The Valley - February 2013 by The Valley Newspaper

Serving Mifflin County and the surrounding area.

The Valley A free newspaper dedicated to agriculture, self-reliance, frugal living, and modern homesteading. Tomorrow’s Media - A Day Early Volume 4, No. 2

Complimentary

The Valley, February 2013

Local 8 Year Old Bags First Buck by Wayne Stottlar Being a mostly self taught hunter, nothing puts a smile on my face more than seeing Dads taking their young sons or daughters out hunting. My boys went with me when they were young and I can remember my oldest boy Jeremy at 4 years old hanging over the bow of the canoe placing duck decoys out on Paugus Bay up in NH. Then he would join me on shore in snow squall conditions and wait for the ducks to come in. He never really complained much, I regret not having the boys out more than I did, but those memories are some of my finest treasures. The little mental videos like my memory of my middle son Jared taking a difficult uphill shot at a deer when he was about 13, or memories of my youngest, Justin, coming home with coolers full of fish from Lake Winnepesaukee at about 6 or 7 years old just as I was heading out for work. Often his bike and fishing gear would be gone already as I headed out to work at 6:00am. I didn’t do enough with them, I wish I had a redo, but seeing them in the same process of teaching their kids, better than I did, makes any effort I took at least a step. I didn’t have a parent who hunted, oh we fished quite a bit, and don’t get me wrong, that was valuable teaching as well as tons of fun. I still love to fish to this day. But come fall, when some of my other friends went hunting with their dads and older brothers,

I always envied that and cherished those few times when my friend’s fathers would invite me along. Those times were few and far between though and I contented myself with fishing and trapping until I became of age to hunt by myself. Everything changed after that. During hunting season I was either in the oak woods hunting squirrels, or walking the cornfield edges hoping to scare up an occasional pheasant, and yet other times I was picking my way through swamp edges and hedgerows hunting rabbits. I hardly missed a day during the season.

These weren’t prime spots mind you, they were places that were available to someone who was restricted to where ever his bicycle could take him, and because of that, I learned them like the back of my hand and became fairly successful there. In fact, thinking back, I am sure my father was annoyed at times with requests for ammo almost constantly, and Mom too with the many different critters that lived in her freezer. We did eat everything though and it was always delicious. After I got my driver’s license, the horizons expanded and now I could reach areas to hunt

bigger game like deer. I still remember transporting my first deer to the check station in the trunk of my ‘67 Sport Fury, (come to think of it, you could probably haul half a dozen deer in that trunk) and I was 18! So when I see the Dads and Moms of today taking out their young kids and teaching them to hunt, I am always moved by it. Just such an experience was enjoyed by a local boy this past hunting season. My wood supplier and advertiser in The Valley, Brian Stine, is such a dad. Because I tend to have wood delivered pretty much year

Successful hunter, 8 year old Bradan Stine showing his first ever buck. Through careful learning from his father Brian, Bradan was able to kill his first buck in his first season.

Lighting Brush Fires in People’s Minds

round so as not to have to do it all at once, I get to talk with Brian on an ongoing basis. Brian works hard, often long hours, at work that makes me tired thinking about it. I know I used to do it, but I wonder what kind of predicament I would be in if not for guys like him at this stage of my life. During trout season Brian and Jen, his wife, would bring the kids down behind the house on occasion to fish. That kind of inclusion by the parents is something I wished there was more of out there. I remember Brian, kind of matter-of-factly, stated that Bradan, their oldest, was going to start hunting deer this year, under Brian’s watchful eye, at the ripe old age of 8! Brian had been teaching him to shoot, and he had taught Bradan to scour the woods around their camp looking for sign and trying to find patterns of movement. After studying the deer in the area, Brian picked out a deer that he thought Bradan would stand a good chance of getting a shot at, a young spike buck that seemed to always be in the area. Everyone needs to start somewhere, matching wits with a cagey old buck more often than not ends in failure for a young hunter. When the animal has more skill than the hunter, it’s advantage deer. But younger deer are as inexperienced as younger hunters and both offer each other an opportunity to learn. With the first couple hunts

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The Valley, February 2013

Editor’s Corner Wayne Stottlar I had a big surprise just the other day. While I was tabbing back and forth between working on the paper, as well as all of those other things I keep my eye on, a familiar symbol popped up on Facebook. I admit, I had to check twice, but after reading a couple of posts, I was sure it was no imposter, it was really him! Our long lost friend and original writer for The Valley, Rick Hanson! Some of you new readers might not have heard of him, but Rick wrote a VERY interesting and thought-provoking column on life in the backwoods of Maine. Often using humor of a style unique to him, Rick was a big hit with our readers. This was evidenced by all of the sad faces and inquiries when the connection to the modern world became a little overwhelming and Rick shot the computer and the TV and proceeded to go on walkabout, where he has been ever since. When Rick needed to break away for a while, we wished him the best, and hoped that someday he would be back, if only off and on. Rick is a individual, that is for sure, but his lifestyle is what produces extraordinary stories that people just love. Several Amish fellows have been asking me off and on if I ever thought he would write again, the last time I was

asked was just a couple weeks ago. Well Rick said that when he gets settled in, he may just pick up a rock and a piece of slate and start scratching stuff down. He said he missed it, so perhaps we will see some of his downeast humor from the “No Manors Homestead” up in the backwoods of Maine! I sure hope so, by the second or third post Rick made, I had tears rolling down my face from laughing. Rick is one of a kind, and had a big hand in getting this paper up and rolling down the road. I hope you all had a chance to read last months article by Dave Molek concerning Agenda 21. From the volume of letters we received, it seems many of you have, even those three cowards who didn’t agree and felt it necessary to express their outrage at us for offering the information. They earned the label coward, because like most people who choose to spout off, they didn’t have the guts to sign their letters. We also received a cut out editorial from the LA Times by someone who is an anti-hunter, anti-gun, anti- Liberty writer. The reader that chose to send that piece of toilet paper was also too afraid to sign his name somewhere so as we could get back to him...oh wait, those types don’t want anything spoken but their point of view, my bad.

The other letters and comments were positive and thankful that as independent media, we have the guts to publish what other outlets hide from. You three that were upset last month might want to head for the Maalox now, because Dave has another dose of truth for you on the Agenda 21 issue. From what he told me, this is a multi-part story, and as such will continue in this issue and future issues until we have the subject covered. For the anti-hunter who sent the editorial against hunting, it is no mistake that we chose to run the success story of 8 year old Bradan Stine’s first ever buck on the front page. I hope you enjoy the story as much as we did printing it for you. Perhaps some day, the folks that don’t like Freedom and Liberty and try to silence what they don’t agree with, will realize that we won’t be silenced. We put out information for readers to consume and then come to their own conclusions, we are not trying to force anybody into any position—it’s a free newspaper! As evidenced by the letters, the other side just plain doesn’t want you or anyone to hear what they don’t agree with. I am smiling, can you tell? I am smiling

because we will continue to bring you stories you won’t often hear in many other places, and topics many others feel are too politically incorrect to allow the public knowledge of, or because they are beholden to some entity that controls their purse strings. That isn’t us, we have no purse or strings for anyone outside to control, we are just hard working people like you the reader, doing our part, trying to live in the manner we choose. We believe in personal Liberty and that every man has the right to choose his path without interference or outside influence. You will notice several pieces this month, and probably in the future, concerning our second amendment to the Constitution as well. Many folks thought this signaled a move to the right or extreme. This is not the case, but it is an important issue that needs to be covered thoroughly, something the 24-hour, 1-minute news bite media refuses to do. I say it’s because they aren’t news, but rather a theatre production, meant to keep you glued to the tube. We are going to cover it until it doesn’t need to be covered anymore, but that doesn’t change who we are. We are not right or left and would accept the label Libertarian leaning, if you must. Real simply, we believe in our Constitution and will strive to force our representatives to follow it, and to the best of our ability let you know when they aren’t. Then it is up to you, cause like I said, we are putting information out there, but it is up to you to act. Doing your part isn’t just writing a e-mail to your representative either. I do, but the

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Contact Info Editor/Publisher Wayne Stottlar Graphic Artist/Co-Publisher Lynn Persing Associate Editor Colleen Swetland The Valley PO Box 41 Yeagertown, PA 17099 (717) 363-1550 E-mail: thevalleynewspaper@gmail.com Web: www.thevalleynewspaper.com ©The Valley. All Rights Reserved.

form letter responses are further testament to the absolute contempt they have for your opinion. Catch them in their office (they hate that), but carry it beyond your representatives in the federal government. Take it local, start attending your town meetings and demand to be heard. It may take a little while, but you will soon see the lack of respect for your tax dollars and you’ll become aware that many in those offices do not really want to hear your response to anything they do. I know it seems like work, and it is, but you will get much more out of getting involved than you ever will being droned out and manipulated by your television. Come to think of it, now I understand why Rick shot his television and computer and took a stroll through real life for a while. Maybe that is why I feel so content at my Amish friends’ houses—no TV there! a

The Valley, February 2013

Our first article prompted much response. The large majority was positive, but just a very few were negative. Just to provide a bit of clarification, this paper provides information for consumption, we do not demand people follow our lead. Anyone who accepts our suggestion and reads more about Agenda 21 accomplishes our goal. We start with our belief in limited government, liberty, accountability and personal responsibility. We dislike government mandates, empowered bureaucracies, infringement on private property rights and control or elimination of the free market and its principles. We favor effective stewardship of our environment respecting individual liberty, property rights and economic freedom. We believe that people are the most important, unique and precious resource. We believe that the Agenda 21 efforts to address international environmental problems (real, exaggerated or imagined) solely through the United Nations or other global forums lessen the effectiveness of proposed responses. Agenda 21 clearly support and advocates wealth transfer to developing countries, which unnecessarily demands that our United States cede control over many elements of our own economic and individual liberties.

Flowery Language by Dave Molek

In 1993, President Clinton established, by Executive Order 12852(sound familiar?) a President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) for the purpose of implementing Agenda 21 in our country. At times, the political agenda embodied in Agenda 21 and sustainable development is implemented under other names for purposes of political expediency. One of PCSD’s advisors said in 1998 , “ participating in a U.N. planning process would very likely bring out many …who would actively work to defeat any elected official…undertaking Local Agenda 21. So we will call our process something else, such as comprehensive planning, growth management or smart growth”. Sound familiar? In contrast to the unalienable rights contained in America’s founding documents, the U.N. Charter and Declaration of Human Rights are based on a very different idea: that rights are granted and rescinded by men. To me, this means that individual rights would take a back seat to the collective in this Agenda 21 process of implementing sustain-

PACleanWays of Mifflin County Keep PA Beautiful by Pam Sechrist New Rules Require Recycling of Electronics – As of January 24, 2013, electronic devices, such as laptops, computers, monitors, and televisions, can no longer be disposed of in the regular trash. Under the state Covered Device Recycling Act of 2010 (Act 108 of 2010), waste haulers will not be able to accept these items unless the township or borough has a curbside electronics

collection program that ultimately sends the devices to an electronic recycler. Proper recycling is important since these devices contain heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, and mercury that do not belong in the normal trash stream. Many of these devices also contain metals that can be separated by experienced personnel and reused in new products.

able development. The authors of Agenda 21 have said it will affect every area of life. They group these areas according to 3 objectives: Equity, Economy and Environment. They call for what they term shifts in attitudes. The Equity area premise is that individual human wants, needs and desires are to be conformed to the views and dictates of planners. The Economy area calls for international redistribution of wealth with substantial new and additional financial resources going to developing countries. The Environment area favors nature above man which reads to me as a restructuring of the government system of the world’s nations so that all people of the world will be the subjects of a global collective. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) provides policy recommendations to assist local governments in the implementation of sustainable development. Around the world, ICLEI is responsible for communicating with local special interests to translate these international policy objectives

into local and regional legislation. It is claimed every county in America now has sustainable development directives guided by federal agencies and/or ICLEI. This is a nonpartisan issue. This should be recognized as the classic battle between liberty and tyranny. These social, economic and political transformations will mean suppression of unalienable rights for our people. The language Agenda 21 proponents use sounds so friendly, and meaningful and urgent. These are old words with new meanings. Instead of us listening to sound bytes and reading biased headlines or summaries, people need to check things out for themselves. The language is being changed and manipulated to quietly implement a very destructive policy. Under sustainable development (as it is termed), there can be no limited government as advocated by our founding fathers because Agenda 21 tells us the real or perceived environmental crisis is too great (their words, not mine). We are reminded that Agenda 21 is part of a U.N. treaty. Article II, Section 2, clause 2 of our

The law also requires manufacturers of covered devices to host one-day events to collect, transport, and recycle these items, or institute permanent collection programs or mail-back options. Some retailers also accept electronics for recycling either at no charge or in exchange for rebates or coupons. A current list of collection opportunities, including those offered by manufacturers and retailers, is available by calling the state Department of Environmental Protections toll free recycling hotline, (800) 346-4242. Information is also available from county recycling coordina-

tors, whose contact information can be found at www.dep.state. pa.us, keyword “Recycle.” The Mifflin County Landfill accepts electronics for recycling at their Transfer Station. For more information call 717-242 3301 or go to their website at www. mifflincountyswa.org and get a list of all available recycling locations. You can also see what else you can take there to be recycled. It soon will be time to start our spring clean ups. Our first meeting this spring will be at noon at the Downtown OIP on the first Tuesday in February. In case of bad weather it will be moved to the second Tuesday. The guest

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Constitution includes the treaty clause. This clause empowers our President to propose and negotiate agreements between the U.S. and other countries and which become treaties only after the advice and consent of two-thirds of our Senate. We know this treaty has not yet been adopted, but its provisions and policies still permeate federal laws and regulations. With the use of Executive Orders over the past 5 years, there appears no limit on the President’s use of that power to implement his agenda. We understand Agenda 21 is a dull topic which has been able to fly under the radar since 1992, slowly working its way into our cities and counties. It is easy to overlook the socialism creeping in at all levels through Agenda 21 policies. It will be tough to beat back Agenda 21. We are not conspiracy nuts. We do not like sounding like the messenger of doom. We are just very concerned about what goes on secretly behind our backs without the biased mainstream media reporting on at all. Remember the days when the media reported facts and information – they called it journalism? Those days are gone. Be concerned and get informed. a

speaker will be John Dawes from the Foundation for PA Watersheds. We will be covering plans for our 2013 river cleanup at this meeting. If you are interested in getting involved, you can join us at the meeting or contact pammiff@ verizon.net. To find out what we may be doing on weekends in the spring, log on to www.keeppabeautiful.org and go to events.

Pam Sechrist Affiliate Coordinator 717-899-6701 or 717-348-3534 a

The Valley, February 2013

Shade Mountain Naturals, packaging evolution! Keeping it local

Here on Shade Mountain we are striving to hold true to our slogan: “creating excellence with nature’s finest!” We know our products are made using the finest ingredients, and we wanted that excellence to carry over to our packaging. Years ago, Shade Mountain Naturals products were sold only at Shade Mountain R&R, our Massage Therapy business. As customer base grew, I saw the need to have a local retailer. Donna at Snowflake Manor welcomed our products into her local store. Next was AJ Peachey’s, soon followed by Nature’s Harmony, Shafer’s Barber Shop and Simply Home Gift Shop. This was great, business is growing and we are doing what we love: making soap! As with all businesses, we evolve to meet our customer’s needs as we grow larger. We spend a great deal of time to make our soaps unique in appearance. We felt it was extremely important for the customer to not only smell, but see our soaps. So at every retailer we made displays that held a “bare” bar (to see and smell) and then for purchase, bars were in labeled brown bags. The problem was this, we wanted to keep the display bars looking and smelling fresh (we were

Shade Mountain Natural’s beautiful new packaging is a major improvement over brown bags. The new cardboard wrap features the Shade Mountain logo as well as an identifying band to designate, stock soap, Limited Editions, and Seasonal Scents. Limited Editions and Seasonal Scents have additional labels identifying their scent. The new packaging also has an open window so that you can see, feel and smell what you are buying. The new packaging works well with wholesale mail orders.

switching old for new every three to four months, which is lots of display bars when you figure on approximately 16 different bars times four displays at the retailers!). Also, we had numerous calls from retailers out of the area that would like to carry our soaps! Wonderful, but, how could we keep up with having the display bars at all our retailers. Custom-

ers could not see the soap at all through the brown bags and they all looked the same—plain and brown. Problem solving began last summer while spending a few rainy days at the beach. I sat down with paper and scissors and made a model of a

wrap-type-box-thing that wrapped around the bar, but most importantly, had a cutout so that the side of the bar would be visible. My daughter, Kaitlynn (who is

Last month’s feature soap “Stressless” is shown here in the new packaging that highlights the visual beauty and attention to detail that goes into producing Shade Mountain Natural’s soaps.

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an Engineering major) drew this prototype up in AutoCad. When we returned home, I contacted Kavazea Designs in Lewistown to help me put design on the new packaging. I feel it is very important to keep business local as much as possible and was pleased to find a local designer. Next was the manufacturing. We were successful in finding a printer in Harrisburg, Huggins Printing. This is a small familyowned business like us, so we were thrilled! They actually had to hand-make the die-cut to cut out the wrap. We had one wrap made for each scent and then a few seasonal and limited scent wraps. The new packaging has definitely taken our business to the next level and we are now ready for more retailers! We are excited to now have our products available in State College at Integrative Bodywork School of Massage, and at our newest retailer: Bushman@Home in Lewistown. New also at: Route 522 Country Crafts in Beavertown and at Andras Alpaca Farm Store in New Tripoli. a

The Valley, February 2013

Looking out my Back Door Life on my Mifflin County Homestead by Mary Anna Chenoweth

Crazy J Ranch:

Ben and Jeanne Sherwood Hall & Artisan Cheese in Mifflin County If you actually go through that titular back door – the one we’re always looking out of – turn left and then left again at the wood pile, head north across the field (don’t forget to shut the gate), over the ridge and a couple of hills, you’ll come to fields dotted with goats. White goats, brown goats, spotted goats, striped goats, goats with (and without) horns, goats with long floppy ears and goats with barely any ears at all. Keep going a bit more to the left; you’ll run into a big red barn with a loafing pen in back (more goats and cows), a milking parlor, a state of the art cheese dairy and a tiny store area. If you look around long enough, you’re bound to run into Jeanne and Ben Hall the owners, operators, and the multitasking masterminds behind Crazy J Ranch, a fully licensed and inspected goat dairy and cheese

making facility. While that sounds simple and straightforward – a fully licensed and inspected goat dairy and cheese making facility - there is NOTHING simple or straight forward about the journey these two hard working folks have taken to get to where they are now - producing true artisan cheese. Ask Jeanne about that journey. She’ll grin and then proceed to give you a lesson about the flexibility, good humor, determination and vision that it takes to be a small scale food producer. “WOW! Where do I start? In 2005, at a time when we were both working in Harrisburg, Ben and I bought my family farm so I guess the ‘Crazy J’ means ‘crazy Jeanne’! We had done a lot of research on alternative farming and realized that our farm was too small for cows so we decided on meat goats. We found 25 boer

meat goats for sale – in Oklahoma.” They had everything ready for when the goats arrived, especially the electric fencing. “When we finally got the goats home, all the neighbors decided to watch. WE were the new crazy neighbors with goats. THIS they had to see. That’s when the circus started.” “We unloaded the goats into the pen and they went straight off the truck and straight through the fence and they never slowed down. The neighbors were laughing and trying to help and we got all of them but one. One neighbor tried to rope her, but she ducked. Laughing even more, my Dad (Fred Sherwood) said, ‘You ought to have to pay for entertainment like this.’ ” They finally got all the goats rounded up and bought a more powerful fencer, having learned

Ben and Jeanne’s goats come running every time they see their owners enter the barn or pen, a sure sign of excellent care.

that the smaller, lighter goats need more voltage than cows. For about a year things were fairly ‘quiet’ while they coped with things like internal parasites and foot rot, not to mention working full time away from the farm. “We got a phone call at work one night, from a neighbor saying that there were 50 goats and two miniature donkeys going down the middle of the road. Luckily (we were 70 miles away) he chased them in for us. Even after all that, we decided we wanted to stay in the goat business.” Jeanne and Ben kept raising meat goats for a few more years,

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changing breeds and building their herd up around 100 head. However, it seemed that by then everyone had started to raise meat goats. “We decided we needed to do something different.” On to Plan B. The meat goats were sold and dairy goats entered the picture, “We bought 25 “mutts”, as my husband calls them, half of which were bred [meaning kids and milk would soon be on the way].” In the midst of these changes, medical problems shifted Jeanne’s work place from Harrisburg back

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The Valley, February 2013

Thots on...Genesis

A Bible Study for the Lay Christian by Lydia In 2 Timothy 3.16, Paul tells us, “Every inspired scripture has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, or for reformation of manners and discipline in right living…” [NEB*] *Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are quoted from the New International Version. Genesis 19.29 (NEB) Thus, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, he thought of Abraham and rescued Lot from the disaster, the overthrow of the cities where he had been living. When we ended our discussion last month, an angry mob was clamoring at Lot’s door, demanding that he turn over to them the strangers who were sheltering within his home, and Lot had gone outside to try to reason with the men. Lot was unsuccessful in his attempts to placate the mob, which had become increasingly violent, so the angels pulled Lot inside, closed the door, and struck the mob blind. They had business that night in Sodom and needed to

ARTICLE Alfalfa Apples, Green Apples, Dried Barley Bermuda Grass Blue Grass Seed Bran Buckwheat Cane Seed Carrots Castor Beans Clover Seed Corn, Shelled Corn in Ear, Shucked Corn in Ear, with Husks Corn Meal Cotton Seed Flax Seed Hemp Seed Hungarian Seed Kaffir Corn Malt Millet Seed Navy Beans

get Lot and his family to safety. In the New Testament, Lot is referred to as “a righteous man who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men” [2 Peter 2.7], which begs the question, if the perversion of Sodom so distressed Lot, why had he moved his family from the plain to the city to live among those lawless men? Lot seems to have suffered a gradual moral decline. Given a choice, Lot chose to pitch his tent on the lush, green plain near Sodom, because it reminded him of Egypt. Soon, he moved his family into the city of Sodom. Then he betrothed his daughters to godless men of Sodom. And now, he’s calling them his brothers. When we turn a blind eye to sin—when we allow “just a little” sin or immorality to creep into our lives, we find that after awhile, we become comfortable with sin. We develop calluses on our conscience and no longer feel guilty. We accept sin as part of our lives, without a thought about how much we are grieving the Holy Spirit within us or how much we

are damaging our relationship with our God. As reluctant as Lot was to leave Sodom, why do you suppose God bothered to save him? The answer is found in Genesis 19.29: “So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham….” Because of God’s love for Abraham, Abraham’s nephew Lot was spared. Now time was running out, judgment was at hand, and still Lot dithered. He had become so comfortable in Sodom that he was loathe to walk away. The angels had to literally take Lot and his wife and daughters by the hand and lead them out of the city! When they were outside the city, the angels gave Lot very specific instructions: “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” [Genesis 19.16-17] That sounds pretty urgent to me. Yet, Lot still balked and asked to be allowed to take refuge in a small town on the plain. One of the angels, perhaps out of exasperation, granted Lot’s request, said he would spare that one small town and urged Lot to go there quickly, for he could do nothing

