Full up

I don't get or send a lot of mail these days. I receive and pay almost all of my bills online; instead of receiving checks, the money is deposited right into my account; and instead of letters I communicate by email and Facebook.
But when I stopped by the drive-up mailbox at the West Grove post office this afternoon, it was overflowing. Letters were sticking out, and I could hardly fit my Netflix movie ("Downton Abbey"!) into the slot. Fortunately an employee was standing out on the loading dock, and as soon as I gave him a heads up he went over and started emptying the box.

March Sanity

I guess it's inevitable when you have a children's librarian who is also a huge sports fan: John Hendrix just posted two March Madness brackets on the bulletin board at the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library, but they have picture books and chapter books instead of college basketball teams.
According to BracketMeister Hendrix, "You're supposed to come into the library and pick up the pool, fill it out and the kid with the most wins get a prize...Every Friday I will post the winners of each round...so if I get 100 pools and 75 of them have Hungry Caterpillar and 25 The Mitten, Hungry Caterpillar advances."
Who will make the Picture Book Final Four? "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? "Where The Wild Things Are"? "Goodnight Moon"? "Stellaluna"? "Rainbow Fish"?
I'm told that "Very Hungry Caterpillar" is the number-one seed, but personally I'm rooting for "Green Eggs and Ham."    
And the Chapter Book competitors? Talk about all-stars: "Charlotte's Web," "Pippi Longstocking," "Ramona the Pest," "Little Women," "Harry Potter," "The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe," "The Hobbit"... it goes on and on.
Stop by the library and join the pools!

Relocating

Dog Heaven must be a busy place: three friends have lost their beloved canines in the past few weeks. Fortunately all three lived good, happy doggie lives and didn't suffer very long illnesses, and I hope that's some comfort to the owners. One friend reported that when she went to pick up her dog's ashes, she found that the vet had made a cast of his paw print that she could take a memento home. I thought that was very sweet.

2012 Book Sale

This coming weekend is the annual used-book sale at Unionville High School gym. It's an event I look forward to each year for two reasons: I get to clear out my shelves by donating books I don't want, and then restock them with new ones. Proceeds go to the high school PTO.
Here are the hours (the snow date is the following weekend, but I don't think we need worry overmuch about that):

• Friday, February 24th, 5 PM - 9 PM
• Saturday, February 25th, 9 AM - 2:30 PM
• $8 Bag Sale, Saturday, February 25th, 3 PM - 5 PM

Who?

Perhaps one of my readers has the answer: There is a commemorative marker, with a wreath, along the side of Route 841 between Blow Horn and Thouron Road. I've always wondered who it is in memory of.

Bridges

Wooden barriers have been erected blocking horses, carriages and other vehicles from using the two covered bridges in the Laurels nature preserve after an engineering study showed that the bridges are damaged and unsafe for heavier loads. The narrow openings permit only pedestrians to cross the bridges.
"We have applied to the Department of Environmental Protection for a permit to upgrade a downstream ford," says a letter from the Brandywine Conservancy. "This work should be completed within a few weeks and will improve the ford so that it may be used as part of an alternate route."

An orange sign directs riders and carriages toward the detour.

We are family

A friend of mine is having some health issues that appeared out of the clear blue sky, and she spent several days in Christiana Hospital. Word trickled out via the grapevine to her large network of friends in Kennett. When I heard that something was up, I phoned one mutual friend who is always "in the know," got some details and then passed the word along.
I found myself phoning some people I hadn't spoken to in years, not since all of us served on a very active nonprofit board together, but it was like no time had passed at all: I knew that of course they would want to hear about our former colleague. I suppose it's much like working together, or playing on a team together: certain bonds form when you're on "the same side," you've eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and you've been on the phone at all hours of the day and night discussing good news and bad.
As one friend put it: There are all kinds of families in the world.

Willowdale

Food by Triple Fresh? And music by The Sermon? Now really: what more do you need for an excellent party!

The Willowdale Steeplechase is hosting a Mardi Gras-themed party on Friday, March 9, from 7 to 10 p.m. to kick off the 2012 race meet season. It'll be held at the Yellow House on the Steeplechase grounds. Tickets are $75 per person, $130 per couple. You can reserve yours at www.willowdale.org, or call the office at 610.444.1582. The organizers tell me that the event was a sell-out last year.

Support

A certain cancer not-for-profit has been in the headlines recently for its decisions on how it allocates its funds. I thought I would seize the opportunity, however oblique it is, to put in a plug for one of my very favorite charities: The Cancer Support Community Delaware, known until recently as Wellness Community Delaware. They run cancer support groups and educational programs for patients and family members. They keep a low profile, but they do life-changing work and they are VERY good at it.
You can look them up online for more information. The New Castle County office is at 4810 Lancaster Pike

Wilmington, DE and the phone number is
(302) 995-2850.