Choose these perennials for fall blooms
My sister who lives in planting zone 5, far north of Virginia, asked my advice about selecting blooming plants for the heat of summer. I’ll give you the same guidance I shared with her. For annual selections, I recommend looking at commercial plantings. What survives in a median, in front of an office complex, or on a shopping center hellstrip? For perennial plants, I plug natives.... READ MORE
Timeless fiction offered by older authors
The Bibliophile These three novels are set, respectively, in the past, present and future. Their characters confront crises that resonate with readers no matter the era. Jack: A Novel, by Marilynne Robinson, 320 pages, Farrar, Straus & Giroux hardcover, 2020, Picador paperback, 2021 This story unfolds with a sequence of incidents on the homefront during WWII as experienced by... READ MORE
It’s nice when a friend takes your advice
On his 77th birthday last spring, my boyhood pal George wrapped up 50 years of practicing medicine in New Jersey. He had imagined that watershed Friday evening for eons. No more haggling with insurance companies. No more payroll to meet. No more consultations in the middle of the night. It would be Him Time. George Time. But ever since he locked the office door one final time,... READ MORE
Historic violins tell stories of pain, hope
During the Holocaust, Nazis forced Jewish musicians to play while their family members, neighbors and friends were marched to death camps. At Auschwitz, Birkenau and other concentration camps, SS officers assembled orchestras and bands, ordering prisoners to play during executions. For some, the ability to play an instrument spared their lives. “The people that played, they saw... READ MORE
Area theaters resuming live productions
The play will be the real-life thing once again this coming season as local companies and theaters get ready to present three-dimensional actors performing before live audiences. While the pandemic curtailed much of last season to productions via computer or television, this season’s presentations are scheduled to return to theaters around town. The Kennedy Center The Kennedy Center, ... READ MORE
At Toby’s, Elf brings an early Christmas
What’s going on at Toby’s Dinner Theatre? The Columbia theater’s current production is Elf — a holiday show about a man raised as an elf who helps save Christmas in the Big Apple. Did Toby’s lose track of the months? Are they in a time warp? Did they want to use up tinsel left over from last Christmas? Or perhaps, they’re thinking back to an iconic song from an older... READ MORE
Ginger root has many health benefits
Not to be confused with the native plant called wild ginger (Asarum canadense), the tropical ginger plant (Zingiber officinale) has a long history and some promising uses. Although often called ginger root, the ginger plant is actually grown for its rhizome, an underground stem that sends out roots or shoots. Oldest known spice Used in both cooking and traditional medicine, ginger was... READ MORE
Teacher immerses students in Broadway
Dressing up as a Victorian grand dame or a buttoned-up founding father is part of the job for Ellen Katz, a singer, performer and educator. Katz, 76, a popular instructor at the Edward A. Myerberg Senior Center in Baltimore and other venues, gives her students a front-row seat and deep immersion into the history of the characters and plays that she teaches. “I love to teach, and I... READ MORE
Family stories inspired research, book
For as long as she can remember, Sandra Kemp, 74, has been listening to her older relatives’ stories about her ancestors’ experiences in slavery and beyond. “I was always interested in personal stories of ancestors, especially those who lived through the Reconstruction [after the Civil War],” Kemp said in an interview with Fifty Plus. Since she was a young adult, Kemp has... READ MORE
New mysteries with older main characters
The Bibliophile What can be more enjoyable than reading mystery novels with relatable characters? Their situations may be far-fetched, but, for retired readers, older protagonists add familiar elements to the storylines. The Eighth Detective: A Novel, by Alex Pavesi, 304 pages, Henry Holt and Co. hardcover, 2020; Picador paperback, August 2021 On a remote Mediterranean island,... READ MORE
Arts 2024
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