Vintage

My friend Chris Barber, the editor of the "Avon Grove Sun," was shooting a girls' basketball game at her alma mater, Unionville High School, on Friday night when "this weird thing happened... the announcer said all the basketball team alums should gather for a picture after the game. But all the alums were like class of 2010, -11, etc. So I told the announcer I was embarrassed, but I was on the basketball team, class of '61. And he kept saying, "I can't believe it. I wasn't born in '61." Then the women taking the picture said, "Hey, we've got a '61 here." And the girls cheered and surrounded me for the picture."
Chris is an honoree on UHS' Wall of Fame.

Keller's hiatus

A distraught reader wrote to tell me that Fran Keller's Eatery will be shut from Dec. 30 through Jan 10. "Not sure what a lot of us will do without the weekend omelettes, the Mexican Tuesdays, crab-cake Fridays and daily camaraderie, but it'll be a tough adjustment," he wrote. "A tough adjustment, too, for the staff, who are getting 12 days' unpaid vacation."
My good-karma suggestion: Slip your favorite Keller's staff member an extra-large tip, before or after the break.

 

For the birds

The snow on the ground not only brings the wild birds to our backyard feeders and suet-holders but also makes them a little easier to spot. A West Grove pal who keeps a tripod-mounted camera at the ready, pointed out his kitchen window, captured a marvelous Christmas Day shot of a red-bellied woodpecker with a seed in his beak!
Some people love to post these bird photos on social media, and I've noticed that bordering-on-contentious disputes will arise among enthusiasts about a bird's exact identity: Which type of wren or woodpecker is it? Male or female? What's your evidence? When they start using Latin names, you know there are some serious birders involved.
I'm reminded of that amusing passage from Jay McInerney's "Bright Lights, Big City," in which the hero is a fact-checker at a highbrow magazine: "Just last month an innocuous sketch on birdfeeder activity raised a storm. Readers protested that a certain type of finch couldn't possibly have been at a feeder in Stonington, Connecticut, when the writer claimed to have seen a pair. The letters are still coming in."

End of the year

As we say good-bye to 2013, I want to thank you, readers and contributors, friends and family, for your wonderful support. It is heartwarming when strangers come up to me (even better, to my family members!) and say how much they enjoy my little column and how it keeps them up to date with what's going on and who's doing what.
I started writing this blog a few years back because I thought there was just plain too much faux-hip snarkiness, meanness for the sake of meanness, and juvenile name-calling in our world, online and off. I think we should and can do better, and without being saccharine I keep that goal in mind with every item I write. Let's pay attention to nature and the beautiful countryside we live in. Let's notice and express gratitude for a good meal or a neighbor's kindness. Let's celebrate the little family moments, businesses that do what they say they'll do, "ordinary" citizens who help their community.
Am I ever tempted to slam a lackluster or a poorly organized local event? Sure I am; but I don't. Even the Young Relative knows that if a local restaurant serves me, say, a gluey, lukewarm cup of mushroom soup, Tilda will simply not mention it (in print, at least).
However: rude drivers, litterers, bad parkers, people who spit on the sidewalk and incessant Verizon solicitors? You're still fair game.
Readers, if you ever want to comment or offer a story idea from your neighborhood, club, church, or whatever, please feel free to contact me at uvilleblogger@gmail.com or PO Box 293, Unionville, PA 19375. Thanks!

Hey, Mom!

A friend's son bought the house next to hers in Embreeville this fall, and given that he is a grown and responsible adult, she resolved to give him his privacy, mind her own business and not officially notice his comings and goings.
The son? Not so much. At their family's Christmas Eve party, she told me she was out three nights in a row this past week -- and not only did he notice, but he also gave her a mock-hard time about what exactly she thought she was up to.

Win-win

Jess from the Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County sent me an email about a fundraiser that her group is conducting with the Half Moon Restaurant & Saloon, 108 West State Street in Kennett Square. On Tuesdays from Jan. 7 through Feb. 25, the restaurant is going to donate 10% of your check to the Land Conservancy. Just bring a pine cone to the restaurant or write "Marshall Mill House" on your bill.
"Gather your friends and family for a wonderful meal and libations while supporting land conservation efforts in southern Chester County. Each purchase is helping TLC blaze trails, preserve natural habitats, build a greener community, and instill curiosity and appreciation for the natural world in future generations." 

