Monday, October 6, 2014
UPDATE: Service scheduled for the late Bernie Langer
In last week's column I wrote about the death of Bernie Langer, who lived in the village of Springdell here in West Marlborough Township. I just received word that his service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville. Bernie was very interested in township matters, and there's going to be a noticeably empty chair at this week's municipal meeting.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
STATION 36: Firefighters show how they rescue car crash victims
Something new at the Unionville Community Fair this year was a demonstration by the Po-Mar-Lin firefighters of how they rescue people trapped in cars. It was fascinating to watch (given that there wasn't an injured victim inside, of course). First they secured the car in place, then they cut out the windshield, removed the doors and finally sawed off the top. The men and women worked with the efficiency of a well-trained pit crew. We're lucky to have these volunteers (Po-Mar-Lin is still an all-volunteer force) on our side when they're needed.
UNIONVILLE: Gratitude for the life of Marcus Macaluso
What an outpouring of both grief and gratitude there has been for Marcus Macaluso, who died on Oct. 3. During the week that he was in the hospital, his friends gathered at 7 p.m. each night under the Penn Oak at London Grove Friends Meeting to pray for him. Tributes on social media have mentioned what a kind and loving man he was and how he served as an inspiration to a great variety of people scattered far and wide. So many folks have shared how Marcus's example helped them to turn their lives around and put them on a healthier path toward recovery.
He will be greatly missed, and the community's thoughts are with his parents and his loved ones. May they find comfort in knowing what a hugely positive impact he had on so many people in his too-short life. As one mutual friend wrote on Facebook, "Don't know where I would be without your infinite kindness and wisdom. Will miss you dearly. Until another time & place, my friend."
Marcus' memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 25, at London Grove Friends Meeting House. Memorial contributions may be made to Kacie's Cause, 232 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348 (a nonprofit that raises awareness of heroin addiction) and Kennett Area Community Service, P.O. Box 1025, Kennett Square, PA 19348. Or simply do an act of kindness in his memory.
He will be greatly missed, and the community's thoughts are with his parents and his loved ones. May they find comfort in knowing what a hugely positive impact he had on so many people in his too-short life. As one mutual friend wrote on Facebook, "Don't know where I would be without your infinite kindness and wisdom. Will miss you dearly. Until another time & place, my friend."
Marcus' memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 25, at London Grove Friends Meeting House. Memorial contributions may be made to Kacie's Cause, 232 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348 (a nonprofit that raises awareness of heroin addiction) and Kennett Area Community Service, P.O. Box 1025, Kennett Square, PA 19348. Or simply do an act of kindness in his memory.
Friday, October 3, 2014
NEW LONDON: A variety show with words, music and dancing
Last Saturday evening we headed to the New London United Methodist Church's "open mic" coffeehouse, held at the church at 1010 State Road, west of Route 896. The old-fashioned wooden-floored hall, with a raised stage at one end, was a charming venue. Mercedes Case, the pastor, told us it was formerly a Grange Hall and an Odd Fellows Hall, with the church on the second floor (until a fire destroyed the second floor).
I had no clue what to expect from the performers, but it turned out to be an entertaining evening. The headliner was a pop trio comprising a guitarist, a bass player and a drummer. There was audience participation in three of their songs: for one we were all issued percussion instruments; in another we joined in on the chorus; and in "Lean on Me" six of us were called up to form a chorus line. (I percussed, sang and boogied with the greatest enthusiasm. Just ask my long-suffering date.)
After the band, the next performers were a poet named Rosemary who formerly sold ads for the Daily Local News; a guitarist who sang a few lively Appalachian ditties; a fiddler who alternated playing and singing verses of a hymn; and a trouper of a woman who sang the classic "Unforgettable."
I give them all credit for getting up there on stage! And wouldn't you know, I ran into the poet outside the Jennersville Starbucks a few days later.
The next coffeehouse is Saturday, Oct. 25, starting at 7 p.m. Admission is a bargain: only $5. There are baked goods and drinks for sale.
I had no clue what to expect from the performers, but it turned out to be an entertaining evening. The headliner was a pop trio comprising a guitarist, a bass player and a drummer. There was audience participation in three of their songs: for one we were all issued percussion instruments; in another we joined in on the chorus; and in "Lean on Me" six of us were called up to form a chorus line. (I percussed, sang and boogied with the greatest enthusiasm. Just ask my long-suffering date.)
After the band, the next performers were a poet named Rosemary who formerly sold ads for the Daily Local News; a guitarist who sang a few lively Appalachian ditties; a fiddler who alternated playing and singing verses of a hymn; and a trouper of a woman who sang the classic "Unforgettable."
I give them all credit for getting up there on stage! And wouldn't you know, I ran into the poet outside the Jennersville Starbucks a few days later.
The next coffeehouse is Saturday, Oct. 25, starting at 7 p.m. Admission is a bargain: only $5. There are baked goods and drinks for sale.
KENNETT PAPER: The ancestors of "Unionville in the News"
Yesterday in the Kennett Y locker room I ran into my friend Joan W., who worked for The Kennett Paper way back in its infancy, some 25 years ago. We started reminiscing about previous Kennett Paper columnists from way back in the day, like F. M. Mooberry, who did a gardening column that was the equivalent of a master class in horticulture; the late John "Jack" Horty, who wrote a charming local-history column; and of course the late Teddy Browning, whose beautifully written "Notes from Turtle Creek" remains an inspiration.
UNIONVILLE FAIR: Getting my priorities straight at the preview party
Not only is the Denim & Diamonds party a fun way to kick off the Unionville Community Fair, it's also utterly irresistible to hyper-competitive sorts like me who need to know as early as humanly possible how our entries fared.
Normally at a party I'm a pretty standard guest: I look around, see who's there and where the food is, and start socializing.
Not at Denim & Diamonds. Oh, no. I check in and then make a beeline for whatever entry I'm most excited about (this year, it was the Adult Vegetables table). The result was most gratifying: a blue ribbon tied to the stem of my pumpkin!
Having slaked my curiosity, it was time to see how my friends had done. I had volunteered to text two equally chomping-at-the-bit friends who weren't at the preview party. I wandered over to the eggs section, where I was delighted to find that a friend's blue eggs took a Best of Show ribbon! I took a photo and posted it on Facebook.
Then I returned to the Adult Vegetables competition; a gym friend had asked me to see how his entries had done. Turns out he is one of the most skilled gardeners around-- I have seen his name on Fair entries for years but never made the connection. As usual, at this year's Fair he won at least a dozen blue ribbons for his wonderful vegetable specimens. I texted him about his success; it was a lengthy message.
Duty out of the way, I got a glass of Chadds Ford white wine and put on my sociable hat, yacking with all of the great "Fair friends" I've made over the years, including Karen D'Agusto, Karen Statz, Debra Swayne, Dave Salomaki, Sharon Parker, Berta Rains, Barbara Rechenberg (mother of this year's Fair Queen, Carly Rechenberg), East Marlborough Township Supervisor John Sarro, Fair past president Jayne Shea and this year's president, Danielle Chamberlain. Jaclyn McCabe was the preview party coordinator.
I bid on a few silent auction items -- a Foxy Loxy gift card and a batik gym bag -- but was quickly outbid. The highlight of the live auction was Embreeville resident Robin Mastripolito's mouth-watering gourmet cupcakes, which sold for $80 a dozen!
Triple Fresh of Ercildoun did the catering and made pulled-pork and roast beef sliders, cooked-to-order pasta and a very nice salad.
Normally at a party I'm a pretty standard guest: I look around, see who's there and where the food is, and start socializing.
Not at Denim & Diamonds. Oh, no. I check in and then make a beeline for whatever entry I'm most excited about (this year, it was the Adult Vegetables table). The result was most gratifying: a blue ribbon tied to the stem of my pumpkin!
Having slaked my curiosity, it was time to see how my friends had done. I had volunteered to text two equally chomping-at-the-bit friends who weren't at the preview party. I wandered over to the eggs section, where I was delighted to find that a friend's blue eggs took a Best of Show ribbon! I took a photo and posted it on Facebook.
Then I returned to the Adult Vegetables competition; a gym friend had asked me to see how his entries had done. Turns out he is one of the most skilled gardeners around-- I have seen his name on Fair entries for years but never made the connection. As usual, at this year's Fair he won at least a dozen blue ribbons for his wonderful vegetable specimens. I texted him about his success; it was a lengthy message.
Duty out of the way, I got a glass of Chadds Ford white wine and put on my sociable hat, yacking with all of the great "Fair friends" I've made over the years, including Karen D'Agusto, Karen Statz, Debra Swayne, Dave Salomaki, Sharon Parker, Berta Rains, Barbara Rechenberg (mother of this year's Fair Queen, Carly Rechenberg), East Marlborough Township Supervisor John Sarro, Fair past president Jayne Shea and this year's president, Danielle Chamberlain. Jaclyn McCabe was the preview party coordinator.
I bid on a few silent auction items -- a Foxy Loxy gift card and a batik gym bag -- but was quickly outbid. The highlight of the live auction was Embreeville resident Robin Mastripolito's mouth-watering gourmet cupcakes, which sold for $80 a dozen!
Triple Fresh of Ercildoun did the catering and made pulled-pork and roast beef sliders, cooked-to-order pasta and a very nice salad.
SUPERMARKET: Sometimes going to the store is full of stories
Most days a trip to the grocery store is pretty routine: checking off the standard items on the list, using coupons, saying hi to a few people, deciding on what kind of ice cream to buy this week. But not today.
First off, in the produce aisle they were selling small plastic cartons of end-of-season blueberries for $7.99. Worse, all the boxes had bruised fruit on the bottom. The shopper next to me watched me turn over ever box looking for a passable one.
"Just shows you how long they've been sitting there, at that price," she astutely observed.
Then there was a woman wearing a surgical mask over her face who bought the newspaper -- either she'd been reading all the stories about the Ebola virus or she was especially sensitive to germs, poor thing.
A group of friends was chatting in the lobby. I heard only one line: "He don't dance, he don't drink, he don't party no more." Judging from the woman's tone of voice, this was not an improvement.
In the parking lot I saw a kind employee loading a woman's groceries in her car trunk as she approached slowly, pushing her walker.
And finally I saw a sweet little kid wearing a fancy princess dress sitting in the shopping cart as her mother unloaded groceries. I complimented her lovely dress and sparkly shoes.
"Who was dat?" she asked her mother as I walked away.
"That," said her mother, "was a very nice lady."
First off, in the produce aisle they were selling small plastic cartons of end-of-season blueberries for $7.99. Worse, all the boxes had bruised fruit on the bottom. The shopper next to me watched me turn over ever box looking for a passable one.
"Just shows you how long they've been sitting there, at that price," she astutely observed.
Then there was a woman wearing a surgical mask over her face who bought the newspaper -- either she'd been reading all the stories about the Ebola virus or she was especially sensitive to germs, poor thing.
A group of friends was chatting in the lobby. I heard only one line: "He don't dance, he don't drink, he don't party no more." Judging from the woman's tone of voice, this was not an improvement.
In the parking lot I saw a kind employee loading a woman's groceries in her car trunk as she approached slowly, pushing her walker.
And finally I saw a sweet little kid wearing a fancy princess dress sitting in the shopping cart as her mother unloaded groceries. I complimented her lovely dress and sparkly shoes.
"Who was dat?" she asked her mother as I walked away.
"That," said her mother, "was a very nice lady."
Thursday, October 2, 2014
TYPOS: Autocorrect goes to the dark side
This week's autocorrect FAIL: I was texting a friend, telling her about my entries at the Unionville Community Fair. I typed "zinnias and gomphrena" and it came out "zombies and Gomorrah." That would certainly take the Fair to a whole different level, wouldn't it!
And in another example of the strange new electronic world we live in, I just used a $100 rebate card that I received from a Verizon tablet purchase to buy a $100 parking pass to the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. That worked out well.
And in another example of the strange new electronic world we live in, I just used a $100 rebate card that I received from a Verizon tablet purchase to buy a $100 parking pass to the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. That worked out well.
FAITH: Maury Hoberman explains Judaism
Maury Hoberman, president of the Kesher Israel synagogue in West Chester, gave this past week's "Faiths of our Neighbors" lecture at West Grove Friends Meeting on Oct. 1. An engaging and amusing speaker, he discussed Jewish history (very briefly), denominations (which vary widely in their interpretation of Biblical laws), religious practices and rituals (which again differ according to how observant the person is), and current trends in the faith. He believes it's important for rabbis to pursue continuing education and for congregations to keep and attract members by emphasizing the present-day relevance of their teachings.
He said that Jews are supposed to pray three times a day, mindfully and with clear intention. I didn't realize that Saturday-morning services last for three hours!
Dr. Hoberman used the interesting analogy of a human body to describe interfaith dialogue: different religions may be different body organs, but they're all necessary and they all have to work together to make up the whole. He also said that both vertical and horizontal connections are important ways of expressing faith: vertical connections with God and horizontal ones with our fellow humans.
He said that Jews are supposed to pray three times a day, mindfully and with clear intention. I didn't realize that Saturday-morning services last for three hours!
Dr. Hoberman used the interesting analogy of a human body to describe interfaith dialogue: different religions may be different body organs, but they're all necessary and they all have to work together to make up the whole. He also said that both vertical and horizontal connections are important ways of expressing faith: vertical connections with God and horizontal ones with our fellow humans.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
GED: Going back to the basics
A woman I know is studying for her GED (more power to her!). She was telling me she's having trouble memorizing the multiplication tables, because for decades she has just used a calculator to do any math she needed to do. And next on her semester's syllabus is algebra and trigonometry. I wonder how much of my high-school math I remember?
And speaking of getting stuck in a behavioral rut, I found myself annoyed that I had to park at the far end of the jammed parking lot at the Jennersville Y the other day. Fortunately I quickly realized how foolish this was: After all, the whole purpose of going to the gym is, in fact, to get some exercise.
And speaking of getting stuck in a behavioral rut, I found myself annoyed that I had to park at the far end of the jammed parking lot at the Jennersville Y the other day. Fortunately I quickly realized how foolish this was: After all, the whole purpose of going to the gym is, in fact, to get some exercise.
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