] On Being a
| Farm Wife
•(and other hazard:
Joyce Bupp
Most days, life here is a bit like
living on the animal planet TV
channel.
Our shows are predominately
black-and-white, with Holstein
cows scattered at various places
around the farmstead. Mostly,
that’s the barns and pastures, but
sometimes the backyard, or out
in the middle of a held, strolling
down the road or trashing the al
leyways in the calf pen. Their
care and feeding, milking and
cleanup, vet care, health mainte
nance, breeding, and various-re
lated chores are all-consuming.
While the cows are the back
bone of our animal planet life, it’s
the bit players that often provide
the most entertainment.
Parked on the bird feeder one
/'ll ' ' ’ BEDROOM
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Bookcase Headboard and 2 Nightslands;
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SLEEPER
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Price
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jCiostoirr $1,229” I
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Twm/Double, Comes in Black &
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i Q Reg. Ret. $869.05
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L.- _ -kUnder Whglesaje*- ,i
morning early last week was a
squirrel, hunkered down and
stuffing sunflower seeds into its
fuzzy gray face with a vengeance.
It’s the first squirrel to frequent
the feeder in nearly a year, whfn
the prior resident bushy-tail had
a run-in with one of the bam
cats. And lost.
While the squirrel was stuffing
its cheeks, the two hen “wild”
turkeys scrounged around under
the feeder, pecking up dropped
seeds. Each sat on a nest of eggs
for several weeks, with no results,
so The Farmer shooed them out
of the hatching pen, back to a life
of free foraging. They promptly
showed up the next morning out
side the calf bam. Foraging for
calf feed.
While the hens tried their best
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2 Styles Reg. Ret.
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lit on
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3019 Hempland Road, Lancaster 717*397-6241
Stores in: LANCASTER • YORK • CARLISLE • LEBANON
STORE HOURS; Mon.-Fri. 9-9 • Sat. 9-6; Sunday 12 to 5 PM
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■ Not responsible for typographical errors We reserve the right to substitute gift items.
to do the mothering bit, the gob
bler suffers with an identity cri
sis. Despite having been penned
with the hens for a couple of
weeks, he returned to his old
haunt after release. A weedy
patch between the bams, loung
ing around with a couple of an
cient chickens, is where the gob
bler prefers to spend his days.
Sometimes the hens buddy up
with the pair of guinea fowl. But
turkeys are much too slow and
plodding, and get left in the dust
by the hyperactive guineas. The
guineas also spend a good bit of
time cozied up to the pickup top
per currently parked on the
ground outside the shop. Appar
ently they enjoy socializing with
the two identical guineas they see
in the refletive windows.
Guineas are our animal planet
comedians.
Daily, I’ve been shooing out of
the yard two dozen Canada geese
that shinny up over a large wood
en beam edging the lawn from
the sloping pond bank, cross a
flower bed and graze on the
grass. With a meadow and sever
al ponds available, these birds in
sist on lounging, lawnside, under
the big willow tree. A goose
“fence” I put there of brush and
limbs deterred their crossing. By
at least a minute or two.
Lancaster Farming,
Along with all thaw is the crew
of assorted bam can that keep us
company doing chores, a slew of
backyard songbirds including
cardinals, blue jays and several
scrappy doves, whose behavior is
more like the hawk that lives
high above the woods. There’s
even a good-sized snapping turtle
that parades around the farm
and a fat rabbit in the back yard,
our own tortoise-and-hare pair.
While we generally co-exist
with all our animal planet cast,
we do have an occasional close
encounter of the scary sort.
Foxes are a familiar sight, find
ing easy living on the plentiful
roadkill along the interstate high
way cutting through the farm.
Spying one poking around the
backyard on a recent morning,
though, is unnerving. Soon after,
our daughter reported that a fox
had been sitting on her patio,
where their little children regu
larly play.
We agreed that this fox was
getting far too familiar, and like
ly had a problem. Erratic bchav-
Mercer County Grange Fair
Offers Variety Of Activities
MERCER (Mercer CoA~- This must be one page submitted from
year’ Mercer the -Official Mercer County
Grange Fair activities include the Grange Fair Coloring En-
Annual Guys and Dolls Contest, tries wUHte. receive Rajhis con-
Monday, July 7 beginning at 6 test on Mondays, jWy , yi>tim 10
p.m. The judges will select a girl a.m.-8 p.m. irime'exhibit build
and boy for first and jgcfrnd ing.
place in four . On Wednesday an Animal
groups: toddlers, ages 3 thru 5, .Dress-Up Contest will be con
ages 6 thru 9, and agfes 10 thru w ;jjqgt)&d at 6 p.m. in the Horse
12. The Little Girls should have Show ring. This contest is open to
with them a doll and the boys a livestock exhibitors of fair ani
stuffed animal. All tinners will ma ls to include cattle, sheep,
receive engraved trophies along goa ts, and rabbits. Prizes will be
with prize money, judging' will awarded in six different classes:
West time, most original, pretti
, ugliest, funniest, and most
.eatTVe. " 1
The" Annual Pet Parade will be
conducted Thursday, July 10 in
the Horse Show ring. Only chil
dren 12 years and are per
mitted to enter., be
awarded in three differed divi-
ride in the Fair Parade on Tues
day evening.
The Fun and Safety Poster
Contest is open to three different
age groups: age 8-11, age 12-14,
and age 15-18. The theme of the
poster must be “Fun and Safety
on the Fair Grounds.” Students
should use this theme on their
poster and illustrate the interde
pendence between riders and
rides. Poster size must be
14'/2x22-inches, equivalent to
one-half of a standard poster
board. Posters will be evaluated
on use of the theme, visual ap
pearance, and creativity in rela
tion to exhibitor’s age.
" ■ The Ayfttmng poster of each age
be entered in the Fun
Poster Contest at the
gSfr-jfeiasylvania' State Farm Show,
' 2004. Entries will be re
ceived for this contest on Mon
day, July 7 from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
in the exhibit building.
There *re. four age grbpps in
the ‘ages
2-4, ages 5-8, ages 9-13,amf aecs
,■l4 and up- including adults. Chl-
books are available froni
$£ iany memberdfthe Fair Board or
thy 748-4007. Entries
V *
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Saturday, July 5, 2003-B3
ior and loss of fear by normally
wild animals are often symptom
atic of rabies.
As we enjoyed a snack on the
porch that evening, the fox sud
denly came trotting into the yard.
The Farmer is a fair shot, and
moments later, ended the strange
fox’s invasion.
A bit later, I found a phone
message left earlier by a neigh
bor, alerting us to the bizarre ac
tions of a fox that had been
roaming the yards of our wooded
development next door, peering
in glass doors and generally act
ing aggressive. Police and wildlife
officials had told them to have
someone shoot the fox and dis
pose of it. Could we do that if we
spotted it?
A quick return call thanked
her for the warning and assured
her that the fox was already his
tory.
All of us in our local animal
plaflet neighborhood rested easier
that night.
sions. ♦ v
Bring your family'to the fair
on Saturday afternoon from 2
p.m.-5 p.m, for contests such as
the Pie Eating Contest, Apple
Peeling Contest, Cow Chip Toss,
Potato Relay Contest, Baled Hay
Stacking, Little Tractor Pull, Egg
Toss, Football Throw, Milk
Chugging Contest, Watermelon
Eating Contest, Treasure Hunt in
Sawdust Pile, Baby Photo Con
test, and the Pet Photo Contest.
If you are really lucky you will
win a $5O gift certificate from
Reyer’s Shoe Store by being the
winner in the Stinky Sneaker
Contest.
The Mercer County Grange
Fair is July 6-July 12 at the fair
grounds one mile east of Mercer
on Route 58.
For additional information
please call Virginia Richardson
at (724) 748-4007, Bill Straub at
* (724) 588-6134, or Bert Mont
gomery at (724) 376-3546.