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January 6, 2026

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

Point of View Opinion 00 Post to Chestertown Spy

This Bears My Love to You Pooh by David Wheelan

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One of the great, little-known crimes against humanity in 2025 was the BBC’s decision to block access to its radio broadcasts outside the United Kingdom. The stated reason was copyright concerns and the threat of litigation, which effectively shut down the BBC Sounds app for international listeners. Whatever the legal rationale, the result has been the loss of access to some of the most enriching and engaging programming in radio—particularly the documentaries and series produced by BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.

There is, however, a simple workaround. By using a VPN to make your computer or phone appear as though it is located in England rather than, say, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, full access is restored. I encourage Spy readers to do just that and hear for themselves some of the best moments of our shared Western culture. I’ve included a brief “how-to” link below for anyone with a bit of holiday time and curiosity to spare.

There are countless programs to recommend, but the one I have been listening to over the past two days, which has given me so much personal joy, is BBC Radio 4’s series celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, entitled Who Are You in Winnie-the-Pooh?

Illustration by Albertine Randall Wheelan

It includes interviews with well-known British children’s writers who spoke about why A. A. Milne’s stories still matter and why every human being should love this bear.

While I can’t recall any parental readings of the classic during my childhood, my family had a well-established love of bears, starting with one of our most cherished family objects: my great-grandmother’s illustration in St. Nicholas magazine in February 1909, long before Pooh ever existed.

I’ve had a soft spot for bears ever since.

In the early 1980s, during long drives through rural New England with my then-wife’s friend Karen, we often found ourselves without radio reception. To pass the time, we took turns reading aloud to each other and quickly agreed that humor was important. It was Karen who suggested we read Winnie-the-Pooh. Upon revisiting it as an adult, I discovered that it contains some of the sharpest, kindest, and most enduring humor imaginable, regardless of age.

Like many readers of the stories and guests on the show, I aspire (but rarely succeed) in being a bit like Pooh. Humble in intellectual capacity (“I am a Bear of Very Little Brain”), devoted to his friends (“We’ll be friends forever, won’t we, Pooh?” said Piglet. “Even longer,” Pooh answered), ready for revelry (“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon”), and yes, always finding time for a “little something” to eat (“I wasn’t going to eat it; I was just going to taste it.”)

The ideal Pooh moves through the world without edge or pretense. He doesn’t judge, doesn’t scheme, and rarely rushes.

And Pooh gives us advice as we grow older and friends depart.

“Pooh, promise you won’t forget about me, ever. Not even when I’m a hundred.”

Pooh thought for a little.

“How old shall I be then?”

“Ninety-nine.”

Pooh nodded.

“I promise,” he said.

Still with his eyes on the world, Christopher Robin put out a hand and felt for Pooh’s paw.

“Pooh,” said Christopher Robin earnestly, “if I—if I’m not quite——” he stopped and tried again—“Pooh, whatever happens, you will understand, won’t you?”

“Understand what?”

“Oh, nothing.” He laughed and jumped to his feet. “Come on!”

“Where?” said Pooh.

“Anywhere,” said Christopher Robin.

So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.

In the end, Winnie-the-Pooh endures not because it is clever, but because it is kind. It reminds us that friendship matters, that joy can be found in small rituals, and that being present for one another is its own form of wisdom. As the world grows louder, faster, and more certain of itself, Pooh offers a quieter example—one rooted in patience, affection, and the simple grace of showing up. Returning, even briefly, to the Hundred Acre Wood is not an escape from adulthood, but a way of remembering what makes it bearable.

You can learn how to get BBC radio in the United States by watching this video. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The World I Live In by Al Sikes

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Each year I have written a Christmas reflection; this year it is somebody else’s turn. Mary Oliver by name. But first, a brief prelude.

Sometimes thoughts turn into words quickly—this year quick was missing. Blessedly, a friend sent me The World I Live In. Marvelous, was my thought, as I turned the pages to find out more about Mary Oliver.

Mary Oliver, a Pulitzer Prize winner, died in 2019. She left us many gifts. I hope this one lingers with you, as it did with me.

