84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 20,1990
On being
Iv -
Joyce Bupp
a farm wife
-And other
hazards
Have you noticed it?
There’s a really strange phe
nomenon taking place this fall.
At first, I thought it was just
coincidence. But then, after spot
ting about the dozenth identical
one, the consistency of it piqued
my curiosity. And I began watch
ing them much more closely.
Surely you must have noticed.
Or haven’t you been paying atten
tion to the Wooly Bear cater
pillars?
Those cute little fuzzy brown
and black caterpillars that appear
every year about this time have
long been credited with weather
predicting powers. Upcoming
winter weather trends are sup
posed to follow the pattern of their
black-white furry pattern. Black
sections meant the super-bmr
cold kind of stuff, while brown
indicated kinder, gender, temp
eratures.
Most years, the caterpillar col
oring is a mixed bag. Black and
brown stripes with no particular
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pattern seem to appear on the vari
ous little furred crawlers which
turn up around the farmstead.
Occasionally there’ll be one com
pletely decked out in fashionable
black or another covered head to
toe (do caterpillars have toes?) in
soft, seasonable brown.
This year - at least in every
Wooly Bear I’ve seen the mark
ings are identical. I don’t remem
ber that happening before.
Each caterpillar that has crossed
my path bears about a quarter to
half-inch section of black at its
head end. A fairly wide patch of
brown follows in the middle,
ending with another secdon of
black about the same size at the
front.
The bizarreness of this caterpil
lar consistency sent me to the
1991 almanac already acquired for
my collection. For the Middle
Atlantic region, temperatures
from November through February
are predicted slightly below aver
age, climbing to above average for
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' /
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February through May.
Doesn’t fit with the caterpillars.
However, if you want to carry it a
little farther, May and June are
predicted cooler than usual. When
is caterpillar-predicted weather
supposed to start and stop,
anyway?
Other signs of Mother Nature
definitely point in the direction of
an imminent change to the lovely
Indian summer we’ve been enjoy
ing. A few trees are already color
ing in the meadow fencerow,
geese have passed on occasion
(including a few headed north),
and the pond’s cattail heads are
ripe.
Last week, another sure sign of
impending chills turned up in the
basement.
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The mid-Atlantic region of
ALHFAM (Association of Living
Historical Farms and Agricultural
Museums) has scheduled a confer
ence at Landis Valley Museum,
Lancaster, on Saturday, October
27, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. “Fast,
Cheap and Easy Museum Pro
grams On A Shoestring,” is a
multi-faceted event open to any
interested individual or group.
The sessions and workshops at
Landis Valley will present crea
tive programs that require mini
mum work for maximum results.
A diverse faculty representing
four states will offer workshops as
varied as broom-making, brewing
and corn-husk braiding. Also
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was my surprised question in the
direction of the unexpected visi
tor, who declined to answer, just
curled itself a little lighter.
“How’d you like to remove
something from the basement for
me?” I suggested to the Farmer.
When he heard the details on the
presence of the small snake on the
concrete floor, he didn’t seem the
least surprised.
“Oh, yeah, there was one in the
milk house this morning, too. It
had crawled into the wash tub and
drowned.”
A snake in the wash tub? How?
The large, stainless-steel tub is
part of the milking equipment
automatic wash system and stands
on heavy angled-steel legs. A
tangle of hoses feeds water, deter-
offered will be sessions on in
house publishing, the history of
lighting and program develop
ment with volunteers. There will
be site reports about children’s
programs. Informal tours are sche
duled for the Hands-On House,
Children’s Museum of Lancaster,
and the historic landscapes of
Landis Valley. Daniel Reibel,
author of Registration Methods
for the Small Museum will present
information on collection man
agement. A foodways workshop
will prepare part of the evening
meal for all participants. Atten
dees will be entertained by the
Lancaster Folksong Society.
On Friday, October 26, the
Paper toweling, when dampened, will make an excel
lent pressing cloth.
gents and sanitizers into it for
keeping the equipment clean.
Nothing for a snake to climb up,
however?
So, how that little brother to the
basement invader ever got into
that wash tub remains a mystery.
After its lifeless little eight-inch
body on the control box startled
me at evening milking, I disposed
of it. Our milk inspector will no
doubt be grateful.
“Did you take the snake out of
the basement?” I asked the Farmer
later, having really intended to do
so myself. A careful check
showed no visible signs of the tiny
serpent
He hadn’t moved it either.
I no longer travel the basement
barefooted.
evening before the sessions, an
informal gathering is scheduled at
Landis Valley. Also, an informal
breakfast and special tour are out
lined for Sunday the 28th. ALH
FAM members may register for
the all-Saturday gathering for $25-
lunch, supper and breaks included.
Non-members are welcome to
all events and their registration
costs $35. New memberships are
welcomed. Deadline for registra
tion is October 15. For further
information or a registration form,
call Steve Miller at Landis Valley
Museum (717) 569-0401 or write
“Fast, Cheap and Easy,” Landis
Valley Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill
Road, Lancaster, PA 17601.
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