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Potomac Almanac ❖ March 1-7, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Book Talk To CommemorateWomen’s History MonthNews, Page 3

Renewing an Old PromiseOpinion, Page 4

Mild Winter MeansEarly Allergy SeasonWellbeing, Page 6

Civil War-eraDance

News, Page 3

Civil War-eraDance

News, Page 3

Book Talk To CommemorateWomen’s History MonthNews, Page 3

Renewing an Old PromiseOpinion, Page 4

Mild Winter MeansEarly Allergy SeasonWellbeing, Page 6

March 1-7, 2017

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PotomacPotomac

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WellbeingWellbeingWellbeingPage 6

Victorian Dance Ensembleperforms at the Great Falls

Tavern Visitor Center.

2 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ March 1-7, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

MS programin Biotechnology

http://biotechnology.georgetown.edu

One year with rolling admission

Fall 2017 deadline is 5/15/17

Contact the Program Coordinator for details

202-687-1070

Email community entertainment eventsto [email protected] date, time, location, descriptionand contact for event: phone, email and/or website. Deadline is Thursday at noon,at least two weeks before event.

ONGOING2016 Inaugural Video Art

Exhibition. 5-7 p.m. at Glen EchoPhotoworks Gallery, 7300 MacArthurBlvd., Glen Echo. Photoworksshowcases a group of female visualartists who use video to reveal thepersonal, the intimate and theartistic. Desires, dreams and fears areall visually explored in Photoworks’Inaugural Video Competition andExhibition, curated by Na’ama BatyaLewin. Free. Visit www.glenechophotoworks.org for more.

Club Friday. Through March 17, 7-9p.m. at Potomac CommunityRecreation Center, 11315 Falls Road,Potomac. Children grades 3-6 areinvited to participate in games,crafts, movies, sports and more.Membership fee is $88.www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec.

Ella Enchanted TheaterProduction. Through March 19,various times at Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd. Based on theNewberry Honor book by Gail CarsonLevine. Baby Ella of Frell is given the“gift” of obedience and cannotdisobey any direct order, which leadsto challenges. Call 301-634-2222.

Ballroom Dancing. 1-3 p.m., everyWednesday in March, at NorthPotomac Senior Center, 13860Travilah Road, Rockville. Come outand practice the international styleBallroom Dance, like Waltz, VienneseWaltz, Tango, Paso Doble, Quickstepand Slow Foxtrot, Latin Dancing,such as Cha Cha, Rumba and Samba,also social dances, such as swing.This is a volunteer-led practice. Free.

Children’s Storytime. Wednesdaysand Saturdays, 10 a.m. at Barnes &Noble Booksellers, 4801 BethesdaAve., Bethesda Listen to employeesread children’s stories. Free. Visitwww.store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4824850-21.

VisArts Cocktails and CanvasClass. at VisArts in the Painting &Drawing Studio, 155 Gibbs St.,Rockville. Price $40. Visitwww.visartsatrockville.org/cocktails-and-canvas for more.

Thang Ta. Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m. atSutradhar Institute of Dance andRelated Arts, 1525 Forest Glen Road,Silver Spring. Learn the ancient art ofthe sword and spear. $25.www.dancesidra.org.

Weekly Blues Dance. Thursdays8:15-11:30 p.m. in the Back RoomAnnex at Glen Echo Park, 7300MacArthur Blvd. Capital Bluespresents rotating DJs and instructorswith beginner workshop 8:15-9 p.m.,no partner necessary. $8 for all.

capitalblues.orgWeekly Swing Dance. Saturdays, 8

p.m.-midnight. The DC LindyExchange presents a swing dancewith live music in the SpanishBallroom, Glen Echo Park, 7300MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo.Beginner swing dance lesson at 8p.m., followed by dancing. Admission$16-$18, age 17 and under $12.www.glenechopark.org.

Argentine Tango with Lessons.Most Sundays, 6:30-11 p.m. in theBack Room Annex at Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo.Argentine Tango lessons followed bya Milonga most Sunday evenings.Beginner lesson 6:30-7:30 p.m. andintermediate lesson 7:30-8:30 p.m.Cost is $15/lesson and includes theMilonga. For just the Milonga, cost is$10 and the open dance with DJ runs8:30-11 p.m. No partner required.www.glenechopark.org, 301-634-2222.

