Candle

A 69-year-old Columbia woman suffered minor injuries last night after dropping a candle on her floor and starting a fire that was quickly stopped by a sprinkler system.Yvonne Baumgartner suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to Howard County General Hospital for treatment, firefighters said.About 6: 50 p.m., Baumgartner was reaching for her afghan on her floor when she dropped the candle, said Capt. Sean Kelly of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.She tried to smother the fire with the afghan, but the cloth ignited and she fled the apartment in the 7000 block of Cradlerock Way, Kelly said.

An overlooked burning candle, a prayer vigil's symbol of seeking God's help for the future, will force a tiny Eldersburg congregation to make a quick decision about whether to build a new church.A fire that started when the large candle fell off a sanctuary stand next to the organ damaged the Church of the Nazarene, in the 300 block of Liberty Road, Saturday. The Rev. Joe Ward's congregation is deciding whether to repair the damage or accelerate plans for a new building."We will meet with insurance adjusters as soon as we can and look at our options," said Ward, who became pastor in September and is working to expand the congregation of about 50."

CHURCHGOERS AT St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's 9: 30 a.m. Mass on Sunday were greeted by a surprise from their choir. As they made their way to their seats in the Crofton church, dragging dripping umbrellas and children who had jumped in every puddle along the way, they heard a song that made them chuckle."

Two Gambrills brothers died in a two-alarm fire early yesterday that fire officials said was caused by a lighted candle.Charles A. Feick V, 10, and his 5-year-old brother, Joshua K. Feick, of the 600 block of Cadbury Drive were pronounced dead at North Arundel Hospital about 5 a.m., an hour after the Fire Department was notified of the blaze, officials said.John E. Feick, 8, and Stephen M. Feick, 7, were examined at the hospital and released. Their mother, 31-year-old Dawn Feick, was not injured, and their father, Charles, was at work at the time of the fire.

Editor's not: First published in 1885, this collection of poems by the Scottish author has become a classic. These selections reflect the magic and anxiety of bedtime.Bed in SummerIn winter I get up at nightAnd dress by yellow candle-light.In summer, quite the other way,I have to go to bed by day.I have to go to bed and seeThe birds still hopping on the tree,Or hear the grown-up people's feetStill going past me in the street.And does it not seem hard to you,When all the sky is clear and blue,And I should like so much to play,To have to go to bed by day?

A cat and a candle may have been the cause of a smoky fire that forced dozens of people from the Topfield apartment complex in Cockeysville yesterday and sent at least four people to hospitals.Battalion Chief Mark Hubbard, a Baltimore County Fire Department spokesman, said three residents were flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment of smoke inhalation and a firefighter was released after treatment from a local hospital for an apparent asthma attack.Hubbard said investigators confirmed that a candle started the two-alarm blaze, but did not know whether a cat found dead in the middle-floor apartment had tipped it over.

Elton John will sing "Candle in the Wind" -- a song about beauty, vulnerability and dying too soon -- at tomorrow's funeral for Princess Diana, Buckingham Palace announced as it released the order of the service yesterday.The pop song, first recorded in 1973, was written by John and Bernie Taupin as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, who died at 36 in 1962. "Goodbye Norma Jean," the lyrics began, using Monroe's real name.The words have been reworked to honor the dead princess, who was a friend of the singer.

A cut aboveFlorists suggest that before you arrange your flowers you recut the stems on an angle underwater. But it's harder to do than it sounds unless you're a professional with a good sharp knife. (You're not supposed to use scissors; you might mangle the stems.)Now you can prolong the life of your bouquets with an Aqua Blum underwater stem cutter, a handy little tool that makes a clean cut -- on an angle for maximum water absorption. Available locally at Smith & Hawken in Mount Washington for $21.Last year, more than 5,000 people attended the National Arboretum's garden fair and plant auction.

In 1973, the pianist and the princess-to-be unwittingly bonded over a pop song that took maybe 30 minutes to compose.The subject was old, and the song title wasn't original. At the time, the song wasn't even released as a single in this country. But in Great Britain, the ode to Marilyn Monroe struck a chord with British teen-agers. The tune peaked at No. 11 on the British charts before burning out.Nearly 25 years later, "Candle in the Wind" is ablaze.Elton John's reworked version of the song premiered during the funeral for his friend Princess Diana.

"Candle in the Wind 1997" is burning up the music sales charts around the world, with suppliers struggling mightily to keep up with demand.The single, recorded by Elton John as a tribute to the late Princess Diana, went to No. 1 on the United Kingdom singles chart on the strength of 650,000 copies bought in just one day, the first time in U.K. chart history a single has topped the listing on the strength of such a short sales period."Candle" also topped the listings in France, selling 500,000 copies in just two days.

