M-Lancatter Farming, Saturday, March 14, 1992 •
Onbei
a farm
-And a
hazar
Joyce B
Is the lion an endangered spe
cies?
I mean, as I lode out the front
window on this early March
morning, a damp fog shrouds the
meadow and the contoured fields
curling around our sloping hills.
Stark silhouettes of barc-branch
trees in the meadow fencerow
poke through the floating gray
mist And the edges of our world
close in, nebulous walk that have
shrunken our horizons to just a
few hundred yards in every direc
tion.
Like, where is the lion?
You know, “in like a lion, out
like a lamb.” March is supposed to
do just that, march in like the con
quering, victorious lion, with au
thority and briskness and vim and
vigor. It’s supposed to have gusty
winds that whip the pond into
sparkling glitter, shake out the last
of the loose limbs and twigs in the
maples and send up dependably,
changeable, “March-like" weather
conditions.
Instead, March tippy-toed in
more lamb than lion-like. So,
wooed by the dry, gentle weather,
plowing got an early start around
the neighborhood.
There is something mystical
about plowing that seems to stir
the heart and blood and soul of
farmers. Perhaps it’s the symboli
cal sense of turning under the past
for a fresh beginning. It’s
“scratching the itch” of preparing
for another growing season. It’s
breaking the bonds of wintry, in
side bam and shop chores to burst
free across the vistas of stubble
and sod, as seen from a tractor
seat
Plowing, I’m convinced, is a
sort of springtime love affair be
tween farmers and their land.
Shiny plowshares turned over
our first farrows of the season on
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an early March morning. Dark,
rich earth, smelling wonderfully
musky and fresh, is like no other
scent Loose and crumbly, it lies
receptive to a promise, the seed
embryos of the season’s harvest
Perfect soil conditions for
planting. Too dry, too loose, too
ideal. Too perfect, too early.
Frankly, a little March mud would
be more reassuring about the
moisture possibilities of the next
few months.
Then, as the pointed, steel bot
toms move on to another field to
slice and turn moist earth into gen
tle ridges, the plowing “groupies”
appear. First four, then 40. then a
few hundred of the graceful, white
seagulls circle the moving equip
ment and alight on the fresh fur
rows in search of a quick snack.
Once a rarity in this no-sea
shore countryside, flocks of sea
gulls circling, swooping and
scouting snacks in plow wakes
have become another harbinger of
spring.
In a finished field, a single, ap
preciative crow similarly “grazes”
the bountiful buffet of under
ground goodies turned up by the
passage of the shiny blades - fat
earthworms, pudgy grubs and as
sorted larvae of bugs-to-be.
Walking out the road to exa
mine the fresh furrows. I notice
another sort of “plowing” on the
roadbank along the field. The soil
around the entrance to a very large
groundhog hole is soft, crumbling
and recently disturbed. And the in
ner part of the apron of grass cir
cling the lower side of the hole is
distinctly shorter than that nearer
the outer edges, noticeably nib
bled.
At least one hungry neighbor
hood rodent has paid no attention
to the February advertisement that
he/she stay inside and sleep until
official Spring. early start on turning ground If
But then, our groundhogs aren’t the low-lying field beyond the
afraid of their shadows. Matter of yard is as dry as the others, the
fact, our groundhogs don’t seem Younger Farmer thought he might
to be afraid of much of anything, be able to make a pass through the
And so I hurry to finish these garden. At least enough for a few
musings, so that, I, too, can get an onion sets and some early peas.
Are Quilters Normal
There are two kinds of people in
this this workd: those who quilt
and those won don’t. Quilters feel
that they are really no different
from other people, but..
■ Quilters have basements filled
with boxes of fabric, and rolls of
batting leaning against the wall.
Normal people have pingpong or
pool tables, pictures on the walls
and empty suitcases.
• Quilters children wear shoes
at all times and never crawl once
they have learned to walk. Normal
peoples’ kids run barefoot through
the house. They have no fear of
pins in their feet
• Quilters have the ironing
board next to the sewing machine.
Their points and comers are per
fectly pressed. Normal people
have pressed skirts and pants, and
they have all the buttons on their
shirts.