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Rev. Dr. Henry G. Covert

hgc7@verizon.net Dr. Henry Covert is an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ. After a tour of duty in the military, he worked in law enforcement for twenty years as both a patrol sergeant and county detective. Toward the end of that career he began his studies for the ministry. He has served several parishes, worked in therapeutic communities, was a state prison chaplain, and acquired adjunct faculty status in the criminal justice department at Penn State University. Dr. Covert was the chaplain for Pennsylvania’s first execution in thirty-three years. He has a doctorate from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and has authored six books. • Ministry to the Incarcerated (ISBN 0-8294-0860-6) International market -paperback • Discovering the Parables: An Inspirational Guide for Everyday Life (ISBN 978-0-313-34962-1 ) International market – hard cover & e-book • Spiritual Reflections: A Journey Through the Scriptures (ISBN 978-0-313-35901-9) International market - hardcover & e-book • Christian Beliefs and Prayers (ISBN 978-0-692-01101-0) International market – paperback, e-book & Amazon Kindle • The Crucifixion of Jesus (ISBN 978-0-9833359-0-0) International market – paperback, e-book & Amazon Kindle • The True Church of Jesus Christ (ISBN 978-0-9833359-4-8) International market – Paperback, e-book & Amazon Kindle Lowest Prices: bookfinder.com, bookfinder4U.com, alldiscountbooks.net, cheapbooks.com, Amazon.com Please Visit: https://sites.google.com/site/christianbooksbyhenrycovert

PER BUSHEL WEIGHT IN LBS. ARTICLE 60 Oats 50 Onions 24 Onion Top Sets 48 Onion Bottom Sets 35 Orchard Grass Seed 22 Osage Orange 20 Peaches, Dried 52 Peaches, Green 50 Peas, Stock and Green 50 Potatoes, Irish 46 Potatoes, Sweet 60 Rape Seed 56 Red Top Seed 70 Rice 74 Rutabagas 48 Rye 33 Salt 56 Sorghum or Cane Seed 44 Sunflower 48 Sweet Clover 56 Timothy Seed 38 Tomatoes 50 Turnips 60 Wheat

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Railroading news continued from page 38 WEIGHT IN LBS. 32 57 30 32 18 36 33 48 60 60 46 60 40 45 50 56 50 50 22 60 45 45 42 60

when his train finally stopped, he was pressed up against the windshield of the cab looking straight up at the passing train. Yes, waaaay too close for comfort. I think he said this was the last time they worked together. On a local note, please mark your calendar for an up coming Open House with Mifflin County Model Railroad Club. We will be featuring vintage trains from back in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Last year we did this event and we had very good attendance and comments about seeing trains running from so many years ago. Many folks were able to reminisce about their early days with trains around their Christmas trees and layouts. The dates for these shows are Saturday March 23rd and Sunday March 24th from 1:00 to 4:00. Admission is FREE, but we will accept donations to help us defray our yearly expenses. So, mark your calendars, tell your friends and make plans to attend the second annual Late Winter Vintage Trains Open House at 3 West Monument Square in downtown Lewistown. For additional information please feel free to contact me at 717 248 4862 or at ed@edstrainstore. com. Happy railroading to all, Ed a

The Valley, February 2013

Adventures on Our Nourishing Journey by Sue Burns

A Myth-Stake Of Heart Breaking Proportions It is very difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it” --Upton Sinclair Ah yes, the month of February has a way of guiding our thoughts on a multifaceted heart felt journey. The greeting card and chocolate industry claim the monopoly on our emotional hearts. With every step we take in the commercial world, we are reminded that this is the time of year to tell our loved ones how much we care about them in our Valentine greetings. In addition, the American Heart Association hopes to take care of our physi-

cal hearts for they determine that February is “National Heart Month.” A time set aside to raise increased awareness about heart disease and the proactive steps we can take to avoid this number one killer. Recently I had occasion to do some digging on the Heart Association’s web site. It was there that I was told “education is power.” I totally agree. So, I was curious, what does the association want me to know in order to keep my heart healthy? I began my web quest with a click onto the Heart Association’s link called, Life’s Simple 7 - My Life Check. Here I found a listing of seven steps the association advises us to put into practice. They include:

1. Get Active 2. Eat Better 3. Lose Weight 4. Stop Smoking 5. Reduce Blood Sugar 6. Manage Blood Pressure 7. Control Cholesterol So what do you think? Personally, none of them sound “simple” to me. Each step demands much time, attention, and direction in order to meet the requirement. I have witnessed some of my clients expelling much energy as they diligently strive to obtain these above mentioned goals. Yet we are talking about our heart health which translates into our quality of life, so it’s worth the effort, right? For the most part, I am in agreement with steps one through six. On the other hand, step seven is heartbreaking news to me. Why, I ask, must we be advised to “control” a vital and naturally occurring substance? Here is the Heart Association’s, answer, “If your cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or higher, you need to take action. When you control your cholesterol, you are giving your arteries their best chance to remain clear of blockages.” Is that so? Quite frankly, I disagree and am outraged that we are still being fed a steady diet of cholesterol phobia in a distorted, diluted, manipulated herd mentality way also known as corporate greed whose benefactors are primarily the pharmaceutical, medical and low fat industry. So up I climb once again on my healthy eating soap box in an attempt to cultivate awareness, stir questions, perhaps raise eye brows, and most importantly

attempt to nurture healthy hearts. I believe cholesterol has been framed in circumstantial evidence for far too long and I hope and pray its time for vindication is near. Before I begin my assent, it is critical that you understand three things. 1. Blood cholesterol levels in a small percentage of the populations are very high, as in the 300 mg/dl and 400 mg/dl amounts. This is a disease known as familial hypercholesterolemia. Because of an inherited gene, those with this condition are not able to regulate the proper functioning of cholesterol as it is created in the liver. It is important to keep in mind that according to Paul Dugliss M.D., people with this condition were not excluded from studies on cholesterol and heart disease. As you can image this inclusion has the ability to skew the data in favor of demonizing cholesterol. 2. If you have been prescribed cholesterol lowering medication, DO NOT discontinue its use with out first consulting your physician no matter what you read or learn. 3. According to research, those who benefit most from reducing blood cholesterol levels are almost exclusively middle-aged men who have suffered a heart attack, coronary intervention (bypass, stent or angioplasty) or who have coronary heart disease. Cardiologist, Dr.

Steven Sinatra states that “lowering cholesterol has a very limited benefit in populations other than middle-aged men with a history of heart disease.” Okay, with that said, here goes: There are tons of facts I continue to discover about our friend, (not foe), cholesterol. The space is limited here so I will attempt to condense. My favorite references are provided at the end if you would like to investigate further. What Is Cholesterol? - According to the meaning of its name, cholesterol is a bile sterol. In other words, a waxy type fat that can be found circulating in our blood stream. The majority of our cholesterol is made in our liver while a small amount is absorbed from the diet. ”New school” thinking according to Dr. Sinatra is that ““Cholesterol is a relatively minor player in heart disease and a poor predictor of heart attacks. More that half of all people who are hospitalized with heart attacks have perfectly normal cholesterol levels.” Why Do We Need Cholesterol? - Plan and simply, cholesterol is vital to every cell in our body. So

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much so, that our body makes it. As you know, our body is composed of trillions of cells that need to interact with each other. Cholesterol is one of the molecules that allow for these important communications to take place. For example, cholesterol is the precursor to bile acids, so without sufficient amounts of cholesterol, our digestive system can be compromised. It also plays an essential role in our brain, which contains about 25 percent of the cholesterol in your body. It is critical for synapse formation, i.e. the connections between your neurons, which allow us to think, learn new things, and form memories. In fact, there’s reason to believe that low-fat diets and/ or cholesterol-lowering drugs may cause or contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Low cholesterol levels have also been linked to violent behavior due to adverse changes in brain chemistry. Furthermore, we need cholesterol to produce steroid hormones, including our sex hormones. Vitamin D is also synthesized from a form of cholesterol. As Zoe Harcombe author, obesity researcher and nutritionist states on her website, “If you had no cholesterol in your body you would be dead.

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The Valley, February 2013

Julie Mac’s Wisdom from the Kitchen, Home, and Garden by Julie MacConnell

Is It Spring Yet? All right, I’m already tired of the sub-zero temperatures! I am truly longing for spring. The thought of tilling the earth in advance of planting the first seeds of kale and lettuce already has me staring out the window at the snow and cursing our northern latitude. I already have ideas in my head about what I want to do in the vegetable garden and what crops need to be rotated. Lists are forming about chores that need to be done as soon as the ground is workable and the list of fruit trees that need to be banded against the ravenous winter moth caterpillar. Thoughts are also drifting to the new fencing that needs to be erected as well as several new trellis’ that need to be built for the new crop of peas and cucumbers... yet at the same time I am staring at the many perennial beds on the property. I kind of miss my flowers. I have neglected them terribly. The perennial beds have long been a passion of mine. I

inherited the love of flowers from my Mother. She and I gardened together for years as a child. As I grew older and had a house of my own, she and I often still get together to walk the paths of each other’s gardens to marvel at that year’s stand of hostas or the blooms of a newly collected daylily. We will divide and trade each other perennials, as will some of her neighbors. Both of us collect different favorites. Mom has a spectacular shade garden. Hostas and ferns of every shape size and color grace the back corner of her lot. She has masterfully tucked pockets of lamium and sweet woodruff in between. Carefully chosen polished river stone make a path to a bird bath that the chickadees and goldfinches delight in splashing around in during the summer as a sweet statue of Alice peeks out from behind a stand of giant cinnamon fern. It is a magical little spot and I am smiling as I am trying to describe to you how wonderful it

is. Her vegetable garden long since abandoned, has become an English garden ringed with daylilies of every color imaginable, and her summer passion of dahlias fills the interior. She will often bring armloads of them to church, sharing their rainbow of colors with the parishioners. In every nook and cranny of her yard there is something growing and giving her joy. This year, I need to find that joy for myself again. For years my yard has been a neighborhood attraction. I too have filled almost every nook and cranny with perennials, flowering shrubs and art. Several people in the 11 years of my residence have suggested that I put my house on the garden tour, but the thought of that kind of pressure put me off. I was always too worried about a weed here or there or a bit of mulch that was thin in one spot. Besides, those people who participated in the garden tour had professionals taking care of their properties. They weren’t homesteaders. Function first right? Regrettably, I have let my perennial beds go by the wayside as I concentrated on my vegetable garden. Stuff is crowded and in bad need of dividing. By mid summer, weeds crowd out the daylilies in the front beds. My roses don’t get deadheaded like they should, cutting short the bloom cycle. If a

volunteer pops up (even if it’s a weed) I usually just leave it—hey, it’s color right? It looks good from a distance! Now I am wondering about the symbiotic relationship between flower and vegetable gardening. My yard can be pretty AND functional! The flowers that will this year be coddled back to health will invite bees to pollinate my peas and green beans. The hummingbirds that show up in mass when my trumpet vine blooms, might stick around to investigate other fruiting crops. Beneficial insects will abound reducing the need for hand wringing and hand picking the bad bugs into cans of soapy water. My water features are going to get cleaned out, inviting back the peepers that used to invade during the sum-

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mer. I miss those little guys. In the summer, I would take a walk just as the morning sun was rising and often I would find the tiny frogs sleeping in the petals of the oriental lilies. Magic. I guess what I am finding out is that you don’t have to give up the things you love to be a homesteader. It’ll take a little extra work to get things back in order, but all in all, bringing the beauty back will make this girl’s heart smile a little more as I trudge past the bed of roses to go clean out the chicken pen. a

The Valley, February 2013

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The Valley, February 2013

The Horse Scoop by Traci Hanna Yoder

Rotten Rain Rot When horses get their winter coats and they become harder to groom, it never fails to bring on some skin conditions. Even on horses that are blanketed and do not get much hair coat, you still may see some skin problems develop. One of the most common skin conditions seen in horses is rain rot, also called rain scald/dew poisoning/Streptothricosis. Rain rot is caused by an organism called dermatophilus congolensis and is probably going to bother you more than your horse! In most cases, the most painful part of the disease for your horse is when you remove the scabs. The actual infection itself doesn’t cause your horse any pain or irritation, not even much itchiness. Rain rot usually appears on the back, rump, neck and sometimes on the face and lower limbs. Contrary to popular belief, a horse in any climate can get rain rot. It is most often found in warm, humid climates that get a lot of rain. However, it is also found during the winter months due to the long hair coats that horses develop. The winter hair coat is ideal for trapping heat and sweat near

the body. Also, if we get a very damp spring, the constant dirt and moisture in horses that have frequent turn out can cause rain rot. Several conditions can make your horse prone to rain rot; chronic moisture, skin damage (scrapes, burrs, insect bites, or skin disease) and exposure to the organism. Rain rot can spread from horse to horse. Horses can be carriers of this organism, but it can also be transmitted with brushes and saddle pads. When a horse has rain rot, the hair looks rather dull and rough. The tufts of hair will be crusty and come out very easily. Under the crusts is soft and moist. It may also appear yellow or ulcerated, probably oozing a little bit. It is important to get these scabs off, as that allows air to get to the skin underneath them, which helps heal the infection. If the infection gets more severe the horse will start to lose more hair. This causes an unsightly appearance, but it doesn’t usually cause the horse any discomfort. Once the scabs have been removed, it should dry up and the skin will start to heal. While the horse has rain rot, any equipment that may rub and

irritate the infected skin should be eliminated; this includes the saddle in extreme cases. I recently started to see some rain rot on Goose and Crockett this winter. As soon as I started to feel the scabs, I start treating them to avoid spreading. I curry and pick the scabs, and then I treat it with Eqyss Micro-Tek Gel. Treatment for rain rot includes treating the bacteria. Washing with an antibacterial shampoo such as Betadine or Eqyss Micro-Tek Shampoo, helps to soften and remove the crusts. It is important to be aware; you cannot combine the use of Betadine with the use of the Eqyss Micro-Tek products. Dry thoroughly after bathing, and then keep the horse’s coat dry and well groomed. Apply topical spray/cream containing anti-bacterial/anti-fungal agent to the affected area. Along with the Eqyss Micro-Tek Shampoo I prefer the Micro-Tek Gel. The gel can also be applied in the winter when you cannot bathe horses. If you have re-occurring

Damp weather and muddy conditions can make a horse more susceptible to rain rot. Even when you are not riding, take time to groom your horse to check his coat condition.

issues with rain rot, it is wise to look into the underlying causes. The most common cause of re-occurring and overwhelming rain rot can be a lack of nutrition. Systemic antibiotics such as Penicillin and SMZ may be needed in severe cases of rain rot for the horse’s immune system to fight off the organism and heal. Good horse-keeping practices can help prevent rain rot. Horses that are generally kept dry and clean will usually not develop the

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disease. However horses that have constant turn-out regardless of how well they are groomed will often develop rain rot. Rain rot is one of the most prominent skin conditions in horses. It is important to treat rain rot as soon as it is detected. Therefore, spending time with your horse is not only rewarding to you, but also beneficial to keeping him happy and healthy. a

The Valley, February 2013

LIbrary Lines

Sue Burns from page 7

Your Mifflin County Library

By Susan Miriello Children’s Librarian, Mifflin County Library February is Library Lovers Month! We love the library! We love the library so much that Miss Kelly (Kelly Rivera, Children’s Library Programmer) and I want to share that love of the library with children in our county. So we visit preschools and head starts in our community. In order to ensure that we meet our goals and objectives, in the fall we conducted a survey of the teachers of the preschools we visit. The results were surprising! What is a librarian preschool visit? Well, with increasing costs of gasoline, Miss Kelly and I will come to you. We will read whatever book or subject the teacher would like, but mostly we are into promoting the love of our library, and we are really into storytelling and puppet shows. You could have a very unruly class of fouryear-olds, but that all changes the minute the Big Bad Wolf is introduced. He is the library’s mascot! Even though the wolf is scary-looking, he sure can capture an audience! The Big Bad Wolf only has two teeth, pointy and soft plastic and everyone loves him! Especially at the end of the story when I bring the wolf around for the children to pet. And maybe bite off their fingers…. This is really fun when the kids wear long sleeves. Most of the kids are afraid to pet the puppet. But when I get one child who is brave enough to let the wolf “eat” his fingers and we pull the sleeve over the hand so that it looks like it was eaten off, then everyone wants a turn! Puppets help focus attention but puppets also help with “dialogic awareness,” dialog. We talk about the story and the puppets. The child will often talk to the puppet and the puppet “talks” back. One teacher wrote on the survey, “Her visits are something I can “copy” and do with my class—it’s like a free teacher workshop!!” That is wonderful! Kelly and I put so much energy into our puppet shows, we’d love for the teachers to copy us and read with enthusiasm the way we do. Another teacher wrote, “I think it is great to have the librar-

ian into class. Many children do not have the opportunity to go to the library. You do an awesome job… love having you. Keep up the great work!” And another wrote, “The library program is wonderful! The children have the opportunity to become actively involved in the stories. They have a chance to see different stories and presented in a different way. Reading is so important and the program is very beneficial. Miss Kelly does such a great job with the kids.” I’ve been visiting various county preschools and head starts for about 17 years and Kelly about three years. We love what we do and want to continue. Please use and support your library. If you are a parent with a child in a program that we visit, ask your child about us, bring him to the library. I see a lot of the children at the grocery store and I try to stop and talk and explain that I work at the library and visit preschools. If you work at a preschool, head start or daycare and you’d like a librarian visit, please call or email. We’d love to come! In April, the library will be partnering with United Way to read the Pennsylvania One Book, Is This The Bus For Us? by Suzanne Bloom. PA One Book is a committee that would like every child in Pennsylvania to have one particular book read to them. Suzanne Bloom will be visiting the Lewistown Library and reading her book. Please be on the lookout for more details. If you’d like Kelly or me to read Is This The Bus For Us to your class, let me know. Kelly and I will also visit elementary schools, especially kindergarten. Remember, the library’s job is to get children excited about learning and excited about reading. So, love your library this month! Enjoy a puppet show! a

No cells, no bone structure, no muscles, no hormones, no sex, no reproductive system, no digestion, no brain function, no memory, no nerve endings, no movement, no human life – nothing without cholesterol. It is utterly vital and we die instantly without it.” Well then, I guess that tells it like it is, but what about the “good” and “bad” cholesterol we constantly hear and read about? I really dislike that the medical establishment has put a moral label on these two types of lipoproteins. In my opinion, cholesterol is neither good nor bad, it just is cholesterol. Because cholesterol is not water soluble it needs a transport vehicle to get around. These vehicles are called lipoproteins. They act like a transit system. Some vehicles carry fresh cholesterol (LDL) throughout the body and another vehicle brings recycled cholesterol (HDL) back to the liver. We need both. How Have We Come to Fear Cholesterol? - No doubt, for the past 60 years we have got caught up and swept away in a cultural anxiety about “high” cholesterol, but how did this madness get stared? Much ground work had been created prior to 1953, but it was in that year that a young biologist named Ancel Keys proposed a theory, (radical at that time), that heart disease was caused by too much fat in the diet. Since fat in the diet and cholesterol in the blood were believed to be linked, Keys looked at data on fat consumption and heart disease from numerous countries and published the results in his now famous, Seven Country Study, which appeared to show a crystal clear link between dietary fat and heart disease. In other words, those countries that ate the most fat also had the highest rate of heart disease. Open and shut case. However, what we were not told is that Keys had available data from 22 countries but he hand selected only seven that supported his pre-conceived hypothesis. This fact did not go unnoticed. Keys was criticized by some of his fellow researchers who, by the way, analyzed the data from all 22 countries and found that the correlation between fat, cholesterol and heart disease was null and void. As a matter of fact, one of these researches from London named John Yudkin found that the single dietary factor associated with heart disease was – you may have guessed it – SUGAR! Yet Keys, described as an

ambitious man with a rather large ego and influential friends saw to it that his Seven Country Study became the cornerstone of current cholesterol and fat recommendations and official government policy. Keys was a member of the nutrition advisory committee of the American Heart Association so in spite of the flaws of his study, he was able to get his theories officially incorporated into the 1961 American Heart Association dietary guidelines and the rest, as they say, is history. In fact, if you are a history buff, go read up on how George McGovern became the man indirectly responsible for the past 60 years of our fat phobia. So if cholesterol is not the culprit of heart disease, what is? Can it be possible that sugar is the devil in a sweet disguise? Afraid so… along with damaged, oxidized oils from vegetable oils like canola oil, fried foods, and processed carbohydrates. All of these common additions to our diet contribute to a cascade of reactions including inflammation, an increase in oxidized (damaged) cholesterol and a build up of free radicals. When this recipe bubbles up in our arteries, it creates an inflamed, scratchy, hard surface to which the cholesterol passing though attempts to patch. Yes, it does stick, but blaming cholesterol for artery damage is like blaming a fireman for causing the fire. A Few Words On Statins- As a developed and civilized society, we assume our modern medicine is based on sound research. For the most part, I believe that is true. Yet, I have great fear that our society is turning to Statin drugs as a magic bullet. Current research (done by independents) is showing that the benefits of the Statin family of pharmaceuticals have been widely exaggerated while the side effects can be greatly damaging. By the way, a researcher from the University of California, San Diego showed that a majority of doctors dismiss the side effects and do not report them to MedWatch. In addition, my findings are explaining that rarely should Statins be prescribed for the elderly, the vast majority of women, and never be given to children. If you are taking a Statin drug, it is imperative that you also take a supplement called coenzyme Q10, which is one of the most important nutrients for the heart and is greatly depleted by Statins. For a very comprehensive and detailed review of Statin drugs check out Stephanie Seneff’s home page at http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/. Steph-

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anie is a biologist and independent researcher whose husband was diagnosed with heart disease. He became very ill after taking Statin medication. She has no influence to anyone in the heart diseasecholesterol – Statin drug world. Great stuff. Bless Your Heart With These Loving Tips 1. Avoid all fried foods, especially those that are deep fried. 2. Use olive oil, coconut oil and organic butter. Keep clear of other vegetable oils. 3. Consume dark leafy greens every day. These foods are high in antioxidants and folic acid which greatly aid in reducing free radicals and a toxic amino acid called homocysteine. A build up of homocysteine is associated with coronary artery disease. 4. Sugar equals inflammation. Enough said. 5. Give up coffee and soda and reach for the green tea. This special tea contains plant based chemicals known as polyphenols which lowers fibrinogen, a substance in the body that can cause clots and strokes. Black tea works too! 6. Bring on the dark chocolate, red wine and pomegranate juice. All of these yummy foods have the ability to reduce inflammation, provide antioxidants which fight free radicals and inhibit oxidation of cholesterol. 7. Fill up on fiber – we need about 25-35 grams of fiber a day and we tend to average about 11 grams. If you don’t get enough with fruits, vegetables and whole grains reach for beans and legumes. They are packed full of fiber. 8. Nuts are an easy and great grab and go heart healthy snack. - Try to find raw nuts that have not been heat damaged by roasting. Nuts have an amino acid called Arginine which offers protection to the inner lining of the arterial walls. 9. When in season, load up on cherries and berries which are both great anti-inflammatory foods. 10. It would not hurt to have a few meatless days each week, but when you do eat meat, choose grass fed if you can. Factory farmed meat is very inflammatory as it is high in omega 6 fatty acids. Grass fed meat provides a much better ratio of heart protective omega 3 fatty acids. It is also void of steroids, hormones and antibiotics. Locally, check out the grass fed meat from Over the Moon Farm distributed at Tait

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The Valley, February 2013

Roads Less Traveled by Lynn Persing Passwords! If you are a computer user, you’re going to be able to relate to my column this month. How many logins, pins, and passwords do you have to remember these days? I have more logins and passwords than I have shoes (and for a woman, that’s a lot). I’ve always tried to use a few different logins and passwords for different accounts, but lately I’ve got so many accounts for work and personal use it’s getting a little ridiculous. I not only have to remember different passwords, but now there are many different forms of logins too. Just when I’ve tried every different login and password combo I can think of, I realize that my login is might just be my e-mail address. Now, which e-mail did I use for this account? Can you relate? I know many people who check the little “remember me” box so they can save their logins and passwords and they don’t have to remember them. But what happens if you need to clear your cache and your password gets wiped out? Or, if you are away from home and try to use a different computer and you have to log in? Wow, what do you do now? Ask Wayne how he handles that one. (I can tell you--not so well.) I seem to have the most problems with my Apple ID login and password because the thing has to be more secure than Fort Knox, which requires me to use something really obscure that I can never remember. There are many tips for choosing secure passwords as well as ones that you can remember, but I’ve listed just a few. Don’t use any easily identifiable personal information such as the

names of your kids, relatives,pets, phone numbers or birth dates, and definitely don’t use the word “password.” It’s also best not to use an actual word.