Contra and Square Dance. Fridaysand Sundays 7-10:30 p.m. in theSpanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd. The eveningcan include square dances, mixers,waltzes and other couple dances. AllContra and Square dances are taught,no partner necessary. Lessons at 7p.m., followed by the called dancewith live music at 7:30. $13 fornonmembers, $10 for FSGWmembers, $5 ages 17 and under.www.glenechopark.org, 301-634-2222.

Late Night Comedy. Fridays (openmic night) and Saturdays(established comedians) at Benny’sBar & Grill, 7747 Tuckerman Lane,Potomac. Benny’s is open 8 a.m.-1a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.www.BennysBarGrill.com.

Drop in Art Activities. EverySaturday 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in theCandy Corner Studio at Glen EchoPark, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., parentsand children can explore a new artform or theme. $10/child, parentcombo. Drop-in only. www.pgip.org.

Mommy & Me (& Daddy, Too).Third Tuesday each month. 10 a.m.at Rockville Town Square. Meet for amorning out with active learning andcreative play with lunch specials,story time, arts and crafts, sing-a-longs, prizes and more.rockvilletownsquare.com/events/mommy-and-me.

Live Music & Dancing. Fridays andSaturdays, 7-11 p.m. in Margery’sLounge, Normandie Farm Restaurant,10710 Falls Road. Dance to the musicof Barry Gurley. 301-983-8838www.popovers.com.

Chocolate Factory Tours. Fridaysand Saturdays, 2-5:45 p.m. atSPAGnVOLA Chocolatier, 360 MainSt., Gaithersburg. Take a short tourof The Truffle Factory facilities. Free.www.spagnvola.com.

Glen Echo Park Films. Saturdays andSundays. Arcade Building, 7300

MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Filmsabout the Park’s history are shown onrotation in the lobby. Free. Visitwww.glenechopark.org for more.

SilverWorks Studio & Gallery.Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdaysand Sundays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. GlenEcho Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd.,Glen Echo. SilverWorks Studio &Gallery is a working silversmithstudio and includes an ongoingexhibition, as well as sales of thework of artist-in-residence BlairAnderson. Free. Visitwww.silverworksglenechopark.com.

Art Glass Center at Glen Echo. Allday Wednesdays; Fridays, 10 a.m.-2p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.;Sundays, noon-4 p.m. Art GlassCenter, Glen Echo Park, 7300MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Ongoingexhibitions feature work of residentartists. Sculpture, vessels, functionalart and jewelry for sale. Classes aretaught year-round for beginner,intermediate and advanced students.Visitwww.artglasscenteratglenecho.orgfor more.

Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery.Saturdays and Sundays, 12-5 p.m.The Yellow Barn Studio & Gallerypresents free exhibitions of emergingartists’ work. Each weekend featuresthe work of a different artist. Mostartwork is also for sale.www.yellowbarnstudio.com.

Acoustic Open Mic. Wednesdays, 7-11 p.m. at Benny’s Bar & Grill, 7747Tuckerman Lane. Everyone welcometo perform. Wine bottles are 50percent off. www.bennysbargrill.com.

Potomac Games Group.Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. at PotomacCommunity Recreation Center,11315 Falls Road, Potomac. Theworld is in the midst of a Golden Ageof new board and card games forplayers of all ages. Free. Contactevent host Randy Hoffman at 412-983-5411 [email protected].

Strathmore Launches Food,Beverage Program. Partnershipkicks off 2017 focusing on creative,upscale bar cuisine, sharable drinks,expanded service with Ridgewells.Visit www.ampbystrathmore.com orcall 301-581-5100.

CAMPS, CLASSES & WORKSHOPSArt Explorers Open Studio. Every

Saturday, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at TheCandy Corner Studio, 7300MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Artactivities for parents and children.Activities change weekly and there isno pre-registration; $10 per child.Visit www.glenechopark.org/saturday-art-explorers for more.

