"Why not have classic short story night? You know, the ones we all remember from high school but didn't appreciate until we grew to understand them. We could start one night and pick the authors for the next session. People could take turns reading while others listen as they sip hot chocolate or drink coffee and gaze into the fire. We could even do poem night, but only the familiar classics such as Poe, Service, or Kipling."
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
FOXY LOXY: A literary forum in Unionville?
My faithful reader Joe ("friend of Doug's") offered what I think is an awesome suggestion for a program that Foxy Loxy could host on winter evenings. This would be so cozy and fun!
"Why not have classic short story night? You know, the ones we all remember from high school but didn't appreciate until we grew to understand them. We could start one night and pick the authors for the next session. People could take turns reading while others listen as they sip hot chocolate or drink coffee and gaze into the fire. We could even do poem night, but only the familiar classics such as Poe, Service, or Kipling."
"Why not have classic short story night? You know, the ones we all remember from high school but didn't appreciate until we grew to understand them. We could start one night and pick the authors for the next session. People could take turns reading while others listen as they sip hot chocolate or drink coffee and gaze into the fire. We could even do poem night, but only the familiar classics such as Poe, Service, or Kipling."
WEST MARLBOROUGH: Seeking the fountain of age
Back in September I wrote about the new stone wall that some West Marlborough neighbors had installed. Restoration specialist Chuck Ginty of Unionville modeled it after the brick wall at a nearby estate that had been designed by the same architect, Arthur Ingersoll Meigs of Philadelphia.
The other day as I drove by, I saw Chuck examining the wall and stopped to ask him for an update. He said it's finished, and the owners are now trying to make it look older by pouring a greenish mixture of buttermilk, moss and manure over it. The hope is that moss will start to sprout come spring.
The other day as I drove by, I saw Chuck examining the wall and stopped to ask him for an update. He said it's finished, and the owners are now trying to make it look older by pouring a greenish mixture of buttermilk, moss and manure over it. The hope is that moss will start to sprout come spring.
WENDY'S: Closed for renovations
The Wendy's restaurant on East Baltimore Pike in the Shoppes at Longwood Village is closed for renovations. Perhaps when the work is complete (I couldn't track down the anticipated re-opening date), it will look as spiffy as the updated version of a Wendy's, housed in a former bank, on Route 10 north of Oxford.
A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that Wendy's "4 for $4" deal, and the fact that it's selling off company-owned restaurants to franchisees, are helping the bottom line of the Dublin, Ohio-based firm.
(For the record: I eat the reasonably healthy salads at Wendy's. But when I'm in a burger mood, nothing beats the ones at Buddy's in Kennett.)
Also undergoing renovations is the Sunoco gas station/mini-mart at Route 41 and Newark Road -- but the fuel pumps are still open.
A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that Wendy's "4 for $4" deal, and the fact that it's selling off company-owned restaurants to franchisees, are helping the bottom line of the Dublin, Ohio-based firm.
(For the record: I eat the reasonably healthy salads at Wendy's. But when I'm in a burger mood, nothing beats the ones at Buddy's in Kennett.)
Also undergoing renovations is the Sunoco gas station/mini-mart at Route 41 and Newark Road -- but the fuel pumps are still open.
EAST MARLBOROUGH: Keep using your turn signals
At the Kennett Y on Monday morning I saw an observant East Marlborough woman who often makes useful contributions to this column.
"Any news?" I asked her as she was trying to leave after her class (honestly, people are going to start avoiding me).
She said that after I wrote my item a few weeks ago urging motorists to use their turn signals while traversing the Unionville roundabout, she noticed people actually doing so! For the next day, at least; then they went back to not using them. She said the turn-signal usage was a definite improvement, while it lasted.
"It's not world peace, but it's helpful," she said.
"Any news?" I asked her as she was trying to leave after her class (honestly, people are going to start avoiding me).
She said that after I wrote my item a few weeks ago urging motorists to use their turn signals while traversing the Unionville roundabout, she noticed people actually doing so! For the next day, at least; then they went back to not using them. She said the turn-signal usage was a definite improvement, while it lasted.
"It's not world peace, but it's helpful," she said.
DRUGSTORE: The kindness of strangers
Just because it happened to be on my way home, I stopped in at a drugstore I don't often use and made a few purchases. The cashier asked me if I had a loyalty card, and I said I didn't. The customer next to me, a retirement-age gentleman, overheard and volunteered the use of his card (I noticed that he had an entire key ring full of them). His kindness saved me $1.28!
Sunday, December 6, 2015
NEWLIN: The state attorney general gets involved
From what I hear, the Monday, Dec. 14, meeting of the Newlin Township supervisors is going to be packed with angry residents.
As I reported a few weeks ago, the state Attorney General's office has found that Newlin Township's controversial zoning ordinance places excessive regulations on farms and other agricultural businesses, thus violating the state's Agricultural Communities and Rural Environment (ACRE) law.
You may recall the issue: the new ordinance raised the ire of many township residents because it required the owners of many horse boarding facilities to seek an expensive special exception from the township's zoning hearing board if they wanted to continue the operations they'd been running for years.
The state Attorney General's office suggested numerous and substantive wording changes that the township supervisors need to make to bring the ordinance into compliance and warned that a lawsuit could follow if the supervisors don't amend the ordinance.
The meeting of the supervisors (Janie Baird, Rob Pearson and Bill Kelsall) will start at 8 p.m. at the Lenfest Center, 1199 Cannery Road.
As I reported a few weeks ago, the state Attorney General's office has found that Newlin Township's controversial zoning ordinance places excessive regulations on farms and other agricultural businesses, thus violating the state's Agricultural Communities and Rural Environment (ACRE) law.
You may recall the issue: the new ordinance raised the ire of many township residents because it required the owners of many horse boarding facilities to seek an expensive special exception from the township's zoning hearing board if they wanted to continue the operations they'd been running for years.
The state Attorney General's office suggested numerous and substantive wording changes that the township supervisors need to make to bring the ordinance into compliance and warned that a lawsuit could follow if the supervisors don't amend the ordinance.
The meeting of the supervisors (Janie Baird, Rob Pearson and Bill Kelsall) will start at 8 p.m. at the Lenfest Center, 1199 Cannery Road.
THE LIBRARY: A new executive committee?
This month's meeting of the Library Board is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, and I'm told there is a great deal of behind-the-scenes jockeying over who will be running the board in the coming year. It's an important question because the public has given the current board leadership a thumbs down in the wake of numerous controversial actions, like trying to change the library's name (from the traditional Bayard Taylor Memorial Library to "Kennett Public Library"). A feasibility study done to assess the library's chances of raising funds for a new building even suggested that the president and vice president resign on the spot.
The president, Susan Mackey-Kallis, has not resigned but will be spending the first half of 2016 teaching in Japan. The (then) vice president did resign and was replaced by Karen Ammon. Many new members have joined the board in the past few months, and I'm hopeful they'll turn the board in a positive direction.
The president, Susan Mackey-Kallis, has not resigned but will be spending the first half of 2016 teaching in Japan. The (then) vice president did resign and was replaced by Karen Ammon. Many new members have joined the board in the past few months, and I'm hopeful they'll turn the board in a positive direction.
WEST MARLBOROUGH: A story of incredible generosity
Anne Snipes Moss, who lives near Blow Horn in West Marlborough, is donating one of her kidneys on Dec. 8 to Shauna Bishop, a woman who works as a veterinary assistant at her husband Dr. John Moss's veterinary clinic, Brandywine Valley Veterinary Hospital. The kidney transplant surgery will take place at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
According to the BVVH Facebook page: "They will be out of the office for several weeks, and hope to be back to work in the New Year. We are grateful for the support for them from the BVVH community, and hope you will send good vibes and prayers to them on the 8th."
Shauna needs to undergo the transplant because of polycystic kidney disease. You can contribute toward her uninsured expenses via a fundraising campaign on the HelpHOPELive website. As Anne Moss writes: "Your support is literally lifesaving, and will enable Shauna to regain her health for a lifetime. On behalf of Shauna and those who know and love her, I thank you in advance for your kindness."
According to the BVVH Facebook page: "They will be out of the office for several weeks, and hope to be back to work in the New Year. We are grateful for the support for them from the BVVH community, and hope you will send good vibes and prayers to them on the 8th."
 |
| Shauna Bishop is getting a new kidney. |
Shauna needs to undergo the transplant because of polycystic kidney disease. You can contribute toward her uninsured expenses via a fundraising campaign on the HelpHOPELive website. As Anne Moss writes: "Your support is literally lifesaving, and will enable Shauna to regain her health for a lifetime. On behalf of Shauna and those who know and love her, I thank you in advance for your kindness."
FATHER DENNY: Memorial service plans pending
The funeral Mass for Dennis Van Thuyne ("Father Denny") was said on Dec. 4 at St. Helena Church in Philadelphia, but I'm told his family wants to hold a memorial service closer to Kennett. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything. I know a great many people want to pay their respects and share with the family how much Father Denny will be missed.
Contributions in his memory can be sent to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary or the Brain Injury Association of PA, www.biapa.org.
Formerly a priest at St. Patrick's Chuch in Kennett, Father Denny suffered a traumatic brain injury during an assault in Philadelphia and started the "General Store" on State Street in Kennett to raise money for fellow victims.
LASAGNE: A West Grove woman's recipe
The other day the "Taste of Home" website featured a delicious-sounding recipe for a classic hearty lasagne from Kim Orr of West Grove. She writes: "This recipe is one of my mom's specialties. It's a hearty main dish that gets requested time and time again. The from-scratch sauce makes each cheesy slice extra flavorful and softer-textured than other versions."
The recipe makes 12 servings:
1. Cook 1 lb ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 more minute. Drain. Add 1.5 C water, 15 oz tomato sauce, 6 oz tomato paste, 0.5 to 1 envelope of onion soup mix, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 min.
2. Spoon a half-cup of the meat sauce into a greased 13-by-9 baking dish. Layers with 3 cooked lasagna noodles and 2/3 C 4% cottage cheese, 1.25 C shredded part-skim mozzarella and 2/3 C grated Parmesan. Repeat the layers twice more for a total of 3 layers.
3. Cover. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
(Or you could just go to Giordano's and have their lasagna for dinner, like we did this evening.)
The recipe makes 12 servings:
1. Cook 1 lb ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 more minute. Drain. Add 1.5 C water, 15 oz tomato sauce, 6 oz tomato paste, 0.5 to 1 envelope of onion soup mix, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 min.
2. Spoon a half-cup of the meat sauce into a greased 13-by-9 baking dish. Layers with 3 cooked lasagna noodles and 2/3 C 4% cottage cheese, 1.25 C shredded part-skim mozzarella and 2/3 C grated Parmesan. Repeat the layers twice more for a total of 3 layers.
3. Cover. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
(Or you could just go to Giordano's and have their lasagna for dinner, like we did this evening.)
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