“Sorry, but your password must contain an uppercase letter, a number, a haiku, a hieroglyph, and the blood of two of your enemies.” a

Always include some numbers, a special character (such as ! or $) and an uppercase letter or two. Sometimes people use some of the letters from the application they are logging into in conjunction with some series of letters and numbers that mean something to them. For instance, if you have a pet named Rover who you got in 2011, you might use Rov2011!Goog where Goog stands for Google which is the account you are logging into. You could use a similar password for Facebook, such as Rov2011!Face. This is just a suggestion and you should use whatever you think would be the hardest to hack, but yet in a format that you can remember. Be sure to use different and very secure passwords for any accounts that may contain financial information (banking, PayPal, Ebay, credit cards, and online retailer accounts). I would also recommend clearing your computer cache and cookies frequently (even the offline data). Yes, this means you will lose all of your automatic logins and have to re-enter them, but better safe than sorry! Now for a little password humor. During a recent SECURITY audit, it was found that an employee was using the following password: "MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento" When asked why she had such a long password, she said she was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one capital.

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The Valley, February 2013

Understanding the Constitution by David Molek

Executive Orders Revisited

Although I did a column on this subject just 3 months ago, the importance of the issue does not go away. Our President seems willing to do more and more by Executive Order and ignore Congress. It is my opinion that President Obama is taking presidential power to new heights (or depths). Although there is no constitutional provision that explicitly permits Executive Orders (E/O), there is a vague grant of executive power in Article II. Many would argue that these clauses do not imply constitutional authority beyond routine administrative matters and internal operations of federal agencies. In fact, the official Federal Register defines E/O as official documents, numbered consecutively, through which the President manages the operations of the federal government. My research shows 3 purposes: operational management of the Executive branch, operational management of federal agencies or officials and to carry out statutory or constitutional presidential responsibilities. The proper use of the E/O is limited. But you would never know it with President Obama

covering guns, immigration, defense of marriage and the list goes on. The theory is supposed to be the President executing laws Congress has already passed. SCOTUS has already informed previous presidents that the E/O may not be used to make laws, only to execute them. It is past time for our elected representatives to stop this President from ignoring our Constitution and enacting his agenda with E/Os. Our President, touted by some as knowledgeable about our Constitution, acts as if he has never heard of it sometimes. We have a Constitution and it requires that we follow it. Indeed, every public officer swears to do so, including our President. We are a constitutional republic and a nation of laws. Originally, an E/O was just what the name implies, orders from the Executive and they were binding only upon that executive department. Most were never published and were only seen by the federal agencies involved. As we discussed previously, the presidency of FDR marked a major turning point in the use of the E/O, as in many other things.

Then starting with the Clinton administration, much more change took place in the use of the E/O. President Clinton used his executive power to achieve results he failed to achieve legislatively. President Obama has used the E/O to issue legally binding mandates, which is really ruling by decree, In addition, Obama has decided not to enforce laws he disagrees with, thereby ending the rule of law in our country. In essence, we have changed from the rule of law to the rule of men when our elected representatives fail or refuse to declare these actions unconstitutional and illegal. Many of us believe we have a government that is careening out of control and those we have elected to protect our rights by upholding the Constitution are abusing our rights and subverting our Constitution. This use and abuse of E/Os have changed us from a federal republic with a limited government to a centrallyplanned bureaucracy with a leader attempting to rule by decree. It has been suggested in both the Clinton and Obama administrations that there should be a requirement that all E/Os specify

a pen, an E/O becomes the law of the land. That action bypasses Congress. We haven’t seen Senator Reid make any move in opposition to Obama, and we won’t. These end runs around our Constitution need to stop. Contact your federal elected representatives and voice your concern and your distaste for the violations of our Constitution and demand action to return to the rule of law. James Madison, the father of our Constitution, said, “ The accumulation of all power, legislative, executive and judiciary in the same hands…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” a

the constitutional and statutory basis for any action in the E/O. Such areas as Commander-inChief, Head of State, Chief Law Enforcement Officer and Head of the Executive branch are all legitimate uses of E/Os as indicated in our Constitution. History tells us that the E/O was designed either to have no direct effect or have a trivial effect on the rights exercised by the general public. President Obama’s use of the E/O is totally contrary to the original 505 CHIROPRACTIC, LLC purpose and design. Many have the opinion that our President has continually Quality Healthcare Naturally abused his executive order authority. (717) 242-4476 Not only have we been abandoned by our elected 505 Electric Ave ● Lewistown representatives who should challenge the President’s Dr. Christie R. Gisewhite use of the E/O, but where is the press? Under Obama’s Dr. Heather A. Morgan “we can’t wait” agenda, these E/Os look like impeFormerly Gisewhite Chiropractic rial decrees affecting our Center constitutional rights. An E/O has the full force of law. So, by the stroke of

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The Valley, February 2013

14 Poor Will’s Valley Almanack from page 19 February 28: Honeysuckle leaves unravel on the branches closest to the ground. Buds lengthen and brighten on multiflora roses, mock orange, and lilac. Bleeding heart foliage pushes up from the mulch, and day lily leaves can be as tall as crows. Buds on the daffodils foretell the next season of flowering bulbs and the deepening of Early Spring. ALMANACK LITERATURE No Dinner for Homer Another Entry in the Great Outhouse Story Contest By Pete Jones, Lynn, Indiana Lynn was a town of about 1,014 residents. In 1937, some had indoor bathrooms; however, most had neighborhood outhouses. These houses were maintained by families living close to them. This year (1937) the men had a meeting and decided to replace the inside of the building. Gene Clear, Ted Engle, Cecil Welker, Homer Conyers and my dad made up the “outhouse work crew.” They had saws and hammers, and a small sawhorse was used to steady and provide a place to cut the lumber for this project. Homer’s wife, Marie, had gotten up late. She couldn’t find her husband, Homer. She looked outside and saw him down the street working on the neighborhood outhouse. She wanted to go down and suggest the color that she wanted them to paint it. She got in a hurry to go down there, and so she forgot to put on her underwear. She arrived at the outhouse and sat down on the small sawhorse. Suddenly, her feet went up in the air! She landed in a very unladylike position! “See what I have to put up with!” Homer said. Marie rolled over and got up and slapped Homer right in the mouth and just stomped all the way home. No dinner for Homer that day! WINNERS OF THE JANUARY VALLEY SCKRAMBLER SCRAMBLE A prize of $5.00 was promised to the 10th and 20th person to correctly unscramble all the words in last month’s Valley Sckrambler. A total of zero Correct replies were received, and the prize goes unclaimed. ANSWERS TO THE JANUARY SCKRAMBLER

ECNIEPAT PATIENCE URPNEDEC PRUDENCE TEDMREANINOIT DETERMINATION ECNEDIFNOC CONFIDENCE OUAEGRC COURAGE REPSEVREANCE PERSEVERANCE OEPH HOPE DORLERNISES ORDERLINESS NESSFULPLEH HELPFULNESS GHTIRESOF FORESIGHT ITYBILEXIF FLEXIBILITY EESSN FO ROHUM SENSE OF HUMOR NEGRESOTIY GENEROSITY STYNEOH HONESTY RITYINETG INTEGRITY EEEATMPRNC TEMPERANCE SESNLUFEHPL HELPFULNESS YTILAGURF FRUGALITY RTYSUDNI INDUSTRY NOITERAMOD MODERATION THE VALLEY “SCKRAMBLER” January’s Almanack featured a “Tools for Self-Sufficiency” Scrambler that brought no replies. Here is another list of items that could make you more independent. If you are the 1st or the 5th person to respond with the correct answers, you’ll receive a $5.00 prize. There should by no typos in this puzzle, but if you do find one, you may skip the word without penalty. There should be no typos in this puzzle, and no typo prize will be awarded. If you happen to find a typo, however, you may simply skip that word without penalty. Send your entries by postcard only to Poor Will’s Valley Almanack at P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. The unscrambled words and the names of the winners will appear in the next issue of The Valley Newspaper. IIGNHSF OEPL OUNGTHS EEILCTRC EEAORTRNG

ESEB STEKCUB ORF AELPM YUPRS GLO LITRETSP OOOEVTSKC UOSODRGUH EEIPCR ABLEGEVT EADRGN OTOR ELCLRA LITREL ACIHN AWS ODOF HYEDRDTARO EOIEKRSN SPAML ITRUF ERETS REDIC SERSP ORPAPEN FERRGERR OTAI RALSO OCOKRE LILMDINW UTN KERRACC Copyright 2004 – W. L. Felker Listen to Bill Felker’s weekly “Poor Will’s Almanack” on podcast any time at www.wyso.org. And Bill’s website, www.poorwillsalmanack. com, contains weekly updates and a sizable bank of information about nature. His organization of weather patterns and phenology (what happens when in nature) offers a unique structure for understanding the repeating rhythms of the year.

The Peoples’ Liberty’s Teeth from page 17 This powerful article convinced me to tackle this subject this month. Here’s a man who lives in one of the most repressive cultures and nations on the face of this Earth, and from his vantage point, the view is very clear. As law abiding, free citizens, we must maintain the right to bear arms. Allow me to give you another George Washingtonism; “the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that is good.” Thomas Jefferson was even more direct when he said; “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” I don’t think our Founding Fathers would be very welcomed today in the very country they birthed! To the point of firearms restraining evil, as Washington

noted, is it possible that if more people arm themselves, these modern day, headline-grabbing atrocities could be averted? Consider the fact that someone bent on bringing destruction and mayhem with guns can have their melee cut short by an armed citizen. Stories abound of lives saved because someone other than the assailant had a weapon and used it to protect themselves and those around them. The problem is, you have to hunt for these stories because they don’t fit the profile for the narrative of the main stream media. Additionally, gun free zones have become nothing more than shooting galleries for individuals bent on doing harm. All gun free zones should be abolished and any citizen who so desires ought to be able to carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise to protect themselves and those around them. This is truly the intent of the Second Amendment as promulgated by our Founding Fathers. a C. Mark Ostrowski is the Founder and President of The Stewardship Group in Belleville. He earned his Masters in Financial Services form The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA in 2007 and can be reached at: MOSTROWSKI@THESTEWARDSHIPGROUP.ORG

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The Valley, February 2013

Our Environment Our Culture Community Partnerships RC&D Explained by Sam Price

On our organizational columnʼs one year anniversary, we wanted to give the readers of The Valley an overview of Community Partnerships RC&D. We hope youʼll see the importance of our mission and act to help us accomplish it. Community Partnerships RC&D Explained Local Resource Conservation and Development Councils are unique and independent nonprofit organizations made up of volunteers and staff who identify unmet needs in their communities and create solutions that work. In essence, they are a catalyst to make good things happen in your community. Programming is funded through a variety of means including state and federal grants, local foundations, contributions and fee-for-service work. We are Community Partnerships RC&D, your local version of this program (we are not a governmental agency). Our office is located in downtown Lewistown

at the Historic Taylor House. We have a volunteer Council and board of directors, a small staff and many project partners. Our programs work to strengthen the health of our land through conservation; and the vibrancy of our culture through the arts. Our focus areas are Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder and Union Counties although some of our programs reach out to other parts of PA. Chances are you have been positively affected by our RC&D Council whether you realized it or not. In addition to outreach and technical assistance to local farmers, we organize the Great Chip Drop New Yearʼs Eve celebration in Lewistown; we partnered with PA WAgN to assist in the development of the new Rec Park Farmers Market and we help fund numerous local projects including the Juniata Valley RiverFEST, Logan Guards mural in the square, Margaret McCann School of Dance, activities of the Mifflin Juniata Arts Council and many

more projects and programs. Highlights from the past year Despite a cut in direct federal funding, we’ve been able to

the communities in our region through environmental and cultural programs. Community Partnerships RC&D has had a busy and prosperous year. Partnerships with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the PA Council on the Arts stood out again. Our Pollinator Program educated local citizens about the importance of bees in food production while directly installing over 15 pollinator plantings and habitat sites. A butterfly release day and the planting of a permanent public Pollinator Garden were also part of this year’s efforts. A local butterfly release educational program

Some of the staff at Community Partnerships RC&D (l to r) Kevin Morgan, Mike Lennartz, Melissa Piper Nelson, Beth Miller and Sam Price.

expand our programming from previous years through offering fee for services and applying for grants and contracts. We’re proud to say we figured out a way to survive and thrive in a difficult climate to continue to best serve

was filled the same afternoon as sign-ups opened at the Mifflin County Library. We’ve worked to secure funding to bring back this in-demand program in 2013 as part of National Pollinator Week in June.

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Outreach to organic farmers through our Organic Initiative reached producers from across the state, included high tunnel workshops and the production of a video to help transitioning organic farmers make the jump. Designs were put into action to create stream crossings and structures to prevent pollution into local freshwater through our Chesapeake Bay program. This local freshwater ultimately ends up in the Bay. Several designs and practices were implemented each week since February across our region. We also helped the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with conservation goals to protect land and wildlife habitat through Conservation Planning, Conservation Reserve and Stewardship programs. We partnered with PA Women’s Agriculture Network (PA WAgN) and area agencies to start a new community farmers market at Rec Park in downtown Lewistown. We consulted with farmers (including Plain Sect landowners) on conservation plans, rotational grazing and other best practices for the health of the land. We supported over 30 individuals and organizations through our PA Partners in the Arts (PPA) program (a partnership with the PA Council on the Arts) that regrants more than $50,000 locally. Our Folk and Traditional Arts

Continued on page 29

The Valley, February 2013

Splitting Hares by Julianne Cahill http://oakridgerabbitry.weebly.com

Baby Boom A mild winter in central Pennsylvania means spring baby booms are on their way in the valley! Rabbits born at the end of last summer are finally mature, and now is the perfect time to breed them for early spring litters. In my experience, it is best to take the doe to the buck’s cage for breeding. Some does are very protective of their space and may fight or injure the buck if he enters her territory. Even if she is okay with sharing her cage, the bucks get distracted by the girly aroma of their new surroundings. It’s much easier to keep him on task by delivering the doe directly to him. Once there, the buck usually circles the doe a few times to let her know he’s ready to breed. Best case scenario, she will follow his lead and try circling him too. As

soon as he can, he’ll mount the doe and the doe will lift her tail. If the breeding is successful, the buck grunts and falls to the side. At this point, you may be headed for the hills screaming, “Too much information!” But that is a crucial step in the process. If the buck mounts the doe but doesn’t fall, the breeding was probably not successful. For this reason, be sure to supervise the process. As soon as a successful breeding occurs, remove the doe from the buck’s cage. In my experience, multiple successful breedings within a 24hour period offer the best conception rate. I usually breed my does in the evening, when they are most active. After the first breeding, wait about 15 minutes and try again. Rinse and repeat. Usually I can only get about two or three

breedings in before the doe gets tired of the process. If she is still willing to breed again, I try once more immediately the next morning. The gestation period for rabbits is 28 to 31 days. However, they almost always kindle on Day 31. I’m not sure that I’ve ever had a litter delivered early, and they are seldom later than Day 33. To prepare for kindling, I give the doe a nestbox on Day 28. My personal preference is wooden nestboxes with small-gauge wire bottoms, built big enough to give just enough space for the doe to hop in and turn around. The wood is a good insulator for young, furless kits and wire provides ventilation. Pre-made metal nestboxes are also available for sale, and some people even use appropriately sized plastic litterboxes or tubs. When the box goes in, the only “filler” I include is a soft layer of fluffy pine shavings. Some breeders will include everything from shavings to hay to newspaper clippings or straw. But even though nothing about raising domestic rabbits is natural, I prefer to foster their natural instincts when possible. Nesting is one of those times. My does get a large pile of hay beside their nest and must gather it and carry it to their box to weave their own

Newly kindled kits in the nest with fur that mama provides to keep them warm

nest. On Day 31, the doe usually kindles in the early morning or late evening hours when the house is quiet and she is alone. It’s important to check the nestbox as soon as possible after she kindles, but offer her enough time to deliver her kits and clean up after the birth on her own. Hopefully she pulls enough fur to cover the babies, but you can always add small clippings of fleece or dryer lint to the nest if she hasn’t. After that, there is very little you need to do until weaning time. I tend to check the kits once daily to make sure they’re staying warm and have been fed. If they’ve been fed, the kits will have plump bellies and tight skin. If they appear wrinkly or inactive, they may need supplemental goat’s milk or KMR from a syringe. Feeding the doe a teaspoon

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of calf manna pellets may help with milk production if she seems to be having trouble. In some cases, the complication may not be low milk supply. First time mothers occasionally have trouble getting the hang of raising a litter. If that’s the case, the best option may be to foster the kits to another doe. For that reason, it’s usually best to breed several does at the same time. If anything goes wrong with first timers or a proven doe would have unforseen complications, kits can be traded around to another nest. When fostering is necessary, it’s usually easiest to stick extra kits in the nest during feeding time. That way, the foster mom is busy nibbling her dinner and you can gently rub her nesting material on the kits so they smell

Continued on page 30

The Valley, February 2013

Sojourner Perspectives by Mark Ostrowski

The Peoples’ Liberty’s Teeth This month, I have been tortured and conflicted with regard to what I ought to write about. There are many items competing for this space. In the end, however, I have chosen to look at the second amendment and our right to bear arms, as this is the quintessential issue pressing us as Americans these days. The Second Amendment to our Constitution reads as follows: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Militia is defined as: a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers. An additional definition goes on as follows: a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.

