Ida’s
Notebook \
Ida Risser
Every now and then it is inter
esting to look back and remember
things in the past Recently, I spent
several days looking over papers in
old boxes. I’ve always saved a lot
of newspaper clippings and letters.
As this is Valentine’s Day, I’ll
tell you about a few that I found.
One was a handmade one that I
gave my Grandma Landis. She
lived with us and helped me out of
some predicaments. One Valen
tine was from a boy in the third
grade that I admired. There were
also large, fancy stand-up Valen
tines that I still display on the 14th
of February.
Among the things that were in
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Satisfaction!
the box were handkerchiefs and
more handkerchiefs as they were
given as gifts to children. There
was even a list of the money that I
was given. Five cents from an aunt
and 10 cents from my grandfather.
My baby book said that when I was
a baby my mother called me her
little “Dolly.” My tin cup that I
used was included along with a
box of almost unused crayons.
Several books of nursery rhymes
were there too.
The past few days I’ve also
looked over hundreds of slides.
My cousin took these pictures and
some are especially beautiful.
They’ve been sorted into groups
SPS-!
itS&W
INC.
430 Concrete Ave., Leola, PA
717-656-2016
CAMP HILL (Dauphin Co.)
Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 9. the
average American has earned
enough income to pay for his or
her family’s entire 1998 food sup
ply, according to Pennsylvania
Farm Bureau.
As a result, Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau commemorated Feb. 9 as
Farm Bureau’s second annual
Food Check-Out Day. Last year.
Food Check-Out Day fell on Feb.
10.
According to statistics from the
such as flowers, pets and vaca
tions. Some from the 19S0s show
the results of a blizzard. Snow
drifts IS feet high closed the roads.
Other slides are of groups of peo
ple who I cannot identify. Some
day they’ll probably be destroyed.
Now it is time to get back to the
present and accomplish something
worthwhile before the winter is
gone.
NEED YOUR
FARM BUILDINGS
PAINTED?
Let us give you a price!
Write:
Daniel’s Painting
637-A Georgetown Rd.
Ronks, PA 17572
(or leave message)
(717) 687-8262
Spray on and Brush in Painting
4 vw%V. /';5
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Food More Affordable Now
Than 25 Years Ago
•S9&'
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 14, 1998-817
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Economic Research Service,
American families and individuals
spend, on average, 10.9 percent of
their disposable income for food.
That means the average household
will have earned enough dispos
able income that portion of in
come available for spending or
saving to pay for their annual
food supply in just 40 days.
‘The early occurrence of this
date is noteworthy,’’ said Jenny
Teeter, chairperson of Pennsylva
nia Farm Bureau’s State Women’s
Committee. “It speaks well of our
nation’s increasing standard of
living, which would certainly be
reduced without the affordable,
domestic, food supply produced
by America’s farmers and ranch-
n
ers.
In comparison to Food Check-
Out Day, Tax Freedom Day—the
day the average American had
earned enough money to pay
federal, state and local taxes
was May 9 last year, according to
the Tax Foundation.
“I find it amazing that people
can pay for their yearly food sup
ply three months earlier than it
would take them to satisfy their
tax burden,” said Teeter. “Rather
than being an economic burden.
“Look, Pappy. Let’s check this one out,” 21-month-old
Kyle seems to say as he circles a mailbox market ad. Just
like his grandpa Rlcki Bashore, Kyle, son of Stacy and Rick
Bashore of Lebanon, prefers to study newspaper ads while
eating breakfast.
food remains quite a bargain for
shoppers. That’s the way it should
be”
Teeter hopes Americans will
come to understand that afford
able food is “a product of our suc
cessful food production and distri
bution system.”
The percent of disposable
income spent for food has de
clined over the last 25 years. In
1970, Food Check-Out Day would
have been 11 days later Febru
ary 20. Food is more affordable
today due to a widening gap be
tween growth in per-capita in
comes and the amount of money
spent for food, according to
USDA.
This overall decrease is made
more notable by the fact that
trends indicate Americans are
buying more expensive conven
ience food items for preparation at
home, as well as more food away
from home. USDA’s latest statis
tics, compiled for 1996, includes
food and non-alcoholic beverages
consumed at home and away from
home.
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is a
voluntary, non-governmental or
ganization which represents
25,247 farm and rural families.