84-Lancasler Farming, Saturday, March 16, 1991
on ffS
a farm wife
-And
Joyce Bupp
There was a time, in earlier
days, when I enjoyed it more.
Its rushing sound through the
big maples around the house made
theinside feel comfortably secure
and cozy on blustery winter
nights. It toss-dried clean, wet
laundry out on the lines with more
efficiency than the electric dryer,
leaving an irreplaceable fresh oul
doorsy scent on every load. And
its cooling effect offered refresh
ing relief on hot, sticky days of
mid-summer.
And while those are all still
enjoyable to the senses, my appre
ciation of wind seems to be dimin
ishing in some sort of ratio with
the advancing years.
This is starting to sound like -
gulp! -- some old codger
complaining.
Maybe I’ve just replaced 100
many pieces of plastic blown off
barn windows... picked up too
many downed limbs... fished 100
HOLLINGER’S
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Lancaster Ephrata Hershey WBW £2O
2274 New Holland Pike • 1755 W Mam St 1515 E Chocolate Ave
656-2710 738-1131 533-4060 m
INANCING AVAILABLE “ WE’VE GOT THE POWER”
many feed bags, plastic buckets
and various other unsightly wind
blown objects from in and around
the little pond below the house.
The Big Wind (mini-tomado)
that whipped through the farm last
summer may have been the final
blow - pun intended - to my
mental outlook on air blasts. We
arc now burning for kindling the
last residue of the wind-wrecked
giant broken limbs which com
pletely obliterated the yard and
left in a skeletonized state our
beloved old maple trees.
After staggering around the
farm over recent days, half
blinded by bits of straw, hay and
sawdust lodging behind my con
tact lenses. I’m expending effort
to remember that continuing wind
in March is normal - if there is
such a thing - and will shortly
turn lamb-like. ‘Course, if you’ve
ever watched lambs bull heads
and their mothers at feeding time,
clippings to lawn as FREE lam
l*%y y food. Single lever height adjuster.
v Briggs & Stratton Quantum engines
you may question what “gentle as
a lamb” really means.
Still, the brisk breezes have so
dried the fields that manure haul
ing and chiseling the nutrients into
the ground is far ahead of some
years. A million diamonds sparkle
across the surface of the wind
whipped waters of the big pond.
And our resident redtail hawks
soar with magnificence on the
wind currents over the greening
expanses of the lower meadow.
And if March delivers a con
stant bluster of wind, blowing in
with that are any number of
unmistakable indications of the
impending first day of spring.'
There it was, spotted hopping
around a neighbor’s lawn, in the
early morning sunshine a few days
ago. The First Robin. Then
another, and another, in other
lawns and bare-branch trees of the
rural development adjacent to the
farm. But the first bluebird we saw
had beaten the robin by a full
week.
Already a dandelion’s cheery
yellow face smiles through the
clover on the south-sloping hill
side of the lawn between our
house and bam. Weeping willows
below the bam arc pushing tender
green buds and the towering pussy
willow bush (tree?) waves gray
cat-fur blooms above the back
yard. From beneath a blanket of
leaf litter in a sheltered comer near
the greenhouse, the first purple
crocus bud pushes up to mark the
season.
And, even without these famil
iar portents of spring, a drama
which unfolded last -weekend on
the sparkling waters of windswept
pond confirmed the urges of the
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WE UPS DAILY
season of renewed life and
growth.
Last year’s pair of Canada
geese and their single offspring
return daily, nibbling at green
shoots of meadow grass and grow
ing fat and sleek on the gleanings
of goose food from the ponds.
When a fourth handsome,
heavy-necked bird arrived on a
recent morning, it set off a day
long squabble, squawk and chase
session. Since the two older geese
kept themselves between their
grown baby and the newcomer,
we assumed the young one is a
SFFA
HAPPENINGS
Leadership Conference Held
Heather Becker from the
Pequea Valley FFA chapter recen
tly participated in a statewide
leadership conference.
The annual State Legislative
Leadership Conference (SLLC)
was held March 3-5, 1991 in
Harrisburg.
More than 100 members and
teachers from across the state par
ticipated in the activities of the
three-day event
The conference highlight was a
legislative breakfast where parti
cipants had the opportunity to
meet their state legislators.
In addition, visits to the capital
building and the state museum
were scheduled later the same day.
Other points of interest that
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& PRICES
female, and the visitor a potential
mate. The territorial posturings
went on all day and continued well
after dark, but by late in the day
the young one and the visitor
seemed to be drawing closer.
Now we’re back to three, with
our youngest figuring Dad goose
finally flogged the suitor off, hon
king something about his daughter
being too young.
I’d like to ask the kid how he
got to be so familiar with this
subject.
But he’d probably suggest I go
out in the wind and blow away.
were visited included the Pennsyl
vania Farmers Association, Her
shey Chocolate, the Game and
Fish Commission, and the Gover
nors Mansion.
The members were also given
time to learn to know each other
and practice various leadership
skills that were taught at a scries
of workshops. However, there was
also time to sit back, relax, and
enjoy recreational activities.
SLLC was sponsored by Chev
ron U.S. Inc., Sun Company, Pen
nsylvania Farmers’ Association,
and the FFA Foundation. The con
ference was conducted by the
State Officer Team and various
staff members, teachers, and spe
cial guests.
* CORN SYRUP * BAKING
* PANCAKE SYRUP MOLASSES
* PURE MAPLE SYRUP * BARBADOS
* SORGHUM SYRUP MOLASSES
* TABLE SYRUP * BLACK STRAP
* COCONUT OIL MOLASSES
* CORN OIL * HONEY
* COTTONSEED OIL * PEANUT BUTTER
* PEANUT OIL * FUNNEL CAKE MIX
* SOYBEAN OIL * SHOOFLY PIE MIXES
* 100 LB, BAG GRANULATED SUGAR
SPECIAL FOR MONTH
OF MARCH 1991
32 oz. Jar Golden
Barrel Supreme
Table Syrup
No Preservatives
Comparable To King Syrup
Reg. $1.99
NOW $1.49