ERCILDOUN: Tim to the rescue

A Unionville neighbor shared this nice story about a Good Samaritan who came to her rescue on Sunday afternoon, March 24: "I went to Triple Fresh but cut the turn too close and went over the curb (Erf! You know the one). My tire went flat. As I was taking out the jack and some other equipment, a nice young man, Tim Gregor Jr. of Coatesville, offered help. I said that I had someone coming. He offered again a couple of times and I finally accepted. Lo and behold, Mr. Gregor had an impact wrench and switched out the flat tire with the spare in just a few minutes. My other half arrived after the flat was on the back of the car (where the spare usually sits) and the jack and other things were put away.
"Thanks Tim Gregor Jr. What a nice young man you are. You made my day easier. Your thoughtfulness and help are much appreciated!"
She also noted that Tim works for Fresh Cut Landscaping (freshcutmowing@comcast.net).

RUSTIN: Icing on the cake

On Saturday evening we were westbound on Route 926, returning from a jaunt to the Main Line (Micro Center in St. Davids and Saffron Kitchen Indian restaurant in Wayne), when we saw oncoming lights and heard sirens. The traffic light turned red, and we watched as a chartered bus, escorted by police cars, turned into West Chester Rustin High School. We later learned that it was the Rustin boys' hockey team, returning home after winning their sixth straight state title.
The motorist behind us was not impressed. He honked his horn at us -- like we were supposed to go through a red light with police nearby?-- and then shot us a nasty glare when he pulled alongside us at the next traffic light, at Route 202.

LETHOS: Flu season

Let's hope that, with the approach of warmer weather, the flu season is over. Two normally hardy friends (one who received the flu shot, one who didn't) got very sick and could barely get out of bed for a week, much less out of the house to their jobs. One case started with a cold; another developed into bronchitis. The latter first went to an urgent care center and then, later in the illness, tried an online telemedicine service called Maven. She was very pleased with the physician's assistant who "saw" her and said she would definitely try the service again.

NEWLIN: Self-experimentation

I visited a Unionville friend the other day to meet her new baby guinea pigs, Bubble and Squeak. She has protected their pen with electrified pads called Scat Mats to keep the house cat, Whisper, from harassing the dear little cavies.
I had never seen Scat Mats, which are battery operated. They are clear plastic, and you can see the wires snaking through them.   
"What does it feel like?" I asked. 
"Try it," she said, turning the power back on.
I expected to feel a mild thrumming. It was not. I received a sharp crackling electric shock and immediately let out an oath. Two oaths, actually. Maybe three.
My friend was in hysterics, and really, who could blame her?
You'd think I would learn, but I had the same experience with stinging nettles years ago. A hiking buddy, a veteran of many summers of wilderness camp in Maine, warned me to stay away from them.
Did I listen to him? I did not.

AVON GROVE: Tight security

A gym friend was telling me that he recently took an arduous five-hour exam for an advanced educational certification. He said he was amazed at the level of security: he was patted down, his cell phone was confiscated, and he was only allowed to wear his wedding ring. The proctors even inspected his eyeglasses to make sure there wasn't a miniature recording device inside. He said the test-takers got a 10-minute break in the middle -- but then they had to undergo the whole security check again.
No word yet on whether he passed.

PENN: Roadwork in Jennersville

The much-needed widening work at the Jennersville intersection is proceeding and, so far at least, I haven't encountered any but the usual (afternoon rush hour) traffic jams. The workers are carving every possible inch of right-of-way out of the corner properties so that they can add turning lanes. While I was sitting at the traffic light I watched the backhoe operator smoothing some earth he had just dug up. Even using his massive clawed metal bucket, he was tapping the earth so precisely and gently that it looked like he was giving it a massage.

JENNERSVILLE: Excellent adverb

I get a little thrill when people use unexpected words. At lunchtime on Wednesday I was shopping at the Jennersville Giant (had to cash in on my $10-off-your-$60-purchase offer) and chatted with the woman monitoring the self-scan registers.
"It is really busy in here!" I commented.
"Stunningly," she replied.