Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Found!

A month ago I mentioned that I'd gone in search of paperwhite bulbs and couldn't find any. Well, they are now in stock at RP Nurseries on Route 82 in Willowdale. I bought 20 bulbs this afternoon and have already planted two potfuls (and while I was at it I transferred a long-pot-bound aloe.) For $1 each, they will be a great mood-booster as the temperatures get colder and the days keep getting shorter: they produce a beautiful cluster of white flowers that has a spicy scent.

Hunt Cup 2012: Fried chicken

I was SO looking forward to the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup this year! The wonderful camaraderie, the excellent food and drink, the racing -- the whole atmosphere is just such a celebration. I deliberately left my phone at home because I just wanted to enjoy the day without distraction.
Each year is memorable, and this year what I'll remember is the fried chicken. Every tailgate party seemed to feature it. Ours was from Hood's, and they also included a whole tray of french fries and little tubs of unbelievably tasty mac and cheese (I ate two).
And, oh yes, I'll also remember the cold. We stood outside on the top of the hill for 6 hours in 40-degree temperatures, and that doesn't include the wind. Sun was predicted but was a total no-show. I wore fleece leggings under my jeans, two pairs of socks, fleece gloves, and multiple jackets, scarves and wooly shawls and ended up looking like a babushka. (And yes, I wore the equestrian-themed bracelets that my kind reader gave me!)
Actually I didn't get really, really cold until near the end of the day, and I was quite surprised to hear my friends complaining: after all, these are hardy people who go out foxhunting in sub-freezing temperatures and come home beaming with happiness. One fellow in my party even went home to retrieve a warmer coat -- and brought back steaming travel mugs of Irish coffee for us!
One very smart group of tailgaters on the finish line brought along a portable propane stove and had it nicely cranked up. Friends of the late Gil Sheck were out in force, as always, with Gil's black truck flying the American flag.
The racing was great fun and very exciting, and I was relieved that no one, horse or human, was seriously injured the entire day.
En route to the race course, the two Corgis in our party were bouncing off the walls in excitement. They got thoroughly spoiled all day long, and when we left, I think they fell asleep before we even pulled out onto Newark Road. I have a fair amount of stamina, but I fell into bed by 8 p.m. I'm not at all sure how anyone made it to the after-parties!
One note about the program (sold by some very energetic Upland students): the memorial pages and photos were beautiful.
Congrats to the whole Committee. It was a great day!



The song remains unsung

There are a LOT of Al Stewart fans out there! In last week's column I wrote about attending his wonderful concert on Oct. 26 at Phoenixville's Colonial Theater, and I keep getting asked: Did he do "Road to Moscow"? No, alas, he didn't. The history songs he did were "Palace of Versailles," "Lord Grenville," "On the Border," and "Merlin." (I guess "Gina on the King's Row" and "Soho" also count as history songs these days.)
He also sang "Antarctica," preceding it with biographical information about Shackleton and several other explorers.
"You might think this is a song about them," he said. "It's not. It's about a very cold woman" who refused to date him.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Tony on the move

The infamous Ponzi schemer Tony Young, late of West Marlborough, Palm Beach and Maine, has been transferred from the Federal Correctional Institution at Jesup, Georgia, to the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Worth, Texas, a low-security institution housing male offenders.
Visit the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, specifically the rules and regulations and commissary lists at Forth Worth, if you want to see how drastically Tony's life has changed from his free-spending (of other people's money) days here in Unionville.
His projected release date: July 26, 2026.

Friday, November 2, 2012

A week late

Each year a wonderful pal of mine who is a globe-trotting wildlife photographer makes a custom calendar for me featuring his astonishing photos. So on Nov. 1, I eagerly flipped over to the new month's photo, which shows a polar bear shaking off the water from his fur, the spray making a graceful arc around his head.
Then I looked at the month's holidays: Daylight Savings Time ends on Nov. 4. Veterans Day is Nov. 11. And Election Day is -- Nov. 13??
Now why on earth did he postpone Election Day by a week? An innocent error -- or could it have something to do with the fact that he and I have diametrically opposed political opinions?

New Costco

The new Costco store in the Brinton Lake shopping center on Route 1 in Concord Township is set to open on Saturday, Nov. 10. Thank you to a faithful Tilda reader and Facebook friend for this excellent tip!
(And if you're interested, Costco stores will also be opening in Leicester in the United Kingdom on Dec. 1 and in Gwangmyeong, Korea, on Dec. 15.)

New clothes

After being closed for two days during Sandy, the Kennett Square boutique Chantilly Blue sent out an email to its customers offering a 20% "Cabin Fever" discount on one item. I'd been meaning to get in there anyway and help the economy, and this was all the incentive I needed.
What a great store! Beautiful clothes and unbeatable service. The owner, Lisa, knows her merchandise and her customers and has a great eye for what will look fantastic on each woman. She nixed one pair of jeans, pointing out they weren't as flattering as they could be, and called one black top "boring" as soon as she saw it on me. In 45 minutes I walked out of there with a new pair of jeans, a cozy Pink Lotus top and a festive silk top that I predict will get much use during the upcoming holiday season. So simple! Such fun!
Yes, online shopping is wonderfully convenient for basics, but Lisa's professionalism and pride make a strong argument for actually going into a brick-and-mortar local store.

Deer vs. vehicle

One recent evening I spotted a deer carcass along Route 82 in Doe Run (appropriately enough) and a lively conversation ensued about how deer don't just run out in front of vehicles; they also hurl themselves into the sides of cars, even stopped ones!
One friend had an especially unpleasant drive to work before sunup on Wednesday:
"Appears that Sandy has freaked out a bunch of wild things. Had a raccoon run right in front of the car, then moments later (just after my eyes unwidened) his tag-team partner deer ran right into the side of my car. Never saw it before, during or after the collision. If it's alive I hope it learned its lesson and told all its friends. That's the SECOND deer around here that's been so stupid it ran into the SIDE of my car!
"A quick inspection showed no real damage to the car (had to unfold the mirror and readjust it), except that it's in dire need of a washing now that it's covered with deer-deposited mud. Will now blow my horn early and often while driving to work."

Heads up, marketers!

Never stereotype people. I was changing in the locker room at the Jennersville Y this morning and a group of senior citizens were discussing electronics as they dried off from their water aerobics class. They'd all already experimented with the brand-new Windows 8 software and the latest iPhone model and had definite, vigorously defended opinions about them. They were experts as to which manufacturers offered the best laptop warranties (Dell), and they tossed around terms like "gigabytes" and "cloud storage" like they were teenagers.
What's that saying about you can't teach old dogs new tricks? Not true.

Apple Grove

Best wishes to the brave souls who are renovating the crumbling, long-abandoned farmhouse and giant barn on Apple Grove Road, east of Tapeworm Road. I thought it was way beyond repair, but the owners have been clearing the brush and vines that have accumulated over the years -- there's even a large pumpkin perched on the farmhouse porch! I think we'll all be eager to watch the progress of this challenging project.
Township historian Don Silknitter says back in the late 1970s this was the home of Charlie Elvin, who at that time was the oldest living resident of West Marlborough.
Speaking of Apple Grove Road, this morning I saw an artist stopped along the roadside, painting the view. I slowed down and told her that in my opinion Apple Grove is one of the prettiest roads around. She agreed: "It's unbelievable!"

Neutralized

An energetic friend of mine who is well known in the community was asked to help out at her East Marlborough polling place, as an especially large turnout was expected. She agreed, but only reluctantly: it meant she had to appear strictly nonpartisan, which meant she couldn't wear her earrings, hat or shirt emblazoned with the name of her chosen candidate!