Life’s Patina is a beautiful, happy place to visit. The seasonal barn sales are fun to go to. It’s a dream of creativity and just pretty things to look at.
Friday, April 29. 10 AM – 5 PM
Saturday, April 30th. 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, May 1st. 10 AM – 4 PM
A portion of Life’s Patina Spring Preview Party ticket sales and merchandise sold during our barn sale will be donated to CARE’s Ukraine Crisis Fund, which aims to reach 4 million in Ukraine with immediate aid and recovery, food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support and cash assistance, prioritizing women, girls, families and the elderly.
These events are both indoor and outdoor. The parking is field parking so if the weather looks like it’s going to be funky check their Facebook page or website.
Even if you don’t need to buy anything you may find a little something or a large something that you cannot live without. And you will enjoy every minute that you are there!
LOCATION: Willowbrook Farm, 1750 N Valley Rd, Malvern, PA 19355
So yesterday, Ronnie the Realtor switched back into his Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism superhero costume of Ronnie The Rep. (See yesterday’s post HERE.)
A day after he announced the suspension of his campaign for the 6th Congressional District’s Republican nomination, candidate Ron Vogel is said to have decided to re-enter the race, butting up against Chester County GOP officials who objected to his candidacy because of controversial social media posts attributed to him, sources said.
On Wednesday, a representative of Vogel’s campaign confirmed to a MediaNews Group reporter that Vogel had changed his mind about suspending his campaign for the seat, and would continue running, even after saying Tuesday that his candidacy would not be in the “best interests” of his family and the Republican Party.
“That’s correct,” said Matt Braynard, a paid Washington, D.C., strategist with the Vogel campaign, in a brief telephone interview when asked if Vogel had decided to remain in the race. Braynard said a statement would be issued detailing Vogel’s thoughts, but as of press time, nothing had been received…It was upsetting to party leadership who had hoped to put the controversy surrounding Vogel and video and text messages attributed to him that contained elements of anti-Semitic messages, sexism and racially tinged language, first reported first by the MediaNews Group, in the rearview mirror….The dramatic announcement of Vogel’s suspension of his campaign came after concerns were raised in Republican Party circles about his candidacy. Past social media posts linked to Vogel featured former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and racially tinged messages to friends, brought his past into question, and elevated worries about his campaign, those associated with the party said.
So last evening Ronnie hung with his besties the Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism:
Today, however, Ronnie is remembering holocaust survivors but is he actually just pandering because his DC consultant undoubtedly knows that the head of the PA Republican Party is Jewish?
Well Ronnie, I have to ask if you know what people can’t forget about YOU?
Ronnie wants people to see images like:
Yet, more people seem to think things like this are more what he’s about:
So Ronnie are you listening to Rammstein on Holocaust Remembrance Day? Asking for the 6 million European Jewish people who died at the hands of the Nazis.
Ronnie is still around because the Chester County Republicans as in party leadership are allowing him to be around. They said censure, it’s time for censure. Has anyone asked Lawrence Tabas ? Mr. Tabas is the head of the PA GOP and a lawyer living in the Philadelphia area. He’s always been a good guy so hopefully he is appalled by this situation?
This is a lesson to both parties in Chester County. You can’t just run every person who is interested in running and you have to vet the candidates.
I vote for Ronnie the Resigner. As in NO MORE Ron the Rep candidate. I will further note that he is deleting comments on his page already. That is not something politicians can do. I have to ask is he is also blocking people at this point on his campaign page? The only comments he allows are his drooling sycophants.
Ron Vogel is being advised by Matt Braynard. A former Trump guy, literally.
Matt Braynard is a guy who pop-pooed January 6, 2021. Or more simplistically, really, it was okay . That event was not okay. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
By Ellie Silverman and Rachel Weiner September 17, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. EDT
The last time Matt Braynard held a rally in D.C. to defend those arrested for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, about 100 people showed up. But now Braynard is taking his protest outside the site of the insurrection, leading to heightened law enforcement and widespread media coverage.
He has the attention he has long sought, putting Washington on high alert for a rally he himself estimated hundreds, not thousands, would attend. But he doesn’t have the broad support of the far right as he seeks to position himself as one of its leaders.
Some of the members of Congress most outspoken in supporting Donald Trump and spreading false narratives around the Capitol attack are not attending. Trump himself told the Federalist the rally was a “setup,” adding people who showed up would “be harassed.” He didn’t mention Braynard, who briefly worked on his 2016 campaign.
Braynard, who as of last fall ran some of his efforts from a Northern Virginia apartment, has his own consulting firm and has worked for years in Republican polling and data analysis. But he has found a more public role supporting false narratives surrounding the 2020 election.
“He has taken it upon himself to try to embody the far right’s greater desire to rewrite the history of January 6 in a way that is more flattering to themselves,” said Jared Holt, a resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s digital forensic research lab who researches domestic extremism.
After Trump lost reelection in 2020, Braynard began inserting himself into the former president’s universe, supporting both his false claims of election irregularities and those inspired to attack the Capitol to stop the supposed fraud.
So now you know, that’s who’s running Ronnie with campaign Tourette’s. And once again those who are in charge of the Chester County Republicans are allowing people from outside our area and even our state to interfere in general. It’s not just elections it’s everywhere.
So it makes perfect sense that Ronnie would be courting the Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism. They are birds of a feather if not anything else. The question for everyone in Chester County and the 6th congressional district is are you going to allow birds of a feather to take over our lives?
Our country was founded to run on a two party system. In my humble opinion both parties are freaking dysfunctional right now. But the Republican Party has the highest level of dysfunction because they are allowing themselves to be controlled by people that are literally not actually Republicans. Those people are the ones who are the actual RINOs or Republican in name only.
Eventually friends of mine who are Republicans are going to reach out to me and tell me how wrong I am. But I’m not. And I understand full well their frustration with the way the Chester County Republican Party is run out of West Chester. But supporting candidates who actually do not share their values and who will do more harm than good is worse than doing nothing at all.
Just say no. He won’t represent the plurality, he will represent mob mentality.
Ronnie the Realtor has made a Sybil-like reversal to Ronnie the Wannabe Rep again.
Yesterday we heard he was suspending his campaign. Yesterday we heard if he didn’t suspend his campaign the Chester County Republican Party was going to censure him. (Read about it HERE.)
So now it’s another day and Lil’ Ronnie has UN-suspended his campaign.
Posted Wed, Apr 27, 2022 at 2:15 pm ET Updated Wed, Apr 27, 2022 at 2:25 pm ET
WEST CHESTER —Chester County Realtor Ron Vogel said this afternoon he is back in the race for the Republican nomination for the 6th Congressional District, after a 24-hour break.
Vogel, 36, of Chester Springs, said he suspended his campaign after publicity about old social media reports that were taken out of context.
“I am still in the race,” Vogel said. “I took a break to have a team huddle.”
“Team Huddle”?
Ok Chester County GOP you voted to censure him if he didn’t comply, so time to step up.
And I’m going to share some of the screenshots. These are woman hating and homophobic.
Yeah Ron, love is love if you actually know how to love. How does whom people choose to have as their life partners, husbands, wives, whatever affect your life personally?
I actually feel sorry for his family. Because I doubt any of them signed up for this.
This entire issue with this candidate shows you how weak and dysfunctional Chester County Republican Party actually is. I said already once this week that you would think they would have learned the consequences of not vetting candidates after the school board shit show as far as elections this past fall.
Enjoy your Waterloo, Ronnie boy. Or Battle of Berlin.
Ronnie the Rep is back to just Ronnie the Realtor as per The Daily Local. I think I may have had my other post asking up just before the paper published, not totally sure. Actually it doesn’t matter, I am thrilled this is actually true. And it is fascinating that the Chester County GOP actually and apparently exhibited a bit of a spine for once. I credit County Commissioner Michelle Kichline there. And truthfully, the Chester County GOP would be better if she were at the helm there. It’s time for a woman who knows what she is doing. Yes, I just said that out loud.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that running for Congress is not in their best interests and that of my party,” he said in a statement issued to MediaNews Group. “Politics will always be here, but these formative years in my young children’s lives will not. I’ll be spending more time with my family. After all, they’ve put a lot on hold for me over the past five months.
Vogel said his decision came after “mudslinging and ad hominem attacks” against him had escalated and brought “harassment and threats to me and my family.
“I am going to suspend my campaign at this time,” Vogel wrote.
The dramatic announcement came Tuesday, after concerns were raised in Republican Party circles about Vogel’s candidacy when video and text messages attributed to him that contained elements of anti-Semitic messages, sexism and racially tinged language were reported by MediaNews Group. Those messages brought his past into question and elevated worries about his campaign, those associated with the Chester County Republican Party said Tuesday.
Vogel reportedly had communicated his intentions to GOP Chairman Dr. Gordon Eck Tuesday morning after he was told that if he did not drop out, the GOP committee would issue a formal censure against him and withhold its assistance in the May 17 Primary Election, sources who asked to remain anonymous because they had not been given authority to speak for the party said.
Members of the committee’s Executive Board voted against Vogel continuing in the race for the Republican nomination on Monday at a mass meeting of Republican officials, by a tally of 18-8, those aware of the situation said.
The move also came after county Commissioner Michelle Kichline, the GOP’s highest ranking county elected official, and others publicly and privately called for him to step aside and for the party to rescind its support of his candidacy. Kichline called the posts she had viewed attributed to the newcomer were “beyond troubling.”…..Speaking of the process in the party that helped spur Vogel towards his unprecedented decision, a GOP source who also asked to remain anonymous so as to speak freely confirmed that the vote against Vogel remaining in the race was “overwhelming.”
Not only was the subject matter and language of the posts that were attributed to him disqualifying, those speaking in favor of his withdrawal said, but they would leave the party with an unelectable candidate against Houlahan in the fall should he secure the nomination next month.
The emergency meeting at which the vote took place was held at the GOP headquarters in West Chester Monday evening, lasted two hours, and featured chairs of the committees for various geographical areas in the county, party officers, and others. Kichline spoke at the beginning of the meeting, urging the committee to take action against Vogel, but then left the session when its debate began.
Vogel did not appear.
The source described the discussion as “heated” and “emotional,” with Vogel’s supporters arguing against the move and others saying for him to remain would prove damaging to the party. His supporters called news about the social media posts an effort by the party’s establishment, working in connection with the news media, to derail his candidacy.
So bye bye Ronnie for Rep, we hardly knew ye. But I know a lot of realtors and had never heard of Ronnie the Realtor, either. But you seem to work hard at being a Realtor so maybe stick to that for a while? It’s kind of that fabulous line out of the 1988 movie Working Girl when Cynthia played by Joan Cusack said “Sometimes, I dance around my apartment in my underwear… doesn’t make me Madonna, never will.” Maybe take that quote to heart regarding politics, Ronnie?
When you are headed on 202 south, just before the light at 926, there is a farmhouse or two. The one right on the corner of 926, still looks inhabited but the one before the corner ? It’s falling apart literally.
I thought maybe this old farmhouse was a Crebilly house. My sources however tell me that it is not part of Crebilly but at one time Crebilly did try to acquire it.
I would love to know the history if anyone knows. It’s in really bad shape.
Here is it’s barn or similar kind of structure:
Here are some closeups and other photos I was able to get of bits of the house as a passenger going by:
Someone on Twitter said recently that Ron Vogel who is running for US Congress hoping to take Chrissie Houlahan’s seat looked like Alfred E. Neuman from MAD Magazine. Sorry not sorry, it just made me giggle.
Now Ronnie boy has been a bit controversial especially since a Daily Local article came out about his social media before it was I guess scrubbed? Even the Chester County GOP who has been saying O.K. to every nutter running for school boards was not happy. Here is an excerpt:
Around that point I got an anonymous comment to my blog:
I did not write about it on the blog then, but did share the Daily Local article. I didn’t care enough to write about it. This is always a hot congressional seat no matter what political party, there is always drama with a capital D. And today all the unseasoned candidates never, ever seem to get that people read their public social media posts. Heck the past five years or so has been nothing but stupid politician tricks via social media.
So then Ronnie was whipping them up to protest outside a town hall Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan was having in Phoenixville. His big thing? People had to show proof of vaccination to enter? That is how The Colonial Theater is comfortable and it’s in the district and who doesn’t love that theater? Ronnie the Realtor/Ronnie the Rep? (Yawn!)
