The Valley - March 2012 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 3, No. 3

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The Valley, March 2012

The Sweetness of Spring Part One A thousand pounds of knowledge, and a ton of effort! That is what is takes, I have discovered, if you want to become a Maple Sugarer. Some of you may remember our story last April (Pennsylvania Sugarbush, The Valley, April 2011) where we were all introduced to John Long and Bob Shellenberger of Valley Sugar House at 2693 Lancaster Valley Road in Milroy. Last year I became acquainted with them at the end of the Sugar season, so we wrote a story on “Maple Sugarin” from a historical as well as local business perspective. This year I wanted to learn HOW it’s done, from start to finish, as this is something that I intend to pursue once planted back in NH at some point. I saw John off and on over the off season when I stopped in at his house by the entrance to the Reedsville Youth Park to buy Maple Syrup each time Lynn and I emptied another jug. Coincidentally, I stopped this past fall at the Sugar House to get some directions as I saw Bob was there putting up wood for the upcoming season. Bob sadly told me that John had been in a terrible tractor roll-over accident, had broken his back, and was home recuperating and trying to get healed in time for this spring. I made a mental note to offer to help them if they needed it in exchange for the knowledge I would gain. I was thinking that with John being nicked up a bit, maybe I could be a help to them. A few weeks later, I saw John at the grocery store, and although you could tell he had been through a battle, he looked good. I made another quick mental note,

John Long drills his first hole of the season at the beginning of a 5-6 week marathon that is Maple Sugar Season

to get started tomorrow morning if these two Maple Sugarers were you want to come up to the sugar two tough old birds, and it would take a lot more than a tractor roll-over to stop them. Being someone who tries to be observant of the faint sub-seasonal changes in nature, I knew we had to be getting close and looked to see John’s vehicle at home whenever I passed by. I had made the decision that I needed to call him the next day, and before that happened, John rang me Bob setting taps and repairing droplines along the run. up. “Hey Wayne, Bob and I are going

house”...did I ever! I went with the intention of writing a more in depth story, but at the same time hoping they would show me enough so that I could give it a go in a few years. They did better than that! Both Bob and John filled my head with instruction verbally, and then handed me some tools and off I went. It took us two half days to get all the trees tapped, and to repair lines that had been damaged

Lighting Brush Fires in People’s Minds

over winter. By the time we finished the second day, I was beginning to appreciate that a lot of this is fairly strenuous work. Before tapping day even arrives, Bob and John are busy ordering supplies, making drop lines, and inspecting the lines for winter damage. This year, for some reason, the tree rats (squirrels) decided to wreak havoc on the tubing lines in localized areas, so much of it had to be fixed prior to tapping day. We spent hours repairing damage while trying to set taps. To place a tap, you measure your “already placed” dropline to see your options for drilling a hole. You also want to be at least 3 inches to either side of last year’s hole, and 4 inches or so above or below last year’s hole. It is amazing looking at all the filled in and fully healed holes from previous seasons. Bob and John have been at it quite a while, so many of the trees display a multitude of previous tap holes. John and Bob use “Treesaver” taps, which require a much smaller 5/16 inch hole than the old style taps used. The hole is drilled at a slight upward angle 2 1/2 to 3 inches deep. If it is a good day like it was for us, sap starts running in dribbles down the tree before we could place the tap. The tap is placed with the outlet below the hole so that the sap will run down your dropline, which connects to 5/16 inch tubing and at some point empties into larger diameter “mainline” tubing via a manifold connection where several other 5/16 inch lines from other sections of the sugarbush all come together. After placing a dozen or so taps, we could see leaks appearing all over the place from holes

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The Valley, March 2012

In this Issue Woods, Water and Wildlife --Wayne Stottlar Roads Less Traveled --Lynn Persing Understanding the Constitution --Dave Molek Thots on... --Lydia Adventures on Our Nourishing Journey --Sue Burns Grosze Thal Nachbaren --Jeptha I. Yoder Looking Out My Back Door --Mary Anna Chenoweth Julie Mac’s, Wisdom from the Kitchen, Home and Garden --Julie MacConnell Modern Energy and Alternative Heating --Curt Bierly Recipes, Crafts and Gift Ideas --Debra Kulp Memories of a Dairy Princess --Macy Fisher Home-Grown --Mary Eck The Chicken AND the Egg! --Mike Flanagan Contentment Quest --Joanne Wills A Time to Live... --Sarah Hurlburt Thought’s from the Bunker --Jared Kauffman The Horse Scoop --Traci Hanna Yoder

Editor’s Corner Wayne Stottlar Thank you all so much! The response to our Mifflin County Caves story produced the highest volume of responses of any story to date. There is a wealth of knowledge out there and thanks to some very gracious people, I am happy to report that we will be publishing more stories about our caves in the near future. Hopefully we will be able to pass along a lot of information so that those of you willing to learn more, will have the leads you need to do so. With the February issue we began setting up the State College area with The Valley. It will take several months to get to everyone over there, but your persistent calls are being answered. If anyone has a place for The Valley that we aren’t currently servicing, please drop us a line, we will get to you as quickly as we can. Hey, if you haven’t heard, it is a great time to rediscover Tony’s Restaurant. We used to go two or three times a month when they were located in The Narrows, and we tried them a time or two when they first moved to Burnham. The food was good, but something was missing. I think we were resistent to the idea that we were made to move. Anyway, we didn’t return for so long, we all but forgot about it. Whenever thinking about a place to dine out, Tony’s never came to mind, what

a shame because on the advice of our “Horse Scoop” writer Traci Hanna Yoder, we stopped out there last week for dinner. WOW!!! What have we been missing? It was a busy Friday night, but the service was quick and pleasant and the food was absolutely delicious! You can bet it will be added to our usual rotation. We have some very good restaurants here in Mifflin County, Tony’s ranks right up there. They also have a new chef (see story next month in The Valley) and his talents are quite obvious! I have spent the last several days learning the Maple Sugaring business from my friends John Long and Bob Shellenberger. Man, is there a lot you have to know, and both John and Bob are excellent teachers. I hope down the road a little ways to set up a small sugar operation up in New Hampshire when we get there. In the meantime, I am getting an education and for that I am thankful. Oh, before I forget, they drew off the first syrup of the season on the 21st of February and I am pleased to report that it tasted unbelievable! Sweet and mapley (I know not a word, I am taking some artistic license here, cut me some slack), yet delicate and very pleasing to the palette. 2012 is going to be a very good year for syrup, and I would expect by the

time you read this they will have enough bottled up so that you may stop by the sugar house or at John’s place to get your own jug to enjoy. See front page story. You can’t support your local economy any better than buying local produced products right here in your back yard. Bob and John are very particular about their production and the results you buy in the jug prove that statement. The health benefits of using pure, natural, local maple syrup end any argument of price; besides, if you spent one day doing what Bob and John do for five weeks straight, you would realize that the price for “real” local Maple syrup is slight indeed. A word of caution though, once you start using real natural maple syrup, you will never be able to go back to fake tasting, artificially flavored, high fructose corn syrup. It just isn’t right to use a fake, when the real thing is available and produced locally. If you are anything like me you will wonder what took you so long to give it a try. That was 35 years ago for me, don’t wait that long, treat yourself this year to some real local sweetness! It was one of my hopes and wishes when we all started this paper that we could bring the English and Amish cultures closer together. I thought that there was much that we could share

Poor Will’s Valley Almanack --Bill Felker Life in the East End --Rebecca Harrop Mail Pouch Books --Carleen B Grossman

with each other, yet there always seemed to be a rather large divide locally. Happily I have proof that we are succeeding, many of our advertisers have mentioned an increase in the business they now do with our Amish neighbors, and some of my Amish friends say that their businesses are being supported by more “English” customers. EXCELLENT job folks! We will all save money and support our local economy by supporting local small business, and this means supporting our Amish neighbors whenever you can use something they sell or a service they provide. You will benefit in many ways, not the least of which is cost savings! The more we can buy local the better for our own local economy, it isn’t any more complicated than that. Advertising dollars have a ceiling, and as our economy contracts more and more, businesses need to focus their advertising dollars where it will give a return. Tell the advertisers in The Valley that you are seeing their ads and passing the word to your friends and contacts. When the advertisers profit, they spend money on ads, which enables us to print the paper, so even though the paper is and will always remain free, our advertisers need your support, and your support helps everyone in our area. Till the next moon. W a

