82-Lancasler Farming, Saturday, May 4, 1991
On being
a farm wife
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im
Joyce Bupp J|||gg
-And other
hazards
Bolstered by timely celebra
tions of Earth Day and Arbor Day,
a new trend seems to be gathering
momentum as it sweeps through
the area.
The trend is trees.
Trees have too often been taken
for granted in this part of the coun
try where they - literally - grow
like weeds. (If you don’t believe
that, c’mon down and help me
yank the volunteer, stubborn
rooted maple seedlings that spring
up annually among my perennial
plantings.)
Much of the state is still cov
ered with thick forests of towering
hardwoods and tall evergreens.
Even areas devastated by the
ravenous appetites of gypsy moths
arc slowly regreening to low,
shrubby, wildlife-loving under
growth which will in time yield to
a new generation of trees.
A single trip to parts of our own
West, where barren desert dunes
and scrubby-plant grazing ranges
seem to stretch endlessly, can
quickly renew one’s appreciation
for the sheer beauty and environ-
Tel
and WOOD ROOF TRUSSES
701 E. Linden St., RICHLAND, PA 17087
70’x160’ Uni-Arch Riding Arena - Culpepper, VA
After 33 years in the Lebanon Valley area, the Rigidply Rafters name continues
as a testament to the superior work produced by this family owned business.
Rigidply currently employs over 75 people and operates a 100,000 square feet
manufacturing plant in Richland, PA
Along with being a wood lammator and a wood truss manufacturer, we carry a
wide variety of building materials, from foundation treated lumber to various roof
ing items. Everyone at Rigidply Rafters is fully committed to serving our custom
ers and providing them with the finest products available. You deserve the best.
mental benefits of trees
Blessedly, trees are a renewable
resource. And, suddenly, giving
out tree seedlings has become
highly popular.
Supermarket chains, restaurant
franchises and all sorts of shop
ping entities offer seedlings as
consumer enticements. Brides use
them as wedding favors, new
parents might offer them as cele
bratory handouts and they make
great living memorials in honor of
special people or occasions.
A lifelong tree lover, I find this
trend absolutely uplifting.
Some of my earliest memories
are of the trees of my childhood
home. The lowest limb of one of
the medium-sized Norway maples
on our front lawn was at just the
right height for a kid to grasp onto
and swing herself up into the
branches. Higher limbs split off at
appropriately strategic spots for
climbing perhaps 15 feet above
the ground.
It was a great place to hide
away for a bit, take in a bird’s-eye
view out through the leaves, and
get away from little brothers - who
eventually grew tall enough that
the tree’s privacy was forever lost.
Over the garage hung the
branches of a sour-cherry, another
favored tree, especially when
laden with shiny, red fruit. Con
siderably smaller and easier to
climb, the tree offered less chal
lenge, but bore the makings of
Mom’s delicious cherry pies, pud
dings and preserves.
Among my first plantings as a
farm wife was a small, perhaps a
yard high, pussywillow. It had
been started and given me by a
second cousin who, even as
/oungster, carefully nutured the
truits of his green thumb.
Tucked into the damp, rich soil
of our back lawn, and visible from
the kitchen window, that pussy
willow now stands about 25 feet
tall. Early spring finds it covered
with thumb-size, kitten-fur-soft
blooms. Last I heard, that cousin
was curator for a New England
botanical establishment.
Long gone from our yard is a
giant English walnut which lit
tered the grass each fall with a
yiald of baking nutmeats. A streak
of lightning during a violent thun
derstorm late one summer after
noon cracked like a cannon when
it hit the tree, splitting the bark
from top to bottom and tossing
bits of it 30 yards away.
Though the English walnut val
iantly tried to recoup, the damage
was terminal. Into the void went a
pair of six-foot-tall willow trees,
one for each of our two small
youngsters. One a traditional
weeping variety, the other a corks
crew type with curling, twisting
branch habit, they form a sort of
giant, green arch where the back
yard gives way to alfalfa and com.
MEMBER
«UM(l!«S * S '’ o
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TRUSS PLATE INSTITUTE
80’x200’ Clear Span Truss Riding Arena - Lehighton, PA
86’x180’ Gothic Arch Riding Arena - Elmira, NY
Robins, mourning doves, spar
rows, crows, the resident mocking
birds, cardinals, even an occasion
al wren, use the willows for family
rearing and singing stops. The
remains of a tree-house ladder still
cling to one tolerant trunk. And
the cats scamper up them in claw
honing exercise as they run with
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available at the Krayblll Mennonlte School Benefit Auction,
Mount Joy, on May 10 and 11.
It’s Strawberry Pie Time
MOUNT JOY (Lancaster Co.)
It may be too early to pick your
own strawberries, but it is the right
time to buy strawberry pies at the
annual Kraybill Mennonite School
‘Benefit Auction.
For 14 years, the school has
earned the reputation of having
scrumptious-tasting strawberry
pies. This year, about 400 pies will
fill the tables along with chicken
barbecue, baked potatoes and top
pings, homemade soup, salad bar,
funnel cakes, breads, cakes, home
made ice cream and more.
A pig roast, craft and plant sale,
and a Winross Truck Auction kick
off the two-day event, starting at
5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 10.
PRODUCTS
WE MANUFACTURE
Trees give us beauty, economic
benefits, shade, oxygen, homes
for wildlife, hideaways for little
kids and just generally enhance
our lives.
Do the world a favor. Not just
on Earth Day. Not just on Arbor
Day.
Saturday’s activities begin with
a country breakfast of egg omelets
and homefries or dried beef and
biscuits on May 10 from 7-9 a.m.
Get your number early to join in
the bidding for new merchandise
and collectibles that starts at 9 a.m.
Twenty-three quilts will be auc
tioned beginning at 1 p.m.
Accomodations in local bed and
breakfasts are available for over
night guests by calling Yvonne
Miller at (717) 653-4028.
Follow the auction signs to the
school located at R.D.I, Box 234,
Mount Joy, PA 17552. For more
information, call the school at
(717) 653-5236.