Ceramic Classes. Various dates andtimes. VisArts, 155 Gibbs St,Rockville. An opportunity to try thenew ceramic workshops. Visitwww.visartsatrockville.org/ceramics.

FRIDAY/MARCH 3Songwriting Awards Concert. 7:30

p.m. at Bethesda Blues & Jazz SupperClub, 7719 Wisconsin Ave. The thirdannual Bernard/Ebb SongwritingAwards, produced by the BethesdaArts & Entertainment District, willfeature a live concert performed bythe competition’s finalists, whichincludes Matthew Hemmer fromBethesda, in the Pop/Electriccategory. Visit www.bethesda.org orcall 301-215-6660.

SATURDAY/MARCH 4Just Friend’s Duo. 7-11 p.m. at

Margery’s Lounge at NormandieFarm Restaurant, 10710 Falls Road.Call 301-983-8838 for more.

TUESDAY/MARCH 7Coffee, Cookies, Conversation, &

Coloring. 1:30 p.m. at PotomacLibrary, 10101 Glenolden Drive.Meet people, enjoy a beverage andcookies, and express, adult coloringis known to reduce stress. Visitwww.montgomerycountymd.gov/library/ for more.

FRIDAY/MARCH 10Family Bingo Night. 7–9 p.m. at

Clara Barton Community Center,7425 MacArthur Blvd. Bingo cardsfor all ages to play, local celebcallers, pizza and drinks, prizes.Bingo Cards $5 each. Visitwww.FriendsCBCC.org or call 240-777-4910.

Potomac After Hours. 9:15-11 p.m.at Potomac Community RecreationCenter, 11315 Falls Road. This is aspecial program “Choice Night” for6th-8th graders. Please join othermiddle schoolers for active andcreative fun. $5. Register online atActiveMontgomery.org under activity#28443. Call 240-777-6956 formore.

FRIDAY/MARCH 17St. Patrick’s Day Skate. 4:45 -6:15

p.m. at Cabin John Ice Rink, 10610Westlake Drive, Rockville. Weargreen to get reduced admission. $7.Call 301- 765-8620 for more.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18Spaghetti Dinner. 5-8 p.m. at

Potomac United Methodist ParishCenter, 9908 South Glen Road. Theall you care to eat dinner selectionsare prepared and served by BoyScouts and Scout parents in casual,family style seating. $10, $40 perfamily. For additional information, orto purchase tickets in advance,contact Virginia Horton [email protected].

Entertainment


NewsPotomac Almanac Editor Steven Mauren

703-778-9415 or [email protected]

See www.potomacalmanac.com

See Book Talk, Page 7

Civil War-era DanceThe Victorian Dance Ensemble perform at the at Great Falls TavernVisitor Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. The Chesapeake & Ohio CanalNational Historical Park hosted Dr. Larry Keener Farley and his 19th-century dance ensemble for an afternoon of Civil War-era dance.

Gilmore’s LightEnsemble hasFrenchie Mallet onthe accordion,Stephen Adamskion the banjo, andEllen Jimerson onthe HammeredDulcimer.

SueCornbower

and MarcellaPeyre-Ferry.

Photos by

Deborah Stevens

The Almanac

By Steve Hibbard

The Almanac

Author Rosemary Reed Miller, 77, ofWashington, D.C., will be speakingat the Potomac Library on Saturday,

March 18 at 2 p.m., about her book, “TheThreads Of Time, The Fabric Of History:Profiles Of African American DressmakersAnd Designers From 1850 To The Present.”

In commemoration of Women’s History

Month, she will be sharing research that sheconducted on African-American womenwho were clothing designers, quilters, andmilliners. “I was mainly interested inwomen in the 1800s; I found that nobodyhad done work on women in the past,” saidMiller, who took five years to research andwrite the book. Prior to that, she was a re-porter at The Washington Post and TheWashington Star; and ran a clothing shopin the District called Toast and Strawber-ries for 37 years.

She’s been promoting her book to theCongressional Wives Club, the Kojo NnamdiShow on NPR, and local libraries.