• Quilters have co-ordinated
bedrooms, with matching quilts,
pillows and wall hangings. Nor
mal people have co-ordinated
wardrobes.
• Quilts read quilt magazines,
quilt books and pattern instruc
tions. Normal people read the
You do not have to wash your
quilt all the time. Even if you have
your quilt on your bed constantly,
a day long airing on the clothe
sline every six months usually
keeps the quilt looking good and
smelling good as well.
You must never sit on your bed
while the quilt is on it This strains
the fabrc and puts undue strain
stress on the threads in the
quilting.
Never allow the binding (edges
of quilt) to touch the floor. Doing
this will wear out the binding.
If something sticky (a spot
small as a dime or large as a din
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"When non-members ask me why they
should belong to Atlantic Dairy Cooperative,
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sales. ADC is the region’s largest and most
fiscally-sound cooperative, with a guaranteed
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"More dairy farmers joined us last year than at any time in the
past decade. If you are not an ADC shipper and are worried about
your own milk market, then you should talk to the cooperative that
is facing the future with confidence.”
Alinlc D«fcy Oi^wllw
75 Years of Service to Dairy Farmers
newspaper, the latest novels and
Reader’s Digest
• Quilters families eat chili,
meals from the crackpot and any
thing they can fix themselves.
Normal people eat quiche, veget
ables and homemade cookies.
• Quilters drive out-of-state to
visit quilt shows. Normal people
visit State Parks and historic
monuments.
• Quilters receive flyers from
fabric stores announcing sales.
Normal people clip coupons and
take advantage of refund offers.
• Quilters receive a discount at
the local quilt shop. Normal peo
ple have credit at major stores.
• Quilters use their dining room
for quilting. Normal people have
silk flower centerpieces and
guests for dinner.
• Quilters save milk cartons and
detergent boxes for storage. Nor
mal people throw out their trash.
• Quilters carry 3x5 cards with
yardage requirements and snips of
fabric to be matched. Normal peo
ple cany 3x5 cards with their hus
band’s sleeve length, and the
children’s sizes written on them.
• Quilters carry photos of quilt
Tips For Quilt Care
ner plate) gets on your quilt
sponge the spot with cold water
then blot dry.
When washing your quilt,
always use cold water and Wool
ite detergent Always line dry.
Place quilt on line cither longwise
or side-wise and clip clothespins
spaced 6-8 inces apart. Never line
diy on a windy day. Allow quilt to
line dry then fluff in automatic
dryer for no longer than 10
minutes.
When removing the quilt from
your bed, try to fold it in a diffe
rent way each time. This helps to
prevent permanent creases, which
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People?
shows and finished products. Nor
mal people carry pictures of their
children.
• Quitters have rough hands,
split nails, rounded shoulders and
saddle bag hips. Normal people
have manicures, straight backs
and trim hips from attending Aer
obic classes.
• Quilters have eyeglasses and
purple shadows under their eyes
from sewing late into the night.
Normal people get 8 hours sleep
and wear contact lenses, if they
need glasses at all.
• Quilters have needle-nosed
pliers, razor blades and sandpaper
in their sewing boxes. Normal
people have two spools of thread
one light, one dark- and a few
assorted buttons.
• Quilters will never live long
enough to finish everything they
would like to do. and usually wear
themselves out trying. Normal
people make a will and wait for
the end when they quietly fade
away.
•Quilters leave works of art
filled with memories that will one
day be of historic importance.
do not harm the quilt, but are
unsightly when the quilt is on the
bed.
These suggestions are made in
an attempt to bring to your atten
tion certain considerations which
we advise when handling delicate
items such as quilts. Since we
have no control over the human
element in such handling, we can
not be responsible for the outcome
of such handling. All sales are
final.
If you take proper care of your
quilt, it will last for many years,
remaining as beautiful as the day
you purchased it
1-800-645-MILK
Yeah, maybe it’s a little early;
maybe die lion will roar in and
chase off die lamb.
But my green thumb’s gettin*
itchy enough to wager that the lion
has given up chasing lambs in fa
vor of a long snooze.
Robert B. McSparran
President