In early January, a group of local and Philadelphia-area residents met at the Penn Wynne Library to break bread and build connections. If you've been following this blog, you know that the idea was to create a safe space for discussing the issues of the day but without arguments—even if we do disagree. If I count myself,10 people attended that first gathering. A few friends came to ensure I didn't have a zero-attendance public meeting. Others came because they're distressed about the state of...

On Front Street, under the thundering L train, if one passes through glass doors leading into American Grammar , there's the opportunity to pause, feel the calm, inhale the aroma of coffee, and take in the thoughtfully displayed artwork and books. And if one chooses, there's also the opportunity for conversation with owner/operator Terrance Wiley, a barista and associate professor of Africana studies at Haverford College, who happens to be very well read and appreciates the spirit of...

Sometimes things just don't go the way they ought. Yesterday the trash crew carried off our   Rabbit Recycling  bin along with the garbage. I was aggravated with myself for the better part of the day because I had lovingly packed it with things needing a second life—the dog harness that Coop had outgrown, the extra carbon-monoxide detector that we didn't need anymore, the light sconces that someone else might have upcycled—all gone. I should have labeled the bin, but it’s too late now. These...