A young friend who teaches at the Jennersville Y is getting married in August, and before class the other day her fiancé was helping her by wheeling in a cart full of workout mats.
"Wow," I said to him. "Is that part of your job description?"
"Life insurance," he said, with cheerful resignation.
She nodded sagely. I believe this will be a successful marriage.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
WEST MARLBOROUGH: House renovation
Curious people like me are having fun watching the renovation work that's being done on the old stucco house on Newark Road across from Archie's restaurant.
Almost as soon as the "For Sale" sign came down, trucks and workers started showing up to begin the makeover. First old carpets were pulled out, rolled up and stacked on the front porch. There's a small backhoe in the yard. And this evening I saw an old-fashioned white tub and a white fridge sitting on the front porch; I'm assuming they were leaving rather than arriving.
Almost as soon as the "For Sale" sign came down, trucks and workers started showing up to begin the makeover. First old carpets were pulled out, rolled up and stacked on the front porch. There's a small backhoe in the yard. And this evening I saw an old-fashioned white tub and a white fridge sitting on the front porch; I'm assuming they were leaving rather than arriving.
KENNETT: Mary Pat's Provisions
On Tuesday I stopped for lunch at Mary Pat's Provisions, the newest addition to the Liberty Place Market (it's where Nourish used to be). The menu is written on a big blackboard behind the counter and includes all sorts of breakfast and lunch options. Fruit beverages and teas are displayed in big glass tanks at the counter.
My classic BLT came on multigrain bread with hearty slices of bacon and was served on a metal pie plate with potato chips and a pickle. The sandwich was delicious and so big that I took half home.
Sitting at the window at Liberty Place is great fun because you get to watch the passersby along busy State Street. I also got to overhear a worried home seller telling her companion that despite her agent's assurances that her house had plenty of "momentum," no offers were coming in.
My classic BLT came on multigrain bread with hearty slices of bacon and was served on a metal pie plate with potato chips and a pickle. The sandwich was delicious and so big that I took half home.
Sitting at the window at Liberty Place is great fun because you get to watch the passersby along busy State Street. I also got to overhear a worried home seller telling her companion that despite her agent's assurances that her house had plenty of "momentum," no offers were coming in.
EAST MARLBOROUGH: Quaker picnic
Marlborough Friends Meeting will be holding its annual picnic on Sunday, June 3. Meeting starts at 11 a.m., with the picnic to follow at 12:15 p.m. As always, visitors of all faiths are welcome to attend silent worship before the picnic, though you can come just for the picnic. The meetinghouse is at 361 Marlborough Road in the tiny village of Marlboro. Bring a dish to share! I can guarantee you will get a warm greeting; this is a very welcoming group of Quakers.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
HOUSE TOUR: Hidden Gems
Last call to get your tickets for "Hidden Gems," this spring's Bayard Taylor Home and Garden Tour! This year's event (Saturday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) will include several amazing DuPont family mansions in the Greenville, Del., area, the aptly named "Chateaux Country."
I had the pleasure of writing the descriptions for the tour program, so I got a sneak peak at each one. A couple of the properties are even on the market and can be yours (if you've won the lottery, that is).
Tour tickets are $40 and can be bought at the Kennett Library.
I had the pleasure of writing the descriptions for the tour program, so I got a sneak peak at each one. A couple of the properties are even on the market and can be yours (if you've won the lottery, that is).
Tour tickets are $40 and can be bought at the Kennett Library.
UHS: The After-Prom
After-proms were not "a thing" back in my day; after my senior prom, as I recall, four of us left the Westover Country Club and drove around West Conshohocken searching for one friend's ancestral homestead. It would have helped had we known the address or had a map rather than just chanting, "West Conshohocken shall rise again!"
But nowadays parents pull out all the stops to provide a safe environment where their kids can hang out into the wee hours after the official party winds down.
The UHS PTO's After-Prom on Saturday was nothing short of astonishing. The theme was "The Amazing Race," and each "room" was set up as a separate geographical area, complete with wildly creative décor, food and entertainment.
The school was utterly unrecognizable.
In the UK, Union Jacks and pictures of the newlyweds Harry and Meghan hung on the walls. A Wimbledon table tennis tournament was set up, complete with an elaborate championship bracket (the finals were scheduled for 3:20 a.m.)
In Paris, in addition to a palm reader, a Tarot card reader, and a café (but of course!), there was a guessing game where you had to match photos of UHS employees to famous works of art (we were not very good at it).
Down a dark corridor lined with Egyptian pictographs was the dimly lit movie room (aka the crash room), with lots of comfortable-looking cushions spread out on the floor.
