Susan Mangigian, Chester County Life

I recently got promoted in my volunteer position at Meals on Wheels.  In addition to delivering meals once a week, I now get to visit people who think they may be interested in being a Meals on Wheels recipient. 

Yesterday was my first solo interview and the man, I'll call him Joe Smith needed the meals because he has been getting woozy, falling down, is on oxygen and has some trouble walking.  Joe was delightful and as we sat and chatted he told me about his most recent fall that landed him in the hospital, where he stay for 12 days, during which one of those days was his birthday.  While Joe was talking, I was making sympathetic noises and finally Joe looked at me and told me I'd have to stop giving him sympathy, he didn't want it.  I smiled and said I was not giving him sympathy, I was being empathetic.  He thanked me and continued the story with me once again, forgetting myself, and making the ohhhh, awwww kind of noises that to Joe sounded like sympathy.  He told me I was doing it again and I told him he was just going to have to get used to it.  I'm Italian, and this is why I'm wired. 

I stayed a bit longer than I was told an interview of this kind would take and at one point Joe and I were laughing so hard that Joe's back went into a spasm!  I said I was sorry and he said, are you kidding?  I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time.  I admitted that this was my first solo interview and he told me that if all of my interviews go half as well as this one, I was in good shape.  I called him again today and he thanked me again for an enjoyable visit.  I thanked him too, because it was just as enjoyable for me.

Today, I went on my second solo interview and met a lovely Italian woman, whom I will call Rosa.  Rosa is battling breast cancer and is feeling ill from the chemotherapy.  Rosa and I got along like a house on fire, started comparing family life as Italians are wont to do.  We chatted and laughed and Rosa told me about her life, her children and granchildren.  Rosa asked about my life, my husband and children and I left there feeling wonderful.

So, for today, Thursday, 2/26/09 , I am thankful first and foremost for the opportunity that has been given to me to visit people like Joe and Rosa, share some laughter and smiles and make a little tiny bit of difference in someones life.  Meals on Wheels is a wonderful organization.  If you have been thinking about getting involved in your community, this is an excellent, small time commitment way to help someone in need.  To find out more about Meals on Wheels, go to www.mowaa.org.

I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant with a good friend and 3 others that I hope I can now call friends.  It seems these 4 friends get together once a month at the Birchrunville Store Cafe for a multi-course extravaganza cooked up by the chef and owner Francis Trzeciak.  Julie Blank and I have been friends for as long as I have been selling real estate.  We met when we were both new and before I even had children.  Julie left the business and went into the restaurant business, where she owned and operated Vickers Tavern in Lionville.  Julie is now happily footloose and fancy free, having built the restaurant up to a wonderful standard, sold it and is now ready for whatever happens next.  Julie and I reconnected a year or so again and one of the things I am thankful for, this Thursday, and everyday, is her friendship.  Julie is a great person, a fellow dog lover and a big time philanthropist.  It's a pleasure having her friendship in my life.

Another leg of the quartet is Harry Havnoonian.  Harry is a great guy and we had a lot of fun talking at the table.  Harry owns and operates Cycle Sport, in Media.  Harry was a lively dinner companion and I am thankful today for having met him.   Lidia Antista of Marco Polo Travel was also at dinner.  This is the first time I've met Lidia, who was Julie's travel agent when Julie went to Italy last year.  Her travel business is in South Philadelphia, my home town, not very far from where my mom and I lived when I was 20 and until I got married.  It's a small world.  Originally from Palermo, Italy, it was so much fun having Lidia at dinner since the chef cooked up a special multi-course Italian meal that sounded beautiful being pronounced in Italian by Lidia!   Last and certainly not least was the delightful Lauren Mongiello, Vice President of Falcon House Mortgage, located in Havertown.  Lauren was very entertaining, very knowledgeable about the food and it was very nice meeting her. 

Now, I've got to talk about the food.  You have never tasted food like this, or at least I haven't.  Growing up Italian, we always ate what I would consider hearty, home cooked Italian food.  This was Italian food on a completely different level.  Course after course came out artfully designed to please the eye and delight the palate.  The first course was an anti pasta Italian trio!  Cannillini bean salad with baby shrimp.  Wild mushroom with citrus vinegar, cremini mushrooms and red water cress salad with ricotta salata cheese.  The last of this trio was Bruscetta with tomato and buffalo mozzarella.  Yummy!  I groaned and moaned throughout the entire course!  I am not a quiet nor unappreciative eater!

The second couse was gnocchi that were, of course, homemade, with butternut squash and pumpkin oil, sage and pancetta.  Very different and absolutely wonderful

The third course was homemade (what else) lasagna, with wild mushrooms, truffle and ricotta salata.

The chef sent over, on the house, a shrimp appetizer that defies description in writing.  Even a loud moan couldn't convey how wonderful this gigantic shrimp was prepared.

