La Poste

A loyal reader writes:
"Standing in line in the Unionville post office this morning, I noticed a new guy at the counter. Stocky, dark, slight accent. Then I noticed he had NPR on the radio and complimented him on it. When I bought my stamps, he said "Voilà" as he handed them to me. "Merci," was all I could call up on the spur of the moment. But to my amazement the next customer and he conducted their business in French! In Unionville!"

Weekly stink bug update

Where do they come from? They just appear seemingly out of nowhere!
I'm getting about 10 or 15 a day, which is quite manageable, and I actually think I'm getting used to them. There was one perched on my toothbrush; I just flicked it off, rinsed the toothbrush and brushed away. There was one swimming in my coffee pot; I fished it out and poured myself a cup. It didn't taste any different.
However, the one on my tissue was pretty gross: I didn't spot it til after I'd blown my nose. (Pretty gross for the S.B., too, now that I think of it!)

Poetry Women

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Christianna Hannum Miller of Kennett Square and Dianne Herrin of West Chester read their poems at the Kennett Flash on Friday, April 1. Christy's poems reflected her deep roots in the Unionville countryside; in "The smell of pools" she wrote vividly about swimming at her grandmother's farm. Dianne wrote about family, and nature, and religion, and I found her "Notice," about a friend's death in a car crash, to be very moving.
I enjoyed hearing the poems read aloud, and the evening was enhanced by John Orban's lovely photographs, which were projected on the screen behind the stage.
The two poets answered lots of questions from the audience afterwards, giving honest, straightforward answers about why and how they write. Dianne said she often jots down ideas on the spot on the closest piece of paper she can find, often the back of a receipt. Christy said she doesn't have much interest in publishing, but she'd very much like to read her poems to children and senior citizens.
I'm so glad I attended: it was great to reconnect with Dianne after a very long time, and delightful to chat with Christy's family members and all the other Unionville folks who were there. And The Flash is a great venue!

A good cause

The Whip raised a total of $1,700 for injured local jockey Jake Chalfin at a special "Chasin' for Chalfin" Race Night on March 30, according to operating partner K.C. Kulp. The owners donated 25 cents for every dollar in sales (about $1,300), two customers each donated $200, and there were a few smaller donations.
K.C. told me that one of the $200 donations came from "one of Dick Hayne's young groundskeepers (mows lawns, rakes leaves, etc.) -- not a wealthy guy, just a local "kid" - I was impressed."
"The Whip is grateful that our community and our customers have been so supportive of us," said K.C. "Because they give so generously to us, we like to give back to the community by organizing and participating in events like this."
For more information about Chasin' for Chalfin, visit http://chasinforchalfin.com/.

Breakfast special

Despite the stealth snowstorm, Perkins restaurant in Avondale was hopping the morning of Friday, April 1. A men's Bible study group was deep in discussion. The Avon-Grove boy's lacrosse team spread out over three tables. Some friendly PECO workers tucked into a well-deserved breakfast after repairing electric lines downed by a fallen tree on Good Hope Road (yes, I asked) down in London Britain Township. And two tables were occupied by guys in Phillies shirts, possibly on their way to the ballpark for opening day!
I know I'm in the minority, but I thought the snow was lovely. The yellow-brown willows, forsythias and cat-tails against the white backdrop looked like a sepia-tinted photograph.

Non-fit

Dunkin' Donuts sent me a coupon for a free iced coffee each Monday in April. No strings attached, no purchase required.
I love iced coffee, but I gave the coupon away. I simply couldn't go into a DD and say, "Give me my free iced coffee, please." I couldn't bring myself to demand something for nothing; it would feel all wrong. Which means to get the "free" coffee, I'd need to order a muffin or a doughnut as well.
Hmmm ... could that have been the whole point of the marketing strategy?
I should add that the coupon will be well used: I gave it to a friend who considers DD's "Boston Kreme Donut" to be the perfect food.

Local band

Philadelphia-based rock band Dr. Dog, which has a giant local fanbase, got a plug from an unexpected source: celebrity chef and restaurant owner Tom Colicchio. In a profile in April's "Wall Street Journal Magazine," the head judge of the TV show "Top Chef" said that in addition to old country music, he's also been listening to Dr. Dog recently.
Current band members are Toby Leaman (bass), Scott McMicken (lead guitar), Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar), Zach Miller (keyboard), and Eric Slick (drums).
By the way, as part of its spring tour, Dr. Dog will perform at the Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem on May 6.

Shoe time!

On page 11 of the April edition of "The Horse of Delaware Valley," there's a 10-percent-off coupon for the Dansko Company Store, valid through May 30. Store hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The store is on Old Baltimore Pike in Jennersville. So be sure to save your copy after you've finished poring through for news and photos of yourself and friends!

