On Being a Farm-Wife (and other hazards Joyce Bupp That wasn’t frost on the pump kin last week. That was ice. In a predictable finish to an unpredictable growing season, Mother Nature ahd Jack Frost had their annual go-round earlier than usual. “And I was hoping for a long, warm fall,” grumbled a young friend, pulling his shirt collar around his neck against the brisk breeze punching through the wind tunnel between the calf nursery and the old bank bam. Some 30 acres of our late planted soybeans were still a lush green color, their pods full of bor derline-mature beans, the night last week that temperatures plummeted toward freezing. The Farmer, after a quick check of *' ENDTABLE SET 3 Pack i (f*rt f’f Reg. Ret. $239.95 I ’ , Cash Price $149.95 [ ft * CLOSEOUT | W ■ SOQO4 ' i pc."dining" room ’ ' Double Pedestal Table, 6 Side Chairs ■ _jW TS Reg. 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Enroute from tucking a tender calla lily under wraps for the night, I paused mo mentarily at a wax begonia, just covered with dainty, pale pink blossoms. Too pretty to lose, I decided, tugging the shallow-rooted plant from the damp flower bed and parking it in a container of loose Christmas i-,3a Special ; l“Ij Buy your gift now & save ! money - While they last l ! i ri SPECIAL 1 Reg. Ret. $499.95 S4JQO3; Cash Price $249.95 ■ • * Micro Fiber Chaise Reclined, Cash Price $30935 ' y”-j. Closeout s2*9*9 I {' , -i- FINAL CLOSEOUT-1 ' NEED TO HOVE i 5 259 03 ; ''Dining Room \ 36 x4Bx 60 Birch Veneer '* r 1 * * _ ]?[ Table with a Self Stonng Leaf J,, TTUh'! Your Choice; ' ' i Table Set or Server w/Table Set | Reg. Ret. $149.95 Reg. Ret. $1499.95 ! Cash Price $439.95 Cash Price $859.95 ' 'Closeouts237.9s Closeouts4B9.9s / '3 Pack Cocktail Table Set \ YORK • CARLISLE • LEBANON STORE HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9-9 • Sat. 9-6; Sunday 12 to 5 PM • No Rotunds SB • All Seles Final For purcheses with a check, bring FINANCING ■t® SC • Cash A Carry drivers license and phone numbers AVAILABLE LNot responsible for typographical errors We reserve the right to substitute gift items. potting soil. It found company with a couple of colorful impa tiens plants and two tender aza leas, already snuggled inside the greenhouse. In an unusually lucky bit of timing, I’d stapled new layers of plastic lining inside our little plant shelter just two days earlier. Unseen at the time, there was company afoot out there, also hastening to batten down as early hints of the cold season came poking around the place. Ears of yellow field com, deco ratively piled on the front porch with our single, large orange pumpkin and some colorful gourds, began to sport kemel-less bare spots. Bad enough that the mice are making overtures about moving in to share our shelter; even worse. I’d been laying out a banquet for them on the porch. The com went into a container for winter squirrel feeding. Squir rels are scarce enough in our yard that we provide them ears of com, stuck on a nail in a tree. mice get, um, other offerings. received an expense-paid trip to tj.., „• national competition. Heather But, not only are mice on the stitched 100 .£ rcent flan . move. Other critters have been n el wool suit. The doubli-breasted hastily crawling for cover, al- jacket with lining was hand-quilt ready decked out in their season- ed. Padded shoulders, front slash al fuzzy fashions. Wooly worms. pockets, and a semi-fit makes it Wooly worms on the porch, perfect for winter wear. The slacks are lined just below the knee to allow for slits at the bot tom. A wool sweater and scarf complemented the outfit. Taking first place in the adult and in the made-for-others divi sion was Sharon Donahoe, Bed ford. Her outfit and a photograph of her wearing it will be sent for national competition judging. If her project is selected, she will also receive an expense-paid trip to national competition. In Black Comes w/8" Mattress Reg. Ret. $2300.00 Cash Price * W i . Cash Price ; $129.95 1 if ' 1 SPECIAL ! 11 $68.98 < Wooly worms at the bam. In the yard. On the basement floor? That last was a bad choice, be cause the fuzzy, black-and-brown catepillar I spied on the floor while pulling on my bam shoes wasn’t moving. Seeking refuge in the house had turned it into wooly-worm roadkill. Or, maybe “floorkill” is more accurate. chilled me out. It was a solid black, indicative of a fierce and bitter winter. But, the floorkilled one sported black “bookends” with a-brown middle, or a mild winter flanked by early and late bitter weather. Several more seen hustling around after the frost were identical, offering hope for breaks in Artic-type weather. By midweek, frost damage ap peared to be considerably less than feared. While our couple acres of Sudan grass were nipped pretty badly, the soybeans barely had their heads clipped with the chill. Those lush grassy clumps sheltered the lingering tomatoes to enjoy a bit longer. And the wooly worms continue on the move. The first one spotted totally Watch where you step. While an early frost may have hastened the wooly worms about their journeys, they seem to be in some disagreement on their weather predictions. Traditional ly, brown-colored wooly worms mean a mild winter, black wooly worms mean a harsh winter, and mixed bands equate to mixed weather. Make It With Wool Contestants Stitch Success (Continued from Page B 2) Lancaster Fanning, Saturday’, October. 11 1 2003-B3 Sharon modeled a two-piece suit that she designed incorporat ing several different patterns. The loose-fitting, fully interfaced and lined jacket has a collar, slightly extended shoulders, and is made from navy and off-white micro weave Pendleton wool suiting. The pockets and buttonholes are triangular shaped and made of coordinating fabric used for slacks. The tapered slacks are made of navy blue Pendleton wool. In the made-for-others catego ry, Sharon stitched an English wool suit for Kristie Corle, who modeled it. Capturing first-place in the preteen division was Madison Ochoco, Doylestown. The 8-year-old chose a lightweight charcoal gray wool to make a flared jumper with buttoned shoulders. Second place went to Stephanie Augustine, Palmerton. Tied for third place were Amber Getz, Lehighton, and Gabrielle Augustine, Palmerton, Judges for the event were Marie Kieffer, Cynthia Dialogue, and Chris Übaidi.