THE OTHER SIDE: Open house at the Parastudy center

When I was a kid, ESP cards were the rage for a while. They were white cards with simple symbols on them: a cross, a square, a circle, a star and wavy lines. The "sender" would select a card and try to send mental vibes about the identity to the "receiver."
My older sister was always the sender and I was always the hapless recipient. I never scored better than chance at identifying the symbols; indeed, sometimes worse. (It just occurred to me, years later, that maybe it was my sister's ESP that was deficient rather than mine. That possibility was never raised at the time, doubtless for some sibling-rivalry reason. Hmmm.)
So I may or may not be "sensitive" to spirits and such, but some friends who live in old homes around here swear they have experienced peculiar, inexplicable things. One friend goes to Gettysburg frequently to check out supposedly haunted places, and another makes a regular pilgrimage to Lilydale, New York, a hotspot for psychic mediums.
Those are the ones who might be interested in attending the 55th anniversary celebration of Parastudy, a group devoted to the "paranormal." "Founder's Day" will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at the group's Victorian mansion at 354 Valleybrook Road in Chester Heights (a little southeast of the Route 1/322 intersection). According to their website:
"The day will begin at 1 p.m. with honoring volunteers and leaders, past and present.
The afternoon will continue 1:45-4 p.m. with house tours, ESP tests, Pit games (a game invented by psychic Edgar Cayce), discounted psychic readings, including palmistry, tea readings, astrology readings and chair massage. There will also be aura readings, a herbal preparation sale, mini classes and a talk on the history of Parastudy’s Victorian mansion and its ghosts. The book store will be open. Bring a dish to share for the Pot Luck supper at 5  p.m. There is no admission charge to attend this event and the talks and tours are free."
(And if you want to try those ESP cards I mentioned, there's a printable version you can download from the Internet.)

 

HOBBIES: Yes, I still do needlepoint

I was at a particularly heated municipal meeting the other night (the one in Newlin) and brought along my needlepoint project to keep me occupied during the stretches when I wasn't schmoozing or taking notes.
I was surprised at the reaction my half-finished canvas got. A friend sitting next to me said it reminded her of a male needlework enthusiast she knows in England, and the time a stranger at an airport made a little hat for my friend's baby during a flight delay.
The woman behind me said she used to do needlepoint regularly but hadn't seen anyone doing it in 20 years. I guess she doesn't hang out with the hip crowd that I do: at a get-together on Saturday, another lady and I were both doing needlepoint, and she was enough of an expert not only to design her own patterns but also to critique my yarn choice (she thought a variegated yarn would be more suitable than the plain coral I was using).
I took the same project to a blood drive Thursday at St. Gabriel in Avondale, expecting to wait before they poked me. The older lady volunteering at the drive came over and said she misses doing embroidery because "they" don't make canvases anymore with the pattern stamped on it. Her daughter is trying to talk her into taking up counted cross-stitch, but she has her doubts. 
I find needlepoint to be an excellent hobby, very soothing and meditative, and you get a nice-looking pillow at the end of it.

SHOPPING CART: British food close to home

For the local Anglophiles (there seem to be an inordinate number), I have good news: there's a British food section at the Giant on Route 1 east of Kennett (the one that used to be a Genuardi's). Usually the only time I'm at that store is when I need to dash in and pick up an emergency missing item, so I hadn't really checked it out until a few weeks ago.
McVities Digestive Biscuits, Hobnobs, salad cream, Ribena, baked beans, canned mushy peas, Mars bars: all there! All in metric measurements! Such culinary delights, and such happy memories of the messy little kitchen in the dorm at my British university.
And when you're there, stop in and get a bagel at Palm-a-Bagel in the same shopping center. They are the best and so incredibly fresh.

 

[CAPTION: The British food section at the Longwood Giant.]

AVONDALE: Police are doing car seat safety checks

A "Unionville in the News" reader writes:

"Earlier this week my husband and I were at the Avondale State Police barracks to have our grandson's car seat installation inspected (upon the wishes of our daughter-in-law). 

Trooper Minnucci gave us the all okay after a good tutorial, checklist and inspection! The whole process took about 15 minutes and we were glad to know the car seat is secure for our grandchild. What a great idea for young families and extended families - and a challenge to something overlooked by many.
She mentioned there is going to be Troopers at a FREE Car Seat Inspection at the Avondale Fire Company, September 18th from 2:00 - 8:00pm. The only pre-requisite is to phone Trooper Minnucci at 610-268-2102 to secure a time without wait.
This is an ongoing service offered at the Avondale State Police barracks by appointment.  The troopers attend classes to be certified in car seat safety."
If you don't read this in time to make the inspection at the Avondale Fire Company, do call the state police and get your car seat checked. Car seats are new to many grandparents because when I was growing up, our only car safety measure was Mom shooting a protective hand across the front seat when she had to stop suddenly.

