I'm with the band

On Sunday I went to a party-slash-outdoor-concert in Unionville given by two dear friends of mine. The husband has a very grown-up day job tending to other people's money, but when he's off duty he plays guitar once a week in a rock band, Jimi's Not Home. He has always been dismissive about his musical skills, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect (but was prepared to be lavish with my praise anyway).
Turns out, he and the band -- another guitarist, a bass player, a drummer and a vocalist -- are very talented, and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. Although it was very hot, the venue was perfect: in the back yard, with guests sitting on lawn chairs and dogs wandering around, occasionally mingling with the band and even barking at the drummer during "Satisfaction." The tunes were classics like "Heat Wave" and "Somebody to Love," the volume wasn't too loud, so you could carry on a conversation, and there was plenty of great food (indeed, the dining room was reserved for desserts exclusively).
These two are such great hosts. They actually mingle with the guests, assume that people are capable of getting their own food and drink, and create such a relaxed atmosphere that I felt perfectly comfortable just hanging out for a while in the rope sling chair on the deck, watching the thunderstorm roll in from the west. The band ended its set just in time, and everyone pitched in as roadies to carry chairs, tables and the sound equipment to safety.

Visitors

Here's a shout-out to the Terras and the McNallys, two nice couples from East Marlborough whom I met on Saturday evening while I was out for a long walk. They were taking a leisurely drive through the back roads of West Marlborough and had stopped to admire Dick Hayne's chickens. We got to chatting, they mentioned something about West Marlborough they had read in the Kennett Paper -- and I had to 'fess up that I had written it. Turns out they are avid Tilda fans, which was very sweet to hear!

Grace stone

What an appropriate way to remember this Hunt follower who died earlier this year! This plaque was installed by the Cheshire Hunt at the West Marlborough farm belonging to Patti's sister, Bobbi O'Donnell. Bobbi said she is thrilled by the plaque and knows that her sister is, too.

Sticking it

While watching the astonishing Olympic gymnasts, a friend of mine got the itch to revisit her youth, when she competed in gymnastics. She booked a session with a gymnastics coach and then posted a video of herself doing one of those rapid-fire tumbling runs with handsprings and all manner of twisting acrobatics. She looked fantastic, even though she'd been away from the sport for a few years. Of course, she wasn't satisfied: "Bucket list: to get my full back at least once without tearing my ACL again."

Key points

People always ask me to remind them each time that gas points expire at the Giant grocery store. This time it's Saturday, August 18, and so far I'm getting 60 cents off per gallon! YES! Last time I was totally running on fumes: as I was driving through the village of London Grove on my way to the Giant fuel pumps, my gas gauge said I had 1 mile left. Good planning, huh!
In other consumer news, I went to make a peanut-butter sandwich on Aug. 1 and was unhappy to see that the loaf of bread (expiration date: Aug. 2) was already moldy. I took it back to the Jennersville Giant and pointed to the mold -- and they gave me double my money back, no questions asked. Three dollars!

Drop that name!

A man introduced himself to me last night, giving his name and telling me he worked for a local person, "X."
All quite proper and correct -- except that X got caught committing a Really, Really Stupid and particularly mean-spirited crime a few years back, and X's name has been mud around here ever since.
I tried not to look too surprised. Why on earth would he have mentioned X's name? Is it possible he didn't know about X's criminal record, even though it pops up on even the quickest Internet check?
Or maybe he just gets paid really, really well.

Easy Installation

Over the years my jack-of-all-trades neighbor and I have taken on many home-repair challenges, the most recent being replacing my garbage disposal. As usual, I played a vital role: I held the flashlight and handed him implements, like a plumbing scrub nurse.
"Easy installation," declared the box, and indeed the diagrams made it look like child's play: "(1) Remove old disposer; (2) Make electrical connections; (3) Install new disposer; (4) Make plumbing connections."
What they didn't mention was that you had to accomplish all this while lying on your back in the dark, confined space underneath the sink. The cartoon hand in this installation nirvana just mounted the disposer and tightened a few wire nuts. The connections fitted together perfectly and easily. No need for electrical tape! No stubborn wires! No rebellious pipe joints or hide-and-seek bolts or cumbersome mountings!
Well, between the two of us we got it done, and it works great, and I suppose I got a useful lesson in how elastic the word "easy" can be.

New knee

After breakfast at Perkins in Avondale yesterday, my friend and I were waiting at the cash register and she was telling me about her quest for an orthopaedic surgeon (she has a bum knee). I mentioned that a family friend had his orthopaedic surgery in Wilmington and instead of eating hospital food, he had his meals brought over from the Hotel Dupont. The woman behind us overheard and laughed. It seems her mother had just had knee surgery at one of the Delaware hospitals, and she couldn't say enough nice things about the surgeon. Small world: My friend was delighted to find that he was one of the names who had been recommended to her.

Mystery gift

At the post office the other day I saw a notice on the door about a new e-mail scam.
Apparently the bad guys, capitalizing on our eager curiosity about unexpected packages, are sending out
bogus e-mails saying that the U.S. Postal Service tried to deliver a package but was unsuccessful. You are asked to click on a link to find out when your package will be delivered.
Unfortunately, "clicking on the link will activate a virus that can steal information—such as your user name, password, and financial account information," advises the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Don't open it! And delete the e-mail.
And just as I was writing this item, a friend sent me an e-mail he had received headed "Olympics trip (sad news)," supposedly from a Jennersville real-estate agent:

"Just hoping this email reaches you well, I'm sorry for this emergency and for not informing you about my urgent trip to London,United Kingdom but I just have to let you know my present predicament. Everything was fine until I was attacked on my way back to the hotel, I wasn't hurt but I lost my money, bank cards, mobile phone and my bag in the course of this attack. I immediately contacted my bank in order to block my cards and also made a report at the nearest police station. I've been to the embassy and they are helping me with my documentation so i can fly out but I'm urgently in need of some money to pay for my hotel bills and my flight ticket home, will definitely REFUND as soon as back home . Kindly let me know if you would be able to help me out so I can forward you the details required for a wire transfer. Waiting to hear back from you." Another scam! Don't fall for it.

Double-header

In the first half of the Aug. 30 West Marlborough township double-header hearing, the supervisors approved a zoning change that would allow The Whip to seek an off-site parking area, helping to alleviate the parking problems that have plagued the popular Springdell tavern.
Harry Roth, the township's engineer, described the ordinance change as reasonable and said it would have a minimal impact on neighbors. And the Whip's attorney, Neil Land, said the change will give his client "the opportunity to fix what has been a problem for some time."
But many of the residents said they were worried about the unforeseen, "unintended consequences" of the new rules, which would affect not only Springdell village but also the village of London Grove.
Planning commission member Jeb Hannum said he would have voted against recommending the change had he been at the meeting where it was discussed, and fellow commission member Jake Chalfin said he had changed his mind since the meeting and wished he had opposed it too.
But at the end of the 90-minute hearing, Supervisor Michael Ledyard said he was satisfied that those "unintended consequences" had been anticipated as much as possible and "I'm much more confident than I was coming in." Supervisor Hugh Lofting said he too was comfortable with making the change, and Board Chairman Bill Wylie said the fact that the change affects "very few properties greatly limits the opportunity for unintended consequences."
Although the ordinance change affects both villages, it was clear that the focus was on Springdell and the Whip. "We cannot stand in the way of progress," said Springdell resident Bernie Langer, who suggested that the Whip is a much better neighbor than its rougher predecessors were. Yes, he said, there are more cars, "but at least they have mufflers" and "I have yet to hear a gunshot."
Now, of course, the big questions are:
1. Will the Whip be able to find a lot in Springdell that meets the criteria in the revised ordinance and could be used for parking?
2. How will the Whip's notoriously litigious neighbors, the "Springdell 8" (or however many of them there are these days), react to this decision?

Only two months away

My friend and neighbor Berta Rains is putting out the call for volunteers for this year's Unionville Community Fair.
"The Fair Needs You! What can you do??? Volunteer! Share your talents in the Demo Tent! Promote your business as a sponsor or vendor! Attend the Denim & Diamonds fundraiser Oct.4th! Jump in, pitch in, rally 'round the Fair!..... Still bringing the community wholesome fun for all after 88 years!"
For specifics, visit the fair's website at www.ucfairinc.org. This year's fair will be Oct. 5 through 7, with the Willowdale Pro Rodeo on Saturday, Oct. 6.
I'm a huge fan of the "farm show." It's a great local tradition, and hats off to the folks who work so hard to keep it flourishing.

A chilling effect

Thank you to Chad Laurence of Corrective Chiropractic in Hockessin! After reading last week's item about my friend who is "bogarting" my reusable ice packs, he kindly offered to replenish my stock. I quickly took him up on it! I stopped by his office with a bunch of flowers and left with four new brand-new ice packs.

A local tax

In the second half of Monday night's meeting, the West Marlborough Township supervisors enacted a 0.5% earned-income tax on its residents that will take effect starting this October. That's $50 per $10,000 of your salary.
The board said the township needs the additional income source to offset the double-whammy that has depleted its coffers: a drop in income from real-estate transfer taxes and an increase in its legal expenses. They said the tax will generate about $100,000 a year, and the cost of collecting it will be minimal.
Speaker after speaker stood up and vigorously opposed the tax, arguing that it would be a hardship on working people, questioning the township's estimates about how much money it would bring in, asking whether alternative funding sources (such as increased fees) had been considered. Several said they'd even rather see their property taxes increase than have an earned-income tax imposed.
Despite the opposition, the supervisors unanimously approved the tax. In response to several residents' concerns that the tax was "a long-term solution for a short-term problem," however, they agreed to review the need for it annually as part of the budgeting process.

(I should disclose that I was one of the residents who stood up and opposed the tax. I'm going to get clobbered by it because I both live and work in the township.)
I've covered some hot-tempered municipal meetings in my day, and this one was not. Yes, feelings ran high; but people were calm, respectful, thoughtful, and eloquent (myself sadly excluded on that last point).
Who will pay this new tax? People who live and work in West Marlborough or who live in West Marlborough and work in a community that doesn't have an earned income tax. Many residents already pay the tax at their workplace. Those residents won't see a tax increase; rather, the money they already pay will come back to West Marlborough Township rather than staying in the municipality where they work.
Retired people and those with significant investment income get a break, as they are not considered to be receiving "earned" income.
Also, the current $10 per capita tax will be eliminated.
Just for comparison, here are the real-estate and the earned income tax rates in neighboring townships:

                                       Real Estate (mills)            Earned Income Tax (%)
East Fallowfield                      0                                    0.50
Highland                               2.3                                   1.00
Londonderry                         0                                     0.75
London Grove                     1.24                                 0.75
New Garden                        0.75                                 0.625
Kennett Twp.                       0.40                                 0.75
East Marlborough                1.43                                  0.0
Newlin                                 0.75                                 0.50
West Marlborough               1.70                                  0.5