9 O ae The Dallas Post i ei a — |"A Case for Conservation bs i n. | Alene N. Case | . Note from A. Case: This is the “second in a two-part discussion of life at Genesis Farm in Blairstown, New Jersey. Two weeks ago Sister ‘Constance shared with us the magic of the community-supported garden there as well as a brief history of the farm and her involve- ment in it over the past 12 years. Constance Kozel belongs to the Dallas Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy and has taught at College Misericordia. She now re- sides in Wilkes-Barre. By SISTER CONSTANCE KOZEL Guest Writer :"As a learning center for re- inhabiting the earth, Genesis ‘Farm has as one of its goals: “to ‘shape a transforming vision of a more sustainable future for the earth and its communities of life forms.” It does this through work- shops, classes, festivals and ritu- ‘als which emphasize the connec- tion between the scientific study ‘of the evolution of the universe and its spiritual dimension. This includes a study of Native Ameri- “can spirituality, especially the Liturgy, celebration, festivals, the making of the beautiful: these flow out of a participation in the grandeur and pathos of the earth, of this place. Genesis Farm has its own history of struggle and pain, failure and frustration. Our memories are received into the memories of the farm. The tired soil, the decaying trees, the wounded deer, the weathered stones, the forgotten Minsi, the exiled wolves, the builders of this house, the family who bequeathed it: we are all links in the ongoing mystery of a creation that is incomplete, finite and even now struggling to give new birth.” — Sister Miriam Therese MacGillis, founder of Genesis Farm The philosophy behind the Genesis Farm community the first flaring forth of the uni- verse. All along the way, one expe- riences the gradual unfolding through eons to the present. One gets the sense of the deep mystery of the universe story and the re- sponsibility we humans have to care for our unique planet. The story is still unfolding and our decisions regarding its direction are crucial. : Another favorite of mine is the morning prayer to the four direc- tions, a gift from the indigenous peoples. They have a deep con- nectedness to all that is. The prayer helps one begin the day with a sense of one’s relationship to earth and the mystery within. On a more practical /local level, another goal of the farm's educa- tional component concerns itself with a sense of place. This refers to what is known as bioregional- ism: understanding the unique characteristics of your region in order to live more sustainably within it. To this end, there are workshops and classes in natural food cooking, wholisitic health, permaculture and gardening, simple life style, earth literacy, alternate and appropriate tech- nology. Two straw bale houses, three compost toilets, a solar panel which provides part of the heating for the farm house, an extensive library and bookstore, five tipis and a kitchen designed for teach- ing are a few of the tools for this work. “Eenni-Lenape, and all earth's spiritual traditions. There is spe- cial attention given to the Celtic form of Christianity which is “rooted in the earth. “zi'A favorite ritual of mine is the cosmic walk. In this ritual, one walks from the center of a great Following the seasons of the year, ifyouvisit the farm in spring, you might participate in such events as maple sugaring, the spring equinox celebration, memorial garden planting, a weekend for persons connecting their religious commitment to spiral to the outer rim. At the center is a candle representing HIE: Il NEWS » a re By NANCY KOZEMCHAK hodl this Christmas season, the Board of Directors and staff . members of the Back Mountain ~ Memorial Library wish to thank all the many friends, supporters and volunteers that make the library thrive in so many ways. Our friends support the library in many financial endeavors and the volunteers help to make the work load on special projects and gen- eral library collection care so much easier for the staff. Truly, they are our special blessings. The mem- bers of the Board of Directors and staff members wish a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season to all of our friends! New books at the library: “Casesar’s’ Women" by Colleen earth spirituality, the beginning of an 11-week earth literacy pro- gram, or you might notice high school classes learning about the joys of outdoor activities and col- lege classes seeing their book knowledge becoming a reality. In the summer, the busiest season, there is an earth day camp for children, earth literacy work- shops, a work program for an international group - Volunteers for Peace -and a Summer Solstice celebration. The fall is the time for the Fall Festival and Autumn Equinox ritual, cooking classes using the abundance from the gardens, the simple lifestyle weekend. Winter brings more cooking classes, the Winter Solstice cele- bration and a coffee house. Throughout the year there are numerous visitors and volunteers, on-going sessions of Women Who Run With the Wolves and board meetings of such groups as Food and Water, Food First and Global Education Associates. As is the universe, Genesis Farm is still evolving. There are hopes of developing another nearby farm as a dairy farm. Currently there are four full-time staff members, a number of part- time persons and volunteers working in the educational divi- sion. One dog, Kushla; two cats, Joshua and Mia; four chickens and one peacock, Thor, are also a part of the farm family. Visitors are welcome (except on Mondays.) Maps are available for self-guided tours. Registration is required for overnight stays and participation in programs. For information about the educational programs write Genesis Farm, 41 A Silverlake Road, Blairstown, NJ 