Friday, September 26, 2014

POLITICS: More good advice from my mother

Over dinner last weekend the Young Relative was expounding on what he wants to do when he grows up, a favorite topic of his for many years. His latest idea was to somehow corner the market on knowledge and then be able to produce the correct answer for any problem. This, he believed, would guarantee him a powerful role in government.
His grandmother, normally the most supportive and sunny of women, was quick to dissuade him from this plan.
"Oh, no," she declared. "I don't want you going into politics. Politics is a dirty business."
It seems like an apt comment on this week's news.

WEST GROVE: Michael Green talks about Sufism

It was all about breathing for me on Wednesday evening, from Pilates class at the Y (where you "exhale to execute" the move) straight to a lecture on Sufism given by Michael Green, during which he paused several times and encouraged us to focus on our breathing instead of on his words.
The talk was part of "Faces and Faiths of our Neighbors," a series on world religions sponsored by West Grove Quaker Meeting, and it drew a few dozen people to the meetinghouse. Michael shared some basics about the origins of the faith, his teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, and how Sufi teachings have shaped his life. (Michael is an artist who lives on an East Fallowfield farm; michaelgreenarts.com) He also did a pretty funny imitation of an old-fashioned "Quaker" quaking and displayed remarkable dexterity when he illustrated a thumb and finger having an animated conversation. It was not a standard PowerPoint presentation, and thank goodness for that.
Oct. 1 is Judaism, presented by Maury Hoberman; October 8 is Hinduism with Milan Sandhu; and October 15 is Buddhism with Michele Siegel. The talks start at 7 p.m.; the meetinghouse is at 153 E. Harmony Rd. in West Grove.

KENNETT: Welcoming some out-of-towners

It's fun to see Kennett through a fresh eyes sometimes. After I popped in to the Bayard Taylor library on a recent sunny afternoon, I spied a couple eating ice cream outside La Michoacana across State Street and thought that a late-season cup of Brownie Delight would be an excellent reward for finishing up an unpleasant editing job (a book about the "dirty war" in Argentina; not cheerful).
So I started chatting with the man and woman, who were raving about how delicious their ice cream was. It turns out they were visiting from New York City and made a particular point of stopping in at La Michoacana; they even put the address on their GPS.
The woman asked me if she was correct in guessing that there was a significant Mexican population in the area. I said yes, indeed, and told her about the links with the mushroom industry. And that led to a discussion about the Mushroom Fest, Cinco de Mayo, and the very fine Mexican restaurants we are lucky to have in the area. They asked for a recommendation and I was happy to oblige!

PLANTATION FIELD: Lots of mums and pumpkins for sale

On Monday, after the big three-day equestrian event, I returned to Plantation Field for what has turned into an annual fall decorating sale. The organizers buy hundreds of mums and pumpkins to decorate the jumps and give an autumnal feel to the course -- and then they try to recoup some of the cost by selling them at bargain-basement prices.
I did my part by loading up my vehicle for myself and a pal, but it barely made a dent in the stock: workers just kept bringing more Gator-loads of leftovers off the course.

POCOPSON: Talking to the animals at Baily's

We spent Sunday afternoon with Jumpy the Turkey, Carlton the pot-bellied pig, a three-day-old calf, chickens, Jersey cows and lots of other farm animals at the open house at Bailey's Dairy in Pocopson. It was so much fun saying "hi" to the animals and watching the little kids interact with them. One toddler was fascinated by a pygmy goat and kept following him around; the goat ignored him and just kept munching grass.
There was a guess-the-pumpkin's-weight contest. My companion tried to lift the enormous vegetable and estimated it was about the weight of two-and-a-half economy-size bags of dog food. We wrote down 105 on the contest form; it turned out to be 139 lbs.
The winning name in the name-the-calf contest was "Magic" (it was supposed to be an "M" name because the calf's Mom is "Mistletoe").
There were ice-cream sundaes for sale, with the same chocolate syrup used in Baily's wonderful chocolate milk. And if farm animals and ice cream were enough, there was even a TV set up outside so hard-core NFL fans could watch the Eagles game.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

SPRINGDELL: Losing an old-timer

My friend and neighbor Bernie Langer died yesterday, and I will miss him very much. I met Bernie, who lived in the village of Springdell, when I started going to West Marlborough township meetings. He was a fixture at those meetings, even bringing along his little oxygen tank when he needed it in the past few years. He had an opinion about every township issue: when the "public comment" portion of the meeting arrived, every eye went straight to Bernie.
Bernie was a dog lover, a former fox hunter, and a family man; he was active at St. Michael Lutheran Church. He was a great storyteller and loved talking about "the old days." During a recent lull in a meeting he told me about how as a youth in New England he would cut ice on ponds. He had lived all over the world and had a huge range of interests (Thai food was a favorite topic). In July I wrote about the serpentine barrens in Nottingham, and he brought to the next township meeting some little vials containing rock specimens. Another time he and his wife Claudette gave me an orchid plant that he had won as a door prize; he thought it had a better chance of survival at my house than his.
West Marlborough will not be the same without you, Bernie. Rest in peace, my friend, with your beloved dogs and your son Michael.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

WEST MARLBOROUGH: A full evening of meetings

This month's West Marlborough township meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7, is going to be a little bit different. First the township planning commission will meet at 6 p.m.; then the township supervisors will convene at 6:30 p.m. to discuss possible revisions to the township's schedule of fees for permits and hearings. The supervisors have said they want to revisit the list so they can remove unnecessary rules that are burdensome to homeowners. After that discussion, the board will hold its usual meeting.
I'm told that a possible item on the planning commission's agenda is a discussion about neighboring Newlin Township's proposed ordinance to regulate horse boarding operations. Newlin's supervisors are scheduled to vote Monday, Oct. 13, on the hugely controversial new ordinance, which has drawn an outcry from that township's equestrian community.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Field Day at the range

It's Field Day at the Southern Chester County Sportsmen's & Farmers' Association from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. According to their flier, there will be demonstrations of black powder, long range, alternate target, archery, fly-fishing, trap shooting and a Gatling gun. The public is welcome, with the caveat "ear and eye protection recommended." The range is on Sportsmen's Lane off Route 926, just east of the village of London Grove. Their website is www.sccsfa.org.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

UNIONVILLE: Plantation Field horse trials

The prestigious Plantation Field Three-Day Event this past weekend attracted high-level and up-and-coming horses and riders to Unionville from far and wide. We stopped by on Saturday, watched the stadium jumping part of the competition, and walked through the vendors' area (mostly tack, art and antiques, and of course the Dubarry boot guy standing in a basin of water). On Sunday we spent a few hours out on the cross-country course with two friends who were fence-judging. On both days we got to see to lots and lots of friends (if I tried to name them all, I know I'd miss somebody).
It's amazing to watch these human and equestrian athletes at work: they make it look easy. I was simply staggered by the way they can clear a jump that's barely wider than the horse's body, or defy gravity by taking a jump that's at the top of a steep slope.
In addition to the horses, I always enjoy watching the photographers and the dogs at equestrian events. We spotted one photographer friend (unmistakable in her giant hat) standing right in the middle of the stadium jumping ring, next to a jump that wasn't being used in that round. On cross-country day the photographers clustered next to the especially dramatic "ruins" and water jumps.
Two of my best pals know quite a lot about dogs, and they have a great time at equestrian events identifying less-common breeds and mixes. On Saturday, among many others, we saw a very animated Vizsla and three Great Pyrenees.
And I loved the two-page tribute to my friend and neighbor Denis Glaccum in the Plantation Field program.
Even if nothing else is going on, I enjoy just being at Plantation Field: the sweeping views over the countryside are spectacular. Especially so at this year's competition, which was a picture-perfect weekend (once the Sunday morning fog cleared).

WEST GROVE: A good meal at a church BBQ

On Saturday we were running late for most of our adventures, but thank goodness we were early for the annual chicken BBQ at the West Grove United Methodist Church on North Guernsey Road. We showed up just before 5, when the doors officially opened, and the room quickly filled up. The big portion of chicken was very tasty, and you also got a hot potato, applesauce, a roll, coleslaw and home-made desserts. Talk about a filling meal! The Boy Scouts who acted as servers and bussers were very helpful. One of them got to dress up in a chicken suit and walk around making "bawk-BAWK" noises. And the opera overtures as background music were an unexpected touch!
Our fellow chicken-eaters were a very welcoming bunch. We shared a table with some Jenners' Pond residents and the retired Chester County sheriff, Robert Erling (his license plate reads "Sheriff Bob").The elderly woman next to me was quite amusing: She urged me to pick up the chicken rather then messing around with a knife and fork, and she sang the praises of putting an ample amount of butter on your potato.

UNIONVILLE: Pet blessing on Sunday

Annalie Korengel Lorgus, Pastor of the Unionville Presbyterian Church, alerted me that the church will be holding its second annual Pet Blessing and Ice Cream Social from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, in the back yard of the manse (the building across Wollaston Road from the church). Last year I took my guinea pig Binnie to the event, and this year I hope to take my new little cavy, Gilbert.
Speaking of our furry friends, last night at an outdoor concert in Gap I saw a black-and-white rabbit being walked around on a leash. Can't say I've ever seen a rabbit on a leash before.