Thankfully, the West Marlborough Township supervisors meeting on Sept. 1 was a brief one. Because it was hot, the township garage in Doe Run (which serves as the board's meeting place) had its doors wide open. As soon as it got dark, thick swarms of gnats -- I mean, thousands of them -- invaded the place, attracted by the overhead lights, and crawled all over those of us in the audience. I flailed around with my reporter's notebook trying to smack them. Baz Powell, normally the gentlest of Quakers, pointed with pleasure to the pile of corpses she had swatted. The normally stoic mushroom farmer sitting next to me left early, and all the gnats that had been crawling on him turned their attention to me.
The instant the meeting ended, I escaped to the comparative darkness of the parking lot. Bizarrely, my first thought was of Erich Fromm's psychology book "Escape From Freedom," in which he contrasts negative freedom ("freedom from") with positive freedom ("freedom to"). Most definitely the former, in this case: freedom from gnats!
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
UNIONVILLE: A story about doing the right thing
Reading the news can get really depressing: violence, dreadful behavior, destruction.
And then there's a story like this.
Stephanie Boyer, who whips for the Cheshire Hunt, was in the Unionville Post Office the other day and found an envelope on the floor. It contained about $2,500 in cash. She immediately turned it in to Postmaster Bill, who was able to trace the owner through a check that was inside the envelope.
The customer, who was incredibly relieved, was an elderly gentleman, a military veteran who still pays a lot of his bills in cash. He told Bill that recently a bank teller had given him twice the amount she was supposed to, and when he discovered the error he promptly returned the money. She, too, was incredibly relieved, as the error could have cost her her job.
This pair of vignettes kind of makes you think that there is something to the notion of "paying it forward," doesn't it.
Well done, Stephanie, and well done, elderly veteran. Kudos to Postmaster Bill for doing the legwork and sharing the story.
And then there's a story like this.
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| Stephanie Boyer, in the blue coat, leads in the foxhounds before a Hunt Meet. |
Stephanie Boyer, who whips for the Cheshire Hunt, was in the Unionville Post Office the other day and found an envelope on the floor. It contained about $2,500 in cash. She immediately turned it in to Postmaster Bill, who was able to trace the owner through a check that was inside the envelope.
The customer, who was incredibly relieved, was an elderly gentleman, a military veteran who still pays a lot of his bills in cash. He told Bill that recently a bank teller had given him twice the amount she was supposed to, and when he discovered the error he promptly returned the money. She, too, was incredibly relieved, as the error could have cost her her job.
This pair of vignettes kind of makes you think that there is something to the notion of "paying it forward," doesn't it.
Well done, Stephanie, and well done, elderly veteran. Kudos to Postmaster Bill for doing the legwork and sharing the story.
Monday, August 31, 2015
COATESVILLE: Accordion and fiddle at an Irish music concert
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| Traditional Irish musicians Paddy O'Brien and Nathan Gourley. |
We were lucky enough to see accordion player Paddy O'Brien and his protégé, fiddler Nathan Gourley, perform at the Coatesville Cultural Society on Sunday evening as part of the Coatesville Traditional Irish Music Series. The contrast between the two -- generation-wise and culturally -- is striking, but when it comes to the music the older gentleman from County Offaly, Ireland, and the younger one from Madison, Wisconsin, are completely in sync.
The concert was full of lively reels, jigs, hornpipes and even polkas (Paddy quipped that you have to be in good health to either dance or play Irish-style polkas). Paddy and Nathan preceded each selection they played with stories about the piece's history, where it came from, and who had popularized it. One hornpipe was called "The Drunken Sailor" -- or, as Paddy said he liked to call it, "The Inebriated Mariner."
One of the many pleasures of hearing live music is that unexpected things happen. Paddy was playing an emotional, dramatic solo piece about a soldier dying on the battlefield when the building's air conditioning kicked in with a rumble just as the music was swelling to a crescendo. Perfectly timed.
Thanks to Frank Dalton and Emily Fine of Embreeville who keep this music series going. About 30 people came out to hear Paddy and Nathan on Sunday night -- a very enthusiastic audience.
