Monthly Archives: June 2015
oh phoenixville? spellcheck much?
I was hunting around for fireworks schedules for July 4th and stumbled upon the Phoenixville Borough website. I am providing an EXACT screen shot of the page as of right now (5:49 pm 6/29/15) because I know without a doubt they will correct it at some point because it is such a d’oh moment….for an “official” government website.
Ummm dear Borough Manager E. Jean Krack? When your website and administrative wizards are not doing basic spellcheck and has been sitting like this for quite a while… well….unfortunately your inner former Coatesville City Manager self is showing…..again….Jeez ….and so NO ONE thinks I played photo shop with this, here is a time current screen shot without the highlights:
cyclists need to actually share the road…and obey the laws
When people in favor of bicycle lanes get up in public meetings to demand more room on the road, it is scenes like this one above which make me somewhat unsympathetic to their cause. See, unfortunately the ignorance photographed above this morning in Paoli happens far too often.
This photo came with the following comment:
So, it’s not often that I get on my “soapbox”, but these people are grown men, not boys, and they ride ….and take over the whole road. Not only did they ride in the middle of the road while chatting with each other, but when we got to the red light at Lancaster Ave in Paoli they looked both ways and went through the RED light.
Is it okay to break the law because you are on a bike? I’m happy to share the road with bicyclists, but it would be nice if they would respect the law and the people who have to share the road with them!
Amen.
To this I add the problems with dealing with these cyclists on the trails out here in Chester County. They often zoom by on a trail with little regard or care for small children with their parents on bicycles or people who are just walking, let alone walking their dogs.
And these cyclists also often show complete disregard for crossing the road safely when the trails break over busy roads. Three of my favorite examples are where the trail breaks over Ship Road, Phoenixville Pike, and Bacton Hill Road. We all are supposed to slow down for them, but they can just disregard stop signs, traffic lights , and other rules of the road….with great regularity. And if you honk at them they glare at you and can actually be quite nasty.
On the roads, a lot of these inconsiderate cyclists give good cyclists a bad name. Not only do they completely block the road or just entire lanes of traffic, but they are also NOT keeping up with the flow of traffic while they do so, and can be quite aggressive. I have a couple friends who are runners who have actually been run into by cyclists on the roads then the cyclists yelled at these people basically for having the nerve to be out jogging. And the cyclists are actually running into people because they’re not paying attention.
Have you ever been on the road that actually has bike lanes only cyclists ahead of you aren’t using them at all? Why are we putting our taxpayer dollars into these “road improvements” so we can “share the road” when they don’t know the first meaning of what it is to share the road?
When you’re driving and you come across cyclists like the ones photographed above, or the ones who also travel in packs and zigzag in and out of traffic, it is nerve-racking. If you as a motorist hit someone on a bicycle you know it’s going to be bad, and the problem is it’s someone grossly UNfair because they created the dangerous situation in the first place.
I know a lot of cyclists are going to read this post and be really angry. But the thing is this: they need get the point across to their fellow cyclists that they are sharing the road and trails with other people and vehicles and that they need to obey the same rules of the road as the rest of us.
easy summer entertaining
Entertaining in the summer is so easy and fun! Fresh fruit and vegetables and flowers are so readily available and it is easy to be casual.
I am not for the paper plates and plastic cup casual, though. I like to make things look nice for my guests.
Last night was one of those nights. We got together with some of our favorite friends from high school and we don’t get together as often as we should and I wanted it to be special.
I did my table in my vintage finds that were season appropriate- Fiestaware and a cool Vera tablecloth.
I served summer food with my culinary twists. Started with a real gooey traditional French Brie with fresh strawberries on the side as well as crackers. Melon wrapped in prosciutto but not just cantelope, a lucious canary melon too. And a super fresh caprese salad with my own garden basil.
For dinner, sweet cornbread muffins with dill, chili powder, and cinnamon. Chuck roast I had marinated for two days and roasted (they were supposed to be for the grill but Mother Nature changed the weather up). The roast was tender and flavorful!
We finished with a seasonal greens salad topped with sliced thin rings of lolipop scallions, Mert’s Nuts (the salad crumbles), goat cheese crumbles and a simple mustard vinegarette. Dessert was a triple berry trifle with three layers of pudding (lemon, coconut, white chocolate) and cookies my friend brought from Isgros.
And on a whim along with some lovely French Rosés I served prosecco. The food was fresh and simple and the table seasonally festive. I did it buffet style so my guests could mingle and eat what they chose while catching up.
Best of all it was just one of those fun evenings where it all felt like it was only five minutes long! Good friends, good food, good conversation and fun!
Thanks for stopping by!
summer flowers
When you are entertaining, don’t overlook flowers- which are so easy to arrange.
The first photo are flowers I purchased (from the grocery store – Giant), but the rest are from my garden.
I love to have them tucked everywhere – bookshelves, tables, the counter in the powder room.
Last evening we entertained friends from high school and I wanted my guests to have a taste of my garden indoors because of the rain.
