GARDEN: A mudfest

With all the rain we've had, the lower part of my garden has become a swamp. I was removing dead sunflower stalks and the ground was so wet that I could pull them up with little more than a simple tug; usually it takes brute force and kicking with a sturdy boot. The holes filled up immediately with water.
Despite the mud, my fall crop of carrots seems to be thriving.

ORGANIC: A Gala choice

A friend reports that he inadvertently purchased an organic Gala apple at the Acme, recognizing his mistake only when he entered the code number at the register and realized it had five digits rather than four. He said it was delicious, but at $3.50 a pound -- meaning about $1.75 an apple -- he's going to stick with the regular kind for his lunchbox.

LAWYERS: Temple and Teti recognized

Two attorneys, L. Peter Temple of Kennett Square and Louis N. Teti of West Chester, will receive the Chester County Community Foundation's "Super Door Opener Award" at the philanthropic foundation's annual meeting in West Chester on Oct. 22. Mr. Temple is a partner at Larmore Scarlett and Mr. Teti is a partner at MacElree Harvey. The award marks "their distinguished efforts in opening doors to legacy philanthropy," according to a press release.


Louis N. Teti (left) and L. Peter Temple (right).

STAR: From UHS to FBI

Huge congratulations to Zeeko Zaki, Unionville High School class of 2008, who stars in the new CBS series "FBI" as Special Agent Omar Adom "OA" Zidan. In the runup to the Sept. 25 premiere, he's been busy doing publicity for the show, and you can watch any number of interviews with him online. The show is about the "inner workings" of the FBI's New York office. Zeeko's previous credits include the TV series "Valor," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "24: Legacy," and "Six." 

Poster for the new series.

 

Zeeko Zaki and his "FBI" co-star, Missy Peregrym.

UNIONVILLE: Fire company open house

The Po-Mar-Lin Fire Co., Unionville's own Station 36, is hosting an open house from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15. Come out and meet these brave, dedicated men and women who train hard and are willing to drop everything, at any time of the day or night, to go out and save lives and property. They've got some pretty cool hi-tech equipment that I'm guessing they'll be more than happy to demonstrate, too.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: More new houses

A sign has gone up advertising "Unionville Walk," the new Toll Brothers development on Route 82 south of Willowdale. The plan calls for 42 single-family houses to be built on the 62-acre parcel, which is across Route 82 from RP Nurseries, between the Willowdale Chapel complex and the Blackshire development.

BANK: A minimum balance

The person who used the Wells Fargo ATM just before me left his or her receipt sticking out of the slot. Concerned about those ever-inventive hackers, I always either take my receipt or have it emailed to me. But when I looked at the slip of paper, I realized that this customer had nothing to fear from hackers. He had just transferred $75 from his savings to his checking account, leaving a grand total of 21 cents in his savings account and $133.25 in his checking account.
It would hardly be worth their while.

PENN TOWNSHIP: Ward's is for sale

Ward's Restaurant is on the market. The homey little place on Old Baltimore Pike between West Grove and Jennersville, with its "Ice Cream Coach," was built in 1935 and is a throwback to an earlier era of family-run roadside attractions. It sits on an acre; asking price is $229,000.
Tom Biedekapp of Beiler Campbell has the listing. "You could operate your own restaurant business and live on the second floor. With some TLC and your customization, this property is a great opportunity," he writes, optimistically.

Sign for the former Ward's Restaurant.

 


The property at 494 W. Baltimore Pike.

REUNION: Clouds descend on Mendenhall

The Texas-based Cloud Family Association held its biannual family reunion at the Mendenhall Inn this past weekend. The attendees, from all across the country, attended seminars about DNA testing, how to track down difficult-to-find ancestors (hint: think like they did), and the 1777 Battle of the Brandywine. A full-day bus trip on Sunday, with a boxed lunch from Whole Foods, took them to many churches, Quaker meetinghouses and other spots that played a role in the family's history. In 2020 they'll convene in Nashville.

GIANT: A big policy change

Did they think we wouldn't notice?!
For the past few weeks, in its weekly circular, Giant has increased the amount of money you need to spend before you get double gas points. It used to be $50; now it's $75.
While I was shopping on Monday, a friend came up to me in the produce aisle and showed me the coupon, wondering whether I had noticed this sudden 50% increase as well.
Oh, yes. I noticed.

BOOKS: A Cheshire Cat from the past

Does anyone remember the Cheshire Cat Book Shop at 107 S. Broad St. in Kennett? A bookmark from the store fell out of a book the other day, and I have no memory whatsoever of the place. An insurance agency has its office there now.

UHS: A status symbol

My brother ran the numbers over and over: safety ratings, insurance premiums, gas mileage. But no matter how he tweaked them, it came out the same: it actually did make financial sense to let the Young Relative drive the handsome, shiny piece of German engineering that had been mothballed in the garage.
"Sweet!" said the Y.R.
Indeed! Attempting to put this in perspective, I told him how his father, as a teenager, had made do with a car on the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum: a ramshackle Ford Pinto that was equal parts scrap-yard deals and bungee cords.
"You are SUCH a Unionville preppie!" I accused the Y.R.
He gave me that patient, long-suffering look he perfected way back when he was a Hillendale Husky.
"Tilda," he said. "It's a 2006."

NEW GARDEN: A stone head

Driving home on Line Road the other day, a trip we've all made umpteen times, for the first time I noticed a boulder in somebody's front yard that was the size and shape of one of those stone heads that the prehistoric Olmecs carved in the jungles of central America (why, yes, we did subscribe to "National Geographic" when I was a kid).
It was just a large rock, of course, but it really resembled a flinty face. I would be tempted to outline its eyes and decorate it for Halloween.

KENNETT: Clifton Mill bridge

What's the latest with the Clifton Mill bridge closure in Kennett Township? (The bridge, which crosses the east branch of the Red Clay Creek, was closed suddenly in June for structural reasons.)
State Rep. Stephen Barrar wrote to PennDOT asking them to expedite the repair. In his response, PennDOT's District Executive, Kenneth McClain, said that the bridge "is being added to the next regional Group Bridge contract (Group N) that is scheduled to be bid this fall. While it is too early to speculate as to when construction will start and exactly how long construction will last due to the significant extent of repairs required to address the serious deterioration of the steel beams, we fully anticipate construction to begin in 2019."
There you have it. Thank you, Kennett Township, for putting the letters on your website.

QUAKERS: Burial ground tour

Leona Provinski alerted me that Charlie Brosius and Bob Frye will be leading a tour of the historical burial ground at London Grove Friends Meeting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 30. Not only is this a peaceful spot, but it's also the resting place for many of the significant early colonists who lived in the area, including many members of the Pennock family.
 

LAFFERTY: Healing power of mushrooms

Kathi Lafferty, owner of the Mushroom Cap, received a nice and well-deserved compliment on Facebook this week.
A woman wrote: "HUGE shout out to the Mushroom Cap on State Street ! This morning, my 4-year-old was running down the sidewalk to smell some potted flowers and tripped in front of the store. She scraped her leg and was crying very hard. The owner came out to see if we needed anything and returned moments later with a Band-Aid and mushroom stuffed toy to help her feel better. I love our town! Thank you, Mushroom Cap, for not just being a good business, also a good neighbor."

CVS: Customer management

I was under the weather this week with some mystery ailment and tried several prescriptions, to the point that the pharmacy guys at the Longwood CVS started recognizing me. Every time I was there, the clerks were amazingly busy, so while waiting in line I had a chance to watch them in action. Their kindness and patience never seemed to flag. 
One weekend afternoon, 45 minutes before closing, there was a middle-aged woman in front of us holding a page-long list of her family's scripts. Despite the growing line of customers behind her, she went down them one by one, noting whether the medication needed to be refilled or should have been refilled. One of the refill dates didn't match, and she explained repeatedly what she thought had gone wrong.
The clerk was sympathetic and helpful. She might have been the only customer in the pharmacy, as much time as he took to reassure her and clear up the confusion.
On the other hand, I was impatient and I am sure pursed my lips and rolled my eyes, because, you know, it should all be about me, not someone whose kids have chronic medical needs requiring an ongoing page-long list of meds …

WILLOWDALE: Stretching one's legs

Wednesday evening after supper, we were sitting at a picnic table outside Landhope enjoying our ice cream when a car pulled up to the gas pumps. The driver and passenger got out, walked around to the front of the car and, without a word, hugged and kissed. She jumped up on him and wrapped her legs around his waist. (I would say we stopped eating our ice cream at this point, but it just wouldn't be true.). After a few seconds, she got down, they got back into their car, switching seats, and drove off.
You just never know what you'll see at Landhope.

