Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ribbons in the Y

A lot of women who exercise at the Jennersville Y are sporting very pretty ribbon headbands designed by Y member Jackie Canan. Not only do they look nice, but they're also comfortable, they keep your hair out of your eyes and they actually stay put through a tough workout. One young mother I know says she wears her Canan Bands daily and her adorable toddler daughter will now wear no other headbands. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, Jackie can even custom-make the headbands in school, team or other organization colors.
The website is http://cananbands.vpweb.com/default.html

Peak performance

Want to improve your tennis game?
Put on a new roof. Yourself.
My opponents started re-doing the roof of their Cochranville home in March and thoroughly whomped me on the tennis court on Sunday. Apparently struggling with windblown tarps, hauling piles of shingles and balancing nailguns has given them not only amazing upper-body strength but also impeccable teamwork.

With a bang

Birmingham Township is the oldest township in Chester County, and it's going to be celebrating its 325th birthday with a big community party on Aug. 27. The township is looking for volunteers to help out. Drop an email to: birminghamtwp325th@gmail.com.

Deadline approaching

The deadline for Newlin Township's "Name that Stream" contest is Monday, July 11, so submit your suggestions for the 13 unnamed streams to info@newlintownship.org. According to the "Newlin News," about 40 entries have been sent in so far.

Ebernezer AME Church

This morning I received a note from a lifelong Unionville resident who asked me to mention two unsung local volunteers, and I am delighted to do so. Tim Kofke and Mike Wells are the two gentlemen who tend and mow the old Ebernezer AME graveyard on Doe Run Road, right across from the bus garage.
"They love doing it with no strings attached," she writes. "There are still people in this crazy world who do things like this because they enjoy doing it."
And thank goodness there are. I stopped by the other evening and the cemetery was beautifully kept. Thank you, Tim and Mike!

Mulch caveat

A few weeks back I wrote about how I put lots and lots of mulch between the rows in my garden. A reader who is a landscape architect cautioned that, around trees, more mulch is not better:
"Unfortunately, when people put 3-4 inches of mulch around trees, they tend to think more is better and cover up both the ground and the trunk. This keeps the trunk moist and causes the tree to die. We, in the landscape business, call these piles of mulch around trees "mulch volcanoes" and urge you to think about putting less mulch down instead. While the mulch does eventually provide nutrients for the tree, putting 3-4 inches down tends to make the mulch harden rather than break down."
Well said, and thank you.

Man about town

Is there a more gregarious fellow than Harry Wackerman, the manager of the Kennett Area Senior Center's Used Book Shoppe, 113 S. Union Street?
The other day at the Giant, I spotted Harry chatting to a friend while he was loading groceries into his car, and I hollered to him. And while he was waving at me, somebody else in another car beeped at him. He seems to know everyone!
By the way, did you know that if the fire siren sounds when you're in the bookstore, your books are half-price?

First Day


A few historic Quaker meetinghouses that aren't in regular use are open during the summer. Meeting for Worship will be held at:
-- London Britain Meeting, 10:30 a.m. each Sunday in the summer
-- Penns Grove Meeting, 10 a.m. July 24 and Aug. 28
-- Old Kennett Meeting, 11 a.m. July 31 and Aug. 28
-- Homeville Meeting, 2 p.m. Aug. 28
-- Parkersville Meeting, 1 p.m. Sept. 11
For directions visit http://www.localquakers.org/

East Enders

Congratulations to my dear friend Cathy Quillman for winning a $2,500 grant from the Leeway Foundation! Cathy, a talented writer and artist, will use the grant money to research and write "Walking the East End," a book about a historic African American neighborhood in West Chester. "She hopes that the community will be rightly celebrated as a place of independence—one that began when the community was settled by free black men. The purpose of the [book] is to record the memories of the diminishing number of local residents and to document certain neighborhood landmarks in an area that is changing drastically."
Cathy's previous books include "Between the Brandywines," a history of West Bradford Township; "Chester County: A Photographic Journey"; "The Conestoga Turnpike"; "The Story of Milford Mills"; and most recently "100 Artists of the Brandywine Valley."

Real estate news

Brooklawn, the late Mrs. Hannum's estate on Newark Road, has been sold to a family member, and local folks seem to be really happy that it's staying in that venerable family.
In other real-estate news, Dunleigh, the late Teddy Marvin's place, is on the market for $1.1 million. The 22-acre estate, which is on Street Road across from New Bolton Center, includes what the real-estate listing diplomatically calls an "iconic" 1883 mansion that has been split into apartments: "A buyer will be well rewarded for the investment they put into this lovely property."

Games Day

A Cochranville friend reports that she and her mule participated in some mounted games recently with the Charlie Horse Riding Club, a local branch of the nationwide Old People's Riding Club ("old" being defined as anyone above pony club age). One contest involved taking your feet out of the stirrups and doing a full 360-degree turn on the saddle as quickly as possible. She said she would have easily beaten all of her much-younger competitors -- except for the fact that she accidentally kicked her steed in the process.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Free market

Kids, do you already miss your teachers?
You can see what they're up to on "The UCF Trader," an online swap shop for district employees. Recent entries include requests for cat-food coupons, the name of a good dermatologist and somebody who plays the steel drums. You need a login to post, but anyone can view the conversations.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Lily & Rose

The Kennett Square Lions Club really had to dig deep for this community service project. They planted rose bushes and hundreds of lily bulbs at the junction of Baltimore Pike and the Route 1 bypass, just east of Kennett, and the results are simply stunning. Drive by sometime this week and marvel at this sea of color.

Generous

Add another $10,000 to the True Prospect Farm Recovery Fund.
In the most recent fundraising event for the victims of the horrible barn fire, the beautiful and challenging Plantation Field course in Unionville was open for schooling on June 13. About 200 horses and riders paid $40 each (the riders paid, that is) for a chance to school over the jumps and support Boyd Martin, Ryan Woods, Caitlin Silliman and Lillian Heard, the four local riders affected by the fire.
Event organizer Denis Glaccum said, "Thanks to the generosity of landowners Katie and Cuyler Walker and the Longwood Fire Company, which donated its services for the day, we were able to host this schooling day. People had a rare chance to come out and school over our competition courses while also helping support their fellow equestrians."
Among the riders were Mr. Martin, Mr. Woods, other eventers, and "local show hunters, foxhunters, race and steeplechase trainers, including Sue Sisco, Dave Leinhauser, Janet Elliot and Ivan Dowling," according to a press release.
And a bake sale held by local Olympic eventer Jane Sleeper and her students at the schooling day and the Horse Trials the prior weekend added $2,000 to the fund.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Rude Boy

A few weeks back I wrote a piece urging motorists to be patient with bicyclists, and I took some heat for it. Although I still stand by my advice in theory, I do need to say that it's really obnoxious for bicyclists to block traffic by riding two or three abreast.
There was a well-attended bike ride out here on Sunday, and on Upland Road, near Thouron Road, a bicyclist was riding, literally, in the middle of the road. I mean, smack on the yellow line, with traffic backing up behind him. He could easily have moved over in front of his companion, but he didn't. Perhaps he thought that the little blinking red light on his seat made him king of the road?
Yes, the vast majority of cyclists are polite and know the rules of the road, but this is the kind of thing that gives bicyclists a bad name.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Taps for Tweedale?

There are rumors flying around that this might be Camp Tweedale's last summer in operation. Apparently the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania is considering selling off the 120-acre camp in Lower Oxford Township, on the Octoraro Lake. Unhappy (former) campers have started a "Save Camp Tweedale!" group on Facebook, and comments can also be posted on the local Girl Scouts' website (http://www.gsep.org/).
One of the organizers asked me to mention that a petition is being circulated: "There is a petition on http://www.change.org/ to SAVE Tweedale. You can go to that website and in the upper right hand side there is a box that you put in "Tweedale" and the petition comes up."
I spent some time at Camp Tweedale as a Girl Scout in the 1960s. The songs were great ("Up in the Air, Junior Birdmen") and the lake was very nice, but my favorite part was reading "Little Women" in my tent during quiet time after lunch.

