At the clinic

On Saturday afternoon I spent maybe 45 minutes in the waiting room of the Urgent Care clinic on East Baltimore Pike near Bayard Road while the doctor was tending to a sick friend. The place was hopping: a kid whose stitches weren't quite doing the job, a woman with a possibly broken foot (she showed it to me; I don't know why), a sick infant, and an entire family escorting an older woman with a leg problem.
I was worried about my friend, certainly, but that didn't stop me from being amused at the ceaseless conversation among two members of the latter family. These two guys were discussing sports -- in particular the Phillies and the Sixers -- and if you told me they had written doctoral dissertations on the subject and defended them, I would not have been surprised. Not only did they know every single athletes' current and past statistics from every year and with every club they'd ever belonged to, they knew their contract details, agents and off-court/field antics. They rehashed what they believed to be fatal decisions made during this season's draft, and that of several seasons before. Never, I believe, has the history of the Phillies' farm system been so thoroughly and articulately analyzed. These were some serious sports fans.

On the clock

At least it will be lighter in the mornings ... Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3. Most of my belongings equipped with clocks automatically readjust themselves, but I still have my watch and my antique wind-up schoolhouse clock to re-set. The latter has been in the shop with a broken rod, and I've really missed its comforting ticking sound.
And speaking of Nov. 3, let's hope for great weather -- and more importantly, a safe day for the jockeys and horses -- for the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. I wouldn't miss it.

Blood drive

There were no stink bugs in sight at the blood drive at Kennett Presbyterian on Oct. 23, so all went as planned (you'll recall that a blood drive at the ChesLen Preserve a month or so back was cancelled because the Red Cross folks thought the presence of stink bugs was unhygienic). The nurse who drew my blood told me that it took only 7.5 minutes to fill up my bag, and I kind of wish she hadn't mentioned it because I'll be trying to set a personal record from now on. All the Red Cross personnel were really kind, and even the guy hauling crates of equipment thanked me for coming out. I had fun chatting with some church members afterward while we were drinking water and eating pretzels; they had a lot of nice things to say about their church, the leadership and the congregation.

Land Trust

I know that some Unionville residents spend part of the year in Maine, and next summer I want you to introduce yourself to my pal Doug Sensenig, the new Executive Director of the Coastal Mountains Land Trust on Mt. Battie Street in Camden, Maine. Doug grew up here in Chester County (I went to school with him) and spent his summers at the magical family farm on Lake Megunticook in Lincolnville and at Camp Flying Moose Lodge in East Orland. He now lives in Camden with his wife and their teenage daughter; the three of them recently returned from a year-long, round-the-world adventure.

Patton Middle School update

The Young Relative announced over dinner tonight that has an upcoming book report to write about his choice of a Nobel Prize winner. His favorite subject being gym, he grumbled when he learned that there is, in fact, no Nobel Prize in Sports. I suggested that perhaps he could find a Nobel Laureate in Medicine whose research contributed to improved athletic performance.
"Oh, yeah," he said, his tone indicating that he was actually slightly impressed with the idea and was not rejecting it out of hand.
He's also busy acting in a class play based on "The Prince and the Pauper" (they are looking for a live piglet as a co-star), studying the causes of the American Revolution and learning about the parts of a cell. Something clicked in the back of my brain and I said, "Ah, yes, like the endoplasmic reticulum?"
Once again I got a not-unimpressed glance from him. Not even a single "stupid," the adjective du jour among the jaded middle-school set. A red-letter day indeed!

The way you look tonight

A faithful online reader pretty much nailed my sense of chic when he reminded me of the time some years back that I spent an entire day with a poppy seed from my breakfast bagel lodged between my two front teeth. Apparently no one had mentioned it to me until he did, in the evening.
Fast-forward 20-plus years to Tuesday, which was a hectic day involving multiple wardrobe changes. In addition to editing work here at my desk, I had a ladies' luncheon to attend, and in the afternoon I was planting tulip bulbs and taking some photos that involved traipsing through damp fields and climbing fences.
Then, rushing to get ready for my gym class in the late afternoon, I swapped my jeans for a tennis skirt, grabbed a bandanna from the drawer and headed out the door to the Jennersville Y. Obviously, I did so without glancing in the mirror: when I walked into my class I looked like one of those kids' flipbooks where you create a character wearing an absurdly mismatched outfit. From top to bottom: Blue topaz earrings from the luncheon. My omnipresent fleece pullover. Halloween-themed bandanna with dancing skeletons. Black tennis skirt. Bare legs. Multicolored hand-knitted socks. Duck boots. It could hardly have been worse.
"At several points in the day, I'll bet you looked great," commented one diplomatic gym friend -- when she could stop laughing. Talk about tact!
In another fashion note, the "Wall Street Journal" each Thursday runs a piece detailing the clothes worn by employees in a certain workplace. This week it was the American Ballet Theatre in Manhattan, and I was surprised to see that the assistant stage manager was quoted as saying he was wearing Ariat boots. Ariats are, of course, those sleek, smart-looking leather boots very popular in the equestrian world; I didn't realize they made thick-soled workboots, too.