Contact Info

Back Talk --Dr. Joseph Kauffman

Editor/Publisher Wayne Stottlar

Re-Awaken --Pastor Pat Roller

Ad Designer/Co-Publisher Lynn Persing

Coins, Precious Metal --Dave Wilson

Associate Editor Colleen Swetland

Splitting Hares --Julianne Cahill

The Valley PO Box 41 Yeagertown, PA 17099 (717) 363-1550

Walking on the Wild Side --Julie Shultz Smith Model Railroading News --Ed Forsythe

E-mail: thevalleynewspaper@gmail.com Web: www.thevalleynewspaper.com

Home Brew U --Kevin Morgan

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The Valley, March 2012

Reader letter is pure motivation Editors note: We are really blessed here at The Valley. It seems each day brings a new surprise. Honestly though, as we expand and gain more territory and more readers, some days it seems an awful lot like real work, and some days it is well....I won’t go there. Sometimes we get so caught up in the job that we fail to see what we do from the reader’s perspective, then we get a letter like this that I received via e-mail Monday night after a particularly stressful day and was able to fall asleep with a smile. Subject: Fan Mail from Ohio Wayne, We picked up a copy of The Valley during a forced stay in Milroy Saturday night....We backtracked over the mountain from Potters Mills when our quest to reach I-80 and our Ohio home seemed too risky, and we found refuge at the Best Western just after they “closed the mountain” -- a phrase we’d never heard before, but we now understand. I spent 10 years in the 70s and 80s writing and taking photographs for small-town dailies in Ohio. In both papers I pioneered weekly farm sections highlighting the life, work and challenges of agriculture at the local level. I love newspapers, and feel a high-quality, bravely written and well-edited newspaper is indispensable to a civic life and economic democracy. Few I know of are as vital and as varied as The Valley - perhaps because your coverage area is also uniquely vital in many ways. The Valley is a tribute to you and all those who collaborate in writing, advertising and reading. Keep on. Greg Bowman Salem OH 44460 Greg Bowman, executive director “Goodness Grows” 2310 W. South Range Road (Rt. 165) North Lima OH 44452 O: 330.549.9408 C: 610.413.3196 greg@goodnessgrows.net Greg, THANK YOU again! Wayne

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 – Transitioning to Organic Vegetable Production Workshop Village Acres Farms, 229 Cuba Mills Road, Mifflintown, PA 9 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Many producers in the Central PA region have been requesting information about transitioning to organic vegetable production. This workshop answers the basic questions about how transition begins and outlines the best practices for successful production and marketing. The farming staff at Village Acres will share their organic production story while conservation, soil biology, natural resources, marketing and other topic speakers will offer the latest research and information on organic operations and technical and financial assistance. You will also learn how to create natural pollinator habitats to benefit your crops and overall production outcomes. Cost of the workshop is $10 which includes a local foods lunch and workshop materials. Attendance is limited to first 30 paid registrations. Request a brochure at workshops@cpartnerships.com or by phone message at 717-248-4901 Ext. 303. Sponsored by Community Partnerships RC&D, PA Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) and Pennsylvania Women in Agriculture Network (PAWAgN).

The Sweetness of Spring from front page

Ed’s Model Railroading from page 37

that weren’t seen on the initial inspection. We quickly moved to make repairs, which lead to discovery of more leaks as the sap worked its way down toward the collection tank. Eventually, with all of the holes fixed and the trees all tapped, we left to the sound of

over 30 different countries being modeled by different manufacturing companies. Some of those represented are, United States, Japan, England, Italy, Spain, France, Czech Republic, U.S.S.R., Germany and more. One special one is an East German prototype train that was made during the time period that East Germany was a communist block country. Other special train cars are the four Standard Steel cars made by Micro Trains for last years “N scale Enthusiast” convention. The convention was held in Harrisburg and Hershey and on Wednesday of that week, a two bus tour was scheduled for a trip to Todd’s and the Standard Steel. This tour sold out in two weeks, something that has never happened before at any convention. The convention organizers changed their pre-convention meeting to Todd’s and Standard Steel on Tuesday. This change caused a few problems, but went off without a hitch helping to make this convention one of the best ever. During the bus trip on Wednesday, Chuck Rhodes from the WHTM-TV show “Out and About” was also filming for about an hour that turned into more than three hours. After the program aired on WHTM, the episode became the most watched ever on Chuck’s website. You can still view this at WHTM’s “Out and About” under the name, A Model Life. Todd’s layout is a model of the Pittsburgh division of his N. Y. S. & A. Railroad. It is one of the largest “N” scale layouts in the nation with the largest operating yard in the nation. The yard is home to over 2500 cars and engines on the more that 30 tracks. When a train leaves the yard it takes 12 minutes to return to it’s point of origin. As the trains traverse the layout they pass in excess of 4500 handmade trees, mountains, lakes and rivers, hills and valleys, an extensive steel mill, present and former businesses around the Pittsburgh area, and a replica of the city of Pittsburgh. A handmade background of buildings are the result of over 100 photos of the Pittsburgh sky-scrape and Todd’s handiwork. There are over 2000 hand cut windows in the skyscrapers and buildings with 400 LED’s lighting the inside giving off a beautiful scene when the room lights are turned off. In looking at the city, you can see many buildings with inside detailing and even a Waldo

Measuring the dropline and tap to find drill location.

sap running into the tank with the force of someone leaving a faucet on low. The sound was incredible when you stop to think that the liquid running with that force was all coming from the small hillside of sugar maple trees that made up their main sugarbush. With the largest of their several tapping locations finished, we made plans to meet up the following morning. That day we were able to split up into two teams of two as Bob’s nephew came over to help. When we finished placing all of the taps, I headed home as Bob was going to empty the collection tanks so boiling could start Monday morning. Be sure to join us again next month as we start collecting and boiling sap in part two of this story in our “Woods, Water and Wildlife” column. In the meantime, get out to the Sugar House at 2693 New Lancaster Valley Road, Milroy or at John’s at the entrance to Reedsville Youth Park to get your own jug of “Spring Sweetness.” I had a chance to sample some of this year’s crop already and it is mighty delicious. Hopefully we will have warm days and below freezing nights for the next 4-5 weeks and get a real extended sugarin’ season. Stop buying that fake, high fructose corn syrup with artificial maple flavoring; it is no good for you and just tastes nasty after you’ve had the real thing. Let John and Bob, and the “Valley Sugar House,” supply your maple syrup needs this year, just be sure to save some for me! a

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can be found somewhere. I won’t say just where Waldo is in case some of you get the privilege to join the more than 2500 people who have visited the layout since it’s beginning in 2004. This is Todd’s second layout. He jokes about building the layout and then building his home over it. Todd’s collection and layout are a personal collection and are housed in his home where he and his family reside. Many of us wish we could visit it like in a museum, but I’m sure you can all understand the problems of opening our homes to the public to walk through. So, please enjoy the pictures here and in the future, as I may have more articles coming along these lines. Names included in the visitor log are the new owners of the Standard Steel. On one of their visits they presented Todd with a model of the new Japanese high speed train by Shinkansen. This train is being advertised in Japan as the train of tomorrow. When Todd told me about the train, the name Shinkansen sounded familiar and while writing this article I remembered why. I have a pillow with the name Shinkansen and train pictures on it. I received it from my granddaughters, my daughter-in-law Mayumi, and son Edo all the way from their home in Hirosaki, Japan. Just last month Edo got to ride this high speed train and said the ride was fantastic. Being a train collector myself, something just doesn’t seem right here. I have a pillow and Todd has the train. Guess I’ll just have to talk to Edo about this. I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and pictures and I assure you, you will enjoy the old antique trains that the Mifflin County Model Railroad Club will be running for the public at 3 West Monument Square in downtown Lewistown on March 10th & 11th from 1:00 to 4:00 each day. This event will be free and open to the public. We will accept donations to help defray our operating costs. So, as I said last month, mark your calendar, tell your friends, and come on out and enjoy a trip down the tracks to yesteryear with us. To close on a good note, several months ago I informed you that the magazine Model Railroad News had closed down its operation. Last month we received news that the magazine will be continued by a new company out of Missouri. So look for your subscriptions to be continued and for the great magazine to be back on the shelves again. Enjoy the forth coming spring and Happy Railroading. a

The Valley, March 2012

Adventures in Homesteading One family’s journey from the city and modern living back to the land and self-reliance.

