Brace yourselves. This is the week of the "big" snow. Despite the fact that there are many years of negligible-or no-snow that falls on the Farm Show, history and tradition have combined to establish this week as the legendary one of blizzard horror tales. Of course, every now and then, as it did a couple of years ago, we do get the proverbial "big one" to keep the tradition alive, a major weather event which snowbounds exhibitors in Harrisburg and the rest of us at home. After all, though, it is January and the weather odds are against sunny, balmy and 60 degree-temperatures. Though that's been known to play dur ing Farm Show week, too. "I hate snow," was a thought included in a recent message from a good friend. A fellow dairy producer, she may dread the extra work and mess that snow brings to handling cattle and moving machinery and feed. Despite that extra hassle, I still like snow. Well, most of the time, anyway. Snow turns the drab, dreary, tired look of the countryside into AimifoMe Fmt P&mydmm'A £aftgwl SaimM! Hardwood Kiln Dried Shavings at FACTORY DIRECT PRICES! Loading Daily Monday Thru Friday. Delivery Is Available For Tractor Trailer Loads Only. WEABER, RR #4, Box 1255* Lebanon, PA 17042 Toll Free (800) 344-3114 Local (717) 867-2212 a picturesque, greeting-card-like setting, adding a fantasy touch to the most ordinary and mun dane of things. Few scenes are more delight ful to the eye than a deep-green pine tree frosted with fluffy white snow-icing on every nee dle, every branch. Tuck a bril liant red cardinal or a sky-col ored blue jay out onto the end of one of the limbs and the strik ing picture is more beautiful than anything man could design. Snow drapes fluffy accents over the split-rail fence around the yard and tops each post with a whimsical white cap. It covers the pile of leaves lingering in a corner of the yard and tidies up the scruffy look of the perennial border. And, clumps of old, dried weeds are transformed to dainty bouquets of lacy loveliness. Against the white backdrop of snow, every tree in the wood lot stands out with greater indi viduality and prominence. Fallen trunks and old logs, once lost among the landscape of win try browns and blacks, interject horizontal and angular lines across the vertical visual effect of the stand of dormant hard- INC. woods, This whiteness further enhances anything of color to cross its stage; the rusty red of a hunting fox, the dusty brown of a grazing deer, flashes of color from winter birds, even the bright hues of the tractor and equipment being shuttled around on daily feeding and cleanup chores. The pounds take on a new dimension, their sparkling waters stilled beneath a silent crust of frosty, opaque ice. Strange tracks criss-crossee the ice last week, faintly resembling from a distance a series of rail road tracks. Near as I can guess, the tracks were made by our lone Canada goose that lingers here. The rows of faint, indis cernible prints must have come from the bird tracking across on the ice while it was slushy, and bits of snow settling later into each tiny, shallow depression. That single goose, by the way, has adopted the cows as it "flock," spending most of its time with our bovine bunch. When they hang around the feedlot, so does the goose. When we put them out to graze, as we did until the snow stopped our pas turing of the fields of oats and rye cover, the goose nibbled at the grasses right along with the cows. After a day or two, the fanta sy prettiness of pristine snow deteriorates into messes of mud, patches of slippery or lumpy ice, hard-packed piles that must be negotiated around, and endless tracks dirtying the kitchen floor. At that point, I shared my friend's distaste for snow. So we dream ahead of spring and green grass. And figure HERSHEY 241 # WEABER, INC Located on Mount Wilson Road, Route 241 S that, based on the winter's pat- off a "big snow" this year and terns so far, along with that anticipate -and early spring, posterchild for goofy weather-El Meanwhile, go enjoy the Nino-maybe we can just write Farm Show BUILDINGIHE FUTURE Pictured left to right are Solanco FFA members Jim Pelliccio, Justine Hill, Dwayne Spangler, Jessica Schmidt, Robert Lowery, Britina Robinson, and Jim Kerr, who attended the National FFA Convention in Kansas City- Not in photo: Sara Strickler. Solanco FFA Eight Solanco FFA members recently attended the National FFA Convention in Kansas City, the largest youth convention in the world. The conference ran Nov. 12-14. Sara Strickler, Justine Hill, Jessica Schmidt, Dwayne Spangler, Robert Lowery, Jim Kerr, Jim Pelliccio, and Britina Robinson were accompanied by teacher Carey Kalupson during their trip to Kansas City, Mo. Thousands of students, advis ers, ’ and guests attended the convention featuring more than 300 exhibitors representing agribusiness , agricultural orga nizations, machinery compa nies, colleges and universities, technical schools, computer firms, and commodity groups. FFA members also had the opportunity to explore various agricultural careers by attend ing the National Agricultural Career Show. Solanco members earned the opportunity to attend the con vention by points accumulated through their involvement in chapter activities during a Feel Great! [Lose Weight! 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