Saturday, August 4, 2012
Grace stone
Sticking it
While watching the astonishing Olympic gymnasts, a friend of mine got the itch to revisit her youth, when she competed in gymnastics. She booked a session with a gymnastics coach and then posted a video of herself doing one of those rapid-fire tumbling runs with handsprings and all manner of twisting acrobatics. She looked fantastic, even though she'd been away from the sport for a few years. Of course, she wasn't satisfied: "
Key points
People always ask me to remind them each time that gas points expire at the Giant grocery store. This time it's Saturday, August 18, and so far I'm getting 60 cents off per gallon! YES! Last time I was totally running on fumes: as I was driving through the village of London Grove on my way to the Giant fuel pumps, my gas gauge said I had 1 mile left. Good planning, huh!
In other consumer news, I went to make a peanut-butter sandwich on Aug. 1 and was unhappy to see that the loaf of bread (expiration date: Aug. 2) was already moldy. I took it back to the Jennersville Giant and pointed to the mold -- and they gave me double my money back, no questions asked. Three dollars!
In other consumer news, I went to make a peanut-butter sandwich on Aug. 1 and was unhappy to see that the loaf of bread (expiration date: Aug. 2) was already moldy. I took it back to the Jennersville Giant and pointed to the mold -- and they gave me double my money back, no questions asked. Three dollars!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Drop that name!
A man introduced himself to me last night, giving his name and telling me he worked for a local person, "X."
All quite proper and correct -- except that X got caught committing a Really, Really Stupid and particularly mean-spirited crime a few years back, and X's name has been mud around here ever since.
I tried not to look too surprised. Why on earth would he have mentioned X's name? Is it possible he didn't know about X's criminal record, even though it pops up on even the quickest Internet check?
Or maybe he just gets paid really, really well.
All quite proper and correct -- except that X got caught committing a Really, Really Stupid and particularly mean-spirited crime a few years back, and X's name has been mud around here ever since.
I tried not to look too surprised. Why on earth would he have mentioned X's name? Is it possible he didn't know about X's criminal record, even though it pops up on even the quickest Internet check?
Or maybe he just gets paid really, really well.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Easy Installation
Over the years my jack-of-all-trades neighbor and I have taken on many home-repair challenges, the most recent being replacing my garbage disposal. As usual, I played a vital role: I held the flashlight and handed him implements, like a plumbing scrub nurse.
"Easy installation," declared the box, and indeed the diagrams made it look like child's play: "(1) Remove old disposer; (2) Make electrical connections; (3) Install new disposer; (4) Make plumbing connections."
What they didn't mention was that you had to accomplish all this while lying on your back in the dark, confined space underneath the sink. The cartoon hand in this installation nirvana just mounted the disposer and tightened a few wire nuts. The connections fitted together perfectly and easily. No need for electrical tape! No stubborn wires! No rebellious pipe joints or hide-and-seek bolts or cumbersome mountings!
Well, between the two of us we got it done, and it works great, and I suppose I got a useful lesson in how elastic the word "easy" can be.
"Easy installation," declared the box, and indeed the diagrams made it look like child's play: "(1) Remove old disposer; (2) Make electrical connections; (3) Install new disposer; (4) Make plumbing connections."
What they didn't mention was that you had to accomplish all this while lying on your back in the dark, confined space underneath the sink. The cartoon hand in this installation nirvana just mounted the disposer and tightened a few wire nuts. The connections fitted together perfectly and easily. No need for electrical tape! No stubborn wires! No rebellious pipe joints or hide-and-seek bolts or cumbersome mountings!
Well, between the two of us we got it done, and it works great, and I suppose I got a useful lesson in how elastic the word "easy" can be.
New knee
After breakfast at Perkins in Avondale yesterday, my friend and I were waiting at the cash register and she was telling me about her quest for an orthopaedic surgeon (she has a bum knee). I mentioned that a family friend had his orthopaedic surgery in Wilmington and instead of eating hospital food, he had his meals brought over from the Hotel Dupont. The woman behind us overheard and laughed. It seems her mother had just had knee surgery at one of the Delaware hospitals, and she couldn't say enough nice things about the surgeon. Small world: My friend was delighted to find that he was one of the names who had been recommended to her.
Mystery gift
At the post office the other day I saw a notice on the door about a new e-mail scam.
Apparently the bad guys, capitalizing on our eager curiosity about unexpected packages, are sending out
bogus e-mails saying that the U.S. Postal Service tried to deliver a package but was unsuccessful. You are asked to click on a link to find out when your package will be delivered.
Unfortunately, "clicking on the link will activate a virus that can steal information—such as your user name, password, and financial account information," advises the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Don't open it! And delete the e-mail.
And just as I was writing this item, a friend sent me an e-mail he had received headed "Olympics trip (sad news)," supposedly from a Jennersville real-estate agent:
Apparently the bad guys, capitalizing on our eager curiosity about unexpected packages, are sending out
bogus e-mails saying that the U.S. Postal Service tried to deliver a package but was unsuccessful. You are asked to click on a link to find out when your package will be delivered.
Unfortunately, "clicking on the link will activate a virus that can steal information—such as your user name, password, and financial account information," advises the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Don't open it! And delete the e-mail.
And just as I was writing this item, a friend sent me an e-mail he had received headed "Olympics trip (sad news)," supposedly from a Jennersville real-estate agent:
| "Just hoping this email reaches you well, I'm sorry for this emergency and for not informing you about my urgent trip to London,United Kingdom but I just have to let you know my present predicament. Everything was fine until I was attacked on my way back to the hotel, I wasn't hurt but I lost my money, bank cards, mobile phone and my bag in the course of this attack. I immediately contacted my bank in order to block my cards and also made a report at the nearest police station. I've been to the embassy and they are helping me with my documentation so i can fly out but I'm urgently in need of some money to pay for my hotel bills and my flight ticket home, will definitely REFUND as soon as back home . Kindly let me know if you would be able to help me out so I can forward you the details required for a wire transfer. Waiting to hear back from you." Another scam! Don't fall for it. |
Double-header
In the first half of the Aug. 30 West Marlborough township double-header hearing, the supervisors approved a zoning change that would allow The Whip to seek an off-site parking area, helping to alleviate the parking problems that have plagued the popular Springdell tavern.
Harry Roth, the township's engineer, described the ordinance change as reasonable and said it would have a minimal impact on neighbors. And the Whip's attorney, Neil Land, said the change will give his client "the opportunity to fix what has been a problem for some time."
But many of the residents said they were worried about the unforeseen, "unintended consequences" of the new rules, which would affect not only Springdell village but also the village of London Grove.
Planning commission member Jeb Hannum said he would have voted against recommending the change had he been at the meeting where it was discussed, and fellow commission member Jake Chalfin said he had changed his mind since the meeting and wished he had opposed it too.
But at the end of the 90-minute hearing, Supervisor Michael Ledyard said he was satisfied that those "unintended consequences" had been anticipated as much as possible and "I'm much more confident than I was coming in." Supervisor Hugh Lofting said he too was comfortable with making the change, and Board Chairman Bill Wylie said the fact that the change affects "very few properties greatly limits the opportunity for unintended consequences."
Although the ordinance change affects both villages, it was clear that the focus was on Springdell and the Whip. "We cannot stand in the way of progress," said Springdell resident Bernie Langer, who suggested that the Whip is a much better neighbor than its rougher predecessors were. Yes, he said, there are more cars, "but at least they have mufflers" and "I have yet to hear a gunshot."
Now, of course, the big questions are:
1. Will the Whip be able to find a lot in Springdell that meets the criteria in the revised ordinance and could be used for parking?
2. How will the Whip's notoriously litigious neighbors, the "Springdell 8" (or however many of them there are these days), react to this decision?
Harry Roth, the township's engineer, described the ordinance change as reasonable and said it would have a minimal impact on neighbors. And the Whip's attorney, Neil Land, said the change will give his client "the opportunity to fix what has been a problem for some time."
But many of the residents said they were worried about the unforeseen, "unintended consequences" of the new rules, which would affect not only Springdell village but also the village of London Grove.
Planning commission member Jeb Hannum said he would have voted against recommending the change had he been at the meeting where it was discussed, and fellow commission member Jake Chalfin said he had changed his mind since the meeting and wished he had opposed it too.
But at the end of the 90-minute hearing, Supervisor Michael Ledyard said he was satisfied that those "unintended consequences" had been anticipated as much as possible and "I'm much more confident than I was coming in." Supervisor Hugh Lofting said he too was comfortable with making the change, and Board Chairman Bill Wylie said the fact that the change affects "very few properties greatly limits the opportunity for unintended consequences."
Although the ordinance change affects both villages, it was clear that the focus was on Springdell and the Whip. "We cannot stand in the way of progress," said Springdell resident Bernie Langer, who suggested that the Whip is a much better neighbor than its rougher predecessors were. Yes, he said, there are more cars, "but at least they have mufflers" and "I have yet to hear a gunshot."
Now, of course, the big questions are:
1. Will the Whip be able to find a lot in Springdell that meets the criteria in the revised ordinance and could be used for parking?
2. How will the Whip's notoriously litigious neighbors, the "Springdell 8" (or however many of them there are these days), react to this decision?
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Only two months away
My friend and neighbor Berta Rains is putting out the call for volunteers for this year's Unionville Community Fair.
"The Fair Needs You! What can you do??? Volunteer! Share your talents in the Demo Tent! Promote your business as a sponsor or vendor! Attend the Denim & Diamonds fundraiser Oct.4th! Jump in, pitch in, rally 'round the Fair!..... Still bringing the community wholesome fun for all after 88 years!"
For specifics, visit the fair's website at www.ucfairinc.org.
"The Fair Needs You! What can you do??? Volunteer! Share your talents in the Demo Tent! Promote your business as a sponsor or vendor! Attend the Denim & Diamonds fundraiser Oct.4th! Jump in, pitch in, rally 'round the Fair!..... Still bringing the community wholesome fun for all after 88 years!"
For specifics, visit the fair's website at www.ucfairinc.org.
A chilling effect
Thank you to Chad Laurence of Corrective Chiropractic in Hockessin! After reading last week's item about my friend who is "bogarting" my reusable ice packs, he kindly offered to replenish my stock. I quickly took him up on it! I stopped by his office with a bunch of flowers and left with four new brand-new ice packs.
A local tax
In the second half of Monday night's meeting, the West Marlborough Township supervisors enacted a 0.5% earned-income tax on its residents that will take effect starting this October. That's $50 per $10,000 of your salary.
The board said the township needs the additional income source to offset the double-whammy that has depleted its coffers: a drop in income from real-estate transfer taxes and an increase in its legal expenses. They said the tax will generate about $100,000 a year, and the cost of collecting it will be minimal.
Speaker after speaker stood up and vigorously opposed the tax, arguing that it would be a hardship on working people, questioning the township's estimates about how much money it would bring in, asking whether alternative funding sources (such as increased fees) had been considered. Several said they'd even rather see their property taxes increase than have an earned-income tax imposed.
Despite the opposition, the supervisors unanimously approved the tax. In response to several residents' concerns that the tax was "a long-term solution for a short-term problem," however, they agreed to review the need for it annually as part of the budgeting process.
(I should disclose that I was one of the residents who stood up and opposed the tax. I'm going to get clobbered by it because I both live and work in the township.)
I've covered some hot-tempered municipal meetings in my day, and this one was not. Yes, feelings ran high; but people were calm, respectful, thoughtful, and eloquent (myself sadly excluded on that last point).
Who will pay this new tax? People who live and work in West Marlborough or who live in West Marlborough and work in a community that doesn't have an earned income tax. Many residents already pay the tax at their workplace. Those residents won't see a tax increase; rather, the money they already pay will come back to West Marlborough Township rather than staying in the municipality where they work.
Retired people and those with significant investment income get a break, as they are not considered to be receiving "earned" income.
Also, the current $10 per capita tax will be eliminated.
Just for comparison, here are the real-estate and the earned income tax rates in neighboring townships:
Real Estate (mills) Earned Income Tax (%)
East Fallowfield 0 0.50
Highland 2.3 1.00
Londonderry 0 0.75
London Grove 1.24 0.75
New Garden 0.75 0.625
Kennett Twp. 0.40 0.75
East Marlborough 1.43 0.0
Newlin 0.75 0.50
West Marlborough 1.70 0.5
The board said the township needs the additional income source to offset the double-whammy that has depleted its coffers: a drop in income from real-estate transfer taxes and an increase in its legal expenses. They said the tax will generate about $100,000 a year, and the cost of collecting it will be minimal.
Speaker after speaker stood up and vigorously opposed the tax, arguing that it would be a hardship on working people, questioning the township's estimates about how much money it would bring in, asking whether alternative funding sources (such as increased fees) had been considered. Several said they'd even rather see their property taxes increase than have an earned-income tax imposed.
Despite the opposition, the supervisors unanimously approved the tax. In response to several residents' concerns that the tax was "a long-term solution for a short-term problem," however, they agreed to review the need for it annually as part of the budgeting process.
(I should disclose that I was one of the residents who stood up and opposed the tax. I'm going to get clobbered by it because I both live and work in the township.)
I've covered some hot-tempered municipal meetings in my day, and this one was not. Yes, feelings ran high; but people were calm, respectful, thoughtful, and eloquent (myself sadly excluded on that last point).
Who will pay this new tax? People who live and work in West Marlborough or who live in West Marlborough and work in a community that doesn't have an earned income tax. Many residents already pay the tax at their workplace. Those residents won't see a tax increase; rather, the money they already pay will come back to West Marlborough Township rather than staying in the municipality where they work.
Retired people and those with significant investment income get a break, as they are not considered to be receiving "earned" income.
Also, the current $10 per capita tax will be eliminated.
Just for comparison, here are the real-estate and the earned income tax rates in neighboring townships:
Real Estate (mills) Earned Income Tax (%)
East Fallowfield 0 0.50
Highland 2.3 1.00
Londonderry 0 0.75
London Grove 1.24 0.75
New Garden 0.75 0.625
Kennett Twp. 0.40 0.75
East Marlborough 1.43 0.0
Newlin 0.75 0.50
West Marlborough 1.70 0.5
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Deals
Here are a few nice summer restaurant bargains I've stumbled upon in recent weeks:
1. The sushi restaurant Kyoto off Route 1 near the Kennett Walmart is offering a lunch special, $6.99 for two rolls. Both my lunch partner and I took advantage of it last Thursday. I had the salmon and tuna rolls, very tasty.
2. Iron Hill Brewery in downtown West Chester is offering a hearty 14-oz prime rib special on Sundays.
It comes with a pint of house beer (or wine), either a salad or soup, a vegetable, and a baked potato with horseradish sauce and sour cream. I couldn't believe it when the bill arrived: a prime rib dinner for two people for under $50! And there were plenty of leftovers; the dog just finished off the last scraps tonight. Take a look at Iron Hill's website for details.
3. And just this morning I had breakfast at Perkins in Avondale, where the "Magnificent 7" special is on sale for $2.99 from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. Amazing.
1. The sushi restaurant Kyoto off Route 1 near the Kennett Walmart is offering a lunch special, $6.99 for two rolls. Both my lunch partner and I took advantage of it last Thursday. I had the salmon and tuna rolls, very tasty.
2. Iron Hill Brewery in downtown West Chester is offering a hearty 14-oz prime rib special on Sundays.
It comes with a pint of house beer (or wine), either a salad or soup, a vegetable, and a baked potato with horseradish sauce and sour cream. I couldn't believe it when the bill arrived: a prime rib dinner for two people for under $50! And there were plenty of leftovers; the dog just finished off the last scraps tonight. Take a look at Iron Hill's website for details.
3. And just this morning I had breakfast at Perkins in Avondale, where the "Magnificent 7" special is on sale for $2.99 from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. Amazing.
Departed
Goodbye to Jody Shoemaker of Kennett Township. I had the pleasure of volunteering with Jody for several years on the Bayard Taylor Library's Special Events Committee (the people who bring you the Home & Garden Day each spring).
I was stunned to see in her obituary that Jody was 87, as she was very energetic and looked and acted much younger. I remember watching her on the tennis court, just relaxing at the baseline and hitting with complete consistency. Condolences to her husband Chuck, a former Kennett Township supervisor.
I was stunned to see in her obituary that Jody was 87, as she was very energetic and looked and acted much younger. I remember watching her on the tennis court, just relaxing at the baseline and hitting with complete consistency. Condolences to her husband Chuck, a former Kennett Township supervisor.
Technology old and new
You can tell that once-hip Facebook has been suborned by hordes of us middle-aged people. The most recent fad seems to be posting photos of "things that aren't here anymore" and asking your peers to identify them and reminisce fondly about them. Examples? Eight-track-cassettes. Foot pedals for headlight dimmer switches. Metal ice-cube trays. Roller skates with skate keys. The Charles Chips home-delivery truck. Back issues of newspapers on microfiche. Those little plastic jobbies you stuck in the donut hole of 45s like "Daydream Believer" so you could play them on the stereo.
Time for a shameless family plug: Facebook, as I'm sure you know, was founded by Mark Zuckerberg while he was a Harvard undergrad. My nephew Merrill, a rising Harvard sophomore, is following in his entrepreneurial footsteps by developing and marketing a startup company called Pollvaultr, which collects and analyzes point-of-sale survey information from consumers. Check it out online. Yes, that's him narrating the video!
Time for a shameless family plug: Facebook, as I'm sure you know, was founded by Mark Zuckerberg while he was a Harvard undergrad. My nephew Merrill, a rising Harvard sophomore, is following in his entrepreneurial footsteps by developing and marketing a startup company called Pollvaultr, which collects and analyzes point-of-sale survey information from consumers. Check it out online. Yes, that's him narrating the video!
Lycoris
A loyal reader adds:
"Another nickname for Lycoris is, I believe, Naked Lady, because of the lack of foliage and probably the pink hue. Story about that: a friend once phoned someone with whom she'd been discussing these flowers and burst out as soon as the phone was picked up: `I've just found several more Naked Ladies in my garden!' A silence, then: `Lady, I think you have the wrong number.' "
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Mycologist alert
My long-suffering friends are all too familiar with my habit of spotting a bit of foliage (which they probably didn't even notice) and then stopping abruptly to examine, photograph, and discuss it at length. The latest example: I spotted this mushroom growing on a decaying willow stump along one of my favorite one-lane roads. Can anyone identify it? It's 2.5 inches across and 3.5 inches high. The gills are separate from the stem, which doesn't have a collar. I'm making a spore print.
First Day
Some of the smaller Quaker meetinghouses in our area aren't used year-round anymore, but they open up for Meeting for Worship in August. Everyone is welcome, and I've found these rarely used meetinghouses to be rich in history and atmosphere. Maps and more information are available at www.localquakers.org.
- Penns Grove Meeting, 10 a.m. Sunday, August 26. Take the Route 1 bypass to Route 896, go north on Route 896 to the first intersection and turn left. The meetinghouse is an eighth of a mile on the right.
- Homeville Meeting, 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26. Take the Route 1 bypass to Route 896, go north on Route 896 into the village of Homeville. Turn left and the meetinghouse is on the right, inside the stone wall.
- Parkersville Meeting, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9. The meetinghouse is on the east side of Parkersville Road between Route 926 and Route 1.
Spectator
Of course, everybody's talking about the Olympic Games in London. I'm not much of a TV viewer -- in fact, I don't even subscribe to cable TV (much to Verizon's disgust) -- but over the weekend I tuned in while I was visiting some friends.
It's certainly very exciting to see our local Unionville equestrians competing on the world scene. But I'm an enthusiastic, if unskilled, athlete, and while I was watching the women's soccer team play against Colombia, I just wanted to get out there and run around and get sweaty rather than being a couch spud.
Did you see the segment where John McEnroe was interviewing American swimmer Ryan Lochte about his training regimen? Didn't that look like fun, the tossing of medicine balls in particular? (Maybe not so much the flipping over of huge tires, though; like I could even budge one!)
And how about those close-ups of the Chinese gymnasts' injuries? "You can see the bruising," pointed out the announcer. Ouch! Get that man an ice pack stat. Thank goodness there's no video person around documenting my bruises -- say, the ones that result from doing bent-knee crunches with an 18-lb bar balanced on your shins.
It's certainly very exciting to see our local Unionville equestrians competing on the world scene. But I'm an enthusiastic, if unskilled, athlete, and while I was watching the women's soccer team play against Colombia, I just wanted to get out there and run around and get sweaty rather than being a couch spud.
Did you see the segment where John McEnroe was interviewing American swimmer Ryan Lochte about his training regimen? Didn't that look like fun, the tossing of medicine balls in particular? (Maybe not so much the flipping over of huge tires, though; like I could even budge one!)
And how about those close-ups of the Chinese gymnasts' injuries? "You can see the bruising," pointed out the announcer. Ouch! Get that man an ice pack stat. Thank goodness there's no video person around documenting my bruises -- say, the ones that result from doing bent-knee crunches with an 18-lb bar balanced on your shins.
Smart pets
All you corgi fans out there will like this one, for sure! (I happen to be an aunt to two of the delightful little weasels.)
Val Muller, a self-described "English teacher by day, writer by night," has just published "Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive," which she describes as "a middle-grade mystery" inspired by her Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Yoda and Leia. "The story takes place in a fictional town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a location that is special to me from family vacations and my undergraduate years at Franklin & Marshall College."
Synopsis: "Fifth-grader Adam Hollinger looked forward to an ordinary summer: All-Star baseball practice, reading comic books, begging his parents for a dog, and avoiding his mischievous older sister. But things get crazy when the Hollingers adopt two corgi puppies and the team’s star pitcher breaks his arm. Even worse, a serial burglar has been targeting the neighborhood, and the Hollingers’ house is on the list. When the adults of the town become stumped, it’s up to Adam and the puppies to set things straight."
I have already ordered a copy for the Young Relative (shhh, please don't tell him!).
For more information and an excerpt, you can visit www.corgicapers.com or the author's website.
Val Muller, a self-described "English teacher by day, writer by night," has just published "Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive," which she describes as "a middle-grade mystery" inspired by her Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Yoda and Leia. "The story takes place in a fictional town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a location that is special to me from family vacations and my undergraduate years at Franklin & Marshall College."
Synopsis: "Fifth-grader Adam Hollinger looked forward to an ordinary summer: All-Star baseball practice, reading comic books, begging his parents for a dog, and avoiding his mischievous older sister. But things get crazy when the Hollingers adopt two corgi puppies and the team’s star pitcher breaks his arm. Even worse, a serial burglar has been targeting the neighborhood, and the Hollingers’ house is on the list. When the adults of the town become stumped, it’s up to Adam and the puppies to set things straight."
I have already ordered a copy for the Young Relative (shhh, please don't tell him!).
For more information and an excerpt, you can visit www.corgicapers.com or the author's website.
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