Last weekend Nick and I finally got around to chipping ALL the branches of the 100 plus trees we  (read: Nick) took down. Before you say: awful to take that many trees down I'll ex[plain the why in a minute. This all happened some 8-9 yrs ago and there had been this massive pile of tree branches lying in our wooded section of the yard. They had of course started the decompose and break up, but particularly in the winter when the underbrush (read: weeds) don't cover or hide the pile, it always was a huge eyesore. So at last we did it. We rented a chipper from Taylor rentals and chipped away for about 3 hrs on Saturday and another 3 hrs on Sunday. Good tip: as Taylor is closed Sunday they will let you pick up equipment Saturday sometime in the afternoon and you can bring it back Monday mo... 04/04/2011

We went to an evening at Penn State Great Valley Campus in Malvern. It was a talk about using native plants in your garden by Ray Murphy, Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturalist and Master Gardener from Nemours Gardens in Wilmington Delaware. Now I am all for doing that, although I have to admit, not fanatically so, but as much as you can. What I han't realised is that native plants will support much , much more animal life and insects (for the birds and bats) than exotics. Makes sense when you think about it, I had just not really thought about it  for that reason. My reason for wanting to use as many native plants and shrubs and yes, also trees, is to stop another Kudzu disaster or a purple loosestrife rage., We are familiar with those I think. So when you use local plants and shrubs ... 03/31/2011

  I Have Signed Up For The Upper Main Line YMCA Triathlon! This is a great community event for the Main Line and the residents of Wayne, Radnor, Berwyn PA and surrounding areas to come and participate or watch. This third annual event is a fundraiser for the YMCA's Changing Lives Annual Support campaign. In 2010, more than $30,000 was raised to ensure that the YMCA is available to those who need it the most. The Course Swim is 450 meters in a heated outdoor 50 meter pool, 10 mile bike through the rolling hills of Easttown Township, Chester County and a challenging 5k run. This race is ideal for the novice or first time athlete or the seasoned vet looking for a pre-season tune-up. This event can be done in team relay form, with each person taking a different leg of the race. Event Timing... 03/28/2011

You have probably driven past Berwyn Squash and Fitness clubon Cassat Road many times, more than likely you have noticed their solar panels on the roof. But if you are looking for a new sport or somewhere to work out this club is worth considering. Not only does the club have great squash courts, trainers and competitions, but there is also some exercise opportunities for strength training, cardio and stretching as well behind that inscrutable facade. Now if you live locally, it also allows you to be green, in that not only does your club have solar panels, but you can either walk or make just a short drive to where you can work out, how much better can it get. Oh, there is also a Top Speed Performance School on site as well if you want a personal trainer. Well it is worth considering ... 03/22/2011

Places to go, things to do, it is what makes a community worth a little more and the Main Line has so many places to go and things to do. Yesterday, I stopped off at the Wayne Art Center. My primary reason was to stop off and see the photos from the Rob Cardillo exhibit of Chanticleer on show till the 19th of March. But there was another exhibit of paintings and sculptures on display that I took some time to walk through as well. Well worth stopping to smell the roses. Chanticleer, the feature of the photographs will also open soon and is one of my favorite places to stop by and enjoy the gardens, to step away from the busy rush, and just enjoy the landscapes and vistas. This weekend out in Westtown is the Chester County Antiques Show to benefit the Chester County Historical Society loc... 03/17/2011

Last weekend as I wrote my plans changed at short notice and I grabbed a cheese steak at Bravissimo in Berwyn, PA. This week I was meeting a friend and suggested we hit Phil's Pizza and Steaks so I could sample and compare their cheese steak as well. Bravissimo, layer their cheese at the bottom, the steak and onions top it melting the cheese so it is all gooey and delicious. Meat was tasty but not greasy. Phil's put the cheese on top, not cheese wiz, but actual cheese and then run under the grill to melt the cheese and lightly toast the roll. Also tasty, not greasy, but i think I prefer my cheese below and untoasted. However, Phil's is another place worth stopping off for a quick bite, portions are good, and service is quick, dining room is well sized and the choice on the menu is large... 02/13/2011

We hear often about Marines and Soldiers being injured in Afghanistan but usually it is removed from our sphere. As Jeremy my son was in the Marines, we tend to hear about too many who are not, but recently when I was having lunch at Aneu I heard about a young man from our area who definitely needs our support. Jay Raffetto, served as a Corpsman to 1st Recon, many of you will remember Jeremy served with 2nd Recon out of Camp Lejeune. 1st and 2nd Recon are the elite unit of the Marines, and to be in these units as a member or corpsman requires a lot of training and effort. Jay was in the Navy and assigned to 1st Recon, as a Special Amphibious Marine Reconnaissance Corpsman. These guys provide advanced trauma management to their Marine Recon comrades when needed. However, it is Jay that n... 02/08/2011

It has been a busy week for meetings over lunch but it has given me the opportunity to hit some different restaurants in our area. Yesterday, I got to Aneu, formerly Meredith's in Berwyn. Ownership has not really changed, but the inside has a little. Meredith is still the owner, she was part owner previously with her husband, but following a divorce he took Meredith's Catering and she took the restaurant renaming it Aneu. A quick remodel, moving the bar to the front, allowing more space for people to mingle before dinner and renaming the restaurant and including wine bar in the the name indicate the new direction. There seemed plenty of choice for wines by the glass on the menu,, but being a working lunch we held off, and simply ate. The restaurant was filled with ladies lunching althou... 02/04/2011

Berwyn gains ground through the Tredyffrin Easttown School District demolishing their old office building, which used to be Berwyn School. As you can see not much left of that old administrative building, just a couple of urns on pedestals and some old columns, hope they are going to recyle those,. Makes you wonder why they did not link up with a developer, hold on to the land and turn the building into apartments to rent along the Main Line. In the heart of Berwyn that would have been a win win for everyone, allowing the school district to earn some much needed income, keep property taxes low and retain the land as well. It seems that school districts don't like to give up land in case they need it later for another school, we have seen this all along the Main Line in Radnor and Lower ... 01/31/2011

If you want to grab a quick bite Berwyn has plenty of places, but a great place to eat in Berwyn is Bravissimo Pizza. They serve great pizzas, lots of choice either for a slice or a whole pizza for eat in or take out; but they have some wonderfully interesting rolls, strombollis and calzones as well with a nice mix of fillings as well as serving pasta dishes and the usual cheesesteaks. Saturday I was running some errands, when the phone went and my afternoon changed, causing me to change plans on the fly. I was right by Bravissimo and stopped off to grab a cheesesteak. Good choice, it was ready quickly, fresh and hot and great flavour as well, onions were cooked enough without being to soft, still alittle crunch, nice bread to soak up the gravy and good tasting meat and gooey cheese. Wo... 01/31/2011

One of the things we love about the winter is that we put bird feeders out around our house and we get a large variety of birds come visiting, Finches, Cardinals, sparrows and many more. This feeder is right outside our living room window, our cat loves to sit on the back of the sofa and it keeps her amused watching the birds, and they seem to realize they are safe from her. This wood pecker has been around recently and is a bit of a bully because when he is feeding he pushes everyone else away. As pretty as he is, he is a little large so does not end up staying very long as he is obviously uncomfortable on the feeder, letting everyone else have a turn. Most amazing thing is that the feeder is busiest when it is snowing. 01/30/2011

Let it snow, let it snow! Weathermen like economists never get it right. Many projections but few correct, but they still get paid. Today, we were supposed to have a little snow this morning with it changing to rain fairly early, well it didn't, I am sure they will have many excuses why, but having cleared the driveway several times this morning and looking back only to see it full of snow when i had finished was disheartening. However, to come inside and find a nice warm and cozy wood stove... was really delightful. A nice hot breakfast, hot coffee did the job reviving me. These little guys though really appreciate the bird seeds. They are all lined up, sitting on the trellis amid the snow to get their breakfast as well. We see all sorts of birds on this feeder and the other one we hav... 01/26/2011

Even pruning improves your curb appeal, but it is one of the most diffcult things for gardeners to get right and many are worried about over pruning and damaging a plant or shrub. But if you prune your bushes correctly you can improve the curb appeal of your home, it is just knowing how and when. Pruning is not that difficult and Jenkins Arboretum on Berwyn Baptist Road are holding a free pruning workshop presented by Maggie Knapp head horticulturist on February 14th at 1.00 PM titled show your shrubs some love. It does actually help your shrubs to prune them allowing them more light and healthier and better growth, so if this is something you have avoided maybe this event is for you. Jenkins Arboretum is a wonderful place to visit at anytime of the year, but especially in the Spring wh... 01/25/2011

So a couple of days ago I wrote about a couple of foxes in our neighborhood, in Berwyn PA but had been so engaged watching them I forgot to take any photos. This morning once again one of them trotted across our drive. I managed to get my camera out and get a shot, a little obscured of him in the neighbors yard. Trudy then shouted that the second fox had just caught a squirrrel and a few seconds later caught photos of him or the first who must have stolen it in the road at the end of our drive.   01/22/2011

“Social Security, Retirement & You” Are you planning to receive your Social Security retirement benefits? Have questions about eligibility, when to collect & the application process?       If so, this free session is for you! Come & get answers to all your questions! Social Security Administration experts will cover these topics: Your full retirement age … How your benefit is figured … When to take benefits … Rules for collecting benefits while working … Enrolling in Medicare … Family benefits for spouses, children, widows When: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 Where: Tredyffrin Township Building 1100 Duportail Road Berwyn, PA 19312 One-hour sessions will repeat during the afternoon & early evening. You can choose any one of these four sessions: 2:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. This fre... 01/20/2011

Main Line Real Estate, Easttown Township Market Report In the second half of 2010 52 single family homes sold in Easttown achieving a sales price on average of 93% of asking price, a little lower than Tredyffrin where prices have been achieving 96% of asking price. Price per square foot for single family homes was $225 per square foot, a little higher than the first half of the year where it had dropped from $233 to $220 per square foot. Sales for these single family homes, many of which have been builder spec homes have been slow as we can see from the property marketing period for these homes which were an average of 156 days. Townhomes are not a large element of homes sold in Easttown, although there are more than one would think in the township. For the Easttown Township Market Repo... 01/12/2011

DECORATOR and REALTOR teeming up with to host  FREE HOMEOWNER SEMINAR Deborah Bettcher, interior decorator and owner of Decorating Den Interiors and Nick Vandekar of Long and Foster are pleased to present a free seminar for local homeowners - open to the public.  Entitled, It's the Dead of Winter! What Should We Do About Our Home? Should We Stay or Should We Go? Ask the Experts. This informative event promises to highlight practical insights and design solutions that will solve a variety of homeowner challenges.  The seminar will be held Tuesday, February 1, 2011 from 7-8:30 pm at Easttown Library This specially designed seminar features a collection of room makeovers taken from more than 300 entries submitted to Decorating Den Interiors annual design contest.  All entries were judged i... 01/06/2011

Doctor's Best Immediate Medical Care opens in Berwyn PA New business Doctor's Best Immediate Medical Care opens in Berwyn PA providing urgent medical care, a mini-emergency room basically. They provide urgent medical care for breaks, cuts and all sorts of medical emergencies. They can do x-rays, lab work and sutures to name a few. So if you don't feel like sitting in the ER room for hours, and can get yourself to Doctor's Best Immediate Medical Care in Berwyn PA this may be a better option. They accept most major medical insurance, at opening they are still sorting out details with a couple, but they also have a self pay program as well if you don't have insurance coverage. Prices for care are lower than the traditional emergency room, but if you need an ambulance, they cannot accept yo... 01/05/2011

I noticed a couple of new construction homes in Berwyn, PA recently. A home that had sold earlier in the summer in Berwyn village in Pennsylvania and obviously the new owner got permission to tear that down and sub-divide the lot to build two new construction homes in Berwyn, PA. At the moment only one has gone up, but they have a roof on and seem to be progressing quickly. You will not have much yard, but are situated right next to the secret little park I wrote about earlier this year right in the heart of Berwyn Village, PA. Berwyn Village located in Easttown Township primarily, although some parts cross over in to Tredyfrrin, has a variety of Victorian single family and twin homes built through the village. But to see new construction homes in Berwyn, PA is a surprise. Priced in the... 12/23/2010

Berwyn community holiday party and tree lighting Sunday 12/5 starting at 6.30 pm. The big evergreen tree at the Berwyn Train Station by the east bound tracks always seemed the central hub of the village of Berwyn.  Many years ago, Gene Williams remembers saving this area in the parking lot by not allowing commuter parking spaces.  The early development of the village was around the train area.  In the 19th century, a market car allowed the local farmers in the surrounding area to ship their produce into the city. Other businesses supporting the train line developed between the Lancaster Turnpike and the railroad tracks.  Around the station area, businesses like Fritz Lumber, Mack Oil Burns Milling and the Bronze Company all with access to the tracks as well as the bank, post office, liv... 12/02/2010