I was struck by a Facebook post today from a generous local woman who encouraged people to check in with their friends and ask, "How are you fixed for food?"
"You might be surprised to know how many middle-class families struggle to put food on the table, yet are embarrassed to ask anyone (friends especially) for food," she wrote. "Yesterday, a friend offered me fresh produce she had. Once I got it home I saw it was more than I could use. I called another single mom I know and offered it to her. She said my timing was perfect. They barely had any food left in the house. I bagged up more of what we had and took it to her. She never would have asked."
Friday, March 20, 2015
LABCORP: Tilda is an inattentive customer
This morning I became the stereotype of a zonked-out teenager. I went to the LabCorp office in Kennett for a routine blood draw. Almost every seat in the waiting room was full, so I signed in and then plugged in my headphones to listen to music, expecting a long wait.
Well, apparently the receptionist called my name a couple of times and I didn't respond. Finally another woman caught my eye and brought the fact to my attention.
I promptly pulled out my earbuds and sheepishly went up to the receptionist, who was highly amused and said her daughter does that in the car all the time: "I'll be talkin' and talkin' and she's like, what?"
I apologized and made a point of deliberately unplugging the jack from the phone in front of her and she laughed.
Not only was the clerk pleasant and tolerant, even with a jammed waiting room early on a snowy morning, but the woman who did the blood draw was so good that I didn't even feel it. Well done!
Well, apparently the receptionist called my name a couple of times and I didn't respond. Finally another woman caught my eye and brought the fact to my attention.
I promptly pulled out my earbuds and sheepishly went up to the receptionist, who was highly amused and said her daughter does that in the car all the time: "I'll be talkin' and talkin' and she's like, what?"
I apologized and made a point of deliberately unplugging the jack from the phone in front of her and she laughed.
Not only was the clerk pleasant and tolerant, even with a jammed waiting room early on a snowy morning, but the woman who did the blood draw was so good that I didn't even feel it. Well done!
GOTTA HAVE FAITH: Another series of lectures on other religions
Last fall West Grove Friends Meeting sponsored a popular series of Wednesday night lectures about other religions, and a few readers lamented that I didn't give them enough advance notice. Well, here's your chance: more lectures are coming up on Wednesday evenings during April from 7 to 8 p.m.
On April 8, Jada Jackson, Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, will discuss Quakerism.
On April 15, Shelley DePaul, assistant chief of the Lenape Nation and the administrator of their education program, will discuss the Native American tradition. Shelley teaches the Lenape language at Swarthmore College, has written original music and poetry in the Lenape language, and teaches music in piano, guitar and Native American flute. The Lenape Nation’s cultural center is in Easton, PA.
On April 22, Jim Hammerman will discuss "The Fourth Way," a spiritual practice based on the teachings of George I. Gurdjieff. I checked out the website of the Gurdjieff center in Philadelphia and what popped up but this nice aphorism: "Practice love first on animals; they are more sensitive."
On April 8, Jada Jackson, Clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, will discuss Quakerism.
On April 15, Shelley DePaul, assistant chief of the Lenape Nation and the administrator of their education program, will discuss the Native American tradition. Shelley teaches the Lenape language at Swarthmore College, has written original music and poetry in the Lenape language, and teaches music in piano, guitar and Native American flute. The Lenape Nation’s cultural center is in Easton, PA.
On April 22, Jim Hammerman will discuss "The Fourth Way," a spiritual practice based on the teachings of George I. Gurdjieff. I checked out the website of the Gurdjieff center in Philadelphia and what popped up but this nice aphorism: "Practice love first on animals; they are more sensitive."
BUREAUCRACY: Mr. Cranky is on the road again
The Cranky Friend has finally resolved his protracted disputes with the Harrisburg powers-that-be, and on Thursday I drove him to the auto-tag place to pick up his shiny, brand-new license plate, complete with a fully valid registration sticker. After not being able to drive for months, he was so happy he was practically cradling the license plate in his arms.
I asked him if his driving and parking skills would be rusty after so much time off the road, and did he perhaps need me to walk him through his first effort at a self-service gas pump. His reply showed how quickly he can revert to his usual crankiness.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
BAYARD TAYLOR: Disagreement over library's architect choice
A contentious discussion over the choice of an architect revealed a sharp split between the new leadership of the Kennett Public Library board and longer-serving members.
At the board meeting on March 17, Susan Mackey-Kallis (board president), Geoff Birkett (vice president), Joan Weber (treasurer) and board members Rosa Quintana and Douglas Thompson supported a motion to back out of an agreement the previous board had made in 2012 with the Lukmire Partnership of Arlington, Va.
They argued that selecting a local architect for the new library would make it easier to raise money and would counter the negative public image that the library board is composed of "outsiders."
