SCAT: A potty break

There's nothing like a pile of poop to get a lively conversation going.
The other morning I went out to fill the bird feeder and found two human-sized, seed-filled piles of feces on my back deck. I posted a photo on social media, and the consensus, after much bathroom humor ("Looks like Dearest Partner has been eating too much fiber!"), was that a raccoon had used my deck as its toilet after eating supper at my feeder. 
Some theorized that my visitor had been a skunk or even a coyote, but the scat experts (a hunter and a naturalist) explained, in clinical detail, that the poop was the wrong size and shape.

WILMINGTON: Graduation speaker

Congratulations to Catherine Quillman, who was chosen as the graduation speaker at the Delaware College of Art & Design in Wilmington on May 6. She said she was excited to be selected but a little abashed that the college's press release described her as "the" artist and writer, "as if I am nationally known!" Her speech will explore the difficulties artists have in carving out creative time for themselves. The May 6 commencement ceremonies will follow a bagpiper-led procession along Market Street from the college to the Grand Opera House.
Cathy, who lives in West Chester, has written several books about local history and artists, including "Walking the East End: A Historic African-American Community in West Chester" and "Artists of the Brandywine Valley."

APRIL 15: A taxing discussion

As I imagine was the case in many households, at dinner over the weekend our conversation focused on the looming income tax deadline. My brother seized the opportunity to educate the Young Relative, who must file his first tax return this year, about how taxes work. Using a napkin to represent one's total face-value income, he folded it over with each tax he named: withholding, Social Security, worker's comp, gasoline taxes (that one hit home for the Y.R.), sales tax, earned income tax, state tax, local tax, earnings on investments and dividends, estate taxes, and so forth and so on.
The large napkin became very small, very quickly.

FAIR HILL: Meet Rita Mae Brown

Rita Mae Brown will be in Fair Hill, Md., on Saturday, May 18, to give a talk on "Fashions and Foxhunting." Not only is she the master of foxhounds and huntsman of the Oak Ridge Fox Hounds in Charlottesville, but she's also a prolific mystery writer, the creator of the Sister Jane foxhunting series and the Mrs. Murphy's series. Those of us of a certain age know her as the author of "Rubyfruit Jungle," a feminist classic from the 1970s.
The event, a fundraiser for Fair Hill International and the Fair Hill Hounds, will be held at the Ed Walls Building at the Cecil County Fairgrounds. Tickets for the pasta dinner and lecture are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. RSVP by May 10. More information is available on Fair Hill's website.

NEW GARDEN: BBQ Fest

On Sunday, April 28, expect some amazing aromas to be emanating from the New Garden Township Park on Route 41: it's the second annual Brandywine Backyard BBQ Festival, a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts. The festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. and the admission fee is $3. There will be food trucks offering BBQ and other meals, beverage trucks (wine and beer), two live bands, games and activities for kids and teens, and a BBQ competition for backyard chefs that is sanctioned and will be judged by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. (Rules and registration for the competition are online.)
Parking for the fest will be at the township building, 299 Starr Road.   

 

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BARNARDS: Looking for family members

Local genealogist Loraine Lucas asked me for help locating any descendants of Richard and Frances (Lambe) Barnard so she can invite them to a reunion this June at Barnard's Orchards. She thinks there are probably many family members still living here in Chester County. According to Loraine, Richard and Frances came to America in 1682 aboard one of William Penn's ships and were Abraham Lincoln's third-great-grandparents. Loraine's email address is lorainelucas@msn.com.

TRAFFIC: Another inefficient light

A Beversrede resident responded to my item in last week's column about the inefficient traffic light at Route 926 and Pocopson Road that lets only a few cars through at a time. He agrees that it needs to be reprogrammed and notes that he takes Route 52 or Route 1 home in the late afternoon to avoid the ensuing backup.

He adds, "Equally as bad and maddening is the light on Route 1 at Kendal & Woodchuck Way. As soon as a single car exiting Kendal approaches the light, the traffic on Rt. 1 gets a red light and dozens of cars must stop to let one car proceed. Why can't there be a simple process of reporting and resolving these issues?"

He makes an excellent point!