A pathetic sight, it was.
The beige-feathered bantam
hen, hopelessly tangled in a
piece of nylon netting, was filthy
and wet from thrashing in the
mud in a comer of the pasture.
Andy and Nate, two of our after
school work team, had rescued
the bedraggled hen when they
switched milking herds. We
quickly took a sharp scissors to
the netting, then gave the hen an
impromptu warm bath in a
bucket.
She cursed us in chicken talk,
squawking with a vengeance, at
tempting to inflict damage.
After the dunking, I wrapped
her in a towel, carried her to the
far end of the bam and released
her. Save for the extremely bad
temper (she flung a few more
unprintable chicken epithets at
me as she fled), the hen seemed
J llfjou Cany Find It Here, You Won't Find It!"
L CANOPY BEp " \ / 5 PC.~dTnETTE ' \ '
Full/Queen r = T = T = l I I 42" White Mica Round Top ,
Matt Black II l.p (4) Pink Vinyl 1
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cShPrir* I Reg. Retail .
*229 95 * ■ PH I I ]\~FP\\ $699.95 1
5229.95 f> I f Our Price W9.QC I
5149959 95 / L Closeout $ 209 95 /
BOOKCASE/ ’ '
CHEST | ‘J "i 1
Reg. Ret. $299.95 ’ ' j
Our Price $159.95 j
Closeout
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Loveseat, $
Center Console,'
Side by Side I
I Reclinere, Sola .
I Factory Liquidation w/Hlde-a-Bed 1
I Reg. Ret. $2,589.95 Special I
ISSS'** *949“/
4 DRAWER CHEST '
Pine Finish and Brass
Hardware
Reg. Ret. $149.95
OUR CASH PRICE
WITH COUPON
#2 *3QO4 i
r BEDROOM SET"" \
(Bleached Oak) Plus Chest .
Reg Ret With Jewelry Case Top 1
q|!
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M CHEST
Pf Richly embossed cherry
ft with brass handle***™™'*
I Reg. Ret. $499.95
nJ Our Price $242.95
s»T Closeout
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■ Way under wholesaler
SLEIGH BED '
MAHOGANY - FAIRFIELD feaaß
Reg. Ret. $839.95
Our Price $529.95 jk.
Special *329”
- Ralls extra _ Closeout
FIVE PIECE DINETTE g;
Table & Four Chairs - Natural, ' Jms) '
Whlte/Natural, Green/Natural jy I
Reg. Ret. $1,029.95 TOOfwTfrri|l\
Cash Price $469.95 1 V fi ll
Special *289“ /1 M'l * .
none the worse for her misfor
tune.
Next morning I spotted her in
the distance, still squawking.
This time, her ire was aimed at
the persistent pursuit by one of
our two roosters.
Our once-abundant pasture
bantam flock has dwindled to
few, tough old-timers. Their ef
forts in the last year or so to
reproduce have been repeatedly
short-circuited by foxes, hawks,
owls, and Mamma Cat, our pro
fessional barn-pest patroller.
Since chickens are not encour
aged around dairy operations,
we have left nature take its
course. And no more thought
was given to the mad, wet hen,
except for Andy’s and Nate’s in
quiry about her a few days later.
Then, a few evenings before
Easter, the hen appeared outside
5 PC.
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36x6uOak Veneer Table w/Brass I
Trim (4) Oak Arm Chairs on .
Castors 1
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DESK '
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Closeout r
*49“
(Contemporary rams n
1 SOFA and LOVE i
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Reg. Ret $2100.00 rpS§| PgS^ l
C*«h Price , '-= I |
. SPECIAL $ 649® 5 /
/ BEDROOM SET '
Reg. Retail $1229.95 I
I Our Price $449.95 ,
I Cash $399.95 1
i D UTI xfO. Closeout *
hPiifcW,»369 04 1
_ _ j
DINETTE 1
36x60 Oak Veneer Table I
(4) Oak Side Chairs |
Reg. Ret. $499.96-
Closeout
h 1
HUNDREDS OF OTHER ITEMS!
3019 Hempland Road, Lancaster 397-6241
' Stores In; UNCASTER • YORK • CARLISLE, PA
STORE HOURS: Mon.-Frl. 9-9 • Sat. 9-6; Sunday 12 to 5 PM
• No Refunds
•No Exchange* For purchases with a check, bring FINANCING
«I3S • Cash & Carry drlvart licanaa and phene number* AVAILABLE
Not responsible tor typogrepfecal errors Ws reserve the right to subctflute 9ft llimt
the heifer barn with five tiny,
new chicks in tow. The four
cream-colored and one charcoal
baby peeps were just adorable.
Knowing the cats would shortly
be on watch, I told the guys I’d
try to find and snag the little
family after dark, knowing a
couple of grandchildren across
the meadow would be thrilled
with a family of real Easter
chicks.
Evening came and went, we
got busy with something else,
and the hatched egg hunt was
forgotten. So first thing next
morning, before pitching in with
chores, I went searching, hoping
to beat the cats to the punch.
Just outside the distant end of
the barn, on the ground, hunk
ered the hen. Three feet away, a
cat waited, knowing she would
begin stirring at daylight and
the chicks would become vulner
able.
But, before I could inch quite
close enough to snag her, that
hen bolted into mid-air, scream
ing unbelievably loud insults at
the top of her tiny lungs. One
chick had died overnight; I
scooped the other four into a
plastic pail. The Farmer arrived
to lend a hand; it took several
minutes before we could coax
her to the edge of the leaned
over pail, where he corralled
her. Against her screaming,
squawking, pecking protests,
she and her family were tucked
Futon Closeout '
• In Black & White I
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Reg. Retail
(BiSioVrSt $639.95
Cash Price
$259.95 I
95 „/
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ORGANIZER . 1
Reg. Ret. $459.95 '
Our Price $249.95 ' 1 1
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5 PIECE DINETTE SET CLOSEOUTV
Solid Oak Table
Reg. Price $899.95
OUR PRICE
$249.95
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COPPER
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Sale Price *69**
into a cardboard box in the
warm barn office, then headed
home with our daughter after
morning chores.
It was the grandson’s
“project” of the day to help set
up chicken wire around an old
smokehouse, shake out straw,
fill a small water container and
scatter finely-ground corn. The
kids were enthralled with the
chicks, more than making up for
enduring the verbal abuse and
flogging attempts from the hen
all through this process.
Later in the day, to our
daughter’s groans, her hubby in
formed her that, early that
morning, he’d spied a great
horned owl perched in the trees
directly overhead of where she
had set up the poultry pen.
Two more of the chicks died,
including the little black one
which lay still inside the fence
Laura England Joins ADA/DC
PHILADELPHIA Laura
England has joined the Ameri
can Dairy Association/Dairy
Council Middle Atlantic as di
rector of communications, it was
announced recently by Chief
Executive Officer Bret Rigby.
In this position, England is re
sponsible for all communication
activities, including public rela
tions, media relations, product
publicity, print materials and in
dustry relations. As a member of
the senior management team,
she also will assist in developing
strategic and corporate goals
that support both regional and
national dairy promotion initia
tives.
England, who grew up on a
dairy farm in central Pennsylva
nia, has worked in communica
tions for nearly 17 years. Prior to
joining ADA/DC Middle Atlan
tic, she was self-employed as a
communications consultant,
working for Land O’Lakes and
other agriculture-related clients.
She previously worked in dairy
cooperative communications
and as an agricultural journalist.
“We are pleased to have
i
Middle Atlantic Staff
THERE’S SOMETHING
ABOUT EE CREAM^
Lancaster Ruining, Saturday, May 6, 2000-B5
when the boys took me on a
chicken tour one evening last
week. But at the back of the
snug pen sat the hen, carefully
concealing the remaining family
members beneath her petite-and
currently clean and dry
feathered frame. And she was
glowering at us through the
fading light.
We dug a shallow hole and
buried the tiny chick. Josh, age
five, chose a small rock as a
gravestone. Caleb, a less under
standing almost-three, wanted
to do “More!” Rerunning the
burial of the chick seemed
highly tasteless, so we diverted
his attention to more upbeat
pursuits.
No one has seen the owl
lately.
But it no doubt figured all this
fussing by humans over a couple
of chickens in an absolute hoot.
someone with Laura’s commu
nications background and com
mitment to the dairy industry as
part of our team,” Rigby said.
“She will provide key leadership
in developing our communica
tions program and in working to
maintain a positive public image
for dairy products and the dairy
industry.”
England graduated from
Penn State University with a
bachelor’s degree in agricultural
sciences. She earned a master’s
in business administration
degree, with an emphasis in
marketing, from La Salle Uni
versity.
England has served in leader
ship positions with numerous
agriculture-related organiza
tions, including the Pennsylva
nia State Council of Farm
Organizations, the Cooperative
Communicators Association
and the Regional Infrastructure
for Sustaining Agriculture
(RISA). She is an active member
of the Philadelphia Chapter of
the Public Relations Society of
America.
England and her husband,
Joe, and their son, Matthew,
reside in North Wales.