NYT: Doin' the meta

(Blog readers, this is an entry just for my fellow solvers of the WSJ Friday Crossword Contest. It has nothing to do with Unionville.)
Dear Fellow Muggles,
I thought it might amuse you to see some of my "rabbit holes."
1. I took synonyms of the phrase "that's why" like "reason" and "explanation" and tried crossing out the letters from the key answers and seeing what remained.
2. I tried looking for synonyms of "that's why" in the key answers -- found "reason" in waynesworld, "intent" in tenniscourt and "aim" in macadamia nut.
3. After I noticed the scrambled "Seattle" in thenleast, I really thought I was on to something: Maybe all the cities had the same newspaper name, and a key one would be missing! (As it happens, it's the Seattle Times.) I found "Tucson" in tenniscourt, "Acadia" in macadamia and "Newsday" in waynesworld.
4. The Y! Must somehow use the Y! Thought of "net" from tenniscourt, added "y" and got "nyet." Pravda! Needless to say that went nowhere.
5. I finally got it on Day 2 when I started thinking about the meaning of the key answers rather than their letters. Not being a baseball fan, I had Googled the teams of the NL East when filling in the grid, so I had "NAT" in the back of my head. I think "NET" was the next, and then -- long shot -- nit as in nit-picking. When I noticed the vowels were in alpha order, I had my epiphany.
Awesome puzzle, Matt. Thank you!

WAWA: It was free coffee day

The Nottingham Wawa has reopened after being closed for a month for renovations. To celebrate, the store offered free coffee on its first day of reopening. A particularly ethics-minded friend of mine who's a regular at the store worried whether it would be okay for her to go back for seconds on coffee. I told her if she spends anywhere close to as much as I do at Wawa, between sodas, subs and soft pretzels, she should be in the clear!

WEST BRADFORD: Celebrating Trimbleville

My friend Linda Kaat asked me to mention that the Friends of Martin's Tavern (of which she is president and founder) will be unveiling a "Trimbleville Historic District" marker at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at 311 Broad Run Road in West Bradford Township. 
Trimbleville takes its name from Irish immigrant James Trimble. During the Revolutionary War, on Sept. 11, 1777, the British troops crossed the west branch of the Brandywine at Trimble's Ford, then turned east at Trimbleville en route to their victory at the Battle of the Brandywine.

BRANDYWINE: A day on the river

We spent Saturday afternoon tubing on the Brandywine, floating, paddling and wading from Embreeville to Northbrook. Our choice of day was perhaps not the best -- the water level was very low and the creek was so slow that what is normally a two-hour trip took almost four hours. Even so, it was a glorious day to be outside in the sun.
We used the services of Northbrook Canoe Co. this time instead of relying on a friend's ramshackle pickup truck to take us to the launching spot. The Northbrook people were marvelous. Even though it was a very busy day for them  -- there were dozens of customers waiting to set out in tubes, canoes and kayaks -- the employees handled everything safely, efficiently and with good humor. Even the guys loading tubes into the truck were pros and seemed to take pride in how precisely and quickly they tossed, caught and stacked the tubes.
 

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Help "the bunny people" get back on their feet

You probably heard about, or saw, the serious house and garage fire at Route 926 and Schoolhouse Lane the afternoon of Sept. 2. It's the house that used to have the amusing large rabbit statue out by the road.
The residents, Officer Robert Detweiler of the West Whiteland Township Police Department and his family, are looking for temporary housing, and West Whiteland is collecting money and gift cards to help the family rebuild. The address is Joseph M. Catov Jr., Chief of Police, West Whiteland Police Department, 101 Commerce Drive, Exton PA 19341. (I'm making my check out to Robert Detweiler and mailing it to the chief.)

SMELL: The first cranial nerve

The other day in the Y locker room I told the woman next to me how nice she smelled. Well, it turns out that her olfactory nerve doesn't work very well (she can't taste very well, either), and she often worries that she smells bad. She couldn't stop thanking me for reassuring her.
What are the odds!
I told her how a scent can instantly take me back to a specific time and place, and she said yes, smell and memory are closely linked. Indeed, the first thing the doctors tested her for was memory loss or incipient Alzheimer's (negative).

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Not in my back yard

Tilda hosted a few urbanites this week who were definitely out of their element here in West Marlborough. One of them criticized what she assumed was an unmown lawn -- a serious lapse, in her eyes.
I replied that it was in fact a hay field, and the hay, after being cut, would be used to feed horses. Hmmph! She still thought it would look far better mown.
I couldn't wait to tell a friend about this, and we had a good laugh.
"Evidently not a country gal," she said.

IN PERSON: The woman behind the name

Local balladeer Charlie Zahm and fiddler Tad Marks played a lovely outdoor concert in the walnut grove at Primitive Hall in West Marlborough on Aug. 28, and I was there as a board member and tour guide.
During intermission I was walking over to talk to friends and eat their food when I overheard some people wondering if Tilda was there (I had given the concert a blurb in my column).
"I wonder who she is?" one woman said.
I stopped and said, "Umm . . . that would be me."
The three of them, two ladies and a gentleman, were so kind and said the nicest things about my column. Apparently it is the first thing they read in the paper, and they even discuss it afterwards!
They asked me how I manage to fit so much into my schedule (a question I'm asking myself after my four-state extravaganza of the past few days). One woman even said she hopes the Young Relative has a successful cross-country season: "He is doing so well," she commented.

DETOURS: No date set for roundabout work

There is a great deal of interest in the roundabout involving Stargazer, Strasburg, Romansville and Shadyside Roads that's proposed as part of the "Stargazer Village" development, as the detours during construction will affect a great many people.
Construction on the roundabout was supposed to start Aug. 15, but the state Department of Transportation realized that its detours weren't going to work due to the weight restrictions on some of the roads.
Here is the latest from West Bradford Township's website:

1. Developer continues to work with PennDOT to revise the detour plans to minimize impact on the community and traveling public.
    
2. At this point, PennDOT has not approved a revised detour route, so a date for closure has not yet been established.
    
3. Sewer main extension on Romansville Road will be coordinated with the road closures for the roundabout.  Residents who are to receive laterals will be sent letters via USPS mail once a date certain for construction is set.  At that point, placement of the green flags for lateral location will be required.

**PennDOT requires that construction closures on State roadways are posted a minimum of TWO weeks in advance of the closure.  Be alert for signage announcing proposed closure dates in the near future.

Please keep in mind that all of this is subject to changes and/or updates as PennDOT works through the detour planning.  As we receive updates, we will share them."

SKY TOUR: Things are looking up

Pete Kennedy asked me to mention that the Chester County Astronomical Society is hosting a Sky Tour starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 10, at the Tino Leto Athletic Fields on Walnut Street, Kennett Square. "Several telescopes will be set up for viewing, and celestial wonders will be pointed out using a green laser light."

LIBRARY: Donna Murray resigns

There were a couple of news items from the Bayard Taylor/Kennett Library this week.
First, Library Director Donna Murray resigned to take a job with the Ridley Township Public Library in Folsom, Delaware County. Her last day will be Sept. 16. I feel sorry for Donna, who had to do the best she could to keep the library going through all kinds of turmoil, including a toxic former library board that made all kinds of very public gaffes. The stress of the ensuing uproar would traumatize even the toughest of us. Donna has been library director since 2003, when Joe Lordi retired. The library board is forming a search committee.
Second, the library will be unveiling its new signage and logo on Sept. 15. While keeping the "Bayard Taylor Memorial Library" sign in place on the front of the library, "Kennett Library" signs will be added to the front and side doors. I've seen the new logo but was sworn to silence until it's officially revealed.

FEEDBACK: Hearing from my readers

As expected when I venture into the realm of religion, I got some criticism regarding the "Jesus Is My Prozak" item in last week's column. Letter-writers informed me that I was a bully and a bad Christian, questioned my understanding of both freedom of speech and metaphor, and suggested I had overreacted. Another letter-writer displayed an impressive knowledge of Bible quotes.

SUNFLOWERS: Yellow journalism in Maryland

The mother of all sunflower fields is at the intersection of Hess Road and Jarrettsville Pike in Monkton, Maryland. A photographer friend told me about it, and even though I was expecting something special, I gasped when I first saw it: it's an ocean of yellow stretching out to the horizon.
The field is about 55 miles southwest of Unionville, and you're on Route 1 for most of the trip (it's about a half-hour beyond the Conowingo Dam).
On the Friday afternoon when I drove down, a lot of people had pulled off on the side of the road to marvel at the sight and take photographs. The Royal Farms convenience store just across the street seemed to be doing a land-office business.

This stunning sunflower field is in Monkton, Maryland.

5K RACE: "Friends Not Foes"

UHS teacher and coach Mark Lacianca asked me to mention the "Friends Not Foes" 5K race that's being put on by the Kennett and Unionville High School cross-country teams on Sunday, Nov. 13. They're looking for sponsors, volunteers and participants.
Mr. Lacianca writes:
"The Kennett and Unionville runners have been practicing together the past couple of years at different times. This summer we took it to another level and met three days a week at 6:30 am for voluntary runs,  M + W at Unionville High School and Fridays at Kennett High School. We routinely had between 40 and 60 runners from both schools. The captains from both teams have worked hard and worked together to put the race together." 
The race starts at 9 a.m. at Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett Square. Online registration is $25 and ends Nov. 11 (runsignup.com).

WILLOWDALE: No longer vacant

Turner & Co., a women's clothing boutique, is going to be moving into the space formerly occupied by the venerable Willowdale Country Store at Routes 926 and 82. If the name rings a bell, you might have seen their booth at large equestrian events like the Devon Horse Show and Wellington. This will be their first time in a real "bricks-and-mortar" store. Some of the brands they carry are J Brand, Splendid, Ella Moss, Citizens of Humanity, Barbour, Autumn Cashmere, Joie and Blundstone.

LITTER: A good deed

On Thursday afternoon I spotted a West Marlborough neighbor risking life and limb to improve the appearance of our beautiful countryside: he was standing in the middle of Route 842 cleaning up a bag of trash scattered along the road in the area that old-timers call "Club Hill." He had put out a traffic cone to warn oncoming motorists.
This same gentleman routinely stops to pick up litter along the roadside, which is why there's often a stack of discarded beer bottles and cans and fast-food wrappers in the bed of his pickup.
He doesn't brag about it, and I know for a fact he'll be embarrassed when he reads this. But if there were more people like him, the world would be a better place.