The fourth official course, which was really the 5th if you count the delectable shrimp dish was veal scaloppine pizziola.  Oh my God, is all I can say about this dish.  The veal was fork tender and the pizziola sauce was to die for.

The dessert was so good, and I was so appreciative that Harry asked me if I wanted to take it home!!  Chocolate hazelnut dacquoise, strawberry tartlet with white chocolate and pastry cream and last but not least sorbet with fresh blackberries!  This trio was served on a beautiful plate and I have to tell you the chocolate hazelnut dacquoise was probably the best thing I've ever eaten!

There you have it, my t Thankful Thursday for today.  Any mistakes in spelling or description of this meal are entirely my own, and I am sure I made plenty (although I asked the waitress to write it out for me).  I thank Julie for inviting me and I thank Harry, Lidia and Lauren for welcoming me into the group.  This was a special dinner prepared by the chef and not on the menu.  To check out the menu and the location of the Birchrunville Store Cafe, click the link.  Located in historic Birchrunville at the intersection of Flowing Springs Road and Hollow Road, this quaint historic building is something to see.  Francis Trzeciak, the chef knows Julie and her friends and he was kind enough to come out and talk with us and he was very gracious.  Reservations are a must, the food is French/Italian cuisine and the ambiance is lovely.  The Birchrunville Store Cafe serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday evenings. On Friday and Saturday nights they have two seatings, 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM. Reservations are accepted daily via phone 610.827.9002.  The website says that the dress is "smart casual" and you should plan to spend 2 to 2 1/2 hours for a leisurely meal.  it is also a B.Y.O.B.  Because of the popularity of this restaurant, you'll probably need to call a few weeks in advance. I guarantee you it will be worth the wait!

Thanks for reading!

I listed this lovely home last just recently.  You have to see it to believe it.  Open House Sunday, 2/22/09 from 1 to 3, or by appointment.  You'll love the hardwood floors, the updated kitchen and the newer heat and a/c!

Mark your calendars!

On Feb. 24, pencil in a three-pancake feast between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. at your local International House of Pancakes restaurant, where you can make a donation to help save kids' lives.

Find an IHOP restaurant near you.

Since IHOP's first National Pancake Day in 2006, more than $2 million has been raised for Children's Hospitals. Help IHOP reach the $1 million mark for 2009.

The nearest IHOP to Chester County is:

130 W. Lancaster Avenuel Ardmore, PA 19003-1305

  417 W. Baltimore Pike Ave, Clifton Heights, PA 19018-1807

115 W. City Line Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-2448

148 N. Dupont Hwy, New Castle, DE 19720-3102

I was reading an article in the Country Living Magazine and came across something I wasn't aware of. 

Habitat for Humanity has over 500 salvage and resale shops in the country.  These resale shops stock everything from gently used appliances and surplus tile to new flooring and cabinetry, sold at a fraction of the normal price.  According to the article in Country Living, all are donated by local citizens and businesses. 

To visit a Habitat Restore, go to www.habitat.org and click on Restore.  From there you can find a Habitat Restore near you.  Because these kinds of thing are hit or miss, visit often!  Proceeds from ReStores, help local affiliates fund the construction of Habitat houses within the community.

Below are the locations in located in or near Chester County.  Happy Shopping!

Coatesville

Chester Co Restore, 1853 E Lincoln Hwy   Coatesville, PA 19320  Phone: (610) 466-1890

Lancaster, 155 Independence Ct
Lancaster, PA 17601  Phone: (717) 293-0250

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Reading-Berks ReStore

336 S 18th St Reading, PA 19602  Phone: (610) 373-3439  jkocet@rbhabitat.org

York

235 N Beaver St
York, PA 17404 Phone: (717) 852-7574

When it is time to sell your home, there are so many things you need to think about.  First impressions are very important.  You will want to make sure that your home is pleasing from the curb.  A well-manicured lawn, neatly trimmed plantings and a welcoming front entrance are a good place to start.  Make sure the front door is freshly painted and hang a pretty wreath. 

Your home can be an absolute showplace, but when the Realtor opens the front door for the buyer and the scent of cigarette smoke wafts out, your home is automatically off the top 2 list.  You see, when I am working with buyers and we have a long list of homes to see, I instruct them to rule houses out.  I ask them to compare the first house to the second house and pick the one they like the best.  Then, I ask them to compare the third home with the home they picked out of the first two and pick the one they like the best.  This enables them, if they are consistent and consciously choosing a home out of two all day,  to have two top picks.  And if you are a smoker, I can guarantee you, that your home will not be one of the top two.

Thankfully, the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) took effect on September 11, 2008.  This act prohibits smoking in most public places and workplaces across our Commonwealth.  The one place smokers still feel comfortable smoking, unfortunately for their loved ones, is in their homes.  Smoking in your home can lower, almost assuredly, the resale value of your most valuable asset.  I can tell you that most home buyers will not be interested in the amount of work it takes to eradicate the smell of cigarettes in a  home.  These houses often require all new paint, carpeting and window treatments.  I actually think that if a buyer had to choose between a house with pet odor or the smell of a heavy smoker, the buyer would pick the home with the pet odor.   

