UNIONVILLE: Kinloch's annual open house

On Saturday afternoon I stopped by Kinloch Woodworking's annual autumn open house in "downtown" Unionville and, as always, had a wonderful time socializing and seeing Doug Mooberry's breath-taking furniture. Barb Pusey was there with her granddaughter, Jessie Mooberry, who was visiting from Istanbul, where she is working to promote humanitarian uses of drones. I also got to catch up with Anna Myers and Diane Thierry for a few minutes.
In addition to his beautiful tables, tall clocks, spice chests, mirrors and stools, Doug showcased two unusual pieces this year: a Wharton Esherick-inspired curly-cherry desk that opened into a self-contained, fully fitted office, complete with drawers, lights and a chair, and a remarkable wall hanging made from Paulownia wood that resembled a shark.

The wall hanging, made of wood from a Paulownia tree, looks like a shark.

CRANESBILL: Another way that seeds spread

After planting 25 tulip bulbs (only a third of this year's order from White Flower Farm) in the garden, I came back inside and noticed dozens of small black spears, maybe an inch long, sticking out of my fleece vest, as if I were a pin cushion or a voodoo doll.
I did some online research and found that the spikes were from the cranesbill (a hardy geranium) that's been growing in the garden for many years. I quote from Rob's Plants website:
"The cranesbill for which the plants are named describes the shape of the spikes extending from the fruiting bodies left behind when flowers fade. The seeds are formed in the puffy part at the bottom of the fruiting body. The problem is that the whole assembly was manufactured to serve as a catapult. When ripe, the seeds are flung out of their dry hull using the spring force of connective tissue that runs along the spikey bit (this is not a botanically correct description, by the way)."
As I discovered when trying to remove the hulls from my vest, not only are they sharply pointed but they also have a rough coating, which makes them even more adherent.

HOUPPETTE: Old-fashioned personal service

What flawless customer service I experienced at Houppette, the new little boutique at State and Union streets in downtown Kennett. Though not at all a high-maintenance kind of woman, I stopped in seeking a remedy for my increasingly dry winter skin. The nice saleswoman listened carefully to my concerns, asked a few questions, suggested two products and let me try both. I bought one of the creams she suggested and have been very happy with it. I'm so glad I visited: no pressure, no upselling, and even some fun samples to take home!

SPIRIT WING: An evening of Native American music

On Friday evening we traveled to Oxford Friends Meeting to see Spirit Wing, a husband-and-wife duo who perform Native American-inspired music. We've seen the Phoenixville couple perform three times before, but they changed up their show a little this time: Barry Lee added some guitar flourishes, and he and his wife, Barbara Gregg Andrews-Christy, added some more contemporary songs to the mix. Barbara was such a trouper, singing, dancing, playing the flute and bantering despite a scratchy throat that had her reaching for lozenges and her water bottle between each song.
After the show the two, who are active in Native American issues, talked about recent efforts to create a heritage center at the Carlisle Indian School, where thousands of Indian youths were taken between 1879 and 1918 in an effort to erase their own culture and make them fit into mainstream white society. John Sayles is directing a movie, "To Save the Man," about the school; Robert Redford is executive producer and production is set to start next summer. (It won't be shot in Carlisle.)
We'll probably be back at the meetinghouse for Charlie Zahm's annual Christmas show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. Doors open at 7 p.m. and -- heads up -- last year the place was packed, so get there early.

LIBRARY: A new website, the same controversies

Even launching a new website has proved controversial for the board of the "Kennett Public Library." This past Friday they took the site (with its blue apostrophe logo) live to replace bayardtaylor.org. Predictably, this did not sit well with people who are still stewing about the way the board changed the library's name from "Bayard Taylor Memorial" to "Kennett Public."
This is the way the new website's FAQ page explains the unpopular name change: "This decision was informed by a focus group of Board and Staff members who believed that the name should reflect the community of eight municipalities that we serve, and that it would clear up confusion about where the Library was located."
But they didn't ask the public -- which explains the community outcry that has ensued. A couple of waggish friends, both dead set against the name change, remarked on an obvious error on the new site: the spelling of the library's name.
A neighbor wrote on the new site: "No, you have not listened!!! Change the name back to Bayard Taylor Memorial Library and the community will support you. If you do not, nothing you do will cause the community to support you!"
(She is a retired Unionville schoolteacher, so I'll forgive her for writing better than me. She's also 100% correct, in my opinion.)

Another FAQ on the site: "Are you really building a new library?" The answer: "We plan to! Currently, our Board of Trustees is negotiating with Kennett Square Borough and Kennett Township regarding a site within the Borough. As soon as a Memorandum of Understanding is finalized, design and funding will begin. In the event that we stay in the Borough, the parcel of land that we own on Way's Lane will be sold."

I'd like to suggest a more important FAQ: "How are you going to afford this new library given the extremely negative results of your recent feasibility study?"

CHESLEN PRESERVE: Trying to curb off-leash dogs

Kirstin Werner, the director of communications for the Natural Lands Trust (which runs the lovely ChesLen Preserve) sent me an email in response to an item I wrote a few weeks ago about a lost (and found) Yorkie at the preserve. I think it will be of interest to the many local people who walk their dogs there.

"I was relieved to hear of Stuart’s happy ending… It occurred to me, though, that Stuart must have been off-leash for his “adventure."
"Off-leash dogs at ChesLen Preserve (and all of Natural Lands Trust's 42 nature preserves) are a huge problem for us. 

"Though it may seem harmless to let one’s dog run free and play in the woods, fields, and wetlands, consider this from a Bluebird’s point of view. An unleashed dog can disturb feeding, mating, nesting, and rearing young—not just for Bluebirds but for many other wildlife species as well. In addition, we receive numerous complaints from other visitors who don’t feel safe or whose peaceful visit to a preserve was ruined by an off-leash dog jumping up or aggressing on their own dogs.

"Over the years, we’ve tried signage, brochures, talking to visitors individually, etc. Not much has worked effectively.
"So we’ve developed a new program called Green Dogs. Green Dog members receive a custom Natural Lands Trust leash when they join and pledge to be “Nature’s Best Friend.”
"I thought I’d share this with you in case you think it might be worthy of a mention on your blog or in the paper. We want to do all we can to ensure our preserves are safe and enjoyable for everyone who visits (including our beloved four-legged friends). Thanks!"
You can find more information about the "Green Dogs" program on the natlands.org website.

 

NEWLIN: Back on the front burner

The state Attorney General's office has found that Newlin Township's controversial zoning ordinance places excessive regulations on farms and other agricultural businesses, thus violating the state's Agricultural Communities and Rural Environment (ACRE) law.
You may recall the issue: the new ordinance raised the ire of many township residents because it required the owners of many horse boarding facilities to seek an expensive special exception from the township's zoning hearing board if they wanted to continue the operations they'd been running for years (well, if they wanted to operate legally, at least). 
In its Nov. 8 letter, the state Attorney General's office suggested numerous and substantive wording changes that the township supervisors need to make to bring the ordinance into compliance. The AG's office attached a stick, too: the supervisors were told that legal measures could follow if they don't amend the ordinance.
An open question is whether the farm owners who obeyed the law and paid for a zoning hearing could get their money refunded.