Hardy

Inside Westminster Abbey, eight 20-foot-tall live trees lined the center aisle during the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The trees transformed the space, doing what even the most elaborate floral arrangement could not — providing a natural, living sense of permanence and an air of drama. The move was unexpected, unpretentious and bold. A potted tree on your patio or deck can have the same effect. While not every tree is well-suited for a container, there are a surprising number of options, ranging from crape myrtles to hollies.

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has spent the entire season hitting in the sixth and seventh spots in the lineup, is batting third tonight against the Yankees. Hardy had his 13-game hitting streak snapped Sunday, but he's still hitting .333 (18-for-54) with two doubles, five homers, eight runs and 10 RBIs over his past 14 games. He is also 9-for-28 (.321) with one homer and five RBIs in his career against Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia. Second baseman Alexi Casilla, who is 14-for-24 (.583)

The Orioles' new shortstop, with the movie star looks and the West Coast ease, hasn't been hard to find the past four weeks. On most mornings, he turns his chair around at his corner locker and faces a roomful of new teammates. He interacts with fellow infielders, accepts challenges at the pingpong table and takes in the culture in his third big league clubhouse in as many years. This is J.J. Hardy in his element. This is also in stark contrast with the person he became seven years ago when a shoulder injury jeopardized a promising career before it had really even started.

Succulents aren't just for the desert anymore. These heat and humidity lovers, with their dramatic leaf shapes and their striking colors, are the answer to the Mid-Atlantic summer and perfect for containers, pots and window boxes, even vertical gardens. And they have one more advantage. "I love the idea of having plants but not actually having to take care of them," said Catonsville DIY blogger Jocie Hagan, who offered a workshop on planting succulent dish gardens recently at Home Depot in Ellicott City.

On February 23, 2005, IDELIA HARDY. On Wednesday, friends may call at the VAUGHN C. GREENE FUNERAL SERVICES, 5151 Balto. Nat'l Pike, from 4 to 8 P.M. On Thursday, Mrs. Hardy will lie instate at Wayland Baptist Church, 3200 Garrison Blvd., where the family will receive friends from 11 to 11:30 A.M., with services to follow. Inquiries to (410) 233-2400.

MARION HARDY succumbed after a lengthy illness on February 7, 2009. Homecoming will be at Hope Chapel Church, 1425 Riggs Avenue on Thursday February 12; Wake 9:30, Funeral 10:00 a.m. Viewing at Gary P. March Funeral Home, 270 Fred Hilton Pass, Baltimore on February 11 from 4-7 p.m. Interment Sacred Heart of Jesus in Dundalk.

On July 17, 2006, BERNICE, beloved mother of Marvin G., Larry E., Clarence H. and Kathy D. Hardy. She is also survived by five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives. Friends may visit the JAMES A. MORTON & SONS FUNERAL HOMES, INC., 1701 Laurens St. Sunday 3-7 p.m. On Monday Mrs. Hardy will lie in state at City Temple of Baltimore (Baptist), Eutaw and Dolphin Sts. The family will receive friends 10:30-11 AM followed by services.

Thursday's off day - which halted a span of 20 games in 20 days for the Orioles - was a needed respite for everyone on the club. But perhaps nobody appreciated it more than J.J. Hardy, who also had Wednesday off because manager Buck Showalter said his shortstop was dealing with a "barky" right shoulder. Truthfully, Hardy said Saturday, his shoulder has been screaming and howling for the past couple weeks - hurting so much that he considered receiving a cortisone shot similar to the one he had in March when the problem first arose.

The Orioles plan on opening contract talks with shortstop J.J. Hardy this season, and it would be a move that makes a lot of sense for the organization. The Orioles need someone to keep the position warm until top prospect Manny Machado is ready for prime time, and when healthy, Hardy has proved to be capable. Since returning the lineup in mid May from one of those pesky oblique injuries, Hardy has batted .298 with six home runs and 17 runs batted in. Needless to say, that’s a major offensive upgrade over Cesar Izturis.

J.J. Hardy was 1-for-22 for the spring heading into his second at-bat on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins. Then he turned on a 91-mph fastball from Vance Worley and sent it over the left-field wall for his first home run in Grapefruit League action. He said he wasn't worried about his poor start to the spring. But a home run doesn't hurt. “It was definitely nice to put a barrel to a ball. I wasn't really worried. We still have a few weeks left; I'll get a few more at-bats,” Hardy said.