A highlight of the book is ElizabethKeckley, a former slave who designeddresses for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln,wife of Abraham Lincoln. “It put her in avery esoteric level because everybodywanted to come to her,” she said. Back in

the 1850s, ball gowns could cost between$100 and $200. The dress she designed forLincoln’s inauguration is shown in the FirstLadies Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institu-tion.

Another highlight is designer Ann Lowe,whose client was Jackie Kennedy when shemarried in 1953. “Jackie wanted a plaindress; that’s what was happening in Franceat the time, and her mother and JackKennedy got into it, and he canceled thatand asked for a rather fancy, lots of detailsdress,” she said. “Ann Lowe was known fordoing designs with a lot of details and flow-ers, and so she ended up getting the job forthe wedding party; which had 11 womenand children.”

With the exception of The WashingtonPost, she said newspapers at the time gaveall sorts of details about the dress, but no

Book Talk To Commemorate Women’s History Month

Book author Rosemary Reed Millerin her home on Upshur Street, NW,in Washington, D.C.

Author RosemaryReed Miller to discuss“The Threads OfTime, The Fabric OfHistory.”

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POTOMACALMANAC

www.PotomacAlmanac.com

Newspaper of PotomacA Connection Newspaper

An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered

to homes and businesses.

1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314

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PUBLISHERMary Kimm

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EDITORIALPHONE: 703-778-9415

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EDITORSteven Mauren, 703-778-9415

[email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITORMike Salmon

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSSusan Belford, Carole Dell,

Cissy Finley Grant, Carole Funger,Colleen Healy, Kenny Lourie,

Ken Moore

ContributingPhotographers

Harvey Levine, Deborah Stevens

Art/Design:Laurence Foong, John Heinly,

Ali KhalighProduction Manager

Geovani Flores

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Opinion

By The Rev. Mark Michael

Rector, St. Francis Episcopal Church

A few weeks after I moved to Potomac,one of my parishioners, Ellie Cain,presented me with a Potomac flag.There was no one more suited to

make the presentation. Ellie has been heresince before there really was a Potomac. Shemoved here as a girl in the late 1930s, whenRiver Road was still a dirt road and the cross-ing of Falls and River was still Offutt’s Cross-

roads to most people. Herfamily played an impor-tant role in the develop-ment of the community.Over the years, Ellie has

had a hand in most of our longstanding com-munity institutions, including the designing ofthe town flag.

You could not be blamed for knowing aboutthe existence of the town flag, for reasons Iwill get to in a few paragraphs. But Ellie and agroup of friends designed it around 40 yearsago, and she still flies it on occasion from thefront porch of her farmhouse on Piney Meet-inghouse Road. Perhaps a few other longtimeresidents do as well. The flag has a Kelly-greenbackground and a diagonal gold cross (like theSaint Andrew’s Cross on the flag of Scotland).In the middle is a black rider on horseback,surrounded by a gold hunting horn. “Potomac,Maryland” is lettered in a red on a white scrollat the bottom.

It’s quite a handsome flag, really. The col-ors, Ellie explained are green, for the rollinghills around us, and the other colors are bor-rowed from Maryland’s state flag, where theyfigured originally in the family crests of the

Calverts and the Crosslands (if I remember myfourth-grade history class correctly). There waseasy consensus among the design committeeabout back in the late ‘70s (or was it the early‘80s?) about the colors and the symbols. This,they felt, represented this community they hadcome to know and love, one found at a majorcrossroads, and bound together by a love ofthings equine.

We’re still at the crossroads, of course, as weare so often reminded while waiting for thetraffic light to turn at rush hours. Tens of thou-sands of people pass through our communityevery day, bound for work and school, headedfor the thrills of the city or seeking a rusticescape. But it has been some decades since thehunting horn has sounded in this zip code, andwhen I saw some horseback riders about a mileout of town last Saturday, it struck me as moreof an oddity than a symbol of our common wayof life.

It was once otherwise, Ellie told me. Her fa-ther, Mike McConihe, moved out to this areawith a group of his friends because the D.C.authorities had forbidden riding in Rock CreekPark, and they brought a way of life with them.They envisioned a community moving alongat a slower pace, houses with enough acresfor stables, bridle paths between the farms.