THE WORLD I LIVE IN

I have refused to live
locked in the orderly house of
reasons and proofs.

The world I live in and believe in
is wider than that. And anyway,
what’s wrong with Maybe?

You wouldn’t believe what once or
twice I have seen. I’ll just
tell you this:

only if there are angels in your head will you
ever, possibly, see one.

— Mary Oliver

And, for those of you who want more:

THE PONDS

Every year
the lilies
are so perfect
I can hardly believe

their lapped light crowding
the black,
mid-summer ponds.
Nobody could count all of them—

the muskrats swimming
among the pads and the grasses
can reach out
their muscular arms and touch

only so many; they are that
rife and wild.
But what in this world
is perfect?

I bend closer and see
how this one is clearly lopsided—
and that one wears an orange blight—
and this one is a glossy cheek

half nibbled away—
and that one is a slumped purse
full of its own
unstoppable decay.

Still, what I want in my life
is to be willing
to be dazzled—
to cast aside the weight of facts

and maybe even
to float a little
above this difficult world.
I want to believe I am looking

into the white fire of a great mystery.
I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing—
that the light is everything—that it is more than the sum
of each flawed blossom rising and fading. And I do.

— Mary Oliver

Merry Chirstmas

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

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Trump Has Killed the Kennedy Center, So Let’s Build a New One By J.E. Dean

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We might as well admit it:  Donald Trump will never revitalize The Kennedy Center in Washington. It is dead, a victim of the President’s narcissism. Trump hijacked America’s living memorial to JFK. By adding his name to the center, Trump destroyed it. 

And the Trump-Kennedy Center won’t be fit to serve as a living memorial to Kennedy (or anyone other than Donald J. Trump) after Trump “renovates” the building with gaudy gold decorations and other design details better suited for a house of ill-repute. 

John F. Kennedy was a President who loved and listened to classical music, opera, and other fine arts. The national center for the performing arts was an exceptionally appropriate memorial. That makes all of us who have attended concerts, opera, and theater at the Kennedy Center, pausing during our visits to reflect on Kennedy’s memory, sad—and angry. 

Throughout my years in Washington, I regularly attended concerts and other programming at the Kennedy Center. I recall the building opening in 1971 and experiencing joy that the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) finally had a proper home, one with great acoustics, good seating, and a design that shouted out dignity. JFK, I imagine, was in heaven looking down on the memorial dedicated to his memory with a smile on his face.

I hate to think what JFK might have been thinking last Friday as workers installed Trump’s name on the side of the building. Let’s not go there.

Because the Trump-appointed Trump-Kennedy Center board of directors likely did not have legal authority to rename the Kennedy Center, a future Democratic President (yes, there will be one) will remove Trump’s name.  Also going will be what is likely to be a huge bust of Trump’s head, or of Trump raising his fist in the air after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in the Grand Foyer. The large portraits of Trump and J.D. Vance also would go, preferably on Inauguration Day. 

Unfortunately, removing the desecration Trump is wrecking on the Center will never reverse the fact that, courtesy of Trump, there is no longer a memorial dedicated to John F. Kennedy in Washington. Some crimes cannot be undone. 

 Trump killed the Kennedy Center. It almost would have been better had he simply razed it, just like he did with the East Wing of the White House. I don’t expect to ever attend another concert or play at the Center. Period.

But what should I do if I am in Washington and want to hear the NSO perform? Unfortunately, unless something is done, the NSO will have nowhere for its concerts, at least nowhere appropriate. 

One idea, one I would love to see, would be for donors, large and small, to build a new home for the performing arts in Washington, one that would not be funded, operated, or controlled by the federal government. It would be private, immune from the destructive impulses of a future Trump. 

Americans that want to see JFK honored again should fund the construction of a new Kennedy cultural center and create a sizable endowment to guarantee its independence from future Presidents like Trump. 

Ideally, the new Kennedy Center would, like the former one, include a world-class concert hall, a home for the Washington Opera, and a theater. It could also include high quality restaurants (no McDonald’s, please) and a small museum dedicated to JFK’s presidency. I would call the museum “The Camelot” museum and love to see “Camelot” performed in the new theater as the first production after opening.