Hot Air

You think you're in the loop -- until you find out that something big is going on and you knew nothing about it.
On June 18 I was en route to a party in West Bradford (fabulous party, with horses, sheep, dogs, cats and kids, great food and camaraderie) when I saw literally hundreds of cars parked at the Embreeville complex along Strasburg Road. The Chester County Hot-Air Balloon Festival was going on and I hadn't heard a word about it -- although obviously a lot of other people had.
Another guest at the party said she wished she had known about the fest because her visiting step-kids would have loved attending.
As I was leaving my party at about 9:30 p.m., the hugely successful fest was breaking up and cars were lined up from the complex all the way to Marshallton. Amazing. Lots of balloon enthusiasts out here.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Glamorous wife

Comcast Corp. founder Ralph J. Roberts commissioned an impressive hardcover book to celebrate the (significant round number) birthday of his vivacious wife, Suzanne. It's full of photos of Mrs. Roberts in her roles as actress, model and TV hostess. Their wedding photo is charming, and I especially liked a black-and-white photo of Mrs. Roberts modeling a classic 1960s outfit: a white shift with contrast slant pockets, with low buckled heels. There are also photos of her with all kinds of celebrities through the years and a list of the A-list folks she interviewed on her TV show.
Happy Birthday to this Newlin resident!

New church

For years I've wondered what the half-finished structure was on the east side of Chatham Road, just south of Route 926, set well back off the road. Well, finally I know: it's the Stillwaters Presbyterian Church. The church members have been working on their new building for some time and held their first services there on Sunday, June 19.
"We are deeply grateful for the many workers who have brought this dream to life, and especially to our God and Father who has overseen the countless hours required to bring this to pass," says the church website. The pastor is Tony Stephens.

What happened

Wondering why there is a banged-up evergreen at North Union and Sickle Streets, and why the Kennett Friends Meeting sign in front of it has disappeared?
It's because on the morning of June 6 the driver of an SUV hit the tree head-on. Rescue crews had to cut open the roof to reach the driver, who was taken by helicopter to the hospital. Details and photos are on the Kennett Fire Company's website (http://www.firestation24.com/).

Reputation

Early this morning I was unfortunate enough to be stuck in traffic next to a pickup whose occupants were playing "classic rock" so loud that, literally, my ears were thrumming even with my windows shut.
The truck bore the name and website of a Delaware County business, and guess what? I probably won't be patronizing it any time soon. Small business owners with company vehicles, take note.

Just planning ahead

Overheard at the coffee shop this morning:
Three guys are having breakfast at a table, and Guy #1's cell phone rings.
He reads the text message out loud, it's about a concert they are attending that evening, and explains to his pals with some pride that he programmed in the message six months ago, when he bought the tickets.
Guy #2 starts to laugh.
"You had to remind yourself about the concert?" he asks, incredulously.
"Dude," says Guy #3 sadly. "You got issues."

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Gardening secret

Monday was my annual Mulch Day, in which I spend a few hours spreading a pickup bed full of spent compost between the rows of my garden. Spent compost is the mulch-like substrate that mushrooms grow in, and it is truly marvelous stuff.

Pile it on 3 or 4 inches deep, and you won't have to weed the rest of the summer. It makes your garden look fantastic and professional. And when it decomposes, it enhances the soil.
And no, it doesn't smell bad.
You can get it from some of our local mushroom growers -- and visiting a farm is a great way to learn more about the business that is so important to our local economy.
Or you can visit the spot where the workers at Marlboro Mushrooms dump their spent compost each Monday after cleaning out the mushroom houses. It's on the south side of Route 842 (Upland Road) just east of Route 841. It's self-service: just drive in with your pickup, trailer or even bins and start shoveling. It's free!

