PENNSBURY: Explanation sought

A large, formerly wooded site on Route 1 directly across from the Chadds Ford Antique Mall has been cleared, and a curious reader asked if I knew what was going on.
"WHAT is that for?" she said. "It is most disturbing."
I reviewed the minutes of the Pennsbury Township Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission for the past year and found no discussion about proposed tree clearing or development on the site.
When I drove by the property on Aug. 22, "no trespassing" signs were posted and the street number, 617, was marked in blue paint on some of the remaining trees. A worker was stacking the felled tree trunks using a large claw. 

The formerly wooded site at 617 Baltimore Pike, opposite the Chadds Ford Antique Mall.

A stack of tree trunks at the site.

UNIONVILLE: And her dam was ...

Over breakfast this morning a friend was tracing the tangled family connections of a woman we know: "She's the daughter of [Mr. X] out of [Mr. X's second wife]."
I burst into laughter at her unconscious use of horse-breeding terminology.
"Out of?" I repeated. "OUT OF?!"
"Oh my God," said my friend, realizing what she'd said and laughing too. "Only in Unionville!"

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Schoolhouse Road developer

A "Unionville in the News" reader asked me a few weeks ago if I knew who was building the new development on the west side of Schoolhouse Road. I do; Ryan Homes is building the 150-townhouse development, which it's calling "Longwood Preserve."
Just FYI, the other evening I spotted an East Marlborough police vehicle parked conspicuously at the new stop signs on Schoolhouse Road at the entrance to the future development.
Ryan Homes is the same developer who did Sinclair Springs (on Hillendale Road near Five Points) and Stargazer Village (on Strasburg Road at the new roundabout).

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Purebread Deli is open

Purebread Deli has opened a store -- the sixth in the chain -- in the Longwood Village shopping center on Baltimore Pike. The deli has a canine theme: the sandwiches are named after dog breeds and there are paintings and photos of dogs on the walls.
When we stopped by the other day for dinner, we ordered a St. Bernard (a club sandwich on sourdough bread) and a Schnauzer (a tuna melt with bacon and tomatoes). Both sandwiches were hearty and tasty, the service was quick and the employees were friendly and enthusiastic.
A fellow customer urged us to try the salads, which she said were delicious, and I noticed they also serve breakfast sandwiches and muffins. There's indoor seating, outdoor seating (out front on the sidewalk) and takeout.
Hours are Monday through Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The deli is on the T.J. Maxx end of the shopping center.

GIANT: Dollars for scholars

If you're a Giant shopper, the supermarket chain offers an easy way to raise money for your local school. Log in to your Giant loyalty card account, go to "Rewards and Savings," and click on "Learn More" or "Select Schools" in the A+ School Rewards box.
The company explains:
"At the beginning of the program each fall, Giant customers can register and designate up to two local schools to benefit from their grocery purchases. A+ School Rewards points accrue with each grocery purchase made using a Giant Food Card which are then credited to the designated schools."
Locally, Patton Middle School, Greenwood Elementary, Unionville High School and Upland Country Day School are registered as part of the program. You have to register at the beginning of each school year.
The company notes that since 2005, they've given more than $34 million to local schools. It's good to know that a percentage of the vast sums I spend at Giant will be going to two of them.

NEW BOLTON: First Tuesday lectures

Penn Vet at New Bolton Center has announced its 2019-2020 series of First Tuesday lectures on various facets of equine medicine:
 
-- Sept. 10: "Global Worming: What You Can Do to Prevent De-wormer Meltdown in the 21st Century" (presented by Dr. Rose Nolen-Walston)
-- Oct. 1: "Forever Young: Exploring Regenerative Medicine" (Dr. Kyla Ortved)
-- Nov. 5: "Robotic Imaging: Pioneering the Future" (Drs. Dean Richardson, Barbara Dallap Schaer and Kate Wulster)
-- Dec. 3: "Equine Neurologic Diseases: EGHV, EPM, EDM, CVM - What's Behind the Initials?" (Dr. Amy Johnson)
-- March 3: "Aging Gracefully: Caring for Your Geriatric Horse" (Dr. Liz Arbittier)
-- April 7: "Laminitis Management: From Research Lab to the Barn" (Patrick Reilly, chief of farrier services, and Dr. Andrew van Eps)
-- May 5: "Emergency and Critical Care for the Colic Patient: It Takes a Village" (panel discussion led by Drs. Janet Johnston, Maia Aitken and Sam Hurcombe)
-- June 2: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart: Innovations and Safety in Cardiology" (Drs. Virginia Reef and Cristobal Navas de Solis)

The lectures start at 6:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public. They are held in Alumni Hall at New Bolton. Registration is recommended at https://firsttuesdaynbc.eventbrite.com.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Parking lot disturbance

It seems I didn't get the whole story when I wrote about the Aug. 10 nighttime car meet at the Longwood Village shopping center on Route 1. A reader who lives nearby told me that, apparently after we left, some of the participants were drag racing their cars around the parking lot and blasting their stereos. He called the state police at 10 p.m., and they told him they'd already received other complaints.

SAME NAME: But very different people

"Consign James Blaine to Memory Lane," read the headline on the op-ed page of the Aug. 15 Wall Street Journal. The story wasn't, of course, referring to the local Jamie Blaine, who founded "The Kennett Paper" in 1988. Rather, it was about the 19th-century Congressman from Maine of the same name, who "pushed for a federal constitutional amendment that would ban public support for religious schools. . . . While Blaine’s effort failed in the Senate, a majority of states amended their constitutions to incorporate his idea. . . . The Supreme Court recently decided to hear a case challenging Montana’s anti-Catholic Blaine Amendment in its next term."
Seeing the name in print made me realize I hadn't read Jamie's articulate blog, "Perspectives," for a long time, so I visited his website and found that in June he'd decided to take a hiatus. He writes:
"In the last few weeks I’ve hit a bit of a wall, as I have confronted my growing inability to understand, let alone write about, the world around me. Oh, I still have plenty of opinions, but lately they have come to seem increasingly trite, repetitive and uninspired. I don’t aspire to be one more strident voice vying to be heard above the clamor. And so I have decided to take some time off, to refresh myself and see if there are other ways and venues where I can make some small contribution – to gain new perspectives and engage more deeply in thinking and living than this blog and its self-imposed deadlines allow."
As a blogger with deadlines … I can relate, Jamie.

HOSPITALS: I try to avoid them

My brother gave me his exasperated "where have you been?" look when I was telling him about Dearest Partner's recent procedure and the helpful monitor in the waiting room that allows family members to follow their loved one's progress through surgery.
He told me that was by no means anything new: there was a similar setup when he had his fractured collarbone repaired maybe five years ago.
"Apparently you don't hang around hospitals much!" he said.
He immediately thought better of his scorn: "Actually," he said with a chuckle, "I guess that's a good thing."