Glamorous wife

Comcast Corp. founder Ralph J. Roberts commissioned an impressive hardcover book to celebrate the (significant round number) birthday of his vivacious wife, Suzanne. It's full of photos of Mrs. Roberts in her roles as actress, model and TV hostess. Their wedding photo is charming, and I especially liked a black-and-white photo of Mrs. Roberts modeling a classic 1960s outfit: a white shift with contrast slant pockets, with low buckled heels. There are also photos of her with all kinds of celebrities through the years and a list of the A-list folks she interviewed on her TV show.
Happy Birthday to this Newlin resident!

New church

For years I've wondered what the half-finished structure was on the east side of Chatham Road, just south of Route 926, set well back off the road. Well, finally I know: it's the Stillwaters Presbyterian Church. The church members have been working on their new building for some time and held their first services there on Sunday, June 19.
"We are deeply grateful for the many workers who have brought this dream to life, and especially to our God and Father who has overseen the countless hours required to bring this to pass," says the church website. The pastor is Tony Stephens.

What happened

Wondering why there is a banged-up evergreen at North Union and Sickle Streets, and why the Kennett Friends Meeting sign in front of it has disappeared?
It's because on the morning of June 6 the driver of an SUV hit the tree head-on. Rescue crews had to cut open the roof to reach the driver, who was taken by helicopter to the hospital. Details and photos are on the Kennett Fire Company's website (http://www.firestation24.com/).

Reputation

Early this morning I was unfortunate enough to be stuck in traffic next to a pickup whose occupants were playing "classic rock" so loud that, literally, my ears were thrumming even with my windows shut.
The truck bore the name and website of a Delaware County business, and guess what? I probably won't be patronizing it any time soon. Small business owners with company vehicles, take note.

Just planning ahead

Overheard at the coffee shop this morning:
Three guys are having breakfast at a table, and Guy #1's cell phone rings.
He reads the text message out loud, it's about a concert they are attending that evening, and explains to his pals with some pride that he programmed in the message six months ago, when he bought the tickets.
Guy #2 starts to laugh.
"You had to remind yourself about the concert?" he asks, incredulously.
"Dude," says Guy #3 sadly. "You got issues."

Gardening secret

Monday was my annual Mulch Day, in which I spend a few hours spreading a pickup bed full of spent compost between the rows of my garden. Spent compost is the mulch-like substrate that mushrooms grow in, and it is truly marvelous stuff.

Pile it on 3 or 4 inches deep, and you won't have to weed the rest of the summer. It makes your garden look fantastic and professional. And when it decomposes, it enhances the soil.
And no, it doesn't smell bad.
You can get it from some of our local mushroom growers -- and visiting a farm is a great way to learn more about the business that is so important to our local economy.

Or you can visit the spot where the workers at Marlboro Mushrooms dump their spent compost each Monday after cleaning out the mushroom houses. It's on the south side of Route 842 (Upland Road) just east of Route 841. It's self-service: just drive in with your pickup, trailer or even bins and start shoveling. It's free!

Fine Print

I for one won't be happy if newspapers stop publishing hard-copy legal ads in favor of running them online. Where will I be able to such quirky items as this one, which appeared in the June 14 "Daily Local News"? It seems that a 77-foot-long fishing boat, the "Nha Trang," has been sitting at a pier in Gloucester, Mass., for more than 90 days, and unless the owner, a West Chester man, removes it, the state is going to sell it. The owner is asked to please phone the pier manager.
Nha Trang, by the way, is a city in Vietnam.