On being
a farm wife.'
ll
Joyce Bupp
-And other
hazards
It’s a boy. And a girl. And a boy
.. and a girl.... and another
.... Well, we’re not sure exactly
what it is. Or, what they are, to be
more correct
But let me back up.
At 7 a.m. last Friday morning,
our son glanced out the back door
window and made the announce
ment we’ve been awaiting for sev
eral weeks.
“The baby geese are going in
the water!”
Sure enough, with both mama
and papa Canada geese coaxing
from the water just off the wooden
edge of our mid-pond nesting “is
land,” one little gosling hopped
off the edge. And another. And an
other and another, until five little
bodies bobbed around.
Those five small balls of yel
lowish-brown fuzz paddled their
little legs furiously, keeping pace
with the effortless glide of the
adult pair. A chilly wind whipped
the steely-gray pond waters on
this morning, sending dark clouds
eastward to threaten the sun’s at
tempts to warm the day.
But the coolness of the early
hour and downright cold tempera
tures of the pond were no deterrent
to the little flotilla, circling the
pond awash in obvious parental
pride. It almost seemed the pair
was parading their accomplish
ment around their neighborhood -
AG BAG BALE BAG
1 - Roll of 20 Bags sl9s™
KEY-AID FARM STORE
a sort of goose good-news pro
clamation.
That this pair of geese chose to
return to our pond for a second
season was a source of tremen
dous satisfaction for us. And, we
know it’s at least the same male
because of the distinctive sprink
ling of white feathers among the
sleek black coloring of his head.
Though we nearly dumped the
canoe into the icy drink last
spring, the nesting “island” we
maneuvered midpond had
promptly been claimed by the pair
of nesters. A wooden-pallet floor,
fastened at each comer to one of
four posts driven into the pond
bottom, was just large enough for
a spacious nest and a sort of porch
on opposite sides.
The Farmer added a roof over
head - not necessarily according to
wildlife nest-building recom
mendations - but apparently ap
preciated by the geese. They
fought off every other feathered
being that made even an attempt to
land, and eventually hatched out
and protectively nurtured one very
fast-growing baby.
This season was a repeat, with
the male chasing off all other
geese, along with threatening
every tractor and truck that drove
by the pond.
But, for whatever reason, this
year he chose to tolerate ducks.
3 Ply Protection Inside Black, Outside White
1739 W. Main Street
Ephrata, PA 17522
717*738-4241
Two mallard males cruise the
pond regularly, though the fe
males have disappeared to nest in
the meadow. A pair of ring-neck
ed ducks paused briefly along
their migration to northern sum
mer homes.
And this year’s feather-in-the
cap, er, pond, is a pair of wood
iducks. If there are clowns in the
duck world, wood ducks would
have to qualify. While the females
are fairly somber in striped brown
hues, the males flaunt coloring of
iridescent blue, purple, brown and
ja green head with duck-taii-hair
do, all accented with outlines of
| while. Stunning.
Even more astounding was
watching them nest-scout, the
male pacing around the chimney
of our old springhouse, while the
female checked out the pondside
willow. Ducks in tree? And chim
neys? According to the field
guides, wood ducks nest in hollow
tree cavities as high as SO feet up,
with the babies jumping to the
ground after hatching. Ouch!
Other chores were briefly aban
doned that morning to erect im
promptu wood duck nestboxes - in
the pond and 10 feet up in the wil
low.
After a brief swim around the
pond, our mama goose herded her
brood back to the nest for a warm
ing nap. Papa kept vigil from the
nest porch, flaring at the manure
truck each lime it rumbled past.
Somehow it seems fitting that
we should salute mothers at this
time of year when new life is so
abundant and nurturing instincts
so visible.
So, to mothers, who nurture and
nest, cherish and chide, direct and
delight us, for giving us the best
gift ever - love - we say
Reduces Waste
in Storage
Low Production
Cost Per Ton
of Silage
Transport and
Feeding
is Simplified
5 - Rolls (100 Bags) or More slBs®°
I!®"
Store Boon: '
Moo.-Thur*.-Fir. 8-8 r——jgr i _____
Tues.-Wed. 8-5:30 |
Sat. 8-3 mg | ■ ■ fl-"
PDPP Takes Cheers To School
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) During this season of
proms and graduations, the Pen
nsylvania Dairy Promotion Prog
ram (PDPP) and Pennsylvania
dairy farmers are providing
parents and s.tudents a sensible
way to conduct their celebrations.
To date, more than 100 Pennsyl
vania secondary schools will be
incorporating the CHEERS Non-
Alcoholic Dairy Beverage Prog
ram into their springtime parties.
“We recognize that parents and
students are concerned about
drinking and driving,” said Brian
Ross, PDPP program manager.
“Our board members and other
dairy farmers are likewise con
cerned about the safety of today’s
youth. The PDPP established
CHEERS last year to offer a party
program that uses healthy dairy
beverages and eliminates the use
of alcohol.”
Every year, thousands of indivi
duals are fatally injured in alcohol
related automobile accidents.
Many of these accidents occur dur
ing the spring when young people
are out at prom or graduation par
ties. Too often, high school stu
dents use alcohol because it makes
Preserve Food The Right Way
WILKES—BARRE (Luzerne
Co.) Preserving some of
those good things growing in your
garden or purchased from your
nearby market will make next
winter seem a little shorter. But
there are some definite pitfalls in
the preserving business. If you
don’t do it right, the trouble might
be greater than the worth.
There are people ready to help
you get the job done with the great
-a
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 11, 1991-B5
their party more sociable.
CHEERS takes that social aura,
removes the alcohol, and adds
nutrition and safety to the party
mix. The program offers recipes
for Grasshoppers, White Russians,
Strawberry Daiquiri’s, and Orange
Blossoms, which are made with
milk, ice cream, and other dairy
products.
“Since Pennsylvania is ranked
fifth nationally in the production of
dairy products, we felt that Pen
nsylvanians could respond to the
prom and graduation safety issue
by offering nutritious dairy bever
ages,” said Ross. “The PDPP is
proud to be able to provide stu
dents and parents this healthy and
safe alternative to their
celebrations.”
The CHEERS program pro
vides each school a party pack,
which includes napkins, recipe
brochures, table tents, stickers, and
banners. In addition, schools that
serve CHEERS beverages at their
parties can send a polaroid or 35
mm picture of their party display to
the PDPP and receive a $35 reim
bursement for their rental equip
ment and beverage expenses.
est measure of safety and reliabili
ty, and they are called Master Food
Preservers. Trained by Penn
State’s Cooperative Extension,
these people have volunteered to
help citizens of Luzerne County.
If you have questions about pre
serving food at home, call a Master
Food Preserver in Luzerne County
by dialing (717) 825-1701 or (717)
459-0736 ext. 701.
KANGAROO 3 SNEAKER SALE
20% OFF
OUR ALREADY LOW PRICES
ALL KANGAROOS
IN STORE
(While Supply Lasts)
Buy 10 Pair at 20% Off,
GET ONE PAIR FREE!
LEACOCK SHOE STORE
64 Old Leacock Rd., Ronks, PA
(717) 768-7440
Closed Memorial Day, May 27
M,W, Th 8-5 • T-F 8-8 • Sat. 8-4
GENERATORS
Sales ★ Service ★ Rentals
* Complete Generator Systems
* PTO * Portables * 2-1600 KW
“We Service It If You Have It
And Sell It If You Need It’’
34 W. Mohler Church Rd.
Ephrata, PA 17522
Tel: 717-738-0300
Fax: 717-738-4329
ACHINERY