WHOOPS: This is why aprons were invented

At lunch today at Foxy Loxy the hard-hearted Tilda was roaring with laughter at a friend's tale of woe. It seems she splurged on a cozy, soft, fleecy teal-blue sweatshirt emblazoned with the Cabela's logo, the first new item of clothing she had purchased in some time.
She immediately wore it to the Farm Show in Harrisburg (Cabela's and UnderArmour clothing seems to be the apparel of choice at the Farm Show, she noticed).
And then she wore it again the next day while making brownies from scratch -- only to splash all down the front of it with batter. The combination of sugar and butter, she discovered, produced an indelible stain. And in classic no-good-deed-goes-unpunished fashion, she was making the brownies as a thank-you gift for her computer repair guys!
Only two days old, and her new sweatshirt is now fit only for horse-clipping duty, she said mournfully.

BRANDING: My initial reaction to this bilingual label

While at Lowe's the other day purchasing CLR, I noticed that the handy cleaning chemical now carries a bilingual label. In Spanish, however, "Calcium/Lime/Rust" translates into "Calcio/Cal/Oxido." CCO, anyone?

 

Parenthetically, while searching for this image, I learned that CLR's manufacturer, Jelmar, is a third-generation family business run by Alison Gutterman, the granddaughter of the founder.

HISTORY: A new book about the Underground Railroad

Those interested in the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves to escape to freedom and was active here in Chester County, might enjoy reading "Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden Story of the Underground Railroad" by Eric Foner, a new book that focuses on abolitionists in New York City. Mr. Foner faced the formidable research challenge of gathering information about "a clandestine, illegal network" whose conductors "left little firsthand evidence of their work," according to the review in the Wall Street Journal. "Even a well-informed historian like Mr. Foner can only guess at how many slaves escaped north in the three decades before the Civil War -- estimates range from 30,000 to more than 100,000. But he merits high praise for contributing solid information and thoughtful analysis to the history of this shadowy, extensive network," wrote reviewer David S. Reynolds.

PILATES: It's good for whatever ails you

At the gym today one of my instructors introduced a fun, challenging Pilates exercise called the Commando that involves lying on your back and alternating two exercises while moving yourself around the points of a clock face. And because Pilates is all about balance, you then have to reverse the move and go counter-clockwise. Oh, and ideally in under a minute.
Our instructor read aloud from Joseph Pilates' original (1943) description of the move: "This Around the Clock stunt is specially effective in correcting bad posture, double chin, flabby & weak abdominal muscles, fat thighs, bulging hips, constipation, poor blood circulation and other similar physical imperfections."
I was sold at "double chin."
The illustrated instructions for this "stunt," which she downloaded from a Pilates archive, carried a price tag of one dollar-- or $13.78, in today's money. Pretty pricey!
I'm happy to see that there are still lots of new faces at the Y. I'm especially impressed when I see a newcomer starting from square one, determined to get into better shape.

GOODWILL: Lots of bargains at the new thrift store in Avondale

I just visited the new Goodwill thrift store, next to Lowe's on Route 41 in Avondale. The racks are full and there were probably 20 people shopping at lunchtime when I was there.
The clothes are arranged neatly by type (sweaters, jeans, shirts, blazers, shoes, etc.) and then by color, creating a rainbow effect as you look around the store. (Prints are separate.) There are separate sections for men, women and kids. The prices are very low -- the only items I saw that were selling for more than $10 were winter coats. There were plenty of name brands, like Gap, Aeropostale, Levi Strauss, Jones New York, Ann Taylor Loft, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Adidas, Nine West (shoes), and LL Bean, and some of the items are "NWT" (new with tags, in eBay parlance). As in any second-hand store, you have to search if you want to find treasures: I saw one woman carrying a real find -- a chic-looking pink and tan Chanel-style jacket.
While visiting a West Grove friend on Saturday, I noticed a few Goodwill receipts on her coffee table and asked her about her experience with the store. She pointed to the flannel pajama-style pants she was wearing (black and white checks with a dog pattern): "I bought these at Goodwill. What's not to love?"
In fact, she said the first time she was there, she found two shopping carts full of stuff and had to send her husband home to drop off their two dogs so there would be room in their vehicle for her purchases.
And an Avondale friend said she bought some brand-new button-down work shirts for her husband.
Goodwill also sells toys, books, housewares (coffeemakers, phones, boom boxes), household linens, undies, maternity wear, plus sizes and "activewear" (mostly fleece track suits).

CHOCOLATE: Preview tickets are a great idea for the Chocolate Lovers Fest

Last February I wrote about how crowded the Kennett Chocolate Lovers Festival was. There were hundreds of people, all of whom wanted to see and taste the scores of tempting chocolate entries set out on tables at the Kennett High School gymnasium. The upshot was that we got to see only a small number of the offerings and were completely unaware there were student entries.
This year, the organizers are selling "connoisseur tickets," which include early admission (1 p.m. instead of 2 p.m.), free beverages and free parking. Naturally they are more expensive ($25 instead of $10), but I snapped up two of them ASAP.
This year's fest is on Sunday, Feb. 8, once again at the Kennett High School gym. More information is on the kennettchocolate.org website (which I nominate for Best. URL. Ever).
The third annual event benefits our local United Way, which appears to have hit on a hugely popular moneymaker.

COOKIES: It's Girl Scout cookie season once again

Yes, happily, the Girl Scout cookie season is upon us once again. A young friend approached us last night, ready, willing and able to take our order right there on the spot with her smartphone.
I ordered the classic Thin Mints and Shortbreads, and then I turned to my friend and asked him what type he was going to order.
"There IS only one kind," he stated with doctrinal certainty: Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies. Yeah, right: I'll remember that when he stumbles across a hidden box of Thin Mints in the freezer sometime this summer.

DINING OUT: A really crowded evening at the Texas Roadhouse

Should you plan to dine at the Texas Roadhouse in Concordville, I strongly suggest you go early. We celebrated a family dinner there on Saturday night and assembled at 5 p.m., because that's the "birthday boy's" preferred dinner time. Although the parking lot was full (we parked all the way up at the Chick-Fil-A), we were seated right away.
But by the time we left at 6:45 p.m., the lobby was packed to the point of claustrophobia with people waiting to eat. A couple we happened to run into told us the wait time was an hour -- which they considered a good deal, because the Outback steakhouse had quoted them a 90-minute wait time.
I should add that our meals were tasty and the service (our waitress was named Carolyn) was more than commendable. Because we were a party of nine, we were seated at two adjacent tables separated by an aisle. Naturally, we often changed places to chat with different family members. Nonetheless, the cheerful Carolyn kept our orders straight and our drinks refilled. Well done.