THREE-DAY: Top-notch horses and riders

This coming weekend is the Plantation Field International Horse Trials, where you can watch some of the best riders and horses in the world (literally!), as well as rising stars, compete in the three phases of cross-country, stadium jumping and dressage.
Plantation Field is always a lot of fun for spectators, and there's plenty of food and shopping as well. I never miss it.
On Thursday, Sept. 20, and Friday, Sept. 21, the dressage competition will be held all day. Saturday is two- and three-star (the more advanced levels) show jumping from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and one-star cross-country in the morning. Sunday is two- and three-star cross-country starting at 8:30 a.m. and one-star show jumping.
Admission is free on both Thursday and Friday and $20 per car on Saturday and Sunday.
There is lots more information and a detailed schedule of all the events on www.plantationfieldinternational.com.

 

SCOUTS: Find out about Girl Scouting

My friend Karen, an energetic supporter of Girl Scouting, asked me to mention that the Scouts will be having two introductory sessions about their programs.  

For kindergartners and first graders, there will be a "Daisy Peek-a-Boo" from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, at Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center, 130 W. Mulberry St., Kennett Square. Girls will be able to earn their first "petal," led by older scouts. There will be an information session for the parents. RSVP: rosaleewortmann@comcast.net or 302-690-2367.

For girls in all grades and their parents, an information event will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the Church of the Advent, 401 N. Union St., Kennett Square. There will be activities for the girls while parents learn about scouting. RSVP: bvsu610.registrar@gmail.com or 484-475-4996.
And on Sunday, Sept. 30 there will be a Girl Scout Extravaganza, with "campfires, s'mores, geocaching, hiking, the Chester County Astronomical Society, Winterthur, compass use and much more as we work on our Get Outdoors Challenge Badge." Contact Karen D'Agusto at kdagusto@aol.com.

TWELVES: A terrific meal

Twelves, our favorite special-occasion restaurant, has changed ownership but nothing else: the food is still exquisite, the atmosphere low-key and relaxing and the service friendly and top-notch.
We had dinner there in early September, and I ordered the salmon and shrimp instead of my usual crab cakes. It was beautiful and so delicious that I was reduced to speechlessness. The couscous may have been the best I've ever eaten. For dessert Dearest Partner had vanilla ice cream with strawberries; I had walnut pound cake with grilled peaches and ice cream.
The new owners are Knute and Bernadette Mellon of West Grove, who bought the restaurant in July from Tim and Kristin Smith. Tim remains as executive chef. Twelves is at 10 Exchange Place in downtown West Grove.

OFFICE: @ Work @ PCKS

I want to mention the wonderful, peaceful work space that the Presbyterian Church of Kennett Square, 211 S. Broad St., provides on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for freelancers like myself. The space offers a good Wifi connection, tables, hard chairs, soft furniture, coffee (excellent, and with real milk!), and tea bags and hot water.
I had a proofreading project to work on the other day (a book about kids with Internet gaming problems) and spent two hours there with my special proofreading pen (blue Pentel Needle Tip). Thank you to Andrew Smith (the pastor) and the church for providing a "third space."
The proofing project was a book on how to handle teens who spend too much time playing Internet video games. I was amazed to learn that some kids get so sucked into these online games that they can actually game for six hours straight! The author suggests a three-step plan: Record how many hours they are actually playing; Replace the gaming with other activities; and Reward the youth for not playing.

DINNER: New school year, and memories

We went out for a family dinner the other night, mostly because we like and amuse each other.
We heard about the Young Relative's first few days of school, and this year has all the hallmarks of a classic one: a know-it-all teacher with whom the Y.R. has already tangled; a parking lot controversy; an early-season sports win; and an impressive-sounding history teacher who is challenging his students' assumptions about what it means to be an American.
Of course, going out to dinner is not the same since our parents died last year, and our memories of them are never more vivid than when we're all together at a restaurant. Dad would always give the waiter or waitress a hearty greeting (I can hear him now saying, "All the better for seeing you!") and would take charge of the whole ordering process. He never loved it more than when a fellow diner stopped by the table and said something nice about one of his kids. At the end of the meal, Dad would insist on grabbing the check: "Dad pays," he would say, and we learned it was pointless to argue.
My mother, who had boundless curiosity, would have interrogated the Young Relative on every aspect of the new school year, his teachers, his athletic pursuits, whether he is getting more sleep now that school is starting later, and how exactly this lottery system for parking is supposed to work.

DENTIST: The five boroughs

My dental hygienist is not only gentle with the pointed tools of her trade but also an excellent storyteller. When I was in her chair the other day, she was telling me about her so far futile attempts to book a discount flight to New Orleans.
Her hopes were stymied when the customer service agent informed her that her desired dates were blacked out, and anyway the hoped-for discount applied only to passengers with "Gold" and "Silver" status; she, the woman pointed out, had only "Blue" status.
At one point in her repeated calls, my friend was making small talk and asked the agent where she was from.
"New York," the woman answered.
"Oh, Manhattan?" my friend asked.
"No, Queens!" replied the outraged agent, offended that the customer hadn't recognized her distinctive accent.
My friend said she wanted to respond, "What am I, Professor Henry Higgins?" but "I figured she wouldn't know what I was talking about."

NEW GYM: Ooh, sugar, sugar

In a (licorice) twist of fate, the former candy store in the Jennersville Shopping Center is being turned into a Snap Fitness, one of those 24/7 gyms where you can work out on your own schedule.

NEWLIN: The Stars and Stripes

Congratulations to Nathan Ganti, who for his Eagle Scout project created a landscaped garden area with a flag pole in the middle of it next to Newlin Township's maintenance garage in Embreeville. Nathan designed, planned, coordinated and did most of the work himself, along with help from his family and other scouts.
In a ceremony on Labor Day morning he raised the American flag on the new pole the first time. I'm told that representatives were present from the three fire companies that serve the township (Po-Mar-Lin, West Bradford and Modena), and Supervisor William Kelsall spoke on behalf of township residents.
John O'Neal of Embreeville donated the pole, which has a solar-powered light to keep the flag illuminated.

RESTAURANTS: Room for improvement

Two examples of "How not to succeed in business" happened to us this past weekend.
Anticipating that Restaurant X would be especially busy with Mushroom Fest visitors, we called to make dinner reservations.
"Hello?" answered the guy who picked up the phone.
Not "Hello, Restaurant X," much less, "Hello, Restaurant X. My name is James. How can I help you?"
Taken aback, I asked if I had in fact reached Restaurant X.
"Yes," he replied (an employee of few words, apparently). I was surprised when we got to the place and they actually did have our reservation.
The next day we were having brunch at a little Lancaster County place that was overwhelmed with Sunday morning customers. Sipping our coffee, we waited and waited for our food, and finally a waiter came by and asked if we wanted "anything else."
Anything else? Confused and on the border of hunger-induced crankiness, we told him that we just wanted what we ordered a half-hour ago. 
A nice and apologetic person in charge came by and told us that our order had fallen off the bottom of the screen and would be out in 5 or 10 minutes. He gave us a free slice of peanut butter pie in recompense.

THE FAIR: Get your entries ready

The catalogs for the 94th annual Unionville Community Fair are out, sparking serious conversations in my household about what flowers, crafts and baked goods to enter. The dates are Oct. 5 through 7, and the fairgrounds are at the northeast corner of Routes 926 and 82.
The full schedule, the entry categories and all the rules are on the website at www.ucfair.org.
One notable change this year is that the Exhibit Barn (formerly red, now yellow) has been renovated and the roof has been repaired; we are assured that rain will no longer be cascading down on Terry Hawkins' carefully arranged preserved foods display.
The fair organizers are also making a point of encouraging everyone in our area to participate in the Fair, not just residents of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.
This year's fair is dedicated to former president Danielle Chamberlain. The Chamberlains received the overall "family" award for all of their winning entries at the 2017 fair.

HEADLIGHTS: I can see clearly now

I was telling my eye doctor, Dr. Renny Sardella, how annoying oncoming headlights have become recently. He offered two pieces of practical advice: keep your windshield clean and turn down the brightness of your dashboard display. I tried both and I believe it has helped with the glare.
I was reminded of "the island of Unionville" while at Dr. Sardella's office in Willowdale. I knew three of the four patients in the waiting room, and we started talking about local politics, including the problems that Kennett Township has had with its anti-solicitation ordinance: a pest control company challenged the township's restriction on hours for sales calls as an infringement on its free speech (maybe you read the article in this newspaper).
When one of us asked about the permitted hours, the fourth patient in the waiting room, to that point silent, promptly stated what they were. Apparently we have a well-informed citizenry about local affairs!

FRUIT: New in the produce aisle

What is that new spiky fruit that has appeared in the produce section? It's called a jackfruit.
Wikipedia tells us that jackfruit comes from a tree native to southwest India -- indeed, it's the national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka -- and is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. Its flavor is described as "a combination of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana."
"It can be used to make a variety of dishes, including custards, cakes, or mixed with shaved ice as es teler in Indonesia or halo-halo in the Philippines. For making the traditional breakfast dish in southern India, idlis, the fruit is used with rice as an ingredient and jackfruit leaves are used as a wrapping for steaming. Jackfruit dosas can be prepared by grinding jackfruit flesh along with the batter."
Though curious, I have not yet purchased one because they're the size of a watermelon, too big for my small household.

Jackfruit at the Jennersville Giant.

NEW GARDEN: Tractor Supply on the way

It looks like they're making good progress on the Tractor Supply store being built on Newark Road at Route 41 in New Garden Township. A friend of mine is a huge Tractor Supply fan for everything from jeans to tractor seats and wasn't aware of the new store. When I told her, I could see her making rapid calculations as to whether the Toughkenamon store would be closer to her farm than the Parkesburg one.

FELINES: Good advice from the vet

A friend reports that his vet told him he needs to put his cat on a diet.
"A cat," she declared, "should not look like a meatloaf."
Speaking of pets, the Brandywine Valley SPCA is running a clever photo contest/fundraiser. You submit a photo of your pet, "encourage" all of your friends and family to "vote" (each vote costs a dollar) -- and the 13 photos that get the most votes will end up on the SPCA's 2019 calendar. You can follow along on the online leaderboard; "Riley the Forever Puppy" has a commanding lead as of this writing.
Submission and voting deadline is Sept. 30. Go to https://bvspca.org/ for details.

The SPCA has an especially warm place in my heart because it's where we adopted Clarence, our beloved  miracle rescue cat.

 

PLANTATION: Running vs. galloping

The Plantation Field International Horse Trials will be adding a different kind of "cross-country" competition this year, one that involves just humans instead of humans and horses.
Start time for the "low-key" 5K "fun run" around the equestrian cross-country course is 7:30 a.m. Sept. 22, with registration ($20 per person, cash or check) beginning at 7 a.m. Enter on the Apple Grove Road side of at Plantation Field.
The press release notes that the jumps "will be available for jumping if you are so inclined!"
Walkers and dogs are welcome, and the run will be held rain or shine. Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers, and everyone gets a T-shirt and a free weekend pass to the equestrian events. Everyone has to be off the field by 9 so that the riders can take possession of the course.
Registration forms at available at plantationfield.com.
 

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Less maintenance = less traffic?

As part of the township's ongoing effort to reduce traffic volume and speeds, West Marlborough Township's traffic consultant, Albert Federico, is asking PennDOT to reduce the amount of maintenance it does on Newark Road (north of Route 926), Springdell Road (south of Chapel Road) and Route 841 and 842 through the township.
The consultant said that a traffic count showed that the roads were "over-classified from a maintenance perspective" and were receiving maintenance better suited to major roads.
He also asked PennDOT to remove the route designations from portions of Routes 841 (from 926 to 82) and 842 (from 841 to Newark Road). "Unfortunately there are all-too-frequent occurrences when through motorists follow these routes and are unprepared for the rural nature of the roadways and surrounding areas," he wrote in his letter. "Often this leads to driver behavior inconsistent with the local context."
At the township meeting on Sept. 4, Supervisor Bill Wylie gave as an example the situation when truckers, following their GPS routes, discover that roads and intersections are too tight to allow them to maneuver (such as the intersection of Newark Road and Route 82).
The township hopes to meet with  PennDOT to discuss these possible changes.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Missing Shirley

It just didn't seem like a real West Marlborough Township meeting without longtime secretary/treasurer Shirley Walton, who is recovering from surgery, but the supervisors tried to carry on nonetheless on the evening of Sept. 4.
Supervisor Hugh Lofting reported that a contract has been signed for a project to replace a small bridge along lightly traveled Runnemede Road. Completion is expected by the end of the year.
Mr. Lofting also reported that the committee exploring ways to fund emergency services will be gathering data by talking to the fire and ambulance companies that provide service to township residents.
The supervisors also reviewed Chief Robert Clarke's statistics for the past two months. "Clarkie," the chief of the East Marlborough police department, works 12.5 hours a month in West Marlborough. In July there were 27 calls from West Marlborough residents to 911; three arrests (two for underage drinking, one for drugs). In August there were 28 calls to 911; one arrest for drugs; and six citations (three stop sign violations, two inspection violations, one driving without a license).
Four building permits were issued in August: a run-in shed for Joe Rothman on Apple Grove Road; a house for Juan Medina on Byrd Road; an addition for Jake Chalfin on Runnymede Road; and a fence for Ruth Truitt on Wilson Road.