HOMEVILLE: An old Quaker meetinghouse opens its doors
On Sunday we attended silent worship at the 176-year-old Homeville Friends Meetinghouse, one of the now-inactive Quaker meetinghouses that opens its doors once a summer. The meetinghouse and its adjoining burial grounds sit along Route 896 in Upper Oxford Township, near the Lancaster County line, and the rural view looking west is stunning. In addition to motorcycles and trucks, we heard several Amish buggies passing by.
Homeville meeting is a simple, well-maintained building, with a pot-belly stove and wooden benches without cushions. It was a warm day, but the breeze through the open windows kept everyone comfortable. For me it's always a pleasure visiting these old meetinghouses and thinking about the generations who have sat on those same benches before me.
Homeville meeting is a simple, well-maintained building, with a pot-belly stove and wooden benches without cushions. It was a warm day, but the breeze through the open windows kept everyone comfortable. For me it's always a pleasure visiting these old meetinghouses and thinking about the generations who have sat on those same benches before me.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
PLANTATION FIELD: Pre-party for a big equestrian event
Wednesday evening was the annual BBQ pre-party for the big Plantation Field International Horse Trials coming up in September. This is always a marvelous picnic, for three reasons: the setting, the people and the food. From the top of Plantation Field, you can look completely around 360 degrees and see nothing but our beautiful countryside. You also get to see plenty of friends and neighbors, including lots of kids running around enjoying themselves. One woman at our table, a first-time visitor, didn't hesitate to introduce herself to everyone, and soon she and the woman next to her were deep in conversation about tack, or the price of orchard grass, or something equine-related.
Oh, and the food! Victory Brewing did the catering and served up BBQ pork, coleslaw, chicken, burgers and hotdogs, and salad, along with their popular beer and root beer on tap. And there were two tables full of desserts brought by the party-goers, including cookies, brownies, candy, and an amazing Hershey's chocolate cake. (A friend of mine enjoyed a good-sized slice and then walked home to work off the calories!)
Thanks to Katie Walker for throwing such a nice party, as always. And maybe I missed them, but there were NO speeches -- in my book, always a plus for an event.
The Three-Day Event at Plantation Field is September 18 through 20. It's a three-star event, which means it is a top-echelon competition that attracts major world-class riders. Dressage is Friday, show jumping is Saturday and cross-country is Sunday.
Plantation Field is along Route 82 west of Unionville in East and West Marlborough Townships; entry to the event is off Green Valley Road.
BACK TO SCHOOL: Another year starts at Patton Middle School
On Saturday night we had a family dinner at Giordano's in Kennett Square to wish the Young Relative well as he starts the 2015-16 year at Patton Middle School. It's a profound pleasure watching him grow into a kind, amusing, polite, and smart young man (and so handsome to boot). Even if he does run over his two-gigabyte data allowance each and every month.
Tilda: "TWO gigs? I only have one, and I never run over!"
YR: "Yes, but I have a social life."
Sitting next to him last night at dinner, I remembered an assignment he had years ago as a pupil at Hillendale Elementary. The kids had to complete a list of fill-in-the-blank sentences, one of which was "I like to eat..." The Young Relative's classmates all said things like "pizza" and "tacos." His response? "At the Half Moon."
Tilda: "TWO gigs? I only have one, and I never run over!"
YR: "Yes, but I have a social life."
Sitting next to him last night at dinner, I remembered an assignment he had years ago as a pupil at Hillendale Elementary. The kids had to complete a list of fill-in-the-blank sentences, one of which was "I like to eat..." The Young Relative's classmates all said things like "pizza" and "tacos." His response? "At the Half Moon."
WEST MARLBOROUGH: A cabin emerges from under the vines
On Saturday morning, driving along one of my favorite back roads, I was delighted to notice that somebody is cleaning up and shoring up the old stone Boy Scout cabin. It has been in serious disrepair as long as I can remember, covered with vines and graffiti. Whoever is doing the work has made major progress in a short time.
A friend of mine recalls hiking from Unionville to the cabin for camping trips when he was a member of Troop 22 some 50 years ago. He was surprised to find that the cabin, which they called Primitive Hall, is actually much smaller than he remembers it.
A friend of mine recalls hiking from Unionville to the cabin for camping trips when he was a member of Troop 22 some 50 years ago. He was surprised to find that the cabin, which they called Primitive Hall, is actually much smaller than he remembers it.
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