On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other hazard
Joyce Bupp
Nearly every critical stage of life
is marked with a ritual.
Rituals are society’s way of seal
ing an intent, celebrating a pas
sage, and observing solemn, sad,
and happy occasions. Births and
baptisms. Confirmations and Bar
or Bat Mitzvahs. Wedding ceremo
nies. Funeral processions. Those
are just a few that come immedi
ately to mind.
Not all rituals are “life and
death” types. Some are funny;
some perhaps irritating, some just
plain silly.
Birthday parties could probably
be considered rituals. What better
occasion to celebrate than the mile
stone of a year in one’s life?
My late father had a sort of ritu
al he followed every fall when he
packed up for deer hunting. Practi
cally everything he took along for
the several-day stay, ex
cept for his rifle and
ammunition, was care
fully packed into brown
paper grocery bags.
Now 1 chuckle when I
find myself stuffing
things to take along
somewhere into a more
rugged equivalent: plas
tic grocery bags,
Children often devel
op rituals which must
be faithfully adhered to
each night before they
get settled into bed.
Maybe it’s a last drink
of water, a particular
storybook,'or the light
ing of a favorite, friend
ly nightlight somewhere
near their bed. And bet
ter not forget the be
loved “blankey,” or
stuffed animal, if any
one plans on getting
any sleep.
Rituals offer comfort
and continuity.
Early, warm weather
sent many of us die
hard gardeners on our
knees observing an an
nual ritual that almost
borders (with apologies
to all our ministerial
friends) on being sacra
mental. Kneeling down
in a sort of communion
with the fragrant, damp
ground to plant the first
seeds of the season al
ways seems to me very
much like an act of
faith, almost prayer.
Despite the continuing long-term
drought and prolonged months of
skimpy moisture, recent showers
helped soften the soil’s surface to a
rich, crumbly texture. On a warm,
sun-splashed March afternoon,
planting something anything!
helps fulfill a gardener’s longings
to coax up green life.
Our primary garden is never
ready for planting this early, so I
take inventory of the lawn area
where I’d been cleaning off the
usual winter accumulation of
wind-blown litter: leaves, scattered
maple twigs, a damp paper cattle
mineral bag, five-gallon bucket,
couple of plastic flowerpots, and
plastic grocery sacks. Absent those
distractions, the ideal seeding cor
ner presents itself.
The small, square basin of field
stone was crafted by The Farmer to
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catch and slow runoff from around
the bam, then release it into the
underground tile drainage system.
Periodically, the stone basin fills
with an accumulation of a sawdust
and manure, a rich source of pot
ting soil, with a bit of lime added,
for the greenhouse plants. As each
shovelful passes from basin to
bucket, inevitably some loose soil
drops off onto the ground at the
base of the stone, forming a perfect
early-planting patch. It catches the
early morning rays of the sun as
well, warming the soil sooner than
less-sheltered spots.
And close enough to the bam
that the ever-present cats should
help discourage hungry bunnies.
During another seasonal ritual
taking inventory of assorted seeds
packets of all sorts of seeds
turned up, including a couple ap
propriate for this early comer
tender leaf lettuces and tiny rad
ishes. It takes but a few moments
to carefully tuck these seeds
into minuscule rows, then
gently cover them in with a
sprinkling of soil. A large
box of sturdy, clear plastic,
upturned over the tiny plot
of promise and held down
with a sturdy rock, will en
hance the sunshine, provide
shelter from chilling wind,
and help keep the cats from
digging there.
Like many rituals, the
Made in
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Pa. Guild Of
Craftsmen Plans Workshops
RICHBORO (Bucks Co.)
The Pennsylvania Guild of
Craftsmen will present the 2002
Workshop Series at the Tyler
Craft Center in Tyler State Park,
Richboro.
first planting may be more symbol
ism than substance. Cold weather,
prolonged damp, unseasonal heat,
drying winds, slugs, bugs, or a vari
ety of factors may limit the success
of this symbolic patch.
But none of that can detract
from the satisfaction derived from
having performed this annual ritu-
A ritual of hope.
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A variety of workshops are of
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Workshops range from begin
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RD 2, Box USA
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