Lord Mayor

The Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society is celebrating its 10th anniversary by reprising the pantomime that started it all: "Dick Whittington and his Cat," written by KATS co-founder Gary Smith. Performances will be in the Kennett High School Auditorium, Friday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. For ticket information visit http://www.callkats.org./ Get ready to boo heartily at the evil Snib!

Lost Canon

Local true-crime author Bruce Mowday was a crime victim himself on Dec. 28: he was mugged while vacationing in Montevideo, Uruguay. A man in his 20s came up behind him, cut the strap of his camera and ran off with it. Bruce gave chase but lost the thug after several blocks (the exact number of blocks the chase lasted seems to be increasing each time Bruce re-tells the story; it started at 2 and now it's up to 35). Thank goodness, he wasn't hurt.
You've probably heard of Bruce: a former courthouse reporter for the "Daily Local News," he covered the murder and mayhem wreaked by the Johnston family around here in the 1970s and last year wrote the fascinating book "Jailing the Johnston Gang."

Zoning

The Whip's zoning hearing was rescheduled from Dec. 27 to Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at the West Marlborough Township building in Doe Run. The zoning appeal was filed by a group of neighbors who have longstanding concerns about the popular tavern/restaurant in Springdell, including parking and noise, and believe it is operating in violation of several township zoning regulations.
Some background documents about the disagreement are available on The Whip's website at http://www.thewhiptavern.com/.

Three and out

Lois Herr, the Lancaster County Democrat who tried -- but failed -- three times to unseat Congressman Joe Pitts, has bought a house in Mt. Gretna, Lebanon County, and will be moving there early in 2011. Mt. Gretna is in the 17th U.S. Congressional District, not the 16th, so she won't be challenging Joe again. As far as politics go in the 17th district, Tim Holden, a Democrat, has been in Congress since 1993.

Social ease

Please "friend" Tilda Tally-ho on Facebook! And I'd love to hear any news tips or story ideas from readers. The Kennett Paper also has a frequently updated page that you can "like."

Meteor

I got a first-hand account of the meteor that was visible in the western part of the county the evening of Dec. 28. My friend Amy was skating on her pond outside Oxford at about 7 p.m. when she saw blue flashes on the part of the pond covered with snow, as if someone was taking photographs. She then looked up and saw the meteor streaking across the sky. It was so bright, she said, there were actually shadows cast on the ice. The meteor, which was visible in Pomeroy as well, apparently burned up before it hit the Earth.

Loyalty

One of the most-cited search terms that leads people to my blog is "Peter Fabulian," the Kennett Square physician who in December pleaded guilty to charges that he had inappropriate physical contact with two female patients. He is awaiting sentencing, and the sign is gone from what used to be his office on Marshall Street in Kennett. His medical license was suspended when the charges were filed in June 2010.
What's curious to me is that there are still former patients who are standing by him. He was a specialist in Lyme disease, a malady that plagues so many people around here, and some of his patients still swear by both his treatment and his integrity. Their comments on any of the newspaper stories that have been written about him make for interesting reading.

Another reason I love the Y

In the lobby of the Y is a bookcase where you can swap books. The other day, in addition to the standard best-sellers by John Grisham and Anne Rivers Siddons were some surprises: Goethe's "Faust" and James Joyce's "Dubliners." I brought the latter home with me. Also at the Y I've also found the fairly obscure Lord Peter Wimsey mystery "Unnatural Death" and -- in a pretty binding -- E. M. Delafield's "The Provincial Lady in London."

Pantry

I just ate my last egg of the season from Over the Top Farm in Newlin Township. In the shorter days of winter, egg production drops so drastically that my friends the chicken-keepers barely have enough eggs for themselves. Even though they hooked up a solar-powered light to give the hens more hours of daylight, "the girls" weren't fooled one bit.
So sadly I'll have to rely on store-bought eggs, with their thin shells and pallid yolks, until spring. Store-bought flowers, too, even though I was cutting monkshood and mums from the garden well into October.
I still have some of my delicious home-grown potatoes (perfect for roasting), but they're going to be gone soon, too. Good thing I'm not a pioneer-woman.

It's all dark

Congratulations to my friend and gym-buddy Kevin Witman of Cochranville, whose magnificent photos of the lunar eclipse were featured on MSNBC. Kevin called the eclipse "the perfect Christmas gift from Mother Nature." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40767499/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Agaricus

Guest Chef Jim always cooks our Christmas feast, and this year he outdid himself with broiled lobster tails and a tender filet of beef. The meat was topped with piles of succulent sauteed mushrooms that had been picked that very morning at Marlboro Mushrooms in West Marlborough. Jim, who lives in the Pittsburgh area (non-mushroom country), raved about their freshness, appearance, flavor and aroma. Thank you to the kind and generous folks at Marlboro for enhancing our meal!