I chuckle at the word presumed in this definition from Dictionary.com. Are there individuals who actually think that the Federal Government does not interfere in our lives? Governments do not spread cheer and goodwill and in fact only burden and take from the populace. They take away rights and money through confiscatory taxation and inflation. George Washington stated that “the marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments. Government is not reason; it is not eloquent, it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” I think it’s safe to recommend to Dictionary.com that they remove the word presumed from this definition. Notice that the Second Amendment is not focused on hunting or sporting arms but is pointed at the ability of the citi-

zenry to secure its freedoms. To this point, Washington stated that “firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance, they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.” In a stunning article entitled: Americans Never Give Up Your Guns, posted on Pravda.ru, author Stanislav Mishin opens up by saying; “there are few things to admire about the socialist, bankrupt and culturally degenerating USA,” (I agree) “but at least so far, one thing remains: the right to bear arms and use deadly force to defend one’s self and possessions.” He continues, “this will probably come as a total shock to most Western readers, but at one point, Russia was one of the most heavily armed societies on earth. This was, of course, when we were free under the Tsar. Weapons, from swords and spears to pistols, rifles and shotguns were everywhere and very common items. People carried them concealed, they carried them holstered. This

well armed population was what allowed the various factions to rise up, no matter how disorganized politically and militarily they were in 1918, and wage a savage civil war against the Reds. It should be noted that many of these armies were armed peasants, villagers, farmers and merchants, protecting their own” (emphasis added). Tensions are running high across the nation as Mishin goes on; “For those of us fighting evidenced by a photo taken at a Gun Rights Rally. Thousands showed up at State Capitals on Janufor our traditional rights, ary 19th to protest Executive Orders. the US 2nd Amendment No, it is about power and tois a rare light in an ever darkental control over the people. Do not ing room. Governments and be fooled by a belief that progresbureaucrats will use the excuse of sives and leftists hate guns. Oh, trying to protect the people from no, they do not. What they hate maniacs and crime, but are in is guns in the hands of those who reality, protecting their power and are not marching in lock step with positions. In all cases where guns their ideology. They hate guns are banned, gun crime continues in the hands of those who think and often increases. The excuse for themselves and do not obey that people will start shooting without question. They hate guns each other is also plain and silly. in the hands of those whom they Are our politicians saying have slated for a barrel to the back that our society is full of incapaof the ear. So, do not fall for false ble adolescents who can never be promises and do not extinguish trusted? Then, please explain how the light that is left to allow huwe can trust them, or the police, manity a measure of self respect.” who themselves grew up and came from the same culture? Continued on page 14

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The Valley, February 2013

POOR WILL’S VALLEY ALMANACK

for February of 2013 by Bill Felker So when you come to those dark February days of doubt, you go and listen to the maples, feel them, let their slow, impalpable pulse of soil and sun flow into you…. And you know that things are waking up down at the root of this tree. Sap is getting ready to work its way upward. You know, just as sure as you know what day it is. --Hal Borland

THE STARS The Great Square sets in the west before midnight during February. Perseus follows Cassiopeia into the northwest. Spring’s Regulus is well up in the sky on the other side of the horizon in the constellation Leo. Early summer’s planting guide, Arcturus, is visible just before midnight in the northeast. When you get up early in the morning, look due south above the distant tree line. The squarelike formation you see is Libra. Above it, the stars of Serpens lead toward the Corona Borealis, a formation that looks like a bright stellar necklace. In the far west, Regulus is the brightest star. In the east, the brightest is Vega. THE SUN The pace of spring quickens, and the sun reaches 40 percent of the way to equinox by February 12. On the 18th, Cross-Quarter Day, the sun reaches its halfway point to equinox. It enters the early spring sign of Pisces at the same time. And on February 24, the sun reaches a declination of over 9 and a half degrees, 60 percent of the way to equinox. THE PLANETS Mars is lost in the sunset during the second week of February, remaining out of sight until it comes back before dawn in June. Jupiter is still the evening star this month,

and Saturn keeps its position in Libra, leading Sagittarius through the dark early mornings. Moving into Capricorn, Venus remains the morning star until the middle of the month, when it blends with the sunrise and disappears from view; it reappears as the evening star at the end of the first week in May. THE S.A.D. STRESS INDEX The likelihood of seasonal stress begins to fall steadily throughout February. Even though clouds usually continue to deprive the human brain of the benefits of sunlight, the length of the day complements the slowly improving temperatures, and the S.A.D. Index dips more frequently into the moderate (but still troubling) 50s and 60s when the moon lies in its weaker phases. Key for Interpreting the S.A.D. Index: Totals of: 75 - 65: S.A.D. Alert: Severe Stress for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorders; 64 - 50: Severe to moderate stress; 49 - 35: Moderate stress; 34 - 25: Light to moderate stress; 24 and below: Only people with extreme sensitivity to S.A.D. experience seasonal affective disorders below an Index reading of 24. Day Clouds Weather Dayl Totals 1: 24 19 21 64 10: 23 19 20 62 l5: 23 18 19 60 28: 22 18 18 58 BEST FEEDING TIMES Fish, game, livestock and people tend to feed more and are more active as the barometer is falling one to three days before the weather systems that arrive near February 3, 6, 11, 15, 20, 24. .Fishing and hunting may be most rewarding and dieting could be most frustrating near these dates at midday when the moon is new, in the afternoon and evening when the moon is in its first quarter, at night when the moon is full and in its third quarter, in the morning when the moon is in its fourth

quarter. FEBRUARY - WEEK 1 THE SECOND WEEK OF LATE WINTER Lunar Phase & Lore The Spinning Cranefly Moon wanes through its third quarter this week, entering its last phase at 8:56 a.m. on February 3. Rising after midnight and setting in the afternoon, this moon moves overhead, its most potent position for influencing activity in fish (and children) near breakfast time. The weak moon will be favorable for going on dates and for working with livestock throughout the week. Teachers and other public service employees should also have it easy – compared to what they often experience during full-moon time. But if you have pregnant sheep or goats, the moon’s third quarter is the lunar period most likely to bring early birthing. Lunar position in Scorpio on February 3 and 4 encourages seeding of plants you would like to see sprout by new moon on the 10th. Take advantage of the weak moon to move livestock culls to market, as well as to give vaccinations, trim hooves, and treat for parasites. Animals ought to be a little less skittish than they were last week under the full moon. Weather Trends Late winter, which began last week, contains five to six cold fronts and usually lasts through February 18, when cold waves typically become weaker and warm fronts stronger. On the other hand, if storms occur this month, they will be most likely to strike on or around February 2-4, 6-9, 14-18 and 24-25. New moon on February 10 and full moon on February 25 are likely to increase the intensity of the weather systems that typically arrive near those dates. And try using weather history to help plan your planting and

other outdoor work: The wettest February days, those with at least a 50 percent chance for precipitation, are the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 11th, 14th, 15th, and 21st. The driest February days, those that bring a 20 percent chance or less for precipitation, are the 7th, 8th, 10th, and 20th. FEBRUARY - WEEK 2 THE THIRD WEEK OF LATE WINTER Lunar Phase & Lore The Spinning Cranefly Moon, entering its last quarter on February 3, wanes throughout the week, becoming the new Lenten Rose Moon at 2:20 a.m. on February 10. One of the first flowers to bloom in late winter, the Lenten rose, or hellebore, opens as aconites and snowdrops blossom in protected areas. Maple sap runs when hellebores bloom, and most of the nation’s lambs and kids are born when those flowers appear. Lunar position this week suggests that the most fish will bite as the air and water warm up near midday. Dieters may have trouble refraining from pie at that time, as well. As the cold fronts of February 6 and 11 approach, fish should become even more active around noon, and children should eat more. And this is one of the finest lunar planting weeks of the year for planting flowers and vegetables that will produce their fruit above the ground. Put in your seeds in flats under lights and keep them warm, especially under Capricorn on the 6th through the 8th, and then under Pisces on the 10th through the 12th. Take cuttings to propagate shrubs, trees, and houseplants. Under this week’s dark moon, complete winter pruning to retard growth. Weather Trends A typical February in the Valley brings one day with highs in the 60s, two or three in the 50s, a week in the 40s, eight to ten days

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in the 30s, six in the 20s and one or two days only in the teens or single digits. There is a 50 percent chance for a morning or two below zero. The coldest part of February usually falls between the 1st and the 14th. The February days with at least a forty percent chance for highs only in the 20s or below are the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 12th. The warmest days, those with a thirty percent chance for highs above 50, are the 2nd, 15th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 28th. The 22nd is typically the warmest day of all, having a 50 percent chance for highs above 50 degrees. FEBRUARY - WEEK 3 THE FIRST WEEK OF EARLY SPRING Lunar Phase & Lore The Lenten Rose Moon, new on February 10, waxes throughout the week, entering its second quarter at 3:31 p.m. Rising in the morning and setting in the evening, this moon will move overhead (its most influential position for fishing and feeding) in the afternoon. Lunar passage into Pisces on the 11th through the 12th and into Taurus on the 15th through the 20th offers the best planting scenario for the week, but any day under the waxing Lenten Rose Moon is good for sprouting. And the moon’s weakening position throughout the period augurs well for teachers, health-care workers, police and fire fighters. Weather Trends February 14 is the first day of early spring throughout the Lower Midwest. Although temperatures can be in the 30s forty-five percent of the time or even in the 20s on five percent of all the days, February 14 suddenly offers a 50 percent chance of highs above 40 degrees: in the 40s forty-five percent of the time, in the 50s or

The Valley, February 2013 60s the remaining five percent. Precipitation is often the price for moderation: snow falls 25 percent of the time, rain another 30 percent. And from this point forward in the year, rain is more likely to fall than snow. Odds for a morning below zero are less than five percent per day for the 14th through the 16th. And the 15th has the highest incidence of highs in the 50s and 60s of any time so far in February - a full 40 percent of the afternoons reach those levels (with a 15 percent chance for 60s, and 25 percent for 50s). That’s the first time since December 15 that the likelihood of mild temperatures has been so great. FEBRUARY - WEEK 4 THE SECOND WEEK OF EARLY SPRING Lunar Phase & Lore The Lenten Rose Moon, showing its petals in the mildest springs, enters its second quarter on February 17 at 3:31 p.m., becoming completely full on the 25th at 3:26 p.m. The moon will be directly overhead in the evening this week, and after-supper fishing should be productive, especially as the barometer falls in advance of the February 20 and 24 cold fronts. Seeding of flowers and vegetables that produce their fruit above the ground is especially encouraged by the moon when it passes through Taurus on the 15th to the 17th and through Cancer on the 20th to the 22nd. Weather Trends February 22 and 23 are typically the warmest days of the entire month. For the first time since December 12 there is a 25 percent chance for a high in the 60s, along with a 20 percent for one in the 50s. Forties occur 30 percent of the time, 30s twenty-five percent. Skies are cloudy 65 percent of the years in my record, with rain or snow likely 45 percent of the years. Although February and March still have plenty of clouds in store, the frequency of brighter days now shows a slow but steady advance. A DAYBOOK FOR FEBRUARY February 1: In the first week of February, natural history shows the growing power of the spring. Like the steady shifting of the sun south, precedents make promise and potential for the fledgling season. Almost every year, Skunk Mating Season begins in the Groundhog Day Thaw. Salamander Breeding Season opens in the first mild rains, and the bobbing

blue jays announce Blue Jay Courting Season. Doves called occasionally throughout December and January; now the Dove Calling Season swells the predawn songs of cardinals and titmice. February 2: in northern Mexico, monarch butterflies are moving toward the Texas border. They will reach the Gulf coast in small groups during mid to late March, and their offspring will find Pennyslvania in early summer. February 3: Autumn’s fruits are giving way to the weather, measuring the advance of the Northern Hemisphere back toward the sun. The hulls of last June’s sweet rockets and August’s wild cucumbers are empty, brittle and delicate like shed snakeskin. The Japanese knotweed leaves hang like huge russet cocoons. Milkweed pods are stained and empty. The feathery tufts of virgin’s bower, soft and thick in late November, have blown away in the wind. February 4: The pollen season, which ended with early winter, now begins again across the South with the blooming of mountain cedar, acacia, smooth alder, bald cypress, American elm, red maple, white poplar and black willow. Bluegrass, which stopped flowering in midsummer, revives and starts its seeding cycle. February 5: Flies and bees come looking for skunk cabbage when temperatures warm to 50 degrees. Deer come together throughout the month to feed in herds. February 6: Turkeys are flocking now, but they will disband and scatter into smaller family groups by April. February 7: Cardinals began their mating calls in the last week of deep winter. Now they are in full song by seven in the morning, sometimes sing all day. Sparrows compete for mates and nesting sites, chattering and chirping in the honeysuckles. February 8: Owlets and young bald eagles grow inside their eggs as red-winged blackbirds, horned larks, meadowlarks, starlings, eagles, killdeer, and ducks of all kinds migrate February 9: Riding the warming winds, meadowlarks, eagles, killdeer, horned larks, red-winged blackbirds and ducks migrate to the region, accelerating the appearance of spring.

February 10: The second week of February marks the initial days of Onion Set Season when the soil is ready; if the month is cold, onion eaters often wait until they see the red tips of peonies coming up in Peony Growing Season. February 11: Snowdrops and aconite may be ready to bloom. Lilac buds are swollen, fat green and gold. On the pussy willow branches, a few catkins are cracking. Garlic mustard, wild mallow and henbit are growing new leaves. Chickweed is spreading quickly. February 12: Fruit trees are sprayed now when high temperatures climb into the 40s and freezing temperatures are expected to stay away for 24 to 48 hours. February 13: Depending on the year, growth occurs on ragwort, dock, sweet rocket, asters, winter cress, poison hemlock, sedum, mint, celandine, plantain, poppies, pansies, daffodils, tulips, crocus, aconite, hyacinth, strawberries. All those hardy leaves are expanding a centimeter here or there, such measurements seeming unimportant until they can measure spring, and then there is no insignificant degree. The signs accelerate, accumulate, and become a new season, turning into what they represent by force of numbers. February 14: Moss will be growing a little more on the old logs then, and crocus, daffodil and tulip foliage will push out above the mulch. Garlic planted in late November will be at least six inches tall. The first rhubarb leaves will be unfolding. Henbit will be blossoming in the alleys, skunk cabbage in the swamps, aconites and snowdrops in a yard or two. February 15: Although the February 15th high-pressure ridge can be disappointing to those most in need of spring, the aftermath of this cold wave brings increasing odds for the best thaw so far in the year. And as December 15 marks the beginning of the darkest and chilliest portion of the year, February 15 marks the beginning of the end of winter. February 16: The season of spring birdsong begins most years on January 25, but it’s the middle of February that consistently turns late winter into early spring. Sometimes the weather doesn’t change for the better in the early days of the year’s second month;

sometimes the cold is worse than in the middle of January. But it’s the sound that changes and fills the silence of dormancy, songs accumulating like spring leaves. February 17: The benign thaws of early spring tell mallards, canvasback ducks and killdeer to check out sites for laying eggs. Jenny wrens are making nests, and the milder afternoons call out moths and waterstriders. The ground temperature approaches 35 degrees, the point at which earthworms become active again; soon they will be crossing roads and sidewalks in the lukewarm rains. February 18: Frequency becomes a new marker of change as February unravels. The first stage in the progress of spring is the sighting of “firsts”: first bluebird, first robin, and so forth. After that, quantity counts as much as much as novelty. The number of robins, the number of blackbirds, the number of blooming bulbs, the number of pussy willow catkins emerging take on more and more importance until the next stage of the year arrives, the stage at which all the old first creatures and events are commonplace and give way to new firsts and new quantities. February 19: Rabbits are breeding. Horned owlets hatch in the woods. Killdeer, rusty blackbirds, and canvasback ducks are arriving in Pennsylvania. Throughout Georgia, bee season has started. Honeybees and carpenter bees collect pollen from dandelions, yellow-flowered wild radishes, red maples, blue toadflax, white clover and mouse-eared chickweed. Azaleas are blooming in Alabama. In the lowlands of Mississippi, swamp buttercups, violets and black medic are open. All across the deserts of the Southwest, wildflower season has begun. February 20: After Snowdrop Winter (between February 23rd and 27th), geese follow the lead of the blackbirds, marking ownership of the more favorable river sites for nesting. More migrant robins join the sizeable flocks that overwintered in the exurban woodlands. February 21: Migrant crows return with their young, sometimes clashing with the crows that have spent the winter here. February 22: Now it is time for the crocus and the small spring iris, the iris reticulata to flower in warmer microclimates. The

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flowering of those bulbs bears witness to the blossoming of silver maples and the red maples along city streets, the blooming of weedy henbit in the garden, the increasing flow of maple sap, the full emergence of pussy willows, the appearance of woolly bear caterpillars, the full bloom of the pure snow trillium along the rivers, the final bloom of skunk cabbage, the mating songs of redwinged blackbirds in the swamp, the time of pairing up for ducks and geese, the time for killdeer and woodcocks to arrive from the South, and for juncos to depart for the North. February 23: When the early bulbs come in, clover grows back in the pastures and nettle tops are big enough for supper greens; celandine and garlic mustard and sweet rocket grow bushy in the alleys; violet leaves and horseradish leaves sprout in the garden. February 24: Today, the average temperature along the 40th Parallel rises above 32 for the first time since December 8. And from now on, average temperatures rise at their spring and early summer rate, one degree every three days, until the second week of June. February 25: This is an average date for tulips, hyacinths, and lilies-of-the-valley to be emerging from the ground. Woodcocks and brown-headed cowbirds are arriving in the Valley. Downy woodpeckers rattle on the trees. Bobwhites are calling. February 26: As February ends, livestock is wormed before being turned out to pasture – if pastures are ready. Mares show signs of estrus as the days grow longer. The last of the lambs and kids conceived in middle autumn are born. Chipmunks come out to play and mate in the sun. February 27: Maple Syrup Season, Snowdrop and Aconite Season, and Pussy Willow Season continue. Daffodil Budding Season and Crocus Blooming Season commence. Migration Season begins for woodcocks, reaches its apex for Canadian geese. Walleye, Sauger, Saugeye, Muskie, Bass and Crappie Feeding Season gets underway. Earthworm Mating Season starts in the warming rains. Junco Season usually ends at the bird feeder. Foliage Growing Season begins with leaves of the wild violet appearing by the 5th of March.

Continued on page 14

The Valley, February 2013

Fifty Years Ago From the pages of The Sentinel (Lewistown, PA), founded in 1903: February 1963 Winter continues to hold the area in its icy grip with temperatures hovering near zero for days. Nine inches of snow buries Mifflin County on Feb. 20, while a cold spot in Armagh Township marks 19 degrees below zero on Feb. 27. Along with the intense cold and difficult travel, schools notice a sharp increase in absenteeism as respiratory illnesses spreads. In high school sports, Lewistown votes to institute junior high football; Chief Logan upsets Kish cagers, 63-57 for first league loss; Kish ends Tri-Valley season with a 17-1 record; Chief Logan cagers defeat Greenwood, 57-47 for third place in the Tri-Valley; Lewis-

town wrestlers top Golden Eagle 29-17, while Lewistown Mountain League chances go down to Central 53-43. One Hundred Years Ago From the pages of the Democrat & Sentinel (Lewistown, PA), founded in 1832: February 1913 Front page headline notes: “BRE’R GROUND HOG SAW SHADOW AND NEXT DAY IT SNOWED.” The editor commented that the dealers in sleighs in the past few years have found the demand constantly decreasing and the winter of 1913 there has been practically no sleighing at all. Boy Scout Troop 10 of Lewistown celebrated its second anniversary as Pennsylvania’s first Boy Scout Band. The attendance at the event proved it to be one of the largest social gatherings of the

year. Every chair was filled, with standing room only for late arrivals. The concert demonstrated that the boys improved their musical abilities “under the extremely patient and faithful service of Leader Kieferle…” A cakewalk and square dancing topped off the evening, making it quite an informal entertainment. Civil War Echoes - One Hundred Fifty Years ago From the pages of the Lewistown Gazette (Lewistown, PA), founded in 1811 February 1863 Licenses were issued by the Internal Revenue Service in the 17th District, including Mifflin County, to the following: wholesale dealers, retail liquor dealers, auctioneers, bankers, dentists, distillers, hotels, lawyers, peddlers and manufacturers. The Mifflin County treas-

After two years of researching local history, collecting community photos, documenting the findings and reviewing his own experience, Paul Fagley’s book on the history of Derry Township Community Park is available. Entitled “Memories of Kishacoquillas Park,” the book presents the heyday times of this community landmark, which was once a popular amusement park, through more than 300 pages of color photos, illustrations and printed memorabilia. The idea for the book came to Fagley in 2010 after giving a walking tour of the park for the local Boyscout Camporee. “Memories of Kishacoquillas Park” is priced at $32.95 plus tax. Contact the Mifflin County Historical Society at 242-1022 or at info@mifflincountyhistoricalsociety.org Books can be purchased from the Historical Society office, at the Chamber of Commerce Gift Shop in the Historic Courthouse or at Friendship Book Store in the K-Mart Plaza, Burnham.

urer’s office reported expenses of $129 for “scalps of foxes” and $2.15 for a “wildcat scalp”. The County Commissioners also appropriated $11,975 for the bounty fund to pay bounties to men enlisting locally to help meet the draft quota. The Journeymen Cord Wainers Association of Lewistown

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agreed on a scale of prices to be paid for their work. “This is a much better plan than strikes which seldom are to the benefit of either workmen or employers,” editorialized the Lewistown Gazette. (A cordwainer worked with the soft leather known as cordovan. Thus these men were shoemakers or cobblers.) a

The Valley, February 2013

Modern Energy and Alternative Heating with Curt Bierly Heating Independence and Wood Stove Chimney Maintenance I am hopeful by the time you read this column the really cold weather will be behind us. It is always worrisome when it is sub 20 degrees outside, particularly if you are totally dependent on a conventional heating system such as an oil or gas furnace or boiler, heat pump, electric heat, pellet furnace, boiler or stove. Beyond the concern of the discomfort associated with “being cold,” the possibility of frozen pipes is always on one’s mind. I encourage you to take an inventory of what you have to “get you through the day and night” should your conventional heating system malfunction or should the power go out. It can be as simple as several inexpensive electric heaters (if you have electrical power) that

can be placed at strategic locations - or - as elaborate as a whole house generator - or - you could purchase a non-electric alternative heating appliance such as a wood stove, gas stove, oil stove or coal stove. I encourage you to prepare for “heating independence” so you can survive worry free until help can arrive to repair your conventional heating system - or - to restore your electrical power. If you choose to purchase a wood stove or insert, you will need to accept the fact that to prevent a flue fire, chimney (flue) maintenance must be occasionally performed. How often you need to check and/or clean your chimney depends on many factors. Quality of wood, type of chimney, type of wood unit and operator

expertise are the primary parameters that dictate chimney cleaning frequency. Before the wood unit is purchased and when it is installed, access to easily inspect and clean the flu is an important consideration. During the heating season the chimney needs to be inspected periodically to be sure a creosote buildup hasn’t occurred. When the wood unit is in operation, check the chimney frequently to monitor any buildup. You will soon learn how often it needs to be cleaned and thus, if you are burning it correctly. If you need to clean it frequently and you’re burning it correctly, consider installing a stainless steel liner to reduce cleaning frequency. The liner heats quickly and thus reduces the possibility of condensation in the liner, and therefore, the buildup of creosote. If you need to install a chimney, consider a double wall stainless steel insu-

lated chimney. Because it is insulated, it remains warm during operation and thus, like the liner, reduces the potential for creosote buildup. Burning wood requires practice. It’s not like an automatic appliance (gas, oil, electric). There is nothing like the feel and security of wood heat when you get the hang of it. The key component is the operator who needs to determine A wood burning stove not only gives you wonif the stove is performderful warmth, but provides independence and ing correctly and thus security as well reduce the frequency of the amount of smoke - so - if you chimney cleanings. The purchase have an old wood unit consider of a magnetic flue thermometer purchasing a new one which will (about $20.00) gives the operator help to reduce necessary chimney an analytical method of monitormaintenance. And don’t forget ing the performance of the Wood to purchase and install a carbon Unit. The flu thermometer is monoxide detector! a easily installed by laying it on top of the wood unit - or - sticking Curt Bierly is president of the it to the flue pipe (it is magnetic, bierly group incorporated of no screws required). The face is which Stanley C. Bierly is a divimarked relative to the best temsion. He graduated from Penn perature to burn the Wood Unit. State with a BS in Mechanical All wood stoves and inserts Engineering and is a member of manufactured today have an intethe Penn College HVAC Advisory gral system that is EPA approved Board. You can contact him at to reduce smoke (creosote). The cbierly@bierlygroup.com. most common system injects air at the top of the firebox to burn off the gasses and thus reduce

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The Valley, February 2013

Recipes-Crafts-Gifts With Debra Kulp Chicken Alfredo Pizza Yield 6 slices

Ingredients: 1 envelope, zesty herb marinade mix 1/3 cup water 3 tbsp cider vinegar 3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts halves (4 oz. ea.) 1 pre-baked, Italian bread shell crust (14 oz. ) 1/2 cup prepared Alfredo sauce 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese 3 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp garlic powder 1 cup (4 oz.) finely shredded pizza cheese blend 1/2 medium green pepper, juliened 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced & separated into rings 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms Directions: In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp marinade mix, water, vinegar and oil (save remaining mix for another use) Pour 1/3 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken, seal bag, and turn to coat, refrigerate for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat until done, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Cool, cube chicken, set aside. Place bread shell crust on an ungreased 12 inch pizza pan. Spread with Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, 1/2 cup pizza blend cheese, & vegetables, cubed chicken and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

BBQ Beef & Mashed Potato Pie Serves 6

Ingredients: 2 lb white potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

Kosher Salt and Pepper 4 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 1/2 lb ground beef 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced 1/2 cup of ketchup 2 tbsp cider vinegar 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp molasses 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce Directions: Cook potatoes, add 1 tsp salt, simmer until just tender. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking liquid; drain potatoes, return to the pot. Mash with 3 tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp ea. salt & pepper and 2 tbsp of the reserved cooking liquid. Heat the remaining tbsp in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp ea. of salt and pepper and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until tender. Heat broiler. Add the beef to the onion and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until done. Discard any grease. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. In a bowl whisk together the ketchup, vinegar, mustard, molasses and Worcestershire sauce. Add to beef and cook, stirring 1 minute. Transfer the beef mixture to 2 quart broiler proof baking dish and top with mashed potatoes, Broil until turning brown, 2 - 4 minutes.

Irish Coffee

Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 3/4 cup (6oz.) Irish Whiskey, or use bourbon, brandy or scotch. About 3 cups of freshly brewed coffee 1 tbsp sugar, or to taste Whipped Cream Directions: Divide the whiskey among 4 mugs and add coffee to within 1/2 inch of the top. Add sugar to taste. Top with whipped cream. a

Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them. Thomas Paine

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The Valley, February 2013 motherhood and love affairs!

Mail Pouch Books by Carleen B. Grossman Many of us think of February as the depths of winter, while others see it as the early coming of spring. If you are one of those who views this month as a long, dreary part of winter, you might want to cozy up with one of my books listed below; while you do that, keep this quote in mind and perhaps it will brighten your spirits. “The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within.” --William C. Bryant Is there any better way to celebrate this month of, love and caring than with some great books about LOVE, ROSES, CANDY and the delights of NATURELOVERS? For my book reviews

this month, I have selected several classics that will STILL strike a positive note with you and yours. I hope you enjoy them! LOVING FRANK By Nancy Horan Copyright 2008 Drawing on years of research, this author weaves littleknown facts into a compelling novel about Frank Lloyd Wright, architect of Fallingwater (the Kaufmann House) in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. Rich in detail, the book is a tribute to a courageous woman, Wright as a national icon, and their timeless love story. In 1907, both Frank and Mamah publicly and scandalously left their spouses and children

(8 children between them) to go overseas for two years to carry on their affair, and they continued to be together after returning home to this country. Frank built Mamah a home in Wisconsin called Taliesin, where they lived together out of wedlock until Mamah’s untimely death in 1914. This novel deals with that time frame in their lives! The book comes to a stunning end that will both shock you and show you just how his lover overlooked his many flaws. It’s historical fiction at its best. The issues in this book are still relevant today—maternal love vs. romantic love, duty, obligation,

ROSES LOVE GARLIC: Companion Planting and other Secrets of Flowers By Louise Riotto Copyright 1983 & 1998 I have owned the original publication of this book for years; I still consult it frequently for pointers with my gardening efforts! In the revised version, there is even more material providing information about vegetables, bushes and trees as per companion planting with flowers and herbs. There are also suggestions for pest control and medicinal uses. What an enjoyable read—packed with facts, intriguing lore and fascinating sketches.

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CANDY CONSTRUCTION: How to Build out of Candy By Sharon Bowers Copyright 2010 This is a dream-book for constructing your very own edible fantasy displays. Use cookies and candy combined to create such things as a cookie castle complete with a chocolate drawbridge, a pirate ship along with the pirates, a steam train, a spaceship and many other designs. Bedazzle your adult friends and delight children with a treasure trove of creations all crafted from the directions in this book. THE BACKYARD BIRDLOVER’S GUIDE: Attracting, Nesting and Feeding By Jan Mahnken Copyright 1996 Here is a great reference book that will delight you with its color-filled pages. It is composed of information about attracting, feeding and nesting for 135 North American species of birds. This is a must have for any nature lover! It is a gorgeous book and more than half of it is dedicated to profiles and detailed, accurate paintings of birds. a

The Valley, February 2013

The Pen and Thread Custom Calligraphy and Weaving

Mary Anna Chenoweth Proprietor

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

717-248-6079 131 West Market Street Lewistown, Pennsylvania

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The Valley, February 2013 Local 8 Year Old Bags First Buck from front page

ending without success, the end was drawing near to Bradan’s first deer season. Although fun and educational, it was looking more and more like it was going to end without venison in the freezer. On the last day of the season, Brian and Bradan decided to give it one more shot in a spot close to camp where they had seen

the little spike in the past. Sure enough, they spotted the spike horn not far from where they thought he might be. Brian said from that moment Bradan seemed to remember what he had been taught and they both stalked to within shooting range and 8 year old Bradan made a perfect shot. Imagine that, 8 years old, and already has his first buck, a full ten years before I did. That

is the difference when you have a parent who takes the time and effort to bring a son or daughter along and teach them. From what I am hearing and seeing, more and more young parents are teaching their children early, that is a positive sign. Being able to teach a young boy of 8 what he needed to know to be successful on his first year deer hunting is way over the top— nice job B! a

“Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American... The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state government, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people” (Tench Coxe, Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788) 8 year old Bradan Stine with his first buck. The smile says it all. Dad Brian said he will have the small spikehorn mounted to remember the occasion.

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The Valley, February 2013

Savvy Cents & Sensibility by JoAnn Wills-Kline MBA

Addition by Subtraction Many New Year’s resolutions are but a distant memory once February rolls around. Unfortunately, feelings of defeat can linger long into the year for not seeing the resolution through to the finish line. Year after year, resolutions are uttered, and deep breaths are taken while fingers are crossed, in hopes that strength materializes to push the resolution to the completion point – but more times than not, completion does not occur. Why? Habitually, we set ourselves up for the letdown. Often, the culprit is not failure in general, but it is failure to properly strategize. Resolutions and goals are very attainable if we do the proper groundwork and preparation. There are simple common mistakes that could be

keeping you from reaching your goals – any goals not just New Year’s resolutions. Ten of the most common mistakes and suggestions for remedy follow below: 1. Not assessing yourself on how prepared you are in terms of setting and working on goals. If we wish to see our goals through to the finish line, we really should perform an honest assessment of where we are in life – are we really, really ready to take on the challenge of THAT particular goal? Do we have a back up plan, a support network to lean on? Are we physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually ready for the challenge of trying to meet the goal? We must honestly ask ourselves a pertinent

question “How bad do we want it?” Then listen to the honest answer! If our answer is that we want it really, really bad – then stay the course by moving onward towards taking action. If you cannot emphatically say “YES!” to the goal, then pick another goal because you are not honestly in alignment with realization of that particular goal at this point in time. 2. Setting goals you are not excited about. 3. Setting goals because other people told you to. 4. Setting goals that are not a priority to YOU. 5. Not enjoying what you do. Numbers two through five are related, and three through five are actually by products of number two. When we set goals that we are not really gung-ho about, rarely do we see them through to the finish line. Luke-warm goals are usually the “dreams” conjured in someone else’s mind. One example is when we set a goal to lose weight because someone else thinks we should – and maybe it would really be best for our health – but we are not really, really ready for the challenge. Another example is a child who has their heart set on attending a trade or vocational school, while the parents are set on the child attending a university. The examples set the stage for us to see that when we set goals that do not ring true to our core, or make our heart sing, then such goals probably will be most difficult to attain – because they are not authentically OUR goals. When we perform a goal assessment we must honestly ask ourselves “Whose goal is this anyway?” then answer honestly and be prepared to boldly seek only the manifestation of our OWN goals.

8. Not taking daily actions toward obtaining your goals. Numbers six, seven, and eight are also related. Sometimes we become “frozen” by fear of failure that we fail to take any steps towards realizing our goal. Being a perfectionist take an incredible amount of energy – energy that could be best utilized elsewhere. Mistakes can be great learning tools, being fearful of action can limit the value of the learning. One of my favorite quotes that fits nicely with this topic is from Louisa May Alcott “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” Therefore, I encourage you to pull up the anchor of fear and prepare to sail! Take the risk, work the sails, navigate the white caps, and feel the sun and breeze upon your face – do not release the anchor of fear! 9. Setting goals that are too far ahead. 10. Writing down too many goals. Numbers nine and ten are problematic because both prevent us from grasping the goal(s) by keeping the goal(s) just out of our reach – just past our fingertips. Setting goals too far in the future makes it difficult to strategize successfully to attain them. Conditions change and fluctuate, chaos arises, and complexities result; therefore, setting goals far into the future based on present conditions

6. Being a perfectionist. 7. Fear of committing mistakes.

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really only assures that we will most likely miss the mark. Writing down too many goals prevents us from attaining focus and precision in reaching the goal. I believe that we are most successful if we tackle only one or two goals at a time rather than juggle a handful of them. For example, how fun does it sound to conduct an out-of-town job search, spruce up the house, place the real estate on the market, move out and into a new house, and train for a new job – all at the same time or nearly simultaneously? Most of us would agree that it sounds like a bad dream, or at best a very, very, hectic situation. Why then do we often juggle multiple, difficult to attain, goals? Dr. Douglas Brown, one of my former professors often asked the question “How do you eat an elephant?... one bite at a time!” It was his way of saying that small, consistent steps are best in attempting to reach a goal. Hopefully, the ten suggestions spark an “aha!” moment for you, and also breathe new life into a goal or goals that you had previously shelved. Just remember, the goals must be what you want, and the journey is slow and steady with planning and focus as your map. Two quotes for food for thought in closing. “If you cannot hear the sound of genuine in you, you will, all of your life, spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.” ~Howard Thurman. “May you live everyday of your life.” ~Jonathon Swift a

The Valley, February 2013

Grosze Thal Nachbaren (Big Valley Neighbors) by Jeptha I. Yoder Ein Grusz in dem Namen unsers Herren, Unser Schnee von zwischen Christag und Neujahr war ziemlich geschmalzen un man konnte die Löwenzahn Blumen wieder sehen in das Weide-feld. Aber es ist wieder weis mitt Schnee. Der Drei und Zwanzichst war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Joel E. Yoders. West Lang Leen war ans Menno M. Yoders. Meine Eltern waren ans Unckel Ruben D. Hostetlers fürs Mittagessen. Mose C. Yoders waren ans Jonathan Y. Hostetlers. Meine Eltern und Ich waren ans Unckel Christ M. Yoders Abends. Der Dreisigst waren wir in der Gemein ans Unckel Jesse S. Hostetlers. Von andere Theilen waren Johannes Js. und Isaack Rs. und Familien, alle Hostetlern; Christian Zs. und Kindeskind Noah C. Jr. alle Speichern. De Speichern waren ans Unckel Rubens fürs abendessen. Lang Leen Ost Gemein war ans Johannes M. Hostetlers. Der Sechst Januar (AltChristag) war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Christ G. Yoders. West Lang Leen ans Rufus M. Yoders.

Eli S. Hostetlers waren ans Unckel Christs fürs Abendessen. Ost Milroy Gemein war ans Christ M. Zugen Jr. Der Dreizeht Januar waren wir in der Gemein ans Esra B. Hostetlers. Von andere Theilen waren Witwee (Sam R.) Malinda K. Lydia (Jacob Z.), Amos, Uria, und Elisabeth (Christian S.) alle Hostetlern; Witwee (Emanuel B.) Fräney N. und Söhne Eli, Emanuel, und Enos, Mahlon Cs. und Familie, Uria, Fräney und Thomas (Joel M.) alle Yodern. So der Herr Will ist unser Gemein ans Mose C. Yoders nächst mol. Nieder Milroy war ans Joshua J. Hostetlers. Noah D. Hostetlers und Sohn Isaack waren ans Unckel Christ M. Yoders für Abendessen und waren auch ein wenig hier. Jesse J. Hostetlers und Familie waren ans Eli S. Zugen fürs Abendessen. Eli Y. Hostetlers waren dort fürs Mittag. Auch dort ein wenig nach der Gemein waren: Rebecca, Nirian, Ruth, Naemi, und Lena (Jesse S.), Johannes Ys. und Familie, alle Hostetlern. Am Christag waren wir ans Unckel Jesse S. Hostetlers fürs

Mittag. Alle ihre Kinder und Kindeskinder und Unckel Ruben Ds, Mose Rs und Familie waren auch dort. Unckel Christ Ms waren ans Manasse J. Yoders; Auch dort waren etliche von die Johannes E. Yoder Familie von McClur. Die Witwee (Samuel H.) Lydia A. Hostetler von McClur wahr bei ihr Sohn, die Johannes Y. Hostetlers über die zeit. Am Neu-jahrs Tag waren Unckel Jesses ans Jonathan N. Hostetlers fürs Mittag, nachdem sie an ihren Sohn die Isaack Rs waren über nacht. Mose C. Yoders und Elsie und Nancy Hostetler (Johannes Y.) waren ans Eli S. Zugen fürs abendessen. Es war noch mehr besuches in dieser Gegend über die Feirtagen---Zu viel fur mich hier zuschreiben. Am Funfzeht Januar war Hochzeit bei die Wittwee (Daniel M.) Leah E. Zug für ihre Tochter Elisabeth N. mit Johannes H. und Leah Z. Yoders ihr Sohn Israel D. Verheirathet durch Aaron L. Yoder. Gemein war ans Noah Y. Zugen. Nevahocker waren Jacob E. Zug (Leah E.) und Saloma E. Yoder (David J.); Joseph E. Yoder (John H.) und Naemi L. Zug (Leah E.) Die von der Ferne kommend, waren bekannte von Neu York, deren Namen Ich nicht bekannt bin. Der Achtzeht war Hochzeit ans Jonathan N. und Betsy D. Hostetlers für ihre Tochter Elisabeth B. mitt die Witwee (Yost E.) Lydia E. Hostetler ihr Sohn. Noah E. Gemein ans Rudy M. Hostetlers. Der Zwanzigst war Kirchengasse gemein ans Esra Y. Hostetlers. West Lang Leen war ans Mahlon C. Yoders, Ost Milroy war ans Noah M. Zugen. Meine Eltern und Ich waren ans Eli S. Zugen fürs Mittag. Andere dort waren; Isaack Rs, Mose Rs und Familien, und Ruben Ds, alle Hostetlern. Emanuel J. Yoders und vier Kindern, Noah Ys und der Johannes D., alle Zugen. Rebecca M. Miriam K., Ruth N., Naemi B., und Lena E. Hostetler (Jesse S.) waren bei meine Schwester fürs Mittag. Un-

Continued on page 32

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The Valley, February 2013

Stone Arch Real Estate

Proudly Announces Top Sales Agent Congratulations to Bev Naylor of Stone Arch Real Estate for achieving the 2012 Top Sales Agent of the Year award for her outstanding sales production. Bev brings over 18 years of experience to her real estate career. She resides in Lewistown with her husband Pat and nephew Blade

Kelly. office with the most units sold. Bev can be reached at 717It’s simple; by serving a smaller 250-4530, or by emailing her at: market, we excel in service and Bev@StoneArchRealEstate.com. results. Our combined knowl In second place for total edge and specialized expertise in sales production is Tami Slick. To Mifflin County’s most distinctive achieve this award after only properties make us the real estate being in the real estate business company to turn to for real estate since 2011 is an amazing accomwith the personal touch. a plishment. Tami lives in Lewistown with her husband Curt and three children, Cassidy, a senior at Penn State University, Mason, a student at Triangle Tech and Ella, a 7th grader at Mifflin County Middle School. Stone Arch Real Estate (http://www.stonearchrealestate.com) is a specialty office committed to a higher standard of customer service, built on listening and trust, and we apply a team approach to make sure every detail is taken care of throughout the transaction. Tami Slick runner-up in “Sales Pro Our vision is to make our duction” after just one year in Real Estate Bev Naylor, Top Sales Agent for 2012 clients #1, not to be the

Community Partnerships RC&D from page 15 program identifies tradition bearers in the region and works to help recognize those artists and connect them with valuable resources. In 2013, we will be helping masters and apprentices apply for joint funding. Our annual Orthey Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the field. The PA Quilt Trails project continues to make a positive impact locally with the latest square being mounted at the historic Packwood House Museum in Lewisburg. Geocaching sites will be established along the existing trail. All this is possible through the diligence of our excellent professional staff and project partners. 2013 has a host of challenges in store for Community Partnerships RC&D and our communities. We’ll need your support to tackle them all. Contact us at 717-248-4901, ext. 301 to join the Council and contribute to making our communities better places to live. Staff and subcontractors contact information: Sam Price Executive Director sprice@cpartnerships.com 717.248.4901, ext. 301

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Kevin Morgan Environmental Program Director kmorgan@cpartnerships.com 717.248.4901, ext. 305 Mike Lennartz Conservation Administrator Taylor House Manager mlennartz@cpartnerships.com 717.248.4901, ext. 300 Sharon Lee PA Quilt Trails Administrator admin@paquilttrails.org 717.248.4901, ext. 326 Jim Leister Accounting jleister@cpartnerships.com 717.248.4901, ext. 302 Jon Longenecker Chesapeake Bay Engineer jlongenecker@cpartnerships.com Beth Miller Nature and Arts Liaison Americorps Member 717.248.4901, ext. 304 bmiller@cpartnerships.com Molly Bolick Folk and Traditional Arts Coordinator mmbolick@gmail.com a

The Valley, February 2013

Home-Grown! A Homeschooler’s Perspective By Mary Eck

A (Shockingly-True) History Lesson Part 1

All too often (the last presidential election comes exasperatingly to mind), the perception held by the majority of folks is so far from reality and truth. How it happens that propaganda and outright lies can become so ingrained in such a significant slice of our nation’s population is immensely frustrating. And one such example is the majority perspective of public schooling as the traditional educational model. It is tiresome (as many of you know) to listen to public school parents and other supporters denigrate our choice as the “uneducated” one we backwoods people are prone to make; we can’t help it, we just don’t know any better. What a crock! If I could drive home one point to those critical of homeschooling, it would be the fact that THEY are the uneducated ones, contentedly ignorant of the successful history of the homeschool model and its considerable role in building this great nation, and complicitly oblivious (remarkably so) to the purposeful and methodical manipulation of the public school model to mold the American masses for economic and political ends. I know that last (and very long!) sentence probably irked quite a number of you to your cagey core, but inconvenient facts are still facts. And I am hopeful that, despite what you might perceive as an attack, you receive my words more so as the challenge they are to cast aside ideological egos and differences and consider the evidence I present in this

installment and the next with an open mind, unfettered by agenda and steeped in intellectual integrity, which I know perfectly well you do possess because you are a dear Valley reader! So, on the first point, I think few would dispute the fact that before our nation’s compulsory laws requiring school attendance were introduced in 1852, a child’s education took place at home. Nothing astonishing there, right? It was the parents’ prerogative to educate their children as they saw fit, which consisted mainly of learning to read religious literature and perform arithmetic that would be adequate to assume a chosen vocation. And since it was the default schooling method of the times due to the practicality of homestead chores taking priority, the effectiveness of homeschooling was simply not an issue. Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, Alexander Bell and others are commonly cited as homeschool successes, but the fact is that the many generations of colonial folks—the collective product of a predominantly homeschooling culture—are responsible for shaping America into the successful sovereign nation it was at the start of the 20th century. Arguably, prior to compulsory attendance laws the American population was better educated, probably because education was viewed (and so, valued) as a privilege. Today, education is a “right” that too many young people regard with outright insolence.

Studies continue to find without exception that children schooled at home score between 26 and 41 percentile points higher than their public and private school counterparts across the board in every subject and every grade. Even the most dedicated detractor of homeschooling must acknowledge that those are exceptional results. Forget about the why behind the numbers; homeschooling works, and no amount of misinformation can change that. Undeniably, the modern homeschool movement has quite an accomplished heritage and is carrying the torch admirably, but is typically and unfairly snubbed as not equal to the task of its “more-capable” predecessor. But if it was the parents’ prerogative THEN to oversee a child’s education, I submit to you that nothing of consequence has changed, and that it remains a parent’s prerogative to choose which schooling model works best for their child or family. Homeschooling is an educational model that was once esteemed and commonplace, but is now discounted and considered counter-cultural for reasons that are just nonsensical. Parents who choose to homeschool are after the irrefutable results, and will not surrender the power of that choice to the “school bully,” no matter what. In our dominantly “pro-choice” era, you’d think that concept wouldn’t be so elusive, huh?! a

Baby Boom from page 16

in their ears. The marker will last awhile but is not permanent, so it’s best to check the temporary “tattooes” every few days to make sure they’re still there. Or the litters can be kept in separate nestboxes and switched in and out during different parts of the day. As soon as the kits are staying warm and being fed, your job is over! The kits will be content in their mother’s care until weaning time comes around at about 6 to

8 weeks of age. Good luck as you begin to breed for your spring litters! a

like her own. Some people recommend putting a drop of vanilla on the doe’s nose so that she can’t tell the difference in scents while the new kits get settled. I haven’t found that necessary, but it is a good practice for extra assurance. If the kits are all the same color, be sure to keep each litter separate. Permanent marker can be used to place identifying marks

Sue Burns from page 11 Farm twice each month. Contact me for details. Also, instead of meat, include some wild caught salmon in you weekly menu for even more omega 3 protection. A great local source is the Boalsburg year-round farmer’s market, located in the Boalsburg Fire Hall. 11. Get some daily movement. Yes, even in the winter. 12. Reduce Stress. Lifestyle is a huge piece of the healthy heart pie. Depression, anxiety, and loneliness are all heartbreakers of epic proportion causing much more damage than high cholesterol. Find ways to live, love and laugh with family and friends! Your life depends on it. Take Pause for the Cause – If you or a loved one has been told you have high cholesterol I encourage you to take time to have a heart-to-heart talk with your medical care provider. There are several laboratory tests which you can ask to have that provide a better indicator of heart health. They include: • Homocysteine- This is a measure of a toxic amino acid that is a by product of a high animal protein diet. Getting adequate amounts of vitamin B12, B6 and folate will bring this level down. • C-reactive protein (CRP)This is a measure of general inflammation in the body. • Vitamin B12 and Folate – These test measures important vitamins that convert homocysteine to non-toxic amino acids. • Triglycerides – This will measure an excess intake of fats and sugars. • Fibrinogen- This measures a protein that determines the stickiness of the blood. Fibrinogen has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease but most doctors don’t order the test because there is no direct treatment for high levels, but omega 3 fatty acids may help. • Serum Ferritn- This measures iron levels. Not enough iron is not good, but too much is also dangerous because iron is highly susceptible to oxidation and iron levels can build up in muscles and tissues. People with high iron levels are twice as likely to have heart attacks as those with lower levels. No one but premenopausal women should take iron supplements unless advised by a physician. • LP (a) – This is a type of

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cholesterol carrying molecule. High elevations in the blood can be a serious risk factor in heart attacks but is also one of the hardest to treat since the amount we produce it is often determined by our genes. Fish oil and niacin (not the slow release kind) are showing promise in keeping levels in the normal range. Love Your Heart To gain a full understanding of the cholesterol myth requires a curious and open heart and mind. It involves searching, digging, and reading. Also, if you are like me, a lot of head-scratching happens. Trust me, I have been at it for about 10 years and I am often still confused. Swimming upstream against conventional wisdom is never easy, but it is the best heart loving exercise around! What I have learned along the way is that this saga seems to touch not just medicine and research, but politics and economics as well. For instance, when the National Cholesterol Education Program lowered the “optimal” cholesterol levels to 200 mg/dL in 2004, eight out of the nine people on the panel had financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Go figure. Be in touch if you would like to partner with me in mapping out your healthy heart journey. This Valentine’s Day may your heart be filled with love, laughter and a longing for truth. Sue is a holistic nutrition consultant and holistic health educator. Her office is located at 54 Chestnut Street in Lewistown. To learn more about her business go to www.mynourishingjourney. com She can be reached by email at sue@mynourishingjourney.com or give her a call at 242- 3132. References and Suggested Resources: The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart Disease and the Statin Free Plan That Will by Jonny Bowder Ph.D., C.N.S.and Stephan Sinatra M.D. The Myth of Cholesterol: Dispelling the Fear and Creating Real Heart Health by Paul Dugliss M.D. and Sandra Fernandez, M.S.P.H. The Statin Damage Crisis- by Duane Graveline M.D. Ignore the Awkward: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive by Uffe Ravnskov M.D. Ph.D. a

The Valley, February 2013

Love by Sarah Hurlburt

True love is more about sacrifice and less about self. It is taught in the bible modeled by Jesus who never seemed too concerned with what others were doing for him or giving to Him, but was always concerned with what he was doing for others. God sent Jesus to show us what love looked like. There is a scripture that says who are we to think we could even give anything to God; everything we have is from him. (I Chronicles 29:14) We cannot fathom the immensity of his love. And yet God seeks us, He desires something from us. He wants to make us aware of what true love really looks like but not only that, he wants to be loved by us. He sees something beautiful in each of us and desires to reveal that beauty to the world as he reveals himself through us. True love looks like someone choosing to leave the comforts of home and move to a foreign

country to start churches, schools or orphanages or offer medical care to people who would otherwise never have access to any of those things. A real life example of this true love in action is a young woman who had a world of opportunities in front of her and who decided, after feeling God’s leading, to move to Mozambique Africa and start caring for orphans. She’s an amazing woman, and I’m blessed to be her cousin. Check out what she does at www. projectlibertyintl.org. You may even be moved to love those children by helping them with some of their overwhelming financial needs. A lot of her children would be living on the street, or worse without her, but it’s certainly not easy for her to try and care for them all, especially in a country where the economy is much, much worse than ours. These types of things show us true love

in action and getting in on it is the most exciting and fulfilling thing we will ever do with our lives. True love looks like neighbors looking out for each other. It looks like friends loving you without judgment. It looks like forgiveness. It looks like communities coming together to care for each other during times of tragedy. It looks like a couple adopting a disabled child because they want that child to know what it’s like to be wanted and needed in a family. It looks like a soldier coming home. True love looks like Jesus beaten and wounded hanging on a cross, dying for us. It looks like resurrection and the promise of Heaven. It looks like redemption. True love, pure and real love is not physical or emotional, but is a deep spiritual love, the love of God, the brilliance of it shining through one person and warming another. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” I John 3:16 a

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“The Constitution shall never be construed....to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms” --Samuel Adams

The Valley, February 2013

32 Grosze Thal Nachbaren (Big Valley Neighbors) from page 27 ckel Rubens waren ein wenig ans Menno Zugen morgens. Ihr ander Besuch war ihre Schwester die Daniel E. Hostetlers und (Jetztverheirathet) Kindes-kind Israel D. und Elisabeth N. Yoders. Greetings in the Name of our Lord. This finds us over halfway through the first month of the year. The 18th marks twelve years since Grandad Jeff S. Hostetler passed on. This date also used to be Grandad Moses S. Yoders birthday. He passed on May 8, 2011. Time has a way of slipping away. But memories remain of dear ones. New arrivals are Franey A. on Dec. 20, joining five brothers and four sisters, to Noah A.J. and Anna M. Grands are Abie N. and Lena F. (Yoder) local; Alphie J. and Emma S. of Penns Valley, all Hostetlers. A daughter Barbara H. joining one sister on Dec. 27, to Samuel T. and Leah A. (Yoder) Hostetler. Grands are Samuel K. and Rhoda Z. (Speicher) Hostetler; David J. and Anna N. (Hostetler) Yoder. They also buried an infant son in 2010. Joining two brothers and two sisters is Daniel S. on December 29, to Eli S. and Lydia N, Zook. Grands are Christ M. and M. Adelina (Hostetler) Yoder, local; Christian R. and Mary L. (Hostetler) Zook of McClure. Great-grandfather is widower Eli B. Zook of Penns Valley. John E. and Barbara M. are first-time parents to Dena, since January 10. First-time grands are Ezra A. and Leah M. (Zook); others are Moses S. and Rhoda L. (Yoder); Greats are Samuel M. and Elizabeth L. (first-time) and widow Leah N., all Hostetlers; John B. Yoder and John D. Zook (first-time) both widowers. Joining one sister is a son Jacob to John B. and Miriam E. Hostetler. Grands are Christ R. J. and Miriam S. (Hostetler) Yoder; Josie A. and Dorothy A. Hostetler. Greats are: John B and Frona E. Hostetler; Rudy S. and Lydia B. Yoder. Katie J. Zook, wife of Menno J., (cancer patient) is on pain medication with a Hospice nurse coming weekly. Dads made a call there on Wednesday, the 9th. Their other visitors (that day) were her nephew Jonathan Hostetler and wife of Turbotville and niece Elizabeth Speicher (Mrs. Henry D.) of Penns Valley. Johnathan also visited more of his Uncles and Aunts here in the val-

ley. Later in the day Katie, with a driver and special accommodations, went to her daughter-in-law (Daniel) Leah E. Zook (whom was preparing for her daughter Elizabeth’s wedding) for a short while. Menno and Katies’ address is 10674 Back Mountain Road, Milroy, PA 17063. They look forward to mail-time. I came across an interesting catalog of nursery stock of hardy selections of “wild” or seed grown fruits. Being in Michigan their plants and trees are also northern hardy. Their extra special strains are marked in the catalog with “ECOS”. However this code is not a patent number, and they in fact, encourage continued selfpropagation of their stock. For their catalog, which is free, write to: Oikos Tree Crops P.O. Box 19425, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 40019-0425. For a seed catalog that is typeset without the use of computers, send one dollar to J.L. Hudson, Seedsman, P.O. Box 337, La Honda, California, 94020. They have a large listing of botanicals. And also have a selection of Heirloom vegetables. Noah B. and Elizabeth Y. (Zook) Yoder were at the wedding at Leah E. Zook. Elizabeth is on a wheelchair, she strings beads and crochets potholders, both to sell. Their address is 1067 Old Three Cent Lane, Reedsville, PA 17084. Well I started writing a week early and now need to add to it. Joining one brother and five sisters, is a daughter Arie on January 20, to Stephen Y. and Lydia B. Grands are Abraham N. and Lene F. (Yoder); Samuel E. Jr. and Malinda F. (Yoder), all Hostetlers. Betsy S. wife of Bish. Hosea J. died January 23, from an apparent heart attack, unexpectedly. Born February 1, 1959, she was the youngest child of the late Michael Y. and Lydia E. (Hostetler) Zook. Surviving are four sons and two daughters, Jacob M., Michael U., Lydia E., and John Z. all local, married and with families, Elizabeth B., and Ephriam S. at home. Four brothers Christ M. Sr. and Eli Y.; both of Milroy. Four sisters, Rachel L. Hostetler, Malinda A. Hostetler, Dena L. Yoder and Lydia E. Hostetler, all widows and local. Preceded by two sisters. The families home address is 207 Shale Bank Lane, Milroy. Funeral on Friday the 25th at 9:00. By Samuel L. Hostetler in one house. Hosea is a son of widower Yone Jacob B. Yoder and the late (Elizabeth N. Hostetler) of 170 Birch Lane, Reedsville. Several pallbearers were Noah M. Zook and Jacob B. Yoder. Don’t

have them all. Hauled by Eli J. Hostetler. The fore mentioned Menno Zook Katie is now also on Oxygen. Remembering the grieving, the sick and their caretakers. Look forward to spring. God’s Blessings wished to all. Jeptha I. Yoder a

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The Valley, February 2013

Back Talk by Dr. Joseph Kauffman

Mercury: It does a body Good? A few weeks ago, I posed a question on my office’s Facebook page requesting any topics that people would like to know more about and how it affects the body. The next vaccine to be discussed is the notorious MMR, so I need more time to prepare for it. The topic for this month is requested by a patient. She wanted to know about the effects mercury has on the body. Like all of my topics discussed, I learn a great deal while researching it. Oftentimes, the medical profession does not do a very thorough job of learning and/or explaining things like this to their patients. My goal, as always, is to provoke the reader to think for himself or herself. Do your own research. Never simply blindly trust any individual no matter how intelligent he or she may seem. I know many doctors downplay the effects of mercury in the body or deny how much mercury can actually accumulate inside the body. I tend to quote much of my research so that you,

the reader, know to not take my word for it. Reading someone else’s material and paraphrasing may not do the reader or the author much justice. Rather than making myself look intelligent, I would rather you read it from the source. I stand behind what I post and welcome any and all questions. The following excerpt is taken from http://www. livestrong.com/article/26806longterm-effects-mercurypoisoning/#ixzz2IzxCbsqs “Mercury is a liquid metal at ordinary temperatures and pressures. Mercury is the second most toxic substance on earth – second to plutonium. Mercury exists in several forms: • ELEMENTAL MERCURY Mercury as it exists alone. This form is an odorless liquid at room temperature and is used in thermometers, barometers, vapor lamps and pesticides. • INORGANIC MERCURY When combined with other various elements such as chlorine,

fluorine, sulfur, or oxygen. • ORGANIC MERCURY When combined with compounds containing a certain form of carbon. • METHYL MERCURY Is found in fish and other sea foods. Also, it is released in vapor form into one’s body from amalgam dental fillings. Both forms of methyl mercury are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. WHY IS MERCURY SO DANGEROUS? Mercury is a neurotoxin, which means it has the ability to cross the blood-brain protective barrier and causes direct damage to the cells in the brain and nervous system. Mercury concentrates in and around a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for your memory, moods and emotions and how your hormones, breathing, perspiration, and heartbeat function. Obviously, when cells of the hypothalamus

are damaged, its functions are impaired. Mercury concentrates in your liver, which is responsible for neutralizing toxins from food and all other toxins. As a result, it impairs liver function. It also collects in the kidneys, making them malfunction as well. Mercury is absorbed by the immune system, and causes it to attack innocent particles, such as food (causing food sensitivities/allergies) or your body parts instead of the bacteria and viruses it is supposed to fight. Mercury adheres to the membranes (the protective coating) around and inside the body’s cells and destroys them. Then it destroys the unsaturated compounds in the membranes, which destroys the essential fatty acids your body can’t replace. Since the membrane is damaged, it does not perform its function of passing signals along properly, so many messages your body needs to function properly become impaired. Mercury removes nutrients and binds to their receptor sites (points of attachment of activators to cell membranes) causing mineral depletion. Mercury creates free radicals that attack your own DNA, adversely changing the genetic material in your cells. This process makes your cells work less efficiently and eventually causes your cells to malfunction, turn cancerous or die. Mercury

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decreases the amount of oxygen in the blood. Feeling short of breath and achiness, as if exhausted, will often occur when there has been no exertion. It takes 30 to 70 days for the human body to eliminate onehalf of a single absorbed dose of mercury. Even microscopic amounts in any form of mercury will eventually accumulate intracellularly to significant levels over time and then, usually years or even decades later gradually create noticeable symptoms. In short, mercury may be stored in any cell of the body, typically starting with the brain and nervous system, then the endocrine system (pituitary gland, adrenals, thyroid) and liver, kidneys. Mercury damages every cell it touches, creating some degree of malfunction(s) of that particular cell. HOW DOES THE MERCURY GET INTO THE BODY? The most abundant sources of mercury exposure are from: 1. Amalgam dental fillings in one’s teeth and/or tooth roots via an apicoectomy/root canals 2. Vaccinations and drugs such as flu shots and immunizations Other Sources: • By eating fresh fish, salt water

Continued on page 47

The Valley, February 2013

Joanne Wills-Kline Contentment Quest

Actions and in Truth The month of February, the month synonymous with sugar sweet delectables, velvety crimson roses, and amore`. This year, as we approach Valentine’s Day, I suggest that we all take a new look at love. I pose a unique challenge, one that we all could partake in throughout February, and hopefully beyond. My proposal is that we all make a conscientious decision to enact a biblical Scripture: 1 John, 3:18 (NIV). The verse states “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” How do we love in action? Well, some of the first examples that may come to mind are demonstrating our love for our spouses, significant others, family, and friends. You know, actions sparked from a giving and sharing heart. Spawning actions of love for the special people in our lives is a

relatively easy task. My proposal goes beyond the easy… my proposal requires that we reach deep down into the hard, uneasy, scarred areas of our heart and launch the giving of love from those deep dark canyons. How do we love from the deep dark canyons? Well, it is a difficult task… and one that takes great persistence to master. I believe one method is to first ask the simple question “How can I love in light of this?” That question, once posed to me a long time ago, forever changed the way I view love, action, and truth. Choosing to pursue love on a deep level of action – a very hard level – means that we must chose to see only the good in another – to see light rather than darkness, sameness rather than differences. Depending on circumstances, it can be a most challenging task.

Many times, choosing to love from the deep canyons means we must trod over scarred areas of our hearts – trod over the past hurts, pains, disappointments, differences, injustices, and hardships. As I said, loving deeply, and in action, is a tough challenge, but one that brings us to a new sense of being. Sometimes we can find it in our hearts to love deeply in action on occasion, but not ongoing. The point is to just keep moving towards deep actions of love, even if it takes a very long time. Just keep moving forward with the question “How can I love in light of this?” as your compass. Pose the question to yourself every time you encounter situations where your knee jerk reaction is to respond in backlash, negativism or harm. Pose the question, and then simply take a deep breath, and wait patiently

Progress At The Embassy by Patricia Lawson

We, “The Friends,” are often asked, “What has happened or changed in the last year?” Well, progress is not always visual. We are thankful for two grants to date: Save America’s Treasures, a federal grant, and the Keystone Historic Preservation, a state grant. These grants are roughly $246,000 and $85,000, respectively, for a total of $331,000. Only $170,000 (includes construction costs, architect oversight, construction plans, and other related costs) of this amount will be used for the current phase, leaving $161,000 to begin work inside. However, this amount must be matched dollar-for-dollar to spend it. These grants have been instrumental in allowing us to hire an architect, Robert A. Keal, and select a bid from BCS Construction to begin Phase One as soon as the weather breaks. As a recap, this will include installing a new roof, repairing masonry walls around the exterior, and installing

exit doors. We are also grateful to Fulton Bank in State College for their support by providing a loan. Donations to The Embassy Theatre are tax deductible and can be mailed to: The Embassy Theatre, P.O. Box 203, Burnham, PA 17009. Thank you in advance for your contribution! As you recall, last month we were discussing the demolition of The National Theatre in order to upgrade and rename the new theatre. Well, one of the reasons to proceed with this plan was the fact that The Pastime, another movie house in Lewistown, was improving their ventilation and adding plush seats. Harold Cohen, the co-owner of The National Theatre, visited the finest theatres of the day in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis and other cities. He took notes and made rough sketches of architectural details he found attractive. These noted observations were then given to

their architect, who incorporated them into the final design. Meanwhile, the townspeople asked Harold to give the new theatre a new name. The architects suggested “Embassy” and “Victoria” among others. Then, Harold decided instead to hold a contest to name the new theatre. The winner was Miss Alice Toohley, who submitted “Embassy” and won a $10 gold piece for her entry. Harold liked it because, as he stated, “…of its uniqueness, for it denotes to the patron a stately building, and the architecture and the luxury of the new theatre will give that impression.” Some of the Billie Dove other

for the answer to bubble up from deep down in your core. If you choose to stay the course, you will be amazed at how your awareness and perceptions will shift about matters in life. If you choose to learn how to love in action, then loving in truth will follow. When we love in action – in deep, reverent action for our fellow man – then we also love in truth. When we love in action, then we actively move towards what God has purposed for us to be. Love is active – it

is not passive or abstract – love occurs in action, in service, and through truth. This year, kick off the month of love by pledging to partake in my challenge – to love in action and truth. Choose to join me on the journey to learn to love in action and truth. Join me; pose the question to yourself – How can you love? – then trust the answer of truth. Take action to love. a

recommended names that included: “Ambassador,” “The Harold,” “Penn State,” “Penn Lewis,” and “Colonial.”. Construction began, but there were delays due to inclement weather and late shipments of marble. Then, on Monday, October 17, 1928, the Embassy Theatre opened its doors! Fred Morrow started the evening with a recital on the fabulous Kimball Organ. Laura Lee sang a series of songs, followed by a local musical group, Leopold’s Ambassadors and then finally, Elizabeth Farrell performed a dance recital. The feature film of the evening was “American Beauty,” a silent film romantic drama produced and distributed by First

National Pictures starring Billie Dove and Lloyd Hughes, who was noted for his dark good looks and his sensitive acting abilities. As a bit of trivia, Howard Hughes was one of Billie’s biggest fans. The theatre was filled to overflowing twice, and 500 people were turned away that evening. The Embassy’s Dedicatory spoke eloquently of the theatre, not just the building, but the experience. Presented here in its entirety is that original Dedicatory:

Lloyd Hughes

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“To the people of Lewistown and to their children and to their children’s children; to the stranger who might sojourn within its gates either on business or pleasure bent; to all those who in the future years will add their achievements to the modern era of genius; does the management of The Embassy Theatre dedicate this beautiful temple.” Please visit our web-site: www.embassytheatre.org and our Facebook page: www.facebook. com/embassyltwn for more information. I’ll talk to you next month! Happy Valentine’s Day from The Friends Of The Embassy Theatre! A Memory with a Future, a Future Full of Memories! a

The Valley, February 2013

Life in the East End by Rebecca Harrop We finally got some snow here in the East End. My sister and I have been sledding on the hill across the road from our house. We have so much fun sled riding. A couple weekends ago we had our cousins from Beaver Springs over for Sunday lunch. We had a great time visiting. But the best part was, after lunch we spent all afternoon sledding. We had so much fun sledding and getting wet. It wasn’t too cold so we didn’t mind getting wet. We always get soaked when we sled ride. Mom says she thinks we try to see how many sets of clothes we can go through. I guess I should tell her that we just don’t want the washing machine to go too long unused. In the late afternoon I had to leave to go to the barn, but as soon as I was done, I was back out there sledding some more. Mom and Dad told us we cheat because both my brothers have four wheelers so they drag us back up the hill so we don’t have to walk back up. We have almost as much fun getting dragged back up as sliding down. In the evening we built a fire and roasted hotdogs. Some other friends from Barrville came down that evening to sled ride. Their son Braden was having so much fun when his Dad said it was time to go, he could have one more ride. Braden said he wanted 100 more rides. We promised we would do it again and he can come down and sled ride with us. The snow melted in the last week so I’m hoping for some more so we can have a sledding party. I don’t know if we’ll get Braden his 100 more rides, but we’ll sure try. Well I guess my Dad was right

about that white bull calf. He just never seemed to get going and he was really slow drinking. He did die. I was really bummed out about that. He was really cute too. Dad said there was probably something wrong with him internally and he wouldn’t have been right even if he would have lived. I know that is just part of life. Uncle Bob and my brother Ben were at a pesticide meeting a couple weeks ago. That is were farmers go to learn about the proper procedures and handling of the different herbicides and pesticides we use on the farm. They learn what products work best in different situations, what products work better at different times, or not at all. They also get information on products for rodent control. Rodent control is important because of the amounts of feed and grain that is stored on a farm to feed the animals. Farmers have to have a Pesticide License to use most of the products we use. You don’t just get a one-time license; you have to attend these meetings, usually yearly, to get “points” to keep your license current. If you don’t, you can’t buy products. Farmers are more informed and more concerned with the environment than ever before. The amount of research that has gone into these products and the use of them have made today’s farm practices more environmentally friendly than at any time in the past. We know we have to be, to ensure the future of farming. We still have manure to haul, but as I’ve said before, that is a never-ending job. Dad says as long as animals eat, there will be manure. We haven’t butchered hogs yet this year. We are still trying to find hogs to buy. We didn’t raise our own this year so we have to buy them. I wish Dad would Sledding on “The Hill” is a favorite winter activity hurry up

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and find some. I like butchering and I’m ready to go. A couple of Mom’s co-workers want to come out from New Jersey this year when we butcher. I can’t wait for that! I just hope her cousins have mercy and don’t try to play too many tricks. They are hard workers, but they like to have their fun. Last month I bought my first gun. Both of the deer I shot so far I got with an inline muzzleloader. I decided I was going to buy one and Ernie helped me pick out the one I wanted. A week later Ernie, Joann, Rachel and I went to Cabelas and I got all my supplies. We spent a Sunday morning and afternoon shooting it in and testing it. Ernie said we would have to shoot in the scope since it was new. With the very first shot, I hit the target. We’re gonna shoot it again someday because it was really windy. I just want to make sure it is accurate. Now I am all set for next hunting season. Till next month, that’s it from the East End. a

Bare Nekked Soaps at Dutch Pantry Gifts from page 44 ings, and were currently working with Burnham Hardware to carry a selection of our whipped

soaps, candles and tarts. All our products are available at our main retail location located at Dutch Pantry Gifts in Milroy Pa., as well as online at thedutchpantry.com. a

The display of some of the Bare Nekked line of products that include, Tarts, Lotions, Candles, Bar and Whipped Soap. Bare Nekkid products are a delight to the senses. Some of the scents are downright mouth-watering. Produced locally, right here in Big Valley.

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The Valley, February 2013

Cave Echoes by Marge Delozier-Noss and Nikki Santangelo

Have A Heart During the month of February, our thoughts often turn to love, hearts, and mushy sentiments sent on cards to dear ones. At Simply Health, we are all about caring for your health and taking steps for preventative health care. We encourage you to become more aware of your choices in your health care and take responsibility for your health. What does taking responsibility mean? To us it means, learning as much as you can about your body, your health, and what you can do to prevent disease. 65-75% of all disease is preventable. As a result, a lot of heart disease is preventable. So what do you need to do to prevent heart disease? There are four basic things that we all do; we need to exercise 30 minutes daily, drink lots of good clean water, eat a healthy diet of good organic foods, and try to control our stress.

