Paul Jester will start fourth grade at Elkridge Elementary School today as a published poet. He wrote "Leaf Lullaby" as an exercise in Marlene Young's third-grade class and submitted it to Highlights for Children.
Paul, the son of Ken and Helena Jester, studies viola and plays basketball, soccer and baseball in the Elkridge Youth Organization. He holds a purple belt in tae kwon do.
His poem was included in the "Our Own Pages" section of the September issue.
It is reprinted here with the magazine's permission.
Sleep, burgundy leaf, sleep!
Float back and forth into your autumn bed.
Dream of sunny days and bright flowers in spring.
Sleep, burgundy leaf, sleep.
Baier's death
The poem is a fitting way to start a tribute to Ginny Baier, a local artist, writer and gardener who died of cancer Tuesday.
Says Jean Leslie, "She painted watercolors more brilliant than real life."
Ginny was a member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society and the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and a contributing editor to Watercolor Magazine.
She wrote a series of articles on color for Watercolor Magazine that involved research into how pigments are made and how to mix paints.
She also edited Looseleaf, the local newsletter for master gardeners. In her last article in the April issue, she described how to sprout seeds -- including broccoli seeds, which some people believe prevent cancer.
She was direct, relaxed and thoughtful. She easily welcomed visitors into her home, where she had a near-constant dialogue with her large collie, Casey, who had a habit of stealing silverware off the table. She brought color, vitality, warmth and wit into many lives.
Sleep, dear Ginny, sleep.
Peach passion
Another poem, by Marge Piercy, celebrates "peaches warm/from the afternoon sun, amber/and juicy, flesh/that can make you drunk "
The Baugher family has been selling such fruit locally for more than 50 years, near the corner of Montgomery and New Cut roads. Russell Baugher is 98, but he still sprays the orchard and picks fruit on the 36-acre plot he bought in 1924.
His sons, Paul and James Baugher, inherited his love of trees. Paul sells apples, peaches, plums and nectarines from the 40 trees he has planted as a hobby on his acre lot at 4755 Montgomery Road.
James runs Baugher's Fruit and Vegetable Stand at 4775 New Cut Road with his wife, Joan, and their daughters, Debbie Hobson and Linda Urton. Debbie lives in Stonecrest and her children, Blake, 13, Mike, 10, Katelyn, 9, and Russell Hobson, 4, the youngest member of the latest generation of this family, often help at the stand. James also tends the 12-acre orchard.
Linda brings her five sons, Tim, Brad, Jeff, Nick and Nate Urton -- who range in age from 12 to 17 -- from Santa Ynez, Calif., for six or seven weeks to help with the harvest. The whole family gets together on July 4 to celebrate the holiday and James' birthday.
They sell a variety of fruits and vegetables, including corn, cucumbers, squash and melons. Year after year, their peaches drip with flavor.
They have nectarines, Sun High and Hale yellow peaches and Georgia Belle white peaches. Red and white Bartlett pears are just coming in; damson plums will be harvested soon; and apples, pears and pumpkins will be harvested in the fall.
Their favorite peach recipe? Grandmother Emma Baugher's peach cake. (Recipe below.)
Fitness classes
The Baugher peaches are so good they bring out the baker in people even amid the summer heat. When I spoke with Barb Kendrick of Elkridge, she was pulling two peach crumb pies -- another Baugher family recipe printed below -- out of the oven.
Kendrick is also preparing to start the fall season of functional fitness classes specifically designed for seniors, including three being offered in the Elkridge area, one at the Elkridge Senior Center and two at the Colonial Landing Apartments.
The program at the Elkridge Senior Center will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from Sept. 10 to Dec. 10.
The Shelter Group, managers of Colonial Landing Apartments, is sponsoring two programs every Monday and Wednesday. A class for active, mobile seniors will run from 9: 30 a.m. to 10: 30 a.m.; a functional fitness class for the less mobile will be conducted from 10: 40 a.m. to 11: 30 a.m.
Registration for the Colonial Landing classes closes Sept. 4; registration for the senior center class is open until the start of the session. Residents from the community are welcome to attend either program. The cost for the programs is $26 per participant. Call 410-796-2075
Eight or nine years ago, Kendrick -- who was an active homemaker, mother and PTA president -- was found to have lupus and experienced terrible joint pain.
After starting medication, she began teaching aerobics to children. The exercise helped her feel mobile and active, but at a certain point, her doctor forbade impact aerobics.
She then got a job teaching an exercise class for seniors. When the Elkridge Senior Center opened more than two years ago, Kendrick applied for a grant from St. Agnes Hospital to fund an exercise program for seniors in Elkridge.
That led to her own business, Forever Young Fitness Inc. She has trained eight other instructors who now provide 29 classes a week in the area.
Her company contracts with St. Agnes Hospital, the Howard County Office on Aging, Howard County General Hospital and the Shelter Group to run subsidized exercise programs.
She tells of seniors who "think that their life is the pain that they have" until they begin the nonimpact aerobics, muscle strengthening, stretching and relaxation set to music.
Within a week of seniors beginning exercise, she and her other instructors notice an improved attitude and physical ability.
"We're really making a difference," she says.
Heritage center
Historic Ellicott City Inc. hopes its new Heritage Orientation Center will make a difference in how visitors understand the founding of the town and its history.
The new center is in the old court records building at the corner of Main Street and Ellicott Mills Drive in the historic district of Ellicott City. The center will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Admission is free.
Dean's list
As students prepare to return to school, Western Maryland has announced its dean's list for the 1998 spring semester. Bradley M. Centineo of Elkridge won high honors; Jessica M. Heil, daughter of David Heil of Elkridge, won highest honors.
Jennifer A. Loyd, daughter of Elizabeth and Jon Loyd, all of Hanover, won highest honors as well.
From Ellicott City, Michelle L. Bernhardt, daughter of Charlotte and Emil Barnhardt, and Nickolena A. Kassolis, daughter of Paula and Alexander Kassolis, won high honors. Vijay K. Petwals won honors, and Amanda E. Hofstetter, daughter of Kathy and Robert Hofstetter, won highest honors.
Peach treats
And now for those recipes.
Emma Baugher's peach cake
Ingredients for dough (make the night before): 1 qt. flour; 1 pk. dry yeast; 1/4 lb. margarine; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 c. sugar; 1 Tbs. salt
Sift flour in pan. Add sugar and salt. Blend in melted margarine and eggs. Dissolve yeast in cup of warm water or milk. Stir into flour. Cover dough with warm cloth overnight.
Ingredients for topping: 2 Tbs. margarine; 10-12 sliced peaches; 2 Tbs. cinnamon; 2 Tbs. sugar; 2 Tbs. powdered sugar.
Roll out dough in the morning. Place in 12-by-15-inch pan. Let rise for one hour. Cover with 2 Tbs. melted margarine. Lay sliced peaches on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake at 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Peach crumb pie with easy no-roll crust
Ingredients: 1/2 c. soft butter; 1 c. sugar; 1 1/2 c. flour (sifted); pinch salt; 4 c. sliced fresh peaches; 2 Tbs. cornstarch or flour; 1 Tbs. lemon juice.
Make crumbs by combining the butter, 1/2 c. sugar, flour and salt until well mixed. Set aside 3/4 c. and press remaining into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan. In a bowl, combine peaches, cornstarch, 1/2 c. sugar and lemon juice and mix well.
Arrange peach mixture in crumb shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle reserved crumbs on top. Continue baking 20-30 minutes.
Pub Date: 8/24/98