Friday, February 24, 2012
Memorial update
Last week I asked whether anyone knew anything about the roadside memorial on Route 841 between Blow Horn and Thouron Road. Two readers informed me that it marks the spot where a motorcyclist died, in the summer of either 2010 or 2011. One recalled a rescue helicopter landing in a field nearby after the accident.
Undeck the halls
A friend just moved into a condo development with very strict rules. A scolding notice went up at the community mailboxes pointing out that the deadline for removing Christmas decorations had passed, citing chapter and verse of the bylaws like an article in a law journal.
I certainly agree with the sentiment -- Christmas wreaths are looking downright odd by this point -- but something in me rebels at the thought of being told what I can and cannot do. If I lived in one of those places I bet I'd run afoul of the Homeowners' Association within weeks.
I certainly agree with the sentiment -- Christmas wreaths are looking downright odd by this point -- but something in me rebels at the thought of being told what I can and cannot do. If I lived in one of those places I bet I'd run afoul of the Homeowners' Association within weeks.
Aged news
In addition to free towing, being a AAA member also gets you a subscription to "AAA World," a travel magazine. The March/April issue arrived the other day and was already getting buried on the coffee table when one of my many sharp-eyed correspondents texted me: "Doe Run Dairy mentioned in PA Cheese article in new AAA magazine."
And indeed it is, right there on p. 44, along with other local cheese-makers Birch Run Hills in Birchrunville, Amazing Acres Goat Dairy in Elverson and Shellbark Hollow in West Chester. Kennett's Talula's Table is also listed as a place to find Pennsylvania cheese.
And indeed it is, right there on p. 44, along with other local cheese-makers Birch Run Hills in Birchrunville, Amazing Acres Goat Dairy in Elverson and Shellbark Hollow in West Chester. Kennett's Talula's Table is also listed as a place to find Pennsylvania cheese.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Oops
(If you're not a Facebook aficionado, this item will mean nothing to you. Yes, that means you, Mum and Dad. Although you really SHOULD like FB, as there are photos of your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren on it!)
There seems to be a recent plague of not only upper respiratory ailments, but also Facebook glitches.
First thing this morning I noticed that a local venue, which normally posts only upbeat items about its performers and special events, had a fairly vehement posting about one of the Republican presidential candidates. I'm thinking it was posted in error because it was taken down within a few minutes.
Over the weekend I posted about my new-found love for Netflix, and a gym friend responded: "Wait til you have kids who wake up at 6:30 in the a.m. You'll need to get out of the house!"
OK, I thought... perhaps a little testy, but sort of on target, I suppose.
She later wrote back, mortified, apologizing and saying she had meant to post that remark on someone else's page.
But the best was a friend who "liked" a post supporting a politician whom she utterly loathes in reality. She claims that what she "liked" was a completely different, even non-political, item, but I had great fun giving her a hard time anyway.
There seems to be a recent plague of not only upper respiratory ailments, but also Facebook glitches.
First thing this morning I noticed that a local venue, which normally posts only upbeat items about its performers and special events, had a fairly vehement posting about one of the Republican presidential candidates. I'm thinking it was posted in error because it was taken down within a few minutes.
Over the weekend I posted about my new-found love for Netflix, and a gym friend responded: "Wait til you have kids who wake up at 6:30 in the a.m. You'll need to get out of the house!"
OK, I thought... perhaps a little testy, but sort of on target, I suppose.
She later wrote back, mortified, apologizing and saying she had meant to post that remark on someone else's page.
But the best was a friend who "liked" a post supporting a politician whom she utterly loathes in reality. She claims that what she "liked" was a completely different, even non-political, item, but I had great fun giving her a hard time anyway.
The comfy chair
The saleswoman and I started laughing.
"Easiest sale I've had in weeks," she commented.
(Update: Raymour & Flanigan gets high marks. They delivered the sofa, chair, ottoman AND bed within 2 days. The delivery guys phoned to say they'd arrive earlier than expected, and they were pleasant, professional and extremely efficient.)
Digital
How warm has it been this "winter"?
A Facebook friend posted this morning that it's the end of February and she just noticed the first "crack" on one of her fingers. If you're one of the lucky folks who doesn't get these ailments in the cold weather, they're stubborn little fissures that follow the lines of your fingerprint. They're sore, they afflict a nerve-rich area and they just won't close up the way a normal cut would.
The only thing I've found that helps them heal is a thick white cream called Lotil that comes in a jar and smells appropriately medicinal.
A Facebook friend posted this morning that it's the end of February and she just noticed the first "crack" on one of her fingers. If you're one of the lucky folks who doesn't get these ailments in the cold weather, they're stubborn little fissures that follow the lines of your fingerprint. They're sore, they afflict a nerve-rich area and they just won't close up the way a normal cut would.
The only thing I've found that helps them heal is a thick white cream called Lotil that comes in a jar and smells appropriately medicinal.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
In verse
I just received an e-mail inviting students (grades 1 through12) who go to school in Chester County to enter the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project's fourth annual e-poetry contest.
The first-place winner in each category (grades 1 and 2, 3 through 5, 6 through 8, and 9 through 12, and a separate sonnet category for grades 9 through 12) will receive a full scholarship to a summer Young Writers camp.
Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2012. Poems should be e-mailed as a Word document attachment to: PAWLP@wcupa.edu.
"Winners will be notified during Poetry Month in April, with a celebration for the winners and their families at the Chester County Book and Music Company in West Goshen on May 3, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. The top 3 winners in each category receive a certificate, a writer's toolbox, and public recognition of their poem on the PA Writing & Literature Project website (www.pawlp.org) and in the Chester County Library in Exton."
There's also a category for teachers: "The winning teacher will receive a certificate to attend a Fall or Spring PAWLP workshop and a gift card."
If you have any questions, e-mail pawlp@wcupa.edu or call 610-436-3089.
The first-place winner in each category (grades 1 and 2, 3 through 5, 6 through 8, and 9 through 12, and a separate sonnet category for grades 9 through 12) will receive a full scholarship to a summer Young Writers camp.
Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2012. Poems should be e-mailed as a Word document attachment to: PAWLP@wcupa.edu.
"Winners will be notified during Poetry Month in April, with a celebration for the winners and their families at the Chester County Book and Music Company in West Goshen on May 3, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. The top 3 winners in each category receive a certificate, a writer's toolbox, and public recognition of their poem on the PA Writing & Literature Project website (www.pawlp.org) and in the Chester County Library in Exton."
There's also a category for teachers: "The winning teacher will receive a certificate to attend a Fall or Spring PAWLP workshop and a gift card."
If you have any questions, e-mail pawlp@wcupa.edu or call 610-436-3089.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Birdland
I had high hopes that some exotic species would show up in my backyard during the annual Great Backyard Bird Count last weekend, but it didn't happen. I recorded the usual suspects: juncos, nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers, cardinals, mourning doves. I was pleased to see both a male and female downy woodpecker, and I don't usually see red-winged blackbirds in the backyard. I was sorry to read that our Outdoors columnist Lisa didn't have much of a turnout of birds -- I guess they were all over here, Lisa!
Of course, just after doing my final backyard count I spotted more Canada geese than I could count by a pond near Doe Run, and on Apple Grove Road a beautiful bluebird flew right in front of me. But you'd have to be one churlish person to complain about seeing a bluebird under any circumstances.
If you haven't sent in your tallies yet, the deadline is March 5.
Of course, just after doing my final backyard count I spotted more Canada geese than I could count by a pond near Doe Run, and on Apple Grove Road a beautiful bluebird flew right in front of me. But you'd have to be one churlish person to complain about seeing a bluebird under any circumstances.
If you haven't sent in your tallies yet, the deadline is March 5.
Whole Foods
There's a growing sense of impatience surrounding when the Whole Foods supermarket is going to open in the Glen Eagle shopping center on Route 202. It certainly looks ready to open its doors, but I'm told that mid-March is the estimated opening date for the upscale store. The owners can rest assured that there are many eager shoppers here in the Kennett area.
Bite of Italy
A BYOB restaurant called "A Bite of Italy" has opened in the space where Manny Hattan's used to be. My sister-in-law and I tried it out on a Sunday evening and enjoyed a nice light meal. As soon as we sat down a waiter brought bread with olive oil for dipping. We split one of their side salads (it was ample for both of us) and shared a Margherita pizza (tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil on a homemade crust, which you can watch the pizza chef tossing). The pizza was delicious not only Sunday evening but also Monday morning, when I finished the two leftover pieces.
By the time we left, most of the tables were filled -- including some neighbors of mine, and two Kennett gentlemen I know.
Good luck to this new business. We will definitely be back to try more of the dishes on the menu.
By the time we left, most of the tables were filled -- including some neighbors of mine, and two Kennett gentlemen I know.
Good luck to this new business. We will definitely be back to try more of the dishes on the menu.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Romance, Unionville style
The day before Valentine's Day I got an excited phone call from a friend. She had just been to the Unionville post office and picked up a package addressed to her husband. She phoned him to ask what it was and, quite properly, he refused to divulge any details.
I Googled the return address for her and found out that it was from either the Fellowship of Christian Magicians or an insecticide company in Wilmington. She had high hopes that it was the latter: her horse has mites, and she thought it might be some kind of anti-mite spray or powder.
No such luck. The next morning she was allowed to open the package -- and found that her sweetheart had gotten her a rose sculpture. No mite poison.
I Googled the return address for her and found out that it was from either the Fellowship of Christian Magicians or an insecticide company in Wilmington. She had high hopes that it was the latter: her horse has mites, and she thought it might be some kind of anti-mite spray or powder.
No such luck. The next morning she was allowed to open the package -- and found that her sweetheart had gotten her a rose sculpture. No mite poison.
Fashion
A few years back a Unionville friend started selling Worth, a line of very nice women's clothing. Perhaps you've been invited to one of these events? You go over to the salesperson's house and try on the clothes that she has put aside for you, peering at yourself in a full-length mirror like a model. It was always great fun because she knew what kind of clothes you needed, and what looked good on you, and would discourage you from buying something that wasn't flattering (although I refused to buy that bustier that I never would've worn). Inevitably I'd end up spending way more money than I expected, but I still wear most of the pieces and still get compliments on them (especially the tight boucle tweed jacket).
However, this is a small town, and I've subsequently discovered that another woman and I own many of the same pieces: the wool shawl, the red cotton sweater with fringed collar, and yes, even the tweed jacket. We laugh that we'll have to coordinate before attending the same event.
With regard to the jacket, she was very helpful. It had these fiddly little metal ornaments hanging from the end of the sleeves that clanked against your soup dish. "I just took them off with a pair of pliers," she advised me the other day. I went home and did the same.
However, this is a small town, and I've subsequently discovered that another woman and I own many of the same pieces: the wool shawl, the red cotton sweater with fringed collar, and yes, even the tweed jacket. We laugh that we'll have to coordinate before attending the same event.
With regard to the jacket, she was very helpful. It had these fiddly little metal ornaments hanging from the end of the sleeves that clanked against your soup dish. "I just took them off with a pair of pliers," she advised me the other day. I went home and did the same.
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