Plantation Field

"Why bother going to London?" asked a fellow jump-judge as we watched members of the U.S. Olympic team competing in the cross-country segment of the Plantation Field three-day event this past weekend.
The riders made it look just so darned easy as they soared over astonishingly large, imposing jumps while remaining perfectly steady, focused and fearless. Sitting just yards away, we were simply spellbound.

"These are the kinds of jumps I would walk around," said a fox-hunting pal in disbelief. She remarked repeatedly how beautifully trained (and valuable) these high-level horses were. In contrast, she said ruefully, her horse would have seen one of the big white tents and not made it past that point: "Ooo! It's so big and white and tentlike! What is it?"
During our afternoon shift we saw only one mishap, when a horse caught his back legs on the second part of an evil uphill jump and tumbled down, then ran off riderless. Fortunately the rider got back up and seemed OK (though I bet she was sore the next day), and the horse was caught as it ran back toward the stabling area.
Plantation Field was a blast, as always. It was beautifully organized, and the weather was marvelous (except for the last few competitors on Saturday, who rode in the pouring rain). I saw tons of friends and caught up with some neighbors I hadn't seen for a while. At the dressage competition on Friday I ran into my doctor, who counts among her patients many of the competitors.
In addition to the equestrian events there were a lot of shops selling all sorts of tack and country-themed clothes, jewelry and knick-knacks (a caddy for your remote-control devices with a fox painted on it! A sign saying "Groundhog Shooting Forbidden"!). As always, the Dubarry sales rep was standing in a basin of water to show how waterproof their boots are. The two alpacas that one farm brought along were adorable.
I didn't get up to the tailgating competition, but I understand that one resourceful contestant re-created miniature versions of some of the jumps using foodstuffs.
On my way out at the end of the day Saturday I saw another volunteer standing by her jump and asked her if she wanted me to find her a chair.
"Oh, no," she said. "I have one. I'm just too excited to sit down."

Early October

What a busy time of year this is! A few dates for early October:
1. Tuesday, Oct. 2, is the monthly West Marlborough Township meeting at 7 p.m. in the township garage in Doe Run.
2. Saturday, Oct. 6, is Chester County Day, which this year features our quadrant of the county. Among the local sites on the tour are Brooklawn, former home of Judge and Mrs. Hannum and still in the Hannum family; Mark and Anna Myers' beautifully restored Colonial home in the village of London Grove; and Primitive Hall, the magnificent country seat built by Joseph Pennock in 1738. Be prepared for some additional traffic on our narrow roads.
3. Also Saturday, Oct. 6, The Whip Tavern in Springdell will be kicking off National Fire Prevention Week from 9 to 11 a.m. "Stop by The Whip for a cup of coffee and a donut while we join the good folks from Lowe’s Home Improvement Center of Avondale & Po-Mar-Lin Volunteer Fire Company for a morning of education and fun. Lowe’s will be offering product and equipment demonstrations and offering vouchers for products that will protect your family and your property from the threat of fire. Po-Mar Lin will be bringing a fire truck and equipment for kids to explore."

4. Of course, Oct. 5 through 7 is the Unionville Community Fair.
5. And coming up on Oct. 13 is the 5th Annual Hoe Down Harvest Festival on October 13 at The Barn at Spring Brook Farm, 350 Locust Grove Road, Pocopson Township. The Barn, founded by Mary Beth Drobish, is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization that provides animal-assisted activities for children with disabilities. A board member tells me there will be food, wine, a bluegrass band and square dancing, as well as live and silent auctions; dress is "denim casual." All funds raised will support The Barn's programs to enrich the lives of children with disabilities.

Voter ID

You've probably received a postcard in the mail giving you all the details about the new Voter ID law that goes into effect in Pennsylvania with the Nov. 6 election, but I thought it would be worth pointing out that the deadline for registering to vote in the election is Oct. 6. October 30 is the last day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot. I applied for a new voter registration card so that it matches the name on my driver's license exactly. It was probably unnecessary: the law says that the the names don't have to match exactly but must "substantially conform," but I wanted to be on the safe side. My new card arrived within three days; good work, Voter Services!

New homes for the vinyl

Thank you, readers! Within a day I got rid of all of my parents' old record albums. One woman emailed me immediately, saying she had many fond childhood memories of dancing to "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" album, and could she please have it; plus her son plays the sax, so she also wanted the jazz albums. Another fellow met me at Landhope Friday afternoon and took all the other albums. I had no idea so many people still had turntables!

In the sticks

It's pick-up sticks day around the yard for a lot of people after yesterday's rain and wind. Downed trees kept our West Marlborough Township road crew busy, with problems reported on Doe Run Station Road, Thouron Road and Route 842 near Wilson Road. The top of a neighbor's maple tree was twisted off, and I saw a small evergreen uprooted along a fence line along Route 842. A fallen tree crushed a parked car and a took out a porch roof in London Grove Village, but that happened a few days before the storm.
My phone was buzzing away with text alerts about tornado watches, wind advisories and thunderstorm warnings, but I heard maybe one rumble of thunder the entire day, and it wasn't even close by.

Pizza

Giordano's was doing a brisk takeout business late Sunday afternoon when I stopped by to pick up a couple of pies. I suppose a lot of people had the same idea that we did when halftime rolled around in the Pittsburgh game! We'd forgotten how good their Southwest pizza is: it has chicken, peppers and onions. Two slices and that's all I needed for supper.

Not on the fence

"I have a Tilda item for you," a friend announced breathlessly. She did. And it's a good one!
As you drive south on Route 82 between Dupont Road and Blow Horn, look to the right: the property owner has mowed the name of his preferred presidential candidate into his hillside in giant letters.
I'm told that when he got married last year, he mowed his initials and those of his new wife into the hillside, too, inside a heart.

Trader Joe's

Armed with a grocery list for myself and a pal, I made a trip to Trader Joe's on Concord Pike a few days ago. Love that store, and I wish there were a closer one! Their shrimp potstickers, chicken teriyaki, macaroni and cheese, rack of lamb and biryani rice are staples in my kitchen; I'll bet you have some favorites, too (I opened a family member's garage freezer yesterday and found it well stocked with boxes of Trader Joe's butter chicken).
The day I was there they were giving out samples of their family-style meat lasagne and it was so tasty that I bought two packages. And another nice thing: I saw Unionville artist Lou Marshall working there!

Gym philosopher

At the Kennett Y this morning, I greeted a fellow exerciser and asked how he was doing.
"Any morning you can get out of bed and go and exercise is a good one," he said.
True indeed!

Fall foliage

We've had a stretch of gorgeous September days, haven't we? Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk at the Laurels and saw the end-of-summer milkweed, purple asters, ragweed and to my surprise a second crop of stinging nettle, looking as fresh as it did in early spring. While I was sitting by the Doe Run (like a former Girl Scout, I brought my sit-upon!) I heard a rustling behind me, looked back and saw a great blue heron taking flight over the creek, literally a few yards away from me.
In one of his more wholesome aphorisms, Oscar Wilde wrote that nothing cures the soul but the senses, and nothing cures the senses but the soul. I don't know about the latter part, but for me sitting under a sycamore tree, next to a burbling creek, looking up at the cloudless blue sky certainly helps out in the soul-nourishing department.

Reading time

A West Chester friend who is an avid reader came up with an amusing idea: she wishes that book reviewers would mention approximately how long it takes to read the book. "Maybe they could include a little graphic depicting arm chairs, 1 chair equals 2 hrs.," she suggests.

Smacking my head

I just saw this printed on a plastic bag: "How-to bag instructions. 1. Carry your purchase to your car and house. 2. Remove your purchase from the bag. 3. Reuse or return the bag for recycling."
Thanks. Would never have thought of that myself.
What's especially bad is that the bag is from a home improvement store. I would argue that you have absolutely no chance of installing drywall or building a deck successfully if you need instructions on how to use a plastic bag.