The Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester PA

The Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester PA is an amazing place.

While the thought of hospice is not necessarily a pleasant one, knowing there is a place where a loved one can go to be as comfortable as possible in their final days is tremendously reassuring. And I know from recent personal experience that the Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester is a wonderful place for someone who is dying, and for family members.

I cannot imagine doing the kind of work that the Neighborhood Hospice staff does 24 hours a day, but I can tell you it was a wonderful experience for my Mom, me, and I believe for my sister who passed away just a few days ago.

I did not meet all the staff, although I spent many hours there with my Mom over the 2 ½ weeks my sister was there, but several - Sue, Margaret, and their social worker, Pat - stood out in my mind. They are something very special!!

The Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester has several program options, depending on need. While I can only comment on the Inpatient Hospice Program, I have no doubt their Palliative Care Program and their Certified Hospice Program are equally wonderful.

The rooms are large with art work and furniture, flat screen TVs and CD players, and equipped with fold-out beds in case a family member wishes to stay over. There is a kitchen, a large dining area, and a meditation room, with a social worker and chaplain on staff as well as on-call doctors in addition to the 24-hour nursing and nurse's aid staff.

The Neighborhood Hospice Inpatient Unit is located at

440 E. Marshall in West Chester.

They can be reached at 484-887-7700.

The Annual Town Tours and Village Walks in Chester County, Pennsylvania began on June 23, and will continue through August 25 in a different village every week. (www.chesco.org/ccparks) The History Center in West Chester was the site of the launch of this year's walks. The building blends two distinctive buildings in Chester County's history. Horticultural Hall, designed by noted architect Thomas U. Walter and built in 1848. In addition to the meetings and shows of the Chester County Horticultural Society, the building was used for a variety of public events, including the first women's rights convention in Pennsylvania. Uriah Hunt Painter converted the building into the West Chester Opera House in the late 19th century. In 1904 his widow gave the building to the General George A. McCall Post #31, the Grand Army of the Republic, with the stipulation that the building would go to the Historical Society when the G.A.R. no longer needed it, and this happened in 1938. In the 1990's, an expansion was made which added the YMCA building next door.

Given a choice of 10 different areas of town to tour, I chose the early 20th C. tour, led by Mike Wallacavage, a Realtor and member of the town's Architectural Review Board. It was a good choice, since Mike is very familiar with the variety of Victorian, Craftsman, French, and Colonial Revival homes of this period. Our final treat was being invited into a tiny artist's studio, into which the owner and artist, Gordon Woodrow, invited us. It was the cherry on the sundae!

Giant Magnolia Flower - West Chester PA 

I would swear this is the sort of thing you would find in a rain forest. 

Of course I've never been so what do I know.

But I can imagine. 

Spending time here in the country outside Philadelphia (Marshallton, outside West Chester, to be exact) at my Mom's has been an eye opener in terms of some of the plantings she has. 

It was pretty cool to be able to capture a whole series of photos of this amazing flower (well, it's a bit tree actually) from bud to open blossom and after the petals dropped.

I'm certainly not a botanical photographer but you get the idea. 

Enjoy. The smell is amazing, as one would expect.

I had the pleasure of working with a retired couple a few years ago. I first met them when they called me to see one of my listings and we hit it off immediately. They are about my mom's age and I am very attached to them. I listed their home in East Goshen and sold them a home in an over 55 community. I stop by to see them periodically and call to say hi, and they often call me to see how I'm doing.

Their son just had open heart surgery. They called to tell me about it and today, I saw Mrs. Client in the grocery store and she held onto me like a daughter, in a warm embrace. It touches me that they think so much of me that they share things like this with me.

This is the kind of relationship I like to have with my clients. It doesn't always happen to this degree but I like to think that the majority of my clients come to regard me as a good person that they would refer to their friends and family.

Some regard me as a friend or even as family.

I love that.

Tonight is the first Swingin' Summer Thursday of the season in West Chester! The weather today is nothing short of spectacular so being outside tonight will be a wonderful time! Tonight's music will be Blue's and I will be tapping my foot to the music! I'm thankful to Suburban West Realtor's Association and Home Builders Association for sponsoring tonight's happy hour

Anyone who has been within whining distance of me this week knows that my central air conditioning system waved goodbye to me on Monday night. It's been in the 90's all week and I have been nothing short of miserable. Today was literally a breath of fresh air. The windows are open and life is good.

I had the humbling experience of interviewing 3 different companies to buy a new HVAC system. I now know the feeling sellers experience when they call to say that the choice was hard, but they picked someone else (fortunately this doesn't happen very often!). It's not an enviable position but I trust I picked the best company for the job. Picking from 3 qualified people is a very hard thing to do. The unit won't be installed for 10 days so I am praying the cooler temperatures last.

Today, I am thankful for the the moderate temperatures, the breezes and life in general.

Carpe Diem!