by Dave and Ginger Striker

Fencing When you eventually move to a homestead there is no escaping the eventuality of dealing with fencing. You will either have to build new fences, repair old fences, or use newer technologies like electrical fencing. On our land we started using electrical fencing from the beginning with very little hard fences. After our near disaster with our first cattle purchase, we determined we at least needed a hard corral system that we could use for unfamiliar animal handling/training, or in the loading of animals since electrical fencing is difficult to use in those circumstances. It was my desire to avoid having to fence the perimeter with a hard fence and continue using our current three strand electrical wire system, which works great with our cattle; however, the dogs have learned to circumvent the fencing. Since

A continuing series.

we have a significant investment in our livestock guardian dogs we decided that it is time to tackle the perimeter fence to prevent our dogs from spending the majority of their time hanging out on the dirt road versus patrolling our land as they have been trained. Now that the decision was made to erect a hard fence, we decided to entertain a few quotes on the installation of the fence by a professional. Now, this is rather opposite of my nature to hire someone to do a job on our homestead, but in all fairness, with the number of projects on our list, we wanted to at least obtain some quotes. With about 3,000 feet of fencing, the labor costs were coming back at around $2/ft, not including any potential clearing. In my mind, $6000+ in labor is way too much to spend since we haven’t even begun to buy materials with that amount. After some back and forth discussion, Ginger and I decided to build the fence

ourselves – yep that’s the homesteading spirit! I am certain many of you reading this have likely done this type of work or at least have it on your proverbial list. As “newbies” we were a little intimidated by the sheer amount of fencing that had to be done, but with a labor price tag of over $6000, we decided it was worth getting our feet wet. Our first decision was to determine what kind of fencing we wanted. Naturally, since we live in the country we were not as concerned with looks as we were with functionality. We wanted fencing that would keep our dogs and small animals in, and potentially some predators out. With those requirements, we settled on standard field fencing. Of course field fence comes in many patterns for cattle, horse, or goat/sheep use. In our case we simply went with a field fence used with cattle, which is normally less expensive. Outside of the wire pattern and spacing,

the other concern would be class of fencing. Generally there is Class 1 and Class 3 fencing. The difference between the classifications is that Class 3 is more galvanized than Class 1, and therefore, will go longer without rusting. Even though Class 3 fences are more rust resistant, I found many Class 1 fences were priced higher simply because they had slightly thicker wiring (lower gauge). The only reason you would want to go with a thicker or heavier gauged fence is if you anticipate your animals will lean against or test your fence frequently. In our case, we will be placing our electrical wire on a 6 inch offset towards the inside of the fence to prevent our larger animals from coming in contact with it all together. This should help preserve the fence integrity over time. The general principle of

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erecting field fence is to build your corners and H bracing between which you will tension your fence. Naturally, between your H bracing and corners are your line posts; their primary function is to provide proper horizontal position of the fence and a little bracing from animals pushing against the fence. It is very important that you build your corners and H bracing properly or your fence will sag over time as your braces skew towards each other. To prevent the braces from skewing you can add diagonal support in the form of wire or boards between the posts in the brace. In our case, we purchased a roll of barb wire since it is relatively cheap and has high tensile strength. I create an X pattern between the two posts in the brace then used a piece of metal pipe to twist the barb wire until it tightened sufficiently. The fence project has occupied several weekends already, but slowly we are making progress. As I write this column we have just shy of 1,000 feet of fencing to complete with nearly 2000 feet under our belt. We have had a little help from friends and family members on occasion, but we have done the majority of the work our selves. If you are going

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The Valley, March 2012

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

From Salad Bowl to Snack Bowl Okay, it’s confession time. Except for a small, disciplined and totally admirable percentage of the population, we all—just occasionally—crave junk food, especially the ‘snacky’ kind. We know that these foods aren’t healthy for us, but...ah well, to err

is human! In our own defense, let’s hasten to point out that this does not necessarily make us complete nutritional degenerates. More and more research is showing that some of the ingredients used in processed foods are really nasty. One example: hydrogenated oils, once the darlings of the food industry, have turned out to be so bad that just about everyone is jumpin’ off of THAT ship. Read those labels, folks! Once you know the facts, it is very easy not to let newfangled pseudo-foods on the shelves. It’s harder, however, to forego the classics—potato chips (hey, we’re in Mifflin county), corn chips so A bunch of fresh washed kale that will be salty they could float a prepared for drying.