Fine Print

I for one won't be happy if newspapers stop publishing hard-copy legal ads in favor of running them online. Where will I be able to such quirky items as this one, which appeared in the June 14 "Daily Local News"? It seems that a 77-foot-long fishing boat, the "Nha Trang," has been sitting at a pier in Gloucester, Mass., for more than 90 days, and unless the owner, a West Chester man, removes it, the state is going to sell it. The owner is asked to please phone the pier manager.
Nha Trang, by the way, is a city in Vietnam.

Downtown

My presence was requested for some business purposes last week in Conshohocken, so I drove in on the 30 bypass, Route 202 and the Expressway (no traffic lights all the way from Coatesville to Conshy!). It's only a 45-minute trip from Unionville, but I felt like I was in an exotic foreign country, in a fancy office building with revolving doors, elevators and an extremely polite doorman. The inhabitants wore natty business suits and polished shoes; one sported not only cufflinks, but bull-and-bear cufflinks!
And they definitely spoke a foreign language, with phrases like "closed-end bonds" and "universe comparison" and (my favorite) "zombie banks." My wonderful financial advisor dude was very patient with me, but I was definitely pushing the limits of "there's no such thing as a stupid question."
But I had a great time -- it's novel to be in an environment where Wellies, gym socks and grubby fingernails would be out of place. I stretched my mind, learned a few things about investments and even left with a pair of Phillies tickets. With reserved parking!

Rebuilding bridges

The iron-truss bridge on Allerton Road, crossing the east branch of the Brandywine Creek, has been closed since May 17 for repairs and repaving. The work was supposed to take only a month, but I stopped by to check on June 15 and I don't think it'll be ready on schedule. According to East Bradford Township's website, Jefferis Bridge is owned and maintained by Chester County and was originally a covered bridge but burned down in the early 1900s.
(By the way, I love Allerton Road: it's fun to drive and there are beautiful farms and a charming fairy-tale cottage set in the woods.)
The same evening, I stopped by the Northbrook bridge over the Brandywine, and I didn't realize the project was so extensive. The workers have installed low concrete curbs and have filled in the metal grating on the deck of the bridge. They've completely removed the steep north approach to the bridge and are rebuilding it from the ground up (see photo). I predict there is no way they will meet their June deadline.

Wisdom from 1930

"Why a man, because he has millions, should assume that they confer omniscience in all branches of knowledge is something which may be left to the psychologist to answer, but most of those thrown much in contact with millionaires will agree that an attitude of infallibility is typical of a fair majority. ... He seems to think that because he can pay for anything he fancies, he is accredited expert as well as potential owner."
(Emily Post, "Etiquette," 1930)

Name that stream!

Here's your chance! The Newlin Township supervisors are soliciting names for 13 currently nameless streams in the township. Send suggestions to the township office at info@newlintownship.org. Members of the stream-naming committee are Supervisor Bill Kelsall, Lindsay Scott, Janet Sidewater, Bill Steuteville and Harriet Tupitza.
Among other suggestions, the supervisors recommend that stream namers "use imaginative, distinctive names suggested by local history, folklore, topography, natural life." Alas, you're not allowed to name a stream after a living person or even to honor a recently deceased person.
A map showing the innominate streams is available in the May issue of the "Newlin News": http://mysite.verizon.net/bullaughey/NewlinNews/2011-05.pdf
The new names will be announced at the end of the summer.

Sign of the times

Along with the wonderful absence of stink bugs, I've noticed that the walnuts are falling off the big tree next to my house, very prematurely. Usually they start dropping at the end of the summer, but smaller, sticky ones, the size of ping-pong balls rather than racquetballs, have been banging down on the roof and the deck for the past few weeks. I'm not sure if this reflects the weather conditions of the past month or season or is an indicator of future weather, in a "Farmer's Almanac" sort of way.
The orange daylilies along the roadsides are starting to bloom, and I think the wild thistles are especially pretty this year. Their flowers are like a cloud of lavender atop the fields; the leaves, of course, are another story.

