

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1. Thurs. 12:41 1:53 2. Fri. 1:42 2:50 3. Sat. 2:40 3:45 4. Sun. 3:36 4:39 5. Mon. 4:30 5:29 6. Tues. 5:24 6:16 7. Wed. 6:19 7:00 8. Thurs. 7:16 7:42 9. Fri. 8:16 8:24 10. Sat. 9:18 9:06 11. Sun. 10:20 9:51 12. Mon. 11:21 10:40 13. Tues. 12:17pm 11:33 14. Wed. 1:08 15. Thurs. 12:28 1:53 16. Fri. 1:21 2:34 17. Sat. 2:09 3:12 18. Sun. 2:54 3:48 19. Mon. 3:36 4:23 20. Tues. 4:18 4:59 21. Wed. 5:01 5:35 22. Thurs. 5:46 6:13 23. Fri. 6:35 6:53 24. Sat. 7:29 7:36 25. Sun. 8:25 8:25 26. Mon. 9:26 9:19 27. Tues. 10:30 10:21 28. Wed. 11:36 11:26 29. Thurs. 12:42 30. Fri. 12:30 1:45 31. Sat. 1:31 2:44

LOW PM

6:58 7:57 8:58 9:57 10:55 12:37 1:20 2:00 2:38 3:15 3:51 4:28 5:09 5:54 6:42 7:31 8:19 9:05 9:49 10:33 12:02 12:33 1:05 1:37 2:13 2:55 3:44 4:42 5:47 6:55 8:00

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Kaizen for Kids:

How Cristy Morrell Is Quietly Transforming Early Childhood in Talbot County by Tracey F. Johns The woman who helped deliver free children’s books to Talbot County families now spends her days ensuring hundreds of local kids have a safe place to learn, play and grow. Before she became executive director of Critchlow Adkins Chil-

dren’s Center, Cristy Morrell was the force behind bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to the county. The project delivered more than books. It taught her how to build a nonprofit program from scratch, raise money in a rural community and

Kaizen for Kids

After returning to the states, she and her husband, Jamie, moved to Florida, where she taught English as a second language to migrant children before moving into thirdand fourth-grade classrooms. Before their first child, Michael, was born, the couple made a foundational decision. They left Florida and returned “home” to Maryland so their children could grow up near extended family. Back on the Shore, Morrell balanced raising young children and caring for her ailing father with long-term substitute teaching. One thread never wavered: her passion for early literacy. That passion caught fire in a doctor’s waiting room when she picked up a Reader’s Digest and discovered the Imagination Library. Families could enroll children from birth to age 5 to receive one free book a month, as long as a local affiliate raised the money. Intrigued, she asked the Dollywood Foundation for the book list. When it arrived, organized by age, she saw award-winners and classics curated by a blue-ribbon panel. The quality impressed her. Then life intervened. Her father died, and grief stalled everything. Months later, she noticed the folder still sitting on her desk. “I have to do something,” she told herself. That “something” became the work that reshaped children’s lives, and her own.

improve outcomes for children. It also revealed a trait that now defines her leadership at Critchlow: a desire for continuous improvement, through small changes that help families, staff and children thrive. Morrell didn’t grow up on the Eastern Shore. Her childhood unfolded in government postings overseas before her family eventually settled in Arizona, where she finished high school and college. After earning her degree from the University of Arizona, she returned to Northern Arizona University for her teaching credentials and imagined a career abroad. She even completed student teaching at a Department of Defense school in Germany. 46

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Kaizen for Kids

Tennessee. Walking through the halls, she noticed every name badge listed an organization. Hers said, “Cristy.” “It’s just a few friends and me,” she told anyone who asked. Back home, she began building the program piece by piece. She called a friend, who happened to be at a salon, and asked for seed money. By the end of the haircut, the friend had pledged $2,500, which another donor matched. With the Mid-Shore Community Foundation serving as the program’s nonprofit home, and $5,000 in hand, Morrell launched the Talbot County affiliate with a kickoff event at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton. She and her friends Kimberly Baker, Amy Walstrum and Francesca Wiseman set up tables at

She began with data. Census figures showed that 800 of Talbot County’s 1,300 children under age five lived below the poverty line. Kindergarten-readiness scores placed the county near the state’s bottom in early reading. The need was obvious. The funding was not. The Dollywood Foundation required a nonprofit sponsor, and Morrell approached organization after organization without luck. The breakthrough arrived unexpectedly on a tennis court. Frustrated after another rejection, she vented to three friends. They listened and told her, “If you do it, we’ll help.” Encouraged, she attended the Imagination Library’s homecoming conference in Pigeon Forge,

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Kaizen for Kids

every community event they could find, clipboard in hand, signing up children wherever parents gathered. She wrote grant applications and, when questions stumped her, turned to Google. Mission statement? Strategic plan? She figured it out line by line. A skeptical acquaintance repeatedly challenged her with pointed questions, some judgmental. Instead of backing down, she sharpened her explanation of why investing in early literacy benefits children and the local economy. She learned to translate research into plain language, compare the low cost of free books with the high cost of not graduating high school, and tell the story with conviction. 50

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Kaizen for Kids

brand-new thing in their home. “Whatever you do, please don’t stop,” the woman said through tears. In homes with few possessions, Morrell saw Imagination Library books lined up neatly on nearly empty shelves, like family photographs. Those images convinced her that the effort was one of the most meaningful things she had ever done. Her work extended beyond Talbot County. She helped advocates in Queen Anne’s and Caroline counties launch their affiliates and later assisted with Kent County’s effort. When she became executive director of Critchlow Adkins, she stepped back from the top volunteer role but remains part of the four-woman team that keeps the program running. By the time she learned about the executive director position at Critchlow Adkins, she had already been serving on community committees and working alongside board members like Francesca Wiseman. Imagination Library, she says, “saved” her after her father’s death by giving her purpose. It also trained her to think like an executive director. Starting a new initiative, persuading a foundation to adopt it, learning grant language, and presenting to Rotary clubs honed her skills as a fundraiser and systems

The results now appear in mailboxes across the county. Today, Talbot County’s Imagination Library enrolls about 70 percent of eligible children, well above the 60 percent benchmark considered strong. The volunteerrun program must raise roughly $36,000 annually to keep books f lowing. Penguin Random House prints and ships them directly to homes for about $30 per child per year. To date, more than 160,000 books have been mailed to children in Talbot County. Behind the numbers are moments that sustain Morrell. She remembers a mother pushing a stroller at a community event who told her she had never been able to give her baby anything new. Each month, the book that arrived in the mail was the only 52

Kaizen for Kids

Under Morrell’s leadership, Critchlow has built two new centers and upgraded playgrounds. She has also integrated literature and enrichment into daily routines so that even after-school hours feel like an extension of early education. Students regularly participate in STEAM—science, technology, engineering, art, and math—activities that are rooted in books. The Easton Preschool site’s three- and four-year-old classrooms received a Pre-K Expansion Grant from the Maryland State Department of Education, and the site has been recognized as a “Center of Excellence.” After a five-and-a-half-hour evaluation from the Maryland State Department of Education, an advisor told Morrell they would like to use the classroom as a model for others in the future. Her instinct wasn’t to guard that recognition but to share it. In the grant proposal, she offered to open Critchlow’s doors to other providers so they could observe highquality, accredited classrooms. When asked why she would help “the competition,” she answers, “There are plenty of children who need care.” As a community, we should want all children to have access to outstanding childcare. She found a name for this philosophy in Angela Duckworth’s book “Grit.” The Japanese word “kaizen” means continuous improvement.

thinker. When she heard Critchlow was searching for a new director, the move felt natural. Eight years later, Critchlow Adkins is a different organization. Her instinct wasn’t to guard that recognition but to share it. In the grant proposal, she offered to open Critchlow’s doors to other providers so they could observe highquality, accredited classrooms. The nonprofit operates five sites across Talbot County, including centers at four TCPS elementary schools and a preschool campus on TCPS property. It can serve up to 350 children and offers all-day care for children ages 2-4, before- and afterschool care through fifth grade, and a full-day summer camp program.

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Kaizen for Kids

protect the nonprofit from shifts in state and federal policy. Childcare scholarships are frozen for new families, and grants are increasingly competitive. Fundraising has fi lled some gaps. At Critchlow’s recent annual trivia night, generous supporters raised about $100,000 for tuition assistance and enrichment, funds that are needed at a critical time. Those dollars support programs like a new art-based social-emotional curriculum developed with For All Seasons to help young children regain stability after the pandemic. They also fund scholarships, so children are not pulled from care when families face fi nancial crises. Morrell thinks long-term. Her

When Morrell encountered it, she recognized herself. She is driven to adjust dials and make things better. At Critchlow, that shows up in how she guides teachers. She aims to make suggestions feel supportive rather than critical. Classrooms are already strong, she tells them, but minor tweaks can strengthen them further. She welcomes the same feedback. Continuous improvement also shapes her thinking about Critchlow’s sustainability. The organization provides robust benefits, including health insurance, paid leave and a retirement plan. Still, she wants to pay teachers more and

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goal is to increase Critchlow, to create stability and reduce reliance on grants and constant fundraising. She hopes that donors and community members who value early childhood education will consider annual or monthly giving, as well as long-term support, including planned gifts. From the fi rst toddler who pulled a brand-new book from the mailbox to the preschoolers fi ling into Critchlow Adkins’ classrooms today, Morrell’s work has followed a steady arc. She improves programming so that children’s lives can open a little wider. The Imagination Library taught her how to build something that lasts. At Critchlow Adkins, she is using that hard-earned experience and her commitment to kaizen to shape a more stable, more caring future for Talbot County’s youngest residents.

are struggling fi nancially and/or support enriching literacy-rich programs. “Supporting Critchlow Adkins means more than investing in children and their families—it’s an investment in the strength and future of our community,” says Morrell. “Every gift to Critchlow Adkins nurtures a child, empowers a family, and shapes the heart of our community’s future.” You can also support the Imagination Library of Talbot County to help ensure children from birth to age five receive a free, high-quality book every month. Donate by choosing the fund at mscf.org. Tracey Johns has worked in communications, marketing and business management for more than 30 years, including non-profit leadership. Tracey’s work is focused on public and constituent relations, along with communication strategies, positioning and brand development and project management.

