Because of construction at the high school, this year's Unionville High School after-prom party is going to be held at the ACAC gym, 1130 McDermott Drive, West Chester, from 11 p.m. May 19 to 5 a.m. May 20. The parents who are organizing the event are looking for volunteers to fill a variety of shifts and assignments throughout the night, as well as people to help with the pre- and post-party decorating and clean-up chores. Blackjack dealer from 2:30 to 5 a.m., anyone?
For more info visit the Facebook page "UHS After Prom 2012."
(Thanks to Sheila Himes for passing this news along to me.)
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Gardening workshop
Nancy Sakaduski of Kennett Township asked me to give her April 28 Master Gardener event a little bit of publicity: "Even people who don’t have large yards can grow an amazing amount of fresh produce by using the right techniques. ... Master Gardeners will teach attendees how to select the best types of vegetables to grow, care for the soil, set up and maintain a successful vegetable garden, and get maximize yields of great-tasting vegetables." Also on the schedule: "workshops on container gardening, attracting birds, lawn care, gardening in the shade, and more." The cost is $25. Date is April 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Location: East Goshen Township Building, 1580 Paoli Pike, West Chester. For more info: e-mail Nancy at nds13@psu.edu.
Next in line
It was great to see my chiropractor, Jenna Fitchett Ennis, back at work. She took a few months off after having her first child, Sam, in January. Both mother and baby -- I met him! -- seem to be flourishing. Dr. Jenna and her chiropractor father, Mike Fitchett, have offices at Willowdale and Jennersville.
A classic lunch
Last Thursday somebody posted online that it was National Grilled Cheese Day -- which immediately settled my lunch choice. I took a break from work and headed to Lynn Sinclair's Sunrise Cafe in downtown Kennett Square, where Lynn made me a grilled Gouda sandwich on her own tomato-and-jalapeno bread. Delicious!
While I was there Lynn mentioned that the Kennett Square Borough Historical Commission is already busy looking for houses to put on its Candlelight Holiday Home Tour, which this year will be on Sunday, Dec. 9.
While I was there Lynn mentioned that the Kennett Square Borough Historical Commission is already busy looking for houses to put on its Candlelight Holiday Home Tour, which this year will be on Sunday, Dec. 9.
In color
I hope you saw the amazing rainbow over Unionville on Wednesday a little after 7 p.m. It was one of those odd evenings where it was cloudy and menacing when you looked in one direction -- but in another direction the sun was so bright reflecting off the yellow side of a barn that you almost had to squint. The rainbow lasted only a few minutes, but from my vantage point (driving east on Upland Road toward Unionville) it certainly looked like the eastern terminus was right near the high school and middle school. Goodness knows the school district could find a use for a few pots of gold.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
In black and white
Near miss
Another traffic menace! Last week I wrote about a woman who blew through the stop sign at London Grove (Street and Newark Roads). And today I was pulling out of the Jennersville Y when a woman heading east on Baltimore Pike ran the red light. I mean, the light had been green on my side for probably five seconds. It wasn't even close. If the guy in front of me hadn't braked he would have been T-boned.
I followed the elderly woman (there was a handicapped placard on her mirror) as she pulled into the Jennersville shopping center and went up to her as she got out of her car, telling her that she had just nearly caused an accident.
She looked at me blankly. "I ran a red light?"
Perhaps some people should consider handing over their car keys?
I followed the elderly woman (there was a handicapped placard on her mirror) as she pulled into the Jennersville shopping center and went up to her as she got out of her car, telling her that she had just nearly caused an accident.
She looked at me blankly. "I ran a red light?"
Perhaps some people should consider handing over their car keys?
Taxes
I just put in the mail checks for my federal and state taxes for 2011 and my state estimated taxes for the first quarter of 2012 (I pay my estimated federal taxes online via eftps.gov). There was a certain cognitive dissonance as I affixed pretty "love" postage stamps onto the envelopes.
Gotta Meet Mitt
First of all, no, I didn't get to shake hands with Gov. Mitt Romney. But I was in the same room as he was, along with the 350 other people at the annual Republican Committee of Chester County fundraiser at the Mendenhall Inn on April 10.
We got there at about 6:30 and saw a bunch of protestors standing along Route 52 holding signs. I recognized a few of them from Quaker events and previous civic disagreements, and I waved. (A friend told me her mother was among them, and she warned her mom that she would NOT post bail were she arrested.)
Finding a parking spot took 15 minutes. The lot is always crowded for the Kennett Symphony Fashion Show Luncheon each autumn, but this was much worse. A state trooper (there were lots of them) told us that the Secret Service had commandeered the entire back parking lot for its own purposes, putting a premium on parking. We spotted Kennett Township Police Chief Albert McCarthy on duty and stopped and said hi to him.
Once we got inside the banquet hall, it was packed full of people in suits. Even though I made a special effort for the evening and put on heels, I felt especially short. We worked our way through the crowd, chatting and shaking hands (I'm not going to name names because I'll miss somebody), managed to get some appetizers and beer and soon enough found ourselves in the ballroom for the speeches.
Sen. Pat Toomey was supposed to give the keynote speech, but the day before the event Gov. Romney signed on to speak. And the very day of the event, Rick Santorum dropped out of the race, leaving Gov. Romney as THE Republican candidate for all intents and purposes. What great timing for us dinner-goers!
As soon as Mitt took the podium everyone who had brought their cell-phone cameras pulled them out and started taking pictures and videos. I wish I could have brought mine, but my outfit didn't have pockets and I didn't bring a purse: I dislike having to tote something extra around when you already have to juggle food, drink and handshakes.
I enjoyed watching the media at work with their cameras and laptops. I saw one reporter interviewing people and taking notes in a long spiral-bound notebook -- I could have told him the short notebooks are much easier to handle. I saw one of the TV cameramen gazing longingly at my bottle of Yuengling.
After Gov. Romney's speech we finished up our chit-chatting and got out onto Route 52 without a problem. Who knows? We could have just seen the next president of the United States.
We got there at about 6:30 and saw a bunch of protestors standing along Route 52 holding signs. I recognized a few of them from Quaker events and previous civic disagreements, and I waved. (A friend told me her mother was among them, and she warned her mom that she would NOT post bail were she arrested.)
Finding a parking spot took 15 minutes. The lot is always crowded for the Kennett Symphony Fashion Show Luncheon each autumn, but this was much worse. A state trooper (there were lots of them) told us that the Secret Service had commandeered the entire back parking lot for its own purposes, putting a premium on parking. We spotted Kennett Township Police Chief Albert McCarthy on duty and stopped and said hi to him.
Once we got inside the banquet hall, it was packed full of people in suits. Even though I made a special effort for the evening and put on heels, I felt especially short. We worked our way through the crowd, chatting and shaking hands (I'm not going to name names because I'll miss somebody), managed to get some appetizers and beer and soon enough found ourselves in the ballroom for the speeches.
Sen. Pat Toomey was supposed to give the keynote speech, but the day before the event Gov. Romney signed on to speak. And the very day of the event, Rick Santorum dropped out of the race, leaving Gov. Romney as THE Republican candidate for all intents and purposes. What great timing for us dinner-goers!
As soon as Mitt took the podium everyone who had brought their cell-phone cameras pulled them out and started taking pictures and videos. I wish I could have brought mine, but my outfit didn't have pockets and I didn't bring a purse: I dislike having to tote something extra around when you already have to juggle food, drink and handshakes.
I enjoyed watching the media at work with their cameras and laptops. I saw one reporter interviewing people and taking notes in a long spiral-bound notebook -- I could have told him the short notebooks are much easier to handle. I saw one of the TV cameramen gazing longingly at my bottle of Yuengling.
After Gov. Romney's speech we finished up our chit-chatting and got out onto Route 52 without a problem. Who knows? We could have just seen the next president of the United States.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Here comes the sun
A few months ago, I wrote about Stuart Allen, a West Marlborough resident who was upset that the township wouldn't let him cut down trees on his property at Route 926 and Big Spring Road.
After he complained, the township engineer decided that he was actually within his rights to cut down the trees he wanted to, as long as he didn't exceed 20% of the trees measuring more than five inches in diameter on his entire property. He also agreed to plant some replacement trees.
As soon as he was issued a permit, Mr. Allen went ahead with gusto. I drove by the other day and the front yard of his property is now practically bare (in fact, township planning commission chairman Josh Taylor described it as resembling "clear-cutting"). There was a big stack of good-sized tree trunks by the driveway.
Mrs. Allen will certainly have enough sun for the garden she said she wanted.
After he complained, the township engineer decided that he was actually within his rights to cut down the trees he wanted to, as long as he didn't exceed 20% of the trees measuring more than five inches in diameter on his entire property. He also agreed to plant some replacement trees.