Mustang

Who knew?
The Ford Mustang was named not after the wild horse, but after the P-51 bomber, the World War II fighter aircraft. This despite the presence of the famous galloping horse logo on the car's grille!
My pal Susan has developed a fascination with the P-51 after seeing -- and hearing -- it at the New Garden Air Show and passed this tidbit along to Tilda.
Susan also suggested a plug for http://www.fullerfillies.com/, a UK-based company that sells clothes for riders who aren't 12-year-old girls built like praying mantises. Says their website: "With ladies the world over increasing in size year on year, it is staggering to conceive, but Fuller Fillies is the world's only fully-coordinated Collection dedicated to lady riders between sizes 16 – 24 (14-22 in the USA)." (Of course, gentlemen can wear some of their plus-sized togs, too.)

A little change

I'm a loyal Giant shopper, and about a month ago I noticed that a new peacock-ish logo had appeared on their store-brand products. I was pleased to see that there wasn't a huge splashy expensive PR campaign in place to inform shoppers about the new logo, as usually companies make a big deal out of something like this that we consumers really don't care much about. Good for the Carlisle-based grocery chain!
Here's the old logo and the new. And please don't give me grief about buying plastic bottles; I re-use them.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Horse trials

I had a great time Saturday at the Plantation Field Horse Trials helping some friends fence-judge on the cross-country course. We got to see beautiful horses and some amazingly graceful and athletic riders who made it all look so easy.
Because you're right there on the course, you can hear the riders talking to their horses while competing, urging them over the fences and lavishing praise on them when they get it right.
I felt like I was auditing a master class in the sport of eventing when a former competitior hung out with us for a while and described what separated the good riders from the great riders -- things like their focus and control, how they moved, how they held the reins.
At one point between riders, we watched one trainer walking her student through the course. She advised her to keep her eyes focused straight ahead, on the far-off woods, rather than looking down toward the ditch she'd be crossing.
The sky was overcast and there was a cool breeze for most of the day, except for about 45 minutes when it was uncomfortably hot. But the contest organizers kept bringing us cold water, which was very nice.
As a bonus, in the afternoon we got a great view of the Stealth Bomber as it made three passes over the field as part of the New Garden Air Show. When it was banking to the south it looked like a giant angle-iron in the sky.
Towards the end of the day, we heard the hounds next door at the Cheshire kennels, baying for their dinner. And I for one was pretty darn hungry myself after a long day outside.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Good riddance for now

Where have all the stink bugs gone?
For the past few weeks I haven't seen any in the house, and a neighbor down the road whose house was heavily infested reports the same thing.
Perhaps it's too hot for them? Perhaps they're outside makin' whoopie?
As one of my readers commented, "It's the eerie calm before the storm."

Shoes

I was in Famous Footwear buying a new (much-needed) pair of tennis shoes when a pair of sandals caught my eye, and even though they're unlike my usual style I tried them on. Despite their high wedge heels, I discovered that they're very walkable and I'm unlikely to embarrass myself by tripping and spraining my ankle.
So I was looking down at them, trying to figure out if/when/where I would wear them, when another customer, a mother buying shoes with her daughter, chimed in.
"They look adorable on you, and that style is what the hip kids are wearing!"
"Well, thank you," I replied, "but that would apply to me how?"
She laughed. "We have to try."
I bought them.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Nanny goat

I was on my way to the Y the other day when I saw a very pretty nanny goat alongside the road, on the wrong side of its fence. I pulled over and tried to shoo the creature back into its pen, but with no luck. I went up to the farmhouse and called hello throught the screen door.
"Hello?" was the surprised reply.
"You have a loose goat," I said. (Why waste words?)
The occupant came to the door immediately and asked what color the escapee was.
"White," I said.
"Huh!" he said. "Usually it's the other one that gets out."
We went outside and spotted Bonnie (that was the goat's name) grazing peacefully on the roadside. He escorted her back inside, all the while thanking me profusely.
I was a little abashed. I mean, really: what are you going to do, NOT stop when you see a loose animal?