Stress can be a killer. All of us seem to be under a mountain of stress these days. Watching TV and reading the newspaper informs us of some of the chaotic behaviors going on in the world around us. So what can we do on an individual basis to eliminate some stress? We can start by breathing. We need to take deep long breaths, filling our lungs with enough oxygen. Taking a yoga class in our Himalayan Salt cave is an excellent way to reduce stress with breathing, stretching, and reducing inflammation. Exercise of course is key and can help to reduce our stress. At Curves, we exercise with strength training and cardio for 30 minutes in a caring and supportive atmosphere. We have also introduced a weight loss program for only $12.95 per week that includes exercise, the diet, and individual supportive coaching. Taking a walk outside

in nature is another way to put our problems in perspective. When you are sitting in a Himalayan Salt Cave for 45 minutes, you are reducing inflammation, stress, and the cave also helps with cravings. Whether your cravings are for sugar, smoking, or alcohol, it has been shown that salt therapy helps with the cravings. Salt therapy also helps reduce the inflammation, and almost all disease starts with inflammation…including heart disease and diabetes. So give your heart a break, come sit in the Himalayan salt cave for 45 minutes, take a yoga class for 2 hours, or have a massage in the cave for an hour. Check out our website to read of the many testimonials that some of our clients have had over this past year. www.simplyhealthcalm.com. Stop in to purchase a salt lamp and/or a gift certificate

for your sweetheart for Valentines day…it will last longer than

flowers, be healthier than candy, and it will benefit your sweetheart forever… it won’t wear out…or add to their weight/diabetes. It will say, “I care about you enough to give the very best.” Stop by at 101 S. Logan Blvd. in Burnham or give us a call at 717-2482000. Happy Valentine’s Day…and healthy hearts everyday! a

The perfect give for her or him, a gift of health that tells that special someone you really care. A beautiful heart shaped salt lamp, with heart shaped stones that gives off a soft glow, sure to warm their heart.

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The Valley, February 2013

Natural Fungus May Provide Effective Bedbug Control Story Courtesy of: Penn State Public Information “And don’t let the bedbugs bite” is no longer a harmless adage. In reality today, these bloodthirsty bugs infest thousands of homes. According to a team of Penn State entomologists, biopesticides -- naturally occurring microorganisms -- might provide an answer to this pest problem. Bedbugs need blood meals for growth and development throughout their life cycle. Increased travel, widespread insecticide resistance and changes in management practices have caused a resurgence in those insects throughout North America and Europe. Compounding the problem are concerns about the safety of using traditional chemicals in the domestic environment. According to Nina Jenkins, senior research associate in entomology, preliminary bioassays on the effects of Beauveria bassiana -- a natural fungus that causes disease in insects -- on bedbug control have been performed, and the results are encouraging. She and her colleagues report their results in the most recent issue of the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. Jenkins, working with Alexis Barbarin, a former Penn State

postgraduate student now at the University of Pennsylvania, Edwin Rajotte, professor of entomology, and Matthew Thomas, professor of entomology, looked at how B. bassiana acts through contact with its insect host. “They are natural diseases that exist in the environment,” said Jenkins. “They are rela-

tively easy to produce in a lab and stable, so you can use them much like chemical pesticides.” In the study, the researchers used an airbrush sprayer to apply spore formulations to paper and cotton jersey, a common bed sheet material. Then control surfaces, again paper and cotton jersey, were sprayed with blank oil only.

A bed bug with Beauveria bassiana sporulating on its cadaver. Photo by Nina Jenkins Photo Courtesy of Penn State Live

The surfaces were allowed to dry at room temperature overnight. Three groups of 10 bedbugs were then exposed to one of the two surfaces for one hour. Afterward, they were placed on clean filter paper in a petri dish and monitored. The researchers found that all of the bedbugs exposed to the biopesticide became infected and died within five days. Also, there were no prominent differences in susceptibility by feeding status, sex, strain or life stage. Most importantly, the infected bedbugs carried the biopesticide back to their hiding places, infecting those that did not go out in search of blood. “We exposed half of a population of bedbugs to a spray residue for one hour and then allowed them to go into a harborage with unexposed individuals,” said Jenkins. “The fungal spores were transferred from the exposed bug

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to their unexposed companions, and we observed almost a hundred percent infection. So they don’t even need to be directly exposed, and that’s something chemicals cannot do.” This result is important because bedbugs live in hard-toreach places. “Bedbugs tend to be cryptic, and they’ll hide in the tiniest crevices,” said Jenkins. “They don’t just live in your bed. They hide behind light switches and power sockets and in between the cracks of the baseboard and underneath your carpet.” The speed of mortality with B. bassiana is as fast as Jenkins has seen in any application, but it doesn’t even need to be that fast. “If you are trying to protect a farmer’s field, he wants the insects that are eating his crop dead immediately,” said Jenkins. “Obviously, if you have bedbugs in your house, you don’t want them there for any longer than you have to, but what you really want to know is if they’ve all gone at the end of the treatment, and I think that’s something that this technology could offer.” Next, the researchers will test the effectiveness of brief exposure times and look at entire populations where natural harborages are established. Then they will begin field work. “It’s exciting, and it definitely works,” said Jenkins. “We’re working on the next step, and we have more funding to support these studies.”

The Valley, February 2013

of my granddaughters relaxing on the trip to Tokyo. You can see how roomy the seats are.) Edo says, “The bullet trains are a great way to travel and are cheaper and more convenient than air travel

Ed’s Railroading News by Ed Forsythe

“O-Boy,” another article’s overdue. Hope Wayne doesn’t begin to penalize me for being late. I think I was on time once or twice this past year. Things are back to normal here at the Forsythe house. J. Andrew, Tricia and Aurianna are back in S. Dakota, Sabrina is back at school and Edo, Mayumi, Emi, Mika and Kana are back home in Japan again. All are back to regular school, work, skiing trips, etc. Edo says they had a couple of feet of fresh snow when they arrived home. Thankfully their good neighbor removed it for them so they could get into the house. Here’s what Edo had to say about their trip on the Shinkansen bullet train and their trip to Tokyo to fly here for a visit. “We boarded the local train in a snowy and cold Hirosaki, Japan for a short trip to the newest bullet train station, Shin-Aomori Station. There, we dashed up 2 platforms to where the long, green, slicklooking train was waiting to depart. Once we got on board, we settled in and the bell sounded announcing the departure. The

doors shut and sealed and the train was off with a smooth gliding start. The snow covered countryside soon turned into a white blur as the train raced through the northern Japanese countryside and into a 26km tunnel between the Shin-Aomori and Hachinohe stations. During the approximately 3 hour trip from the northern tip of Honshu to the Tokyo stations, the bullet train’s speeds vary from 70 mph to 190 mph and is soon to increase to over 200 mph in the near future. We traveled on the newest model, the E5 Hayabusa series pictured here in Tokyo Station. (It’s very comfortable as you can see in the second picture

My grandaughters enjoying the comfy seats in the E5 bullet train.

The E5 Hayabusa series bullet train at the Tokyo station.

to many destinations throughout Japan. I’m not sure whether they’ll ever establish a foothold in America, but if they do, they’ll certainly get you where you are going in a flash.” If you remember, I finished last month’s article telling you about talking with a retired

Home Brew U

Adventures in Homebrewing by Kevin Morgan

The Mysterious Sourness

I am happy to say that I have been writing this column for The Valley for one year now. I have actually learned a lot about an art that I thought I knew a lot about by writing the articles, and it has been my pleasure to learn with my readers. So I am here to say that I recently have had an issue with making sour beer. It was driving me crazy that every other batch of beer would come off as sour. So this week I am going to tell the story of this dilemma and the science behind it. I have been brewing for nearly five years and I have made some incredible tasting beer, and others that I would not like for my friends to taste, but recently I have run into an on-again off- again mysterious sourness. It started in the fall. I made a five gallon batch of brown ale and it was not

my best effort. I figured it must have been the kit. I just did not like it. Then, I made a one gallon experimental batch of honey maibock that turned out great. Next, I brewed up a five gallon batch of stout that tasted just like the brown ale. At this point I knew something was up. I have never had a problem with poor sanitation before. I was pretty meticulous with my procedures and it just has never been an issue, but something was off. So I did a super sanitation of all my equipment. My bottling bucket, primary fermenters, carboy, brew kettle, siphon, tubes, and filler wand were soaked in sanitizer and scrubbed down. Then I made a three gallon batch of hard cider. Tasty. I thought I had kicked the sour beer demon down the road, so I brewed up a five gallon batch

of porter. And guess what? The mysterious sourness had returned. Now I’m pulling my hair out, and I do not have a whole lot left to pull out. In science you have to eliminate the variables in order to test a hypothesis. So I tried to figure out the links between the brown ale, stout and porter. I used my homegrown hops in two, but not the stout, and that would not matter because I added the hops during the boil. I was at a loss. Well around Christmas my wife got a free digital book through Amazon entitled “300 Plus Tricks to Great Brewing” and one day while my youngest was passed out on my shoulder, I started reading it. I got to the sanitation part of the book and one of the passages said that if you have been brewing in the same kettle for many years, beerstone can develop. Beerstone? I have never heard of beerstone and I have read numerous brewing

railroading engineer. He usually regales me with several stories about his days working the rails when he’s in my shop. I’ll call him 3-10. One of his stories was about the day he was sure he was on his last ride ever. He was the conductor and since the engineer of his train was someone who he didn’t really trust or like, there wasn’t much extra communication between them. They received a signal to stop the train due to another fast moving train passing in front of them through an interlock. Well, 3-10 received the signal as well as the engineer and just waited in silence for the brakes to be applied. When the engineer didn’t slow down, 3-10 finally mentioned the signal again and the engineer gruffly stated he knew what he was doing. Now you must realize that any train doesn’t stop on a dime, or for that matter, most don’t stop within the first mile of travel after applying the brakes when they are running at 45 to 60 miles per hour. After what seemed like an eternity to 3-10, the engineer finally applied the brakes hard and the train slowly started to drop speed. After traveling quite a distance, both men could see the crossing train coming into view and 3-10 just knew this was going to be way too close for comfort. 3-10 said that

continued on page 6

books. Beerstone, Calcium Oxalate, is a brownish haze that can build up in fermenters and kettles. This occurs from hard water, proteins in the wort, and the boiling of the wort. Think of barnacles on a boat. They are not there one year, but over time they build up and become more and more prominent. The book went on to state that the only way to get rid of beerstone is an acid treatment. I soaked my fermenters and kettle in a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water for thirty minutes. Then I wiped them down. Nothing came off from the fermenters, but the rag looked like I had cleaned up a mud puddle after wiping out the kettle. So all that scrubbing and sanitizing did not mean jack. The beerstone provides a perfect organic environment for bacteria to reside and multiply. This is the reason I was having sour beer sometimes and not others, because I only use my kettle for five gallon batches. The maibock and the cider never came in contact with the petri dish that had become my brew kettle. I just assumed that the brownish haze was not a problem if I sanitized my equipment.

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You know what they say about people who assume. To prevent this from being a problem, treat your fermenters and kettle with an acid treatment periodically. Then just do not use the kettle for a few days to allow passivation of the metal to occur. By writing this story I hope I have at least educated one homebrewer of the cause and affect of the evil beerstone. Because I have to admit, nothing infuriates me more than making piss poor beer. Here’s hoping that you only have sour beer when you brew a Belgium Lambic or Flanders Ale (I will discuss these in the future). Until then remember, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t” - Bill Nye, The Science Guy. a

The Valley, February 2013

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The Valley, February 2013

McClure Resident Proves that Attitude is Everything she had a brain tumor removed in 2002. After the surgery, Sharon had right foot drop and needed therapy. As part of HealthSouth’s The first word that comes Brain Injury Rehabilitation to mind when describing ShaProgram, Sharon had inpatient rehabilitation at the Pleasant Gap Hospital and then transitioned to the Outpatient Therapy Clinic in Lewistown. “I was determined to get better – and fast,” Sharon explains. “I said, ‘I’m walking out of here one way or another,’ and I did. After my rehabilitation, I walked out of HealthSouth with a brace – an accomplishment that I am very proud of.” Since then, Sharon has returned to HealthSouth’s Outpatient Clinic in Lewistown to get therapy for a broken wrist. And this past year, after treatments for blood clots in her right leg, Sharon turned to HealthSouth again. Joanna, her For 30 years, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation physical therapist, explains, “When Hospital has been helping patients become active again after Sharon was treated for blood clots, she an illness, injury or surgery. We are proud to be a part of the was immobile for a long period of local community as one of the nation’s leading rehabilitation time. As a result, she experienced providers, offering advanced technologies and experienced muscle weakness, tightness, and rehabilitation teams, with consistently strong patient outcomes. balance issues.” Sharon’s therapy To learn more about our programs to keep you or a loved one at HealthSouth focused on adactive within the community, call 814 359-3421. dressing those issues. “Physical therapy helped me get moving and get A Higher Level of Care® stronger, and that helped prevent me from falling, too,” explained Sharon. “The best part 550 West College Avenue about the rehabilitation was the conPleasant Gap, PA 16823 • 814 359-3421 fidence it gave me. NittanyValleyRehab.com When I started, ©2012:HealthSouth Corporation:567984P V5 I could not walk By Suzanne Irwin, Marketing Liaison, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital

ron Ort, 66, of McClure, PA is “determination.” And the staff at HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital would certainly agree. Sharon’s journey with HealthSouth started after

Celebrating Three Decades of Getting Patients Back Home

Sharon Ort of McClure

without a walker or cane. Then one day in therapy, my physical therapist, Joanna, asked me if I trusted her. I said ‘sure!’ and the next thing I knew, I was walking around without a walker or a cane, and I’ve never gone back to either one!” Sharon adds, “I dearly love the Lewistown staff; they were so kind. I made so much progress there, that I was done with therapy in time for the McClure Bean Soup Festival!” Joanna adds, “Sharon’s determination shined through everything she did. She never gave up, never allowed herself to get discouraged. She smiled and worked hard to get well, despite setbacks along the way. Sharon was always willing to try anything to get better.” Sharon’s determination paid off. She and her husband, Darvin, are enjoying life in McClure, including spending time with their 14-month-old grandson, Karben, whom Sharon describes as the “joy of their lives.” She attributes her determination and recovery to the prayers of her family, friends and neighbors. a

Mercury from page 47 cury from the blood and organs over a period of days, weeks or months.’ HOW CAN FISH HAVE SUCH HIGH LEVELS OF MERCURY AND STILL LIVE? WHY CAN’T HUMANS DO THIS? Fish protect themselves with enzymes that are able to methylate (change its form) mercury into a non-toxic substance. Unfortunately, humans (mammals) can’t do this. When we get even a small amount of mercury in our body, it is toxic and harmful.” http://mercurymadness.

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HealthSouth’s Outpatient Therapy Clinics Offer Rehabilitation

HealthSouth’s Outpatient Clinics provide a continuum of care for those who need rehabilitation after a hospital stay, an illness or an injury. HealthSouth’s Outpatient Clinics offer physical, occupational and speech therapy for people of all ages, designed to meet each patient’s personal needs. To make an appointment, contact one of the Outpatient Clinics: Lewistown 105 First Avenue Burnham, PA 17009 717 242-5400 Fax 717 242-5404 Mifflintown 27 CJEMS Lane, Suite 1 Mifflintown, PA 17059 717 436-8233 Fax 717 436-5513 Pleasant Gap 550 West College Avenue Pleasant Gap, PA 16823 814 359-5630 Fax 814 359 1232

info/?page_id=14 Among other reasons to consider getting the flu shot, the addition of mercury to the body should now also be considered. Is it really worth it? Maybe, if the flu shot was 100% effective, but we all know that’s simply not the case. So, why expose yourself to all of the other ingredients and Mercury, too? Something to think about and consider before you roll your sleeve up for the “free flu shot” at your local pharmacy or grocery store. a

The Valley, February 2013

Notes Lewistown Hospital Offers Educational Program for Healthcare Professionals Lewistown Hospital will host a “Heart Happenings” education program for healthcare professionals on February 15, 2013 from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm in Classroom 4 at Lewistown Hospital. The program is $45 per person and is approved for 7.0 contact hours upon successful completion. The program is designed to educate healthcare professionals in recognizing risk factors and signs and symptoms of stroke and congestive heart failure as well as enhance knowledge of EKG recognition. Pre-registration is required by February 8 by calling 717-242-7242. a

Lewistown Hospital Offers Heart Month Risk Assessments Lewistown Hospital will host a Heart Month Risk Assessment on February 12, 2013 from 10am – 3pm in the 4th Floor Classroom. Event will feature health screenings including blood pressures and blood sugars, heart healthy snacks, and a heart risk assessment. The heart risk assessment is free but requires a copy of blood work results within the past year. If you do not have recent blood work within the past year, you may call Lewistown Hospital to schedule prior to the event. The cost for blood work is $25.00 per person. To register for your heart risk assessment and/or your blood work, please call (717) 2427464. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments and giveaways provided. For more information, visit www.lewistownhospital.org. a

Thots on...from page 6 nally, Lot and his family fled—but his wife just couldn’t resist one last look back at the place that had been her home and, because of her disobedience, she was turned into a pillar of salt. “By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.” [Genesis 19.23-24] First century historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote, “But Lot’s wife, continually turning back to view the city as she went from it…was changed into a pillar of salt; for I have seen it, and it remains at this day,” and “…there are still reminders of that Divine fire and the traces of the five cities are still to be seen.” If you check Google Maps,

Lewistown Hospital Offers Q & A Web Page to Answer Questions about Pending Merger Lewistown Hospital now offers a way for the community to ask questions about the pending merger between the Hospital and Geisinger Health System. Community members can go online to submit any questions they may have and to read up-to-date details on the future of Lewistown Hospital by visiting www.lewistownhospital.org/merger. Questions are submitted anonymously and answers to all questions are posted for review. On December 4, 2012, Geisinger Health System (GHS) and Lewistown Hospital announced that they have signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore ways the organizations can work together to benefit health care in Lewistown and the surrounding area. With the signing of the letter of intent, Lewistown Hospital and Geisinger can now move into a due diligence process and explore the possibilities of working together in greater detail. This process could take several months. Lewistown Hospital and Geisinger already work together in a number of ways, including the hospitalist, tele-stroke, tele-echo and eICU programs at the hospital. The multi-specialty GeisingerLewistown physician practice has served the community since 1983, and a second primary care practice is located in Juniata. Geisinger acquired Lewistown Cardiology Associates in October 2011 and Juniata Valley Gastroenterology Associates and Endoscopy Center in May 2012. a

The areas of white ash at Masada Junction are the ruins of Sodom. The area of ash to the north is the site of Gomorrah. Image © GeoEye, U.S. Geological Survey

Satellite View, you will see large areas of white ash near Masada Junction, between Arad and the Dead Sea, which some archeologists believe are the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. A Ancient wall & columns broader map reveals the sites Image credit: www.arkdiscovery.com of the other cities of the Plan that were destroyed. At those sites can be found small chunks of charcoal; eroded ash structures, some with doorways, pillars and arches; two sphinx-like figures which once guarded Archway between two columns the entrances to the Image credit: www.specialtyinterests.net/cities_of_ city; even a ziggu- ash.html rat. These structures days.” [2 Peter 2.6 NEB] We are composed of would do well to heed the warncompacted layers of ash in which ing. a are embedded balls of 96% pure sulfur inside hardened burn rings. There can be little doubt that their destruction was not a natural disaster but an act of God. “The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah God burned to ashes, and condemned them to total destruction, makThe ruins are composed of layers of ash ing them an object-lesson Image credit: www.specialtyinterests.net/citfor godless men in future ies_of_ash.html

Sacred Heart School Hosts Annual Gala

Tickets are on sale for the 4th annual Sacred Heart School Gala “Bella Notte: Savor Flavors of Italy” on Saturday, February 9, 2013, from 5:00 – 11:00 pm, at Lewistown Community Center. $50 donation per person and includes dinner, drinks, prizes, and entertainment by the local band 3MO. For ticket information, call Sacred Heart School at (717) 248-5351 or Sacred Heart Parish at (717) 242-2781. All proceeds benefit Sacred Heart School. For more information, visit www.sacredheartschool.com. a

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The Valley, February 2013

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The Valley, February 2013 Crazy J Goat Ranch from page 5 to the farm. “I became a part time farmer and learned dairy goats are totally different from meat goats. We had built a 7 wire electric fence with the first 4 wires near the ground, since meat goats CRAWL UNDER wires. Dairy goats like to JUMP – between the 4th and 5th wires. What a learning process. When someone told me that if your fence can’t hold water it will not hold a goat, they were NOT kidding.”

of Sustainable Agriculture. Following the old country adage of never putting all of your eggs in one basket, they had also arranged to begin to sell their milk to a local co-op. By 2011, all these well laid plans began to bear fruit. “The building was put up in 2 days – in a February snowstorm. Around March, we started working on the floor putting in radiant heat and decided how to split the floor plan into the milking parlor, tank room, cheese room, etc., etc. not to mention close attention to cleanliness. All the floors,

The rotary milking parlor after reconstruction.

