Saturday, July 5, 2014

Karma?

A family member related this pair of anecdotes.
On Thursday, while gassing up at Wawa, he was approached by a man with a hard-luck story who said he just needed $10 for gas to get home. The family member gave him the money -- and spent the rest of the day and night kicking himself for being conned.
The next day, he was out on his bike and a stick on the road, downed by the storm, jumped up and attacked his bike's derailleur, putting it out of commission and stranding him six miles from home. A passing motorist stopped to help, just happened to have a vehicle big enough to accommodate the bike, and gave him a ride all the way home.
A family discussion resulted: Were the two incidents related?

Congrats!

I am sure some of you will remember Jane Brown Grimes, a delightful woman who used to live in Chadds Ford and was a regular at the Kennett Y. Now based in Manhattan, Jane is being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., on July 12. She used to serve as the group's president and has spent a great deal of her life devoted to the sport. I still always look for her in "the good seats" when watching the U.S. Open or Wimbledon tournaments on TV. 
Others being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year are Lindsay Davenport, Nick Bollettiere, John Barrett, and Chantal Vandierendonck.
Jane was also in the news back in 2011 when her son, Ames Brown, was a contestant on the TV show "The Bachelorette." Jane appeared in an episode in which Ames took Ashley, the bachelorette, to his family's Chadds Ford home to meet his relatives. 
 

Free fireworks

At 9 p.m. July 4, the Shoppes at Longwood Village parking lot looked like it does on an especially hectic pre-Christmas shopping day. Well, except that people were relaxing in folding chairs or tossing footballs and hackysacks while waiting for Longwood's fireworks display to start.
Word has gotten out that you get a great -- and free -- view of the fireworks from the parking lot. I saw cars parked along Schoolhouse Road for the same reason. (I hasten to add that Longwood's tickets were sold out, so it's not like we were taking business away from them.)
I wasn't watching the clock -- we were doing a lot of family teasing and joking around -- but I imagine it was about 9:15 when the first firework was set off. The pace was slow at first, but then a whole cluster of them flashed and banged. "My, that escalated quickly," observed the Young Relative. There were a few especially loud ones (my favorites), some unusual oval ones, the sky-filling chrysanthemum ones, and the squiggly, fizzy kind.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Big storm

Much to my disappointment, I missed the big storm that blew through at suppertime on July 3. I was working out in the windowless upstairs aerobics room at the Kennett Y, and the first indication we had that something was going on was when the lights went out just as class was over (the generator kicked in almost immediately). The traffic lights and the shops in town were dark and I saw several trees down on my trip home. Power wasn't restored for many people until mid-day Friday.
A friend later told me that he was at the Kennett Giant in New Garden and saw the storm approaching; he said it formed a dramatic black "wall cloud" stretching from horizon to horizon.

Tradition

After all the fun I had this weekend, even if I didn't get invited to another party the rest of the summer, I still wouldn't have (valid) reason to complain.
I spent part of my Fourth of July at an excellent picnic near West Grove with lots of food, friendly company, a pretty garden and a very welcoming host and hostess. I'd been hearing about this picnic for months and knew it was a much-loved tradition, so in my reporterly fashion I asked the host how many years it had been going on.
To my surprise this sparked a lively discussion. Everyone agreed that there had been a pig roast to celebrate the 25th anniversary, but how many years had elapsed since then was a matter of dispute. The best answer I could get was 26 or 27 -- still a venerable age.
On Saturday afternoon I went to an event that's both old and new: the Cheshire Country Fair and Picnic on the Kennel Lawn. The organizers are seeking to revive an early-20th-century tradition started by the hunt's founder, Plunkett Stewart, of hosting a party for landowners and neighbors. Hood's BBQ supplied pulled pork sandwiches, broccoli salad, and cornbread, and for dessert there was a whole buffet of fantastic baked goods AND excellent ice cream. It was fun to watch the kids' games, the local celebrity dunking tank, the hard-fought tug-of-war between the landowners and the subscribers (there were both ladies' and men's competitions) and especially the parade of "Cheshire beauties," the hunt's foxhounds, supervised by huntsman Ivan Dowling and whippers-in Stephanie Boyer and Bennett Barclay. My parents, who had never before been to the kennels or seen the hounds, were enthralled.
The third party of the weekend -- a sizeable gathering, with live music, volleyball, a bonfire, several grills and lots of kids running around  -- took place on a rambling property along the Brandywine ("Avoid the ditches," counseled the guy manning the gate). This, too, is an event that has been going on for many years, and the hosts have got it down to a science. As part of the fun, they supply inner tubes and transport you upstream in the bed of a pickup. You walk across a field, slide down a steep bank and then -- ahh -- float downstream. The water was clean, clear and warm, and the water level was generally fine: a couple of times we bumped our rear ends on the rocky bottom and needed to walk for a bit. It was pure bliss, gliding gently under the sycamores, bumping through the rapids and watching the birds swooping down to snatch insects on the creek's surface.
The hosts and hostesses at all three parties have my deep gratitude.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Sight distance

Thank you to Suzi McCoy of the Garden Media Group for cutting back the hedge in front of her office at Washington and State Streets in Kennett. The hedge blocked the sight distance for motorists trying to pull out onto State Street; I mentioned a few weeks ago that it was becoming a problem.

Mark Unruh

The skies looked ominous at the beginning of the concert in the park by Mark Unruh and his band on July 2: lightning was flashing to the northwest and thunder was rumbling ("extra bass," quipped a band member). But almost magically, the thunderstorm bypassed the park and those who stuck it out enjoyed a fantastic concert of bluegrass, jazz, gospel, yodeling and even Django Reinhardt ("Minor Swing"!) songs performed by the four talented musicians on the fiddle, guitar, bass, banjo and mandolin.
An incidental highlight was a group of adorably energetic little boys running around and, at the end, dancing up a storm in front of the pavilion.
Mark Unruh is also going to be playing at the Kennett Flash on July 12 and at the Brandywine Valley Association's free summer music series at 7:30 p.m. July 24.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Survey says ...

I just did my civic duty, if not happily: under threat of a $100 fine, I filled out the online American Community Survey for the U.S. Census Bureau.
I answered their detailed questions about my house, occupation, education, Internet connection and other utilities (do I have a flush toilet?), health insurance, ancestry ("American," I answered), and any disabilities.
I balked, however, when it came to the questions about income. That's nobody's business but mine; I clicked on "next" each time it asked for a number. The computer program prompted me for an estimate, but after I skipped over the prompt once, it took "no" for an answer on future questions of a financial nature.
The Census Bureau estimated it would take 40 minutes to complete. It took me only 10, I imagine because I'm a quick reader and because I'm a single person (you're supposed to answer all those questions for each person who lives at your address).
The introductory letter from the Census Bureau said, "Community leaders use this information to decide where schools, highways, hospitals, and other services are needed. The survey also is used to develop programs to reduce traffic congestion, provide job training, and plan for the health care needs of the elderly."
On privacy and intrusive-government grounds, I had qualms about completing the survey, even though the website assures us that our information will be kept confidential. Over lunch I shared my concerns with a friend whose political viewpoint leans toward the libertarian.
She told me to fill it out.
"You surprise me," I said. "I thought you'd absolutely refuse."
"Oh, I totally would have," she agreed. "Until you told me about the fine."

Reducing red tape

Well, you certainly don't hear this one every day: a municipality is seeking to reduce its red tape.
At their July meeting the West Marlborough supervisors said they'd be looking at the township's list of required permits and inspections so they could eliminate those that represented an unnecessary burden on property owners.
The supervisors' chairman, Bill Wylie, said the board members will be evaluating the list based on whether the regulations were really needed; he used the phrase "common sense" several times. The board will then hold a public work session to discuss their findings. The township's zoning officer, Al Giannantonio, will review the changes in case any of the permits slated for the chopping block are actually required by county or state law.
Mr. Wylie said some of the rules aren't widely known, such as one requiring homeowners to get a permit to replace a hot-water heater. A few residents at the meeting argued that home repairs, as opposed to new construction, shouldn't need permits, because the work might be urgent.
In other business at the brief meeting, road crew member Hugh Lofting Jr. said he and his colleagues put oil and chips on Newark Road between Routes 842 and 82; Lamborntown Road; Richard Wilson Drive; and a short stretch of West Road at Route 842. They also sprayed 37,000 square feet of soybean oil on Doe Run Church Road to keep the dust down. And, he said, in an understatement, "we mowed a lot."
In the police report, Lieutenant Bob Clarke said he issued 12 speeding tickets and four warnings in June.
The monthly meeting attracted all three supervisors, two township employees, eight township residents, and Skip Powell's Jack Russell, Emma.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

How to get involved

A friend suggested that I provide information about how readers can express their opinions about the controversial Barn at Spring Brook Farm situation. Great idea! Online petitions to support the Barn have been set up that you can sign (search for the farm name), and full information about donations is available on the Farm's Facebook page and on its website. The Barn's street address is 350 Locust Grove Rd, West Chester, PA 19382.
And you can attend the next Pocopson supervisors' meeting on Monday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the township building, 740 Denton Hollow Road. (Don't forget about the Route 52 detour.)
I should add that it will NOT help matters for those who support the farm to send threatening emails and make nasty phone calls to the neighbor whose complaints sparked the whole situation. Bad behavior by any party is only going to make it harder to resolve this already heated, emotional situation.