Category Archives: grist for the writing mill

rooster wrangling

Posted on by

So my neighbors through our woods and behind us ended up with chicks that weren’t properly sexed and yes, the end result was a rooster surprise.

And it’s not like they wanted him, but today they found a farm further out in the county that had room for a young rooster. this rooster had been making all of us laugh because it was just so crazy.

Mr. Rooster had a crow that sounded broken. And he started his day often between 3:30 AM and 3:45 AM.

His owners, as opposed to someone who shall remain nameless in Willistown, have been actively looking to find him a new home on a farm further out. As in a place 10 acres plus.

So today was moving day for Mr. Rooster and he was not having any of it. He liked his suburban subdivision street and his cushy coop. Now, granted, if the lots were just bigger, roosters are good for a flock. I know that. But the street behind me is basically 1 acre lots.

We actually didn’t hear him through the woods until the leaves came off of the trees. But our neighbors are super nice, and we have all. had quite a few giggles about this rooster trying to rehome him. Of course they have small children so a lot of the times it wasn’t funny for the littles.

We were outside today doing gardening chores, and as I had taken a break from planting bulbs to throw some pine straw mulch down, I saw a rooster darting through the woods.

So my husband and I came to our neighbors assistance and it took four adults to wrangle a rooster.

Mr. Rooster thought he could escape us by squeezing through the fence of our other neighbor’s pool enclosure. But he was so indignant about being chased that once he got in there, he had puffed his feathers up so much he couldn’t get out so we were able to keep him corralled until they could get him in a transport box that rescues use for things like cats or small dogs so it was big enough.

As of now, he is settling in to his new home. Hopefully he behaves he wasn’t a mean rooster. He just was loud and his alarm clock was definitely broken.

But I have to admit I laughed so hard my sides were aching afterwards since it was just funny chasing a rooster. And when he ran into our woods and realized there were other humans standing there, he literally had the bird equivalent of an “oh crap” look on his face.

Anyway, you can now add wrangling a rooster to my repertoire.

serenading….chester county voter services!

Posted on by

Please let Barry Dee at All Politics Are Local which version is your favorite!

Karen Barsoum you’re famous!

where’s the literal karen of chesco voter services?

Posted on by

#firekarenbarsoum

#resignkarenbarsoum

dear recipe philly, sometimes the timing in life is just not right

Posted on by

What some of the people that spend so much time criticizing me don’t realize is I love to cook. I also love to garden, which is of course why I have a separate gardening blog.

A while back a friend sent me a link to a website. It was for something called Recipe Philly.

So on a complete whim, I submitted the pasta sauce recipe taught to me by my great aunts and my paternal grandmother. It’s mostly their recipe, but I tweaked it and wrote it down.

I know that this sauce recipe is good enough to compete with. I’ve actually had people who are professional chefs, and in the restaurant industry tell me so over the years. I also just love the idea of the sauce I learned to make as well as gnocchi in a kitchen at 11th and Ritner when I was a little girl, could be shared with a broader audience.

I still have very distinct memories of the big ceramic top kitchen table that used to hold 8 or 10 of us at one time being cleared for first chopping up vegetables and what not going into the sauce, and then as a workstation to make the gnocchi.

The gnocchi is also another recipe that I finally wrote down because I was taught how to make it by feel. You could just feel when the dough was right.

When my father’s mother would sometimes babysit us when we were in high school and my parents were traveling for my father’s job at the time, I would have these memories of Saturday mornings, and even Sunday mornings, waking up to the mingled smell of fresh coffee and garlic and onion Starting to cook in the bottom of a Dutch oven for sauce.

It was these memories that I was all excited to bring to this competition. And I’m hardly a reality show person. But it was because this was really kind of a cooking thing I was interested. Finally, I’m at a place in my life where I have the time to do something like that.