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Doodlebugs and Pufferbellies by Bill Dial

One of my earliest memories is passing by a railyard while riding with my mother. She pointed out several retired steam locomotives— this was around 1951—and said, “Look at those old pufferbellies.” Even at about age five, I thought pufferbelly was a funny word; I still do. I believe those old snorting, wheezing, clanking steam locomotives sparked a fire that still burns in me. I love trains. When I moved to Oxford almost 30 years ago, I was amazed to learn that it once had a railroad—or, at least, a railhead. Down the street

from me, Mr. Eps Russell, an elderly retired waterman, talked of catching “The Bullet” and riding a train all the way to New York, where he had been hired as a hand on a luxury yacht. That’s a story for another day. It’s a good story. Eps said he boarded The Bullet near what is today the restaurant “Doc’s,” changed trains several times and eventually made it to the big city…where he was overwhelmed. By the way, The Bullet was a doodlebug. More later. Intriguing is an understatement. Curious me, I looked on Pier Street for any sign of a railroad, and,

Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-0 Locomotive. Maybe the "General Tilghman" 59

Pufferbellies

Confession: Before my adult leadership and I moved to the Eastern Shore, the name “Tilghman” didn’t mean much to me. However, once we arrived here, my perspective changed. Colonel Tench Tilghman was an aide-de-camp to General George Washington and was among his favorites, according to his biographer. When the British general Cornwallis declared, “Enough already, I’m going back to the ‘Ould Sod,’” Colonel Tench quickly mounted his horse and rode off to Philadelphia to inform Congress that the British were leaving. Tench was from the Eastern Shore, where every other street is named “Tilghman.” There’s even an island. You might wonder, “What does this have to do with railroads?” In

among contemporary houses, curbs and paved streets, nothing looked like a railroad. It did once, though. You can’t discuss railroads and Oxford without mentioning oysters. Whether ordering a dozen on the half shell at the raw bar or hovering near the shucker at a friend’s party, these little bivalves, aside from their flavor, aren’t that remarkable. Well, Bunky, if that’s bothering you, prepare yourself. In 1884, fifteen million bushels of oysters were shipped from Maryland…Oxford included. One author even said oysters were the “hamburger and french fries” of that era. So, how do you get them to the big city markets? Well, by train, among other ways.

Pennsylvania Railroad Doodlebug "The Bullet" 60

Pufferbellies

ford opened. As a consolation, a locomotive was named after General Tilghman. When I started researching the Oxford rail experience, references were rare. Then I discovered “Rails Along the Chesapeake” by author John C. Hayman [Copyright 1979, Marvadel Publishers]. Out of print but still available, Mr. Hayman covers it. I’m indebted to his thoroughness. The railway between Smyrna Station and Oxford was well on its way when a little kerfuffle called the Civil War got in the way. At the outset, investors and the respective states were ambitious. It was planned to have the line completed by 1862. Didn’t happen. In October

1854, General Tench Tilghman, grandson of General Washington’s aide, and others proposed a railroad from Smyrna Station (now Clayton), Delaware, to Oxford, Maryland. Relying solely on steamboats, schooners, and wagons to transport millions of bushels of oysters simply wasn’t sufficient. The General wanted a piece of the boom. The Eastern Shore Railroad Company was born. Boardrooms in the 19th century weren’t much different than today. After a bit, the General was booted out of the boardroom— politics. Coincidentally, his removal was in 1871, the year the Maryland and Delaware Railroad line to Ox-

Pufferbellies

in Oxford in the late 19th century, and attributes much of it to the railroad. In the summer months, Mr. Preston says the railroad was busy shipping peaches, sugar corn, peas, and lima beans. When the Oxford Branch was finally completed in 1871, a grand celebration was held. Mr. Preston said over 3,000 people showed up, coming by horse and buggy, on foot, by boat and on a special 20-car train. The town was overwhelmed. Between 1860 and 1920, threequarters of the Chesapeake Bay oyster beds were destroyed, according to John Wennersten’s wonderful book, “The Oyster Wars of Chesapeake Bay,” still available in print. Over-harvesting, principally, killed the boom. In the absence of oysters,

of 1865, work resumed on the line. Mr. Hayman describes building the line as “fits and starts.” That seems apropos. Interestingly, the town of Ridgely was created to support the railway. The rail line from Clayton, Delaware, to Oxford, Maryland, is called the “Oxford Branch.” I’m guessing that appellation is derived from General T’s concept of a rail line to serve Oxford’s budding oyster industry. Speaking of which, “Around 1890, at least 9 packing houses were in operation in Oxford” [Dickson J. Preston, Oxford the First Three Centuries, 1984, The Historic Society of Talbot County]. Mr. Preston’s book is a great source of information regarding the industry 64

Pufferbellies

ice for the railcars of the Oxford railroad. Mr. Willis shipped ice aboard schooners from New England in the wintertime and stored it in a special icehouse in Oxford. Ice was transported to the railhead by wagon. Special insulated railcars had been in service nationally since 1851. Though I have not found a specific reference to their employment in Oxford, it can be assumed to be true. Concomitant with the establishment of the rail lines was the establishment of the telegraph. The Western Union Company held a near monopoly and, according to Mr. Hayman, the Oxford Branch was no different. Between Easton and Oxford were two stations:

the oyster industry in Oxford withered and nearly died. No longer needed were the boxcars loaded with barrels of oysters bound for the big-city markets. The Pennsylvania Railroad had assumed ownership of the Oxford Branch in 1918. On-demand freight services continued transporting, mostly truck crops, grain and fruit. All freight service to Oxford ended in 1957. Railcars loaded with barrels of fresh oysters required refrigeration. Mechanical refrigeration did not appear until the mid-twentieth century. Ice was required. Mr. Willis of Oxford supplied the

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Pufferbellies

go to Baltimore for connections farther north. Enter “The Bullet.” The Bullet was a doodlebug. Doodlebug, as it turns out, is a universal name for a self-propelled railcar. The Pennsylvania Railroad bought five of a gasoline-powered model from the Brill Company. From 1930 until 1949, The Bullet ran from Oxford to Wilmington, Delaware, stopping at nearly every town along the way. The trip took about 4 hours. One story is related: the engineers on The Bullet stopped just before Easton to feed a pheasant who waited for them at the trackside.

Llandaff and Trappe. The rail line skirted Peach Blossom Creek to the east and through the Llandaff property. This property is currently part of the Llandaff at Cookes Hope development. I’ve not been able to establish exactly where the station was, nor what it looked like. The Trappe Station is not in Trappe. It was located at the intersection of Oxford Road and Almshouse Road. A real estate company now occupies the space. The actual station was moved across Oxford Road and is now a private residence. Like the Llandaff station, I haven’t been able to establish an Oxford station. The line terminated near what is now the restaurant at the end of Pier Street. Deductively, there had to be an agent for the railroad ensconced there to determine haulage requirements and transmit this information by telegraph to the railroad headquarters. Maybe what served as a station, or a railroad office, disappeared with time and contemporary development in the neighborhood. If so, nothing I’ve found in history memorializes an Oxford railroad station. The last scheduled steamboat service to Oxford ended in 1932. With the end of steamboats came a need to move passengers who had previously relied on the service to

Throughout its operation, the Oxford Branch contributed significantly to the economic vitality of the region, connecting local producers to larger markets and fostering a sense of progress and innovation. The presence of the railroad not only supported the oyster industry but also enabled the growth of agriculture and commerce, linking small towns and rural communities to broader transportation networks. Even af68

Pufferbellies

able information indicates that it has been railbanked. An effort is ongoing to convert the Oxford to Easton railroad right-of-way into a “rail trail” similar to the “Rails-to-Trails,” a 4.6mile trail in Easton. A group called “Talbot Thrive” has taken on this effort. Though Oxford Road has a clearly marked bike route, the threat from passing motor vehicles is real. Oxford Road is not a great hiking route. The establishment of a paved trail along the old Oxford Branch rail corridor would certainly be a great improvement. General Tench Tilghman’s vision for a railroad connecting Delaware and Oxford, Maryland, was truly forward-thinking for its era. At the time, the Chesapeake Bay was teeming with oysters, and their abundance appeared limitless. This natural wealth fueled a high demand for oysters in the cities along the Northeast Coast, creating a pressing need for efficient transportation solutions. The Oxford Branch railroad emerged as the answer, providing a vital link for the oyster industry and supporting the local economy. The construction of Oxford Road between Easton and Oxford further facilitated movement and commerce in the region. However, as advancements in the highway system unfolded and motorized vehicles became increasingly common, the prominence of the Oxford

ter passenger service declined, the legacy of the rail line continued to shape local development and infrastructure decisions, demonstrating the lasting inf luence of railroads on the Eastern Shore. Unless you are familiar with railroad terminology, you might assume that “railbanking” refers to the physical slope of the railbed or the gravel ballast beneath the tracks. However, this is not the case. Railbanking is actually a program that permits unused railroad corridors to be transformed into public recreational trails, all while maintaining the possibility of reactivating these corridors for rail service in the future. According to Wikipedia, “Railbanking in Maryland is a voluntary agreement under the National Trail System Act to preserve unused rail corridors for future rail use while allowing their interim use as recreational trails.” The railbed stretching from Easton to Oxford has largely been preserved through railbanking. A segment of the railbed between Spring Road and Almshouse Road is an exception. Here, the original rail corridor has been absorbed into the roadway, becoming part of Oxford Road itself. Although there are some differing opinions regarding the railbanking status of the Eastonto-Oxford rail corridor, most avail70

Branch began to decline, eventually marking the end of its era. In recent times, the Oxford Museum celebrated this rich history by hosting an exhibit of model trains. The exhibit was remarkable, evoking a sense of nostalgia for those who remember the railroad’s heyday. This nostalgia is also ref lected in current efforts, such as the rail-to-trails initiative, which seeks to transform the Oxford to Easton rail corridor into a recreational trail. Such efforts invite the imagination to recall the sights, sounds, and even the distinctive scents of the old steam locomotives—affectionately known as pufferbellies—or the hum of the doodlebug railcar.

There is hope that, before long, this transformation will allow many to once again connect with the legacy of the Oxford Branch, experiencing firsthand the echoes of a bygone era along the old rail corridor. William Stephen Dial achieved Masters Degrees in International Affairs and National Security Studies. Bill’s 31 years in the navy started as a Seaman Recruit and finished in June 1994 as a Captain. Bill has been a certified SCUBA Instructor, a Accredited Marine Surveyor, a Certified Emergency Manager and an Emergency Medical Technician. Bill is married to Susie and has 11 grandchildren.

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Clifton Hope & Son by Holly Fairbank

The following is an excerpt from Holly’s book, Come with Me down Memory Lane: Scenes of Life in St. Michaels, MD, during the ’60s and ’70s through the Eyes of a Young Girl. Within the book’s pages you will find interesting history as well as touching and humorous stories about neighbors, the town bell, bomb shelters, the schools, the annual firemen’s carnival, Sam’s Shore, the big freeze of 1976–77, and a dozen businesses. Holly is currently writing another book about St. Michaels, which will include historical photos taken by several generations of her family as well as images from other sources. ered in corrugated tin and wood, extend off the back. Across the front of the first f loor two large multipaned display windows surrounded by a brick façade lend a view of the street, and a shed roof creates a friendly environment on the sidewalk below for displaying merchandise. The recessed en-

On the east side of Talbot Street, smack-dab in the business district between Carpenter Street and Willow is a two-story gable front frame building sheathed in asbestos siding and featuring a pediment trimmed with crown and bed moldings. A couple of single-story shed-like additions, cov-

 St. Michaels today.... Arrow shows location of Hope's Hardware. 73

Hope's Hardware

working part-time in the summers until he graduated and joined the army. Steve would be the sole member of the family to keep the store going. One of the things I recall most about Hope’s is the way it smelled. The aroma of nails and other things metal; spools of rope and crabbing line; leather; cardboard boxes; coffee; sometimes paint, mineral spirits, or machine oil— all of it hitting you at once as you stepped inside—was so delightful I couldn’t help but take a few appreciative sniffs. I’m sure I was not alone in this practice. When I tagged along with Daddy on his trips there, I’d walk the cement f loor looking over what the store had to offer while Mr. Doug saw to Daddy’s needs and the two men caught each other up on the latest happenings. Daddy had quite a collection of tools and all sorts of hardware but what was on display in that regard at Hope’s was in a league of its own. And then there was all the other stuff sitting on shelves, hanging on and propped against the walls, and resting in display cases. I’d try to take stock of everything in that place during our brief visits but always left knowing I had cast my eyes over only a fraction of the inventory. One man recalls how if you walked in there with some vague description of a part you needed Mr. Doug would know exactly

trance sits in the center. The front of the second f loor features three six-over-six sash windows. The ca. 1870–80 building has seen modifications over time, most notably the display windows and brickwork. The Hope family came into possession of this property back in 1913, when Clifton Hope and Solomon Caplan purchased three parcels (two on Talbot Street and one on the corner of Fremont and Carpenter Streets) for the sum of $100. This was the new location for the hardware store Clifton Hope & Son, which Clifton founded in the late 1800s and ran with his son Philip Hubby Hope Sr. in a building on Talbot across from Thompson Street, about two blocks away. In 1919, Mr. Caplan would convey his interest in the new property to Mr. Hope for $975, and it would remain in the Hope family’s hands for another eighty years. When I was growing up in the 1960s, the store was called Hope’s Hardware and advertised as such although the official business name remained Clifton Hope & Son. Most people simply called it Hope’s. Clifton retired in 1969 and his son Doug took over the reins. Doug’s wife kept the books and their son Steve began his full-time career there after graduating from high school. Their youngest son would join them a few years later, 74

Hope's Hardware

presence of Mr. Doug’s security system, Princess, his Doberman. what you were talking about, make They also serviced bikes, so if your a beeline for some well-worn box, two-wheeler was ever in need of a whip it out, then even tell you how repair, all you had to do was drop to install it. Whatever a customer it off and you’d soon be cruising needed, he always seemed to have the streets again. it. In fact, a couple of mottos the Hope’s was the place where you townsfolk came up with for Hope’s could get hunting licenses, 870 were, “If we don’t have it, it doesn’t Remington pump-action shotexist” and “If we don’t have it, you guns, shells, handguns, dip nets, don’t need it.” fishing rods, knives, and boating Parked diagonally on the side- needs. They even had a bow and walk in front of the building was arrow range set up upstairs, not a line of Murray and Raleigh bi- advertised, but those in the know cycles in a variety of colors, styles, occasionally climbed the steps and sizes. I think pretty much ev- to work on their shooting skills. ery kid who was passing by had to Some kids fired their air rif les in stop and take a look that room. One whether they needed “If we don’t have it, it doesn’t man recalls what one or not. At least exist” and “If we don’t have fun that was, even it, you don’t need it.” that’s the effect they though he nearly had on me. I’ll never shot his eye out. forget the day I was able to walk Apparently boys who were wet into Hope’s and buy my first bike behind the ears didn’t concern supported by twenty-six-inch tires themselves with things like ricowith the money I’d earned do- chets. If you were more into sports ing odd jobs. I was on top of the played on courts and diamonds world as I pedaled all over town on and fields, or yard sports like crothat f lamboyant blue Murray with quet, badminton, volleyball, and white trim, a headlamp, and a lug- Frisbee, you’d find pretty much gage carrier. everything you needed at Hope’s. The bikes remained on the side- Also among the merchandise were walk day and night and I don’t re- a good assortment of housewares, call ever hearing of any thefts, but trash cans and carts to haul them that might have had something on, barbecue grills, even lawn to do with the sign displayed be- mowers. hind the counter stating, “If you If a ball came crashing through are found here at night you will be your window, all you had to do found here in the morning,” or the was go to Hope’s with your mea76

surements and they’d cut a sheet of glass while you watched and tell you how to install it in the window frame. You could also drop off torn window screens and they’d replace the metallic netting. Behind the counter Mr. Doug kept a day book where he scrawled customer transactions using a pencil anchored to the counter by a piece of string. If he knew you were good for it, he’d let you have what you needed on credit and keep an accounting of your payments. You could make weekly installments or arrange to pay down your debt by some other method. Hope’s was open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day of the week except Sunday. Some of the male townsfolk would stop by in the morning or perhaps later in the day, many with coffee in hand, some inhaling cigarettes or cigars, to shoot the breeze with Mr. Doug, and then later with Steve when he came on board. Many longtime friendships were forged as a result of these informal skull sessions, where the guys talked about how things stood in their lives, the latest goings-on in the town, politics, whatever else was occupying their minds, often cracking a joke or two while they were at it. In 1999, after more than a hundred years in operation, the business came to a close and the building was sold. What an amazing run for Clifton Hope & Son, a

true testament to the hard work and dedication of four generations of the Hope family. What heartwarming memories the wonderful custodians of that place known simply as Hope’s gave the people of St. Michaels and beyond who were fortunate enough to have crossed its threshold. Note: Information about the architecture of the store and real estate transactions was used with permission of the Maryland Historical Trust. See Touart, Paul. 1985. “Hope’s Hardware.” Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Sites Inventory Form, Survey No. T-567. Crownsville, MD: Maryland Historical Trust. Copies of Holly Fairbank’s book can be purchased at the Psychedelic Bubble or the Artisans’ Gallery in St. Michaels. Holly Fairbank is a nearly fifty-year veteran of the publishing industry. For the past three decades, as an independent editor she worked with publishers and authors both nationwide and abroad. She now writes and publishes her work under her own imprint, Long Lane Ref lections Press LLC. Nearly three centuries have passed since Holly’s paternal and maternal ancestors settled in St. Michaels. A lifelong resident, she is the last member of the Fairbank line to call it home. 77

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Easton Map and History The County Seat of Talbot Count y. Established around early religious settlements and a court of law, Histor ic Dow ntow n Easton is today a centerpiece of fine specialt y shops, business and cultural activ ities, unique restaurants, and architectural fascination. Treel i ne d s t r e e t s a r e graced with various per iod str uctures and remarkable home s , c a r e f u l l y preser ved or re stored. Because of its histor ic a l significance, historic Easton has earned distinction as the “C olon ia l C apitol of the Eastern Shore” and was honored as number eight in the book “The 100 Best Small Towns in America.” With a population of over 16,500, Easton offers the best of many worlds including access to large metropolitan areas like Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, and Wilmington. For a walking tour and more history visit https:// tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/easton-maryland/. © John Norton

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Dorchester Map and History

Dorchester County is known as the Heart of the Chesapeake. It is rich in Chesapeake Bay history, folklore and tradition. With 1,700 miles of shoreline (more than any other Maryland county), marshlands, working boats, quaint waterfront towns and villages among fertile farm fields – much still exists of what is the authentic Eastern Shore landscape and traditional way of life along the Chesapeake. For more information about Dorchester County visit https://tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/dorchester/. 81

TIDEWATER GARDENING

by K. Marc Teffeau, Ph.D.