What should happen to the “Trump Kennedy Center?” I would suggest Congress turn it over the Trump family with the stipulation that Kennedy’s name be permanently removed. Then the Trump family could take full responsibility for the facility. If the family wants to turn it into a venue for UFC cage matches or offer screenings of the upcoming Melania Trump biopic, titled “Melania,” of course, good luck to them.

President John F. Kennedy deserves to be honored with a cultural center that reminds all of America that Presidents can and should be role models that inspire Americans to ask not what the country can do for them, but what they can do for their country.

Happy Holidays! 

J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, goldendoodles, and other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean is an advocate for democracy, sanity, and the rule of law.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

When Money Buys the Right to Be Heard, the People’s Voice Is Drowned Out by Tom Dennis

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For much of modern American history, political access functioned as a competitive but human-scale system. Some interests undeniably carried more sway than others, but access was still constrained by time, attention, and institutional norms. Elected officials and senior policymakers invariably faced pressure from many directions—constituents, civic organizations, advocacy groups, and subject-matter experts—all competing for limited space on the agenda.

No voice was guaranteed priority, and persuasion still depended, in significant part, on evidence, credibility, and public interest.

That balance has been fundamentally altered.

In its 2010 Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court held that limits on independent political expenditures violated the First Amendment, reasoning that greater spending produced more “speech” in the marketplace of ideas. Central to that logic was an assumption: that such spending—so long as it was not coordinated directly with candidates—would not corrupt government or distort democratic access, particularly in a system supported by transparency and disclosure.

Fifteen years later, that assumption no longer matches reality.

A recent New York Times investigation, “Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office” (Dec. 22), documents how just 346 donors—fewer people than a single high-school graduating class—directed more than half a billion dollars into political spending that produced immediate and tangible rewards, including pardons, senior appointments, and direct policy influence.

This is not simply “more speech.” It is speech amplified to such a degree that it drowns out everything else in the room.

Government has a finite capacity to listen. When a small number of individuals can speak so loudly—through massive financial expenditures—that they dominate attention, they effectively drown out everything else in the room. The result is not a richer marketplace of ideas, but a distorted one in which ordinary citizens, local communities, and civic institutions struggle to be heard at all.

In that environment, the constitutional right to petition the government for redress of grievances remains intact in theory but erodes in practice. The door to participation is not formally closed—but it is effectively overwhelmed. When officials’ schedules, priorities, and political survival are dominated by the demands of a narrow donor class, the average citizen no longer has a meaningful chance to be heard.

This is more than a political complaint. It reflects a breakdown in the factual assumptions that once justified the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United. Citizens across the country should be asserting—civically and publicly—that those assumptions no longer hold. Disclosure has proven porous, donor anonymity widespread, and access increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few.

This is not a call to silence speech, but to restore balance. A democracy cannot function if its leaders hear only those who can afford to shout the loudest. This concern should not depend on whether one is a republican, a democrat, or an independent, a liberal, or a conservative; it goes to the basic rights of citizens in a functioning democracy.

If the First Amendment protects the right to speak, democracy requires something just as essential: the right to be heard.

When money is allowed to drown out everything else in the room, that promise rings hollow.

Tom Dennis is a retired Washington lobbyist and a resident of Easton, Maryland.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Osmotic Drinker By Jamie Kirkpatrick

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By the time Wally arrived, the bar was already crowded. It was a Thursday—Martini Night—and my posse of friends and holiday spirit(s) filled the room to overflowing. Roberto the bartender was slammed, but not so slammed that he didn’t notice Wally walk through the door. He arched an eyebrow in Wally’s direction and Wally nodded once. The game was afoot…

A few minutes later, I watched Roberto shake and pour a vodka martini into a chilled glass he had set on the bar. Roberto’s a pro, and the pour came flush with the brim. Given the jostling crowd in the room, it would be hard if not downright impossible for Wally to retrieve his cocktail without spilling half of it. I was closer; maybe I could help. I started to reach for the glass, but Wally laid a hand on my arm and shook his head. I retreated back into my corner conversation with a friend.