In a sense, baseball players are a lot like other craftsmen. They have tools they become comfortable with over the years, and it's hard to make a change when a manufacturer discontinues or alters a product. That's sort of what has happened to Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy this season, although it was actually baseball's umpires who led to a change in Hardy's most treasured piece of equipment. Since he broke into the majors in 2005, Hardy used a Rawlings Pro 200 4K 11-1/2 inch model glove.

BOSTON - The steady season that Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy had defensively in 2012 - which was capped by his first career Gold Glove Award - hid the pain that Hardy played through from spring training to the final game of the postseason. After nearly every throw he made, Hardy would feel a sharp pain in his shoulder. Often, he'd shake his arm to get the numbness out, and over the course of the season he needed two cortisone shots to help alleviate the pain. The injury - a muscle imbalance that he's dealt for years with with varying degrees of discomfort - hasn't completely gone away.

J.J. Hardy was 1-for-22 for the spring heading into his second at-bat on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins. Then he turned on a 91-mph fastball from Vance Worley and sent it over the left-field wall for his first home run in Grapefruit League action. He said he wasn't worried about his poor start to the spring. But a home run doesn't hurt. “It was definitely nice to put a barrel to a ball. I wasn't really worried. We still have a few weeks left; I'll get a few more at-bats,” Hardy said.

Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Orioles. one -- hits by J.J. Hardy in 15 spring training at-bats. By his standards, Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy had a down year at the plate in 2012, batting just .238 with a .282 on-base percentage. A few months after he finished year season by batting .185 in six playoff games, Hardy is struggling down in Sarasota. With just one hit in 15 at-bats, Hardy is batting just .067, though three walks bring his on-base percentage up to .211.

Glen Burnie's Dana Zadia Hardy certainly has a way with a buck. The 37-year-old project manager, whose penny-pinching ways earned her a spot recently on "Extreme Couponing," appeared Wednesday on another money show, "The Price Is Right. "  A longtime fan of the game show, Hardy and some blogging friends who work with her at MsCouponista.com, made a point to drive from Las Vegas to California earlier this year see if they could get on. Hardy did -- and she didn't have to wait ... at all. She was called to "come on down" right as the show opened, bouncing happily into the first contestant spot in front.

One of the common pregame sights in the Orioles home clubhouse last season was the card games that often gravitated toward the lockers of shortstop J.J. Hardy and first baseman Mark Reynolds. Now that Reynolds, a fan favorite who blossomed defensively at first base, has signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Indians, Hardy needs to find a new card-playing buddy. “I've still got [catcher Matt] Wieters next to me, but he only played because Reynolds forced us to play and then [Nick]

Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds celebrated the Fourth of July weekend by launching rockets all over Atlanta and Arlington, Texas, and now ranks eighth in the major leagues in home runs. J.J. Hardy has re-emerged as one of the best all-around shortstops in the game and was one of the top candidates to represent the O's at next week's All-Star Game. In other words, Andy MacPhail's two major trades of the past offseason seem to have turned out pretty well, even if the rest of his team appears to be coming apart at the seams.

So much has gone wrong this season for the Baltimore Orioles, it's difficult at times to say where the franchise should even begin to focus its attention as it tries to address the problems that have led to another frustrating year. But what has become clear, even as the summer turns into a long and miserable slog, is that the one position the Orioles don't need to stress over next year is shortstop. In the series opener Friday against the Detroit Tigers, J.J. Hardy made a case for why it's still worth your time to pay attention to this team, even as the losses mount.

Adam A. Hardie Jr., who founded an employee and veterans' placement service, died Nov. 5 of heart failure at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, Fla. He was 74. Adam Alexander Hardie Jr. was born and raised in Dearborn, Mich., where he graduated from Dearborn High School. Mr. Hardie was attending the University of Texas at Austin when he took a job in the 1960s with Hilton Hotels Corp. He later moved to Annapolis, where he was director of catering at the Annapolis Hilton Hotel.

Everyone likes to be recognized for a job well done. But despite playing his best defensive seasons the past two years, Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy never thought he'd win a Gold Glove. These days, shortstop is a position of flash - of acrobatic, diving plays, off-balanced throws and behind-the-back tosses. But Hardy was rewarded Tuesday, winning the first Gold Glove of his eight-year big league career, joined by second-time winners Adam Jones and Matt Wieters to make the Orioles' first trifecta of Gold Glove winners since 1998.