In last week's column a reader mentioned that she was involved in a near-miss at the intersection of Route 842 with Cannery and Marlboro Springs Road and wanted to alert others that Route 842 motorists have the right-of-way.
Immediately after the item appeared, Newlin Township supervisors' chairman Janie Baird emailed me that the township has installed "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” signs
below the stop signs on Cannery and Marlboro Springs Roads (both are township roads) as well as
“Stop Ahead” signs further back from the actual stop signs. Route 842 is a state road, and the township has asked PennDot
to install "intersection" signs in both directions near the crossroads.
"We are hopeful that these efforts will improve the safety in
this part of our township," Supervisor Baird wrote.
Friday, June 15, 2018
WEST GROVE: Welcoming summer
West Grove Friends Meeting will be celebrating the arrival of summer by holding Quaker Meeting for Worship on Sunday, June 24, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at "New" West Grove Meeting, 609 West State Road.
The "New" meetinghouse, built in 1831, is not regularly used. It lacks electricity, plumbing, and bathrooms but has a wonderful, rustic ambiance. Ann Preston (the first female dean of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania) is buried in the burial ground.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
The "New" meetinghouse, built in 1831, is not regularly used. It lacks electricity, plumbing, and bathrooms but has a wonderful, rustic ambiance. Ann Preston (the first female dean of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania) is buried in the burial ground.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
POLITICS: Serving as a proxy
I was on my way to a gym class on Tuesday when I got a rushed phone call from a friend, a local political organizer. She needed a registered voter from my township to attend a county political meeting in West Chester that very evening. Was there any possible chance I could go?
Sure, I said.
So after my gym class I cobbled together a clean outfit from the Y's lost-and-found box and the emergency clothes that live in my car. Still not sure what meeting I was going to or what I was supposed to do, I drove to Fugett Middle School.
My host welcomed me at the door with relief and explained that this was the party's county convention, and my duties were simply to vote as a proxy on two proposed changes to the bylaws. You'll be out of here in half-an-hour, she assured me.
Famous last words. The proposed changes, dealing with the terms and gender requirements of local committee persons, sparked heated debate. I haven't heard so much talk about parliamentary procedure and "suspending the rules" since my time with the students' union in college. Opponents demanded that a secret ballot rather than a voice vote be taken and then, after the fact, disputed the committee's judgment about who had won an earlier voice vote.
While we were waiting for the blue paper ballots to be collected and counted, a man running for office took the stage and gave what I imagine is his standard speech.
The seasoned political operatives next to me kept apologizing for the furor, saying with disbelief, "This never happens."
Honestly, I didn't mind. It was actually entertaining, and far from a typical Tuesday evening.
Sure, I said.
So after my gym class I cobbled together a clean outfit from the Y's lost-and-found box and the emergency clothes that live in my car. Still not sure what meeting I was going to or what I was supposed to do, I drove to Fugett Middle School.
My host welcomed me at the door with relief and explained that this was the party's county convention, and my duties were simply to vote as a proxy on two proposed changes to the bylaws. You'll be out of here in half-an-hour, she assured me.
Famous last words. The proposed changes, dealing with the terms and gender requirements of local committee persons, sparked heated debate. I haven't heard so much talk about parliamentary procedure and "suspending the rules" since my time with the students' union in college. Opponents demanded that a secret ballot rather than a voice vote be taken and then, after the fact, disputed the committee's judgment about who had won an earlier voice vote.
While we were waiting for the blue paper ballots to be collected and counted, a man running for office took the stage and gave what I imagine is his standard speech.
The seasoned political operatives next to me kept apologizing for the furor, saying with disbelief, "This never happens."
Honestly, I didn't mind. It was actually entertaining, and far from a typical Tuesday evening.
WEST MARLBOROUGH: Prize-winning cattle
Congratulations to our neighbors at Cherry Knoll Farm, who took home "Premier Breeder" honors for the second year in a row at the Atlantic National Super Point Roll of Victory Angus show in Timonium, Maryland, in May. Cattle manager Tim Fitzgerald and his team also won six championship and five reserve championship titles. Margaret and Bob Duprey own Cherry Knoll.
WEDDING: Lots of love
On Saturday we went to Stephanie Bernasconi and Jeff Nelson's wedding at the Delaware Museum of Natural History. The short ceremony was held outside behind the museum, followed by a cocktail reception (during which a museum employee made the rounds carrying a ball python and a bearded dragon) and a buffet dinner.
The food was amazing. Among the hors d'oeuvres were noodles in take-out boxes, complete with chopsticks. The waiter was mobbed every time he brought a fresh platter of them from the kitchen.
For dinner, we feasted on the make-your-own tacos in the dinosaur room and the muffalettas and other Cajun food by the undersea exhibit. Only later did we discover that there was a third food station: salad, pulled pork and mac-and-cheese (we managed to find room in our bellies).
The guests were a colorful mixture. I spotted the bride's cousin, model Rana McAnear, who portrays the science-fiction character Samara at comic-book conventions. One man was wearing a kilt with his family's tartan, and his wife was wearing a kimono (she said she would need to loosen her obi for dinner). Dearest Partner ran into a high-school classmate.
The groom's brother gave the toast to the newlyweds and brought tears to this guest's eyes with one of the sweetest, most loving speeches you can imagine. He spoke tenderly of his siblings and how Stephanie, over the years, had become a vital part of their tight bond. He recalled that during a health crisis in his family, the bride, while still in college, immediately offered to drop everything, go anywhere and do anything that was needed to help.
The venue was great, there was plenty of food, and all the "business" of the event was handled perfectly. But the most beautiful and important part of the evening was the way the bride and groom simply sparkled when they looked at each other. It was just so obvious that they were delighted to be united in wedlock. All best wishes to them!
(I should mention: Stephanie's parents are Steven Bernasconi and Karen D'Agusto of East Marlborough, and Stephanie went to Tower Hill and Dickinson.)
The food was amazing. Among the hors d'oeuvres were noodles in take-out boxes, complete with chopsticks. The waiter was mobbed every time he brought a fresh platter of them from the kitchen.
For dinner, we feasted on the make-your-own tacos in the dinosaur room and the muffalettas and other Cajun food by the undersea exhibit. Only later did we discover that there was a third food station: salad, pulled pork and mac-and-cheese (we managed to find room in our bellies).
The guests were a colorful mixture. I spotted the bride's cousin, model Rana McAnear, who portrays the science-fiction character Samara at comic-book conventions. One man was wearing a kilt with his family's tartan, and his wife was wearing a kimono (she said she would need to loosen her obi for dinner). Dearest Partner ran into a high-school classmate.
The groom's brother gave the toast to the newlyweds and brought tears to this guest's eyes with one of the sweetest, most loving speeches you can imagine. He spoke tenderly of his siblings and how Stephanie, over the years, had become a vital part of their tight bond. He recalled that during a health crisis in his family, the bride, while still in college, immediately offered to drop everything, go anywhere and do anything that was needed to help.
The venue was great, there was plenty of food, and all the "business" of the event was handled perfectly. But the most beautiful and important part of the evening was the way the bride and groom simply sparkled when they looked at each other. It was just so obvious that they were delighted to be united in wedlock. All best wishes to them!
(I should mention: Stephanie's parents are Steven Bernasconi and Karen D'Agusto of East Marlborough, and Stephanie went to Tower Hill and Dickinson.)
LONDON GROVE: It's a black-and-white issue
If you are driving north on Route 41 near the SECCRA landfill, don't miss the whimsical new graphics at Walmoore Holsteins. Several of the silos at the dairy farm have been painted with a black-and-white Holstein pattern!
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| Holstein silos at Walmoore farm on Route 41 |
CENSUS: Way more than 20 questions
On Saturday morning a U.S. Census interviewer knocked on my door to collect information for a "Survey of Income and Program Participation" they were doing. It wasn't a complete surprise, as I'd received a "Dear Resident" letter a week before saying I'd been picked to be interviewed and I would be hearing from them.
So I sat down with the fellow, who asked about everything from whether I received assistance from any government programs, to my investments and income, to how often I visited the dentist.
I declined to answer quite a few of the questions (it's none of the government's business whether I own a boat or how much money is in my checking account), but I was delighted to share with the government all the information I could about the outrageously high health-insurance premiums that I pay as a self-employed person.
The final part of the half-hour interview dealt with domestic issues like whether I have a working hot-water heater and whether I feel safe in my neighborhood (yes to both).
I told him that I really didn't think I was very representative of most Americans, but he said that everyone, no matter how much of an outlier, is still part of the population.
During the interview we were sitting on my deck, with Clarence the cat snoozing on my lap, the breeze blowing through the trees and the pasture, and the goldfinches flying around and chirping merrily.
"Are you bothered by street noise?" the interviewer asked. "Umm, I'm guessing I don't have to ask that."
So I sat down with the fellow, who asked about everything from whether I received assistance from any government programs, to my investments and income, to how often I visited the dentist.
I declined to answer quite a few of the questions (it's none of the government's business whether I own a boat or how much money is in my checking account), but I was delighted to share with the government all the information I could about the outrageously high health-insurance premiums that I pay as a self-employed person.
The final part of the half-hour interview dealt with domestic issues like whether I have a working hot-water heater and whether I feel safe in my neighborhood (yes to both).
I told him that I really didn't think I was very representative of most Americans, but he said that everyone, no matter how much of an outlier, is still part of the population.
During the interview we were sitting on my deck, with Clarence the cat snoozing on my lap, the breeze blowing through the trees and the pasture, and the goldfinches flying around and chirping merrily.
"Are you bothered by street noise?" the interviewer asked. "Umm, I'm guessing I don't have to ask that."
KENNETT: She's the group's new president
Kennett Square's Danielle Chamberlain has been named president of the Pennsylvania Land Title Association, the trade association for the state's title insurance industry. Danielle is an assistant VP and agency representative with Fidelity National Title Insurance Company in Blue Bell.
In her non-title insurance life, she's a wife, mother of two, and a board member and past president of the Unionville Community Fair.
