It's bad enough to walk into a room and smell that foul stinkbug odor, but isn't it even worse when you can't spot the culprit? You just know it's lurking nearby, ready to emit that nauseating stench again... but where??
Although the stinkbugs seem to be making a comeback the past few weeks, in my house at least, they are nowhere near as numerous as they were two years ago, when they covered the walls and got into your drawers, your pillowcase, your medicine cabinet. Their favorite spot this winter seems to be my coffee maker. Whether it's the warmth or just the aroma of Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend, I now am careful to check the carafe and the spout before flipping the "on" switch, lest I brew a flavorful mug of Brown Marmorated.
The other morning I was pouring myself a glass of our delicious West Marlborough well water and noticed that the stream coming from the kitchen tap was oddly bifurcated. Sure enough, there was a stinkbug clinging to the underneath of the spigot. What a way to start the day.
As a short person I've found Hal Lewis's "Stik A Bug" to be both helpful and fun for capturing stinkbugs that are walking across the ceiling. It's essentially a Swiffer-type mop with a sticky pad at the end for trapping the bugs. Hal, who until recently owned a garage in Kennett, is a mechanic and entrepreneur. His Stik A Bug works so well I'm glad he threw in a spare sticky pad! And I can attest to the fact that it also works well on hard-to-reach cobwebs.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Kennett is Cool ... and Strict
Don't forget that you have to feed the meters in Kennett Borough even on Saturdays!
On the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 9, I was having a post-Nemo drink with a pal at the Half-Moon (a gin-and-tonic, so very inappropriate to the season) when I spotted the meter guy on his rounds, ticket book in hand. I raced out to my vehicle, which was parked nearby on State Street, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I hadn't been ticketed. It turns out that the meter still had someone else's time on it when I parked!
For safety's sake I put in another quarter, which gave me a total of 28 minutes, and I returned to the bar to finish my drink. But as they tend to do when you're with pleasant company, the first drink turned into a second, and before I knew it the meter guy returned! Fortunately I was sitting near the window and spotted him approaching. Once again I ran out, wallet in hand, dashed past him, and inserted another quarter JUST before he got to my car.
On the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 9, I was having a post-Nemo drink with a pal at the Half-Moon (a gin-and-tonic, so very inappropriate to the season) when I spotted the meter guy on his rounds, ticket book in hand. I raced out to my vehicle, which was parked nearby on State Street, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I hadn't been ticketed. It turns out that the meter still had someone else's time on it when I parked!
For safety's sake I put in another quarter, which gave me a total of 28 minutes, and I returned to the bar to finish my drink. But as they tend to do when you're with pleasant company, the first drink turned into a second, and before I knew it the meter guy returned! Fortunately I was sitting near the window and spotted him approaching. Once again I ran out, wallet in hand, dashed past him, and inserted another quarter JUST before he got to my car.
Feb. 14th
When you read this in The Kennett Paper, it'll be St. Valentine's Day, so here's a shout-out to the Young Relative, who is always my favorite Valentine. He's kind, smart, funny, clever, creative, competitive, and athletic. He's a great writer, speller, and storyteller (well, what can I say...), an amusing companion, a remarkably quick study, a loyal friend, and a joy to be around. And he'd better not try to charge me $5 for being featured in this item.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Shouldering the blame
Rokeby Road is "a potential disaster" and "an accident waiting to happen," two residents who live near it warned the West Marlborough Township supervisors at their Feb. 5 monthly meeting.
The women said the pavement is literally crumbling away and slipping down a steep bank into the waters of the Buck Run below. The supervisors replied that they are well aware of the ongoing problem and have tried to get money from the state to stabilize the bank to prevent further damage, but it has to be done in accordance with strict environmental regulations and will be a very costly endeavor that the township can't easily afford.
The next day I decided to see what they were talking about and took a drive along Rokeby Road, which has a "Road Closed Ahead" sign where it joins Route 82 to discourage traffic. A quarter-mile along the scenic road, just across from the intersection with Richard Wilson Drive, there's a sheer drop down to the creek, just inches off the westbound lane of travel. It's pretty dramatic. There are warning barricades in place, but I doubt they'd provide much protection.
The women said the pavement is literally crumbling away and slipping down a steep bank into the waters of the Buck Run below. The supervisors replied that they are well aware of the ongoing problem and have tried to get money from the state to stabilize the bank to prevent further damage, but it has to be done in accordance with strict environmental regulations and will be a very costly endeavor that the township can't easily afford.
The next day I decided to see what they were talking about and took a drive along Rokeby Road, which has a "Road Closed Ahead" sign where it joins Route 82 to discourage traffic. A quarter-mile along the scenic road, just across from the intersection with Richard Wilson Drive, there's a sheer drop down to the creek, just inches off the westbound lane of travel. It's pretty dramatic. There are warning barricades in place, but I doubt they'd provide much protection.
Break-ins
A recent rash of vehicle break-ins and burglaries in the Embreeville area has Newlin Township residents on edge. Frankly, I think the thief is pretty foolhardy: I know quite a few Newlin residents, and they are a self-sufficient bunch who don't take kindly to having their property messed with in any way. Police are advising residents to take the precaution of keeping their car doors locked, even at home in the driveway.
From Kennett to Cameroon
My friend Ellen, who used to live on South Broad Street in Kennett, has been traveling the world with the U.S. State Department and is now based in Cameroon. She shared this item from her embassy newsletter:
"House for rent in Damas: Living and dining room area, 2 internal bedrooms, 2 external bedrooms, 1 dressing room, 2 internal toilets, 1 external toilet, 1 external sink. Forage: water connected in the house. House is fenced in and comes with a very large parking area big enough for 5 cars. Two free dogs included."
Comments Ellen: "The exterior toilet and sink refer to what the guards use, but the funny part to me is the dogs."
The next post for Ellen and her husband is in Kabul, Afghanistan. They have four children, two in college and one at boarding school here in the States and one just finishing her senior year of high school in Yaounde.
"House for rent in Damas: Living and dining room area, 2 internal bedrooms, 2 external bedrooms, 1 dressing room, 2 internal toilets, 1 external toilet, 1 external sink. Forage: water connected in the house. House is fenced in and comes with a very large parking area big enough for 5 cars. Two free dogs included."
Comments Ellen: "The exterior toilet and sink refer to what the guards use, but the funny part to me is the dogs."
The next post for Ellen and her husband is in Kabul, Afghanistan. They have four children, two in college and one at boarding school here in the States and one just finishing her senior year of high school in Yaounde.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
A good deed
Bill, the postmaster at the Unionville Post Office, had a new assistant this afternoon: a stray dog awaiting his master!
A Unionville resident picking up her mail spotted a loose yellow Lab in the parking lot. Worried that he might run onto Route 82, she took hold of the friendly canine by the collar and phoned the Delaware number on his ID tag. The owner, who lives near the post office, answered and was understandably quite upset to hear the news. He said he was about 20 minutes away and would leave for the post office immediately.
My friend took the dog into the lobby, prepared to wait until the owner arrived, but Bill said the dog was welcome to stay behind the counter with him. Unionville had a deputy postmaster for a little while!
A Unionville resident picking up her mail spotted a loose yellow Lab in the parking lot. Worried that he might run onto Route 82, she took hold of the friendly canine by the collar and phoned the Delaware number on his ID tag. The owner, who lives near the post office, answered and was understandably quite upset to hear the news. He said he was about 20 minutes away and would leave for the post office immediately.
My friend took the dog into the lobby, prepared to wait until the owner arrived, but Bill said the dog was welcome to stay behind the counter with him. Unionville had a deputy postmaster for a little while!
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