84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 19, 2000
Mixed signals.
They confounded my mental
processes while driving through
a local small town one day last
week. (Not that it takes all that
much .. )
The mixed signals were rela
tive to exactly what seasonal
state I should be in.
Hanging overhead, at neatly
spaced intervals on light poles
along the town’s streets, were
green and red Christmas ban
ners. And interspersed at sever
al homes along the same street,
wafting gently back and forth in
the light breeze, hung red-heart
ed Valentine flags
Droplets of water splattered
across my car’s windshield from
each car passing in the opposite
direction, meltout from the icy
slush mountains of snow, which
had been pushed up on curbs
and corners in the wake of the
area’s recent spate of mid-winter
storms. Although I’d just run the
car through a local car-wash, it
was rapidly recoating itself with
a layer of that road-melt salt
and chemical mix which dries to
a gritty, grayish, paint-destroy
ing residue.
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Snow stretched across the
lawns and the fields just behind
the single row of small town
homes, evidence that winter was
very much still in residence. But
it remained beautifully pristine
where not marred by the pas
sage of plows, salting trucks and
the endless parade of cars, giv
ing the landscape that Currier
and Ives look which we tradi
tionally associate with the
Christmas season and the
town’s celebratory banners.
A pack of heart-shaped stick
ers, paper reproductions of the
classic “message” candies which
turn up m the stores during
February, lay in a bag on the
backseat with other Valentine
goodies for the kids in our lives
Our grandsons had begun cele
brating the “love” holiday a few
weeks early, making cards and
related projects. Several of them
in fact, bedecked the utilitarian
white doors of our refrigerator
and dishwasher, blessedly draw
ing eye attention away from the
floor streaked with snow-melt
footprints.
Mentally, I associate cold and
snow with the. Christmas holi-
days, but not necessarily Valen
tine’s Day. Makes no sense, real
ly, since it’s much more common
to have snow hanging around in
mid-February than in late
December in our particular part
of the world. So the culture
clashing of these seasonal ban
ners to my mindset might be
confusing, but is pretty normal.
Then I was brought up short
with the bright color from a flag
hanging outside of yet another
house, in stark contrast to every
thing else within sight.
This flag was paintbox pretty,
bright with butterflies and
blooms in pastels of pinks and
blues and lavenders. I couldn’t
help but grin at its obvious mes
sage of optimism.
Someone, it this house, was
defiantly hanging out a protest
sign to the weather.
Spring-silently shouted that
lovely flag-has to be right
around the corner. Or, maybe,
just under the ten inches of icy
white stuff then spread across
the landscape in all directions.
Exposed by the since-melting
piles of snow in the yard, early
daffodils hold tiny, tight buds in
the center of their clumps of
spiky foliage. Dandelions are
ready to sprint into bloom on our
south-sloped lawn, gaining an
extra boost of encouragement
from the moisture trickling
down from the snowmelt.
And the leafbuds on our lilac
bush opposite the calf nursery
swell fatter with each sunny,
warming day, ready to burst
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Betts Equipment
3139 Windy Bush Road.Rt 232
New Hope, PA 18938
215-598-7501
Hoober, Inc.
Mam Street
Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Hoober, Inc.
East Mam Street
McAlisterville, PA 17049
717-463-2191
Deerfield Ag &
Turf Center, Inc.
RR 2 Box 212
Watsontown, PA 17777
570-538-3557
Detlan Equipment, Inc
141 East Mam St
Silverdale, PA 18962
215-257-5177
Thomas L. Dunlap
Rt 220, Mam St Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-1391
with just the slight encourage
ment of a warm, south breeze.
Just the thought of spring
cheered me up the rest of that
afternoon, further encouraged
by bright sunshine which
pushed through the slightly
chilly breeze. Then, just as I
stepped onto the basement
Stress Management Workshop
For Child Care Providers
TOWANDA (Bradford Co.)-
“How to Take the Stress Out of
Caregiving” is the topic of an
upcoming workshop for child
care providers.
Sponsored by Penn State Co
operative Extension in Bradford
County, the workshop will be
held on Thursday, March 2,
2000, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at
the Extension Office, Bradford
County Annex, 701 South
Fourth Street, Towanda. Anyone
who cares for other people’s chil
dren is invited to attend this
free informational program. In
terested parents and grandpar
ents are also welcome to attend.
The workshop will focus on
recognizing the signs and symp
toms of burnout and how to deal
with it, learning on-the-spot
relaxation techniques, and how
caregiver stress affects children.
Eckroth Bros Farm Equip
Rd 2. Box 24A
New Ringold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
Eckroth Equipment Co.
4910 Kernsville Fid
Orefield, PA 18069
610-366-2095
Hines Equipment
RT. 220, Belwood, PA
814-742-8171
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
1950 Fruifville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
M.5-Yearsiev & Sons
West Chester, PA
610-696-2990
Pikeville Equipment Inc
RD 2, Oysterdale Road
Oley, PA 19547
610-927-6277
porch at dusk, a section of the
melting snow on the roof above
let loose its grip on the sloped
metal, right onto my head.
A pointed reminder from
Mother Nature not to get too
carried away just yet.
Join in the optimism rally.
Hang out those spring flags.
It will be telecast live via satel
lite from Penn State University
throughout the US. Experts on
the subject of child development
and care will be the featured
presenters. Participants will be
able to call in questions to the
experts and there will be time
for local discussion.
All workshop participants
will receive a certificate of atten
dance. Licensed child care pro
viders who attend will receive
credit for two training hours.
Persons planning to attend
are asked to register by Feb
ruary 28 by contacting the Brad
ford County Extension Office at
phone (570) 265-2896. The work
shop will be held in the second
floor meeting room. If you would
like to attend, but are unable to
use the stairs, please contact the
Extension Office by February
18.
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Stoltzfus Farm Service
Cochranville, PA
610-593-2407
Stouffer Bros Inc.
1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-263-8424
Rodio Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N.J 08037
609-561-0141
Warren County Service
Center
228 Route 94, Blairtown, N J.
908-362-6916
Frank Rymon
& Sons, Inc.
RD 3, Box 355
Washington, N.J 07882
908-669-1464