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| Danielle Chamberlain |
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UNIONVILLE: Kindness at the post office
Chuun Ok, who was back at the Unionville Post Office substituting for Postmaster Brian this past week, made Melissa Grafton Marino's day on June 14.
Melissa writes:
"Unionville is small, sometimes too small, but days like today make me love where I live! Today (at 8 a.m., before she opened) she saw me open my boxes & started yelling, “Hold on!” I thought maybe she had some more mail for me."
No: she had a gift for Melissa's baby daughter, Devyn, along with a handwritten note.
"I don’t get caught off guard very often, but this small act of love and kindness is something that is too far and between nowadays," Melissa said. "I just wanted everyone in Unionville to know what a special person Chuun Ok is."
Melissa writes:
"Unionville is small, sometimes too small, but days like today make me love where I live! Today (at 8 a.m., before she opened) she saw me open my boxes & started yelling, “Hold on!” I thought maybe she had some more mail for me."
No: she had a gift for Melissa's baby daughter, Devyn, along with a handwritten note.
"I don’t get caught off guard very often, but this small act of love and kindness is something that is too far and between nowadays," Melissa said. "I just wanted everyone in Unionville to know what a special person Chuun Ok is."
Monday, June 11, 2018
SPRING: Tilda's nature notes
It's almost the end of this peculiar spring.
Everything seems late to me, although orchard-owner Lewis Barnard told me that his fruit trees flowered right on schedule. I don't even have my pumpkins or potatoes planted yet (there are some potato volunteers coming up in the garden, despite my best efforts to harvest all of the purple spuds).
My deck is covered with little fuzzies from the white pines, and tiny maple saplings seem to be sprouting at random all over the garden.
The pollen was rampant this year, coating the dashboard of my car even when the windows were rolled up (I keep a Swiffer cloth in the glove box). The yellow stuff represented yet another novelty of country life for our Manhattan friend who recently moved to Chadds Ford: "There's pollen on my Mercedes!" he spluttered in mock-outrage. I mean, how dare it?!
Six brown wren eggs are waiting to hatch in a nest inside my bird feeder, and I see the mama wren frequently hopping in and out. I'm eager to check on their progress, but don't want to disturb her. The goslings at the Stone Barn pond are starting to lose their adorable fuzziness, though they are still dutiful about following their elders in single file as they cross Upland Road.
In the pasture behind my house, big purple thistles are outgrowing the rest of the grasses, and on the road banks the orange daylilies are about to bloom.
On the way home the other night we spotted lightning bugs hovering over a pasture. I've gotten my first mosquito bites, and I'm sure my first poison ivy blisters are on their way soon.
Everything seems late to me, although orchard-owner Lewis Barnard told me that his fruit trees flowered right on schedule. I don't even have my pumpkins or potatoes planted yet (there are some potato volunteers coming up in the garden, despite my best efforts to harvest all of the purple spuds).
My deck is covered with little fuzzies from the white pines, and tiny maple saplings seem to be sprouting at random all over the garden.
The pollen was rampant this year, coating the dashboard of my car even when the windows were rolled up (I keep a Swiffer cloth in the glove box). The yellow stuff represented yet another novelty of country life for our Manhattan friend who recently moved to Chadds Ford: "There's pollen on my Mercedes!" he spluttered in mock-outrage. I mean, how dare it?!
Six brown wren eggs are waiting to hatch in a nest inside my bird feeder, and I see the mama wren frequently hopping in and out. I'm eager to check on their progress, but don't want to disturb her. The goslings at the Stone Barn pond are starting to lose their adorable fuzziness, though they are still dutiful about following their elders in single file as they cross Upland Road.
In the pasture behind my house, big purple thistles are outgrowing the rest of the grasses, and on the road banks the orange daylilies are about to bloom.
On the way home the other night we spotted lightning bugs hovering over a pasture. I've gotten my first mosquito bites, and I'm sure my first poison ivy blisters are on their way soon.
Sunday, June 10, 2018
NEWLIN: Dangerous intersection
Apparently some motorists don't realize that Route 842 traffic has the right-of-way at the intersection with Cannery Road and Marlboro Spring Road.
Reader Terry Kinter of Unionville narrowly avoided a crash there at 8:25 a.m. June 8 and asked me to alert readers to the danger.
Terry writes: "Traffic on 842 does not have to stop at this intersection. I was traveling on 842 toward Northbrook and the driver coming from Cannery approaching Rt. 842 toward Marlboro Spring was traveling at high speed and seemed to wake up as he was halfway into the intersection. I saw him heading to broadside me, then heard the brakes screeching and narrowly missing me. Fortunately the car behind me was far enough behind that the errant driver threaded the needle between us."
Reader Terry Kinter of Unionville narrowly avoided a crash there at 8:25 a.m. June 8 and asked me to alert readers to the danger.
Terry writes: "Traffic on 842 does not have to stop at this intersection. I was traveling on 842 toward Northbrook and the driver coming from Cannery approaching Rt. 842 toward Marlboro Spring was traveling at high speed and seemed to wake up as he was halfway into the intersection. I saw him heading to broadside me, then heard the brakes screeching and narrowly missing me. Fortunately the car behind me was far enough behind that the errant driver threaded the needle between us."
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