BOOKS: A Cheshire Cat from the past

Does anyone remember the Cheshire Cat Book Shop at 107 S. Broad St. in Kennett? A bookmark from the store fell out of a book the other day, and I have no memory whatsoever of the place. An insurance agency has its office there now.

UHS: A status symbol

My brother ran the numbers over and over: safety ratings, insurance premiums, gas mileage. But no matter how he tweaked them, it came out the same: it actually did make financial sense to let the Young Relative drive the handsome, shiny piece of German engineering that had been mothballed in the garage.
"Sweet!" said the Y.R.
Indeed! Attempting to put this in perspective, I told him how his father, as a teenager, had made do with a car on the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum: a ramshackle Ford Pinto that was equal parts scrap-yard deals and bungee cords.
"You are SUCH a Unionville preppie!" I accused the Y.R.
He gave me that patient, long-suffering look he perfected way back when he was a Hillendale Husky.
"Tilda," he said. "It's a 2006."

NEW GARDEN: A stone head

Driving home on Line Road the other day, a trip we've all made umpteen times, for the first time I noticed a boulder in somebody's front yard that was the size and shape of one of those stone heads that the prehistoric Olmecs carved in the jungles of central America (why, yes, we did subscribe to "National Geographic" when I was a kid).
It was just a large rock, of course, but it really resembled a flinty face. I would be tempted to outline its eyes and decorate it for Halloween.

KENNETT: Clifton Mill bridge

What's the latest with the Clifton Mill bridge closure in Kennett Township? (The bridge, which crosses the east branch of the Red Clay Creek, was closed suddenly in June for structural reasons.)
State Rep. Stephen Barrar wrote to PennDOT asking them to expedite the repair. In his response, PennDOT's District Executive, Kenneth McClain, said that the bridge "is being added to the next regional Group Bridge contract (Group N) that is scheduled to be bid this fall. While it is too early to speculate as to when construction will start and exactly how long construction will last due to the significant extent of repairs required to address the serious deterioration of the steel beams, we fully anticipate construction to begin in 2019."
There you have it. Thank you, Kennett Township, for putting the letters on your website.

QUAKERS: Burial ground tour

Leona Provinski alerted me that Charlie Brosius and Bob Frye will be leading a tour of the historical burial ground at London Grove Friends Meeting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 30. Not only is this a peaceful spot, but it's also the resting place for many of the significant early colonists who lived in the area, including many members of the Pennock family.
 

LAFFERTY: Healing power of mushrooms

Kathi Lafferty, owner of the Mushroom Cap, received a nice and well-deserved compliment on Facebook this week.
A woman wrote: "HUGE shout out to the Mushroom Cap on State Street ! This morning, my 4-year-old was running down the sidewalk to smell some potted flowers and tripped in front of the store. She scraped her leg and was crying very hard. The owner came out to see if we needed anything and returned moments later with a Band-Aid and mushroom stuffed toy to help her feel better. I love our town! Thank you, Mushroom Cap, for not just being a good business, also a good neighbor."

CVS: Customer management

I was under the weather this week with some mystery ailment and tried several prescriptions, to the point that the pharmacy guys at the Longwood CVS started recognizing me. Every time I was there, the clerks were amazingly busy, so while waiting in line I had a chance to watch them in action. Their kindness and patience never seemed to flag. 
One weekend afternoon, 45 minutes before closing, there was a middle-aged woman in front of us holding a page-long list of her family's scripts. Despite the growing line of customers behind her, she went down them one by one, noting whether the medication needed to be refilled or should have been refilled. One of the refill dates didn't match, and she explained repeatedly what she thought had gone wrong.
The clerk was sympathetic and helpful. She might have been the only customer in the pharmacy, as much time as he took to reassure her and clear up the confusion.
On the other hand, I was impatient and I am sure pursed my lips and rolled my eyes, because, you know, it should all be about me, not someone whose kids have chronic medical needs requiring an ongoing page-long list of meds …

WILLOWDALE: Stretching one's legs

Wednesday evening after supper, we were sitting at a picnic table outside Landhope enjoying our ice cream when a car pulled up to the gas pumps. The driver and passenger got out, walked around to the front of the car and, without a word, hugged and kissed. She jumped up on him and wrapped her legs around his waist. (I would say we stopped eating our ice cream at this point, but it just wouldn't be true.). After a few seconds, she got down, they got back into their car, switching seats, and drove off.
You just never know what you'll see at Landhope.