Ellie hasn’t had horses on her farm for somedecades herself, but there were once quite afew of them. She’s very fond of a picture in theparlor painted by a local artist of her children,all three in their riding gear, mounted on po-nies in the backyard. She and her daughterSukie treated me to a good hour of horsey talesfrom the old days of Potomac, of kids standingalong the road to watch the hunters pass oncrisp fall afternoons, and lazy summer Sun-

days of pony club meetings in a field behindthe elementary school. Horseback ridingbrought character lessons too, learning to faceyour fears and to control your emotions.

I was most struck by the way they describedhorseback riding as a force that brought thecommunity together. People didn’t tend to sellponies in those days, but would pass them onto other friends whose children were the rightsize for them, like hand-me-down coats. Foxhunting was much more about laughter andstorytelling than the capture of an elusivebeast. Bridle trails implied trust, people whodidn’t worry about neighbors passing throughthe corners of their property and would worktogether to keep them clear and open.

Much of that is gone these days. Though mysons would love to have a pony, our lot isn’tlarge enough for pasture, and yours probablyisn’t either. The bridle trails through the woodsbehind my house have grown up in brambles.The commute takes longer and we tend to dif-ferent forms of entertainment that are ratherless sociable.

One doesn’t see people flying the town flaganymore because it’s harder for us to identifywith what the flag means to represent. The flagenvisions a community where the crossroadssymbol meant more than a traffic device, butsuggest a gathering of people, open to eachother, bound by common interests, mutual re-spect, even, dare we say, a kind of love.

I will fly Ellie’s flag from the rectory porch.And even though I don’t expect to hear thehunting horn anytime soon, I will do what Ican to work and pray for a new way for peopleto come together in this community, so theflag’s old promise can be renewed. I hope you’lljoin me.

Renewing an Old Promise

In the Sound

Of the Bells

Where’s the Snow?Potomac residents filled the courtyardin the village on Friday, Feb. 24, savor-ing each moment of a week of spring-time in February. Enjoying the sun anda Starbucks, Bob and Grace Rood, left,of Flaps Restaurant fame, broughttheir pooch, Cubby, named for theChicago Cubs. She is a Komondorbreed from Hungary. The dogs areused to guard livestock and aregentle, affectionate and fearless.

A kiss is just a kiss unless it is delivered by a big whitedog with a big pink tongue as Leila Pohl from Brighten

Beach, Fla. found out. She and her grandmother, Linda,of Potomac, stopped to admire this wildly dreadlocked

dog called Cubby and the affection was mutual.

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News

Email announcements to [email protected]. Deadline isThursday at noon. Photos are welcome.

Victor de Avila, of Potomac, hasbeen granted the Veronica Founder’sScholarship to study Communication atAlvernia University (Reading, Pa.) in thefall. de Avila is currently a senior atThomas Sprigg Wootton High School.

Julianna Leslie Klein, of Potomac,

who is majoring in secondary education,was named to the dean’s list at ClemsonUniversity (Clemson, S.C.) for the fall2016 semester.

Jenna Anne Levenson , ofPotomac, who is majoring in secondaryeducation, was named to the dean’s listat Clemson University (Clemson, S.C.)for the fall 2016 semester.

Mohit Bisbey, of Potomac, a sev-

enth grade student at Randolph-MaconAcademy, earned a place on thepresident’s list for the second quarter ofthe 2016-17 school year.

Mohit is the son of Samuel and JyotiBisbey.

Megan Ann Scanlan, of Potomac,who is majoring in marketing, wasnamed to the dean’s list at ClemsonUniversity (Clemson, S.C.) for the fall2016 semester.

School Notes

A first-hand account ofgrowing up in Castro’sCuba, emigrating alone

to the United States as a teenager,and making a life first in Chicago,then New York and finally Mary-land is what Potomac CommunityVillage (PCV) members andguests will hear from speakerSimon Babil at a free brown bagluncheon presentation open to all in the community.