When I looked up again, Wally’s martini glass was still on the bar, untouched, but If I weren’t mistaken, it wasn’t quite so full. Someone must have taken a sip. I looked at Wally, but he was engrossed in a jovial conversation with Iffy and The Skipper. Roberto had moved on to his next concoction. Just at that moment, Boo came into the bar, reddened by the cold, and we fell into a conversation about must-read books: 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin and Ian McEwan’s newest novel, What We Can Know, a gender-bending detective story set in a future Britain ravaged by climate change. “Best book I’ve read in ages,” Boo said. I reached for a bar napkin to make a note for myself and happened to notice Wally’s glass was still right where Roberto had left it. But the volume had again been reduced by another sip, a bigger one this time.

Wally had moved on and was now laughing at one of Stevie Mac’s jokes. (Stevie Mac is an inveterate storyteller with an endless supply of jokes which he delivers deadpan like he’s telling you the truth.) Roberto was making The Skipper his third gin and tonic; Iffy was well into his second martini. The room was getting louder and livelier—plenty of good craic, as they say in Ireland. Wally’s martini was still in its spot on the bar, but damn if the tide wasn’t lower still. What was going on?

It was a chilly night, but inside, it was cozy. Was Wally’s martini evaporating? Impossible. What was going on? I looked for Wally in the crowd and saw him down at the other end of the bar talking to a woman I recognized but whose name I couldn’t recall. I could tell he was enjoying himself—his cheeks were flushed, but his martini was still sitting on the bar, right where Roberto had left it, only now, it was nearly empty. 

Just then, Wally turned and caught Roberto’s eye. He smacked his lips gave him a thumbs-up grin. He also raised a finger in a way that was the universal sign for “one more.” Roberto nodded. The glass on the bar was now empty. Roberto set about making another Wally-special and when it was ready, he removed the empty glass and put the fresh martini right in the same spot. Wally’s eyes met Roberto’s—another wordless exchange that spoke volumes. No one else was paying any attention—they were having too much fun—but I was gobsmacked. I was also determined to get to the bottom of the untouched glass mystery, so to speak.

Angelique came over to chat, in French no less. I forgot I was on watch. When I remembered my duty, Wally’s fresh martini was gone. I don’t mean the glass was gone; it was right where it had been but was now as drained of liquid as a swimming pool in December. 

That was when Wally sidled up to the bar and flourished an air pen in Roberto’s direction, the universal sign for his tab. Roberto turned to the cash register and produced a check for two martinis. Wally signed, left a generous tip, and gave Roberto a sly wink. And just like that, he was gone.

They say osmosis is the natural phenomenon by which a liquid moves across a semipermeable membrane creating equilibrium. It’s a process crucial for the cells in our bodies, in fact, for life itself. Just another of life’s many little miracles…

Happy Holidays, and, please, God, a happier New Year. Cheers!

I’ll be right back.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a writer and photographer who lives on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay. His editorials and reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. His most recent novel, “The Tales of Bismuth; Dispatches from Palestine, 1945-1948” explores the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is available on Amazon and in local bookstores. His newest novel, “The People Game,” is scheduled for publication in February, 2026. (It’s available for pre-order now on Amazon.) His website is musingjamie.net.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

It’s a Good Time to Focus on Simple Pleasures By Maria Grant

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Let’s face it. This has been a tough year. It seems like almost every week there has been some kind of tragedy—murder, catastrophic weather, shootings, and more. Plus, many of us feel totally alienated by the goings on of the current administration. 

So, what to do? Perhaps it’s time to reflect on the simple pleasures that offer hope and glimmers of joy.in our lives. Here are some pleasures on my list this year. 

The many magnificent local concerts I’ve heard this year including those sponsored by Chesapeake Music, Gabriela Montero, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Avalon, and Oxford Community Center. How lucky are we to have such fabulous sounds at our fingertips!

My wonderful neighbors grow beets in their vegetable garden. They bring me jars of pickled beets that are beyond delicious.

My two book clubs have provided substantive conversations about books and the human condition. This year’s books included Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw; Lily King’s Heart the Lover; Yael Van der Wouden’s The Safekeep, Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered, and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. 

