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I Notes To Dad
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| Nancy Yergin
S Forest County
s Extension Agent
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Connecting the Generations
My father worked in the natu
ral gas fields of western Pennsyl
vania and New York from the
Depression years until I was bom
in 1948.
When Dad was feeling talka
tive, he’d tell me about his life in
the years before World War 11.
His stories were full of accounts
of working in bear-infested black
berry brambles, of run-away
drilling rigs hurtling down hill
sides, and draft mules that left
lasting impressions on backsides.
My favorite story was about his
getting almost to California
(Land of Opportunity) before his
Model A broke down in Utah, re
sulting in a six-week long trek
back to Pennsylvania by foot and
boxcar. When asked about this
A.U Herbs
Plus One
.Mineral! ,
Depression experience, he re
membered that the roads were
full of “tramps and bums” all
looking for work and handouts
(and he was one of them).
Curious about recollections
from his childhood, I asked about
his memories from the ‘teens.’
Dad recalled hurrying to get
on his pony to go tell the midwife
that his mother was in labor with
her 11th child. Another memory
was of two great-uncles who had
fought on different sides during
the Civil War. These brothers
survived to spend their twilight
years together side by side in
rocking chairs on a Jefferson
County farmhouse porch, argu
ing about battles they’d fought in
and taking occasional slashes at
each other with their canes.
Dad remembered wearing his
mother’s apron and sunbonnet in
order to milk the family cow
without being kicked (the cow
was partial to my grandmother).
Other memories included leav
ing school after sixth grade to
help on the family farm and liv
ery stable where teams of draft
horses were rented out to loggers
and oil producers.
He’d sigh and tell me that
every animal had to be unhar
nessed, cleaned, brushed, and fed
before the dinner bell rang at 6
p.m.
When my father died in 1991
at age 81,1 wrote down as much
as I could remember about this
family history before it was lost
to me, the Baby Boomer, and my
own son who belongs to
Generation X. Time, after all, has
a way of erasing memories.
Are you a “Boomer?”
According to Penn State pro
fessor Matt Kaplan, last year
marked a milestone in American
history that many people missed.
The first of the 76 million Ameri
cans born between the years 1946
and 1964, the well-known “baby
boomer” generation have reached
the age of 55. This landmark oc
currence signals some interesting
changes in the enterprise of
grand-parenting.
Dr. Kaplan says that first, we
will see a surge in the num
bers of grandparents and
that by the year 2005, there
will be an estimated 80 mil
lion grandparents. Of those,
nearly half will be baby
boomers, and they are likely
to be quite different from the
grandparents of previous
eras.
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There will be 2 hay wagons in front of the store
loaded with close-outs and specials from
all over the store—some as much as 80% OFF!
Bay wagons re-stocked daily.
Monday Through Saturday
July 22 - 27
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Summertime Hours: Mon., Wed. &Thurs. 8-s;Tues. & Fri. 8-8; Sat. 8-12:00
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LEACOCK SHOE STORE
64 Old Leacock Rd., Between Rt. 340 & Rt. 30
717-768-7440
• *
They probably will be more lib
eral (after all, this is the Wood
stock generation), healthier
(thanks to dietary and medical
advances), more active, and
wealthier. In addition, they will
identify with different historical
events, have different ideas about
work and play, and have differ
ent heroes.
A surefire way to help grand
children and grandparents ap
preciate family stories and mem
ories is the “oral history”
interview. The interview can be
focused on the grandparent’s life
experiences either in a general
way, or with an emphasis on a
USDA Features Pork In
School Lunch Program
DES MOINES, lowa The
U.S. Department of Agriculture
will conduct a pilot purchase pro
gram providing schools with the
opportunity to receive cooked
pork items through the National
School Lunch Program. The Ag
ricultural Marketing Service and
the Food and Nutrition Service
are jointly developing a program
allowing schools to order vendor
specific cooked pork products
from suppliers approved by
USDA.
“This is a great opportunity for
the pork industry to expand its
horizons,” said Steve Schmeichel,
a pork producer from Hurley,
S.D., and chairman of the Pork
Checkoff Demand Enhancement
committee.
“Obviously this opportunity is
great to push pork supply and
* • S'
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Sneakers, Shoes, Hunting Boots, Clothing,
Roller Blades, Ice Skates, Sporting Goods
Special Sale Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8-8, Sat. 8-2
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 20, 2002-B9
HAIIT SPECIALS *
unv *&. Nm mvibv
10% I* 80% Olf • *
• •:
particular theme (such as how
people dressed) or historical
event (such as Woodstock).
Any tape-recording or written
record of the interview should be
treated as a valuable family keep
sake. Whether it is through trav
el, discussion, or other activities,
shared experiences are gratifying
for both, grandchild and grand
parent. These experiences also
help lay the groundwork for
strengthening family, a benefit to
be enjoyed by future generations.
Each family has its own identi
ty, traditions and rituals for cele
brating family. It’s never too late
to start a new family tradition.
also to introduce pork to school
aged children so it becomes a reg
ular nutritious option for them to
choose the rest of their lives.”
The new opportunity for pork
to be used in school lunches re
sulted from meal-preference sur
veys the USDA sent to schools.
Survey results determined that
pork was a definite choice for
school meals.
Suppliers have to meet criteria
determined by the USDA before
they can market their product di
rectly to schools.
Pork will be represented
through Checkoff-funded efforts
at the American School Service
Show in July. Representatives of
the pork industry will talk to sup
pliers and schools and also dis
tribute free samples of pork.
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