Annapolis Towne Center meeting The Public Relations Society of America, Central Chesapeake chapter, will learn about the new Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole at a meeting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 29 at the project sales office, 2505 Riva Road. Executives of Greenberg Gibbons will display articles, ads and brochures that were developed for the mixed-use project. A guided tour of Grandview, the condominium project, will be included. The cost is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers. Registration is requested by Wednesday at 410-757-2753.

They prayed for the children of Israel and for the children in the "camps of Palestine." They prayed for the children of Africa and the victims of AIDS. They prayed for the children of Baghdad and for the children of Kabul. And they prayed for the "children in our own midst," for the children who died "as a result of violence in our own city," the city of Baltimore. At the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation on North Charles Street yesterday, readers recited the names of 43 children as old as 18 and as young as a few minutes who were killed last year in our neighborhoods and on our streets.

DEC. 19 In a new documentary, The Black Candle, director and Morgan State University professor M.K. Asante Jr. (right) gives audiences an in-depth look at the pan-African celebration of Kwanzaa, from the holiday's cultural beginnings to its impact on the African-American community since its inception in the 1960s. Narrated by Maya Angelou and featuring rap legend and activist Chuck D, the film visits Kwanzaa revelers across the globe, exploring the holiday's effect on their lives. A free screening is set for 6 p.m. at the Druid Heights Community Center, 2140 McCulloh St., 410-523-1350.

John Wagener in Pikesville asks, "How far away from a candle would I have to hold my hand to equal the heat that the Earth gets from the sun?" Huh? You'd need a bazillion candles to match the heat the sun pours onto the Earth. But let's say you're asking for heat per square inch. My experts at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center say you have to get very close to feel any heat beside a candle flame. Their best answer to your query: a tenth of an inch.

The West Baltimore rowhouse fire that claimed the lives of two men last month was caused by a candle, said Chief Theodore Saunders, the city fire marshal. Robert Hunt and Ernest Hickman died in the blaze. Two women were injured. Both were treated at hospitals. The fire started about 4 a.m. while 10 people were sleeping in the house in the 1900 block of E. Hoffman St. The home had not been served by BGE for a decade.

Driving along Route 136, Indian Springs Farm is hard to miss, with its dilapidated structures protruding from gently rolling hills. A three-story brick barn with silos adorning each corner stands out among the assortment of aging buildings on the 850-acre farm. The history of the property is as colorful and alluring as the architecture. It served as a stopover point for French troops during the Revolutionary War, an alleged hiding place for Confederate weaponry during the Civil War, and a backdrop for a scene in a feature film in 2004.

Crafting furniture gives teens fresh start Fells Point has long been known for its waterfront views. For its cobblestone streets and narrow lanes. For its eclectic shops and charming pubs. But for its furniture-making? Not exactly. But ask any of the young furniture-makers enrolled in the Living Classrooms Foundation's Fresh Start program, and they'll tell you: Fells Point is their High Point. It's where they create their outdoor wooden furniture. The 10-month Fresh Start program provides hands-on job training for local at-risk youth, ages 16 to 19. Along with guidance from carpentry instructors, the students hand-make and sell Adirondack-style furniture pieces, including the "Fells Point Chair" (above, right, $220)

Every year it begins with a knock on the door, followed by a long moment of anticipation. When the teacher finally nods, the children enter a familiar room transformed by darkness. With the windows covered, the only light in the movement arts studio flickers from a few candles. One by one, the students file past a freshly constructed winter garden, a spiraling path of greenery that leads to a place of light guarded by a quiet angel from the eighth grade -- another piece of magic. Along the way, the children hear the tinkling voices of glockenspiels, sounds that summon old melodies and simpler times.

A little gift for the senses LM-FOccitane makes heavenly scented beauty products and candles that exude such heady fragrances as lavender, vanilla and oranges. And for a limited time M-y this month only M-y the company is making available an apple puree-scented candle with a cause. A portion of the proceeds from the $22 candle will benefit the American Foundation for the Blind. LM-FOccitane products are available at www.loccitane.com and at the LM-FOccitane boutique in BethesdaM-Fs Montgomery Mall.

Lighting the way to nature's scents Bring the delightful aromas of the outdoors indoors with the new candle collection Luminaria from the Thymes. Luminaria, the latest and most extensive line from the body, bath and home-care company, features 15 scented candles, each with fragrances inspired by nature. The perfume-quality scents fall into five fragrance families -- fruit, floral, Oriental, woods and fresh -- and include Amber Spice, Ancient Wood, Blackberry Leaf and Persian Pear. Each 6.5-ounce candle is made of paraffin wax with essential oils, and burns for about 50 hours.