But life throws you curveballs. I was interviewed on a zoom submitted my application and invited to compete tomorrow in Philadelphia but at the same time this was happening, I have a dog who developed cancer. And the reality of life and the responsibility to my pet means I can’t leave her for 8 or 10 hours right now.

So this morning, I had to decline. I had my recipe ready. I had my photos. I had my recipe card. They want it filled out done and a copy of my application. I sent the producers who gave up their valuable time for me an email apologizing. I didn’t want to just not show up that would be rude and disrespectful of their time and energy into this project which I think is a fun as well as cool idea.

If my recipe had been chosen, it would’ve been featured in this brand new restaurant opening in Philadelphia. If my recipe had been chosen, I think it would’ve amused the ghosts of my ancestors. This recipe was obviously taught to my great aunts and my grandmother by their mother, who immigrated to this country with her husband their father has a very young woman for a better life. This recipe is part of the DNA of my American story because we are a country of immigrants.

Those people, who would’ve been my late father’s maternal grandparents came here for a better life. If they hadn’t existed, the future generations of which I am part of the current present generation never would have existed.

So for the time being, I don’t get my home cook moment, but for the love of my dog, I just can’t do it. And I really wanted to. But sometimes the timing in life and being a grown-up and being a responsible pet owner have to come first.

If these people at Recipe Philly would ever want to talk to me after today about my recipe and competing when they actually film, I would welcome that opportunity. But sadly, I know that’s not how the process works, so it’s just not my time.

A girl can dream though…..

where’s karen barsoum, chester county?

Posted on by
This photo is from a Google search and it’s just a screenshot

Well, it’s no secret that election day was a total study in incompetence, gross incompetence, on the part of the Chester County Director of Voter Services Karen Barsoum. I am starting this post reminding the knee jerk reaction chorus in the rear of the attention span auditorium that I am not an election conspiracy theorist. I am not a voting conspiracy theorist I am not saying there was malicious intent, what I am saying is there was gross incompetence.

karen barsoum needs to go: chester county has made independents invisible on election day.

I am really, quite honestly tired of the people defending this woman. She’s been here long enough and worked in another voter services department in Berks County prior to this that she should not have screwed things up this election or the spring primary where she actually left an entire row office race off of the ballot.

This is something procedurally that it remains the same. There’s one procedure in the spring, there’s another procedure in the fall. Epic fail, pure and simple.

I have mentioned before the crazy amount of turnover in that office. That’s because people don’t want work with her, in my opinion. People need jobs, so if they aren’t taking jobs in that department or constantly leaving, there’s a reason.

Basically, we have heard from everyone, except Karen Barsoum. Her socials are suddenly quite quiet and seem scrubbed as well.

She should’ve been front and center at the county commissioners meeting yesterday, even if just to make a brief statement and leave the room. Everyone has been apologizing for this situation except her. And to be honest given how much she loves the sound bite going back to Berks County, I find that odd.

Obviously to stand up and own is not as fun as being on 60 Minutes or quoted in USA Today or whatever, but you have to have a accountability for the good and the bad and she doesn’t ever seem to have accountability and it’s time for her to be accountable. Then it’s time for her to go.

https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/11/chester-county-pennsylvania-pollbook-error-provisional-ballots-elections/

She needs to show her face to apologize to all of us residents in Chester County, and then she should go.

#firekarenbarsoum

From Barsoum’s time in Berks County
From her socials when she was crowing about being on 60 minutes



Snippet from Info Wars

who is a conspiracy theorist now with chester county voters services?

Posted on by

This is right off the social media of certain Democrat state representatives. I didn’t imagine this out of thin air.

I’m glad they see things the way average people do because I had some toadstool from Easttown or close to that vicinity basically accuse me of being a conspiracy theorist today over this whole debacle with voter services.

I’m not. I never have been.

This is a simple case of incompetency at the top of that department. The director is Karen Barsoum. This is on her.