Winter Garden Activities With the holiday activities behind us, we settle into the winter stretch. The seed and gardening catalogs are filling up the mailbox, and a boatload of promotional emails from numerous gardening supply companies are showing up in our email inbox. Now is a good time to go through and sort out all

the “information” we are getting. Sometimes – showing my age – I wish for just the pleasure of looking at the printed catalog without having to “surf” through all this other media. January is the best time to review our gardening efforts from the past year. If you keep a garden-

Tidewater Gardening

warmer winter days, take a leisurely walk around the landscape. Do you need to make more or fewer plantings next year? Have certain sections of the landscape become overgrown and need renovation? This landscape renovation is especially an issue for homes with landscapes 15 or more years old. Renovation may include removing specific plants that have outgrown their limits, or the entire section of the landscape that needs a “do-over.” If you have questions, contact a qualified, professionally trained landscape designer or nursery and landscaping company for recommendations. There may be a fee involved for the service, but it is well worth it. As you walk around, you might notice tree branches casting excess shade over herbaceous f lower beds. Depending on whether the perennial bed is in partial shade or shade-loving plants, consider removing some of the lower tree branches in winter when they will not damage the bed as they fall. For large branches, you should contact a licensed and certified arborist or

ing journal, spend a few minutes re-reading what you recorded this past year. What happened in the garden and landscape? What practices worked or did not work? What plant varieties were successful or bombed out? On one of the clearer,

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tree care company. Vines that are strangling trees, such as bittersweet, wisteria, wild grape, poison ivy, Virginia creeper, and Japanese honeysuckle, should be cut off and removed during the winter. One outside gardening activity that you can do on mild winter days is pruning. Prune out any dead wood or crossing branches,

and do not use tree paint on the cuts. Painting pruning cuts with tar, pitch, or shellac will inhibit that natural callousing process around the cut. Remember that spring-f lowering shrubs should be pruned after they f lower, not during the winter. You can prune crepe myrtles, rose of Sharon, hibiscus, butterf ly bush, and hydrangeas now if needed. If you heat with a wood stove or a fireplace, do not throw out the ash. Save it until Spring, then spread it on your vegetable garden. Scatter it around your carrots, radishes, and onions to keep root maggots away. It will also improve the f lavor of your potatoes. Wood ash is high in potassium and can raise soil pH.

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Natural greenery used as ornaments can be used again in the garden. Wreaths and branches stripped from Christmas trees make excellent mulch for protecting newly planted ornamentals. Remove the material in the Spring and compost it.

Of course, use some common sense in handling the ashes. Please place them in a metal bucket or container outside the house or garage so the cooling embers do not become a potential fire hazard. Every year, we read about folks who accidentally burn down their home or garage because they put hot fireplace ashes in the wrong container or store them too close to the house. January is also a suitable time to take soil tests when the soil is not frozen. The soil testing labs are not busy currently. Since the soil sample will be wet, it is set aside on newspaper in the garage to dry before mailing. A list of soil testing labs can be found at the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center at https://extension.umd.edu/resource/soil-testing-and-soil-testing-labs/.

If your fingers are itching and you are anxious to start growing something in January, you can start seeds of slow-growing f lowers like alyssum, coleus, dusty miller, geraniums, impatiens, marigolds, petunias, phlox, portulaca, salvia, vinca, and verbena. If you start gerbera seeds now, they will be ready to bloom in June. You can also begin to tuberous begonias and caladiums now to be set out in the Spring. Set the roots in

Do not forget to feed the birds and see that they have water. Birds like suet, fruit, nuts, and bird seed. Recycle your holiday greenery. 86

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attention during January. Since many of them are tropical or semi-tropical species, they often struggle this time of year due to low light levels and low indoor humidity. If you are having problems with a houseplant, the first thing you need to know is the plant’s name and its cultural requirements. Check with the local garden center, the garden shelf at the local library, or the internet for information on the plant’s care and feeding. Light is always a critical factor for houseplants, but it is especially so during the winter months. The shorter days and lower light intensities during the winter months will result in slower plant growth. It is essential to be aware of each plant’s light needs and provide accordingly. A sunny south- or southeast-facing windowsill is suitable for houseplants that require a lot of light but be careful that the foliage does not touch the cold windowpane and get frostbitten. Flowering houseplants require more light, while foliage plants require less. Because of reduced growth during the winter, houseplants should not be fed as heavily. Most potted plants should be fed regularly from March to October and left unattended from November to February. If leaves are smaller and paler than usual, it is usually due to lower light intensities of the

pots or shallow boxes filled with a soil mixture of 1/3 sand, 1/3 peat, and 1/3 loamy soil. Cover them with one inch of this soil mixture. Keep the pots moist, but not wet, and in good light at 65 degrees F. Transplant them into larger pots in 6 weeks and set them outside in the ground after all danger of frost is past. Gardeners who also cook like fresh herbs and sometimes have a pot of chives growing in the kitchen. If you are growing chives indoors and they look a little shabby, cut them back to 1 inch above the soil. Place in the refrigerator for two weeks, then place the pot in a sunny window to rejuvenate them. Some gardeners like to start parsley seed indoors. These seeds are slow to germinate; it can take 3 or more weeks before they show signs of growth above the soil. To encourage them to sprout more rapidly, soften the seeds by soaking them overnight in warm water. Then put 3 or 4 seeds in a pot filled with soilless mix, such as equal parts peat moss and vermiculite, plus a tiny bit of ground limestone and fertilizer. Keep the media moist throughout germination. You should cover the pot with plastic wrap to retain moisture until the seeds germinate. Set the plants in the garden in early May. Our foliage houseplants need 88

may indicate a scale problem, while grayish or pale green leaves could be due to spider mites. Treat these problems with an aerosol houseplant insect spray per label directions. During the winter months, many houseplants develop brownish spots on the upper leaf surfaces. This is particularly true of African Violets and many succulents. Most of these brown spots are caused by sloppy watering practices. Allowing water to splash on the foliage activates microorganisms that are not active when the foliage is dry. The best way to prevent this disease is to water the plants at the bottom of the pot carefully, ensuring the leaves remain dry.

winter months. If you feed your houseplants, use a commercially available houseplant water-soluble fertilizer. Use it at one-half the labeled rate to avoid encouraging leggy growth. If your houseplant is having problems, make sure the problem is not due to insect damage. Clues such as cottony bits on stems may indicate a mealybug infestation. Sticky spa and/or brown bumps

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Tidewater Gardening

This damages the plant’s root system. Sometimes leaf loss is due to overwatering because the plant is in a pot that is too large. The excess soil around the roots holds too much water, leading to low oxygen levels and root rot. To avoid this problem, do not put a plant into a pot more than 1 to 2 inches wider than the root ball. Plant wilting can also be caused by too much or too little water, or by overfertilizing. Happy Gardening!

Most houseplant problems during winter are due to poor growing conditions or incorrect watering. Overall, leaf drop may occur when you move a plant from one room to another or drastically change its environment in some other way. Chilling, exposing the plants to drafts or to warm air vents, can cause the same symptoms. If the leaves are turning yellow and dropping from the bottom to the top, the culprit is usually overwatering.

Marc Teffeau retired as Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at the American Nursery and Landscape Association in Washington, D.C. He now lives in Georgia with his wife, Linda.

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St. Michaels Map and History

On the broad Miles River, with its picturesque tree-lined streets and beautiful harbor, St. Michaels has been a haven for boats plying the Chesapeake and its inlets since the earliest days. Here, some of the handsomest models of the Bay craft, such as canoes, bugeyes, pungys and some famous Baltimore Clippers, were designed and built. The Church, named “St. Michael’s,” was the first building erected (about 1677) and around it clustered the town that took its name. For a walking tour and more history of the St. Michaels area visit https://tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/st-michaels-maryland/. 93

A St. Michaels Tradition

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Signers

by A.M. Foley The dawn of 2026 marks a time for Americans to celebrate 250 years enjoying freedom from foreign rule. When the Declaration of Independence was presented to delegates at the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, four of 56 courageous men who would take quill in hand were Marylanders: William Paca, Thomas Stone, Samuel Chase and Charles Carroll, III. Two others from the colony had voted to sever American colonies from Great Britain but were unavailable to sign the final docu-

ment: John Rogers and Matthew Tilghman. All six are remembered as Founding Fathers, but only four are also designated Signers. In British eyes, all six were equally guilty of treason at a time when the outcome was very much in doubt. At an Annapolis Convention the prior year, the Association of Freemen of Maryland had supported all colonies protesting Britain’s blockade of Boston harbor and quartering troops in Massachusetts, acts they justified as necessary to suppress dissent. The Marylanders

Signers of 1775 called for boycotting British goods but stopped just short of calling for independence from the Mother Country. They merely urged all “colonies be immediately put into a state of defence [to protect the public] until a reconciliation with Great Britain, on constitutional principles is effected, an event we most ardently wish may soon take place…” Despite this support of his home colony, in 1776 Philadelphia, a prickly John Adams found Maryland and its delegation particularly nettlesome: “so eccentric a colony—sometimes so hot, sometimes so cold, now so high, then so low—that I know

William Paca not what to say about or to expect from it. …when they get a-going, I expect some wild extravagant

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Oxford Map and History

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Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. Although already settled for perhaps 20 years, Oxford Oxford Bellevue Ferry marks the year 1683 177 166 as its official founding, 155 nd Stra St. 144 for in that year Oxford The 133 was first named by n a 18 8 19 9 hm Tilg the Maryland General k e e Assembly as a seaport Cr 122 St. n and was laid out as a son il W 11 East town. In 1694, OxSt. lair St. t nc 10 e Si rk St. Ma ford and a new town Oxford 9 t. Park hS called Anne Arundel son Hig 8 Richard . St (now Annapolis) were n Divisio St. selected the only ports of entry for the entire i Town Rd. non . eek Cr e B Ave Maryland province. n 3 isio t. Until the American S Div W. 2 Revolution, Oxford 1 t. S ne enjoyed prominence roli 7 ad Ro Ca d 333 Oxfor To Easton as an international Pleasant Oxford St. Community shipping center surCenter Hbr. Robes t. 4 C rounded by wealthy E. Pier St. Pier St. tobacco plantations. Oxford Today, Oxford is a © John Norton 6 5 charming tree-lined and waterbound village with a population of just over 700 and is still important in boat building and yachting. It has a protected harbor for watermen who harvest oysters, crabs, clams and fish, and for sailors from all over the Bay. For a walking tour and more history visit https://tidewatertimes. com/travel-tourism/oxford-maryland/.

Signers f light or other from it.” On paper at least, Adams had little cause for complaint. Three months after the Annapolis Convention of 1775, British Captain Henry Mowat had sailed from Boston Harbor with a fleet under orders to “chastize” eight New England ports. He began with a ninehour bombardment of Falmouth, Massachusetts (now Portland, Maine). After landing a party to ignite any surviving buildings, Mowat reported “the body of the town was in one flame.” Hours of cannonading opened so many ships’ seams he had to return to Boston for repairs before bombarding more towns.

Thomas Stone The Burning of Falmouth hardened some wavering between seeking reconciliation or independence.

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In Philadelphia on July 2, 1776, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, thirteen colonies approved the wording of the Declaration of Independence. All individual delegates save one mindfully agreed to “pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Rebellion set the colonies against a royal empire with a trained army and a preeminent navy. The colonial delegates hoped to rally thirteen separate, inexperienced militias, a fledgling army under George Washington, and a navy he’d founded on one oceangoing fishing schooner. Six wealthy Marylanders defied the odds, risking their all. John Rogers of Upper Marlboro is relatively forgotten, though he

Samuel Chase was a prominent attorney, judge and militia officer. As a 66-yearold congressional delegate, he sat

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Signers through debates in the sweltering Pennsylvania State House. He became too ill to remain and sign after voting for independence. Rogers recovered his health to live under freedom. He served in statewide offices until his death in Annapolis in September 1789. A plaque at the Prince George’s County administrative building memorializes his service, but his final resting place is unknown. The other non-signing delegate, Matthew Tilghman (1718-1790), grandson of a British naval surgeon, was born on Hermitage, the family plantation near Centreville. Tilghman relocated to Talbot

Charles Carroll County, residing at Rich Neck Manor near Claiborne. Pre-Revolution, he served in the colonial House of

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John Rogers

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Delegates. He married Anne Lloyd (1723-1794) on April 6, 1741 (her family would include Maryland governors past and future: one Edward Lloyd royally appointed, another popularly elected.) Matthew Tilghman was perhaps the most prominent Maryland proponent of American independence. By 1776, Tilghman was a 58-year-old father of five, despairing of “reconciliation…on constitutional principles.” He not only voted for independence in Philadelphia as a delegate, but he presided at the Annapolis Conventions. When they reconvened, he was the presiding officer and also chaired the committee writing a formal Maryland constitution. This would replace mentions of parliament

and king with government “of the people only.” Leaving Philadelphia, he was replaced by Charles Carroll of Carrollton. When the state government took office later in 1776, Tilghman was elected to its Senate, serving until 1783. Charles Carroll III (1737-1832) was born in Annapolis and educated on the Eastern Shore at Bohemia Manor in Cecil County, then in Europe. He reached Philadelphia July 4, 1776, too late to vote, but in good time to sign the Declaration. Of 56 Signers, he was the only practicing Catholic. As such, in colonial Maryland he was unable to utilize his law studies, enter politics, hold any office or vote. The Anglican Church had become the official

103

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Signers

Matthew Tilghman tax-supported denomination. As originally patented, the colony had belonged to Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, who advocated “tolerance” (among Christians) for Mary Land, named for the queen of King Charles I. Minimal as “toleration” of similar faiths may be, it was scarce in England at the time. As one of the richest colonial men in 1776, monetarily Carroll risked much, but had many civil rights to gain. He signed, despite having recently judged a successful outcome “very improbable under our circumstance.” Post-independence, he was elected to the U.S. Senate but resigned in favor of serving in the Maryland

State Senate. His huge hereditary estate outside of Ellicott City had Maryland’s largest enslaved population, though he said of slavery, “It is admitted by all to be a great evil.” He introduced a Senate bill that would have gradually emancipated Maryland’s enslaved population. “Why keep alive the question of slavery?” he asked, but his bill was rejected. Afterwards, he worked into his nineties with the American Colonization Society to find a “remedy to slavery” without solution. When Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the 50th anniversary of independence, July 4, 1826, Carroll became the last living Signer. Samuel Chase (1741–1811) was born and lived near Princess Anne until age eighteen, when he crossed to Annapolis to study law. Historian David McCullough describes him as then “a huge, red-faced young man of inexhaustible energy.” In his mid-twenties, he debated in the Maryland Gazette with older, conservative Loyalists. They deemed him an “inf laming son of discord…a common disturber of the public tranquility.” Co-founder of the local chapter of the Sons of Liberty, he served the Patriot cause in advance of revolution. He began constructing an Annapolis mansion in 1769 for his first wife, Anne Baldwin Chase, and four of seven children who survived, but had to sell to Edward Lloyd when funds

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ran out. Anne passed away during the 1776 Congress. In 1784, on business in England, Chase met his second wife, Hannah Kilty. They settled in Baltimore with their two daughters. Chase had strong opinions. (When need for a navy was proposed in fall of 1775, Chase called it “the maddest idea in the world.”) George Washington would disagree about the navy but valued Chase’s opinions enough to appoint him to the Supreme Court in 1796. The Justice served until his death in 1811, surviving impeachment in 1804 for allegedly allowing partisan opinions to affect his decisions. No other Supreme Court Justice has ever been impeached.

William Paca (1740-1799) was the second son of a wealthy planter. He read law in London and then in Annapolis, where he became lifelong friends with his colleague, Samuel Chase. In 1763, a year before joining the Bar, Paca married Mary Chew (1736-1774), through whom he acquired property in Queen Anne’s County. They made their home there at Wye Hall on the tip of Wye Island. The house burned in 1879, but Paca’s restored townhouse and gardens cover two acres in present-day Annapolis. Before independence, he was a member of the provincial assembly, a delegate to both Continental Congresses, and he and Chase cofounded the Sons of Liberty in An-

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Signers napolis. Subsequently, he served Maryland as a state senator, chief judge, and delegate ratifying the U.S. Constitution. He was Maryland Governor from 1782 to 1785 and was influential in founding Washington College in Chestertown in 1782. President Washington appointed Paca a judge of the U.S. Court for Maryland in 1789, and he served until his death at Wye Hall. Twice a widower, he was buried at the family cemetery in 1799. Thomas Stone (1743-1787), “The Quiet Patriot,” descended from a prominent Charles County family. He studied law in Annapolis with Thomas Johnson, who was to become the first governor of Maryland. Four years after Stone was admitted to the bar, he married his neighbor, Margaret Brown, whose brother Dr. Gustavus Brown became surgeon-general of the Continental Army and personal friend and physician to George Washington. Stone became active in politics but was moderate and hesitant of independence—no “disturber of the public tranquility.” As a delegate, he preferred to quietly seek compromise rather than engage in debate. He supported an “Olive Branch Petition” to King George, which the king refused to read. As abuses by occupying forces accumulated, he became persuaded

of the necessity of separation. In April he said, “You know my heart wishes for peace upon terms of security and justice for America. But war, anything, is preferable to surrender of our rights.” At the same time, personal tragedy was about to curtail Stone’s political career. Margaret Stone had joined him in Philadelphia where a smallpox epidemic raged. Though she had been vaccinated, her health began to decline and she never fully recovered. The couple returned to the manor they had built near Port Tobacco, where she was bedridden for several years. He declined appointments that would take him far from home but accepted one to the Maryland Senate and moved the family to Annapolis in 1783. Margaret Stone died at 36 in 1787. Four months later, 44-year-old Thomas Stone died, it was said, “of a broken heart.” Six wise Maryland gentlemen of that era could never have envisioned the all-inclusive democracy that would result, but they helped set 13 diverse colonies on the path to a strong nation free from slavery, kings, and foreign rule. Forty-some years ago, A.M. Foley swapped the Washington, D.C. business scene for a writing life on Elliott Island, Maryland. Tidewater Times kindly publishes Foley’s musings on regional history and life in general.

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Black Beans - Your Gut’s New Best Friend When it comes to gut health, few foods pull their weight like humble black beans. Packed with fiber, plant protein, antioxidants and slowly digestible carbohydrates, black beans nourish your microbiome in a way that supports energy, digestion and overall well-being. In a world where we’re all trying to

eat a little cleaner and feel a little lighter, adding more beans is one of the simplest, most affordable steps you can take. Just one cup of cooked black beans offers 15 grams of fiber, over half of what most people get in an entire day. They’re also rich in iron, magnesium, folate and polyphe-

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nols—nutrients your gut and your energy levels depend on. A quick rinse under cold water removes a lot of the starches and oligosaccharides that cause gas. And maybe the best part? Dried black beans are inexpensive, shelf stable and incredibly versatile. Whether you’re cooking breakfast for one, feeding a family or mealprepping for the week, black beans slide effortlessly into every part of the day. Cooking Tips for Dried Black Beans • Soak overnight for the best texture. Forgot? No problem. Do a quick soak: discard the soaking water and cook with fresh water, and you reduce the compounds that cause gas. Bring beans to a boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. • Simmer gently with aromatics like garlic, onion, bay leaf, cumin, coriander or ginger for extra digestibility. This also helps soften

the beans and reduce gas-forming compounds. Cook 1–1 ½ hours until tender. • Salt at the end. Adding salt too early can toughen the skins. • Make a big batch. Cook once, eat all week. Beans freeze beautifully. Easy Meal Prep Ideas Cook once, use everywhere: A single pot of black beans can become: • breakfast refried beans or hashes • quick lunches like bowls, salads or tacos • hearty dinners like soups, stews or enchiladas • even high-protein desserts (brownies and pudding!) Portion smart: Store cooked beans in 2-cup containers—the perfect amount for almost any recipe.

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Season simply: Keep your base batch neutral

(salt + aromatics only). Add spices when serving so the beans can go in any flavor direction: Mexican, Caribbean, Mediterranean or Southern. Freeze flat: For freezer bags, freeze in a thin layer so they thaw fast. Easy Black Bean Dip Blend black beans with garlic, lime juice, cumin and a splash of olive oil. Serve with chips or veggies. 1½ cups cooked black beans 1 clove garlic Juice of 1 lime ½ teaspoon cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste Blend all ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasoning and add a bit of water or olive oil to thin if needed. Serve with tortilla chips or fresh veggies. Black Bean Nachos Layer tortilla chips with beans, cheese and toppings. Bake and top with jalapeños, salsa and sour cream. The ultimate quick snack or weeknight crowd-pleaser—crispy, cheesy and packed with protein. Tortilla chips 1 cup black beans (cooked or canned, rinsed) 1–1½ cups shredded cheese (ched-

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Tidewater Kitchen dar, Monterey Jack or a blend) ¼ cup sliced jalapeños (fresh or pickled) ½ cup salsa Sour cream, for topping Optional add-ons: diced tomatoes, green onions, avocado, cilantro and corn Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread a generous layer of tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Scatter black beans evenly over the chips, then sprinkle with cheese. Add jalapeños and any additional toppings you like before baking. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Re-

move from the oven and finish with salsa and a few spoonfuls of sour

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½ cup refried black beans 1 egg ¼ cup salsa (homemade or jarred) Fresh cilantro Olive oil, for cooking Salt and pepper

cream. Serve hot, preferably with plenty of hands around the table. Huevos Rancheros A quick, protein-packed breakfast that feels like a treat. 1–2 corn tortillas

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tortilla and cook until crisp, flipping once. Warm the refried black beans in a small pan (add a splash of water if too thick). In the same skillet, fry the egg until the edges are crisp and the yolk is cooked to your liking. Assemble: spread the beans over the tortilla, top with the egg, spoon on salsa and finish with cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper; sauté until tender. Stir in the black beans and season with salt, pepper and spices if using. Cook 2–3 more minutes until everything is warm and the potatoes are fully tender. Top with a poached or fried egg and serve warm. Sauté cubed sweet potatoes with onions, peppers and black beans. Top with a poached or fried egg.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Hash A hearty, fiber-rich breakfast that holds you for hours. Sauté cubed sweet potatoes with onions, peppers and black beans. Top with a poached or fried egg. 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed ½ cup black beans (cooked or canned, rinsed) ¼ cup diced onion ¼ cup diced bell pepper 1–2 eggs (poached or fried) Olive oil Salt, pepper and optional paprika or cumin

Black Bean Salad Toss black beans with corn, bell peppers, red onion, lime juice, olive oil and cilantro. Fresh, bright, and perfect for meal prep—stays great for 2–3 days. 1 cup black beans (cooked or canned, rinsed) ½ cup corn (fresh, frozen or canned) ½ red bell pepper, diced

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until lightly browned and beginning to soften, about 8–10 116

¼ cup red onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1 lime Fresh cilantro Salt and pepper In a bowl, combine black beans, corn, bell pepper and red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice. Toss well, season with salt and pepper and fold in cilantro. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a quick, ready-to-go lunch. This is also a great appetizer with tortilla chips. Beans & Rice Bowl Serve black beans over rice with avocado, salsa and whatever leftover veggies or protein you have.

1 cup brown rice 2 cups water

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Tidewater Kitchen 1 cup frozen fire-roasted corn kernels, defrosted 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained 1 cup fresh salsa or store bought 1 cup of homemade guacamole or store bought In a large pot, combine the rice and the water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or follow directions on the box and remove from the heat. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Divide the rice between the serving bowls. Add ¼ cup of corn and ¼ cup of black beans to each. Top each bowl with ¼ cup of salsa and ¼ cup of guacamole. Tip: You can use any good quality frozen corn, but my favorite is Trader Joe’s frozen Fire-Roasted Corn for this recipe. Quick Tip: You can purchase either prepared brown rice or instant brown rice to make this recipe come together super quick.

Black Bean Tacos Quick and easy. Load up with beans, slaw, avocado and hot sauce. 1 ½ cups cooked black beans ½ teaspoon cumin Salt and pepper to taste Corn tortillas Toppings: shredded cabbage, salsa, avocado, lime Heat beans with cumin in a skillet for 5 mins. Warm tortillas. Fill with beans and toppings of choice. Done in under 15 mins! Black Bean Soup Creamy, comforting and full of gut-friendly fiber—your perfect weeknight staple. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, diced 2–3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 3 cups cooked black beans (or two

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15-oz cans, drained and rinsed) 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste Pepper to taste Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, lime wedges, diced avocado, sour cream, hot sauce or sliced red chili for some heat. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant. Add the black beans and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to let the flavors blend. Scoop out 1–2 cups of the soup and blend until smooth (or use an

immersion blender for a few pulses). Return the blended portion to the pot to create a creamy, thick texture. Season with salt and pepper, adjust the consistency with extra broth if needed and simmer 2–3 more minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro, lime, avocado or sour cream. Black Bean Brownies Rich, fudgy and secretly packed with protein and fiber. 1 ½ cups cooked black beans 2 eggs 1/3 cup cocoa powder ½ cup sugar or maple syrup ¼ cup melted coconut oil

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(rinsed and drained if canned) 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (adjust to taste) ¼ cup unsweetened milk (almond, oat or regular milk) 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract Pinch of salt Optional: 2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate (for extra richness)

½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Blend all ingredients (except chips) until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 8x8 pan. Bake 20–25 minutes. Black Bean Chocolate Pudding Blend black beans with cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla and a splash of almond milk. Super creamy! 1 ½ cups cooked black beans

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed. Add more milk for a looser texture or more sweetener if desired. Pour into small cups or jars and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For a special treat, top with whipped cream, berries or a sprinkle of sea salt. Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, has taught both adult and children’s cooking classes. For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.

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Caroline County – A Perspective Caroline County is the very definition of a rural community. For more than 300 years, the county’s economy has been based on “market” agriculture. Caroline County was created in 1773 from Dorchester and Queen Anne’s counties. The county was named for Lady Caroline Eden, the wife of Maryland’s last colonial governor, Robert Eden (1741-1784). Denton, the county seat, was situated on a point between two ferry boat landings. Much of the business district in Denton was wiped out by the fire of 1863. Following the Civil War, Denton’s location about fifty miles up the Choptank River from the Chesapeake Bay enabled it to become an important shipping point for agricultural products. Denton became a regular port-ofcall for Baltimore-based steamer lines in the latter half of the 19th century. Preston was the site of three Underground Railroad stations during the 1840s and 1850s. One of those stations was operated by Harriet Tubman’s parents, Benjamin and Harriet Ross. When Tubman’s parents were exposed by a traitor, she smuggled them to safety in Wilmington, Delaware. Linchester Mill, just east of Preston, can be traced back to 1681, and possibly as early as 1670. The mill is the last of 26 water-powered mills to operate in Caroline County and is currently being restored. The long-term goals include rebuilding the millpond, rehabilitating the mill equipment, restoring the miller’s dwelling, and opening the historic mill on a scheduled basis. Federalsburg is located on Marshyhope Creek in the southern-most part of Caroline County. Agriculture is still a major portion of the industry in the area; however, Federalsburg is rapidly being discovered and there is a noticeable influx of people, expansion and development. Ridgely has found a niche as the “Strawberry Capital of the World.” The present streetscape, lined with stately Victorian homes, reflects the transient prosperity during the countywide canning boom (1895-1919). Hanover Foods, formerly an enterprise of Saulsbury Bros. Inc., for more than 100 years, is the last of more than 250 food processors that once operated in the Caroline County region. Points of interest in Caroline County include the Museum of Rural Life in Denton, Adkins Arboretum near Ridgely, and the Mason-Dixon Crown Stone in Marydel. To contact the Caroline County Office of Tourism, call 410-479-0655 or visit their website at www.tourcaroline.com. 123

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Queen Anne’s County The history of Queen Anne’s County dates back to the earliest Colonial settlements in Maryland. Small hamlets began appearing in the northern portion of the county in the 1600s. Early communities grew up around transportation routes, the rivers and streams, and then roads and eventually railroads. Small towns were centers of economic and social activity and evolved over the years from thriving centers of tobacco trade to communities boosted by the railroad boom. The county is named for Queen Anne of Great Britain, who reigned when the county was established in 1706. Queenstown was the original county seat when Queen Anne’s County was created, but that designation was passed on to Centreville in 1782. It’s location was important during the 18th century, because it is near a creek that, during that time, could be navigated by tradesmen. A hub for shipping and receiving, Queenstown was attacked by English troops during the War of 1812. Construction of the Federal-style courthouse in Centreville began in 1791 and is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the state of Maryland. Today, Centreville is the largest town in Queen Anne’s County. With its relaxed lifestyle and tree-lined streets, it is a classic example of small town America. The Stevensville Historic District, also known as Historic Stevensville, is a national historic district in downtown Stevensville, Queen Anne’s County. It contains roughly 100 historic structures, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located primarily along East Main Street, a portion of Love Point Road, and a former section of Cockey Lane. The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center in Chester at Kent Narrows provides and overview of the Chesapeake region’s heritage, resources and culture. The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center serves as Queen Anne’s County’s official welcome center. Queen Anne’s County is also home to the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (formerly Horsehead Wetland Center), located in Grasonville. The CBEC is a 500-acre preserve just 15 minutes from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the area. Embraced by miles of scenic Chesapeake Bay waterways and graced with acres of pastoral rural landscape, Queen Anne’s County offers a relaxing environment for visitors and locals alike. For more information about Queen Anne’s County, visit www.qac.org. 125

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Let’s Go Exploring! by Michael Valliant At the beginning of every new year, I find, post, and reflect on the final “Calvin and Hobbes” strip ever published. It ran on December 31, 1995, completing 10 years of strips with what, in my mind, is the perfect message to contemplate each new year, or maybe every morning. There are very few words. Calvin and Hobbes go outside to find that it snowed overnight. They have their sled with them. A conversation takes place over the handful of panels: Calvin: “A new year... a fresh, clean start!”