He also went politicking to a gun show in Oaks, which is good old fashioned political pandering. He went politicking at First Friday in Oxford, and that is something I abhor. Candidates for political office show up at First Fridays to politick and schmooze off of the hard work of others. People who remember my involvement in First Friday Main Line will remember when I flat out yelled at Septa’s Leslie Richards for doing that one First Friday long ago when she was running for Montgomery County Commissioner along with Josh Shapiro. I think that is seriously crappy. And then of course there is the whole Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism love fest. But still…YAWN.
Then April 22nd is when his social media firestorm broke. The next second same day as article hits, the guy runs a statement from his campaign on Facebook calling the article fake news. Pretty damn amusing considering he was dying to get their attention before.
Ok so apparently as per The Daily Local, that release came from a Washington DC dude named Matt Braynard:
In the rest of Vogel’s statement — which was emailed by Matt Braynard, a Washington-based political strategist and former Trump campaign official — Vogel did not directly address the substance of the posts and instead pivoted to his stance on transgender people.
“Throughout my campaign, I have consistently advocated for the protection of women’s sports and spaces from invasion by biological men,” the statement read. “I believe that our daughters’ athletic programs should not be undermined by allowing men to compete. I believe that women’s restrooms and battered women shelters should not be required to admit biological men, and even women in prison deserve protections from having to share intimate space with men. And I believe all of this should be codified into law.
“This is an issue where Woke Chrissy Houlahan and I have a strong disagreement, but I know the voters of the Sixth District are on my side. Unfortunately, one of my Republican opponents in this race shares Chrissy’s support for the invasion of biological men into women’s sports and spaces and for months has been peddling doctored and wildly out-of-context social media posts attributed to me to try to cancel my candidacy.
“While the Republicans of the 6th District have rejected both this candidate and these bogus assertions, a left-wing, fake news ‘journalist’ who recognizes the threat I am to Chrissy Houlahan has taken the bait and is planning to write an article to try to cancel my campaign. While it’s regrettable that a Republican would resort to CNN-style cancel culture tactics, it’s not surprising that one of Chrissy Houlahan’s media lackies (sic) would try to smear me with fake news.”
And on April 23rd, his campaign Facebook page seemingly started using the word “woke.” Have to tell you, I really dislike that phrase. It’s like misusing the world “cool” when someone isn’t – it just makes you cringe, you know?
So I truly haven’t paid much attention, and today had to go looking at stuff. I discovered he was not really talking about other than the Chrissy Houlahan platform:
Well then today arrives. I get another comment:
I don’t know if he is still running or not so it’s a case of to Ron or not to Ron. (He’s still not particularly exciting one way or the other.)
Ron Vogel are you still running for Congress? I got the question, so I am in turn asking you: ARE YOU STILL A CANDIDATE OR IS THAT ALSO FAKE NEWS?
Things we forgot we missed, yet didn’t forget we missed during COVID19 was live music. Last night made up for that. We went to Phoenixville to The Colonial to see Al Stewart courtesy of Point Entertainment.
The last time I saw Al Stewart, it was at The Point in Bryn Mawr. The early 2000s. He actually played there a bunch, and it was a wonderful small venue to experience his music. Fun fact is he played at the original Main Point around 1970.
So much time has passed, and I might be in my late 50s, but if the venue isn’t too large I like live music, and I have always loved listening to Al Stewart.
One of the most fun things about listening to him live is he is a student of history. You would think, in a former life he was a history professor and as my husband points out, history has influenced his music. Truthfully he’d probably be great fun to have as a dinner guest.
Also a word about the opening act, which is also Al’s band for his shows: The Empty Pockets. They are really good, and they invited Phoenixville/Philadelphia favorite Cliff Hillis up on stage for a song! Many will know him from Smash Palace and as part of David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket.
Last night was a terrific night of music. And The Colonial Theatre is such a gem. I always wonder when it’s fully restored, if it gets fully restored, will the silk damask on the walls be restored or replaced? It is one of the relics of the past of this theater that is one of my favorite things.
