Nature notes

This has been the summer of the hostas, the house wrens and the hummingbirds.
Maybe I'm just more aware of the hostas because I've planted so many of them this year, but those spikes of purple flowers, rising high above green or green-and-white leaves, seem to be everywhere this summer, after our cold, wet spring. What a versatile, hardy and attractive plant.
And a house wren has made a nest of twigs in a bird box in a white pine in my back yard. It has raised at least two broods, which it feeds constantly, chirping its cheerful, trilling song. I just took the portable steps out back to see if I could get a photo of the chicks. The momma wren was not at all happy: she rammed my head, twice, and hard. I apologized, replaced the box and retreated.
My hummingbirds were late to arrive but have been regulars at the feeder, often draining the whole cup-and-a-half. It's fun to watch the colorful, frenetic, bold little creatures perch on the feeder and on nearby white-pine branches.

Shutdown weeks

The annual shutdown weeks at our local YMCAs will be Aug. 18 through 24 for the Jennersville and the Airport Road Ys, and Aug. 25 to 31 for the Kennett Y. Seems earlier than usual this year.

New tires

A shout-out to NTW, the car place on Concord Pike where I got four new tires installed in a total of 70 minutes. On their website, all you have to do is type in your car's VIN and the computers identifies its year, make and model. (It didn't identify the "trim level," which I had to find in my files. Really, who remembers what trim level your car has once you've used it as a bargaining chip in the showroom? Not me.) With that info the computer gives you a list of recommended tires, with varying prices and features.
I selected my tires (buy three and get the fourth free), booked an appointment online and showed up, prepared to spend the afternoon: I brought a stack of proofreading to do, three days' worth of newspapers to read, some needlework and a bottle of water. But they were so efficient that by the time hey were done I hadn't even gotten halfway through the chapter I was proofreading and hadn't even touched the newspapers, the needlework or the water!
The clerk said making the online appointment really speeds up the process, and it seems she is absolutely right.
(A reader said I should've gotten paid for writing this review, but in a sense I did: in my billable-hours world, time = money.)
Speaking of automotive matters, along with my registration renewal form this year I received some information about a "Mature Driver Improvement Course" that gives us 55-and-ups a break on our car-insurance premium. The course, either online or at a senior center, costs $21.95. I called my insurance agent, P.J. Mullin, and found that my premium would be reduced by a grand total of $26 a year. Hardly seems worth it.

Rule of thumb

I've often written about how Unionville equestrians don't let their (frequent) injuries get in the way of their sport. Now, it seems, I should add golfers to the list of hardy athletes. An avid sportswoman I know broke her right thumb in a fall at the golf course. She then completed her round, going for an X-ray to confirm the fracture only at the insistence of her husband. She was told to wear a splint, but she said it makes the thumb hurt even more. So she's simply been carrying on, taking a minimal dose of ibuprofen.
"By the back nine, I'm like, 'Ouch,' " she admits.

Butternut

After an early-evening outdoor concert at the Hans Herr House in the town of Willow Street, Lancaster County, we were milling around eating ice cream when I spotted these odd fruits on the grass under what looked like a walnut tree.

They were exactly the same yellow-green color as walnut fruits, but with an elongated shape and a sticky, fuzzy surface. We brought two of them home and immediately did an online search.
It turns out that they are from the butternut tree (Juglans cinerea), which is also known as white walnut. The tree is a native of the Northeast, but many of them have been killed by a fungus called the butternut canker. This tree seemed to be thriving.

"Third Thursday"

I just got home from July's "Third Thursday," which is downtown Kennett Square's newest special event. State Street is blocked off to traffic for the evening, and the restaurants move their tables and chairs outside diners can have their dinner right in the middle of the street -- a novel perspective indeed. I wandered uptown from the Y around 6:45 p.m. on a beautiful summer evening and saw lots of folks, among them Dave Dickens and his family having sushi; Debra Swayne and her sister; a hungry Robin Mastrippolito; the McNeil clan from West Grove (who are also regulars at the Wednesday evening concert series at Anson Nixon Park); Claire Murray and Mary Hutchins; and "Dev" Devereux. Word has clearly gotten out about this event.
Local band Mason Porter was playing at Union and State Streets, and there was more music at the other end of the fest, at Center and State Streets. The Y was running kids' games at Broad and State Streets, and Bayard Taylor Library employees were demonstrating the library's 3D printer outside on the sidewalk.  

Two thumbs up!

It's rare that a big-screen movie comes out that I want to see, so it wasn't until Sunday, July 13, that we got around to visiting the revamped AMC Painters Crossing movie theater at Routes 1 and 202. I was very impressed; it's really a whole new paradigm of cinemas. They've added food and beverage service right in the theater. Waiters and waitresses take your order at the beginning of the show and then bring your meal to you at your seat. There's enough ambient light in the theater that you can see what you're eating, and there are fold-out trays for your plate. The food menu reminded me of the one at Applebee's and, of course, you can still order the traditional popcorn. There's also a multipage drink menu, with "upgrades" for pricier liquors.
I got a surprise when our waitress greeted me by name -- she is my mail carrier!
Now if Hollywood would just make quieter and less violent movies . . . (Some friends told me they actually bring earplugs to wear during the 15 minutes of deafening ads and previews.)

Lanscaping business at Chester County Timber?

Joshua Cauffman wants to open a landscaping business on the site of Chester County Timber, 1460 Embreeville Rd., but he needs permission from East Marlborough's Zoning Hearing Board to do so. The board will hear the case at 7 p.m. Monday, July 28, at the township building.
For years the Singers operated a business for "lawn and garden equipment repair and sales" on the two-acre property, which is considered a nonconforming use under township regulations. The proposed new business would also be a nonconforming use because the property is in the residential section of the township.
Mr. Cauffman, the equitable owner of the property, is also asking permission "to change or replace a nonconforming sign."

The right fit

This afternoon I was shoe-shopping with a Unionville pal at the DSW store between Exton and Downingtown. She said the only sandals she had were flip-flops and she wanted something sturdier, "but I don't want to fiddle with buckles and things."
"You tack up your horse every morning!" I pointed out. "What do you mean you don't want to `fiddle with buckles'?"
"Yeah. Maybe that's why," she answered.
She ended up buying three pairs, none with buckles.

Oops

Spell-checking programs are a great boon to me and other editors, but they're not putting us out of business yet. I came across this typo on Sunday: "Studies have shown this antioxidant speeds healing, increases energy, supports lover function and helps those with lactose intolerance." I'm 90% sure they mean "liver."
I shared this with a friend and she told me she'd recently seen a resume that in which the person mentioned the "Ethyl Walker School." Spell-check wouldn't catch that one, either.

Quaker tour

Don't forget about the tour of Quaker meetinghouses, 11 active ones and eight "laid-down," in the Western Quarter this coming weekend, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 19, and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20. There is full information, a map, and a brochure you can print out at the London Grove Friends Meeting website. I know that a lot of volunteers have been putting in a lot of time organizing this one.

Revolver

A family member is matriculating at Stanford this autumn, so I glanced through the "back-to-dorm" circular from Bed Bath & Beyond instead of sending it straight into the recycling pile. I was surprised to see, on a page full of wireless gadgets, a portable record player that would have been great in my 1970s dorm room! "Plays 33-1/3, 45 and 78 RPM records," the ad copy reads. $69.99.
I know vinyl is popular among some discriminating audiophiles, but among today's college kids?