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project is a regional coalition of health professionals and tobacco control advocates working to combat tobacco use and improve access to tobacco control services across Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery and Schuylkill counties.They provided me with the following statistics:

• Beyond the resale value of your home, cigarettes are a leading cause of home fire fatalities in the U.S., killing 700 to 900 - smoker and non-smokers alike - per year.  (National Fire Protection Association).
• The financial impact of smoking is not limited to the resale value of your home, it affects everyone.  Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids estimates that smokers cost Pennsylvania more than $4 billion a year in lost productivity.  Health care costs directly caused by smoking costs the state more than $5 billion a year and residents' state and federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures are almost $700 per household.
• Smoking kills an estimate 20,100 adults each year in Pennsylvania.  It kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, and car crashes combined.  With a slumping economy, there has never been a more appropriate time to consider quitting.  Cessation and prevention programs play an important role in reducing health care costs and they've never been more accessible to the community.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project also provided me a complete list of local smoking cessation resources available to us in our area.  They are as follows:

ChesPenn Health Services

2900 W. 9^th St Floor 2 North

Chester, PA 19013

610.380.4660 x230

Chester County Health Department

601 Westtown Rd., Suite 290

West Chester, PA 19382

610.344.6685

Chester County Hospital 

701 E. Marshall Street

West Chester, PA 19380

610.738.2542

Main Line Health Tobacco Program

1068 W. Baltimore Pike

Media, PA 19063

610.891.3560

Maternal & Child Health Consortium

30 W. Barnard St., Suite 1

West Chester, PA 19382

610.344.5370

Phoenixville Hospital

Community Health Education & Outreach Department

PO Box 3001

Phoenixville, PA 19460

610.983.1295

Southeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center

35 S. High Street

West Chester, PA 19382

610.430.7500

More information on the Coalition and tobacco control services in the area, as well as throughout the seven-county region can be found at www.hpc.tobaccorfp.org/.

Questions can also be directed to their toll-free number and email address:  866.756.5412 | SEPAtobacco@phmc.org

Some time last year, I became a Meals on Wheels delivery volunteer.  I love it, and if you have ever had the urge to make a small difference in the life of a home bound person, this is a small time commitment, big rewards kind of thing to do.  The first person I met was the woman who's phone number was in the local paper looking for volunteers.  Evelyn Ward.  Evelyn is an 82 year old dynamo.  She is Co-Chairperson of the Goshen Town chapter of Meals on Wheels of Chester County.  Evelyn is truly one of the most interesting and fun people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. One of the stories Evelyn told me about herself was that at the age of 65, she decided to take flying lessons!  When she went over to the local airport, she met a man who later become her husband and the love of her life!  What a great story and one that appeals to my romantic nature!  Evelyn's husband has since passed away, but her spirit and wonderful attitude has not dimmed.  If nothing else came after my calling her to volunteer, I consider meeting Evelyn one of the highlights of my life.  She's a real gem.

The second person I met on my voyage to become a volunteer was the other half of the Co-Chairperson team, Jeani Purcell.  Jeani is as nice as she is prety and it's been truly a pleasure getting to know her.  Jeani's children are getting to be old enough, so Jeani told me she recently went back to work.  She actually told me she took a job at the Meals on Wheels office, and every time I called over there, Jeani answered the phone.  She made it sound so low key, I figured she was helping out over there, part time answering the telephones, etc.  So, imagine my surprise when I received an invitation to come to an open house to welcome the new Director of Meals on Wheels of Chester County, Inc..... Jeani Purcell!  Talk about modest and unassuming!

Pictured here from the left:   Joanne Yarnall and Jeani Purcell.  Joanne coincidentally also sits on the board of the Chester County Women's Commission with me. 

I popped into the open house to say congratulations to Jeani.  There were many other volunteers there and I had a nice time meeting and talking with them. 

 Jeani recently asked me to help Co-Chair the Goshen Town Chapter.  I am very proud and pleased to say I accepted and Jeani and I are going on our first interview to meet a new recipient on Thursday!  I am looking forward to helping Jeani and Evelyn in what I consider to be one of the nicest volunteer opportunities available. 

Meals on Wheels of Chester County is located at 510 South Adams Street, West Chester, PA  If you are interested in volunteering, you can reach the meals on wheels office at 610-430-8500.

I sit on the Board of the Chester County Women's Commission with a lovely woman named Meg Eynon.  Her beautiful son has autism.  She has recently started a blog not about the daily struggles, but about the triumphs of this condition.  I share her letter and the blog address below.  If you know someone who can participate in this, please pass the address along to them.  Here is Meg's letter: