Mid-Shore Life

Sat, January 21st 6:00 pm

Caroline Country Club, Pealiquor Road, Denton

Come celebrate the life and works of English writer J.R.R. Tolkien at the Caroline County Council of Arts' Annual Literary Supper.  This fun-filled evening will featured a gourmet four- course meal inspired by the work of Tolkien, including Gamgee's Pork Pot Pie & Shire Biscuits, Niggle's Roasted Root Vegetables, Bilbo Baggins Relish Tray, Beorn's Honey Nut Pastries and more. 

Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your seat today.  For reservations and information, please call 410.479.1009, email ccartscouncil@verizon.net or visit carolinearts.org

The fourth annual Empty Bowls community dinner to benefit Talbot County food pantries will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Easton.

“Bringing Empty Bowls to Talbot County is an opportunity for those of us who are fortunate enough to eat without worry to reach out to our neighbors for whom a meal may be a luxury,” says Empty Bowls committee member Anna Harding.  “By joining us for a community meal, you will help fill the shelves at local food pantries.”

Tickets for the Empty Bowls meal are $20. Diners will receive a meal of homemade soup, bread and dessert. Harding continues, “In exchange for your payment, you will take home the bowl in which your soup is served. Our hope is that the bowl will remind you that someone else's bowl is always empty and that you will be moved to continue to support those organizations who are working every day to feed those in need in throughout Talbot County.”

Local potters who have pledged handmade bowls are Paul Aspell, Ann Krestensen and Ken Sadler. Bowls are also being made and donated by local school students.  

Family Support of Queen Anne's County is hosting an open house on Friday, January 20 from 9-11am at our Sudlersville site behind CITGO. The entire community is invited and all children receive a free book! The only way to understand what we do at Family Support is to come in and look around! 103 North Linden Street. 410.438.3182

Tax Laws are complex and continue to change each year. Current research indicates that individuals are likely to make errors when preparing their tax returns. Some tax rules affect every person who may have to file a federal income tax return – these rules include dependents and exemptions. Here are six important facts the IRS wants you to know about dependents and exemptions that will help you file your 2011 tax return.

1. Exemptions reduce your taxable income. There are two types of exemptions: personal exemptions and exemptions for dependents. For each exemption you can deduct $3,700 on your 2011 tax return.
2. Your spouse is never considered your dependent. On a joint return, you may claim one exemption for yourself and one for your spouse. If you’re filing a separate return, you may claim the exemption for your spouse only if they had no gross income, are not filing a joint return, and were not the dependent of another taxpayer.
3. Exemptions for dependents. You generally can take an exemption for each of your dependents. A dependent is your qualifying child or qualifying relative. You must list the social security number of any dependent for whom you claim an exemption.
   

Michael D’Arcangelo, Director of Laboratory Services for Shore Health System, recently graduated from the 2011 class of Shore Leadership. Shore Leadership is a leadership development program for executives and senior managers on the Mid-Shore. Over the course of eight monthly sessions, participants gain a broader perspective and deeper understanding of the issues and challenges facing the region, while honing their leadership skills and becoming better prepared to deal with the interrelated complexities of the Shore. As a member of the 15th Shore Leadership class, D’Arcangelo joins a Shore Leadership alumni network of 300 leaders, including 13 of his Shore Health System colleagues.

Evergreen Cove Holistic Learning Center

Advance registration required. - Click on the class title for more information or to register.

Locally Based Non-Profit Continues Living Shoreline Work and Kicks Off Milestone Anniversary Year on an International Day to Promote Public Awareness of Wetlands 

Environmental Concern starts its celebration to honor its 40^th anniversary year on February 2, 2012, a date that coincides with World Wetlands Day.

Environmental Concern is a non-profit headquartered in St. Michaels, Maryland. With ties up to the international level, the organization’s main work focuses on wetlands around the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Edgar Garbisch who was a chemistry science teacher at the University of Minnesota started the non-profit in 1972. He turned his attention to wetlands during a time in the U.S. when Americans began to put the environment at the forefront. In 1972 he returned to the place of his youth, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and founded Environmental Concern. Unlike water and air, two subjects that the public understood and valued as important, wetlands suffered from a legacy of false perceptions. Swamps, bogs and marshes were seen as undesirable components of the landscape good only for conversion to usable land. This perception manifested itself in the widespread destruction of millions upon millions of acres of wetlands.

February 24-26

The Model Guild of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, MD will host a weekend model-building workshop in the museum’s Bay History building from 6 to 9pm Friday, February 24 and 9 to 5pm Saturday and Sunday, February 25 and 26. Led step-by-step by skilled modelers, participants will create a 10-inch wooden rowing skiff with lapped side planking and a flat bottom. Class size is limited, with pre-registration needed.

The 10-inch model is formed over a frame in much the same manner as a real boat is constructed. Thin toothpicks are used along with fast-drying glue to fasten the models together. Models are made of one dark and one light wood, which are alternated in the design to make a handsome, two-toned appearance.  

CBMM’s Model Guild welcomes anyone 12 years of age or older to take these classes, and encourages new members of all skill levels to participate in the Guild, use its facilities, and trade model building experience with museum visitors. A special rate for a parent-child team can accommodate younger children.

Dear Amazon,

First of all, hats off to you all. You really do excellent work – and your products are top-notch.  As a long-standing bibliophile (aka – Book Slut),  I rank Amazon right up there with chocolate, coffee – and chocolate covered coffee beans.  The whole Kindle/e-book craze has caused me to load up on more books than I could read in several lifetimes – and that makes me all happy and tingly. (book slut, remember?)

The problem, my dear Amazon, is that you’ve added tempting graphics and interesting apps to my fingertips – and it’s cutting into my reading time.  I did manage to read Silent Tears: A Journey Of Hope In A Chinese Orphanage (AmazonEncore Edition) by Kay Bratt (borrowed for free with my Amazon Prime membership) before I discovered the dreaded Kindle Fire apps (or applications, for the uninitiated).  Now I spend my time playing Monopoly, Life, solitaire and Sudoku – while searching frantically for a Clue app that will work on the Kindle Fire, because I really like that game. Oh, and did you know my old time sucking favorite, Plants vs Zombies, will work on my Fire, too? I don’t mind waiting rooms at all anymore. Well, I never did – I always packed a book or two and was perfectly happy. But now my eyes glaze over and my finger moves across my delightful touch screen and the world disappears – along with quite a few of my working brain cells. I'm not as troubled by the awol brain cells as you would think - but I believe it's only fair if you ALSO take the accompanying saddle bags that have become firmly attached to my backside. Also, if you see my brain anywhere, I'd appreciate its swift return.

I have a plethora of business and self-development books literally at my fingertips – but instead I’m dedicating my time to winning just one more solitaire game. I can’t stop – so I’m forced to take drastic measures. I’ve signed up for a Pinterest account – which I’m told is the new hot social media craze – and more addicting than Facebook. A new addiction is just what I need to break my reliance on you – my dear Amazon. Nothing personal, of course.

I wish you continued success in your journey.

Cyndi Paxton Johnson

(ok, I wrote my article – NOW can I play Monopoly?????)