84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 1,2003
On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other hazards
Joyce Bupp
Sit!
Stay!
Don’t you dare come out of
that hole in the ground.
This message is a public serv
ice announcement for the general
groundhog population of the
area, of anticipation of tomor
row’s holiday.
Do not, repeat, DO NOT, come
out of your burrow. DO NOT see
your shadow. DO NOT cause us
to have six more weeks of winter.
Ladies Day Program Set For
Pa. Holstein Convention
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) The Ladies Day pro
gram has been set for the PA
Holstein Convention in Bethle
hem on February 20.
The Ladies Program will
begin a short distance from the
Holiday Inn, at the Hotel Beth
lehem, with morning snacks
and beverages. After the official
welcome, the ladies program
will move to the Moravian Mu
seum of Bethlehem. The muse
um is located in the 1741 Gem
einhaus (Community House),
the oldest building in Bethle
hem and a National Historie
Landmark.
The group will congregate in
the Terrace Room at the Hotel
Bethlehem, after their historic
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Fat chance that’ll work.
Then again, what can it hurt?
Winter this year—not the offi
cial calendar-date start of the
season but the actual nasty, bitter
weather—blasted in a good four
or five weeks sooner than most
years. We’ve had rain storms,
sleet, nor’easters, southwestern,
snow squalls, 10-inch-snow blan
kets, light ice, heavy ice, and
pipes frozen that haven’t seen ice
in several years. Doesn’t it stand
tour, to take in the words of Dr.
Leo Frangipane, who will be
speaking on “Focusing on the
Right Stuff.”
Frangipane has been a prac
ticing surgeon for almost a
quarter of a century, sharing his
life with patients who face dis
ease, tough decisions, fear,
anger, even death. Frangipane
received a B.S. from St. Jo
seph’s University and his M.D.
from Temple University School
of Medicine. He speaks nation
ally and internationally on is
sues of wellness, and is a con
sultant to healthcare
organizations
across the
U.S.
to reason that we could hope
(plead, maybe?) for it to break
earlier than usual as well?
So we don’t want to take any
chances with groundhogs seeing
their shadows and scooting,
scared-stiff, back to bed until
mid-March.
This is all quite in contrast to
just a year ago, brought back to
mind vividly one day last week.
In the midst of tossing stacks of
old newspapers onto one of the
heifer pens bedding pack, a head
line caught my eye. The chuckle I
got from it countered my shiv
ering while pausing to ponder the
big, bold newsprint letters.
“Groundhog or no, we need
some snow,” pleaded the area
publication quickly snagged be
fore it sailed into the midst of the
weaned calves, gleefully kicking
their heels while they raced
through the layer of freshly
tossed paper. Warnings
were already going out
early last February, regard
ing the dire straits of the
A well-prepared luncheon
prepared by the Hotel Bethle
hem staff will provide the ener
gy needed to complete the day
for the ladies at the Holstein
Convention. For the remainder
of the afternoon ladies of the
dairy industry will be set loose
to “gaze” at the various small
shops that line Main Street of
Historic Bethlehem. Busses will
be returning to the Gateway
Convention Center at 3:30 pan.
and 4:30 p.m.
If you have questions about
the Ladies Day Program, con
tact Andrea Semmel at (610)
799-3489.
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ground moisture conditions
around the region, and the
drought potential for the upcom
ing summer months.
Recall, too, that temperatures
for last January averaged—aver
aged!—36 degrees, which is some
5 degrees above the normal aver
age for the first month of the
year. And, like the January of
2001 before that, remained prac
tically barren of moisture, either
rain or the more seasonal snow
falls.
So, here we are, a year later,
having bid farewell to a January
of extended, prolonged deep
freeze living, accessorized with
the likes of burst water lines,
stalled vehicles, multiple vehicle
skid-slide-crash pileups, Minne
sota-like-ice-fishing conditions
and rapidly disappearing stacks
of firewood.
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So, consider this: what ground
hog in its right little mind would
even consider poking a furry face
out of its nice, Snug, no-wind
chill-effect, underground burrow?
But, just in case one would
make an attempt to stagger out
of hibernation to encounter a
scary shadow, let’s not take any
chances.
So, please join our Six-More-
Weeks-Of-Winter, Anti-Ground
hog, Stomping Session.
Go find your nearest ground
hog hole and stomp several big
chunks of ice down in as far as
you can shove it without getting
lodged in there with a family of
furry rodents.
Do it today. Tomorrow may be
too late.