The abandoned house at 311 Cedar Lane in Swarthmore was recently brought to my attention by a resident of Swarthmore who was lamenting its demise and invited me join him for a visit.
All in To The Editor
Swarthmore may seem insular in its boundaries and insulated by its grand tree cover, but within our borders, diversity reigns. Nothing indicates this more to the casual visitor than the fact that almost no two houses in Swarthmore are alike. This suggests that no two people in Swarthmore are alike. Almost all Swarthmore people and their houses are, if not “grand,” still alive and well, and diverse.
I want to give a huge shout-out to the Co-op employees who rallied to help me on August 21, when I tripped and fell on the outside steps and badly twisted my foot. After a passerby alerted them, several rushed out.
Restoring Trails in Rose Valley
Last month, a team of neighbors and other nature lovers got together to make the wonders and surprises of the outdoors more accessible. In a weeklong project led by Jim Audley, more than 1,200 feet of chronically muddy segments of trail in the Saul Wildlife Sanctuary were converted from unpleasant to exemplary, thanks to the efforts and commitment of volunteers who worked about 250 hours.
I have a new pet peeve, and it’s not trivial — in fact it could be life or death. It concerns the relatively new pedestrian crosswalk lights installed at key, busy Swarthmore intersections. They are not working as intended, and the answer is simple.
‘Is’ to ‘Was’
Like others, I woke Tuesday morning to the news that author Toni Morrison had died. Stumbling upon it online, I must have caught sight of the headline just as the story was breaking. In an effort to be a responsible consumer of the news, I searched the internet for other sources reporting the same thing and came upon Morrison’s Wikipedia page, which began with the opening description, “Toni Morrison is an American novelist, essayist, editor...” “Is.” The present tense was reassuring: maybe this was yet another example of falsely reporting the death of a celebrity. I checked back to Morrison’s Wikipedia page within the hour and, sure enough, “is” had been changed to “was.” I had an odd feeling, as though I had just witnessed her death in real time. News and information are rapidly available in the internet age, including death.
Freezer Fundraising Warming Up
Thanks to all who came out to last Friday’s Co-op Movie Night. For our first time running this event, it was very successful. From admission donations and sales of food from our grill, we raised more than $600 to go towards essential freezer repairs. Everything was run by Co-op owners who volunteered their time to make sure all profits went directly to the freezer fund.
Reading and Rocking
It was wonderful to read Chris Reynolds’s piece on the Stones concert at Lincoln Financial Field. I, too, was there, with a couple of girlfriends, and we were sitting in the nosebleeds as well — thankful for the protection from the rain, if finding Mick’s spoken words a little garbled from the windy distance at times! My first Stones concert, too.
Stone Chips
I think we all enjoyed your review of the recent Rolling Stones show in Philly. I’d like to add a few bits of light Stones trivia…
Calling for Kindness in the Face of Hatred
The voice on the phone was furious. Atta Arghandiwal, Co-Director of the Swarthmore-based Global Kindness Revolution, was reacting to President Trump’s recent rant about how he could end the war in Afghanistan by bombing the country into oblivion, killing 10 million people…but he just “didn’t feel like it!”
On higher education
Solving the problem of ever-spiraling college tuition may not require either Jim Riviello’s or Mary Gay Scanlon’s solutions. Rather, can we now question why college tuition has spiraled this high and whether all the expenses are necessary?
Thank you, Mayor
In the July 26 Swarthmorean, Marty Spiegel reminded us how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful small town, thanks to both public and private efforts. We would like to add some more specific thanks: after the severe July 22nd storm, when a huge downed tree blocked Chester Road and the lights were out at the busy College Avenue intersection, we came upon Mayor Spiegel himself in a yellow safety vest, expertly directing rush hour traffic.
I watched Robert Mueller answer questions about the Mueller report on TV last Wednesday: not fun, not comfortable, not entertaining. I almost shut it off a few times; that’s when my inner voice kicked in with “If he can sit there, after two long years and take it, so can I.”
Appreciating the small things
It was with pride that I read the recent article in the August edition of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine highlighting what most of us already know: Swarthmore is a wonderful place to live and a great place to retire. However, it is easy to take for granted the things that make life here so special.
‘Corruption tax?’
Here we are in midsummer, when Republicans think nobody is paying attention. What better time for Delco’s Republican machine to concoct yet another scheme to enrich party insiders and donors at the expense of Delaware County taxpayers?
Has anyone read [U.S. Representative] Mary Gay Scanlon’s newsletter this week? She is backing reforms for student financing of higher education costs.
Great Work, Public Works!
A huge shout-out of appreciation to the Swarthmore Department of Public Works. Monday evening’s storm was wicked; our guys moved and hauled and sawed and swept all over town.
With good reason and understandable indignation, Rob Dreyfus reminds us that 20-plus Democratic candidates only “tinker” with our problems (Swarthmorean, July 12). With understandable indignation and some reasoning, Jim Riviello tells us that career politicians are con men and snake oil salesmen (Swarthmorean, June 21). Joshua Kalla and Ethan Porter tell us that highly detailed public opinion surveys suggest that “An overwhelming majority of legislators [are] uninterested in learning about their constituents’ views” (New York Times, July 12).
The fabric of our society in the United States is being tested as it has not been, arguably, since the Civil War. We are not facing the prospect of states seceding or of an armed conflict (yet), but we are facing a real threat and challenge to our way of life and to the successful functioning of our democratic republic.
Elma Jones: a Real Friend
This past week a multitude of people from all over the Philadelphia area joined together to say goodbye to a real and beloved friend; one who was always there when a friend was hurting. Even with a large family, for whom she was the rock, and the glue that held them together, she always made time to help her hundreds of friends. Her name was Elma Jones.