On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other hazard
Joyce Bupp
A tall, lovely tree graces the
living room of our old farmhouse.
Beneath the reflection of a lu
minous gold star at the top hang
shiny ornaments of red and blue,
green and silver. Golden tinsel
shimmers in the air currents
stirred by a wintery wind outside
our slightly-drafty old home.
Piles of gaily-wrapped gifts be
decked with pouffy bows are
heaped beneath.
White icicle lights highlight the
house’s porch and exterior, out
lining windows lit with flickering
candlelight reflecting off the
snow. Greens loop around the
deck, interspersed with red
bowed wreaths and a twinkling
outside Christmas tree.
Yeah, right. In my dreams.
Year after year, I oogle those
lovely layouts of holiday havens
in home-garden type magazines,
designed by professional decora
tors and fueled, obviously, by un
limited time and budgets. Also
apparently homes with no kids,
no dogs, no farmers tracking end
less mushy, muddy footprints
through the kitchen.
And each year I am convinced
anew that, while such layouts are
beautiful for dreaming, holidays
are about family. And family
here is kids, farmers, dogs, and,
of course, cows. All of which, ex
cept for the occasional near-fro
zen, newborn calf brought to
thaw at the basement woodstove,
are part of our household.
So once again we celebrate
with our “eclectic” holiday deco
rations, some old, some new,
some experimental, many hand
crafted gifts, but all with particu
lar personal meaning.
Our living tree of several years,
a Norfolk Island pine purchased
nearly a decade ago as a potted
plant in a post-Christmas sale, fi
nally outgrew our ability to house
it. It has moved to the higher
calling in the higher-ceilinged
bedroom of our grandsons, where
the kids can decorate it, undec
orate it, and redecorate it to their
hearts content.
Replacing it are two smaller
“trees,” living topiaries of peren
nial English ivy I’ve trained for
AeaAxm WitR
two years into tree-shaped forms.
One has tiny white light (and cow
ornaments if I can ever remem
ber to go retrieve them from the
attic, while the other is simply
wrapped with gold tinsel and
topped with an angel crafted by a
friend.
An assortment of gift, scented
candles top the television in the
living room, adding a cozy glow
and fragrance to the house on
cold, dark nights. Also handy
during our recent ice-storm
power outage. Candles absolutely
fascinate our grandkids. We have
to pick up and smell the various
scents of each one whenever they
stop by, though I never light
them with little folks in the
house.
But the eclectic seasonal dis
play piece d’resistance is our
manger scene, a mixed melange
of miniature pieces accumulated
over the years. Mary, Joseph and
the Baby Jesus in the manger are
colored plastic statuettes from
one set. Our Wise Men are carved
from wood, as are shepherds,
some whimsical little sheep and a
donkey missing part of one ear,
from another set. Joining the
group over time is a plastic black
and white cow from a long-ago
toy farm set and a rusty-red
horse, maybe from the same
place.
Completing the manger, final
ly, is a rustic stable to go with the
pieces, one of ideal size and
shape that I stumbled across a
few months ago at a “dollar”
store. The price was affordable.
The whole point of this display
is that small hands can pick up,
play with and rearrange the
pieces, offering an opportunity to
talk about what it means. This
also means that our Baby Jesus
may turn up on the coffee table
or a wooden Wise Man could be
keeping company with the Teddy
bears on the rocking chair.
When I recently lamented the
appropriateness of this mis
matched, mish-mosh of a manger
scene, our daughter gently re
minded me that the original
manger scene certainly did not
“match." And. she added if I
wanted something resembling
Pennsylvania Lamb And Wool
Queen Contestants Needed
ROCKWOOD (Somerset Co.)
Young women who desire to
promote the sheep and wool in
dustry have an opportunity to
compete for the Pennsylvania
Lamb and Wool Queen title Jan.
11, during the state Farm Show.
Candidates must be between
the ages of 16-21 as of Jan. 1,
2003.
Contestants will be judged on
the following four categories:
• Consumer Promotional Dis
play A display that promotes
the sheep and wool industry
should measure no more than
3x3 feet and be sturdy enough to
display on a tripod provided by
the contest.
• Public Speaking Each con
testant must give a 2-5 minutes
speech before judges and the au
dience Jan. 11 at 4 p.m. in meet
ing room E, second-floor of the
Farm Show Building. The pre
sentation should address some
aspect of the sheep and wool in
dustry, be informative, and in-
i 9
Dairy Farmers of America
Northeast
PO Box 4844, Syracuse, NY 13221
315-433-0100
Mid East Area
3737 Embassy Park Way, Fairlawn.Ohio
44334
1-800-837-6776
Maryland & Virginia
Milk Producers Cooperative Association. Inc
vpSa/jx www.mdvamilk.com
jpgggr 1-800-552-1976
MIDDLEBURY CO-OP
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WORKING FOR YOU
MIDDLEBURY COOPERATIVE MILK
PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION INC.
RR #4 Box 1018, Little Marsh, PA 16950
570-376-2192
mount jor
FARMERS CO-OP
2ueUity IHUA
1-800-860-6569 • 717-653-5431
Email: MtJoyMlLK@supernet.com
LANCO DAIRY CO-OP
Serving Pennsylvania, Maryland
and West Virginia
315-858-0312
Pairylea
Cooperative Ino-O""
PO Box 4814
Syincuse N V 13221
800-654-8838
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 21,2002-B3
originality, there should probably
be some chickens scratching
around in the background and at
least a cat or two curled up in a
corner of the stable.
So we'll celebrate with our mis
matched eclectic tributes of the
season and memories and love
they represent. Which, after all.
is what this holiday season is all
about.
Merry Christmas and we
wish you a season filled with
hope, love, jov and peace!
elude how the contestant would
help promote the industry.
• Interview Each contestant
will be interviewed by a panel of
judges beginning a 3 p.m. Jan.
11, in meeting room E of the
Farm Show Building. Contest
ants will be evaluated on general
sheep production knowledge, the
sheep and wool industry, com
munication skills, poise, person
ality, enthusiasm, and availability
to fulfill responsibilities of the
Pennsylvania Lamb and Wool
Queen title.
• Writing Skills Each con
testant is required to submit an
article introducing herself and fu
ture plans for promoting the
lamb and wool industry. The arti
cle must be 200 words or less and
double spaced. Judging will be
based on clarity, use of language,
writing skills, anc' ability to ex
press thoughts and ideas. Submit
three copies of the article, along
with a wallet or snapshot-size
photo at the time of judging.
Appropriate attire for
judging participation is
a dress, pants, skirt, or
suit that contains wool.
Contestants should
arrive at the meeting
room E no later than
2:30 p.m. on Jan. 11.
The contest will take
place from 3 p.m. to 6
p.m. The queen and her
family and friends are
invited to attend the
royal banquet at 7 p.m.
following the contest,
where the new queen
and her court will be
crowned.
Applications must be
submitted by Dec. 31.
Request more informa
tion and an entry form
from Heidi Svonavec.
887 W. Mud pike, Rock
wood, PA 15557. Or
phone (814)926-2779.
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