On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
It took a long time. But we fi
nally made it.
Honeymooners today often fly
to Cancun for a week. Start their
life together in Hawaii. Lounge
and sun on the beaches of Flori
da. Maybe even go skiing some
where in the Rockies.
Most newlyweds in our days of
wedding planning couldn’t af
ford such romantic getaways to
begin life together. Especially
when they were milking cows.
And so we spent a day at the
campus of Penn State (visiting
the dairy barns, surprise!) and
made an attempt to get into the
hunting camp in the mountains.
That failed, due to two-foot snow .
drifts from a blizzard, which had
hit the entire region just days be
fore, barring our four-door sedan
from even attempting the effort.
Which, looking back, was proba
bly a blessing because the camp
would have been about
20-degrees and I don’t recall
having sufficient mountain gear
along to cope with such rustic re
ality.
Niagara Falls, a popular
honeymoon getaway of the time,
was never even considered.
Who’d go there in February,
anyway?
A few folks, it turns out. In
cluding some of us veterans of
marriage.
The perfect
landscape tool
Soil Pulverizers
• Two HP ranges: 35 and 50 HP
• Steel roller spikes with
replaceable heat treated sleeves
• Single or double roller
• Heavy wall round tubing on roller
• Ideal for leveling and seedbed
preparation
• Available with seedbox
Deerfield Ag &
Turf Center, Inc.
RR 2 Box 212
Watsontown, PA 17777
570-538-3557
Oetlan Equipment, Inc.
141 East Mam St.
Silverdale. PA 18962
215-257-5177
Thomas L. Dunlap
Rt. 220. Main St Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-f39t
Eckroth Bros Farm
Equip.
Rd 2, Box 24A
New Rmgold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
Eckroth Equipment Co
4910 Kernsville Rd
Orefield, PA 18069
610-366-2095
Although it took us two years
of trying. We made an attempt
last year, but were thwarted by
what turned out to be a rotted
hose in the pickup’s water sys
tem. Easily fixed, as it turned
out, it nevertheless snatched
enough time from our small win
dow of opportunity available at
that time that we bagged the
dash to the border.
So, when our anniversary
rolled around again, The Fanner
determined that we would try
this one more time. Providing
that persistence pays off, we
found ourselves recently perched
and gingerly peering over the
edge of a wall of cascading
greenish water sending mist spi
raling high, high into the cold
winter air.
There, was a minimal number
of us hardy folks braving the
damp, misty chill from the
churning millions of gallons of
water which pour over the Falls
every minute. All of us bundled
up to the hilt under layers of
sweaters and heavy coats, hats,
scarves, hoods, mittens, fashion
tossed to the winds in deference
to Just keeping warm. And, while
summer would certainly be
warmer, we would have missed
, the dramatic ice displays built up
from the Falls’ perpetual mist.
Actually, for the time of year,"
Hines Equipment
RT 220, Belwood, PA
814-742-8171
Hoober, Inc.
Mam Street
Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Hoober, Inc.
East Mam Street
McAhsterville, PA 17049
717-463-2191
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
Lehigh Ag Equipment, Inc.
6670 Ruppsville Rd.,
Allentown, PA 18106
610-398-2553
800-7779-3616
it wasn’t a bad day, allowing us
to hike around deserted park
areas, smiling back to the few fel
low, equally bundled-up visitors
we passed. After thoroughly ex
ploring the American park side,
we passed over into Canada,
where officials who eyed our
pickup waved us through, figur
ing we posed absolutely no threat
to international security.
Pausing for awhile at Cana
da’s larger Horseshoe Falls side,
we then meandered along the
downstream Gorge and its mas
sive hydro-plants, went looking
for the Welland Canal and in
stead stumbled into a prime fruit
and vineyard growing area. Typ
ical farmers, we spent the rest of
the closing day looking at how
others grow things, until it was
so dark we could not longer see.
Opting to spend the night, we
returned to briefly enjoy the Falls
after dark, lit with changing
pastel lights, then decided to go
for broke on this rare occasion
and book a room overlooking the
display. Which, between the off
season rates and the favorable
U.S.-to-Canada currency ex
change rate, turned out to be a
great bargain. From the 11th
floor of a warm hotel, the lovely
display of changing color on the
majestic falls was predictably
even more enjoyable than when
viewed from an icy sidewalk on
edge of the precipice, being
showered by freezing mist.
So we have finally made our
“honeymoon” visit to traditional
Niagara Falls, albeit a couple of
decades later and during the
dead of winter. If you enjoy stun
ning natural beauty, but dislike
crowds and waiting in lines, you
might enjoy it as a winter vaca
tion spot, too.
sure you bundle up well.
landpnde com
M.S.Yearsley & Sons
West Chester, PA
610-696-2990
Pikeville Equipment Inc
RD 2, Oysterdale Road
Oley, PA 19547
610-927-6277
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
Think spring. Attend the York Garden and Flower
Show, York Fairgrounds Expo Center, York, now through
March 4.
York Garden And Flower
Show Grows Bigger
YORK (York Co.) Plans
have been finalized for the ex
panded ninth annual York Gar
den and Flower Show. The show
moves to Memorial Hall at the
York Fairgrounds Expo Center,
York, and will be two times the
size it has been in prior years.
With double the amount of
floor space, the move to the
larger exposition hall allows the
show to expand to become one of
the five largest exclusively garden
and flower shows in the East,
according to Larry L. Shaffer, the
show’s executive producer. Dates
and hours are Thursday, March
1, from noon to 9 p.m.; Friday,
March 2, from noon to 9 p.m.;
Saturday, March 3 from 9 a.m. to
9 p.m.; and Sunday, March 4,
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For years the focal point of the
show has been a series of large
display gardens, and with the ex
pansion this year, “we’ve been
able to add over a third more,”
said Shaffer, “bringing the total
to 13 in all.”
About 100 exhibitors will par
ticipate.
Special- feature displays in
clude floral designs by Federated
Garden Clubs, Daffodil Chal
lenge, Baltimore African Violet
Club and a private collection of
fascinating cacti, along with sev
eral other displays.
There will be thousands of
flofrers, plants, and accessories
and beautiful gardens with ponds
and waterfalls. Other interesting
exhibits include garden statuary,
gardening accessories, orchid
plants, fresh-cut flowers, bonsai
WANTED
A Few Good Farmers
To sell what you grow or produce - sweet corn, tomatoes,
greens, strawberries, peaches, melons, apples, flowers,
baked goods, honey, eggs, milk, cheese, meat, fish.
To come to outdoor farmers’ markets in Philadelphia and
work with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s
Farmers Market Nutrition Program.
To take home as much as $l,OOO a day at peak season
(farmers’ daily sales average over $600).
Variety is the key to success. Small farms are welcome!
Several of our most successful farmers grow on less than
acres
Call (251) 568-0830 or (800) 417-9499
or e-mail duane@libertynet.org
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 3,2001-63
plants and everything needed to
get started in herbal gardening.
Experts will be on hand to dis
cuss tree and lawn care, and pro
fessional landscape designers will
be available to discuss specific
gardening and landscape needs.
“Full-scale gardens highlight
the York Garden and Flower
Show” according to Shaffer, who
noted that “landscape contrac
tors and garden centers will take
up to four days to install gar
dens.” About 20,000 square feet
of space is devoted to these large
display gardens that have be
come a favorite with show visi
tors.
Professional floral design sym
posiums will be offered this year
with tips on how to effectively
use floral arrangements in the
home plus other subjects helpful
to consumers. As they are com
pleted,' the designs' will be added
to the growing exhibition of floral
designs adjacent to the symposi
um room. The symposiums are
offered in addition to the tradi
tional seminars held throughout
the show that cover a wide range
of gardening and landscaping
subjects.
Admission _is $5 for adults,
$4.50 for seniors age 65 and over,
and $2 for children ages 10 to 15.
Group rates are available. There
is plenty of free parking. The
York Fairgrounds Expo Center is
on Carlisle Avenue, Rt. 74 south
of Rt. 30 in York. Information is
available by calling (717)
755-5885.
Farmers' Market Trust