A roof on fire, juicy summer and community food
Sunday is for slower reads. Heartwarming stories. Strange local history. Bad jokes.
And now that we’re mostly out of the haze (thanks, rain), you can sit outside, prop your feet up and read this the way it’s intended. Slowly, with a smile and a good cup of coffee.
The weirdest housewarming party
Most people celebrate finishing a home renovation with a cheese board and a bottle of wine.
Henry Mercer celebrated by lighting his roof on fire.
When builders insisted his all concrete Fonthill Castle would crack or collapse, Mercer decided to settle the debate like a normal person. He built a giant bonfire on the roof then calmly went downstairs, set up a cot beneath the flames and went to sleep.
By morning, the fire was out, the castle was perfectly fine, and Mercer had made his point.
Over a century later, Fonthill is still standing. Proving nothing protects one’s home quite like pure spite.
Nothing hits like July tomatoes
If summer in Bucks had an official flavor, it’d probably be a ripe heirloom tomato.
Stella New Hope is serving juicy slices of locally grown heirlooms and creamy burrata on a deck overlooking the river. Never thought I’d get so worked up over microgreens.
It’s basically our county’s version of a postcard you can eat.
The heavyweight champs of Bucks
Turns out our best team doesn’t wear jerseys, it wears hairnets.
Bucks Knocks Out Hunger is going countywide after packing more than a hundred thousand meals with hundreds of volunteers at Oxford Valley mall. Now it’s reaching Upper Bucks too, helping stock local food pantries.
The goal is simple. Make sure more neighbors have food on the table. And that’s always something to cheer for.
If I ever have a point to make, I hope I'm not quite as dramatic as Mr. Mercer. Though I'm never opposed to a little flair.
I hope your Sunday is peaceful and I’ll see you Tuesday for a dose of positive news!
May your bonfire be considerably smaller than Fonthill’s,
Cait, From Bucks