Things that go bump in the night

I was on vacation in the foothills of the Adirondacks in New York State, staying in a cabin located deep in the woods. This cabin, owned by friends of my family, is so isolated that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find it but I was assured that just this year it had finally shown up on Google maps. With that bit of relief, I turned my thoughts to a more philosophical question. No, not the one about the tree falling in the forest. Instead, I was trying to wrap my mind around the idea of a Wi-Fi hotspot and my churning question was, “don’t you need Wi-Fi to get Wi-Fi?” So, off the grid I went, sort of anyway. Much of my trip was spent visiting my sister and her family as well as family friends nearby. This involved lots of driving and returning to the cabin at night. If ever I drove like someone’s grandmother (no offense intended!), it was on those roads. A few of the days were rainy and even when that wasn’t the case, it was pitch black out. At every turn, I feared that deer would pop out of the trees and dash across the road right in front of me. One night, as I was driving back to the cabin, I had to break suddenly to let a wild turkey cross the road in front of me. (I think that there may be a joke in there somewhere.) Newly alerted to the fact that I had to watch out for both deer and wild turkeys crossing my path, on the second to the last night of my trip, I was driving back to the cabin eyeing the side of the road for wild turkeys and deer when suddenly, there was something in the middle of my lane and I didn’t have time to swerve out of the way. I feel terrible about it, but I ran over the poor thing. And now I know that in addition to wild turkeys and deer, I should also keep an eye out for porcupines.

Stay safe and healthy,

Tracy Jacobs

Monday, August 16, 2 p.m.

Learn about the fall semester of classes from the instructors themselves. You can view the presentation by using the link below.

Osher Fall 2021 Schedule at-a-glance

The fall semester begins September 13 and runs through November 12 with a full schedule of in-person classes with the instructors and diverse subjects you've come to expect from Osher at Towson University.

Osher is a membership organization and membership fees directly impact our ability to provide programming and value to our participants. Membership is required to register for classes and to attend book clubs and interest groups. The membership fee is $50* per person. Your 2021–2022 membership is good through June 30, 2022. You can renew your membership online easily now via the link below.

Online registration will open at 12:01 a.m. on August 17. More information will be sent via email to members regarding registration.

*Charter members, TU Alumni, and TURFA members, please contact Shelby Jones at sjones@towson.edu for more information on membership.

The Osher Advisory Board will be electing two At-large members to replace those whose two-year terms have expired. The Advisory Board will also be filling the position of Advisory Board Secretary.

Members can nominate a candidate with his/her permission. Self-nominations will also be accepted.

Nomination forms are available online by clicking the links below:

• At-Large Board Member Nomination Form and Instructions
• Board Secretary Nomination Form and Instructions

Forms must be completed and submitted no later than August 20 via email to osher@towson.edu.

Please refer to the nomination forms for qualification.

Term commitment periods for newly selected At-large members and Secretary will begin on September 1, 2021 and run through June 30, 2023.

Questions about the process should be directed to Tracy Jacobs at tjacobs@towson.edu.