The color purple

This afternoon I spotted a purple sort of box kite hanging from some trees in front of a neighbor's farm on Route 926. Was it some kind of a discreet directional marker, like M. Night Shyamalan's "TH" road signs a few years back? An escaped wind sock or recycling bin? I filed it under "odd things."
And then, within the hour, I saw another one along Route 82, near the Kennels, and knew that I had to investigate.
It turns out they are "prism panel traps" for emerald ash borers (Agrilus planipennis), a beetle that kills ash trees and is attracted to the color purple. The beetle's first North American appearance was in Michigan in 1992, and it has moved east from there, appearing in Butler County in Pennsylvania in June 2007.
According to the commonwealth's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, it's now in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Westmoreland, and Washington Counties in the western part of Pennsylvania and Mifflin and Juniata Counties in the central part.
The traps are being used to monitor the green beetle's movement in the state. They contain a lure and are coated with a sticky substance to capture the beetles, if any show up.
All hardwood firewoods from the western two thirds of Pennsylvania have been quarantined since August 2010 to help slow the spread of the beetle.
(Thanks to "Kennett Paper" editor Fran Maye, who pointed me in the right direction on this one! And also to two Tilda readers for spotting traps along Route 1, near the West Grove exit; and along Route 322, outside of West Chester.)

Taller than the tallest tree is

Back on May 23, I saw a giant long flatbed hauling a pile of timber, headed west on Upland Road at Newark Road. Usually when there's an oversized delivery truck on our narrow roads these days, it's a safe bet that its destination is Richard Hayne's massive Doe Run Farm project on Thouron Road. (A huge crane for planting full-sized trees stopped in at a neighbor's house early one morning looking for Mr. Hayne's place.) But no: they were just utility poles, and crews were installing them along Upland Road, just past Thouron Road, June 6, 7 and 8. They were probably a third taller than the old ones.

Skills

Funny sign spotted outside a West Grove restaurant: "Customers Wanted. No Experience Needed."
And one at an Exton auto-body shop: "Hit a Deer? Save Some Doe."
And speaking of signs, Strasburg Road is temporarily shut down on the east side of Marshallton (yes, again), but you can still get to the Four Dogs from Unionville via Route 162 and Strasburg Road -- as I found out this afternoon when I had a delightful lunch on the patio.

Facilities

An anonymous reader asked on my blog: "Are there any public toilets in Unionville?"
I don't think there are, but I'm willing to be corrected. Perhaps the new Unionville park plan calls for some.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Like a good tycoon

The latest news out of Richard Hayne's Doe Run Farm: he's converting a old building into a "yoga house." West Marlborough Township building inspector Eddie Caudill announced this as part of his report at the June 7 township meeting. This led to a brief discussion by the township supervisors in which, once again, they said how extremely helpful it would be for Mr. Hayne to appear and state definitively what his plans are for the sprawling project in Springdell.
In other township business, the road crew will be spreading soybean oil to keep the dust down on Ryan and Tapeworm Roads, two of the township's gravel roads, and the township received $11,367.70 from the state as reimbursement for snow-removal expenses.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Blob

This week's column really is a mixture of good news, bad news and strange news. And here's the latter: Fuligo septica, a slime mold, has appeared in two places on the east side of the house, one on the ground on some pine needles and the other smack on top of a newly planted creeping thyme. To put it politely, it looks like hardened gobs of yellow whipped cream. I'm told it does no harm, and you really can't get rid of it. I scraped it off the thyme, but a gray sort of netting remains.
Here it is, underneath some volunteer four o'clocks.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

PHBA

Congratulations to Jeb Hannum of Unionville, who has been appointed the new executive secretary of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, which is headquartered in Kennett Square. Jeb will replace Mark McDermott, who retired after 35 years of service. A Unionville native and the son of Jock Hannum and Georgie Stapleton, Jeb is married to Emily Hannum and has three young children.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Crullers!

Why was I not informed that Friday, June 3, was National Doughnut Day?
It seems this extremely worthy holiday has been held on the first Friday in June since 1938, when the Chicago branch of the Salvation Army started the celebration as way to raise money for victims of the Great Depression and to honor its female volunteers who served doughnuts to the doughboys in Europe during World War I.
This was all news to me, but I've already put the date on my 2012 calendar for next June. I'll give you a heads-up.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Milk money

After a recent elementary-school awards assembly, I was chatting with a mother and father and mentioned how energetic, vivacious and kind our school's principal is, in contrast to the dour ascetic I remember from my elementary-school days.
They said all they remembered from "primary school" (they are from England) was the little bottle of state-supplied milk that they drank with lunch. That is, until Margaret Thatcher became Education Secretary in 1970 and started charging for the milk, earning her the unhappy soubriquet "Maggie Thatcher the Milk-Snatcher."
It was probably all for the best, though, pointed out the father, as the milk always seemed to be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

After midnight

Over the Memorial Day weekend I had dinner in Media with my old schoolmate George, who lives in Boston but was down here visiting his folks. We had a great time catching up, talking and laughing, and I didn't leave for home til after 11:30, much later than my usual country hours. At about 12:15 Monday morning I reached the London Grove crossroads of Newark Road and Route 926 -- and I was amazed to find four cars at the intersection! I had to wait at the stop sign!
I assumed the motorists were party-goers on their way home, but my clever sister-in-law offered a much more creative explanation: perhaps they were early-birds on their way to downtown Kennett to stake out prime spots for the Memorial Day parade.

B's blog

Bettinita Harris, a former "Philadelphia Inquirer" journalist and now a trainer at the Kennett YMCA, has started writing an excellent blog about fitness called "Training Swag: The Pursuit of Physical Fitness." From a recent entry about what she calls her love affair with the weight room:
"The only thing that matters is my effort. How hard I work and how far I push myself – I decide. It’s my world, and I have total control. Nobody is the boss of me. The possibility of change lives in this room. Bodies can be transformed in this room, but so can minds."
You can read it at http://trainingswag.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

NF fundraiser June 18

Nancy Davidson Wood of Unionville is organizing a benefit to raise money for Isabelle Moulsdale's NF Fund. Isabelle, a schoolmate of Nancy and Crosby's daughter at Hockessin Montessori School, has the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1, which causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. "Kids' Country Carnival 4 a Cure" will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at Plantation Field, 1530 West Doe Run Rd. (Route 82), Unionville. Admission is $40 per car at the gate, and the rain date is Sunday, June 19.

Tilda, Party of 6

There's a NEW sign on the window of King's Island announcing that the Chinese restaurant's grand re-opening will be this month! The popular restaurant in the Superfresh shopping center on Route 1 has been shut down since a fire in June 2010, and I know a lot of folks who will be delighted if it really does re-open this time.
Alas, though, Manny Hattan's, the restaurant next door to King's Island, closed its doors last week. So did the Old Wooden Market and Deli in Chadds Ford (where the Wawa used to be); Bill Bondarchuk, the owner, said that "the economy did not rebound enough for us to continue operations."

Lending

A photo of Kennett Square mushroom grower Chris Alonzo hard at work was used to illustrate a story in the May 28 issue of "Lancaster Farming" entitled "Agricultural bankers ready to lend to farmers." One of the bankers mentioned in the story was Keith Silfee, vice president and business relations manager of National Penn Bank in Oxford. The story said that Mr. Silfee specializes in making loans to mushroom farmers.