Unionville usually slows down this time of year, with so many folks heading north to the land of lobster rolls, blueberries and loons, to the races at Saratoga or to remote camps in the Adirondacks (one friend can reach his cabin only by seaplane; another actually looks forward to living without electricity. Shudder!).
So I was mildly surprised to find the parking lot full at Catherine's at lunchtime; I got the last parking spot and my car was almost sticking out into the alley.
Catherine's a really nice spot for a relaxed lunch, and it's always fun to remember what it looked like way back when it was Sestrich's grocery store. My lunch companion and I had terrific chicken-salad sandwiches and iced tea, with peach pie and blackberries and marvelously strong coffee for dessert.
(Curious readers often ask how it is that I am not 200 pounds. Answer: That lunch filled me up for the rest of the day. Also, I exercise a lot, and hard.)
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Gardener
A basic tenet of sports gambling is "Bet with your head, not your heart." In other words, if you want to be successful, you have to jettison emotions, like hometown or college loyalties, and focus instead on cold, hard statistics like the line and the over/under.
This probably applies to gardening, too. Yes, yes, I know I should trim my pachysandra and lamium with geometric precision if I want it to look like the houses on the garden tour, but I'm just so proud of how exuberantly they grow and spread. My moonvine has climbed so tall that it's commingling with the white pines, like Jack's magical beanstalk or sloppy bookkeeping-- what right do I have to chop it down?
And who could expect me to pull out a stray clump of yellow volunteer four o'clocks just for the sake of symmetry? They're out of kilter, yes, but they smell like heaven.
And really, a window box is for geraniums, not for the bird's nest that's tucked in there. If I removed it, sure, I could cram in a few more plants -- but I just can't do it. The little bird was so clever to find such a great sheltered spot for the babies and to weave its nest so painstakingly from pine needles and walnut fronds.
Oh well, when I want perfection, I can always visit Longwood.
Now: who's ready for some football?!
This probably applies to gardening, too. Yes, yes, I know I should trim my pachysandra and lamium with geometric precision if I want it to look like the houses on the garden tour, but I'm just so proud of how exuberantly they grow and spread. My moonvine has climbed so tall that it's commingling with the white pines, like Jack's magical beanstalk or sloppy bookkeeping-- what right do I have to chop it down?
And who could expect me to pull out a stray clump of yellow volunteer four o'clocks just for the sake of symmetry? They're out of kilter, yes, but they smell like heaven.
And really, a window box is for geraniums, not for the bird's nest that's tucked in there. If I removed it, sure, I could cram in a few more plants -- but I just can't do it. The little bird was so clever to find such a great sheltered spot for the babies and to weave its nest so painstakingly from pine needles and walnut fronds.
Oh well, when I want perfection, I can always visit Longwood.
Now: who's ready for some football?!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Already?!
Believe it or not, there are less than four weeks of summer left until the first day of school in the Unionville-Chadds Ford district. The school year will start Monday, Aug. 29. But the first two weeks are short ones: school will be closed both Friday, Sept. 2, and Monday, Sept. 5, for Labor Day.
At least, that's the schedule as of now ...
Another end-of-summer ritual is the "Shutdown Week" at all the YMCA branches, when the staff gives the place a thorough spruce-up and installs new equipment. It's the week of Aug. 22 for the Kennett Y and the week of Aug. 29 for the Jennersville Y; thoughtfully, they stagger the weeks so you can visit another Y for your workout. I was amused to see that this year they're trying to change the name to "Enhancement Week." Looks like even the Y isn't immune from the lure of "spin"!
At least, that's the schedule as of now ...
Another end-of-summer ritual is the "Shutdown Week" at all the YMCA branches, when the staff gives the place a thorough spruce-up and installs new equipment. It's the week of Aug. 22 for the Kennett Y and the week of Aug. 29 for the Jennersville Y; thoughtfully, they stagger the weeks so you can visit another Y for your workout. I was amused to see that this year they're trying to change the name to "Enhancement Week." Looks like even the Y isn't immune from the lure of "spin"!
