On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards) .
Joyce Bupp
My apologies.
This column is a week late.
Or....maybe it isn’t.
Just because the calendar
said that last week was to be our
annual celebration of Mother’s
Day, does that cut out any other
time to offer a salute to moth
ers? The mothers I know love
and care for their kids (young
and old) 365 days of the year
(366 in leap years), so why limit
our expressions of gratitude and
admiration for all they do to one
day a year?
So, will you accept that as
“excuse”reasoning?
Because I was so busy being a
mom the last couple of weeks
that it got in the way of writing
a timely column saluting moth
ers. Fact is, I did one far out
ahead, and completely forgot
about Mother’s Day. See, after 10
years of being a cross-country
sort of mom and grandmother to
our eldest and her family, a new
era has entered The Farmer’s
and my lives.
All of our kids are back in the
nest. Or, more accurately, they
are in adjacent nests.
Our fist indication that the
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West Coast offspring might
return to her roots came last
fall, some weeks after their sum
mer visit. There were two little
guys growing up fast in their
family, two little guys who love
few things more than “farming”
in dirt piles with their miniature
lines of equipment. Two little
guys and a yellow labrador
retriever confined to the -
though spacious and completely
fenced - suburban back yard.
Two little guys whose contact
with domestic animals was
mostly limited to the numerous
ducks in their nearby parks and
the cattle, horses, and sheep
they occasionally came into con
tact with at the zoo or on coun
try drives.
“I want to go back to
Pennsylvania and help Grandpa
farm,” announced the three
year-old eldest, about a week fol
lowing their return to the West
Coast last summer.
That was certainly not the
clincher argument in their
lengthy, personal ponderings
about where to live during this
child-rearing time of their
young-family lives. Having all
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their immediate family 3,000
miles away played only part of
the role in their decision, which
meant uprooting from a lovely
home and neighborhood, solid
jobs, and many friends.
But back to their roots they
have come. And with them
comes the promise of a soon-to
be third grandchild to further
bless two sets of grandparents
and several great-grandmoth
ers.
Their belongings have made
the long and rather eventful
crossing of the country, driven
by our son-in-law and super
vised by the four-year-old, while
mother-to-be and younger son
took the swifter airlines route.
Despite several technical-repair
mishaps and a wheel fire which
plagued the trailer, holding their
family vehicle behind their rent
ing moving truck, both people
and property arrived safely and
intact.
Two extended families
rejoiced while lugging boxes, fur
niture, and tripping over the
trio of little boys which included
a small cousin. They are settled
sort of into the smaller confines
of the farm’s tenant mobile
home-with-addition until they
choose a more permanent site.
And, for the first time in our
lives, we celebrated Mother’s
Day, the official one, with four
generations on-site.
But in reality, every day has
become mother’s - and grand
parents’ - day, as they pop in for
lunch, ride the toy tractors on
the deck, lug bottles to the baby
calves, throw bedding to the
heifers, shovel silage to the cows,
feed Grandpa’s goldfish and best
of all come with arms out-
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stretched for a hug. It takes o ur younger son has now
longer, sometimes, to get it done. announced his intent to move
But it’s a heck of a lot more fun. West, where the lure of working
Even as we rejoice at the in big-scale agriculture beckons,
blessing of the family reunited, Here we go again.
Mifflin County 4-H
Baby Beef Club News
The last meeting of the
Mifflin County 4-H Baby Beef
Club was April 8 at the Mifflin -
Juniata Vo Tech School in
Lewistown.
The American pledge was led
by Adam Miely. The 4-H pledge
was led by Becky Miely.
Project reports were given.
Project reports include mem
ber’s name, steer’s name, breed
of steer, three ingredients in
steer feed, and what members
have been doing with their steer.
Committee reports were
given on Ag in the Classroom. Ag
in the Classroom will be held
July 18 at the Ag Arena in State
College. Several members will
show and tell teachers about
their steers.
The banquet committee has
scheduled a buyers’ banquet
Sept. 11 at the Camelot in
Milroy.
A field trip to Peachey’s lock
er plant in Belleville was dis
cussed. Possible date for the
field trip is in May.
Paula Fisher gave a short les
son on parts of a steer, then
members identified the steer
parts and wholesale cuts on
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paper. Members then worked on
books.
The last meeting of the
Mifflin County 4-H Lamb Club
was April 22 at the Mifflin
Juniata Vo Tech School in
Lewistown.
The election of officers was
held. President is Gayle Stine.
Vice president is Lisa Macknair.
Secretary is Samantha Speicher.
News reporter duties will be
shared by Gayle Stine, Lisa
Macknair, and Samantha
Speicher.
Vale Fisher discussed the dif
ferent qualities of a lamb one
should look for when picking out
show lambs. A paper was done
on the different parts of a lamb.
Members must be signed up
and have their lambs by May 1
in order to show at the 4-H fair.
The next meeting will be May
29 at 1 p.m. at Tim and Vale
Fisher’s in Granville. There will
be a sheep skill-a-thon and other
activities relating to sheep and
how to show sheep.
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Mifflin County
4-H Lamb Club