https://chestertownspy.org Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:01:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/30/the-man-wearing-the-blue-suit-at-pope-francis-funeral-by-j-e-dean/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/30/the-man-wearing-the-blue-suit-at-pope-francis-funeral-by-j-e-dean/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:30:54 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/30/the-man-wearing-the-blue-suit-at-pope-francis-funeral-by-j-e-dean/ I scratched my head when I heard Donald Trump was attending the funeral of His Holiness, Pope Francis. Donald Trump is not a Catholic and doesn’t regularly go to church. He cozies up to Evangelical Christians and sells Bibles. Most of us credit greed as his motivations. In essence, he is the antithesis of everything […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/30/the-man-wearing-the-blue-suit-at-pope-francis-funeral-by-j-e-dean/feed/ 5 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/canaries-in-the-coal-mine-warnings-for-maryland-by-david-reel/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/canaries-in-the-coal-mine-warnings-for-maryland-by-david-reel/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:18:00 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/canaries-in-the-coal-mine-warnings-for-maryland-by-david-reel/ For almost a century, between the late 1890s and 1986, coal miners relied on canary birds rather than fellow miners to detect increasing levels of colorless, odorless carbon monoxide and other toxic gases in the mines that could sicken or even kill humans.  While mechanical sensors have long since replaced canaries in mines, the term […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/canaries-in-the-coal-mine-warnings-for-maryland-by-david-reel/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-20/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-20/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 11:00:27 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183882 Happy Mystery Monday!  Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below? The answer to last week’s mystery is shagbark hickory, Carya ovata, pictured in the photo below: Shagbark hickory is a tall, straight trunked tree reaching over 120”. It is prized for its aromatic wood, which burns long and with little to no […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-20/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/the-artists-way-by-katherine-emery-2/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/the-artists-way-by-katherine-emery-2/#comments Mon, 21 Apr 2025 12:30:44 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/the-artists-way-by-katherine-emery-2/ It was 1995, there were parts of my job as a Health Educator that I loved, but the work environment was toxic, and I wasn’t fond of my boss. One day, while browsing at Barnes & Noble, a book practically jumped out at me: The Artist’s Way. I bought it on the spot and started […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/the-artists-way-by-katherine-emery-2/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-2/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-2/#comments Mon, 21 Apr 2025 10:00:16 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-2/ Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below: The answer to last week’s mystery is mayapple or wild mandrake, Podophyllum peltatum, pictured in the photo below: Mayapples first emerge in April. They frequent mesic to dry-mesic upland forests, well-drained floodplain forests, and various moist, disturbed habitats. Mayapples populate much of […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/21/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-2/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/20/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-by-laura-j-oliver/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/20/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-by-laura-j-oliver/#respond Sun, 20 Apr 2025 12:00:17 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183740 Here’s what old people do. They talk about their aches and pains and what they had to eat at their most recent meal. Grilled cheese, and my hip hurts. Ha ha. I know you’re reviewing your last conversation with furrowed brow, so I’m trying to make you feel better. To make myself feel better, I’m […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/20/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-by-laura-j-oliver/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/19/chesapeake-lens-to-go-by-jay-fleming/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/19/chesapeake-lens-to-go-by-jay-fleming/#respond Sat, 19 Apr 2025 11:00:45 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183734     A hungry osprey picks up his dinner ‘to go’ from a pound net.]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/19/chesapeake-lens-to-go-by-jay-fleming/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/14/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/14/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo/#respond Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:00:19 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/14/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo/ Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below? The answer to last week’s mystery is red maple flowers, Acer rubrum, pictured in the photo below: The red maple flowers shown here are female. They are dark, deep red with sticky, fuzzy stigmas that extend past the petals and catch pollen […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/14/adkins-arboretums-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/13/magnified-by-laura-j-oliver/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/13/magnified-by-laura-j-oliver/#respond Sun, 13 Apr 2025 12:00:48 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183579   Every morning, when I get ready for my day, I sit at my dressing table, known as a vanity by the judgy, and check out my face in a mirror that lights up and magnifies by a power of 15. “Why do you do that?” my mother asked when she was alive. And “Stop […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/13/magnified-by-laura-j-oliver/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/28/chesapeake-bay-week-film-festival-returns-to-cbmm-in-april/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/28/chesapeake-bay-week-film-festival-returns-to-cbmm-in-april/#respond Fri, 28 Mar 2025 11:00:17 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183259 The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is proud to partner with Maryland Public Television (MPT) to host the second annual Chesapeake Bay Week Film Festival with a series of four screening events in the Van Lennep Auditorium next month.  This edition of the film festival will feature a family-friendly screening, a film-inspired tasting event, and showings of two films […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/28/chesapeake-bay-week-film-festival-returns-to-cbmm-in-april/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-17-2/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-17-2/#respond Mon, 24 Mar 2025 13:16:30 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-17-2/ Happy Mystery Monday!  Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below: The answer to last week’s mystery is the northern crane-fly orchid, Tipularia discolor, pictured below: The crane-fly orchid is one of the most common orchids in North America. Spring is when the plant’s green leaves begin to emerge. They appear as a […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-17-2/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/19/should-america-disarm-by-al-sikes/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/19/should-america-disarm-by-al-sikes/#respond Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:59:33 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/19/should-america-disarm-by-al-sikes/ The overlap was notable. The college basketball tournament called March Madness arrived at the peak of some of Donald J Trump’s critics calling his Executive Orders “madness”. One reason for calling the basketball tournament “madness” is one loss and your out—“one and done” as it is said. In the matter of the President, he is […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/19/should-america-disarm-by-al-sikes/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/26/why-mr-president-why-by-j-e-dean/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/26/why-mr-president-why-by-j-e-dean/#comments Wed, 26 Feb 2025 13:30:22 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182662 While many Trump supporters party on as the Trump/Musk team continues its assault on the federal government, its employees, and the beneficiaries of its programs, some of the rest of us have one question for the President:  Why?  We know the official answer: It is to end government waste, fraud, and abuse while reducing the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/26/why-mr-president-why-by-j-e-dean/feed/ 10 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-14/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-14/#respond Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:12:20 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-14/ Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo below? The answer to last week’s mystery is river birch, Betula nigra, pictured in photo below: Native to the eastern United States, river birch is found in Maryland along stream banks and in moist locations. It’s a fast-growing, highly adaptable tree, especially in its […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/24/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-14/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/17/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-picture-7/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/17/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-picture-7/#respond Mon, 17 Feb 2025 12:00:21 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182523 Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured below?   The answer to last week’s mystery is partridge berry, Mitchella repens, pictured below: Partridge berry is a delicate, creeping vine that does not climb. Instead, it forms a low mat of evergreen leaves. Indigenous to the woodlands of eastern North America, partridge berry looks […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/17/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-picture-7/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/16/rescue-them-by-laura-j-oliver/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/16/rescue-them-by-laura-j-oliver/#comments Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:00:30 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182515 A quick review before we get to why I am telling you this story. I worked for five years as a volunteer dog walker at the SPCA before I met Leah. She was a grossly neglected, 17-pound, black-and-white terrier mix. Her original owner, overwhelmed by the needs of three kids under the age of seven, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/16/rescue-them-by-laura-j-oliver/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/09/the-reformer-by-laura-j-oliver/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/09/the-reformer-by-laura-j-oliver/#comments Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:37:20 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/09/the-reformer-by-laura-j-oliver/ My smart older sisters have blazed a trail through life for me by example. If I hadn’t received my driver’s license on my first try, for instance, I’d have failed tradition. So, having recently discovered that they both love Pilates, I tried it, too. Things went well until they went horribly wrong. The trial class […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/09/the-reformer-by-laura-j-oliver/feed/ 3 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/06/tap-takes-on-neil-simons-plaza-suite-a-chat-with-maureen-curtin-and-brian-mcgunigle/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/06/tap-takes-on-neil-simons-plaza-suite-a-chat-with-maureen-curtin-and-brian-mcgunigle/#respond Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:05:37 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/06/tap-takes-on-neil-simons-plaza-suite-a-chat-with-maureen-curtin-and-brian-mcgunigle/ Tred Avon Players is thrilled to kick off its 2025 season with Neil Simon’s classic comedy, PLAZA SUITE, and the Spy was delighted to talk to Act III Director Maureen Curtin and actor Brian McGunigle. to get up to speed on the Neil Simon classic last week. The talented cast includes new and returning actors […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/06/tap-takes-on-neil-simons-plaza-suite-a-chat-with-maureen-curtin-and-brian-mcgunigle/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/29/in-praise-of-inspector-generals-by-j-e-dean/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/29/in-praise-of-inspector-generals-by-j-e-dean/#comments Wed, 29 Jan 2025 13:30:35 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182132 Last Friday, we learned that President Trump had fired the Inspectors General (IGs) at 17 federal agencies. The firings were not conducted in accord with the Inspector General Act. Congress was not given the required 30-day advance notice or an explanation for the firings. Congressional Democrats—and some Republicans—are now asking why Trump took this unexpected […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/29/in-praise-of-inspector-generals-by-j-e-dean/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/27/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-12/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/27/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-12/#respond Mon, 27 Jan 2025 13:00:33 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182079 Happy Mystery Monday!  Can you guess what is pictured below? The answer to last week’s mystery is a sweetgum ball from a sweetgum tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, pictured in photo below: Sweetgum balls are the fruit of the sweet gum tree. Each sweetgum ball is actually made up of dozens of fruits that have fused together. […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/27/adkins-arboretum-mystery-monday-guess-the-photo-12/feed/ 0