And then there was the woman who said the only one I was impressing with my independent status was myself, and I should just shut up. Oh yeah, for real see below screenshot :

Now let’s review: I’m pretty sure if I remember what people told me in the past once they are ready to get the “books” printed for the election they have to check over everything and I’m sure there are all sorts of things that they have to check in some kind of a computer program, right?

At that point, they first have to generate the books in-house and then they go to an outside printer, correct?

Unless they changed it it’s not a magical overnight process is it it’s a process that would occur probably the week before the election last week right?

So who checked the work before it went to the printer? I mean with a problem this big if they even sampled random “books“ from around the county wouldn’t they have found this mistake? One of my sources told me they did not reprint the spring books so this is just a colossal screwup, isn’t it?

So working on the theory that the books would have been sent to be printed last week and delivered last week why didn’t anybody check them when they first came back in final printed for him to make sure they were correct?

Now I get that this department is now short staffed but wouldn’t a reasonable procedure be to check a sampling of the books to make sure they were correct?

So they’re going to be a lot of questions that need to be answered in the days ahead, but if the PA Attorney General gets involved, remember he’s having months long issues with some database, isn’t he?

My new hashtag is #firekarenbarsoum

I also have to ask is Chester County going to be able to certify these elections?

This is a huge debacle.

And it’s Karen Barsoum‘s fault this is her department. She’s made a big deal how she’s such a leader. A leader and competent manager would have checked her department’s work.

Judge Rovito has extended voting until 10 PM. The only issue I have with that is the Democrats and Republicans as far as registered voters weren’t disenfranchised today. It was those who are Independent or unaffiliated. So really why should Republican and Democrat registered voters get extra time to vote when it was in Independents and other unaffiliated who were in effect disenfranchised?

Anyway, this is all I’ve got for now. Enjoy.

karen barsoum needs to go: chester county has made independents invisible on election day.

Posted on by

I am so angry as an Independent Voter in Chester County right now. According to Chester County Voters services, we don’t count. Yes, for real, for real. Chester County has now acknowledged somewhat insufficiently they ALL poll books at all precincts THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF CHESTER COUNTY currently do not include the names of “third-party voters”!

First of all we matter. We are not insignificant, and quite frankly the numbers of Chester County Independents is sizable.

This is bullshit and yes I am cursing.

Karen Barsoum has one job: to protect the voters of Chester County.  She’s not doing it.  She has incredibly high staff turnover for one. Why is that? Well  watch this video:

Karen Barsoum has ONE job as head of voter services , to keep voters and their votes safe. To maintain integrity of our elections.  This is an inexcusable mistake. It is wreaking havoc county wide.

She needs to GO. Whether she resigns or is let go, it needs to happen.

(For a giggle, read this interview: https://vista.today/2024/08/karen-barsoum-leadership-chester-county/ )

I mean why in the actual hell are there so many overlords in Chester County Government if they can’t seem to keep tabs on this woman? She isn’t doing her job. Elections and voting are bad enough, we don’t need Karen Barsoum continually making it worse. Period. Full stop.

#FIREKARENBARSOUM

the politics of life/life of politics

Posted on by

I am seeing a recurring theme regarding politics. Online and in person and it’s ridiculous.

“I can’t vote for a Republican.”

“I can’t vote for a Democrat.”

To quote the late comedienne Joan Rivers, OH GROW UP.

You know what? You can’t be limited. You have to be willing to consider bipartisan support and judicial races as one example can be ugly, but at the end of the day you look at whether or not they keep politics out of their courtroom. It’s not about necessarily a knee-jerk reaction or the party gods will bar you entry to political Valhalla.

Both major political parties in this country are extremely flawed at this point in time. The problem is both parties don’t necessarily have the best candidates at any one given point in time.

And further and to the point, if we don’t learn to start to reach across the aisle once again from both sides and meet in the middle, it’s going to be decades more of the current BS we are experiencing.

Oh some of the locals don’t like me having that opinion. Apparently bloggers are still supposed to be seen and not heard? Have you met me? Or read what I write?

