When I was in high school, I considered the National Honor Society hokey, uncool and (in the parlance of the day) irrelevant, just something to put on your college application.
I thought you were supposed to get more cynical with age rather than less, but I found the Oct. 10 National Honor Society induction ceremony at Unionville High School to be heartening and completely relevant. Mrs. Veronique Liska's remarks (she is the 2018 UHS Teacher of the Year) about "quiet leadership" were completely on target in today's grandstanding world, and the society's lofty standards for scholarship, leadership, character, and service that seemed so corny to me as a teen now seem to be excellent benchmarks.
Congrats to the dozens of new inductees. And the Chamber Choir's performance of the National Anthem was magnificent.
Saturday, October 13, 2018
BLUEGRASS: Sad songs say so much
I have finally gotten around to listening to a CD I bought at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Fest over Labor Day weekend and, boy, does it put the "blue" in bluegrass. It's a catalog of woe: corrupt judges, card sharps, greedy factory owners, unfaithful lovers, two-faced companions.
In one song, the singer tells us that he let a handsome stranger shelter in his barn on a cold night. The very next day, the handsome stranger was gone -- taking with him the singer's wife and child.
"No!" I cried.
But at least there's always the next train out of town -- unless, of course, the gallows is involved.
In one song, the singer tells us that he let a handsome stranger shelter in his barn on a cold night. The very next day, the handsome stranger was gone -- taking with him the singer's wife and child.
"No!" I cried.
But at least there's always the next train out of town -- unless, of course, the gallows is involved.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
MYCOLOGY: A seasonal name
A reader sent me two photos of a "very pretty" orange mushroom that she spotted growing along Cedar
Springs Road in New Garden Township. She said her grandson tentatively ID'd it as the poisonous Jack O'Lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius).
I'm no mycologist, but I believe he's right. I also found this amusing story from Michael Kuo (MushroomExpert.com) about this species:
"The Jack O'Lantern is the focus of the largest and most insidious conspiracy in the mycological world. According to every field guide, and every other source of literature available for the species, its gills glow in the dark. I'm not making this up; pick up any mushroom book that describes the Jack O'Lantern, and you'll find the author coolly mentioning the "luminescence" of the gills, or telling stories about 19th-Century pioneers finding their way back to their cabins, in the dark, following the Jack O'Lantern's glowing gills.
All of these authors are lying, and they are in cahoots. See, what they enjoy is knowing that hundreds of amateur mushroomers, every fall, shut themselves into closets, bathrooms, and garages, eagerly peering through the darkness for hours, waiting for the Jack O'Lantern's gills to luminesce."
DENTIST: Take my appointment
A "Unionville in the News" reader who wants to remain anonymous sent me this sweet story about a very nice gesture:
"Today my Dad, who is 99+, and I headed out in the rain to a 9:00 dental appointment. When we checked in, there was no record of Dad having an appointment. We were both a little puzzled, as we do try to keep appointments straight.
"As we were having the receptionist make a new appointment, a woman approached the desk and said Dad could have her 9:00 appointment. The receptionist said that could be done.
What an act of kindness!! I asked her name and she said it was Sue. A HUGE thank you to Sue for being so kind and thoughtful. I’ve never heard of anyone doing this.
I did kid her and ask if this is her way of getting out of her appointment, knowing how some folks aren’t too keen on the dentist. She said no, that she has the time to reschedule.
. . . Just thought you and your readers would enjoy this wonderful
story of just how kind and thoughtful folks are around here."
"Today my Dad, who is 99+, and I headed out in the rain to a 9:00 dental appointment. When we checked in, there was no record of Dad having an appointment. We were both a little puzzled, as we do try to keep appointments straight.
"As we were having the receptionist make a new appointment, a woman approached the desk and said Dad could have her 9:00 appointment. The receptionist said that could be done.
What an act of kindness!! I asked her name and she said it was Sue. A HUGE thank you to Sue for being so kind and thoughtful. I’ve never heard of anyone doing this.
I did kid her and ask if this is her way of getting out of her appointment, knowing how some folks aren’t too keen on the dentist. She said no, that she has the time to reschedule.
CPR: Saving a life
Jon Zacharkiw, a member of the Unionville High School class of 2003, was one of three deputies who saved the life of a week-old baby named Audrey in Clackamas County, Oregon, on Sept. 30.
Audrey aspirated her milk and stopped breathing while she and her parents were at a shopping mall to get her photo taken. The deputies happened to be outside the mall on a traffic stop when they got the emergency call and raced inside.
"She was blue and technically deceased when I arrived," said Jon. The three performed CPR until the Clackamas paramedics arrived about 2 minutes later.
Audrey was taken to the pediatric intensive care unit, where she has made steady progress. She no longer needs her feeding tube and breathing tube and, though still in the hospital, she has been discharged from the ICU.
On Oct. 7, her parents, Kaylob Harmon and Jessie Siefer, invited the three deputies to visit her in the hospital.
"Kaylob told us he wanted a picture to show Audrey one day of the guys who saved her life," reported Jon. "It was unbelievably heartwarming to be invited back, and amazing to see how far she has progressed since last Sunday."
"No amount of words can explain how thankful we are for the men that made this possible," wrote her father on social media.
Audrey's aunt has set up a GoFundMe page, "Help Baby Audrey," to defray the family's expenses and lost wages.
Audrey aspirated her milk and stopped breathing while she and her parents were at a shopping mall to get her photo taken. The deputies happened to be outside the mall on a traffic stop when they got the emergency call and raced inside.
"She was blue and technically deceased when I arrived," said Jon. The three performed CPR until the Clackamas paramedics arrived about 2 minutes later.
Audrey was taken to the pediatric intensive care unit, where she has made steady progress. She no longer needs her feeding tube and breathing tube and, though still in the hospital, she has been discharged from the ICU.
On Oct. 7, her parents, Kaylob Harmon and Jessie Siefer, invited the three deputies to visit her in the hospital.
"Kaylob told us he wanted a picture to show Audrey one day of the guys who saved her life," reported Jon. "It was unbelievably heartwarming to be invited back, and amazing to see how far she has progressed since last Sunday."
"No amount of words can explain how thankful we are for the men that made this possible," wrote her father on social media.
Audrey's aunt has set up a GoFundMe page, "Help Baby Audrey," to defray the family's expenses and lost wages.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
RIP: Goodbye to Kathee
I can't remember how or when I met Kathee Rengert, a West Marlborough friend and neighbor who died on October 6. Maybe it was through our love of gardening; or through mutual friends; or maybe through the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, of which she was the longtime executive director.
Kathee was so active, so distinctive and so vital that a lot of us are having a hard time thinking of her as gone; she died shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I just wrote about her over the summer when she spoke at a township meeting, playing for the supervisors two recordings of noise from the gun club near her house.
It didn't matter that Kathee and I disagreed on a lot of issues. I was always delighted to see her, and she always had some interesting news (and, in season, garden cuttings) to share. She knew so much about birds and horticulture: I was always dismayed when she'd inform me that a favorite plant was actually "invasive" (one of her least favorite things).
At her request, her memorial service was held at London Grove Friends Meeting. The meeting house was packed with a diverse crowd that reflected so many facets of her life: tennis partners; Hunt Cup colleagues; friends from Fair Hill and the bloodstock world; neighbors; hiking partners; photography friends.
Her two sisters are asking that memorial contributions go to the Arbor Day Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Brandywine Conservancy, or the Chester County Library System.
Kathee was so active, so distinctive and so vital that a lot of us are having a hard time thinking of her as gone; she died shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I just wrote about her over the summer when she spoke at a township meeting, playing for the supervisors two recordings of noise from the gun club near her house.
It didn't matter that Kathee and I disagreed on a lot of issues. I was always delighted to see her, and she always had some interesting news (and, in season, garden cuttings) to share. She knew so much about birds and horticulture: I was always dismayed when she'd inform me that a favorite plant was actually "invasive" (one of her least favorite things).
At her request, her memorial service was held at London Grove Friends Meeting. The meeting house was packed with a diverse crowd that reflected so many facets of her life: tennis partners; Hunt Cup colleagues; friends from Fair Hill and the bloodstock world; neighbors; hiking partners; photography friends.
Her two sisters are asking that memorial contributions go to the Arbor Day Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Brandywine Conservancy, or the Chester County Library System.
REN FAIRE: Back in time
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in Manheim runs every weekend through October, and it is a hoot. We didn't dress up, but many visitors did, and what an astonishing variety of costumes: there were knights, peasants, wenches, fairy maidens, elves with pointy ears, cassocked monks, Plague doctors, and pirates (and, inexplicably, the Incredible Hulk, a Roman centurion, a Pharaoh and a couple of Storm Troopers). It was hot and humid on Sunday, and I certainly didn't envy those wearing leggings, long, full dresses, leather jerkins, or masks and headdresses.
There are shows and exhibitions throughout the fairgrounds all day. In "Archery Through the Ages," we learned about different types of chain mail and watched three archers display their skills with longbows and crossbows (there's a tradeoff between power and ease of use, we learned).
The "Delightful Deceptions" magic show was well named: the magician's sleight of hand with interlocking rings and balls and cups was astonishing -- how did he do it?
One of the costumed actors that roam around the fair persuaded us to join in the Peasant Dance, where they taught us three dances. We did OK at first, but just as we were starting to get the hang of things, the musicians relentlessly picked up the tempo. We later saw one of the dance instructors and asked her if we were the worst dancers they'd had that day.
"Oh, no," she said. "We've had people fall down."
The Royal Falconer was probably my favorite part of the afternoon. He put three beautiful birds of prey -- Merlin, a Common Buzzard; Thor, a Harris's Hawk; and CC, a Crested Caracara -- through their paces, and we were amazed at the bond between them and their trainer.
The 35-acre "Shire" is full of shops where you can buy everything from daggers, to magic wands, to butterfly headbands, to lace-up corsets, to dried herbs. There are food and drink vendors on every pathway, and I saw plenty of turkey legs being devoured. I can't imagine how many bottles of Poland Spring water they sold that hot afternoon.
There were plenty of kids and even infants at the Faire, and there are special activities for the little ones. There are also bawdy comedy shows for adults, and though not to my taste, we could hear howls of laughter coming from the audiences.
There are shows and exhibitions throughout the fairgrounds all day. In "Archery Through the Ages," we learned about different types of chain mail and watched three archers display their skills with longbows and crossbows (there's a tradeoff between power and ease of use, we learned).
The "Delightful Deceptions" magic show was well named: the magician's sleight of hand with interlocking rings and balls and cups was astonishing -- how did he do it?
One of the costumed actors that roam around the fair persuaded us to join in the Peasant Dance, where they taught us three dances. We did OK at first, but just as we were starting to get the hang of things, the musicians relentlessly picked up the tempo. We later saw one of the dance instructors and asked her if we were the worst dancers they'd had that day.
"Oh, no," she said. "We've had people fall down."
The Royal Falconer was probably my favorite part of the afternoon. He put three beautiful birds of prey -- Merlin, a Common Buzzard; Thor, a Harris's Hawk; and CC, a Crested Caracara -- through their paces, and we were amazed at the bond between them and their trainer.
The 35-acre "Shire" is full of shops where you can buy everything from daggers, to magic wands, to butterfly headbands, to lace-up corsets, to dried herbs. There are food and drink vendors on every pathway, and I saw plenty of turkey legs being devoured. I can't imagine how many bottles of Poland Spring water they sold that hot afternoon.
There were plenty of kids and even infants at the Faire, and there are special activities for the little ones. There are also bawdy comedy shows for adults, and though not to my taste, we could hear howls of laughter coming from the audiences.
ATHLETICS: On and off the field
Thanks to some athletic accomplishments, the Young Relative this week had his first encounter with representatives of the Fourth Estate (other than me, of course) for post-game interviews. He handled himself beautifully, if I do say so myself: he was articulate, polite, poised, and colorful. In short, he was eminently quotable -- which should come as no surprise to "Unionville in the News" readers.
I smiled thinking about how his grandparents would have reacted. Dad, I know, would have been utterly delighted by his steady eye contact, a facet of public speaking he always stressed.
I smiled thinking about how his grandparents would have reacted. Dad, I know, would have been utterly delighted by his steady eye contact, a facet of public speaking he always stressed.
CAT: Tina is attuned
Bright and early Tuesday morning, Tina the Fat Cat had an appointment for her annual checkup at the vet's. At 7:45, I decided we'd better get going. I looked for her but she wasn't in any of her usual post-breakfast lounging spots, either windowsills or soft furniture. Finally I found her cowering under the bed, which she hasn't done since the first day we brought her home.
Somehow she knew what was going on! How?
I eventually coaxed her out, with some gentle nudging from a broom, and loaded her into the carrier. She got a clean bill of health and, thanks to her ample subcutaneous tissue, she didn't even feel her shots. Maybe she'll be less anxious next time, poor creature.
Somehow she knew what was going on! How?
I eventually coaxed her out, with some gentle nudging from a broom, and loaded her into the carrier. She got a clean bill of health and, thanks to her ample subcutaneous tissue, she didn't even feel her shots. Maybe she'll be less anxious next time, poor creature.
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| Miss Tina in a calmer moment. |
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