Before the concert we had dinner at The Black Lab Bistro. It was amazing! Sadly what isn’t amazing is the parking or lack there of in Phoenixville. It’s worse than Ardmore, and almost as bad as Manayunk.
I have been writing about Wildflower Farm in Willistown for a while now. Why? The unending the nonsense they are put through by the NOFIMBY (No Farm In My Back Yard) folk.
I am not and never have been the Wildflower Farm spokesperson, but they are my friends and what they are going through is just awful. And unnecessary.
Recently I have been taking a lot of flak from those I presume to be the friends of the NOFIMBY neighbors. One person in particular kind of just takes one’s breath away. You would think she was the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey, but no she’s just from the Main-gy Line originally. She’s very big on assigning people their place. To her I am one of “those people”.
Not sure what “those people” entails. Fabulous, maybe? (LOL 🤣🤣) This person is significantly older, so I never encountered her (thankfully) before now. Her affect is rather amusing. Maybe I should genuflect and kiss the ring?
Anyway Ryan from Wildflower Farm decided to speak to Willistown neighbors via a local group. I have his permission to share with my readers. I am also sharing a couple of comments from the Democrat who ran for Supervisor in Willistown and failed. As a now former candidate for public office she made herself a public personage by doing this. Some say she will run again, hope not, but if she does I hope she gets a basic grasp on the issues and the basic way government works, other than her interpretation of what is somewhat supercilious / self serving.
Next in screenshots is what Ryan had to say to his extended neighbors. And in part this vindicates his friends and supporters as we are basically called nasty names etc for sticking up for them. Willistown has issues, and it’s too bad a lot of the Grande Dames are gone because they used to settle peoples’ arses down quite nicely.
So there you have it. Hopefully you find the information helpful.
Yesterday was jury duty. A miscellaneous sea of humanity. People from all walks of life, even hipster men with extra slim khakis and suede loafers. Everyone was really nice that I met.
Many people were on their phones and tablets in the jury assembly room if they could get on the WiFi which many could not. The joining the WiFi seems simple but it’s a process. I brought a book. Lisa Scottoline’s new book as a matter of fact. (It’s awesome so far. Oh and she mentions Coldstream Road!) I was one of the only people that had a book.
We are paid $25 for three days if you get a trial which I think is a raise from when I last had jury duty which was when I lived in Lower Merion Township and we went to Norristown. There in Norristown there was the coat check man who once upon a time had been a mayor of Norristown. We went then to the moldering basement of the Norristown courthouse and they played a movie on a VCR —- “Legally Blonde.” (Yes, really.)
It’s $9 for one day. That sort of covers lunch but not much else.
Here in Chester County County, the courthouse is new. So it’s a nice spacious jury assembly room. We wait there to go down. I will admit the bulk of the chairs are very uncomfortable. They are those ones that replaced actual desks and chairs in classrooms where you have the desk “arm.” If you are left-handed like me, it totally doesn’t work for you. I also have lymphedema so sitting like that is actually hard. So I did get up a few times so my one lower leg didn’t swell.
We then got split up and assigned numbers. Next, the first big batch of us were taken to the courtroom on another floor for voir dire. It was for a civil trial.
There were a bunch of us prospective jurors to go through. I was actually kind of surprised that it was something from a few years ago even before COVID19. Unless you work in the legal profession I think you don’t realize how long it takes some matters to come before a court for trial. It’s not that justice is slow per se, but there’s definitely a process that seems vastly sped up when you were watching things like “Law & Order” on TV. The judge remarked on the selection process and how it really wasn’t like the courtroom show on CBS called “Bull.”
First they went over people who had hardships who weren’t excused before coming and reporting for jury duty. Next came all of the other voir dire questions.
Then we sat there as the lawyers from both sides went over everyone’s answers as part of the selection. There were a few people next excused for hardship.
It was an interesting study in human nature because there are some people that are just so timid when it comes to speaking in public. And if you held up your number if something was applicable to a person during voir dire, you have to stand up and explain.
Then you had the lawyers deciding whom they liked for jurors. It took longer than I think even the judge expected for the lawyers to decide whom they wanted.
There was some final discussion quietly amongst the attorneys and then they chose the 12 jurors, and then they sent the rest of us home to call back again after 5 PM to see if we come back. (When I called after 5 PM, they had moved onto another numbers range of jurors.)
So yesterday after I was released from jury duty is when it started to rain and sleet. Now I had a jacket on but not as heavy as I probably should have had, and well now I feel horrible with a slight cold.
I had to get a Lyft back home from jury duty because my husband’s car was in the shop and he had my car.
Anyway, I wanted to wait in the very entrance of the courthouse just inside the doors that is before you go through the turnstiles to the main lobby. But I was told I couldn’t do that. I was told I could only wait in the main lobby or stand outside. If I had been up in the main lobby the Lyft driver never would have seen me. So basically I had to wait outside and I got wet, and it was cold and raw.
I understand they have safety precautions and protocols inside the courthouse. But they had already cleared me and gone through my purse, I had gone through x-ray and all I wanted to do was stay out of the weather near the front door and not get sick. Oh well. A cold is better than COVID-19!
And speaking of COVID-19 I should remark how everyone in the courthouse went out of their way to make everyone feel comfortable now that masks are gone as a requirement. The Chester County Courthouse is also really clean and they have some of the cleanest bathrooms I’ve ever seen anywhere. They gave everyone the option of wearing masks if they were more comfortable that way. And the judge reiterated all of that when we entered the courtroom to begin jury selection.
I have to tell you that overall this was kind of an interesting experience. I enjoyed the process for the most part. It’s a good way to learn how things happen inside a courthouse.
And make sure to read Lisa Scottoline’s new book “What Happened to the Bennetts” because it’s REALLY good!
Lily the flower truck was the happy spot to be over in Willistown Township today. And no, there was no neighborhood disruption, no people partying in the street, lines on the road, and parking on neighbors’ lawns. But people were stopping and. buying flowers before a holiday weekend. From Wildflower Farm. It was nice, and not frantic or unpleasant like those more shall we say NOFIMBY would have you think.
How do I know? Simple. They are my friends and I pitched in and helped make the arrangements a lot of you purchased today. And before someone thinks something nefarious, I volunteered to help. I had stopped by to drop off fresh vegetables from my weekly vegetable box that no one in my house will eat, and to take some flower photos. I have taken flower photos there before. I love flowers and gardening.
Wildflower Farm has a big hoop house. Right now with the sea of daffodils growing outside, there is this hoop house full of Ranunculus of many colors that were just so spectacular. It was flower heaven today. But with two little kids home on Good Friday and flowers to cut and arrange for people, I pitched in this afternoon.
This is an actual working farm. I had plenty of time to observe on a beautiful spring day. Their property is a little slice of heaven.
The neighbors would have you believe this property is something that it’s not. Sending out a double sided glossy mailer no better than some nasty political season piece is not inexpensive, but it’s a little obvious and in my opinion is not having their desired effect.
Several people who stopped by Lily’s honor flower “bar” remarked that the reason they showed up was the nasty misleading junk mail they received. They showed up to buy flowers and bear witness to the fact that (wait for it) Wildflower Farm REALLY IS A FLOWER FARM!
The noisiest thing on Castlebar Lane today were the landscaping trucks who literally took up more than half the width of a fairly wide street – they were down at the bottom of the street on the right before Providence Road. I also did notice a man driving a nice red pickup truck driving back and forth in front of Wildflower Farm who didn’t stop to buy flowers. Some woman went by on foot all dressed in black, and a neighbor on one side of the farm parked his vehicle at the top of his driveway for a bit. Guess he was getting his mail.
But other than that, nothing remarkable. It was a lovely day. As I assembled little flower arrangements I pondered why again this is such a threat to these NOFIMBY neighbors? Why can’t they see how nice this is?
I loved working with all of those fresh cut from the field and hoop house flowers. Many of the daffodils had a wonderful and sometimes heady fragrance.
I also saw first hand how hard the Heenans are working. Are they our traditional ideal of what farmers are supposed to be or perhaps even look like? But what are farmers supposed to look like anyway? Is there a farmer stereotype handbook somewhere?
Anyway, for those who doubt? It is a flower farm. For real. Also for real? Those neighbors are NOFIMBY.
