Embreeville rezoning

The Newlin residents leading the fight against the proposed multi-use development at the former Embreeville State Hospital want you to mark Tuesday, Dec. 10, on your calendar; that's when there's going to be a key meeting of the West Bradford Township supervisors.
"The attorney and land planner for the developer are tentatively scheduled to make the pitch for rezoning of the Embreeville site at the December 10 supervisors meeting," reads an email I received. "They are still seeking 1,100 dwelling units. For those of you who have not attended a supervisors meeting to voice your opposition or just show support, THIS IS THE ONE TO GO TO! The meeting starts at 7:30 and will provide a period for public comment after the developer presents its rezoning plan. If you cannot go to the meeting, please email your detailed views to the West Bradford supervisors at www.wbradford@westbradford.org. The December 10 supervisors meeting will be at the Township Administration Office at the corner of Marshallton-Thorndale Road and Poorhouse Road."
The residents are concerned about the possible impact of such a large development on our rural roads and countryside. There's a multitude of information about the controversial plan on the West Bradford website.
Also, I'm told a third iteration of the anti-development sign is in the works and doubtless will be coming to a yard near you.

DogSaucer

If you're in the mood for creating Venn diagrams, imagine how the sets "motorcycle enthusiasts" and "dog lovers" would overlap. I'd wager that the vast majority of motorcyclists are also dog lovers. And my high-school classmate Greg is hoping that, like him, they'll want to take their dogs along with them on their motorcycle jaunts, ideally using his invention the DogSaucer.
This clever product is a little wheeled dog trailer with a clear top that reminds me of one of those personal space ships in "The Jetsons." A friend said she spotted a dog riding in one in Lancaster County and he looked "very happy."

The photo, taken on Greg's Chester Springs farm, shows his best friend Nova, who has logged more than 30,000 miles in the DogSaucer.

Spirit Wing

On Saturday a friend and I traveled to the Oxford Friends Meeting to listen to a quartet called Spirit Wing as part of the Friends Folk Club series. It's hard to describe Spirit Wing, which hails from Phoenixville: the bulk of the show was Native American-inspired music, but they also played country music, bluegrass and reggae. It blew my mind just a little when the group who had just done a traditional longhouse social dance segued into an impassioned version of George Gershwin's "Summertime," a tropical steel-drum number and a very funny song called "Counting Coup on the Highway" (let's just say the band isn't fond of Volvos).

No matter what the musical genre, though, the group's message was a wholesome one of respect for nature (they talked about how exciting it is to see crawfish back in the Schuylkill River after a long hiatus) and the importance of keeping traditions alive and expressing gratitude for peace, family and friends. They did a fun show (including a sing-along that involved the audience members making crow noises -- yes, of course I joined in!) and kept both kids and adults entertained.
Oxford Meeting is a nice venue (sorry about tracking in all those yellow gingko leaves!), though I'm not sure the benches were designed with the human body in mind. At intermission they had excellent baked goods and I browsed through a book called "Quaker Economics."

Fire company fundraiser

Earlier this year I heard some folks kicking around some ideas about holding a fundraiser for the local volunteer fire companies, but I had no idea that from these casual conversations would come a party as successful as the one at St. Michael Lutheran Church on Saturday night. Thanks to the dedicated, hard-working committee members, it was an absolutely rocking evening, with a terrific turnout of uniformed firefighters and emergency personnel (fire trucks, too) and people from just about every circle of the Unionville community you can think of. I'd start listing them, but I'm sure I'd forget somebody; suffice it to say I was losing my voice after about 90 minutes. All the money raised from admission tickets, the raffle and the auctions will be split among the Po-Mar-Lin, Modena and West Bradford fire companies.
It was hard to believe that the party was a first-time effort, it was so well organized and successful. And did I mention fun!

30 mph

So how's the new 30-mph speed limit working out in "downtown" Unionville? I've asked a few people who live or work along Route 82 and opinion seems split. Some see a definite slowdown; others don't see any difference.
At an East Marlborough Township meeting the other night, one fellow commented dryly that pulling out onto busy Route 82 simply isn't a problem anymore; with the new lower speed limit, "we're all safe now!"
Hearty laughter greeted his quip.

Roses and thorns

The other day I went out to harvest bittersweet from along a back road here in West Marlborough (yes, I had permission from the landowner) so that I could weave a autumnal wreath for the door. I quickly realized that intimately intertwined with the bittersweet along the fencerow were multiflora rose vines, thick with both rose hips and prickers. My leather rose-pruning gauntlets would have been ideal for the situation -- had they actually been on my hands, instead of languishing uselessly in my gardening work basket back home. My hands got a little scraped up, my barn jacket has a few snags -- but I got a lovely and more-or-less circular wreath out of it!

Newlyweds

Remember Jessica Latshaw, the charming singer/songwriter/dancer from Landenberg whose ukulele talents on the New York City subway "went viral" on YouTube in January 2012? Well, she was back in her hometown on Nov. 9 to wed TJ Taormina, who hosts "The TJ Show" on 103.3 AMP Radio in Boston. The two, who met in New York and had been dating for two years, tied the knot after a two-month engagement. Jess' parents are Bruce and Lynn Latshaw. I know Jess (who is an utter sweetheart) from the Jennersville Y, where we used to take the same exercise class.
Best wishes, Jess, and congratulations, TJ!