SCI-FI: "Star Trek" turns 52

"Star Trek" has been through many incarnations over the years, but I know it best as the original TV series my siblings and I used to watch as kids. It premiered 52 years ago, on Sept. 8, 1966, with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, "Bones," Lt. Uhuru, and "Scotty," Klingons, and Tribbles. In the ensuing years the portable medical scanners and communicators have become part of life; not so much the "Beam me up" teleportation devices.

BLUEGRASS: Banjo, mandolin, bass, fiddle, guitar

This past weekend Tilda and Dearest Partner headed across the Delaware Memorial Bridge to enjoy the annual Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival at the Salem County Fairgrounds.
There were plenty of huge RVs ("That one costs more than my house," the D.P. said, pointing to one gleaming behemoth), all-night (literally) fairground jam sessions, and lots of songs about ramblin', catchin' the next train out of town and pinin' for the gal or guy who got away.
Just a few highlights from Friday were Mile Twelve, a young Boston band, covering Elton John's "Rocket Man"; Dom Flemons, "The American Songster," singing "But They Got It Fixed Right On," a double-entendre "hokum" song that had us howling; and Suzy Bogguss doing a beautiful version of "Someday Soon" (we loved her guitarist, Craig Smith). I liked the set by David Davis & the Warrior River Boys enough to buy their CD, "Didn't He Ramble."
It's a small fest (sponsored by the Brandywine Friends of Old-Time Music), so you get to see the musicians walking through the fairgrounds and eating their lunch and dinner at the Lapp's pavilion. (The man behind me in line was nonplussed when he saw "We put pork on everything!" written on the menu board. "But I don't eat pork!" he said.)
One bluegrass fan has a tradition of getting every single performer to sign the festival's official T-shirt. For easy autographing, he stretches the shirt over a board, with a cup of markers attached. (He was wearing an autographed shirt from another fest.)
The weekend was cloudy but fortunately the heatwave had dissipated. Scattered showers were predicted, and twice during songs mentioning water, the skies indeed opened up. The first was a song about a couple who worked on a fishing boat for a summer. He hated it and couldn't wait to get back on shore; she loved it and stayed; end of relationship. The second was "Shenandoah," sung by Suzy Bogguss. 
During a lull between sets, we asked a young security guard who was patrolling the grounds what he thought of bluegrass music.
"Never heard of it 'til this morning," he replied frankly -- but he said he was enjoying it.

SEPTA: Seniors need a new ID card

Senior citizens now need to show a special photo ID card to get free or discounted rides on SEPTA. On its website, SEPTA says that it "urges all senior citizen riders to register for a Key Photo ID Card to ensure they have no interruption in traveling free on all SEPTA buses, subways and trolleys, and continue to receive $1 fares for most Regional Rail trips."

How do you get this new card? You need to fill out an application at the offices of state senators and representatives (other sites are listed on SEPTA's website) and show one of the following forms of identification: Pennsylvania driver's license or Non-Driver ID; birth certificate or baptismal certificate; Yellow PACE Card (Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the elderly); Statement of Age Verification from the U.S. Social Security Administration; Armed Forces Discharge/Separation Papers; or Resident Alien Card or Passport/Naturalization Papers.

Thank you to State Rep. Eric Roe for the heads up! You can apply for a card at his district office at 400 Old Forge Lane, Suite 407, Kennett Square, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

SURGERY: Back to normal

A gym friend was wary as she returned to class for the first time after having her appendix removed ("I know!" she said. "I thought that only happened to young people!"). Even though she felt fine and fully recovered, her doctors had been adamant that she should take it easy for a full month, especially after she described to them what she did in a typical class.
The exercise room at the Jennersville Y was full, so I couldn't see her during class, but I made a point of asking her afterward how she felt.
Good, she said with relief, although the abdominal exercises were quite uncomfortable.
"Then again," she remembered, "they always are."

YOGURT: A substitute is found

I believe I have found a substitute for Plenti yogurt. Longtime readers may recall my loud laments when, shortly after I discovered the yogurt of my dreams, it disappeared from the shelves of every grocery store. But Siggi's "Simple Sides" comes pretty close. The container is divided into two parts: one has Icelandic-style yogurt and the other side has mix-ins, either almonds and dried cherries; dried coconut and cacao; or dried figs and walnuts. It's tasty and has no added sugar (it's a sad fact of life that the sugar content of most types of flavored yogurt rivals that of Entenmann's pastries).