But they were outvoted by board members James Nelson, Barbara Cairns, Jerry Brown, Carol Starzmann, Carolyn Mohr and Karen Ammon (secretary). They said it would be unethical to go back on their word, since they already committed to Lukmire after a thorough search process. Vacillating would compromise the board's reputation and would discourage other architects from even considering bidding on the project, they said.
Ms. Starzmann, who served on the committee that chose Lukmire in 2012, described the lengthy process the board went through to select an architect. They advertised widely, put out a detailed request for proposals, held an information session at the library, received 31 proposals (some from local firms), visited numerous projects designed by the candidates, reviewed each proposal in depth with independent readers and then ranked the finalists. She said Lukmire, who will work with Kennett Square architect Dennis Melton, was the clear winner.
"The proper homework has been done," agreed Ms. Cairns, who also was on the search committee.
Mr. Nelson, an architect himself, said there would be a serious ethical problem if the board backpedaled after hiring Lukmire, especially since he had already started to work on the project.
Ms. Mohr, who is an attorney, said backing out of the deal would open the board to a lawsuit.
Mr. Thompson argued that no formal contract was signed between the board and Lukmire, so the board was free to change its mind.
Ms. Cairns responded that the contract had been put on the shelf, with Lukmire's approval, while the search committee spent time looking at in-town sites.
"They understood where we were," she said. "They've been very patient."
Also at the meeting to support staying with Lukmire were former search committee members Bill Landmesser and Amy Cornelius.
At the board meeting on March 17, Susan Mackey-Kallis (board president), Geoff Birkett (vice president), Joan Weber (treasurer) and board members Rosa Quintana and Douglas Thompson supported a motion to back out of an agreement the previous board had made in 2012 with the Lukmire Partnership of Arlington, Va.
They argued that selecting a local architect for the new library would make it easier to raise money and would counter the negative public image that the library board is composed of "outsiders."
But they were outvoted by board members James Nelson, Barbara Cairns, Jerry Brown, Carol Starzmann, Carolyn Mohr and Karen Ammon (secretary). They said it would be unethical to go back on their word, since they already committed to Lukmire after a thorough search process. Vacillating would compromise the board's reputation and would discourage other architects from even considering bidding on the project, they said.
Ms. Starzmann, who served on the committee that chose Lukmire in 2012, described the lengthy process the board went through to select an architect. They advertised widely, put out a detailed request for proposals, held an information session at the library, received 31 proposals (some from local firms), visited numerous projects designed by the candidates, reviewed each proposal in depth with independent readers and then ranked the finalists. She said Lukmire, who will work with Kennett Square architect Dennis Melton, was the clear winner.
"The proper homework has been done," agreed Ms. Cairns, who also was on the search committee.
Mr. Nelson, an architect himself, said there would be a serious ethical problem if the board backpedaled after hiring Lukmire, especially since he had already started to work on the project.
Ms. Mohr, who is an attorney, said backing out of the deal would open the board to a lawsuit.
Mr. Thompson argued that no formal contract was signed between the board and Lukmire, so the board was free to change its mind.
Ms. Cairns responded that the contract had been put on the shelf, with Lukmire's approval, while the search committee spent time looking at in-town sites.
"They understood where we were," she said. "They've been very patient."
Also at the meeting to support staying with Lukmire were former search committee members Bill Landmesser and Amy Cornelius.
BAYARD TAYLOR: Library board's reaction to the name change
At their March 17 meeting, some members of the Kennett Public Library board spoke about the public reaction to their recent decision to change the library's name from the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library.
Both Library Director Donna Murray and trustee Geoff Birkett said they have heard overwhelmingly positive support for the name change among library patrons and the general public.
But board member Jim Nelson said the name change was highly unpopular and further eroded the board's credibility in the public's eye. He said the people he heard from were "almost totally against it" and were angry about "the way it was brought about," without any notice to the public ahead of a banner with the new name being hung across State Street as a fait accompli.
Mr. Birkett pointed to the 7 percent increase in library circulation in January and February 2015 versus the same period in 2014 as evidence that people are still using the library and thus support the change.
"If they were really worried about the name change they would've taken their cards home," he said, adding that "it's not a change of name, it's a change of brand, a change of emphasis."
Mr. Birkett said that despite the initial negative reaction on social media, only a few people showed up at the board's "listening sessions" after the name change was announced, and most of them supported it.
Joseph L. Sherwood, the Executive Director of the Chester County Library System, happened to be at the board meeting and suggested that the circulation increase was a function of the ice storm in February 2014 that shut down all the county libraries for several days.
(Ms. Murray disagreed with this suggestion; she told me the day after the meeting that the library was actually open fewer hours for the same period in 2015 than in 2014 -- 471 hours vs. 475 hours -- and the circulation numbers still rose by 7 percent.)
Board president Susan Mackey-Kallis said the library's development director, Maureen Snook, has applied for a $6,000 grant to catalogue the library's Bayard Taylor memorabilia. She said that just because the board stripped his name "doesn't mean we lose contact with that legacy."
Both Library Director Donna Murray and trustee Geoff Birkett said they have heard overwhelmingly positive support for the name change among library patrons and the general public.
But board member Jim Nelson said the name change was highly unpopular and further eroded the board's credibility in the public's eye. He said the people he heard from were "almost totally against it" and were angry about "the way it was brought about," without any notice to the public ahead of a banner with the new name being hung across State Street as a fait accompli.
Mr. Birkett pointed to the 7 percent increase in library circulation in January and February 2015 versus the same period in 2014 as evidence that people are still using the library and thus support the change.
"If they were really worried about the name change they would've taken their cards home," he said, adding that "it's not a change of name, it's a change of brand, a change of emphasis."
Mr. Birkett said that despite the initial negative reaction on social media, only a few people showed up at the board's "listening sessions" after the name change was announced, and most of them supported it.
Joseph L. Sherwood, the Executive Director of the Chester County Library System, happened to be at the board meeting and suggested that the circulation increase was a function of the ice storm in February 2014 that shut down all the county libraries for several days.
(Ms. Murray disagreed with this suggestion; she told me the day after the meeting that the library was actually open fewer hours for the same period in 2015 than in 2014 -- 471 hours vs. 475 hours -- and the circulation numbers still rose by 7 percent.)
Board president Susan Mackey-Kallis said the library's development director, Maureen Snook, has applied for a $6,000 grant to catalogue the library's Bayard Taylor memorabilia. She said that just because the board stripped his name "doesn't mean we lose contact with that legacy."
LITTER PATROL: Red Clay Valley Clean Up on March 28
Charles Shattuck, the owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited shop in Hockessin, reminds me that the 27th annual Red Clay Valley Clean Up will be held on Saturday, March 28. "We need all the volunteers possible," he said. "Volunteers are asked to meet at the Anson Nixon Park at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 28. Gloves, bags and road assignments will be handed out. After such a long grueling winter let's all get out and make Kennett Square beautiful once again."
Monday, March 16, 2015
ST. PATRICK: Sticking with the traditional meal
Two days before St. Patrick's Day, we stopped by to visit some extremely nice friends who clearly are proud of their Irish heritage. They already had two corned-beef briskets simmering in a large pot over two burners on the stove. While the wife was fretting over the fluctuating water temperature, her husband was describing the mustard glaze, cabbage and soda bread he was planning to make. You won't be surprised to hear that their dog's name is Murphy.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
BRIDGES: The Lenape Bridge is full of potholes
Have you driven over the Lenape Bridge recently? There are potholes on top of potholes and there's very little room to maneuver around them. I cannot imagine what it's going to be like when the Route 926 bridge over the Brandywine at Pocopson is closed for replacement for 18 months, forcing many more drivers to take Route 52 and use the Lenape Bridge instead. As it is, when the Pocopson bridge was flooded last week, a commuter friend of mine was stuck in a traffic jam on Route 52 that stretched all the way back to Denton Hollow Road.
The last I heard, the Pocopson bridge project is supposed to start the middle of this year. The 77-year-old bridge, which according to PennDOT carries nearly 14,500 cars a day, is going to be torn down and replaced in an $8 million project.
THUMBS UP: A stunning "West Side Story" production
Halfway home from the Saturday-night show of "West Side Story" I turned to my fellow musical-goer and said, "How on earth am I going to write about this?"
It was such a stunning show that you simply had to be there. What talent Unionville High School has! I can't adequately describe how terrific the dancing, singing, acting, costumes, sets and music were. It was a hugely entertaining evening, with moving versions of the classic Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim songs.
As we walked into the auditorium, I took one look at the set and said, "This is so far from the plays I did in high school." The woman in front of me turned around, nodded and said, "This is like Off Broadway."
She was right.
My awestruck congratulations to everyone involved in the show, and very best of luck to the graduating seniors. I look forward to seeing the younger members of the cast in many more shows.
It was such a stunning show that you simply had to be there. What talent Unionville High School has! I can't adequately describe how terrific the dancing, singing, acting, costumes, sets and music were. It was a hugely entertaining evening, with moving versions of the classic Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim songs.
As we walked into the auditorium, I took one look at the set and said, "This is so far from the plays I did in high school." The woman in front of me turned around, nodded and said, "This is like Off Broadway."
She was right.
My awestruck congratulations to everyone involved in the show, and very best of luck to the graduating seniors. I look forward to seeing the younger members of the cast in many more shows.
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