In Tahiti (on regular days known as the Auxiliary Gym), there was tropical foliage, a volleyball net, and a performance stage.
A full casino was set up in the Monte Carlo room, with roulette, poker, and craps tables.
There were plenty of full-sized arcade games, and we heard the unmistakeable fast-paced "click-click" of an air hockey game in vigorous use.
The main gym was full of gigantic inflatables to play on and in. For one you donned a Velcro coat and could hurl yourself at a "sticky" wall.
And the large golden Buddha in "India" -- didn't we recognize that from the set of the spring musical, "The King and I"?
But nowadays parents pull out all the stops to provide a safe environment where their kids can hang out into the wee hours after the official party winds down.
The UHS PTO's After-Prom on Saturday was nothing short of astonishing. The theme was "The Amazing Race," and each "room" was set up as a separate geographical area, complete with wildly creative décor, food and entertainment.
The school was utterly unrecognizable.
In the UK, Union Jacks and pictures of the newlyweds Harry and Meghan hung on the walls. A Wimbledon table tennis tournament was set up, complete with an elaborate championship bracket (the finals were scheduled for 3:20 a.m.)
In Paris, in addition to a palm reader, a Tarot card reader, and a café (but of course!), there was a guessing game where you had to match photos of UHS employees to famous works of art (we were not very good at it).
Down a dark corridor lined with Egyptian pictographs was the dimly lit movie room (aka the crash room), with lots of comfortable-looking cushions spread out on the floor.
In Tahiti (on regular days known as the Auxiliary Gym), there was tropical foliage, a volleyball net, and a performance stage.
A full casino was set up in the Monte Carlo room, with roulette, poker, and craps tables.
There were plenty of full-sized arcade games, and we heard the unmistakeable fast-paced "click-click" of an air hockey game in vigorous use.
The main gym was full of gigantic inflatables to play on and in. For one you donned a Velcro coat and could hurl yourself at a "sticky" wall.
And the large golden Buddha in "India" -- didn't we recognize that from the set of the spring musical, "The King and I"?
GROCERIES: First World problems
If you ever want or need to start a spirited conversation about something other than politics, raise the issue of supermarkets. It's a guaranteed ice-breaker.
Giant, Acme, Wegman's and Whole Foods all have their fans; shoppers are happy to specify, in great detail, why they patronize a particular store (the Kennett, the Jennersville, or the Longwood Giant, for instance).
For one thing, we're such creatures of habit when it comes to shopping.
The other day I decided to bake a batch of my ginger cookies and realized halfway through that I had no molasses in the pantry. For the sake of expediency I dashed out to the closest supermarket, even though it's not my regular one.
You'd think molasses would be in the baking aisle, wouldn't you? No, it was in the cereal aisle, and there was exactly one brand of molasses next to three full rows of maple syrup.
When I shared my irritation on social media, store regulars quickly rose to its defense, arguing that the employees there are great and the deli offers the freshest lunchmeat around.
Back at my own preferred supermarket a few days later, I was in line at the customer service desk to resolve a coupon issue and noticed that both a clerk and a manager were helping a customer fill out his (multiple) lottery tickets. They seemed to be holding a Socratic dialogue on the merits of each number. People started lining up behind me, and as the minutes passed, the guy behind me was getting more and more irritated at this broad definition of "customer service."
"Hey, I need my shoes tied," he muttered to me with heavy sarcasm.
Giant, Acme, Wegman's and Whole Foods all have their fans; shoppers are happy to specify, in great detail, why they patronize a particular store (the Kennett, the Jennersville, or the Longwood Giant, for instance).
For one thing, we're such creatures of habit when it comes to shopping.
The other day I decided to bake a batch of my ginger cookies and realized halfway through that I had no molasses in the pantry. For the sake of expediency I dashed out to the closest supermarket, even though it's not my regular one.
You'd think molasses would be in the baking aisle, wouldn't you? No, it was in the cereal aisle, and there was exactly one brand of molasses next to three full rows of maple syrup.
When I shared my irritation on social media, store regulars quickly rose to its defense, arguing that the employees there are great and the deli offers the freshest lunchmeat around.
Back at my own preferred supermarket a few days later, I was in line at the customer service desk to resolve a coupon issue and noticed that both a clerk and a manager were helping a customer fill out his (multiple) lottery tickets. They seemed to be holding a Socratic dialogue on the merits of each number. People started lining up behind me, and as the minutes passed, the guy behind me was getting more and more irritated at this broad definition of "customer service."
"Hey, I need my shoes tied," he muttered to me with heavy sarcasm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)