Behind our home in Florida, lives a gopher tortoise that we named Kevin. He brings a smile to my face every time he saunters down the path, basking in sunshine and checking out the neighborhood.

Our community’s Habitat for Humanity campaign raised enough dollars to sponsor yet another house in the area. It warms our hearts to know that another family will have shelter this holiday season. 

Our own gardens harvested a bumper crop of tomatoes this year, all shapes and sizes that were super sweet and tasty. We also had a successful cutting garden which meant vases of zinnias, lilies, and daisies on the screened porch and kitchen table. 

I began taking boating lessons and, although still far from adept at handling our boat, I can now navigate our waters using auto pilot and the Garmin system, which gives me a sense of accomplishment. I have much more to learn during next year’s boating season. 

Many coffees, lunches and dinners with friends and neighbors have provided connections, some laughs, and some much-needed commiserations about the state of our union. 

During my bike rides in Florida this season, I have come upon horned owls, great blue herons, eagles, roseate spoonbills, egrets, osprey, green herons, pelicans, and mottled ducks. What a special treat it is to see them in their nests and nearby ponds. I’ve even been fortunate enough to spot a few pods of manatees searching for warmer waters during a brief cold spell. 

I’ve done quite a bit of cooking this year including, of course, making a ton of crabcakes. I’ve also made spaghetti squash chicken parmesan, coq au vin, lasagna, and blackened salmon, just to name a few. These dinners have led to interesting conversations and some much-needed laughter. 

When I think about what could make things better next year, getting more people out to vote in 2026 is at the top of my list. It’s hard to believe that close to 90 million Americans failed to go to the polls in 2024. I am heartened by so many initiatives currently underway to ensure that that doesn’t happen next year. 

The writer Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world.”

This is a good year to remember those wise words. 

Maria Grant, formerly principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm, now focuses on writing, reading, music, bicycling, and nature.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

What’s Next for Congressional District Maps In Maryland by David Reel

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Last month, Governor Moore launched what he described as a “bipartisan” Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission (GRAC). He proclaimed early and often; the sole goal of his commission is to develop “fair” congressional maps in Maryland before the 2030 nationwide census determines how many seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be allocated to each state based on population. In Maryland, as in many states, drawing the actual district boundaries is done by the state legislature subject to approval by the governor.

Moore proclaimed, “My commitment has been clear from day one — we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps.” Moore also suggested that recommendations from his GRAC be on the agenda of a special General Assembly session on December 16, 2025. They were never considered, if in fact, they were ever delivered.

Following that outcome, many observers in the Annapolis political arena, including me, concluded GRAC was an idea whose time had not yet come. Instead, Governor Moore’s office doubled down with a statement in which Senator Alsobrooks announced the commission would continue to solicit new maps from the public and hold two more meetings.

Apparently, Senator Alsobrooks and Governor Moore were not aware of or chose to ignore poll results from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Institute of Politics.

Only 27% of the survey respondents said that an accelerated schedule for redrawing congressional district lines is a top priority. 63% also said redistricting maps should be drawn by a nonpartisan, independent commission.

In any event, Maryland Matters has reported the decision for GRAC to continue has been met with swift, negative, and deep concerns about a lack of transparency in GRAC actions.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson had this to say in a written statement: “Our state’s residents have been clear, in front of this commission and through polling. The overwhelming majority do not want a new congressional map. They want their government focused on fostering growth, affordability, and real protections against this lawless federal Administration. The Senate of Maryland remains focused on this important agenda as we continue to try to tackle a $1.4 billion budget shortfall in Maryland’s state budget.” Senator Ferguson also said the outcome of the latest GRAC meeting was “pre-ordained” and lacking in public transparency.

Republican state Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey has said, “Public hearings and commissions should be vehicles for transparency and trust, not performative exercises designed to legitimize predetermined decisions.”

The Executive Director of Common Cause Maryland observed that “GRAC has met five times and has yet to produce a proposed redistricting map for public comment … that raises serious concerns about the commission’s commitment to public engagement and transparency.”