 

JENNERSVILLE: Age is just a number

There was a little bit of a backup checking in at the Y the other day. The woman in front of me was asking about swim lessons for her kid, and the polite (they are always polite) front-desk helper said, "Let me scan in these two young ladies behind you, and then I'll get you the information."
I, one of the so-called young ladies, looked at the woman next to me, who was of a similar age. In no sense, not even by courtesy, does the adjective apply to us.
"Young ladies?" I said. "Who's she talking about?"
"I think she needs bifocals," said my peer-group member with a laugh.

TEXTING: This message was lost in translation

Yesterday I was texting a friend and wanted to suggest that perhaps her anger was causing her to read too much into a situation. "Cum grano salis," I wrote. At least I tried to: my autospeller changed it from Latin to "Cummings granola Salisbury."

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Former Elvin property back on the market

In February 2013 the crumbling barn and long-abandoned farmhouse on the former Elvin farm along Apple Grove Road were torn down, lots of excavating was being done, and locals were curious about what the Rothmans would be building there. But no work has been done since, and now there's a for-sale sign on the property. Asking price for the 11-acre tract is $935,000. "Phenomenal hacking in all directions," reads the real-estate ad. ("Hacking," in equestrian lingo, means pleasure riding, not invading somebody else's computer.)
We stopped by the site on Saturday, disturbing a great blue heron. There are a few storage sheds on the property and the remains of barn walls. There's a giant pile of rubble from the demolition and earth-moving that's now covered by dense weeds and vines. Directly across the street from the site are the blue-and-white tents that will serve as stables for next weekend's big Plantation Field equestrian event.

[CAPTION: Ruin of a barn wall at the former Elvin property]

NEWLIN TOWNSHIP: Opposition to horse farm rules continues

At another standing-room-only meeting, Newlin Township residents voiced their passionate opposition to a proposed ordinance that would regulate equestrian operations.
At the Sept. 8 hearing, the residents made the same points to the township supervisors they had made at the township's Aug. 11 meeting: that the supervisors were jeopardizing their livelihoods without understanding the horse business and, in the longer term, endangering the sought-after rural character and lifestyle of Newlin by placing undue hardships on horse farm owners.
The supervisors said they will vote on the ordinance at their Oct. 13 meeting. Resident Lisa Thomas, who has collected almost 1,400 signatures on an online petition against the measure, asked if the supervisors would sit down and meet with the residents before the vote, but they did not answer her. Supervisors Rob Pearson said only that the board would take into account the residents' comments.
Among the speakers were landowners Ed and Susan Brown, Suzanne Schless, former Olympic rider and now coach Jessica Ransehousen of Blue Hill Farm on Powell Road, and Steven Siepser. Ben Barnett of Hilltop View Road drew a standing ovation when he asked if the supervisors had actually heard from anyone who supported the proposal. He suggested that the supervisors reject the ordinance and focus on more important issues facing the township, like the large development being proposed for the former Embreeville Hospital property.
A who's who of the local equestrian world was in the audience, including Olympic eventer Boyd Martin, who had just returned from competing in the World Equestrian Games in France.
The proposed ordinance would allow the boarding of horses as long as the farm in question meets certain requirements. If the farm fell short, however, the owners would have to apply for a special exception from the township's Zoning Hearing Board. The township charges $1,500 to hold such a hearing.
The residents' anger seems to focus on the requirements that the township wants to impose on boarding facilities, such as having at least three acres for the first horse and two acres for each additional one, as well as restrictions about where pastures can be located in terms of flood plains and steep slopes and where manure can be stored. The residents said the acreage requirements were arbitrary and unfair.
The supervisors have stressed that it was not their choice to deal with this situation but it was thrust upon them in the spring of 2013 when some Hilltop View Road residents complained that the new owners of a farm on the road, Mr. Barnett and his wife, had substantially increased the horse trailer traffic. The supervisors said the regulations on the books had never been enforced, and they couldn't enforce the rules on one boarding operation and not on all.
The proposed ordinance is posted on the township's website.

NEW GARDEN: A special meal at the Fire Hill Pub

We just got home from an excellent birthday dinner at the Fire Hill Pub, the new incarnation of the Brown Derby in downtown Toughkenamon.
My mussels were delicious and full of garlic (that's a good thing). They came with French fries and a grilled baguette and were better than the ones I had at a Main Line place recently. My favorite dinner partner wolfed down his crabcakes without sharing ("Too late," he crowed). They were served with colorful potatoes and the vegetable of the day (perfectly cooked broccoli and carrots; I also ordered the vegetables and loved them). Our waiter was a friendly and polite fellow.
The interior is considerably freshened up, and word seems to be getting out that the place has reopened. In fact, we wound up there on Sunday because on Saturday evening the parking lot behind the restaurant was completely full (it was the Saturday of the Mushroom Fest). When we got there on Sunday at about 7, it was much less crowded: there were several people at the bar watching football and a few tables of diners. The atmosphere is relaxed, and I thought the prices were very reasonable.
According to the menu, the restaurant is named Fire Hill because the Lenni-Lenape Indians referred to a nearby hill as Fire Brand Hill. (The menu also includes some alternate spellings and pronunciations of Toughkenamon, which we had fun trying out.)
Our waiter told us he hoped we return soon, and I think we will. An excellent meal. You can see their menu online.