Cooling off
As if the wet dogs, entertaining babies, spicy salsa, hot dogs and beer weren't enough to guarantee a great party on a hot day in West Marlborough -- there was also a creek-fed swimming pool! Slipping into the chilly, clean, non-chlorinated water was wonderfully refreshing. Thanks to my kind hosts for a great afternoon!
Tweedale update
The folks who are trying to persuade the local Girl Scout council to keep Camp Tweedale open are taking action on several fronts:
1. They've prepared a petition to "Save Tweedale" at http://www.change.org/. You can locate the petition by typing "Tweedale" in the search box.
2. They've set up a website, http://www.friendsoftweedale.org/, and a Facebook page, "savecamptweedale!"
3. They've scheduled a community meeting at the Mendenhall Room of the Mendenhall Inn on Route 52 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24 "The purpose of this meeting is show community support for Tweedale remaining open (not the divestment of it!)."
As an amusing footnote, next year the U.S. Postal Service will be issuing a stamp to celebrate the Girl Scouts' 100th anniversary. Ironically, "The stamp features the silhouette of a girl with binoculars looking into the distance. A scene within the silhouette features a girl in mid-stride with a walking stick and backpack on a summer trek. The environment is composed of large redwoods, a lake and a distant forested mountainside with small ferns in the foreground."
1. They've prepared a petition to "Save Tweedale" at http://www.change.org/. You can locate the petition by typing "Tweedale" in the search box.
2. They've set up a website, http://www.friendsoftweedale.org/, and a Facebook page, "savecamptweedale!"
3. They've scheduled a community meeting at the Mendenhall Room of the Mendenhall Inn on Route 52 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24 "The purpose of this meeting is show community support for Tweedale remaining open (not the divestment of it!)."
As an amusing footnote, next year the U.S. Postal Service will be issuing a stamp to celebrate the Girl Scouts' 100th anniversary. Ironically, "The stamp features the silhouette of a girl with binoculars looking into the distance. A scene within the silhouette features a girl in mid-stride with a walking stick and backpack on a summer trek. The environment is composed of large redwoods, a lake and a distant forested mountainside with small ferns in the foreground."
Goodbye
I had the pleasure of working with Carolyn Naccarelli of Chadds Ford on some community projects, and she was such a nice person -- organized, creative, and funny, with great visual taste. There were a few times when things were getting a little hectic -- I can't remember if it was bad weather, or maybe some last-minute no-show volunteers -- and she was calm, took it in stride and kept her sense of humor. She died July 21 at age 55, and she will be missed. Let's hold her husband, Art, and family in the light.
Go Jem!
The folks at Baily's Dairy at Pocopson Meadow Farm reported on Facebook: "We had to take one of our favorite girls, Jem (the speckled cow on our labels), to New Bolton Center yesterday. She was having troubles calving. Thanks to the great staff at NBC, we will be bringing her, and her healthy new 95-pound calf, home any day!"
Limestone facts
I was taking my recycling to the landfill this morning and noticed a faint haze of white above the fields on the north side of Street Road, west of Chatham Road. As I approached I saw a few trucks from Martin Limestone spreading a coating of white powder, I assumed limestone, over the fields.
When I got home I did some research.
"Liming with Martin's pulverized limestone neutralizes soil acidity and naturally replenishes vital calcium and magnesium – the nutrients which help maintain fertile soil conditions in plant root zones," according to Martin's website. "By maintaining a proper soil pH, you can increase the effectiveness of high-cost fertilizers and herbicides which do not work as well in excessively acidic soil. It also increases the effectiveness of other natural soil nutrients such as phosphorus nitrogen, and manganese which are sensitive to soil pH."