“Deciding to go dairy meant building a milking parlor, a bulk tank room, a milk house, etc. What did we get into?! One day in 2009, while looking through a goat magazine, I found an old “new” goat milking parlor – in South Boston, Virginia. The seller had bought it when he was 19, it had moved with him three times and after 30 years he had decided that he would never use it. 99% of the parlor was there, no instructions except what the owner remembered, so we brought this home and stuck it in a shed until we could put it together.” Over the next two years, with Ben still working in Harrisburg and then coming home to finish out the day with Jeanne on the farm, the couple set up a mandated manure management plan, used a grant to set up a feed lot area and pasture management plan, added fencing, located a 24 x 40 building for future use, purchased a 300 gallon bulk milk tank complete with compressor and all the dozens of other jobs that are daily fair on a farm. Knowing that their long range plan included cheese production at some point (Jeanne had already been experimenting in her kitchen for about a year), they started to take cheese making courses. And other events hosted by the Pennsylvania Association

walls, ceilings, and fixtures were constructed of materials that can be washed down and sanitized. By now we are ready to pull our hair out as our budget, and our nerves, were getting shorter and shorter.” Hoping that income from the prearranged sale of milk to the co-op would help things along while the rest of the project was completed, Jeanne and Ben instead had to grit their teeth and once again put their shoulders to the wheel. “We found out that the co-op was loosing a lot of their goat herds and they were no longer interested in us providing milk for them. So now what? There went our income; now we HAVE to get the cheese room done.” Meanwhile, there were the usual start- up bugs. Occupational Vocational Rehab, a state organization the helps farmers who are dealing with physical disabilities had installed a CIP, a Clean In Place Automatic Cleaner that made cleaning the milk system much easier for Jeanne. Communicating correctly with the computer that controls the CIP hit a snag but was successfully mastered (after chasing down the problem, helped in no small part, by a woman from the Dairy Herd Improvement Association who was “wonderful”). Then there was

the “old, new” milking parlor, which, as Jeanne describes it “… is a rotary parlor that looks like a merry-go- round with 20 stalls and 10 automatic milkers and ‘In’ and ‘Out’ ramps. As one goat goes around being milked, the next one is getting cleaned, etc. The motor that came with it sent the poor goats around in a circle fast, like the kids on the playground!” Needless to say, that wouldn’t do. By March 2012, the equipment technicians had been back numerous times to work out the kinks in the system. Unfortunately, after passing the required series of inspections with flying colors, their plans to sell raw milk went by the board because they were unable to find an insurance company willing to insure them for raw milk sales. On to Plan C: aged raw goat milk cheese, pasteurized fresh goat milk cheese and pasteurized goat milk! Jeanne continues the story. “We have the pasteurizer hooked up. The parlor is working, the cheese room is working, we bought a cooler for aging the cheese; we are THERE – so we thought.” “During milking one June morning, the power flickered. It came back on hours later but we found out the next day that my cheese refrigerator got fried. Now we have to buy a new one.” That done, inspections and permitting remained the final large hurdle to pass. Inspections and tests on dairy farms are some of the most rigorous in our food production system. Inspections cover everything from the products and their place of production to the dairy animals and their environments. Testing of the milk, products and production factors occur monthly, every three months, or every six months depending on what they are testing for. The necessary testing and inspections were going well and the light at the end of the tunnel was getting brighter. “Now we are into July (of 2012). The inspector came again and WE PASSED! The craziness is finally over after all this time!” “Wrong. We were told that we could not sell our cheese and milk until we had the permit in our hands. Ok, no problem. The inspector said if we don’t have it in a couple of weeks to get a hold of her.” After four weeks of no reply to e-mails, and phone calls, buried e-mails, poor communication among government departments, mounting frustration, not to mention loss of income, Jeanne

and Ben received a copy of their pasteurized milk at $10.00 / lb. permit. “The actual permit took Also packaged in smaller sizes, another week and a half.” Crazy J Ranch Chevre comes in And through all of this, goats plain, rosemary, thyme and chive were milked, hay was made, and flavors; of course Jeanne grows season followed season. the herbs herself! “Farmers do not have an easy To crown it all, Crazy J life. Farmers have a busy life. I Ranch makes a REAL, Greekam a vet, I deliver and bottle feed kids, I clean pens, I milk, I rake hay. I chase goats, make cheese and bottle milk. I try to clean An immaculate cheese room, and a full cooler of delicious cheese house await you at Crazy J. and cook when possible. I am also the label style Feta, (drained, not pressed) designer [which must be preapwith just the right saltiness and proved by the state] and maker. I pungency to qualify it as a taste of have so many jobs.” the “Old Country”. Available in “Still, we wouldn’t change 1 pound and smaller sizes it runs $10.00 a pound. it. We love the farm and the farm life. I love all my kids; the girls If you’re looking for pas(does) all have their own personteurized goat milk, it will be alities and are not afraid to show available on a seasonal basis – it. They love attention and will spring through fall. You can also stand forever if you pet them.” purchase goat milk soap, in single And there, folks, is the heart bars or as part of gift baskets that of the matter: the goats of Crazy J make a thoughtful gift. Ranch. Not sure what you want? The herd is of mixed breeds There are usually free samples so that they will produce milk of some of the cheeses and soaps with just the right flavor and butavailable at the store to help you terfat content. They are fed hay make up your mind! from their own farm, some grain So if you like to “eat loand are rotationally grazed to keep cal” and support Mifflin County their pastures fresh and healthy businesses give Crazy J Ranch and to give them all the exercise products a try. They’re just down and fresh air necessary for good the road, out YOUR back door! health. They have a constant sup Crazy J Ranch store hours ply of supplements available for are Monday through Saturday nibbling, including kelp, yeast, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, you’ll see minerals and bicarbonate of soda the big “OPEN” flag out by the no to mention plenty of fresh road. water. Their address: Crazy J Ranch, All of this, plus strict cleanli4490 Old Stage Road, McClure, ness and an ongoing commitment PA 17841 Phone: 717-543-6213. by the Halls to continue learning E-mail: Crazyjranch@verizon. the subtleties of their trade add net and find them on FaceBook at up to cheese that can truthfully be CrazyJRanch. called Artisan. EXTRA! For those of you And my, what delicious who like to shop the farmer’s marcheese it is! Available in the tiny ket circuit, Crazy J Ranch will be store front located on the farm, a new vendor for the 2013 season and in true farm fashion using the at the Rec Park Farmer’s Market, honor system for payment, right located directly across from the now you can choose from Colby swimming pool at Rec Park in and Cheddar (plain and smoked) Lewistown. Running from the last and Monteray Jack at $1.99 and week in May through October this up depending on the package size. year, look for Crazy J Cheeses These are made from raw milk and more, along with all our other and aged a minimum of 6 months. local vendors on Tuesdays from Also available are Chevre, 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM! a a soft goat cheese made from

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The Valley, February 2013

The Udder Truth

Dutch Pantry Gifts

by He ather Wasson

Highlights Another Locally Produced Product

Pennsylvania Alternate Dair y Princess and Centre Count y Dair y Princess When you think of February you think cold, snow and of course, you think of that big red heart. Valentine’s Day is on the 14th as always, and along with it comes cupid and his arrow. Cupid is represented as a child with wings to indicate love happens suddenly. Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty. So, of course, Valentine’s Day and love must go hand-inhand. Seven countries besides the U.S. celebrate Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day has a huge impact on the economy. More than 36 million boxes of heartshaped chocolates are sold each year. Worldwide, 50 million roses are given for Valentine’s Day and eight billion candy hearts will be produced. Our hearts have many functions in life. The heart is used as a receptacle of love, but the main function of the heart is to pump life through our bodies. This is why we must be sure to take care of our hearts and maintain a healthy heart. A healthy diet is always a good start to keeping your heart functioning properly. When consuming dairy it is great to know that the dairy case offers something for everyone. Low fat and fat free varieties help keep the heart healthy. The heart is a

prominent image for the month of February. Not only does Valentine’s Day speak to the hearts of many, but this month also carries awareness as American Heart month. February is a time to not only open our hearts to love, but to think about developing a healthy nutritious life style that keeps our hearts beating for years to come. Here are a few heart healthy recipes to try. Enjoy! Fruit Smoothie 1 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt 3/4 cup fat-free milk 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate In a blender, combine the frozen yogurt, milk and orange juice concentrate. Blend until smooth Serves 2 Broccoli Cheddar Bake 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 2 tablespoons water 1 1/2 cups egg substitute 1 cup fat-free milk 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray. In a nonstick skillet, combine

Bare Nekked Soaps

the broccoli, onion and water. Saute over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Keep adding water to prevent the vegetables from drying out, but use as little water as possible. Drain and set aside when the broccoli is done. In a bowl, combine the egg substitute, milk and 3/4 cup cheese. Add in the broccoli mixture and pepper. Stir to mix well. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Set the baking dish into a large pan filled with about 1 inch of water. Bake uncovered until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6. a

Bare Nekked Bath and Body was started in October 2010 with our first handmade bar soaps being sold at the Dairyland Gift Shop and Midnite Candles and Crafts. Bare Nekked Bath and Body started out making our handcrafted bar soaps with a Coconut Oil, and Olive Oil Base. (Interesting fact: Coconut oil based soaps are the only soaps that will continue to lather and suds in salt water.) Our soaps contained coconut oil which created a very fluffy white lather and olive oil which moisturized and softened the skin. Over time our bar soaps changed formulations as we learned more and more about handcrafted soaps and their affects on the skin. While olive oil still makes a wonderful bar of soap, we have changed our recipe to contain mostly shea butter which has the same skin softening and moisturizing qualities. We developed a great recipe that uses a hot process soap making technique that creates soap, but also neutralizes the lye that is necessary in soap making. This process allows us to pour our soap into our packaging, which serves as our soap mold, thus reducing our costs to our customers. Over the years, our packaging has changed from a brown kraft box that didn’t allow you to see our product, to a plastic bag and label with a bow at the top, to our current packaging, which now also serves as our soap mold. Here’s another interesting soap fact—when we purchase lye, were are required to fill out a hazardous materials form before the lye can be delivered to us. Lye is a very caustic substance that when mixed with water can severely burn the skin until neutralized in soaps. However, without lye you have no soap. Handmade soaps are actual soaps just like the ones made in the past, but most soaps you purchase from your grocery or local retail store are not actually soaps at all—they are essentially a block of detergents due to the manufacturers extracting the naturally created glycerins from the soaps. The glycerin must be replaced by something, so often times detergents and other chemicals are

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added. Bare Nekked is not just about our soaps however; we also carry a complete line of lotions to match many of our soap fragrances. Our lotions come packaged in an 8oz container for ease of use, and contain sunflower oil and allantoin, which is thought to help heal wounds, sores and stimulate growth of healthy tissue. Introduced in November of 2012, our “Whipped Up” soaps have been widely popular. This unique soap is literally whipped into the consistency of buttercream icing, and can be used as a soap for bathing or also as a shaving soap or shaving cream. We are expanding this collection to include many more popular fragrances as these are by far one of our best selling products. It’s great for men who like the traditional old-fashioned way of shaving with a shaving brush and cup. You can whip this soap right in the container it comes in, into a nice lather that goes on just like shaving soap. In 2012, Bare Nekked Bath and Body expanded into the candle and tart making business with over 65 tart fragrances and 9oz soy wax candles, all manufactured using soy wax. Soy wax is great for the environment and great for those with allergies to petroleum based products. Soy wax also helps to support farmers rather than the petroleum industry that has not been so friendly to others. Soy waxes produce little to no smoke and we add no colors to our products, so they put off a brilliant white light when burning. Our 9oz candles burn for 40+ hours. Our tarts are comparable to many other commercially available tarts at a fraction of the cost. We will continue to expand this product line in 2013. Our products are available to other retailers and business owners at wholesale pricing, and as of January 2013, you can purchase a limited selection of our handcrafted bar soaps at Rich Coast Coffee and Tea in Lewistown Pa. A limited selection of our tarts are available in the Harrisburg area at Brushstrokes and Bless-

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The Valley, February 2013

Dave Wilson

Coins, Precious Metal and a Little of this and That WHAT HAPPENS IF THE GOVERNMENT STOPS SELLING GOLD AND SILVER BULLION COINS? It is an interesting question and one that we might actually get the answer to much sooner than we would like. Prior to the beginning of the American Silver and Gold Eagle program in 1986, there was very little variety offered to gold and silver bullion buyers in the United States. To be fair, there really wasn’t a huge demand at that time, but what interest there was in precious metals ended up being channeled into South African Gold Krugerrands and private mint silver rounds and bars. When the US Mint entered the game in 1986, collectors and investors quickly embraced both Gold and Silver “Eagles,” perhaps mostly because they were denominated in US Dollars. Naturally, their attractive designs were also a factor in their initial success. Mintage numbers were reasonably low in the early years but with the near collapse of the US economy and financial markets in 2008, interest in tangible investments (gold, silver and the other precious metals) began to explode and mintage numbers for just 2008 were DOUBLE those of any previous year. 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 mintage figures are not presently available and one must wonder if “someone” out there doesn’t want us to find out just how MUCH interest there is in Gold and Silver. Trust me the mintage numbers for the past 4 years (especially the last two) would dwarf the TOTAL mintage numbers for the first twenty-two (22) years of the program. With the “value” of the US Dollar now a question mark, many people are investing in Gold and Silver Eagles in an effort to preserve the purchasing power of the savings they have accumulated. In the past four years, coin dealers and bullion houses have sold hundreds of millions of oneounce Gold and Silver Eagles to an ever-growing list of wor-

ried Americans (and, of course, foreign buyers too.) But what would happen if the United States government decided to stop its Gold and Silver Eagle bullion program? With the exploding, and currently voracious, appetite for gold and silver bullion, there is a simple, one word answer. PANIC... To understand why such a panic might occur, one must realize just how few Gold and Silver Eagles are actually available. To emphasize our point, we will look closely at the more widely held Silver Eagle. Between 1986 and 2008, a total of 193 million Silver Eagles (both regular and proof issues) were produced and sold. Barely one coin for every two Americans and that is if none of the coins were sold to foreign buyers, which, of course, they were. At current price, you could purchase ALL 193 million coins for a measly 6.57 billion dollars (Not even a tiny fraction of 1% of just last year’s admitted US deficit). With new demand approaching historic levels, stripping even the highly increased mint production of these coins, imagine what would happen if sales were stopped, with no planned restart expected. Prices would explode. Not just for Silver Eagles, but for practically ANY form of gold and silver. Would it surprise anyone to discover that nearly 95% of all the Gold and Silver Eagles ever minted are owned by less than 2% of the American population? With the terrible glut of new “dollars” being created by the Federal Reserve, is it any wonder that owners of Gold and Silver Eagles would not want to sell their coins for anything even close to current (controlled) levels? Also, as more people become aware of how they are quickly losing purchasing power with the dollars they presently own, you

along with silver rounds and bars, gold coins, and what few, earlier date Silver Eagles walk in the door, would not satisfy even 5% of our current merchandise needs. In the case of continued start and stop government sales, premiums could rise nearly 20% as buyers would be keenly aware that their time to accumulate these recognized, valued and desirable coins “could” be over instantly with no advance notice for them to “load up.” If the Gold and Silver Eagle program were to be cancelled permanently for any reason, and there are several possibilities that come to mind, then you can expect that those folks who had purchased their coins before such an event, would end up being intensely happy and those that missed the boat will end up playing the age old investor game of “Boy, if I just would have known.” Interestingly, while we had

would certainly understand their desire to protect their money’s “buying power” in any way they can, even if it meant paying huge premiums for any intrinsically valuable coin and bullion item. If millions of new people become interested in gold and silver coins and there is almost nothing available to satisfy this demand, then you know that prices for currently held coins will rise dramatically. I have often told store customers that if the United States ever, for whatever reason, either stopped production of Gold and Silver Eagles, or, simply could not keep up with the current, intense demand for these coins, then 4-STAR would have a difficult time finding enough “product” to satisfy even a small fraction of the presently multiplying demand. The un-rivaled beauty of an American Gold Eagle In-store purchases of 40% and 90% silver coins,

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The most widely held coin, that attracts the most attention, the American Silver Eagle

decided on this month’s topic several weeks ago, we have just experienced exactly what we have told folks could happen, and has happened in the past. On Thursday, January 17th (just after the markets closed, naturally) the US Mint informed its major suppliers that they were sold out of coins and would need ten days to restock. Premiums for what dealers had in stock increased immediately—not drastically, but enough to make buyers who had waited a bit too long to make their purchase a little unhappy. Supposedly, the mint will start sales again on January 28th, but with demand for these coins at historic levels, who is to say they will not sell out almost immediately again. Our guess is that they will. (By the time you read this, we will have the answer.) a

The Valley, February 2013

Seldom Seen Butterfly Lays Eggs In Centre County by Rose Franklin

Zebra Swallowtails are only rarely spotted in central Pennsylvania. Prior to 2012, in twenty years of avid butterfly gardening, I had only ever seen three or four

husband and I planted five small Pawpaw trees, hoping for a female Zebra Swallowtail to one day show up here and lay a few eggs on one or two of them. Early

Being late August until the caterpillars pupated, we guessed their metamorphosis might be suspended in the pupa stage for the winter, as all of the northern-range Swallowtails overwinter as pupae. None of the butterflies emerged from their chrysalises in the next few weeks, so we laid them in a cloth-lined metal container and closed the lid. For their long winter rest, the chrysalises would have to be protected from mice, as mice would likely eat them. As of now, January, 2013, we

in tiny pots. Pawpaw is the host for Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars, and therefore, the tree that females will lay their eggs on. But because this butterfly is so rarely seen in central Pennsylvania, we didn’t expect a female to arrive for several, maybe many, years. To our surprise and delight though, a female passed through here in early June of 2012, stopping long enough to deposit some eggs on our Pawpaws. Although we never saw the female, we knew she had been here when my husband found a large Zebra Swallowtail caterpillar on June 30. The caterpillar pupated the next day, and on July 16 a majestic The underside of the Zebra Swallowtail, the striking markings are not easy to miss. butterfly emerged from the chrysalis. During the next The more common green phase caterpillar is still striking in it’s own right, they happily munch on Pawpaw leaves until ready to pupate. of these long-tailed, Zebra-striped that spring, we had also started week, we saw four Zebra Swalbeauties. Most other local butsome Pawpaws from seed and by lowtail butterflies, all looking caterpillars may be one of two have 15 Zebra Swallowtail pupae terfly enthusiasts have seen none. the spring of 2012, had several like fresh emergents, and thus, distinct color forms. Most appear overwintering in our garage. We In the fall of 2011, my dozen seedlings growing outdoors believed to be siblings of the butto be solid green with a yellow look forward to the warmth of terfly that emerged on July 16. I stripe near the back of its head. May, when long-tailed Zebras was ecstatic. I had only ever seen The rarer form has vivid black, should emerge from the chrysalisone of these majestic butterflies white, and yellow stripes. Both es and, hopefully, stay here, mate, every four or five years. Now we forms have a metallic gold band and produce offspring. a had four of them right here in near their mouth. our garden all at one time. Wow! What an amazing sight to behold. On July 23, we watched in awe as a female deposited eggs on some of our Pawpaw seedlings. To protect the tiny, pale green eggs from their natural predators (ants, wasps, spiders, and such), we carried the seedlings indoors. The eggs hatched in early August and the caterpillars feasted on Pawpaw foliage for several weeks before pupating. One of two types of caterpillars that develop into Zebra Swallowtails. This The top view of the beautiful Zebra Swallowtail, once you see one, you won’t forget it. Zebra Swallowtail type is the rarer of the two colors of caterpillars.

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The Valley, February 2013 Mercury: It does a body good? from page 33 fish and shellfish • Air pollution • Water • Cleaning Solvents • Fluorescent and neon lights • Fabric softeners • Mascara, especially water proof mascara • Some bleaching creams and hair dyes • Skin creams and lotions The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates the daily safe allowable limit for mercury exposure is 0.1 micrograms per 2.2 pounds of body weight. The maximum safe daily limit for mercury exposure to a 125 pound adult would be 5.6 micrograms. A single flu shot is 5 times that amount. And still, other health organizations, doctors and scientists believe that this so called “safe” level is set far too high. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MERCURY POISONING? Since every cell of the body can be effected by mercury toxicity (see above), it is not too surprising to see such a vast array of possible symptoms. It is almost easy to see how proper diagnosis can be tricky and elusive. Some common symptoms are: anxiety, depression, Insomnia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, continuous thinking and “racing” of the mind, being fearful and/or nervous, panic attacks, impaired ability to handle stress, brain fog, inability to communicate as effectively or to “find the words” to express your thoughts or feelings, feeling self-conscious, shy or insecure, sensitivity to normal sounds/noise, difficulty completing small tasks, being “scatterbrained,” decreased selfconfidence, heart palpitations, shortness of breath or feeling like you’re not getting enough oxygen, fear of being alone, fear of dying, infertility, parasites, candida infections, poor memory, impaired ability to focus/concentrate, headaches, dizziness, frequent infections, or abnormally low blood pressure. Blood tests are NOT accurate to determine one’s mercury levels. Immediately after exposure, mercury begins being stored intracellularly (inside the body’s cells) and will not remain in the blood stream for long. Urine tests are accurate only when one first takes a chelating (kee-lay-ting) agent. This acts as a “magnet” and literally pulls mercury out of one’s cells. After

the chelator is taken, the urine is usually collected for the following 6 to 24 hours. The amount of mercury excreted in this “provoked” urine test reveals your toxicity levels. Stool tests work in the same way urine tests do. People chronically mercury toxic often have impaired liver function. As a result, there can be false negative and false low or lower test results. Hair analysis tests can work in the same way urine and stool tests do, resulting in a false negative and false low/lower test results. HOW DO I GET THE MERCURY OUT OF MY BODY? A variety of drugs (in appropriate combinations), herbs, nutrition, intravenous therapy and other processes may safely help to remove mercury from your body when applied appropriately in accordance with your present condition and in proportion to the strength of your cleansing organs. It is a delicate procedure to literally purge (flush out) the mercury stored in one’s brain and nervous system and bring it back into the blood stream, to eventually be eliminated in normal ways through urine and feces (liver and kidneys). This may cause a resurgence of uncomfortable symptoms, which you can learn to recognize, monitor, and control. It is important to pace the speed and/or depth of detoxification in ways that will not cause damage to weakened intestines, the brain and nervous system, liver, kidneys, thyroid and other organs/ glands. In short, you need to know when to move forward and when to hold back in the detoxification process and how to make it happen in a coordinated effort. You need to determine which chelators and binders are likely to work best for you and to understand how to truly strengthen and protect the body’s systems before beginning a detoxification program. ‘Inhaled elemental mercury is difficult to treat because it becomes trapped within the spine and bones. Treatment will begin in the lungs, proceeding with humidified oxygen, breathing or suction tubes inserted into the lungs. Medication is usually administered for long-term removal of mercury from the system. The treatment of long-term inorganic and organic mercury poisoning will include activated charcoal to soak up soluble mercury from the digestive system and medicines called chelators that remove mer-

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DivorceCare Program Restarting Healing from divorce is not easy. At DivorceCare groups, people in separation and divorce finds tools, teaching and support to help them deal with their pain and give them hope for the future. Most people will say separation and divorce are the most painful and stressful experiences they’ve ever had. If you are facing this, you know it’s a confusing time when you feel isolated and have lots of question about issues you’ve never encountered before. DivorceCare groups meet weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. This 13-week Christ-centered program includes three main parts-video, group discussion and personal Bible study. The videos feature teaching from over 50 leading Christian counselors, teachers and pastors who speak on topics important to people in separation or divorce. The video also contain real-life stories of people who’ve been through a marital breakup, as they share their pain, challenges and path to healing. During the discussion time, the group will discuss the concept presented in the videos and share what is going on in everyone’s lives. Each participant will receive a workbook that contains a daily bible study for personal reflection and application throughout the following week. The DivorceCare sessions address divorce-related concerns, such as how long is the pain going to last? Will I survive? Are these feelings I’m having normal? Where is God in all this? They gain insights on how to handle tough emotions, such as anger, depression and loneliness. DivorceCare for Ladies will be held: Evangel Baptist Church in Lewistown. To register, email, call or text: restoration4women@centurylink.net, Carole 717-250-1466 or Patti 717-437-0106.

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The Valley, February 2013

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