Taking the time for all the little touches really makes a difference- and anyone can arrange a summer bouquet in a vase!
dance of the flutterby
plant source rave: seaside daylily farm
So I have a new plant source. For daylilies. I love daylilies, but with the exception of Applied Climatology at the West Chester Growers Market, buying them around here is not much fun. Locally, Applied Climatology has in my opinion a terrific selection of unusual cultivars and good prices and their plants are healthy.
But since places like Woodlawn Nursery closed in Malvern which was another source for me for daylilies, I have been looking for an additional source of plants. Recently, a friend who is part of my gardening group told me about Seaside Daylily Farm in Martha’s Vineyard, MA.
So I thought I would try them. They are a small family farm, they are organic growers and they are also state certified by Massachusetts that they sell plants found to be free of insects and disease.
Their prices are extraordinarily reasonable, and the bucket in the photograph above holds the plants that I purchased!
I am ready to put them in the ground but decided to put up a post first about Seaside Daylily Farm because I am so impressed with what they grow and how my plants arrived!
Anyway I’m going to go plant my plants, but if you like daylilies check out their website, you’ll be glad you did!
Thanks for stopping by!
sky a few minutes ago
keystone collections group
My mood is like that sky out there right now.
Many of us as residents in Chester County have to deal these third party tax collectors for the local taxes. Like Keystone Collection Group out of Irwin PA.
Since May they have been harassing me over a tax year I was NOT a resident of Chester County. I was at that point only dating a resident of Chester County. As far as I am aware that was not a taxable event?
When they sent their first death threat masked as a tax collection nasty gram, I promptly sent them my federal return that clearly shows (and was professionally prepared, no less) my address, municipality and county of residence and so on. My federal tax return gave them every piece of information they needed to say “I’m sorry we made a mistake” and then close the books on this.
Instead, they sent me a second letter basically telling me that a federal tax return was not acceptable proof and a long laundry list of items for me to prove where I lived.
Being somewhat outraged at this point I called them. Basically I was told that a federal tax return was not good enough and unless I sent them all this other information I was a liar.
Then the person on the other end of the phone says something to the effect of well maybe I was confused about the years. And I said no I wasn’t confused about the years it was the year I was treated for breast cancer I know exactly where I was all year long.
So I sent them everything they asked for and it was remarkable I had some of what they wanted which included copies of old bills with my address at that time. It’s only because I’m such a paper pack rat that I had any of those old bills as I had shredded most of them. They also got a W-2 and the state return I had filed with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for that year. And oh did I mention when I called them they told me that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania directs them to do this? Really?
I sent them all of this additional information and it should have once again been the end of it with them sending me an apology and closing the book on this but they haven’t.
I have even contacted my elected representatives offices regarding this. And Keystone has gone back to them saying now they wanted my federal tax return even though I sent that in the first place and as per their instructions on their last correspondence I have satisfied everything they requested and they told me a federal tax return wasn’t sufficient proof when I submitted it several weeks ago. They already have the information.
I am done. I gave them what they asked for, they have made a mistake with this particular year, and they won’t let it go. At this point they are harassing me. I have complied with the requests and it should be case closed.
The other problem with dealing with this company is there is no secure way to send them information. When you have to send a company like this your personal information wouldn’t you rather do it with some kind of a secure email or fax? How do we really know what they do with the documents you send them that have your personal data on them?
I have heard many, many horror stories regarding this company Keystone Collections Group. I don’t know why they find this so difficult it’s really very cut and dry: I wasn’t living here as a resident then. I was a visitor, albeit a frequent visitor. I was a resident of not only another municipality, but another county entirely.
As residents of various municipalities out here we shouldn’t have to be paying for these people and their mistakes and their harassment. They are taking money out of residents’ pockets. As far as I’m concerned or municipality should be able to handle this in house, saving all of us money that could be put to better use.
Thanks for stopping by.
pause, downingtown?
Uhh ohhh, Downingtown. You are a very small borough whose residents had better pay attention now. It has been quite a while since I have heard such develobabble (development babble).
What caught my eye?
This:
DOWNINGTOWN >> Developers have proposed to create a seven-story parking structure with 72 condo apartments, in place of the Borough lot for public parking.
The plan, called Union Place, is being proposed by Andrew Hicks, owner and president of TriPoint Properties, Inc of Downingtown.
“We are working on preserving our history while also allowing our community to modernize and move forward in a way that is going to attract the next generation of Downingtown residents to our world class schools, restaurants and parks,” Council President Anthony “Chip” Gazzerro…..There will be 72 apartment units.This includes 58 one bedroom units and 14 two-bedroom units. Parking spaces for the apartment tenants will allocate one parking space per bedroom…..The condo apartments will be known as “The Flats at Union Place.” …..Borough officials said they will determine to accept or decline the bid offer by developers of $325,000 to purchase the property….Council members had recently requested a proposal for public parking. Council members were informed of the parking structure, residential units and retail shop plans during their June 3 meeting and are reviewing the bid. The entity that will own the property during the investment is known as Union Place partners, L.P…
Ok so let us not forget what was in the Philadelphia Business Journal late September, 2014: