December 21, 2011 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Robert H. “Griff” Griffith, formerly of Kennett Square

Robert Griffith — Robert H. “Griff” Griffith, formerly of Kennett Square

Robert H. “Griff” Griffith, 74, formerly of Kennett Square, died
Tuesday Dec. 20, at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center Hospice. He
was the husband of the late Virginia Tuel Griffith who died in 2010 and with
whom he shared 44 years of marriage.

Born in West Chester, he was the son of the late John Hammond and
Bertha (Mann) Griffith.

He was a 1955 graduate of Kennett High School. He served our
country in the United States Air Force from 1955 to 1961 traveling to many
destinations including Alaska. He was employed by Delmarva Power and Light
until his retirement. He was a
member of the Kennett VFW where he participated in the dart and shuffleboard
leagues. He was also a member of
the American Legion in Kennett and the Thunderhill Gun Club in Potter County
where he was the son of one of the original founders. He enjoyed deer season
and Labor Day weekends up there. Robert was a Phillies and Eagles fan, but most
of all he enjoyed spending time with his grandsons and great grandson. He never missed watching his grandsons
play baseball.

Survivors include one daughter, Karen M Custis and her husband
Gary of Lincoln University; two sisters, Patricia Brittingham of Oxford, and
Mary Alice Melton of Kennett Square;
two grandsons, Jason Griffith and Paul Michael Boris; two step
grandsons, Justin and Jeff Custis; a great grandson, Gavin Griffith and many
nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife and parents, he was predeceased by
a sister Helen Griffith Collins.

A special thank you to Jane Dunn who cared for him while he
lived at home, as well as the hospice nurses in his final days.

You are invited to visit with Robert’s family from 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday Dec. 28, and from 10-11 a.m. Thursday Dec. 29 at the Kuzo &
Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) 250 W. State St. Kennett Square, PA
19348. A ceremony celebrating his
life will be at 11Am on Thursday. Interment will be in Unionville Cemetery. Contributions in his memory may be made
to the Department of Veterans Affairs (In memo list “Hospice”) C/O Department
of Veterans Affairs 1400 Blackhorse Hill Rd. Coatesville, PA 19320, Attention:
P. O’Rourke or the Kennett VFW Post 5467, P.O. Box 126, Kennett Square, PA
19348. To send an online
condolence, please visit www.griecocares.com

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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New business needed

Opinion

‘Tis the holiday season.
Hanukkah is here and Christmas is just a few days away. So, we set aside the
sharpened pen, look back at 2011 and forward to wishes for 2012.

Chadds Ford Township lost three
businesses in 2011. One, Toys and Tales in Olde Ridge, had been a mainstay for
years in two different incarnations at the Ridge Road shopping center.

The other two were in the heart
of the township, the village itself, and their demise reflected a weakening of
the pulse in Chadds Ford.

Gone are the Old Wooden Market
and Barn House Coffee.

Old Wooden was the market and
deli located at Route 1 and Station Way Road, in the strip mall with the bank
and Post Office. It, too, had several incarnations, being the Cattie Shack at
one point but better known when it was the Wawa.

The location suffered when Wawa
pulled out in 2008 and never fully recovered, though successive owners did try
to make a go of it. Bill Bondarchuk was the last of those owners. He was forced
to yield in May of this year. Not enough traffic.

While there wasn’t enough
traffic to keep the market and deli going, it was still a good place to catch
up with friends and neighbors while grabbing a morning newspaper and a cup of
coffee.

Fordians not in a rush to grab
a cup and go to work also lost a hangout. Barn House Coffee and Tea pulled out
of the Barn Shops at the end of August. Here, too, was a place for friends to
gather, actually sit down — inside and out — over a cup and just talk in a
friendly and relaxed atmosphere established by proprietor Bill Githens.

We miss both places and their
proprietors. Let’s face it, people make the place.

Now there is another coffee
shop farther down Route 1. It’s Mushrooms in Pennsbury Township. It’s a fine
place, but it’s not in the village of Chadds Ford and that’s where the
gathering spot should be.

There is some small hope on the
horizon. Casey Lafferty, one of the new owners of the strip mall where Old
Wooden used to be, said recently that he and his partner are actively looking
to get either a market or coffee shop to move in.

We’d like to see that happen in
2012. Make it a place where people can sit down and chat, even gossip, and just
generally socialize.

Happy Holidays from the staff
at ChaddsFordLive.com

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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The Doctor is In: Peripheral Arterial Disease

Health

According to the American
Heart Association, more than 8 million Americans are living with peripheral
arterial disease, a type of cardiovascular disease that also is known as
peripheral vascular disease.

PAD is caused by the hardening of blood
vessels — arteriosclerosis — in your legs and feet. Although hardening of the
arteries usually is associated with coronary heart disease, narrowed blood
vessels in your lower extremities can lead to blood clots, stroke, varicose
veins, gangrene, kidney failure, and other serious health issues. People with
type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for developing PAD, as are cigarette
smokers, African-Americans, and post-menopausal women. Other PAD risk factors
include:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)
• Family history of heart or vascular disease
• More than 25 pounds overweight
• Physically inactive lifestyle
• Age 50+

Although cardiovascular disease is a
leading cause of death in the United States, many people with PAD do not know
they have anything wrong — until they suffer a stroke or heart attack. That’s
why it is important to see your primary care physician for routine screening of
your heart and vascular health.

Cramping pain in your calf muscles is a
common early symptom of PAD. You may feel the pain while walking, but then it
goes away after you sit down or stop moving. This is known as intermittent
claudication. Other symptoms of PVD may include numbness in your lower legs,
cold legs or feet, foot or toe ulcers that will not heal, changes in color to
the skin in your legs or arms, and aching pain in the lower extremities when
you’re at rest.

Doctors use a test called ankle brachial
index and a physical examination to diagnose PAD. A simple, painless test, ABI
measures blood pressure in your arms and ankles using a regular blood pressure
cuff and a special ultrasound stethoscope.

Treatment for PAD depends on your general
health, personal preferences, and severity of the blockages in your legs. In
many cases, non-surgical treatment options — for example, prescription medicine
or lifestyle modifications, such as quitting smoking, reaching a healthier
weight, or making changes in your diet — may relieve your symptoms and stop or
slow the progression of the disease. In some cases, minimally invasive
endovascular surgery may be recommended to open blocked blood vessels and
restore blood flow.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute has published “Stay
in Circulation,” a handy, downloadable patient guide with more information
on PAD. For more information, also visit www.aboutpad.org
and the Legs for Life® online
PAD risk assessment.

* Joshua Feinberg, D.O., is a family medicine physician in practice at
the Crozer Health Pavilion, 145 Brinton Lake Road, Suite
201, Glen Mills, PA 19342, 610-459-1619.

About Crozer Keystone Staff

Crozer-Keystone Health System’s physicians, specialists and advanced practitioners are committed to improving the health of our community through patient-centered, quality care across a full continuum of health services. Crozer Brinton Lake is Crozer-Keystone’s comprehensive outpatient care facility in western Delaware County, offering primary care, specialty services, outpatient surgery and advanced cancer treatment. Contact us: 300 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills, PA 19342 http://www.crozerkeystone.org/Brinton-Lake 1-855-254-7425

The Doctor is In: Peripheral Arterial Disease Read More »

In My Experience: Facing the inevitable

Along the Ford

Dear Jeanne-Marie,

I have a close friend that recently had a death in the family. It seems
like he is really suffering. What can I do?
Signed,
Caring Friend

Short answer:
Dear Caring Friend,
Find time to just sit with him.

In my experience:
Both of my parents lived a long and healthy life, so when my mother died I thought I was able to accept it and had
finished mourning the loss until I
attended another person’s mother’s funeral a year later.

I completely fell apart.

I believe this was because, other than my siblings, I had no one in my life to give me a shoulder to cry on and
much needed hugs.

Before my father died two years later, he became the victim of Alzheimer’s
disease. Seeing a loved one with Alzheimer’s is like watching them die a little
piece at a time.

Sometimes he would know who my daughter and I were and other times he would
say, “I love when you visit. You are so nice to me and we have fun. Even your daughter is wonderful, so you
must be a great mom. But, who are you?”

When he died and both parents were gone, I felt something I did not expect; I
felt like an orphan. I was no one’s daughter anymore. I had no parents. The very people to whom I would
have told my troubles were gone.

With this in mind, the best things you can do for your friend are listening to
him, crying with him or just sitting in silence with him. He doesn’t need
advice. He needs what you have to offer; a friend to just be there.

Make him a cup of tea, a grilled cheese sandwich, or chicken soup. These are
called comfort food for a good reason.

Also, there are several stages to all grief and loss; denial, anger,
bargaining, depression, and acceptance. We must go through all of these stages
when we suffer a loss and in no special order. Sometimes a stage will repeat
itself. Every person takes a different amount of time in each stage.

A caring, listening, hugging, none-advising, giving of time, empathetic friend
is what is needed.

Just be there.

Signed,
Jeanne-Marie

* Jeanne-Marie Curtis came from
Philadelphia to Chadds Ford Township in
1990. She has her BBA in HR Management/Employment Law. She is the author
of Junctions by Jeanne-Marie (Every Woman’s Journey and Journal) Available
at ChaddsFordLive.com Products/Books.
*To submit a question: email Jeanne-Marie at junctionsbyjm@aol.com

About Jeanne-Marie Curtis

In My Experience: Facing the inevitable Read More »

The Garden Path: Making winter arrangements

Home and Leisure

Once the cold weather comes and
the annuals die, it’s tempting to give up on container gardening, but with a
little bit of effort, you can make a winter arrangement that costs nothing, yet
provides pleasure for weeks or even months. You probably already have the ingredients for a beautiful
winter arrangement right in your own yard.

The easiest approach is simply
to use the same containers you used for your annuals. Ideally, you never got around to cleaning out your planting
pots, so they still contain soil and perhaps even the remnants of some plants
like ivy or vinca that survive through the winter. By the way, if you plan to leave your pots outside with soil
in them, make sure they are able to take the freezing and thawing that comes
with winter. The newer lightweight
plastic or resin containers are usually fine. Metal containers work well also. Terracotta, clay, and
concrete are more likely to break when the soil expands.

It is easiest to make your
arrangements in early winter, before the soil in your containers has
frozen. If you’ve waited too long,
simple move your containers into a garage or basement to help them thaw so you
can get your cuttings into the soil.
A hair dryer may also be useful.

The next step is to look in your
yard (or an obliging neighbor’s) for attractive and durable plant
material. Some likely candidates
include fir, pine, hemlock, arborvitae, cedar, holly, boxwood, red-twig (or
yellow-twig) dogwood, Harry Lauder’s walking stick, ornamental grasses, and
magnolia. You may also want to look for pinecones, interesting pods, and
attractive seed heads.

When taking cuttings from trees
and shrubs, make good pruning cuts (cut at an angle, at the base of a branch,
and don’t leave a stub). Look for
cuts that will improve the structure, remove branches that rub, and open the
plant up a little for better exposure to air and light. Don’t ruin the look of
a tree or shrub just to get cuttings.

Now comes the fun part. View your soil-filled container as if
it were a container with florist’s foam and begin sticking your cut greens into
the soil to make a pleasing arrangement.
You may want to begin with something plain like evergreen boughs, and
insert them around the base of the container to make a foundation. Have your
pruners handy for adjusting the length of the cuttings as needed. Add bushy or textured materials to fill
in the center and use tall twigs, grasses, and sticks to create height.

Just as you would for a floral
arrangement, look for interesting contrasts of shape, texture, color, and
form. If you don’t like the way it
looks, simply pull the cuttings out and start over!

View your container from all
sides that will be visible and make any adjustments until you are
satisfied. At this point you can
add smaller objects if you wish (some may need to be secured with wire). These might include pinecones, seed
heads, thistles, or even Christmas ornaments or lights. Have fun and be creative!

* Nancy Sakaduski is the
Chester County Master Gardener Coordinator. Master Gardeners are trained
volunteers who educate the public on gardening and horticultural issues.
In Chester County, they operate through the Penn State Cooperative Extension
office in West Chester. Nancy lives in Pennsbury Township. She can
be reached at nds13@psu.edu.

About Nancy Sakaduski

Nancy Sakaduski is a Master Gardiner with Penn State Extension of Chester County.

The Garden Path: Making winter arrangements Read More »

Free Your Space: Anticipation

Home and Leisure

I write this
article on the eve of Hannukah and less than a week before Christmas. The stores and roads are crowded with
people looking for those last few gifts, groceries, and all the best
deals. Emotions are running high
(and low) with the excitement of it all.
My young niece and nephew are acting out-of-sorts, my mother is feeling
a bit sad over days gone by, my kids are excited to get just the right gifts
for each other. All of this
because of the anticipation of the biggest holiday events of the year.

It is
understandable that young children can act moody when filled with
anticipation. Their emotions
reflect their frustration over not being able to make the time go faster. As adults though, time can fly! Yet, as adults, I believe that
anticipation can be used to our advantage. Rather than running around in a frenzy or freezing in our
tracks over the worry that things will never get done in time, we can put that
anticipatory energy to work for us with this perspective: anticipation =
preparation.

As we anticipate
crossing the threshold of a new year, I would like to share with you some
simple steps you can take to make 2012 a happy and smoothly planned success!

Step 1 – Evaluate: A good way to decide on how to move
forward is to start by looking back.
Take some time to review the past year.

What
worked for you? What didn’t?
How did you prioritize?
Did you have life balance – family, work, social, health, relationship,
spirituality?
Are you happy with the direction your life is leading toward?

Step 2 – Dream: Once you’ve really spent time considering
where you’ve been heading, allow yourself some time to dream.

Do
you want to keep heading in this direction?
How would you like your life to look?
What things would you change?
What would remain the same?
Imagine yourself – how you look, feel, act – in that dream life.

For steps 1 and
2, set aside some dedicated time on an afternoon or evening to either discuss
with someone else or to write down your thoughts.

Step 3 – Plan: After digesting your thoughts and
visualizing your intentions the next thing to do is make a plan.

Since studies
have shown that people who write their goals accomplish significantly more than
those who do not, for step 3 actually write down your goals for 2012.

Step 4 – Prepare: Now that your intentions are clearly in
front of you, it’s time to gather the supplies that you will need to take
action and make them happen:

• Calendar/Planner – if you don’t have
one that you love it’s time to get one.
If you prefer a hard copy, take a trip to your local office supply store
and look through all the different types of planners. (There is no “right”
choice here. You may like to look
at one day at a time or see the whole week at a glance. You may want something small enough for
your purse or large enough to catch your eye.) Take your time and choose something that feels right. If you prefer an electronic version,
you can use your computer’s calendar program or an online calendar such as
Google’s.
• Tools of the Trade – is one of your goals to spend more time with
family? Exercise more? Resume or start a hobby? If so, what will you need to make that
dream a reality? – Craft supplies?
Gym membership? New hiking
shoes? Remember, you can’t build a
house unless you have building materials.

Step 5 – Live: You’ve turned to face your anticipation
head-on and used it as a time of preparation – a time to take the reins of your
life and steer it in the direction that you choose. Embrace your preparatory efforts and act on your new plan.

Now that’s an organized life.

* To contact Annette Reyman for
organizing work, productivity support, gift certificates or speaking
engagements in the Greater Philadelphia area call (610) 213-9559 or email her
at annette@allrightorganizing.com.
Reyman is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers
(NAPO®) and Board Member of its Greater
Philadelphia Chapter.
Visit her blog, http://www.areyofhope.blogspot.com
or her website at www.allrightorganizing.com
or follow All Right Organizing on Facebook.

About Annette Reyman

Free Your Space: Anticipation Read More »

Adopt-a-Pet Dec. 22

Local News

Luna and Neville are two juvenile female rabbits that are currently available for adoption at the Chester County SPCA. They came to the shelter on Nov. 23 because their owner’s schedule became too busy to care for them. Luna and Neville are very sweet and social rabbits who would like to find a home together. They are used to being handled and they are litter-box trained. Luna is the white colored bunny and Neville is the buff colored bunny. They would make great pets for a first time rabbit owner. Luna and Neville are now looking for a responsible care giver who will give them the love and attention they deserve. If you are able to provide Luna and Neville a home, visit the Chester County SPCA at 1212 Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call 610-692-6113. Luna’s registration number is 96806349 and Neville’s registration number is 96806350. To meet some of the other animals available for adoption, visit the shelter or log onto www.ccspca.org.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Tanning salon opens in Olde Ridge

Business

Who: Beach ‘N Tan
& Contempo Spa owned and operated by Linda and Christe Watmuff

What: Beach ‘N
Tan offers Tanning booths, spray tanning, teeth whitening, a hydration station
and red light therapy.

Where: 100 Ridge
Road, Ste. 40, Olde Ridge Village

Pricing: Phone
484-842-1568 for pricing, appointments and full range of services

Web site:
www.beach-n-tan.com

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Tanning salon opens in Olde Ridge Read More »

Police log Dec. 22

Police

• Chadds Ford Township was
ripped off when someone stole copper downspouts and gutters valued at $1,925
off of Turner’s Mill — the township building at 10 Ring Road. The theft
happened sometime between 4:30 p.m., Dec. 12 and 8 a.m., Dec. 15. According to
police, 185 linear feet of copper downspouts were removed from the rear of the
building on the Monday, Dec. 12, while the other downspouts were taken on Wednesday.
Township Manager Joe Barakat said that once the new LED lights are installed,
the security lights will be on all night long.

• State police from Troop K,
Media barracks, are investigating a case of attempted identity theft in Chadds
Ford Township. The suspect tried to withdraw $3,500 from the victim’s Wells
Fargo bank account using a fake ID and credit card, a police report said. The
victim is a resident of Bensalem.

• A West Chester resident was
charged with DUI after a traffic stop on Spring Valley Road at Temple Road in
Concord Township. Jason Rayfield, 21, was stopped for multiple traffic
violations on Dec. 17 at 1:11 a.m., according to a police report.

• Police reported that someone
stole a cell phone from a car parked behind the Outback Steak House in Glen
Eagle Square on Dec. 11 sometime between 5 and 9:45 p.m.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Police log Dec. 22 Read More »

New restaurant planned for Birmingham

Local News

The
owner of P.J. Whelihan’s wants to bring his brand to Birmingham Township.

Bob
Platzer made a preliminary presentation to the Board of Supervisors during its
Dec. 19 meeting. He said he wants to move into the former Bull Durham’s
location, a stand-alone pad at Dilworthtown Crossing.

The location was a Bennigan’s
before being a Bull Durham’s and that will affect the operating conditions at
the new restaurant, according to township solicitor Kristen Camp.

There were more restrictions on
Bull Durham’s, she said, because there was live entertainment there. Camp told
Platzer that he could avoid those restrictions by not having live music.

Platzer said he would prefer
the hours that Bennigan’s had, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., so he would not request having
live music on a regular basis. He did reserve to the right to change later on.
He said he would go back to the supervisors for permission to have an acoustic
guitar player should he want to have one play.

He also said after he meeting
that his actual operating hours would be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Whelihan’s is not a
breakfast establishment.

Platzer described the
restaurants in his 14-restaurant chain as “neighborhood pubs.” He said the idea
is to hire local people to staff the restaurant so their family and friends
become patrons.

He stressed a desire to be part
of the community. His lunchtime crowd tends to be business people, but the
dinner patrons are “families and soccer moms.”

“Our age group is varied; we
cover all the bases. It’s a neighborhood pub. That’s what we bill ourselves as.
We get into the communities; we’re a grassroots type organization. We’re very
involved with the schools [and] different charitable groups. We run a lot of
turkey trots and things like that. We sponsor a lot of runs for different
organizations,” he said.

Whelihan’s also sponsors high
school football through advertising and erecting scoreboards.

Platzer will wait for a letter
from the supervisors before he begins renovating the 6,500 square foot
restaurant. He said the whole process should take 90-120 days and anticipates
an opening in May.

Other business

Supervisors passed the 2012
budget that anticipates revenues of $1,806,000 and expenses of $1,339,000.
There is more than $575,000 being carried over into next year.

The spending plan has no tax
increase — the township millage rate remains 1.6 mills — and there will be no
need for the township to take out a tax anticipation note.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

New restaurant planned for Birmingham Read More »