07825. The address for the Com- munity Supported Garden is the same except for the number, which is 41 B. Christmas greetings from BMT library staft, board McCullough is the story of Gaius Julius Casear’srise to prominence in his world, beginning with his return to Rome in 68 B.C. as he prepares to dominate a new bat- tlefield — the Roman Forum. The wars he fights within it are waged with words, plots, schemes and metaphorical assassination. To- day's ally may be tomorrow's foe; everything shifts and changes within this political arena. “Hide and Seak”™ by James Patterson is a frightening and breathtaking novel of terror and suspense. Maggie Bradford is on trial for murder and this is the celebrity trial of the decade. Mag- gie is one of the most beloved singer/songwriters anywhere. She's also the devoted mother of two children. She seems to have it all. And so, the whole world wants to know, how could she have murdered not just one, but two of her husbands? 2 ANE i 2 “Looking For Gatsby” by Faye Dunaway is an outspoken, un- compromising and unapologetic autobiography by one of Holly- wood’s most glamorous and tal- ented actresses, the Academy Award-winning star of many mile- stone movies. She looks back at Dorothy Faye, the little girl from the South who wanted more than anything else to be an actress. She probes relentlessly for the truth about herself and fearlessly confronts her demons, trying to set the record straight. “The Road Ahead” by Bill Gates is an optimistic and refreshingly realistic book, in which the au- thor looks ahead to show how the emerging technologies of the digi- tal age will transform all our lives. As he says, we are on the brink of a new revolution and crossing a new technology threshhold that will forever change the way we buy, work, learn and communi- SKI LOFT >. Complete Ski Packages $299 and Up * includes Skis, Boots, Bindings and Poles Junior Package $149 Downhill : and A] Cross 4 Country * Exciudes Boots Cross Country Packages $139 and up 20% Off Columbia + CB + BoulderGear Jackets and Pants 20 % Off Kids' Columbia Jackets, Bibs, Pants Featuring Equipment by As I was saying Jack Hilsher Curmudgeon time again. First in the barrel, a competitor, sort of, recently wrote after a snowfall about a joyous frolic with her kids. She said, and I quote, they built a “Snowperson!” A SNOWPER- SON??? Did I read right? Good, merciful heavens, what hath our society wrought? This has to be the silliest and worst language perversion yet invented, if invent is the right word. Who dreams this up? Probably the same one who started “clean- ing person” for cleaning lady, “watch person” for watchman (I can hear it now: “Watchperson, what of the night?”) and that king of the mountain, “chairperson” for chairman. This massive silliness reminds me of the “Ms.” craze some years ago, remember? [ was on the phone with a sharp lady purchas- ing agent and I asked if she pre- ferred Ms. to Mrs. “No way!” she howled. “I worked too long and hard for that title to give it up for something as stupid as Ms.!” You probably missed an obitu- ary recently. A noteworthy per- son died at 79, Ian Ballentine. In 1939 he and wife Betty founded Penguin, U.S.A., then Bantam, and then Ballantine. This man was responsible for pocket books, and when I look at the price of today’s hard covers I am thankful he was in the book business. The billions of books that survive him are unaccountable. oo I've read in several places that the Elvis Presley stamp sold more than any commemorative stamp in U.S. history. Now it seems that statement was wrong, and a Washington Bicentennial stamp in 1932 sold a whopping 4,222,198,300 copies. The Elvis original print order was doubled to 500 million, which is three times the normal commemorative print- ing, but was not a record. I got a kick out of the letter writer who sent this item in, say- ing, “Give the devil his due. Elvis Dallas, PA Wednesday, December 20, 1995 5 ai More growls of indignation from resident curmudgeon didn’t exactly live an exemplary life but he was a good soldier and was kind to his mother.” But he sure didn't outpull George. ooo Speaking of stamps, major errors, like having an airplane upside down, can make existing copies rare and worth fortunes. I doubt however, that an error on the Little Orphan Annie stamp will cause much of a splash. On the back descriptive text the word “indispensable” reads “indispen- sible.” Because the misspelling appears on every stamp it can't add any value as it could if only some were unique. Besides, the front correctly quotes Sandy as saying “Arfl” and the eyes of both he and Annie are without pupils, just empty white ovals. Weird, huh? (1 XJ Speaking of the slang expres- sion “Huh?” it suddenly shows up on certain news (?) items inalocal Wilkes-Barre paper. Recently it was used with a story about a man who saw fit to saw off his personal appendage. Didn't fin- ish the story so I can't rell you why. Nor do I care Now I am all for the develop- ment of new words and expressions...it makes our lan- guage more robust and lively. And “Huh?” certainly rears its head in many current conversations, but to have it used in a newspaper layout to call my attention to something that should have been buried inside, not on the front page, is, forgive me, a bit much. Please Mr. Layout Person (or Madame as the case may be) a little good taste is called for here, wouldn't you say? ooo i The curmudgeon rests his case, or cases, until next time. Moran honored at Ithaca Megan Moran of Dallas was chosen for the College Field Hockey Coaches Ass'n All-Star team. A senior halfback at Ithaca College, she was co-captain of the Ithaca team, and earned all-academic honors from CHFCA. She also was named the team's defensive most valuable player. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers