Scrumptious muffins

I've been baking these muffins for probably 15 years and they're delicious.
Mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup raisins. In a separate bowl mix an 8-oz can of crushed pineapple, 2 eggs, 1 stick butter (melted) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Fold wet ingredients gently into the dry ones, just until mixed. Spoon into muffin tin lined with cupcake papers. If there are any raisins sticking out, poke them down (otherwise they'll burn). Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes until just brown.

Visitor from the North

James Keelaghan, the Canadian singer-songwriter, gave a delightful concert at Kennett Friends Meeting on Friday as part of the Hadley Fund's 50th anniversary season. I had never heard of him but went on a whim, partly because the Hadley Fund committee's choices are always interesting (who can forget the gamelan orchestra!) and partly because Kennett Meeting has a nice ambiance. I'm glad I did: he was a very talented performer -- he reminded me a little of Tom Waits -- and and his songs were riveting. He's also brave, taking requests from the audience: in one case he was asked to play "Captain Torres," which he confessed he hadn't performed in several years.
The friend I sat with is a notoriously mischievous fellow who had me convinced that he was thoroughly familiar with Mr. Keelaghan's career. He admitted at intermission that he'd Googled him five minutes before he got there "to see what I was getting into."

Myopia

We can sometimes get tunnel vision living here in horse country.
A friend called last night, roaring with laughter at herself and knowing that this would be a perfect "Tilda item." It seems she and her husband were driving through town when they saw a sign advertising the UPC Kids' Clothing Sale.
"Aw, how nice!" she remarked. "The Unionville Pony Club is having a fundraiser."
Her husband is a kind and patient man, but I am sure he took great delight in pointing out that UPC can actually stand for something other than "Unionville Pony Club" -- in this case, Unionville Presbyterian Church.
(Which, I want to add, is a lovely church with nice people who do lots of good things.)

Stormy weather

The heavy rain woke me at 3 o'clock this morning, and it was a delightful, soothing sound. I've loved rainstorms as long as I can remember, and I wish the weather forecasters would not say "nice" when they mean "dry and sunny" and apologize and put on a rueful face when they tell us that it's going to rain.
That having been said: I DO work indoors and I don't (yet) have joints that ache when it's rainy.

Homonyms

A pal and I were lunching in Kennett on Tuesday, and it was such a nice autumn day that he proposed a walk in Anson Nixon Park after we finished our tacos. We entered on the path off North Broad Street, where we immediately spotted a handsome garter snake. We walked past the community garden plots and the tennis courts, around the ponds and into the woods.
"I'm going to show you the Kennett Beach," he said.
Well! This was news to me: I didn't realize that Kennett had a beach. I enthused about how much I was looking forward to seeing a nice sandy shoreline.
We walked past the ball field. We heard the traffic from the Route 1 bypass. Where exactly was this little-known body of water? I started to wonder as we continued through the woods.
He stopped abruptly in front of a little sign.
"Here it is!" he said with a gleeful smirk. "Here's the Kennett Beech!"
Yes, OK, it was a very handsome and very big tree, "the largest and oldest tree in this woodland," but I really wanted a beach.
Even so: Anson Nixon Park is a splendid place for a little hike.

Foot pain

Now this is just weird: in the past few weeks, three of my women friends have seriously injured their feet. One woman broke her foot when she missed a step in the dimly lit basement while she was helping somebody move house. She's now in a walking boot and can't participate in a breast-cancer walk she was looking forward to.
Another's foot is quite likely broken from an equestrian mishap, but we'll never know for sure: she won't go to the doctor because it's the middle of fox-hunting season and a cast wouldn't fit into her riding boot.
The third, frankly, I'm a little skeptical about. She said it was swollen and lumpy, the pain had kept her awake, and she wasn't at all sure she would be able to make it through a full set of tennis. That was before she took the first three games off me.

Dinner at Perkins

Here's a win-win situation. The Friends of Avon Grove Library is having a fundraiser at Perkins Restaurant in Avondale on Monday, Nov. 12, from 5 to 9 pm. A portion of sales will be donated to the library if you mention you are there for the Avon Grove Library. 
The poor front-desk people at the Avon Grove Library: whenever I check out a book there, they always have to key in the number off my Bayard Taylor Memorial Library card. Apparently the automatic scanners there don't get along with the cards from the Kennett library!

Bestiary

A member of St. Michael's Lutheran Church reports that the church's "Blessing of the Animals" ceremony on Oct. 14 drew "lots of dogs and cats, some hamsters, rabbits, gerbils as well a couple of lizards and snakes.  No big animals (horses, ponies, cows, etc.)."
In other pet news, a friend shared a story about her apparently paranormal barn cat:
"So, I put the discount shot clinic date on my calendar a month ago in anticipation of getting our new barn cat, "The Great Catsby," his basic inoculations. The kitty has been in our barn every day for almost two months. Last night was the clinic and guess who was missing in action for exactly 24 hours? Yep, he's back this morning. Maybe he had ESP?"

End game

Local literary celebrity Mark Bowden has a new book out. "The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden," published by the Atlantic Monthly Press, details the hunt for the terrorist leader that culminated in the 2011 raid on his compound in Pakistan by the Navy SEALs. A review in the "Wall Street Journal" called Mr. Bowden the "dean of covert-warfare journalists." All the copies in the Chester County Library System are checked out, but I have my name on the waiting list.

Aconite

The Oct. 13 frost pretty much put an end to my garden, although the snapdragons are showing a surprising resurgence. The beautiful blue monkshood is at its peak. From three bulbs bought on a whim at Home Depot a dozen years ago, it has spread throughout the perennial garden and one year even earned me a Best of Show ribbon at the Fair.
The other day I took a bouquet of monkshood to an urban friend (well, he lives in Kennett) and explained that it was also called wolfbane because of its alleged werewolf-repelling properties.

"That's not actually a problem we have around here," he said.

Turkey

The Chester County Historical Society in West Chester regularly posts on Facebook interesting items from its vast archives. Here's one from the October 17, 1953, edition of the "Coatesville Record": "Approximately 650 persons were served a turkey dinner in three sittings last night at the Annual Community Supper of the Unionville fair and farm show."

I believe this would have been when the Farm Show was still being held at the Unionville Elementary School.

On sale now

A few weeks back I mentioned a wonderful new cookbook, "The Brandywine Book of the Seasons," by Ella and Roger Morris, that features recipes from Bakers at Red Lion, Twelves, and Doe Run Farm. Nancy and Barbara at Red Lion contributed recipes for bread pudding and oatmeal bread.

I just found out that autographed copies are on sale for $30 at the Willowdale Country Store at Routes 926 and 82. Tell Cintra and Judy that Tilda sent you!

Both sides now

Last week I commented that I'm not seeing any surprises when it comes to which campaign signs show up in which yards. But yesterday I passed a Londonderry Township farm that displayed an American flag and both Obama and Romney yard signs! As I drove past a Prius was pulling out; wonder which candidate the driver was backing?