*L On being ‘ ~r~ a farm wifyrjyj* -And otherl^^gjl A Joyce Bnpp Windowsills. Those I remember from my girlhood home were nev er wide enough. Then came marriage. And, along with other new things in my life, such as cows in the meadow (and the com) and manure-caked shoes under the table, came a small architectural treasure in this old farmhouse; windowsills. Now this old house feature is increasingly rare in newer ones. Most of the time, they’re a part of this house that I take for granted. Recently it occurred to me how lost I’d be without their handy space, especially as nights grow cooler and morning mist hangs a white veil over the pastures pre dicting that the house plants must soon come back inside. In our basement are the classic foot-deep sills, offering wonderful haven for miscellaneous tools, extra bam hats, craft supplies, and house cats aiming to keep track of what’s happening outside. Upper floors of the house are equipped with six-inch sills, still plenty adequate for all sorts of handy uses. Sills in the kitchen, naturally, SEVENTH ANNUAL HERITAGE CELEBRATION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1988 12:00-6:00 p.m. at the Berks County Heritage Center, Gruber Wagon Works, Reading, Pennsylvania. Events Throughout the da; • Carriage, Wagon and Sleigh Judging Shpw • Pleasure Drive Along The Union Canal Towpath • Plowing and Log Skidding Demonstration • Horse Pulling Competition • Large Horse Driving Exhibitions Highlight of the day’s activities will feature a demonstration by the Phila delphia Mounted Police Drill Team and a Review Parade of all of the events participants. Fun Full Day For The Whole Family For Mi ire Information C Cathy Wegener at the Berks County Park and Recreation Dept. RO #5, Box 272 Sinking Spring, PA 19608 215-374-8839 are kept busiest. Two styrofoam flats full of tomatoes and a small basket of spindly, bright red hot peppers currently keep company on the “ripening” windowsill behind the kitchen counter. August featured mouth watering peaches and fragrant can taloupes, tempting us to snack each time we passed. Apples will soon replace the tomatoes, a hand y, easy answer to the “what’s here to eat?” stampede which hits between school and suppertime. Behind the kitchen sink is a bou quet windowsill. At least one, sometimes two, small vases of cut flowers brighten my sink time with their beauty. From June through heavy frost, dainty, pastel roses hold center stage between veget able brushes and the container of heavy-duty, anti-grease, hand cleaner. (This stuff loosens the lay ers of oil, grease and barn residue on their hands, effectively trans ferring it to the sink and towels.) A forgotten aerosol can of bug spray turned up last week, hiding on a living room windowsill behind the curtain ruffle. This win- Jacob Mays, Lebanon, driving 6-Paint Horses pulling a Gruber hayflat. :act dowsill «js strategically located* ""behind die sofa, where the Farmer generally catches a pre-bedtime nap in front of the TV. Flies pester ing during evening naptime can expect to get zapped from his win dowsill weapon repository. On yet another nearby sill waits a supply of drink coasters, protec tion for wooden tables from drip ping glasses. Except that no one uses them anyway, grabbing instead the handiest cow-related magazine as a dripcatchcr. Few are the magazines in the living room whose covers do not bear telltale rings of chocolate milk or iced tea. Which frees up the coasters for use with the most predominant residents of all our windowsills - U.S. And New Zealand Battle DENVER, Colo. New Zea land officials are protesting the newly-implemented import reg ulations on live sheep, calling them overly stringent. The U.S. sheep industry strongly supported the regulations, which were imple mented in June after USDA Ani mal & Plant Health Inspection Ser vice held public hearings and a comment period. The New Zealand government has requested consultations with the U.S. General Agreement on Tariffs (GATT). They called the regulations non-tariff barriers, and cited three specific regulations including those mandating certified-free status on tuberculo sis and brucellosis, testing for the disease akabane, and the 30-day quarantine period for sheep imported to the United States. New Zealand argues the akabane requirement is unnecessary since Akabane has not been found in include: • Antique Auto Display • Crafts Displays and Demonstrations • Musical Entertainment • Apple Butter Making • Children’s Activities • Food and Refreshments Lancaster ftmting, Saturday, September 17, 1988-B5 ' houseplants. Summered outside, the ferns, small palms, spider and jade plants provided seasonal destruction derby material for the kittens. Small insects attracted to their foliage regularly provide a fast-food stop to five half-grown chickens, making the daily trek from the old bam to the perennial border. Meanwhile, the plants have swelled in size, sent out long run ners, grown new branches and accumulated spider webs and dust. Pruning and a hose arc often neces sary for sprucing up the window sill regulars for return to their New Zealand, and that a 30-day isolation period is not needed since shipping time provides an adequ ate incubation period. National Wool Growers Associ ation representatives testified ear lier in the year in favor of strong regulations to protect the domestic sheep industry from the potential of disease introduction with imported sheep. “We feel these regulations are a minimum of what is acceptable to producers,” said James G. Butler, Executive Direc tor of the National Wool Growers Association. “The regulations address some very real concerns Child Care Providers Program LEESPORT (Berks) Are you caring for children in your home or employed as a daycare provider? The Berks County Cooperative Extension Service is offering a two session update for childcare pro fessionals. It will be held Septem ber 20 and 27 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Berks County Agricul tural Center, Leesport, R.D.#l. Instruction will include treating children equally in a group setting, child saver techniques, holiday <£k “winter-sill” location, African violets and cacti, the tall, leathery spikes of snake planted, and trailing philodendron are others given sill space with appropriate light, shade or sun shine. Those which bloom during winter’s dreariest months get star billing in center-stage behind the sink. Never is there enough sill space at this season. We need more win dows or wider sills. Get rid of some of the plants, you say? Let’s not ge radical. Import Policy U.S. producers have expressed to NWGA and USDA, and provide adequate protection in an introduc tion of foreign animals into the domestic flock.” Dr. Billy Johnson, associate deputy administrator of APHIS’S Veterinary Services, told the Bureau of National Affairs he believes the regulations will hold up as fair and reasonable. Talks between the U.S. and New Zealand will probably begin in mid-September. If the consulta tions are unsuccessful, New Zea land could proceed with a full fledged complaint. gifts for kids to make, when to call the expcrts-waming signals, and what BCIU has to offer special needs childrens and resources for indoor activities. Course registration is $2O, which includes a resource book. Registration must be made by Sep tember 19. To register, or for more information, contact Michelle Rodgers at the Agricultural Center (215) 378-1327. !once
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers