On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
Our customers keep arriving at
a steady pace.
But the clientele is changing
over the last several days. And
we’re welcoming back some old
fnends.
When we first began feeding
birds, it was a mostly-wintertime
endeavor. Once late spring had
arrived, after the trees leafed out,
the grass demanded at least week
ly mowing and garden and field
work activities took center stage,
Deluxe Machine Storage Facility
Raised Chord Witi) New 4/12 Pitch
54x14x90'
• 1-24M5’6” AlumaSteel* double-end door
• l-22’6"x 14'AlumaSteel* double-side door
• l-Vxb’X" insulated walkdoor with 9 lilc glass
• 2-4’xV insulated sliding glass 9-litc
windows with shutters
• 2-V6’’xV6" eupolas
• 8-roof skylights
• 2’ wide endwall overhangs
• I ’ wide vented sidewall overhangs with
continuously vented ridge
• Hi-nb steel roof panels coaled with
FLUOROFLEX 2000'
• Hi-nb steel sidewall and wainscot panels
coaled with KYNAR 5007HYLAR 5000*
• .50-year snowload warranly, no weight limit
• 50-year warranty on laminated columns and treated lumber
• 20-year paint warranly, including red rust
• 10-year wind warranty on doors, no velocity limit
• 5-ycar wind warranty on building, no velocity limit
• 5 year warranty against roof leakage
• Morion heavy gauge aluminum gutters and downspouts
• Free Morton weather vanes
• Ofikmow' Priparr site or install com rue found-iinm before January M IWS and receive a SW) site rradv rebalc Mi '*ananiies include materials and labor ami are nol proraled Special pncmg im.ludcs mairnah iJdivcry unloading and lihnr lo e*cl wilhm 4(f mik% from a Morton Building Inc cimstmcliofl
cfnirr C usiomer musi pros kJc a silt prepared lo Mortem Buildings Inc Site Specific alion form IMalie a kvel site uiihoul underprixind übsiruciioo) and panic, ipair in Minton* progressive payment plan The above prices may vary hecau* of local Kuldmg codes These prices do not include concrete due In local pore
unions Offer expires December 11 IW For diti\rr> after December lIW construction afler December II IW and prior lo May 11 199 K Sue mud be prepared and approved by your local Morton Buildings sales consultant bv January 1| IW Prices mav vary for everv I 000 feel over ft 000 fret of elevation ygQ
IILAR SOOCT Trademark of Ausimmt USA 11 UOROILTX 2000* and AlumaSleel* TraJemirVs of Morion Building* Inc
M NAR W Tr»dcmaii of Elf Auk hem NA HI
GETTYSBURG, PA - 717-624-3331 * PHILLIPSBURG, NJ. - 908-454-7900
putting seed out for the songbirds
usually took a backseat to other
pressing chores.
That changed in recent years, as
birds continued to visit the feeder
right on through the summer sea
son, and raised a ruckus if they
arrived on the back porch to find
only an empty plate. Guilt hung
especially heavy in early morn
ings and late evenings, when the
irate chirps of the cardinals pro
tested the absence of the expected
sunflower seeds. So, in the last
few years. Ailing the birdfeeder
continues as a daily ritual, regard
less of whether die temperatures
are minus 10 or 90 degree plus.
The cardinals have won the battle
and the birdseed storage cans
(originally filled with gifts of pop
corn) are kept stocked year round.
Nevertheless, a new season has
begun.
A nuthatch announced that late
last week, as it waddled down the
side of a maple tree and then flit
ted to the feeder just outside the
kitchen window to take inventory
of the lunch menu. It was the first
nuthatch to pay a visit since warm
weather moved in months ago.
Equally surprising was that the tit
mice had also come to dine just
hours before, though they did
make sporadic appearances over
the last couple of months.
Special favorites of mine, the
petite, friendly and irrespressible
chickadees, likewise returned last
1
800-447-7436 AU/ fL 'H/f U,*/r/ l/mf //- */
MORTON '* ' '■
BUILDINGS
m ww t}unUttthuihUng\.<
< !*»»' V‘w , ~ 1t,.,, i,,„ . u
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 25, 1997-B7
week. Also, the bossy and boister
ous bluejays, of which we saw
very few even last winter, have
turned up to stuff their cheeks with
black oil seeds.
Meanwhile, the cardinals,
which raised a nest of babies
somewhere nearby, ate noticeably
absent for the moment. For a cou
ple of weeks in late summer, car
dinals the color of a female, but
lacking the bright orange beak of
ones, arrived at the
feeder. They seemed a bit hesitant
at first but eventually settled in to
feed with the finches and sparrows
that hang out there incessantly.
We assume they’re temporarily
rounding out their diets with
natural tidbits and delicacies of
the season and will be back as fall
fodder diminishes.
A dove or two continue to feed
regularly, though fewer than we
had prior to the early dove hunting
season. These beautiful, gentle-
looking birds... aren’t Gentle, that
is. Somewhere along the way,
they picked up a bit of the bossi
ness of bluejays, even to the point
of running each other away from
the feeder at times. It’s so out of
character that it’s funny.
But the most striking bird beha
vior we’ve observed this year is
that of a Canada goose.
The hatch of goslings that our
returning pair of wild geese raised
this year took wing in mid-
August. Probably, they joined the
groups that pass overhead most
evenings at dusk, enroute to Lake
Redman for the night.
One single goose, however,
came to the pond several weeks
ago and has remained. All by
itself. It turned up just after the
first day of early, local goose sea
son, so I assumed it had been
injured. We have seen no visible
signs of a wound and have not
tried to catch it to chccl
lest we injure it. It flies
from one end of the
pond to the other and
seems to be able to swim
with no problem. I have
never actually seen it
walk.
Each time a flock
flies overhead, this is
one bird visitor I hope
will depart, and lift off
with a honk to join
others of its own kind.
It would be nice to be
able to write a happy
ending to this puzzling
goose tale.
Annette
Goodling
Receives
Honors
COLLEGEVILLE
(Montgomery Co.)
Annette Goodling,
extension family and
consumer scientist, Col
legeville, recently
received the Florence
Hall Award during the
annual meeting of the
National Extension
Association of Family
and Consumer Sciences
at the Galaxy Summit in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Florence Hall
Award is presented for
an outstanding program
conducted by NEAFCS
members who have
been alert in recogniz
ing new concerns and
interests of families and
have involved people in
planning and imple
menting programs that
benefit families.
In 1952, Miss Flor
ence Halil, regional
field Agent-Eastern
States, Federal Exten
sion Service, initiated
this award to recognize
outstanding
plishments of NAEHE
members.
Annette Goodling
was recognized for the
project “'Building
Blocks”