Two years after Castro came to power, Babil wasthe first in his family to leave Cuba and arrive in theU.S. at age 15, with one suitcase and $5 in his pos-session. Babil brings alive the refugee story with hisrecounting of having to learn English in his first twoyears in Chicago and finally reuniting with his fam-ily in New York where he studied electrical engineer-ing.

Babil will also speak on his family’s experience aspart of Cuba’s Jewish community, and the impact ofthe Casto revolution on this Cuban Jewish commu-

nity.As part of Babil’s assignment as a PCV volunteer

helping a neighbor unpack and move boxes, he hada happy encounter with another former Cuban resi-dent whose family had also left the island nation.

PCV’s Brown Bag Lunch and Learn with SimonBabil is on Friday, March 10, from 12:30 - 2 p.m atthe Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road,Potomac. Bring a brown bag lunch. PCV will providebeverages and dessert. While reservations are notrequired, it will helpful to call 240-221-1370 or [email protected].

Potomac Community Village is a non-profit “ag-ing-in-place” all-volunteer network of friends andneighbors, providing programs and services so mem-bers can live active and healthy lives, while living intheir own homes and neighborhoods. For more in-formation, to volunteer or get volunteer help, con-tact 240-221-1370, [email protected] or check outwww.PotomacCommunityVillage.org orwww.Facebook.com/PotomacCommunityVillage.

Lunch and Learn About Cuba

Simon Babil

Cats benefit from being in a foster home. We needlong- and short-term fosters for cats of all ages,mothers with litters and kittens on their own.

Adopt/Donate/Volunteer at www.lostdogrescue.org

Consider Fostering

You Can Make a Difference

visit our website, cl ick on Participate


Have questions about your hearing?We are here to help!

Come see us for:• Free baseline hearing screening• Free consultation• Risk-free 30-day hearing aid trial

9800 Falls Road,Suite 5

Potomac, MD 20854

Call for appointment:301-339-8583

www.auditoryservices.com

Kathy Grace, Au.D.

Wellbeing

By Marilyn Campbell

The Almanac

Those experiencing Itchy, watery eyes andseemingly endless sneezing know thatspring allergy season is getting an earlystart this year thanks to this season’s mild

winter weather.“Everything is blooming early because of the warm

weather,” said Dr. Barbara Mackie, M.D., allergist,of Privia Medical Group in Vienna. “People are spend-ing more time outside because the weather is lovely,

but they’re experiencing al-lergy symptoms.”

One of the keys to surviv-ing allergy season is stayingahead of it. When ther-mometers are rising above60 degrees for more thanthree consecutive days, pol-len from plants begins tomove through the air. Thetree pollen count hasreached high concentrationlevels in the Washington,D.C. region, according toThe American Academy ofAllergy, Asthma &Immunology’s National Al-lergy Bureau Pollen andMold Report.

“Most of the time sea-sonal allergies, whether it isspring or fall, are caused by

pollens that are associated with grass, trees andweeds,” said Dr. Victoria A Garrison, M.D. a StudentHealth Services physician and a professor in theSchool of Nursing at George Mason University inFairfax, “In areas that are dampor humid, mold spores can alsobe a factor. When people have al-lergies to these substances, theimmune system will react andcause symptoms like sneezing,watery, itchy eyes, runny nose,sore or itchy throat, congestionand fatigue.”

“Mild winter temperaturescause plants to pollinate early,”added Maureen Moriarty, DNP,assistant professor of Nursing atMarymount University in Arling-ton. “This problem may be com-pounded by a rainy spring season,leading to increased mold levelsthat can drive allergy symptomsin sufferers through fall months.”

Instead of waiting for full-blown symptoms, Mackie recom-mends beginning medications early. “What I usuallytell patients who normally have seasonal allergies isto take their maintenance medications early sothey’re covered when allergy season hits,” she said.

“Being prepared can often help slow down symp-toms of allergies,” added Kathy Grilliot, director ofClinical Education Respiratory Therapy Program at

Northern Virginia Community College’s Medical Edu-cation Campus in Springfield.

“Before the season starts, it is a good idea to starttaking a nasal steroid. This medication takes a fewweeks to gain full effect so starting before the aller-gens are everywhere can really help to control symp-toms. Eyes can also have allergic reactions, so see aspecialist to have a good eye drop for allergen con-trol.”

For those who might be perplexed by the distinc-tion between allergies and a common cold: “If it’slasting more than three days with no fever, it’s prob-ably not a cold,” said Mackie.

Some precautions that allergy sufferers can taketo decrease their exposure to allergens include wear-ing a face mask when outside during times when thepollen count is high and resisting the urge to open

car and house windows when theweather is warm, especially if thewind is blowing. “Take off yourshoes when you enter your houseso that allergens don’t get spreadaround the house,” said Grilliot.“Be aware where you place cloth-ing that has been outside whenyou enter your house to preventallergens from entering yourhome.”

“I advise patients to rinse theirhair and take a shower to get thepollen off before going to bed atnight,” added Mackie. “Otherwiseyou’re getting pollen on your pil-lowcase and sheets and breathingit in all night.”

There are certain times of daywhen allergy sufferers shouldavoid being outside. “Mid-morn-

ing, afternoon and early evening are peak times forpollen,” continued Mackie. “When it’s windy, don’tgo out because of the pollen.”

Pets can spread pollen as well. “Dogs get springfever too and want to be outside, but they can bringpollen into the house,” said Mackie. “Wipe off theircoats and paws when them come inside.”

Experts offer suggestionsfor preventing and treatingallergy symptoms.

Beware Early Allergy Season

Photo courtesy of

Barbara Mackie

Allergist Dr.Barbara Mackie,M.D advisespatients whonormally haveseasonal allergiesto begin takingmedication early.

Photo by Marilyn Campbell/The Almanac

A mild winter has led to early plantblooming and an early allergy season.

“Everything isblooming earlybecause of the warmweather. People arespending more timeoutside because theweather is lovely, butthey’re experiencingallergy symptoms.”

— Dr. Barbara Mackie, M.D.,Allergist, Privia Medical Group


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By KENNETH B. LOURIEIt’s not as if I haven’t written about this date:

2/27, before (try last week, Ken), but as I sit atmy desk and stare at the calendar hanging onthe wall to my front right, the date jumps out atme. Not that I approach it with any fear ortrepidation, but I do approach it for days,weeks and even months, calculating my pastand contemplating my future. Cancer has a wayof marking time, and leaving marks —figuratively and literally.

Mostly I have weathered the cancer storm,eight years and counting/hoping. And as muchas I don’t want to define myself as a cancerpatient/survivor and live my life waiting for theother shoe to drop, it’s difficult not to whenyour feet are so swollen from years of chemo-therapy that you’re now forced to wear yoursneakers without laces. What I lose in support, Igain in comfort. Shoes I can’t wear any more.The leather soles don’t cushion my feet enoughto not fatigue my legs. The shoe can’t drop ifI’m not wearing it, right? Hardly. It can drop atany time. Certainly it can drop after my quar-terly scans, hearing that tumor and/or fluidgrowth has recurred or anytime in betweenwhen new symptoms appear and persist (fortwo to three weeks, my oncologist has advised).The trick is; heck, there is no trick.

And as much as I’d like to live this date asany other, the date on which one is diagnosedwith non-small cell lung cancer, stage IV andgiven a “13-month to two-year” prognosis byan oncologist, is a date that cannot be livednormally. February 27, 2009 is a date, to invokeFranklin Delano Roosevelt, that will live in myinfamy. February 27, 2009 was a Friday. Wehad scheduled a mid-morning appointment.My brother, Richard (my one surviving immedi-ate family member), met my wife, Dina and I(Team Lourie as I’ve become accustomed tocalling us) in the lobby of the HMO andtogether we took the elevator up to the thirdfloor (can you say somber?) where we were tomeet an oncologist — a man whom I hadnever met or heard of before, to learn exactlywhat the previous week’s biopsy being malig-nant, meant.

After the awkward introductions, theoncologist spent the next 10 minutes or soexamining me in an adjacent room. Uponcompleting the examination, we all reassem-bled in the doctor’s office where he proceededto review/read the results/assessments from theprevious seven weeks of tests/examinationsfrom the pulmonologist, the radiologist, thethoracic surgeon and the associated diagnosticprocedures completed: X-Rays, CT Scan, P.E.T.Scan, and of course, the biopsy. The medicalopinions started off bad and got worse: stage IV,non small cell lung cancer, a “terminal” disease.In listening to the reports, there seemed tobe little doubt as to the diagnosis. And so itwas clear to my oncologist how to proceed:chemotherapy infusions to begin as soon aspossible; to occur every three weeks for sixcycles with face-to-face appointments and CTScans to follow. And though it wasn’t, and ithasn’t been pretty, generally it has — presuma-bly, kept me alive and in reasonably good spir-its, all things considered, and some of thosethings considered have included some non-Western alternatives.

So here I am, nearly eight years to the datewhen my old life (pre-diagnosis) ended and mynew life — as a cancer patient, began. I would-n’t call it a metamorphosis, more like anupheaval. Somehow though, as the time, treat-ment and routine passed, I began to assimilateand integrate my new reality into my age 54and a half head and figure a way forward. Ican’t say it’s been fun, but the more I can laughand find humor in my less-than-ideal circum-stances, the more positive I can be about thenegative. A negative which has already doneenough damage on its own.

Still“Dating”

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

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From Page 3

Book Talkmention of the designer. “Nobody touchedit; it was amazing. It just shows you subtleracism. The Post was the only one whomentioned her name and this was a majorwedding,” she said.

The book, which profiles 38 people, spansthe 1800s to the 1950s, with some currentdesigners thrown in. The all-Black womenare mostly from America, but three of them,Hazel Blackman, Claudia Robinson, andPamela Botchway, are from Jamaica, andGhana, respectively. There’s current de-signer Tracy Reese, who made dresses forFirst Lady Michelle Obama. And local fash-ion designer Sahara, who sells to Neiman-Marcus, who will be showing her designsusing models from the audience at the li-brary talk.

Miller lives with her partner of 20 years,John Howard, a retired attorney. She hastwo grown children: daughter Sabrina, whoworks in real estate; and son Paul (DJSpooky), an artist in residence at the Met-ropolitan Museum of Art.

The book talk, sponsored by Friends ofthe Library, Potomac Chapter, will be heldSaturday, March 18 at 2 p.m., at PotomacLibrary, 10101 Glenolden Drive. Call 240-777-0690.

“Threads of Time: African-AmericanWomen Designers through History” retailsfor $24.99 on Amazon.com and Kindle inslightly different versions.

Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date, time, location, de-scription and contact for event: phone, email and/or website. Photos and artwork welcome. Deadlineis Thursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 1Ash Wednesday Services. 7 a.m., noon, 5:30

p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at at St. James’ EpiscopalChurch, 11815 Seven Locks Road, Potomac. St.James’ will hold four Eucharist services withimposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. Call301-762-8040 or visit stjamespotomac.org.

MONDAY/MARCH 6Application Deadline. There is an opportunity

to serve on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee.Access vacancy announcements for boards,committees, and commissions atwww.montgomerycountymd.gov/boards/index.html. Read instructions carefully on thatpage, with a link to the vacancy announcements.

TUESDAY/MARCH 7Quarterly Meeting. 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at

ICPRB Offices, 30 W Gude Drive, #450,Rockville. The Interstate Commission on thePotomac River Basin will hold its quarterlybusiness meeting. In addition to regularcommission business, the group will receive areport updating efforts in developing a basin-wide comprehensive water resources plan and apresentation on how ICPRB staff are providingbetter ways to measure the health of tidal andnontidal waterways. Meetings are open to thepublic, but require a reservation. Contact BoPark at 301-274-8101 or [email protected].

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 8Part One of Lenten Study Series and

Dinner. 6:30 p.m. at Emmanuel LutheranChurch, 7730 Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda. Jointhe “Seven Locks” churches Wednesday eveningsduring Lent for dinner and then a study led bythe pastors of the churches. The March 8 topic is“Baptism.” Call 301-365-5733 or visitelcbethesda.org.

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