On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
The lawn army is on the move.
Before my 61-cents worth of
onion sets were in the ground this
year, folks in every direction were
attacking grass with their lawn
mowers.
Since our garden tractor/lawn
mower is currently disabled with
a flat tire, the sight of the lawn
army on the move sent shivers of
guilt down my spine. Because our
lawn is starting to look pretty
“clumpy.”
Somewhere along the way to
modern society in this country, it
evolved that a sign of civility and
progress is having homes, com
mercial and public buildings
framed in a surrounding expanse
of natural green carpet. To meet
our lawn society’s exacting stan
dards, that grass must forever be
the color of St. Patrick’s Day
shamrocks and mown within an
inch of its life. Literally.
To this end, countless lawn
care business have been estab
lished and; millions of lawn own
ers spend untold warm-weather
days and evenings mowing, trim
ming, spraying, fertilizing, thatch
ing, treating, and all the other
endeavors necessary to maintain
the picture-perfect lawn.
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Now, this is not Mother-
Nature’s choice, mind you.
Mother Nature likes diversity.
Walk into any abandoned lot or
a tended one, for that matter and
take note of the variety of plant
species which spring up over a
period of time. We tend to call
them “weeds,” if they are not
some specific plant we want in
some specific place. Seeks of
these diverse species can live in
the ground for years, just waiting
for the optimum conditions to
come along and them - whoomp!
up they sprout to mess up those
putting green perfect lawns.
The horizon-to-horizon
prairies of the great plains of our
country were a prime example of
Mother Nature’s lawn care philos
ophy. Blends of grass species,
which thrived over the eons,
evolved into the ideal grazing
grounds for herds of native bison.
Recent history, known as
progress, has replaced prairie
lawn with grain crops, sprawling
acres of development, criss
crossed with the interstate high
ways and fast food restaurants.)
Despite all the “improve
ments” we two-legged types have
wrought in her master plans.
Mother Nature still single-mind
edly works to revert everything
we cultivate to some sort of
prairie.
If you don’t believe that, let
your lawn grow, untouched over
the next few weeks and see what
sort of interesting natural species
pop up there. Almost overnight.
Among them, no doubt will be
one of the most maligned, under
appreciated-and prettiest-plants
around.
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STAUNTON, Virginia
Four contestants competed in
this year’s Virginia Dairy Prin
cess Pageant, held in January at
the Ingleside Resort.
The pageant was held in con
junction with the Virginia State
Dairymen’s Association Con
vention in Staunton, Va.
Dandelions,
In these brief few weeks of
April, the dandelion is king. Or
queen? Whichever. No bloom not
even sunflowers more resembles
the brilliant ball of sun which is
climbing higher‘each day in the
heavens immediately over us than
does a dandelion. Its hundreds of
tiny, needle-like petals combine to
make a soft, cushy blossom
almost unrivaled in brilliance of
color and hardiness of habit.
Besides their cheery, yellow
blooms, dandelions produce edi
ble leaves high in nutrient value
for our health. And they’re not
particular about where they grow.
But you knew that already.
Even if dandelions weren’t
pretty and weren’t healthy to eat.
I’d enjoy ‘em anyway. That’s
because they regularly appear
clutched in the chubby hands of a
couple of grandsons, grins split
ting their play-smudged faces.
“Flowers, grandma! “was the
smiling offering brought to me a
few days ago, short-stemmed dan
delion blooms plucked from the
abundance of the plants scattered
about the yard and flower borders.
Of course, we tuck the stubby
stems into a small vase, ooh and
aah over them, even knowing all
the while their cheery blossoms
will be curled and dying by morn
ing.
Beauty truly is in the eye of the
beholder-and dandelions borne in
the chubby hands of little loved
ones are flowers near perfection.
Besides, how could one not
like a flower that is brilliant of
bloom, beloved by little kids and
salad gourmets, and has the good
humor to develop into puffy seeds
which we can blow at each other,
and which than wisk away on the
wind and plant themselves.
Up with dandelions.
The Chi Machine
The Sun Harmony Aerobic Exerciser
Does your body get the oxygen it needs?
(Adapted tmm a quiz by Dr Eijn Noguchi)
Check all the boxes which apply to you -
□ I wake up tired, even after eight hours of sleep
a I sleep restlessly, waking up frequently
□ I suffer from chronic fatigue
0 I have poor physical endurance
□ I tend to be moody and irritable
□ I am susceptible to colds and flu
□ 1 suffer from allergies
□ I frequently feel tense and on edge
01 am frequently constipated
OI have frequent pain in my shoulder and/or back
□ 1 have weight problems
□ 1 crave sweets, alcohol or soda
If you checked more than three boxes, your body
might not be assimilating sufficient oxygen
Please consult your physician You may wish to
have your blood oxygen levels tested - before and
after you begin to use the Chi Machine
“My research has
convinced me that lack
of oxygen is the root ol
most or perhaps even all
- Dr Shizuo /none
Robinson
disease”
Crowned Virginia Princess
Laura Beth Robinson from
Winchester was crowned the
new Virginia Dairy Princess. A
junior at James Wood High
School, Laura is very active in
school, community, FFA, and 4-
H activities. She has served as
president, sentinel, and histo
rian of her FFA.
Last fall Laura traveled
throughout Virginia, Maryland,
West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio,
and Wisconsin as a member of
the 1999 Virginia 4-H Dairy
Judging Team. She was also a
member of the Virginia FFA
Dairy Cattle Development
Team, which placed fourth at
the national contest. Laura also
helps conduct farm tours and
educate young children about 4-
H activities in her community.
Melissa Hope from Berryville
was crowned the Alternate
Dairy Princess. She is a tenth
grader at Wakefield School. She
is a member of the tennis team, a
peer mediator, and a member of
the service club. Melissa is in
volved in the dairy community
as a member of the Board of Di
rectors for the Virginia Junior
Holstein Association. She has
also competed in dairy bowl and
participated in the youth retreat.
The two other contestants
were Renee Sine from Wood
stock and Elizabeth Fuller from
Mt. Solon. The girls were inter
viewed by judges prior to the
pageant. They also performed
Newly-crowned Virginia dairy royalty include from left
Rene Sine, Dairy Duchess; Melissa Hope, 2000 Virginia Al
ternate Dairy Princess; Laura Robinson, 2000 Virginia
Dairy Princess; Lindsay Potts, 1999 Virginia Dairy Prin
cess; and Elizabeth Fuller, Dairy Duchess.
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, April 8, 2000-B7
skits during the pageant.
“Into the kitchen I shall
creep. If there is no milk, I shall
weep. Hot of cold, it’s smooth as
silk. My favorite drink is always
milk,” said Robinson during her
skit, which featured a bedtime
story about milk.
In addition to the skits and
the interviews, the girls also an
swered a final question. While
the contestants were preparing
for their final question, Lindsay
Potts, 1999 Virginia Dairy Prin
cess, gave her farewell speech
and thanked the many organiza
tions and individuals who sup
ported her during her reign.
During her farewell address,
Lindsay introduced Virginia’s
dairy maids. Nearly 20 girls be
tween the ages of nine and 14
will serve the dairy industry this
year by promoting dairy prod
ucts in their schools, 4-H clubs,
and communities.
Judges for the pageant in
cluded Susan Summers from the
Maryland Dairy Princess Pro
gram; Dr. Ray Nebel, professor
of animal reproduction and phy
siology at Virginia Tech; and
Crystal Lewis, Miss Virginia.
At the end of the pageant, the
judges selected Laura Robinson
as the 2000 Virginia Dairy Prin
cess. Melissa Hope was named
Alternate Dairy Princess, and
both Elizabeth Fuller and Renee
Sine were named dairy
duchesses.