Worst. Day. Ever.

I think all of us of a certain age have one date in the year that kicks us in the teeth each time it rolls around. It's called an "anniversary reaction," and it's very real. For me it's Sept. 17, 2004, a day that started out with work and the gym and happily looking forward to weekend errands -- and ended up with a emergency trip to the hospital to find out that a loved one had just been diagnosed, out of the blue, with the disease, lung cancer, that would kill him three months later. 
I can't offer any wisdom that doesn't sound trite. Life can change drastically in a matter of seconds. Count your blessings every day and love your family and friends.
Oh, and don't smoke.

Hair of the dog

A friend's computer was acting up, running slowly and making alarming noises, so she took it to her computer place. The diagnosis: the insides of the computer were completely clogged with dog hair. The computer guys cleaned it up and updated her software and she is back in business.
Naturally, her three dogs didn't offer to help pay.

Garden surprises

I had two wonderful garden successes this year: the moonflower vine and the eucalyptus. The moonvine started out slowly but then wrapped itself not only around my lamppost but all the way up into the nearby evergreens. It has been flowering the past few weeks, big white sweet-smelling blooms that open up around suppertime.

The eucalyptus I planted in planters with geraniums, and the silver and red combination is very pleasing. I never would have thought of getting it until I saw some plants on a table outside the greenhouse where I was shopping this spring. I plan to cut it, dry it and use the fragrant leaves for therapeutic purposes if I get a cold this winter.
Don't forget to order your bulbs for fall planting! I decided to break with tradition and instead of my usual tulips I ordered 100 assorted daffodil bulbs and 50 crocus in what the catalog described as lavender shades.

Whip news

At the September West Marlborough Township meeting, Neil Land, the Whip's attorney, presented to the supervisors a proposed change to the township's zoning code that he said would allow the Whip more flexibility to find additional parking areas in Springdell for its patrons. (The lack of sufficient parking has been an ongoing headache, both for patrons of the popular bar and restaurant and some of the neighbors.)
The zoning changes, which would affect not only Springdell but also the village of London Grove, add four uses that would be permitted in the village residential zone:

1. Restaurants (but not drive-through or fast-food ones)
2. Nightclubs and taverns
3. Offices
4. Parking

Mr. Land argued that allowing small-scale businesses like these would be consistent with the history of villages and how they have traditionally been zoned. He also mentioned that passing an amendment like the one he proposed would bring to an end the lawsuits affecting the Whip. He said his client has appealed to the Court of Common Pleas the recent township Zoning Hearing Board decision that barred the Whip from using the house next door as an office or for storage.
Several of the neighbors who have complained for years that the Whip has a negative impact on their lives were at the meeting, along with one of their attorneys, Michael Gill. (They are the ones who brought the case before the Zoning Hearing Board.)
William Wylie, who chairs the Board of Supervisors, said the board would forward the proposed amendment to the township solicitor and then decide what the next step should be.

Marketing

A local small-business owner told me that over the summer she has been re-thinking her marketing strategy. She and her business partner have decided that instead of joining yet another business group, at a cost of several hundred dollars a year plus a monthly luncheon, they will spend the money on going out to lunch themselves. They are both sociable, pleasant women and realized that they inevitably end up chatting with a wide array of strangers in line or at the table next to them. What better opportunity to get to meet potential customers without having to do any high-pressure sales promotion, which is completely contrary to their nature?

Triathalon

A Marshalton resident was telling me that the Marshalton Triathalon on Sunday, Oct. 2, may have to change its route if the Northbrook Road bridge over the Brandywine isn't re-opened by then. The bridge has been undergoing extensive renovations since the early summer. Any updates to the 10-mile course will be posted on the triathalon's website, and competitors can register online through the site. This is the 38th year for the triathalon, which comprises canoeing, walking and biking legs.

Runnin' around my brain

After coffee with a friend at Landhope this beautiful morning, I was on my way home on Route 82. Near the elementary school a middle-aged jogger was trotting along on the shoulder of the road, and between him, my car and the oncoming tractor-trailer, it was a seriously tight fit.
Why on earth was he jogging on the narrow shoulder when there is a lovely, and much safer, brick sidewalk running alongside the road? I've been puzzling over that all day. Maybe he had a good reason, but as a runner myself I'm just not seeing it.
Also spotted in Unionville: the patriotic signs posted by Catherine's restaurant for the Sept. 11 anniversary. Just another reason this delightful place is way up there on my lunch playlist.