 

Christmas Presents

Coolest gift: The Young Relative's Dr. Dre earbuds (Dr. Dre, pronounced Dray, is a rapper who lends his name to these high-tech headphones). I was skeptical until I plugged them into my smartphone and started up Adele's "Skyfall." Oh my gosh. I'm no audiophile, but they produce truly astonishing sound!
Brainiest gift: A T-shirt that my college professor sister sent the Young Relative that read, "ACL: Amateur Crastination League." The whole family stared at each other in silence, baffled, for probably 30 seconds until we figured it out ("AMATEUR-crastination" as opposed to "PRO-crastination." Get it?)
Most flexible gift: Gift cards. Love them! Starbucks, Foxy Loxy, Lowe's, L.L. Bean, Floga Bistro, Half Moon.
Most observant gift recipient: My country friend who identified the blue ribbon encircling my present to her as -- yes, a length of baling twine.
Proudest moment of the holidays: My dear friend and former colleague Paul Souders won National Geographic's Grand Prize for wildlife photography for his amazing shot of a polar bear peering up from beneath the melting sea ice on Hudson Bay in northern Canada. The photo has been all over the Internet; maybe you've seen it. I mean, really: National Geographic! Grand Prize!!
Best gift, as always: Spending time with family and friends. And even strangers: I was on Apple Grove Road the morning of Christmas Day and a Prius had pulled over to the shoulder. I noticed that the driver had her window rolled down, so, thinking she might be lost trying to get to somebody's house, I stopped. After the two of us -- perfect strangers -- wished each other an enthusiastic Merry Christmas, the driver said no, she wasn't lost, just enjoying the view. Perfect.

Holly Jolly Christmas

Thank you to all the local hosts and hostesses who fed and entertained me during this past week! For me this year's celebrations, parties and open houses seemed compacted into Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and I've eaten far, far too much rich food, lasagne and chocolate. Our family luncheon was at the Greathouse at Loch Nairn for at least the third year in a row and it was once again superb; the place never disappoints in terms of food, service and atmosphere.

Luminaries

What a wonderful little snow squall we had on Christmas Eve afternoon! My family and I had set out the luminaries that line the cul-de-sac where my parents live (a wonderful Christmas Eve neighborhood tradition) and were inside opening gifts when my brother noted with surprise that it was snowing, heavily! The wind was whipping the white flakes around and howling down the chimney. The storm was quite intense while it lasted.
The poor luminaries: last year the flames were quenched by the snow; this year a lot of them were blown over. I even saw one paper bag engulfed in flame.
I enjoyed the unexpected little snowstorm we had on Boxing Day morning as well. I was having breakfast at Perkins in Avondale with two friends when one of them looked out the window and noticed the flakes. The little boy at the next table noticed the snow at the same moment and, to everyone's amusement, cried, "YAY!"

Roast Beast

This year's Christmas family debate -- this year's suitable-for-the-newspaper family debate, that is -- was whether the original animated "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" is superior to the Jim Carrey film. The obvious and correct answer is that the cartoon is vastly better, but sadly it turns out that some family members vehemently disagree. I can only shake my head. Others of a more conciliatory bent, however, suggested that comparing the two films was like comparing apples to oranges, and perhaps there is some truth to that.
By the way, did you know that Boris Karloff did NOT sing the classic "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"? It was the uncredited  Thurl Ravenscroft, who also did the voice of Tony the Tiger ("They're grrreat!") in the Frosted Flakes commercials. 

Remember Jim?

It was so nice to receive a Christmas card from our former Unionville Postmaster, Jim Robinson. He reports that he took early retirement from the U.S. Postal Service after 27-plus years, and he and his partner sold both their Evergreen house and their small house in Denver, replacing it with a high-rise in Denver. When not doing real-estate transactions, they also managed to get in some traveling, visiting 11 states and trailering their Harleys to their condo in Phoenix so they can use them while they are there.