TEMPUS FUGIT. Time passes quickly, whether we’re having fun or not. But one way I’ve found to slow the hands of time is to slow down myself. An hour can seem like a day when I’m strolling, noticing new things and appreciating the old.
The new village clock caught my eye the other day. What a beautiful timepiece, stately and proud as it stands on the corner of Mountain and La Salle. Thanks to the Montclair Village Association for planning and purchasing this grand ornament and thanks to Raimondi’s for paying the monthly electric bill. Speaking of time, the long-awaited farmers market is coming to Montclair on Sunday, May 1. It’s been a long time coming, and I know we’ll turn out to support it.

SWEET CELEBRATION: The Montclair Safeway has always had great community spirit, so it’s no surprise it recently held a Spring Art Competition. Assistant Manager Susan Rodgers coordinated the event and every kid who entered was a winner, with lots of sweet treats and adorable stuffed animals for prizes. It’s this kind of tradition that makes our village so special.

EMAIL BAG: Reader Pat Grier comments: “I was interested to read in your column (April 8) that the landlord/owner of the space Montclair Produce was in, wanted a market in there. Uh, he had one.” She cites high rent as the reason Montclair Produce closed, and suggests the market concept is already springing up nearby. “Farmer Joe’s is going to open in the old Albertsons sometime this summer & Gabriel at Rocky’s is rumored to be putting in a meat counter,”she writes.

MORE EMAIL: With identity theft becoming a growing problem in the Bay Area, reader Scheria Smith suggests you look up her business on the Web. She says www.scheriasmith.org features a short, informational movie on how to protect your credit.
Smith’s company, Identity Theft Shield, offers a prepaid plan that continuously monitors your credit, provides you with reports, and helps you restore your identity if a theft occurs.

OBSERVATORY OBSERVATIONS: I took out-of-town guests to the Chabot Space & Science Center recently and they were star-struck. “We can’t believe you have something of this magnitude in your neighborhood,” they said as they spent hours in the Mars exhibit and taking in the Planetarium and the Megadome Theater. Having just been at the National Air and Space Museum, I can honestly say the Smithsonian has nothing on Chabot when it comes to covering the great beyond.

HUMAN CHAIN: You’ve heard of Lake Merritt’s Necklace of Lights? Well, Lake Tahoe is planning a necklace of a different sort this summer –77,000 people are wanted for a human “peace” chain around the lake on Saturday, June 25. With the winter they’ve had, the snow may just be melting.