HILLENDALE: PTO election lawsuit is refiled

Hillendale Elementary School parent Kathleen Carmody has refiled her lawsuit against school principal Steve Dissinger and PTO co-president Jennifer Scattolino, accusing them of rigging a PTO election that she lost.
In late November, Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Tunnell dismissed the original suit, telling Mrs. Carmody that any amended complaint would have to be in the form of a derivative suit as a member of the PTO. In her new suit, Mrs. Carmody (who is an attorney) states that she represents all members of the PTO.
She wants a new election to be held.
Hillendale parents, already outraged by the original lawsuit, are circulating a petition at the school saying that Mrs. Carmody's actions "in no way represent our interests."
"I am not with her. I do not agree with her at all. And I will not let her speak for me or my family," said Hillendale parent Janette Hartney Grieb in an accompanying letter.
Al Iacocca, the attorney representing the PTO and Mrs. Scattolino, said when the lawsuit was first dismissed that Mrs. Carmody was trying to "bully her way back onto" the PTO board and said her motivation was "sour grapes."  
After she refiled, the school board's reaction was: "The Board maintains its position that this is, and continues to be, a frivolous and meritless lawsuit, as well as a huge waste of time and resources."

FELINE: An update on Clarence

One of the highlights of this year in my household has been watching Clarence, our rescue cat, come out his shell.
When Clarence arrived at the SPCA in West Chester, he was a starving and filthy stray. We adopted him on Oct. 23, and for the first several weeks he focused on getting his strength back: eating, drinking and sleeping. Now that the nine-year-old tabby is up to 11 lbs, he is starting to behave more like a typical cat.
He's gotten fussy about what he eats, ignoring any flavor of canned food except for Purina Classic Seafood Entrée (pate style, thank you) -- for this week, at least. He ignores the expensive organic treats I bought him from Wegman's.
Initially he showed no interest in cat toys. Then, a few weeks ago, I put a stuffed mouse next to him on the easy chair in my office where he likes to sleep. A moment later I heard a thump: he had knocked it to the floor. I returned it to the chair, and not only did he knock it off again but he jumped down after it and started batting it around with his paws. I was beyond thrilled.
One thing has not changed, though, and that is his sweet, affectionate nature. He purrs pretty much nonstop and loves to cuddle with his minders.

WINTER: On the bright side

It's one of those glass-half-empty or glass-half-full situations. Yes, the first day of winter (Dec. 22) means we have months of cold, soaring heating bills, over-hyped "winter weather events" and storm-related cancellations ahead of us.
But it also means that sunset will be advancing a few minutes later each day. It's depressing when it gets dark by 5 p.m.

NOTTINGHAM: A trip to the Herr's lights

On Dec. 14 we enjoyed an early dinner at the Nottingham Inn (once again forgetting to save room for ice cream) and then visited the drive-though Christmas lights display at Herr Foods. The lights are really beautiful, and the display (which runs through the end of December) is free and well worth the drive down the Route 1 bypass to Nottingham.
At the end of the tour is a sign remembering Miriam Hershey Herr, who died on Sept. 4 at age 89. She was the widow of James Herr, the founder of the company.

 

SURGERY: A white-bandage Christmas

A fellow I know had Mohs surgery the other day to remove a skin cancer on his neck, followed the next day by a skin graft to cover the wound. When I saw him, he had a thick white bandage covering the side and back of his neck. He admitted that the area was more than a little sore, but displaying his usual stoicism he downplayed the entire event as "a minor skirmish." His main concern was that the large bandage would frighten his grandchildren on Christmas Day.

UNIONVILLE: An after-dinner surprise

On Sunday afternoon I was chatting on the phone to the senior Tally-hos, who (wisely) have retreated to their southern quarters for the winter. I mentioned that we'd be having dinner that evening with some family members at Hood's, a family favorite. 
So the five of us had a delicious dinner, and after the plates were cleared, our waiter came over and announced that there was no bill; our meals (and his tip) had already been paid for! We were astonished and delighted.
Of course, Mum and Dad were our benefactors. They had phoned Larry Hood Sr. from down south and arranged to pick up our dinner tab! (Larry kept an admirable poker face throughout dinner so as not to spoil the surprise.)
Thank you from all of us to these kind and most generous parents. 

UHS: Age of wisdom, age of foolishness

Those concerned that American high-school curricula are being "dumbed down" can be reassured that the academics at Unionville High School are as rigorous as ever.
The Young Relative and his classmates are in the midst of a thorough study of Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." For each chapter, the YR reports (his shoulders sagging with effort), he is required to write a summary that includes not only the plot developments but also how each character has changed and the various literary devices that Dickens uses.
I couldn't help but contrast this close analysis to a Dickens seminar I took my senior year in college, where we read a novel a week and simply had to discuss a favorite passage.

DELAWARE: A Christmas lights road trip

For the first half-hour we thought we were on a wild-goose chase: the "must-see!" displays promised by the online itinerary of Delaware Christmas lights were pretty much duds.
But then we arrived at 1054 Red Lion Road in Bear. The Faucher family have transformed their property into an over-the-top facsimile of Who-ville from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The garage is Santa's living room, with a mechanical Santa in an easy chair. Cars were parked along the road and despite the sub-freezing temperatures, families got out to see the dazzling display. We were glad there was a donation box to help defray the homeowner's electric bill.

The Christmas display at the Fauchers' house in Bear, Del.

A Dr. Seuss-like Christmas tree at the Fauchers' house in Bear, Del.

The Who-ville display at the Fauchers' house in Bear, Del.

Our next stop was Odessa, where the historic houses were tastefully and conservatively decorated. Think Colonial Williamsburg style, with traditional evergreen wreaths highlighted with pineapples and citrus, and subtle lights in the windows.
Just east of Odessa -- and this was not on the itinerary -- we happened upon Ruddy Duck Court, a cul-de-sac where a homeowner has set up in the yard a lavish computer-controlled light display with a low-power FM soundtrack that you could tune in to on your car radio. The spectacular display started with "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," went through "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," the Flintstones Christmas song, and several others before finishing on a more somber note with Pachelbel's ethereal Canon.
Most of the animation appeared on a Christmas tree-shaped screen, but the green lights that outlined the house's roof joined in on several of the songs. It was just amazing. After watching the whole cycle, we pulled out to make room for another car of spectators.
On the way home, my driver remembered that we needed light bulbs, so we made a stop at the Newark Lowe's before heading back to Pennsylvania. What on earth could have made him think of light bulbs?