She also said the commission suffered from a “glaring lack of transparency, highlighted by Thursday’s decision to move forward with redistricting after failing to release any proposed maps to the public.” She also suggested the last GRAC meeting may have violated Maryland’s open meetings Laws for failing to provide adequate public notice.

The executive director of the League of Women Voters of Maryland said the commission “failed to meet the spirit or intent” of state open meetings laws. The panel “demonstrated that it is more loyal to a single party’s desire to redistrict than to the people of Maryland,” She also said: “There was no notice of today’s meeting; it was not streamed for public viewing, The Commission has not shared future meeting dates or even an outline of a process or tools for people to contribute to the development of meaningful and fair maps. While it seems like small details, it sends a clear message that says the majority party can jam through what it wants while ignoring the citizens.” She also said bluntly “The entire process is a mess.”

GRAC member Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss said post meeting: “I’m not a lawyer, but to me, there wasn’t anything we were discussing that couldn’t have been discussed publicly.”

What happens next on the current effort to accelerate the schedule for drawing and approving new congressional district maps in Maryland remains to be seen.

Currently there are only two scenarios with a high level of certainty.

In the 2026 General Assembly session, addressing projected short-term and projected long-term state budget deficits will require enormous amounts of time and attention, as they should. Redistricting will get very little attention if any at all.

Whenever the next round of redistricting does occur a much better model already exists.

It is the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission, launched by former Governor Larry Hogan. Hogan appointed nine members to his commission from across Maryland — three Democrats, three Republicans, and three Independents. No commission member was a current or former elected official except one who was elected twice as State’s Attorney in Prince George’s County. Stanford University Law School Professor Nathaniel Persily, an expert on voting rights and election law, served as an advisor for the commission. Professor Persily told commission members their efforts should be held out as a national model for the way things should be done. The commission’s final report also earned an “A+” for fairness from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.

No matter when the next congressional redistricting occurs in Maryland, the “Hogan” model, or a comparable one would achieve nonpartisan, independent, and fair outcomes.

For that to occur, a measurable number of Maryland citizens need to demand that the governor and the General Assembly leaders do redistricting with such a model going forward.

David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant and a consultant to non-profit organizations on governance, leadership, and management matters and lives in Easton.

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Selective Memory by Laura J. Oliver

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This is a story about memory. New evidence indicates that it’s not what you think it is and even photographs don’t tell the whole story.

In the earliest snapshot of a childhood Christmas, I’m nine months old and my parents have placed me in an open gift box under the tree. My two older sisters kneel next to me on the braided rug posing as if I’m a present they’ve just opened. Sharon, the oldest, dutifully holds the wrapped lid of the box with gentle goodwill. My sister Andrea looks stunned with disbelief, so I’ll say it again. I’m sorry I wasn’t a pony.

In a later photo I’m a happy diaper-clad toddler packing a six-shooter in a holster. My western ensemble includes a red neckerchief, a cowgirl hat, and a gigantic emergency-room bandage taped to my forehead. I’d fallen down an entire flight of wooden stairs, hit the landing with unstoppable momentum and tumbled headfirst down the remaining steps where I’d cracked my head open on the coffee table our father had made in his basement workshop.

As I write this it occurs to me that a resigned, pony-less cowgirl may have dressed me up in her Annie Oakley outfit to compensate for having been unable to stop my unsteady approach to the top of the stairs.

I don’t remember the fall, but I do remember being on an exam table where a kindly male doctor with white hair pinched the profusely-bleeding wound closed with butterfly clamps instead of stitches to avoid leaving me with the large scar I now have. I remember being asked how many people were in my family and knowing the answer, five, although of course that is a trick of memory and not possible. But in my mind at least, I identified us on my fingers by name if not number, and the doctor gave me a grape lollipop for each member of my original posse.

And then there’s the photo above of my sisters and me in angelic white choir robes with red bows at our necks, gathered around the piano. I’m nearly three now. Sharon is poised with her hands above the keys playing carols and we all are singing. At least our mouths are open and we’re holding sheet music, but in my memory, we’ve been instructed: “Just act like you’re singing and stop hitting each other.” On the back of that photo my mother has written, “The girls love to make music together!” Did we? Could Sharon play then? I don’t know.

That’s the thing about memory. Neuroscientists have discovered that every time you remember an event from the past you change it. So, the more you recall an experience or relationship, the more you distort it. Researchers did a test with 9-11 survivors. Each time they told their stories the details changed until just one year out from the event their accounts of that morning were significantly altered. Imagine what a lifetime of remembering does to experience. And what is true? The event or the memory you make of it?

I remember my sisters slipping our presents to each other under a tree we’d cut from the woods, while the others hid their eyes on Christmas Eve. I remember the ringing of a strand of red, green, and silver bells, passed one to the other, to signal that it was time for everyone to look, to gasp at the magical transformation, the growing abundance. With each ringing of the bells and moment of revelation, the little heap of presents grew.

I remember a midnight worship service in a white clapboard church where a flame was passed candle to candle to the accompaniment of “Silent Night,” until the countenance of an entire congregation was bathed in light. And I remember three jostling sisters crammed together at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning while my sleepy parents opened the curtains so the river could watch, lit a fire in the fireplace, turned on the tree lights, and poured their coffee before we thundered down the steps.

The December dawn cast its soft rose light over snowy swans in the icy cove as we opened gifts, but were they there? I don’t know.

If memory can’t be trusted, what of our Christmas recollections is true? Maybe this: the unbearable excitement of believing in the unseen, in miracles; in thinking that just for one night the impossible is possible. Reindeer can fly, and if you believe, love will heal the world.

Happy Holidays.

Laura J. Oliver is an award-winning developmental book editor and writing coach, who has taught writing at the University of Maryland and St. John’s College. She is the author of The Story Within (Penguin Random House). Co-creator of The Writing Intensive at St. John’s College, she is the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Fiction, an Anne Arundel County Arts Council Literary Arts Award winner, a two-time Glimmer Train Short Fiction finalist, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her website can be found here.

Column originally posted: December 24, 2023

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From and Fuller: A 2025 Year in Review

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Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller highlight their top political stories of 2025 during a disruptive 1st year of Donald Trump’s second term as president of the United States.

This video podcast is approximately 16 minutes long.

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Special Gifts By Angela Rieck

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‘Tis the season for giving. Some of us prefer to provide suggestions for gifts. But my favorite gifts are the ones that someone chooses for me. Gifts that show that the donor has thought about me and chosen something unexpected.

My daughter has a knack for giving special gifts. She thinks carefully about something that I might enjoy. I have a pair of slippers that she bought for me that are now threadbare.

Then there is my engagement ring. While my late husband and I knew that we would spend our lives together, we hadn’t really discussed marriage. He surprised me with a stunning engagement ring; I never would have let him pick out something so extravagant. It was what he wanted to give. I still wear it every day.

Over the years, I have been blessed with many gifts, large and small

When my husband died, I was lost in grief. Grief from knowing that I would never see him again, missing every moment of our time together. And one of the things that I missed was the gifts. My husband would surprise me frequently with a gift, “just because.” After he died, I knew that my birthday, our anniversary, Mother’s day, and Valentine’s day would never be the same. There was a void knowing that these days, which were full of joy and surprise, would slip away unnoticed, uncelebrated, and the loneliness and feelings of no longer being loved in that capacity would creep in. To my surprise, the first Valentine’s day that he was gone, my sister bought me some chocolates. A small gift, but it was deeply appreciated. I would not be given a Valentine’s gift again, but this one came at my lowest point and let me know that there were people who really loved me.

Then there are the handmade gifts. A close friend knitted me a sweater. Funny thing was, I never wore it (it was too big), but it was hanging up in my closet and every day it would make me smile.

Last year I got a surprise gift. My sister and I both commented on the exquisiteness of a Christmas decoration at a friend’s house. We both liked it, but that was it. Later I bought one for myself, and I decided to get her one even though we don’t normally exchange gifts. She did the same thing unbeknownst to me and both decorations showed up at my door step a week later. Now both of us enjoy two decorations. Almost like the gift of the Magi.

My wish for my readers (and everyone really) that you get at least one special gift this year and may your holidays be full of blessings.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.