Kinloch show

Kinloch Woodworking's annual autumn show is from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov 1, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. 

Reports Kinloch's owner, Doug Mooberry: "The show will feature an extremely rare carousel dog hand-carved in the 1920’s, a vanity made to look like the bow of a Chris Craft motorboat, and a blanket chest painted by a master and his apprentice who had a lot to learn. And in case a judge happens to stop by, we have made a gavel from the wood from the USS CONSTITUTION circa 1797.  Of course, a bunch of other stuff we are working late to finish up in time.

"Pat Mooberry will also be showing her pottery. Her work includes ice cream bowls for Foxy Loxy, which is getting closer every day to opening [that's the new ice-cream place in Unionville, next door to Kinloch], funerary urns for her well-loved relatives who of late have been getting a little long in the tooth, and the odd cake pedestal and jelly bean bowl. Plus a bunch of cool stuff that Pat is unloading from the kiln this week."

This is always a great chance to marvel at the amazing work by Doug and his team, and I don't think Doug and Pat will mind if I add that it's a really nice social occasion, too.

Kinloch is on Route 82 in the middle of Unionville.

Election Day

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and more campaign signs seem to be springing up daily for would-be supervisors, judges and school board members. One local candidate actually owns a sign-making business, which seems a decided advantage for any candidate.
West Marlborough Township's monthly meeting, normally held the first Tuesday of each month, will be moved to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, because the township building will be given over to voters and election officials on Nov. 5.

Centreville Cafe

I was doing some volunteer business in northern Delaware on Monday, and lunchtime was approaching. Two of the ladies suggested getting sandwiches at the Centreville Cafe on Kennett Pike, which turned out to be a great idea: I had a delicious turkey-and-cheese sandwich on toasted wheatberry bread. Unfortunately, my friends had to rush off to a 1 p.m. committee meeting, so we couldn't chat for long. I used to belong to their committee, and tried to convince them that there was no way the meeting would start on time -- but apparently things have tightened up since my day. I am holding them to their promise to meet again and have a proper catch-up.

A sad sight

I think Blow Horn corner at Routes 82 and 841 must be jinxed. Only a few weeks after the beloved "Blow Horn" sign was repainted, the old stone mill was badly damaged by an oversized rig at 3:45 p.m. Monday. The driver, who pulled over just north of the scene, told me he heard a loud noise but didn't realize he had hit the building until he walked back and saw one of his truck's orange warning flags stuck to the stone. The crash left a pile of large rocks and rubble and a crumpled stop sign along the shoulder of Route 82.
I'm told that the rig, which was hauling a giant hydraulic press for making construction beams, is the same one that had been pulled over by the state police just outside of Unionville late that morning. As the driver told me, "Nothin' but trouble, this load!"

Under construction

There was some excitement in the middle of Unionville the morning of Oct. 14: the back third of the historic building at Wollaston Road and Route 82 was being torn down! The owners, the Fenzas, are converting the building into an apartment house, and from what I saw (of course I went over and watched) it's going to be a first-class renovation and certainly a big improvement over what was there.
The neighbors I spoke to are delighted to have another Fenza project in town. Said one: "The Fenzas had a neighborhood open house when they finished renovating the building that historically was the Unionville Hotel (the one that sat there in limbo for a few years) and it was wonderful. They also renovated the red barn directly across 82 from that building-- they did that years ago. Top-shelf work all. It's good for the neighborhood!"
"It will be extraordinary," commented another village resident. "Those people have great taste."

A great cause!

Here's a party I am really looking forward to; perhaps you've seen the signs up for it around town already. To honor our local volunteer firefighters from PoMarLin, West Bradford, Modena, and Longwood Fire Companies, the Newlin Fire & EMS Support Committee is throwing a thank-you party and fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville.

On the schedule: food, drink, music by local rock band Jimi's Not Home, Del Bittle as DJ (this year's Unionville Community Fair was dedicated to Del), a silent auction, and a raffle drawing for two special items by two of Unionville's finest artists: a bronze dinner bell depicting a polo pony by sculptor A. J. "Buddy" Obara and a one-of-a-kind coffee table made by woodworker Doug Mooberry.

Tickets are $20 ($10 for kids under 10). Contact information: (610) 486-1141; email newlinFEMS@gmail.com; NewlinFEMS on Facebook; or online www.newlintownship.org/fireemergency