Skeleton stuff

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is going through some tough times: labor unrest, difficult decisions about outsourcing bussing and food service, drastic funding cuts. But on the front lines of teaching and learning, amazing things are happening every day.
During dinner the other night, an elementary-school member of my family told me that in health class, he was learning all about bones.
I started quizzing him about the common and Latin names of bones. What's the thigh bone? How did the "funny bone" get its name? What's a greenstick fracture?
Try as I might, I could not stump this kid. He knew them all: femur, humerus, vertebrae, clavicle, cranium. He even knew how to spell them! Best of all, he corrected me when I mixed up mandible and maxilla.
He gets an A+ in my book -- and so do his teachers.

"Delaware, we like your style"

The new Nordstrom's department store opens at the Christiana Mall on Friday, April 8, and as part of the kick-off splash I received in the mail a store catalog that looked a lot like a high-fashion magazine: glossy paper, beautiful photography, clean graphics, nice-smelling perfume inserts.
In addition to the fancy "designer" items, there were some quite nice and wearable clothes and some actually reasonable shoes (as you may have guessed, Tilda is not a fashion plate). And I was pleased to see healthy-looking, smiling models, and not just the skeletal waifs that you see in some "edgy" magazines.
Nordstrom's is known for its excellent customer service, which is more and more important to me these days. And this is very nice: proceeds from its "unabashed fashion fete" opening party went to the Delaware Art Museum, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, and the Wilmington chapter of The Links.

Camp Cadet

May 15 is the deadline for applications to Camp Cadet of Chester County, a free overnight program for county boys and girls ages 11 to 13 that's run by our Pennsylvania State Police. It runs from Aug. 14 through 20.
According to the website (http://www.cccampcadet.org/):
“Camp Cadet was created by the Pennsylvania State Police in 1970, as a way to promote good relations between police and young people. Our program provides kids with an understanding of law enforcement activities, as well as comfort with the professionals who serve their communities. While living in an atmosphere similar to the State Police Academy, emphasis is placed on improving self-discipline, confidence and self-esteem. During this action-packed week, “Cadets” will learn to make good decisions and to respect others. All counselors are Troopers or other specially selected law enforcement professionals working within Chester County."
The website emphasizes that it's NOT a boot camp.

Oh, dear.

Apparently the Main Line will be the next community featured as part of the "Real Housewives" franchise. Here's the press release for the casting call:


"Personify Productions is currently casting housewives that live on the Main Line (Gladwyne, Bryn Mawr, Wayne, Devon etc.) for a potential Television Pilot. Will consider Philadelphia residents if personality is dynamite and you run in the same social circles as the Main Line.

We are seeking women who are extremely charismatic, outgoing, candid and self-confident with strong fashion sense and style. Married, Divorced Re-Married and Single women are all invited to apply. All family types will be considered but most importantly we are looking for dynamic Main Line women with defined opinions and views and who are plugged in to the storied social scene of the legendary Main Line. Personality is paramount as we are looking for lively and energetic women who are "Housewives" in the present-day sense, leading busy lives with a strong work ethic but still enjoying the "good life."

Blue Bloods, Nouveau Riche and Career women are invited to apply. Groups of women who are already friends in the same social circle are also encouraged to apply."

Off to the races

It was a world-class day at the 66th running of Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds Point-to-Point on March 27. We had a perfect parking spot, right near the finish line, and tons of friends stopped by for a glass of Champagne and cookies. The races were very exciting and nobody got hurt, horse or human. The food (from Hood's and the Whip) was delicious; we especially liked the lamb stew. And unlike what was predicted earlier in the week, we didn't get snow showers: the weather was beautifully sunny all afternoon and not too cold until the very end of the day.
Thanks so much to all of the organizers for a terrific day. The only suggestion I heard was that it would set a great example for all the young riders if the outriders (those who patrol the course) were required to wear safety helmets; some of them were wearing the traditional bowler hats.

Star Wars party

A friend in East Marlborough recently hosted a "Star Wars"-themed party that was very cleverly done.
"We all had a great time watching the movies and playing the trivia game, and Star Wars Clone Wars on the Wii," she reports.

The food included Ewok and Princess Leia cupcakes and Han Solo embedded in carbonite Jello (see photos), Darth Maul dip, Darkside Salsa, Wookie Cookies, Yoda Soda and Batha Milk. All the recipes came from "Star Wars Cookbooks," volumes 1 and 2, which the hostess borrowed from the Bayard Taylor Library.

Generations

It was a great week here -- lots of fun with friends, a challenging work project -- but the highlight was getting to cuddle and play with the two brand-new members of our family, a little boy and his minute-younger sister, fraternal twins. They had a bit of a rocky start, but thanks to wonderful medical and nursing care at Lankenau and Paoli hospitals, they are healthy and thriving. It's heart-warming to watch the new parents caring for the two of them -- talk about a full-time job! -- with such skill and love. And seeing my own parents hold their great-grandchildren? Priceless.