battle ship, hot buttery popcorn, and that perennial favorite, ice cream (you’ll recall Lynn Persing’s eloquent ode, written last August, to that delectable and addictive dairy product). What makes it better (or worse), is that the crunchy ones are quite useful for scooping up gobs of the half melted ice cream. Yum-yum! Every once in a while it’s as if WE’VE JUST GOTTA HAVE ‘EM! Happily for all of us do-ityourselfers, the best snack-type junk’ foods can be made at home from ingredients we’ve grown ourselves or sourced from local farmers. Since we can control the ingredients to create healthy, mostly guilt free versions, we pretty much get rid of the ‘junk’ part. HOORAY! Homemade potato chips (or sweet potato, beet, carrot, salsify, etc.) and homemade corn chips are easy to whip up. Growing your own popcorn

lets you explore dozens of different varieties with all sorts of tastes, shapes, colors, and sizes. As for homemade ice cream, go check out Lynn’s article again for that starter recipe and A batch of dried kale chips fresh out of the oven ready for munching. adapt it to become your ness “empire” is built on t-shirts, own special version. bumper stickers, and other do To add to the fun, we homo dads all encouraging us to “EAT sapiens like to think outside the MORE KALE”—is being sued by box (on good days). So it’s inevia friend chicken chain (no, no — table that folks have been coming not THAT one) claiming that the up with ideas for the snack bowl said entrepreneur is poaching their (such as the root vegetable chips marketing slogan. Huh? mentioned above) that use garden Anyway, and here’s the snack ingredients usually found in a food tie-in, it turns out that kale soup pot or salad bowl. chips were a hot ticket item in Which brings us to this 2011. It even seems that kale itself month’s topic—kale. was an “in” vegetable last year Kale, that little known and which would explain the rash often under-used gem of the of kale recipes in the Lancaster winter garden. Kale, that tasty, Farmer the last two months or so. nutritious super hero of the alWho knew?! ready nutritionally over-achieving Well, my Boston Cousin, the cabbage family. Kale, that center Ph.D., for one. She mentioned of controversy in Vermont where a local entrepreneur—whose busi- Continued on place 19

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The Valley, March 2012

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 12.5-7, 10-13 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated…, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At the time, the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while…. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” When Abram packed up his household and set out on his journey in obedience to God, he knew only that he was to travel to a land that God would show him. [Genesis 12.1] Even though Abram didn’t know where he was going,

he knew when he had arrived. The LORD told Abram, “To your offspring I will give this land.” It is interesting to note that the inhabitants of the land were Canaanites, who were descendants of Ham [Genesis 10.6], whom Noah had cursed. [Genesis 9.25] The fact that the land was already occupied did not deter Abram or weaken his faith in God. Despite appearances, Abram believed the LORD and built an altar to worship him. [Genesis 12.7] How do we react when we follow God’s direction, only to run into unexpected roadblocks or unfavorable circumstances? Do we worship Him, or do we argue with God and complain, “This is not the life I ordered!”? If things don’t go our way, do we have a crisis of faith and decide that our guidance must have been wrong? Do we look only on outward circumstances, forgetting that God has everything under control, that he sees not only the physical but the spiritual? God sees that which we are unable to see and guides us accordingly. It is not for us to question our Lord, but to obey Him, despite circumstances, despite outward appearances. When a severe famine gripped the land, Abram decided to leave Canaan and go to Egypt. Note that God did not instruct Abram to leave Canaan; Abram made that decision on his own. Then he worried that the Egyptians might kill him in order to take his beau-

Re-Awaken by Pastor Pat Roller It seems that we have not had much of a winter—at least, not yet. I was walking around the church building last week and discovered crocus and daffodils pushing their way through the dirt. It seems that especially early signs of spring are encouragements that winter–even if it was just gray and cloudy—is nearly finished. Everything has been asleep, dead, and just plain dreary for months now and it is time for it to come alive to become new. During the month of March the air will begin to warm and

flowers will begin to grow. They have a fresh start for their lives. They no longer have to lay under the piles of dirt and snow, they can strengthen and become alive again. They will feel the warmth of the sun, the breeze on their petals and the cool mist of the rain. The flowers will stand tall and show off their beauty for ever one to see. March is the official start of Spring. The vernal equinox will occur on March 20th. That is one of the two days of the year when the night and day times are