As soon as he was issued a permit, Mr. Allen went ahead with gusto. I drove by the other day and the front yard of his property is now practically bare (in fact, township planning commission chairman Josh Taylor described it as resembling "clear-cutting"). There was a big stack of good-sized tree trunks by the driveway.
Mrs. Allen will certainly have enough sun for the garden she said she wanted.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Turducken
Turducken is what we had for Easter dinner, and it was delicious. It's an elaborate nesting-doll arrangement in which a turkey is stuffed with duck, which is stuffed with chicken, which in this case was stuffed with Andouille sausage. My sister-in-law bought this one at the store, but she is very ambitious in the kitchen and wants to try making her own next time.
What a delightful Easter: beautiful weather, a great dinner, and good family time. And a hearty "welcome back" to the senior Tally-hos, who just returned Easter morning from their winter-long stay down south!
What a delightful Easter: beautiful weather, a great dinner, and good family time. And a hearty "welcome back" to the senior Tally-hos, who just returned Easter morning from their winter-long stay down south!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Sound familiar?
I swap local newspapers with my friend George, who lives on the south coast of England, and I was struck by this oddly familiar account of the parking woes in Havant Borough in the March issues of "The Hayling Islander" and the "Ems Valley Gazette."
The borough council wants to increase parking meter fees to bring in more revenue, and businesspeople in the towns fear their customers will desert the downtown shops to go to shopping centers with free parking.
Marie Telford, the vice-chair of the Mengham Business Group, is quoted as saying, "Some customers tell me that they drive into Mengham looking to see if one of the free parking spaces is available. If not, they won't go and pay in one of the car parks. Instead, they just go and park free of charge at the Co-op -- or they may decide to drive on to one of the free car parks in Havant, where there is a much bigger choice of shops."
The proposed increases range from an extra 10 to 20 pence per hour, representing about a 25% hike; on Sundays and holiday a flat one-pound charge would be introduced, and free parking would be eliminated at several lots.
The council decided to keep the fees as they are pending further study.
There's another story about workers in the town of Langstone who park on residential streets. "The streets are filled with cars every weekday as workers are forced to park there due to a lack of parking in the area. The problems started three years ago with the opening of Southern Electric's call centre, which employs 2,500 people and has 860 parking spaces."
A council member is quoted as saying that workers are still parking in the neighborhood streets even though Southern Electric has started running a bus for its workers: "People will be people. That's the problem."
Now there's a universal truth.
The borough council wants to increase parking meter fees to bring in more revenue, and businesspeople in the towns fear their customers will desert the downtown shops to go to shopping centers with free parking.
Marie Telford, the vice-chair of the Mengham Business Group, is quoted as saying, "Some customers tell me that they drive into Mengham looking to see if one of the free parking spaces is available. If not, they won't go and pay in one of the car parks. Instead, they just go and park free of charge at the Co-op -- or they may decide to drive on to one of the free car parks in Havant, where there is a much bigger choice of shops."The proposed increases range from an extra 10 to 20 pence per hour, representing about a 25% hike; on Sundays and holiday a flat one-pound charge would be introduced, and free parking would be eliminated at several lots.
The council decided to keep the fees as they are pending further study.
There's another story about workers in the town of Langstone who park on residential streets. "The streets are filled with cars every weekday as workers are forced to park there due to a lack of parking in the area. The problems started three years ago with the opening of Southern Electric's call centre, which employs 2,500 people and has 860 parking spaces."
A council member is quoted as saying that workers are still parking in the neighborhood streets even though Southern Electric has started running a bus for its workers: "People will be people. That's the problem."
Now there's a universal truth.
Teachers
I got some nice responses to last week's item about London Grove Friends Kindergarten.
"Thanks for putting in about Teacher Cindy retiring ... she certainly has touched the lives of so many kids," wrote one friend. Two other moms shared some fond memories about the time their children spent at the kindergarten.
And a retired Unionville teacher told me that he taught the new head of school and half-day class teacher, Deni-lyn Lane, and said that "she is an outstanding choice for this position."
"Thanks for putting in about Teacher Cindy retiring ... she certainly has touched the lives of so many kids," wrote one friend. Two other moms shared some fond memories about the time their children spent at the kindergarten.
And a retired Unionville teacher told me that he taught the new head of school and half-day class teacher, Deni-lyn Lane, and said that "she is an outstanding choice for this position."
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