Although the website says that fall and early winter are the best times to apply lime, "Whatever time of year you choose, our unique boom spreading application of dry agricultural lime provides efficient and balanced coverage of the soil. This combination of even soil coverage and timely application is the most effective use of limestone."
When I got home I did some research.
"Liming with Martin's pulverized limestone neutralizes soil acidity and naturally replenishes vital calcium and magnesium – the nutrients which help maintain fertile soil conditions in plant root zones," according to Martin's website. "By maintaining a proper soil pH, you can increase the effectiveness of high-cost fertilizers and herbicides which do not work as well in excessively acidic soil. It also increases the effectiveness of other natural soil nutrients such as phosphorus nitrogen, and manganese which are sensitive to soil pH."
Although the website says that fall and early winter are the best times to apply lime, "Whatever time of year you choose, our unique boom spreading application of dry agricultural lime provides efficient and balanced coverage of the soil. This combination of even soil coverage and timely application is the most effective use of limestone."
Booked
I was lunching by myself on Tuesday and eavesdropped on the professional couple at the next table who were busy organizing every hour in the rest of their summer. She had her schedule book open and he had his smartphone humming, looking up when the Phillies were playing, what HersheyPark's hours are, where the closest paintball facility and water park are, how far Annapolis is, even weather forecasts for going out on their boat.
I think they both must supervise a lot of underlings because they repeated their final, complicated plans to each other so many times that they stuck in even my mind. Every day was fully mapped out; the woman seemed concerned that one Monday was free.
"I'll put `Question mark, Orioles,' OK?" she asked.
I think they both must supervise a lot of underlings because they repeated their final, complicated plans to each other so many times that they stuck in even my mind. Every day was fully mapped out; the woman seemed concerned that one Monday was free.
"I'll put `Question mark, Orioles,' OK?" she asked.
Hot metal
A friend who has a bronze foundry in Cochranville said that because of the heat he's been postponing the hottest part of his job: pouring molten bronze at 2,100 degrees. He's had to run the air conditioning in his shop so that his wax molds don't soften. He keeps slurry, the gray, semi-solid material he uses for casting, in tanks that are constantly churning so that the slurry won't set up. If the shop gets too hot, the water in the slurry starts to evaporate, which makes the material thicker, which creates friction with the churn, which creates more heat, which makes more water evaporate ... you get the picture.
A friend who keeps chickens bemoaned losing three of her best hens to the heat. She let the survivors out of their coop out so they could seek shade under the bushes -- but at the risk of becoming lunch for a hawk.
But most of the outdoor workers I've spoken to much prefer the heat to the cold and snow.
I talked to a PennDOT worker while getting gas at Landhope the other morning, and he said said he's gotten used to the summer heat and just drinks a lot of water. "I used to like snow," he said. "Until I got this job."
Another fellow said he and his building crew members watch each other carefully during the heat. Sweating profusely is OK, he said; when he sees a guy stop sweating, that's when he gets concerned.
And a vet I was chatting with was recalling without pleasure the icy days of winter, when medications she was trying to give would freeze up in their vials.
So what would you do? I asked.
"Take 'em into the barn," she replied.
A friend who keeps chickens bemoaned losing three of her best hens to the heat. She let the survivors out of their coop out so they could seek shade under the bushes -- but at the risk of becoming lunch for a hawk.
But most of the outdoor workers I've spoken to much prefer the heat to the cold and snow.
I talked to a PennDOT worker while getting gas at Landhope the other morning, and he said said he's gotten used to the summer heat and just drinks a lot of water. "I used to like snow," he said. "Until I got this job."
Another fellow said he and his building crew members watch each other carefully during the heat. Sweating profusely is OK, he said; when he sees a guy stop sweating, that's when he gets concerned.
And a vet I was chatting with was recalling without pleasure the icy days of winter, when medications she was trying to give would freeze up in their vials.
So what would you do? I asked.
"Take 'em into the barn," she replied.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)