SCI-FI: "Star Trek" turns 52

"Star Trek" has been through many incarnations over the years, but I know it best as the original TV series my siblings and I used to watch as kids. It premiered 52 years ago, on Sept. 8, 1966, with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, "Bones," Lt. Uhuru, and "Scotty," Klingons, and Tribbles. In the ensuing years the portable medical scanners and communicators have become part of life; not so much the "Beam me up" teleportation devices.

BLUEGRASS: Banjo, mandolin, bass, fiddle, guitar

This past weekend Tilda and Dearest Partner headed across the Delaware Memorial Bridge to enjoy the annual Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival at the Salem County Fairgrounds.
There were plenty of huge RVs ("That one costs more than my house," the D.P. said, pointing to one gleaming behemoth), all-night (literally) fairground jam sessions, and lots of songs about ramblin', catchin' the next train out of town and pinin' for the gal or guy who got away.
Just a few highlights from Friday were Mile Twelve, a young Boston band, covering Elton John's "Rocket Man"; Dom Flemons, "The American Songster," singing "But They Got It Fixed Right On," a double-entendre "hokum" song that had us howling; and Suzy Bogguss doing a beautiful version of "Someday Soon" (we loved her guitarist, Craig Smith). I liked the set by David Davis & the Warrior River Boys enough to buy their CD, "Didn't He Ramble."
It's a small fest (sponsored by the Brandywine Friends of Old-Time Music), so you get to see the musicians walking through the fairgrounds and eating their lunch and dinner at the Lapp's pavilion. (The man behind me in line was nonplussed when he saw "We put pork on everything!" written on the menu board. "But I don't eat pork!" he said.)
One bluegrass fan has a tradition of getting every single performer to sign the festival's official T-shirt. For easy autographing, he stretches the shirt over a board, with a cup of markers attached. (He was wearing an autographed shirt from another fest.)
The weekend was cloudy but fortunately the heatwave had dissipated. Scattered showers were predicted, and twice during songs mentioning water, the skies indeed opened up. The first was a song about a couple who worked on a fishing boat for a summer. He hated it and couldn't wait to get back on shore; she loved it and stayed; end of relationship. The second was "Shenandoah," sung by Suzy Bogguss. 
During a lull between sets, we asked a young security guard who was patrolling the grounds what he thought of bluegrass music.
"Never heard of it 'til this morning," he replied frankly -- but he said he was enjoying it.

SEPTA: Seniors need a new ID card

Senior citizens now need to show a special photo ID card to get free or discounted rides on SEPTA. On its website, SEPTA says that it "urges all senior citizen riders to register for a Key Photo ID Card to ensure they have no interruption in traveling free on all SEPTA buses, subways and trolleys, and continue to receive $1 fares for most Regional Rail trips."

How do you get this new card? You need to fill out an application at the offices of state senators and representatives (other sites are listed on SEPTA's website) and show one of the following forms of identification: Pennsylvania driver's license or Non-Driver ID; birth certificate or baptismal certificate; Yellow PACE Card (Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the elderly); Statement of Age Verification from the U.S. Social Security Administration; Armed Forces Discharge/Separation Papers; or Resident Alien Card or Passport/Naturalization Papers.

Thank you to State Rep. Eric Roe for the heads up! You can apply for a card at his district office at 400 Old Forge Lane, Suite 407, Kennett Square, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

SURGERY: Back to normal

A gym friend was wary as she returned to class for the first time after having her appendix removed ("I know!" she said. "I thought that only happened to young people!"). Even though she felt fine and fully recovered, her doctors had been adamant that she should take it easy for a full month, especially after she described to them what she did in a typical class.
The exercise room at the Jennersville Y was full, so I couldn't see her during class, but I made a point of asking her afterward how she felt.
Good, she said with relief, although the abdominal exercises were quite uncomfortable.
"Then again," she remembered, "they always are."