The past few years have been a resounding chorus on a loop of whomever gets all of the toys wins. It’s not working.

It’s bad enough that apathy rules most of the day.

Not all Republicans are bad and not all Democrats are bad. We see that here in Chester County.

Look at your candidates as people first.

What do they do?

What have they done?

When asked why they want to earn your vote is it drivel, a demand, or a forthright response?

No one is too busy to vote. It is the greatest demonstration of expressing yourself and your rights as an American.

But that doesn’t mean being a sheeple. It means putting on your grown up hat and thinking for yourself .

Don’t vote as you are told or expected. Do your own goddamn research. People have lost their intellectual curiosity for crowdsourcing.

Grow up and wake up. It’s too important.

And politicians who contact me and I am supposed to be impressed? That all depends on who you are and if you have earned my respect.

Have a listen to:

All Politics Are Local 10 31 25 Podcast:

All Politics Are Local 10 31 25 Podcast

what’s a nasty election season without mentioning willistown?

Posted on by

Talk about limp dicky political marketing right? Who’s your developer daddy, Dicky Ricky? Or should we say daddies? Who’s writing your copy? The illustrious mayor of the mythical Walkable Willistown? Or some other sewer rats?

I mean can we review ?

Willistown kept the sewer system and the sewer system needs work so how do you all propose to pay for repairs?

So what if Matt McCarry works for the Pennsylvania House Office of the Majority Leader (Democratic) AKA Matt Bradford? Do you think that gives him an inside track in Chester County? It doesn’t as the guy he works for is out of Montgomery County. What it does mean, however, is he has a very good idea of how things work, as opposed to Dicky Ricky.


So yeah, in Willistown, they love their nasty mailers. And if they aren’t sending out nasty mailers, they’re taking up time with voluminous right to know requests and basically harassing township staff.


Willistown, you have a chance for different things but if you vote for Dicky Ricky you get what you deserve. And the pathway to eventual true chaos.


The only thing that stinks in Willistown is whatever is emanating from the posteriors of the people sending out these stupid mailers. And the horse they are backing isn’t even a show pony. He never came to meetings or showed interest before being put up to run for supervisor. And his appearances since he announced his candidacy have been cameos at best.

Oh and Dicky Ricky is so bad Bob Lange sent a letter out to some constituents I got a hold of. I have sharpened the photo of it I was sent by a resident and warmed the background so people can read it. If you don’t believe me that Bob sent this, go buy a pumpkin and ask him. And try the salsa if there is any left in the cold case, it’s really good.

Now so you can follow the money here are some Ricky Reports I am fascinated by the often odd donation amounts:

Friends-of-Rick-Gordon-20250509Download
Friends-for-Rick-Gordon-20251020Download
Friends-of-Rick-Gordon-20251027bDownload

after a brief hello, it’s goodbye from vanner house

Posted on by

Wow. They dressed up the area and now they’re going. I’m always sad when a small business doesn’t make it.

I will not say I was a customer of this business because I wasn’t, but they put a lot of work and their whole heart into it and it’s a bummer.

Vanner House is sadly, toast.

I literally just had never had the time to make it down there. And one reason why I was glad they were there is I love that location. I love those old buildings. Years ago when there was a rent sign up there for residential living I went and looked at the property and it was just so cool even if it’s sat smack on Conestoga Road.

I don’t know if everyone remembers but Savvy Main Line did a big article on them. Here is the link:

Historic Ithan market restored as Vanner House, a dapper destination for all things equestrian

Again, I’m sad to see a small business close. Retail for the independent individual person is tough. If you’re a big box store, it can be tough, but it’s not this kind of tough.

So another one bites the dust. Maybe if Pennsylvania and these various municipalities made it more attractive for small businesses to stay they would be able to. 

I am guessing that this event tonight is the Swan song for the store as far as things like that⬇️

It’s a shame. Is this our country winning?