Hobbes: “It’s like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on!” (They get on their sled) Calvin: “It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy...” Calvin: “Let’s go exploring!” What if we treated each new year as a fresh, clean start, like a fresh sheet of paper? That’s the least we can do. What if we remember to think about each day that way? Calvin and Hobbes has been not only my favorite comic strip, but one of my favorite literary creations since before I was an avid reader. A few years ago there was an imagi-

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native prompt going around social media asking people to describe themselves using three fictional characters. My three are: Chris Stevens, the radio DJ from the television show “Northern Exposure,” Andy Dufresne, the main character

of the movie “Shawshank Redemption,” and Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. If we start the new year off as a fresh, clean start, as a blank sheet of paper, what will we do? Poet Victoria Erickson has a thought. She says: “2026 will return us to the quiet arts. We will reach for: handwriting, poetry, tiny letters, long-form stories, slow thinking, plants, paper, silence, soft lights, healing waters, depth. The world is hungering for everything unhurried. The world is hungering for resonance.” This thought and her list both stick with me. For my part, I want

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phone to give me directions to places I don’t know how to get to; I opt for Google rather than carrying around an out-of-date set of encyclopedias; I am grateful for summaries of topics I am researching. But when the world would likely opt to look at our phones instead of each other and the world around us, and kids are being sold AI best friends, we might think about what it means to be human and alive in 2026. And what it would look like for you to go explore things that make you curious, make you wonder, give you connection, encourage real relationships, and cultivate gratitude. Thinking about some practices or habits to get into for the coming year.

to add to it. I will reach for: day/ weekend trips, real books, notebooks, muddy boots, live music, nights looking at the stars, conversations, prayers. At a time when much of the world seems ready to hand over creativity, imagination, art, writing—anything that might make us pause and think—to artificial intelligence, what is our human response? When we see a photo, when we hear a song or an interview, or look at a piece of art—more and more often, there was no real basis for it, it didn’t happen, it was generated by AI. I am not against AI—I use my

Read out of an actual book every day. If you want to keep it short and make you slow down, you could read a poem a day. One of my current reads is “Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, A Writer’s Life,” by Todd Goddard. Harrison is an all-time favorite writer of mine, who despite writing novels and novellas that

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Let's Go Exploring! would go on to become well-known movies, wanted to be known first and foremost as a poet. Goddard’s biography of Harrison took years to write and is a doorstop of a tome—a big book for a big life. A book that makes me slow down.

Go see live music. When I listen to some of the new music my daughters listen to, the auto-tuned voices, the synthetic beats and instruments take away from the experience of watching people play instruments and sing and tell stories. The Eastern Shore is full of live music venues with great bands performing. Just looking at the Avalon Theatre in Easton for January and February: Chris Smither and Loud-

on Wainwright III, the US Naval Academy Band playing Miles Davis’ “The Birth of Cool,” and the Steep Canyon Rangers, who comedian and banjo picker Steve Martin has been known to tour and perform with, are just a few of the shows that will wow audiences. What live shows will you experience in 2026? Keep a journal. If you don’t know where to start, there are books for that! Suleika Jaouad’s “The Book of Alchemy” can give you daily writing prompts to get your thinking and writing moving and when you look back over what you have written over weeks, months, the year, what you find and who you become might surprise you. Meet people for face-to-face conversations. Whether for coffee, tea, lunch, dinner, or whatever venue or for what purpose. Meeting and talking can be unpredictable and connective; it can spark joy and gratitude; it reminds us, and our conversation partners, that we are not alone.

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These are simple, easy, accessible things that you can start anytime. You don’t have to wait for warmer weather or more sunlight. January is as good a time as any to get started. The quiet arts. Where Erickson says 2026 will return us to the quiet arts, I want to add to that the “slow arts.” Things that take time. The counter-cultural response to life speeding up is to slow down. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French Jesuit, Catholic priest, scientist, paleontologist, philosopher, mystic, and teacher. That’s a heck of a combination. His most lauded book is titled “The Phenomenon of Man” and it was voted, “the best spiritual book of the 20th century.” I come back to a prayer of his, where he talks about the slow process of things and how who we are to become can take time. Quoting it in part: “Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—

and that it may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually— let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.” Trust in the slow work of our lives. We are impatient to be on the way to something unknown, something new, Teilhard de Chardin writes. That’s the fresh, clean start, the blank sheet of paper that Calvin and Hobbes are excited to explore. What comes of that exploring, in the quiet spaces and slow time, is who we become, what time will make of us, today and tomorrow. Why not get started? Let’s go exploring! Michael Valliant is the Assistant for Adult Education and Newcomers Ministry at Christ Church Easton. He has worked for non-profit organizations throughout Talbot County, including the Oxford Community Center, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Academy Art Museum.

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Dissonance by B. P. Gallagher

The little second-f loor office off Dove St. seemed like a godsend at the time. Fair location, excellent price. The stairs a pain to climb, but there’s an old-fashioned lift for the less ambulatory. Its derelict clatter belies regular maintenance. Heat from a rattle-and-clank radiator that keeps the room furnacelike year-round. No air conditioning, so he throws open the windows most days and reapplies deodorant every couple of hours. All fine and dandy for an independent contract lawyer and certified notary public hanging out his shingle for the first time. Workable. He doesn’t get much foot traffic in off the street. Almost perfect. If it weren’t for that damn song. The ground f loor of the building belongs to Jolene’s Bath & Beauty Emporium, a Shrewton staple established circa 1967. The eponymous Jolene now spends

her days crocheting to the halting phrases of children’s piano recitals at a nursing home across town. Her daughter Erma runs the store in her stead and get this: she hates the song almost as much as her upstairs neighbor. Their respective enterprises share an entrance at the back of the old redbrick building, where they often commiserate over cigarettes on the stoop. “Nothing against Dolly,” Erma likes to say, puff-puffing with each word. “She’s an all-American treasure.” “Not against Jolene, either,” he is always sure to clarify. It’s a welloiled routine between them by now. “Your mother’s a saint.” Amen. In seven years of economic bloat she hasn’t hiked his rent once. “God bless her,” says Erma, and ashes her cigarette against the banister. “But after a while it grates on your nerves.”

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Dissonance “It grates.” Amen again. Terrible rendition after terrible rendition, each one worse than the last. He grinds out his butt and deposits it in the goosenecked plastic ashtray beside the door. “Jo-lene,” Erma mocks, making every syllable drip with sarcasm, “Jo-lene, Jo-lene, JO—shoot me already.” “What would I do without you?” She laughs, snubs out her own cigarette. “How’s the dating scene looking these days? If I was twenty years younger…” That’s his cue to head inside. After lunch he checks the apps. Swipes the usual coterie of sixes and sevens and eights, the margin of error for whom based on their profile pics alone is fathoms wide. Lots of fish in the proverbial sea, that’s not the problem. The problem with the apps is, you can’t know until the date if you’ve netted a prizewinner or a catfish or some deep-sea monstrosity. Then you’re on the hook for drinks and dinner and all the while you’re figuring out how to let her down easy. Worse still, sometimes she beats you to the punch. He’s not shallow—well, only a little—but a guy has his limits. One’s self-esteem can only endure so much. It’s a light afternoon. After a 2:30 appointment he drafts some memos and cold-calls a couple pro-

spective clients. Then he sits and taps his pen against his coffee mug and when he hears the first bars of that infernal song from a passing pedestrian gets up and shuts the window despite the stif ling heat. He calls it an early day and draws the shades in his office and changes into his gym clothes. Seeing as he’s starting to sweat anyways. Shrewton Strength Training Gym on Mulberry Ave. looks defunct from the outside, which is part of its charm. Something about a business seeming wholly disinterested in attracting customers that lends it a sheen of legitimacy. The initiated know the entrance is around back, down a narrow alleyway and through a metal door and chain-link gate combo that give the impression of making the walk to the Octagon every time you go work out. It’s no mystery how the place stays open despite these blatant fire code violations; half the Shrewton Volunteer Fire Department lifts here. Carrie is on the ellipticals, so he skirts the machines and heads for the racks of dumbbells. She is the latest in a string of nonstarters, relationships sparked on the apps that fizzled out before they got a chance to really take. Before Carrie was Rachel. Before her, Vanessa, and before her Kim. All nonstarters for different reasons. With Carrie it was the politics. Not her particular strain, even, just her

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Dissonance insistence on talking about them. Not that he’s apolitical—quite the opposite—just that as a lawyer and certified notary public he needs to compartmentalize somehow, and Carrie’s conversational predilections made that impossible. Cute butt, though. His mind wanders as he cycles through sets of curls and shoulder presses and bent-over rows, revisiting the sticking points of aborted relationships past. Some never made it past a single date and some not even past a few f lirtatious messages, but those hardly count. Catfishes and incompatibles. No, the names stuck in his craw be-

long to women with whom he had more than a passing f ling, however short-lived. The ones who made it through all the filters and checked off the necessary selection criteria and yet still, always still, some sticking point arises down the line. What was it with Vanessa again? He reracks the dumbbells and studies his biceps in the mirror and wracks his memory as he chooses another set. Oh yeah, the vegan thing. Put a real crimp on planning dates. With Rach’ it was her friends, a gaggle of absolute airheads attached to her at the hip. If he never saw a single one of them again, it’d be too soon. And with Kim— Well. He could relitigate the failings of every relationship he’s ever

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Dissonance had if he wanted to, but what’d be the point? If there’s a common denominator he has yet to find it. He finishes with the dumbbells and makes for the machines. Carrie gives him the side-eye in passing, twitches her butt cutely on the stair-stepper as if to say see what you’re missing. Or maybe that’s just what one’s butt does on a stairstepper. It’s not me, right? He weighs this troubling possibility as he loads plates onto the leg press machine. Skips to the next song on his playlist and starts his set and brushes it from mind. Me? Ridiculous.

He’s eligible enough. Accomplished enough. It’s not every Tom, Dick, or Sally who earns a law degree by twenty-four. Eats clean, exercises. Smokes a cig or two a day, sure, but that’s as much a social habit as anything. He’s planning to cut back, and there’s healthier alternatives now. When he first hung out his shingle seven summers past he stood back and admired it in the humid heat and scried a phantasmic vision of his future taking shape beyond the haze. And it’s gone…okay. So-so. His rate of success is closer to a pro baseball player’s batting average than a pro bowler’s number of strikes per game. Still waiting for that career-defining moment. That

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Dissonance homerun sweet enough to ride off into the sunset with. Not to romanticize things. He finishes with the leg press and reracks the weight plates and sprays and towels down the seat. Lingers by the machine on the offchance Carrie will move on and spare him another awkward interaction but oh what the hell they’re grown-ups and besides it’s nothing personal, it’s just politics. He sets the spray bottle of disinfectant and rag back in the holder on the machine and bends at the waist to scoop his water bottle off the f loor. “Finishing up, or just getting started?” The young woman standing beside the machine when he straightens up is in her late twenties or early thirties and compactly built. Half a head shorter than him, with long dirty-blonde hair drawn back into a tight braid cinched in two places along its length with elastic hair ties. A button nose, slightly upturned, and eyes he’d have to get to know better to name their color. She smiles, revealing straight but not overly white teeth. He can’t say what it is about her exactly but she strikes him as a horse girl or at least a former horse girl. Dressage, not rodeo. This is good. He’s always had a soft spot for horse girls. Something about the mix of hoity-toity and rustic strikes a chord with him. In an-

other life and another era he could have been—well, still a lawyer, but a country lawyer. “It’s all you. Just wiped it down for you.” “Thanks.” “New member? Women are a minority around here, that’s why I ask. Especially—” He trails off. “Especially what?” Her smile shifts to one side of her mouth, a f lirtatious slant. She adjusts the waistband of her workout shorts to show off a band of f lat, tanned tummy. The barest suggestion of abs peeking through beneath her cutoff sports tank-top. No ring on her finger. Slightly bowlegged. But still, smooth and shapely and, proportional to her height (about average), long. Out of the corner of his eye he is acutely aware of Carrie watching narrow-eyed in the mirrored surface of the wall. Her glare crests the top of the stair-stepper machine and dips out of sight, crests and dips. “Nothing,” he says. “Have a good workout.” “I am, by the way,” she says. “A new member. Stacy.” “Franklin.” They shake hands. His sweaty, hers small but dry and with a firm grip. Growing evidence for the horse girl hypothesis. He says, “Maybe I’ll see you around, then.” “Say hi if you do. Or,” she says, and holds out her phone. “Hit me

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Dissonance up sometime when we’re not all sweaty and out of breath.” He takes it and types his number into it, scarcely believing his luck. Her home screen is populated with many of the same icons that drain minutes from his day and dollars from his bank account and which take a cumulative toll on the heart, too. He comments on this as he hands her phone back. “You’re on the apps too, huh?” “Unfortunately.” “I hear you. Nice to skip the whole song-and-dance and just swap numbers every once in a while.” “I’ll do you one better,” she says.

“Why don’t we set a date?” Beautiful and forward, too. There is gym etiquette to consider and Carrie giving him the stinkeye over the top of the stair-stepper machine but those legs. He’s a sucker for nice legs. “Sure. What do you have in mind?” “How’s a drink sound? No pressure. I’ll pick the place.” “You pick, I’ll pay.” “Deal. Are you free this weekend?” He grins, still hardly believing his luck. Hope for bachelors after all. “How’s Friday?” He cools down with a round of jump rope, not to seem lazy or like he’s quitting his workout while he’s

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Dissonance ahead. Risky business with Stacy right across the gym and a decent chance of making a fool of himself if he tangles his legs but he used to box back in high school and skipping rope is much like riding a bike. Within a few minutes he’s working in switch-steps and double-unders. By the time he’s done, Carrie is gone. Thank God for small blessings. He smiles at Stacy on his way out the door and says, “See you Friday.” Hopes she doesn’t run into any volunteer firemen in the meantime. Contract lawyer and certified notary public is all well and good but there are a few occupations women can’t resist and fireman is several of them, he has to imagine. For the rest of the week he is distracted. He divides his time between paperwork and consultations and resists the impulse to check the apps. He’s not a kept man, not yet, but why muddy the waters in the meantime? He has a good feeling about this one. “I’ve got a good feeling about this one, Erm,” he tells her during one of their smoke breaks. They stand under the overhang today to avoid the rain. It occurs to him that, thanks to said rain, he hasn’t heard anyone so much as hum ‘Jolene’ in two days. He chooses to take this as an auspicious sign. “Go on and wrangle her then, cowboy.”

“Gross, Erma.” “Sorry.” On Friday afternoon he says good weekend to Erma and heads out the door half an hour early. “Good luck on your hot date!” she calls after him. He makes his workout a short one. When he gets home to his townhouse he shits and shaves— both for the second time that day— and then he showers to check off the last of the three S’s. He towels off and dresses for the date (jeans and a tartan button-down, neither too dressy nor too casual) and applies cologne (liberally but not too liberally) by spraying a cloud and walking twice briskly through it. Scents the air in his wake and nods, satisfied. Warm yet understated. Elegant. The type of scent a horse girl could love. Stacy beats him there. By the time he arrives she is sitting at a high top, nursing an alcoholic seltzer. She gives him a hug and he tells her she looks great and means it. He looks around and says, “You didn’t mention it was a karaoke bar.” “I didn’t want to scare you off.” “Long as it’s not a rodeo, or a honky-tonk joint.” “What?” “Nothing. Want another drink?” “Sure. I put my name in for a song.” “Not mine, I hope.” “Only if I really wanted to scare

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Dissonance you off. Would you say no?” He grins and, sensing a test, says, “No, I guess I wouldn’t.” Fifteen minutes on the DJ calls her name and they stop chatting about sports—Stacy is not, as it happens, a horse girl after all, but a purple belt in Brazilian jiujitsu— and she bounces up to the stage. “Break a leg,” he tells her. “Remind me to make a jiujitsu joke when I get back. And get me another spritzer, will you? I might need it after this.” “It’ll be waiting for you when you finish.” This is going great, he thinks. He slides back his chair and

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heads for the bar. Stacy picks her way through the patrons and takes the microphone with the spittledampened foam windscreen from the DJ. She stands swaying her hips and tapping her foot as the screen switches to the ellipses that mean wait a sec, lyrics coming down the pipe. Franklin’s made it a few steps when the brush snare kicks in and the finger-picked acoustic guitar riff and for a few steps more he thinks he really is headed for the bar. Then the tinny guitar quiets and Stacy takes a deep breath audible in the microphone and he thinks no, nah, not worth it. Not even for that face, those legs. It’ll be another awkward run-in to look forward to at the gym but even that is better than subjecting himself to this stupid cosmic jest. He walks out as the first ‘Jolene’ rings out in a breathy alto that grows in confidence and volume with the second, third, and fourth utterances. A trio of smokers and cokeheads pocketed in the alleyway beside the bar hide their drugs and, seeing that he’s not a cop, offer him a cig and a key-bump. He accepts the former and lights it as Stacy belts out the first verse of ‘Jolene’ in a more than passable alto. If only it weren’t for that song. Wisps of cigarette smoke curl up on the languid air, turning Brownian pirouettes in the bluish city light. The neon bar sign effervesces against the smoky autumn air and

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blinks and blinks as he stubs out the cigarette and strolls off. He’s gone five steps before he stops. Stupid. He turns on his heel. “Forgot to close out your tab?” says one of the smokers with a sniff le. Did he? He did not. “No,” he says. “It’s—” He wavers in the door. Stacy is still singing. He never means to root out these disqualifiers but sometimes the signs seem cosmic in their clarity. Who is he to defy the logic of the universe? No one, really. A lowly contract lawyer and certified notary public. So no. It’s the principle of the thing. “Ah, never mind.” She’ll find someone, he thinks

as he walks off again. A good guy, someone a helluva lot less fickle and f laky than me. More mature. Hell, maybe she’ll find herself a nice fireman after all. There’s a few at the gym he’d like to introduce her to. B. P. Gallagher’s fiction has appeared in Roi Faineant Press, Flash Fiction Magazine, Meniscus Literary Journal, and elsewhere. He is a 2013 graduate of Easton High School, holds a Ph.D. in Social/ Personality Psychology and is currently Assistant Professor of Psychology and Culture at Nazareth University.

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