YOGURT: A substitute is found

I believe I have found a substitute for Plenti yogurt. Longtime readers may recall my loud laments when, shortly after I discovered the yogurt of my dreams, it disappeared from the shelves of every grocery store. But Siggi's "Simple Sides" comes pretty close. The container is divided into two parts: one has Icelandic-style yogurt and the other side has mix-ins, either almonds and dried cherries; dried coconut and cacao; or dried figs and walnuts. It's tasty and has no added sugar (it's a sad fact of life that the sugar content of most types of flavored yogurt rivals that of Entenmann's pastries).

TV SHOW: Andy's World

A documentary on Andrew Wyeth will air on PBS on Friday, Sept. 7, as part of the "American Masters" series). According to a press release from the Brandywine River Museum, the documentary, "Wyeth: The Life of Andrew Wyeth Told in Bold Strokes," includes "interviews with family members, friends and scholars" and was shot at the museum and at the various Wyeth properties in and around Chadds Ford.
You can stream the documentary starting Saturday, Sept. 8, or you can buy a DVD at the Museum shop.

REAL ID: Come fly with me

Time to track down your documents: Pennsylvania is starting to upgrade its driver's license program to comply with the federal REAL ID Act. Starting on October 1, 2020, you'll need a federally accepted form of identification (such as REAL ID, a U.S. passport, or a military ID) to board commercial flights and enter secure federal buildings. 
Starting Tuesday, Sept. 4, you can bring the following documents to PennDOT driver's license centers for "pre-verification":
1) Proof of identity (original or certified copy of your birth certificate with a raised seal or valid U.S. Passport)
2) Proof of Social Security Number (unlaminated social security card);
3) Proof of all legal name changes
4) Two proofs of your physical address in Pennsylvania (your unexpired PA license or ID card and a bank statement or utility bill no more than 90 days old with the same name and address).
According to PennDOT, "PennDOT staff will image the documents to the customer's record, and when REAL IDs are available in March 2019, the customer can opt into the REAL ID program online, and their REAL ID product will be sent through the mail."
Drivers who got their licenses after September 2003 have been able to apply for pre-verification since March.
How much does it cost? "To obtain a REAL ID, customers will pay a one-time fee of $30, plus a renewal fee (current renewal fee is $30.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver's license or a photo ID). The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing non-REAL ID product, plus an additional four years, unless the customer is over 65 and has a two-year license. This expiration date structure means that the customer won't "lose" time that they've already paid for. After the initial REAL ID product expires, the customer will pay no additional fee, beyond regular renewal fees, to renew a REAL ID product."
The new ID is optional; PennDOT will still issue standard licenses and ID cards.
For more information, PennDOT is offering this link: www.penndot.gov/REALID.

MOVIES: "Glass" and "Fallout"

One of the many trailers we saw before the new "Mission: Impossible" movie on Saturday night was for M. Night Shyamalan's new film, "Glass," with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. As usual, some of the filming was done in Philadelphia (30th Street Station was unmistakeable in the trailer). The director, who lives in Willistown, has been known to shoot even closer to home: friends' farms in Unionville were featured prominently in "The Happening," and "The Village" was shot in Chadds Ford, but this time I didn't see any rural scenes. According to Wikipedia, he also shot at a former hospital in Allentown and the gym at Bryn Mawr College.
Dearest Partner and I have very different tastes in movies, but we had a hoot at "Fallout." There were enough car, motorcycle and helicopter chases to satisfy him, and to my surprise I found myself laughing aloud at the over-the-top stunts (a mid-air skydiving rescue!) and whiplash-inducing plot twists (one with CNN's Wolf Blitzen), as well as tiny, hilarious moments like the broad-minded gent who walked in on Tom Cruise and two other men having a heated disagreement in the stall of a Paris bathroom ("Melange?" he asked hopefully, eyes widening with delight). Paris and London looked beautiful, and I spend enough time working out to realize how crazy fit Cruise must be.

PINOCHLE: A suitable activity

I received this email from Marie O'Brien: "Please join us for 7 weeks of pinochle, beginning on Thursday evening, September 6 at 6:30 p.m. We play in a private room at the Kennett Senior Center. If interested, please call Mardette at 484 995-0776. Don’t know the game? We’ll be happy to teach you. We play for fun and friendship."

The Senior Center is at 427 South Walnut Street in Kennett Square.