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 –

tiful wife, Sarai, so he compounded the problem by telling her to lie about their relationship and say she was his sister. Mind you, this is the same man who’d stepped out in faith, left the land of his father and journeyed to Canaan in obedience to the LORD. Yet, rather than trust God to provide for him during a famine or handle what he foresaw as a problem on account of his wife, Abram decided to take matters into his own hands. Rather than trust God with our welfare, do we, like Abram, look for human solutions to our problems and end up in a bind, one that didn’t exist before we started to meddle? Meddling with God’s plans seldom turns out well. Word of Sarai’s beauty did reach Pharaoh and, unaware that she was Abram’s wife, he took her into his harem. So rather than avoid problems with his little deception, Abram actually created more problems. However, God protected Sarai, for she had become involved in this situation through no fault of her own, but because of her obedience to her husband. This is the first example we see of the protection of a wife under her husband’s covering and authority. Because he thought Abram was Sarai’s brother, Pharaoh treated him well and Abram prospered. [Genesis 12.16] However, on account of Sarai, God struck

Pharaoh’s household with disease, even though Pharaoh had taken her into his harem innocently. [Genesis 12.17] We are not told how Pharaoh discovered the deception, but God found a way to let him know. Pharaoh was understandably upset. He returned Sarai to Abram and told him, “Take her and go!” [Genesis 12.19] And so Abram, having been evicted from Egypt, packed up his household

and went back to Canaan. God used an unbeliever, the pharaoh of Egypt, to send Abram back to the land of promise, the land God had given him, and set him back on the proper course. Our heavenly Father is loving and compassionate, but He requires our obedience, for “to obey is better than sacrifice.” [1 Samuel 15.22] If we truly desire to follow Him, God will find a way to bring us back to that place of blessing. a

essentially equal. Most of us look forward to this Spring or Vernal Equinox because even with the ground hog and other predictors, this date virtually ensures us that winter is gone and spring has arrived. Another tradition that goes along with spring is “Spring House Cleaning.” We shake off the dust and clutter of winter by sprucing up and cleaning up our homes. While you’re cleaning out closets and sweeping under the furniture, think about this: Spring cleaning, while worth the effort, will only last for a season, but spiritual cleansing could have an eternal influence. During this spring house cleaning (and during the season of Lent) we can work at getting

spiritually healthy by drawing close to God, beginning again the habit of reading God’s word and cleaning out all those unhealthy habits of mind and heart. As your heart gets clean, your language should follow. This is not just talking about bad language, but also negative talk and pessimistic thoughts that contradict the Word of God and faith. This includes the challenge to stop complaining. Releasing unforgiven hurts, anger, and bitterness will help you to walk lighter, perhaps even with a spring in your steps. Doing some spiritual house cleaning will help us be ready to celebrate Lent and Resurrection Sunday, Easter. Just as spring is a new beginning, so it is with Jesus when He arose from death and the

grave that couldn’t hold Him. It was the beginning of new life for all who chose to follow Jesus. The awakening of a spiritual renewal to prove God’s love and mercy and grace. The beauty of why He came, was to bring to us the salvation, sent by God, the Father and to show love and hope, and peace for a dying world. Man made it so ugly, but in the end, the roses bloomed again, the tulips and the crocus just keep coming back because they are sent by God, and they will never die. Jesus was only dead for three days; the grave couldn’t hold Him, He arose, and the flowers just keep rising every spring. a

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The Valley, March 2012

Adventures on Our Nourishing Journey by Sue Burns

Don’t Worry, Eat Happy Several days ago, I found myself looking for an important document that I misplaced. That search lead to an all out “purging” of the nooks and crannies within my office. Soon I was unearthing treasures that I long ago forgot I had hidden. One such nugget was a book called The Kitchen Shrink – Foods and Recipes for a Healthy Mind by Natalie Savona. I started to smile as I perused its pages, remembering it was given to me as a gift when I started my business. I still recall looking at my friend’s animated expression as she presented me with her offering. It became obvious that she had spent considerable time and energy searching for what she believed to be something “just right” for me. She thought the book’s contents were intriguing and unique. No doubt she hoped it would prove to be a valuable reference. She was correct on both counts, but what she did not know was the fact that I had been enjoying it for over a year because I already had a copy! Which was also given to me as a gift. I am not sure what this says about me or my friends. Naturally, to spare feelings, I did not reveal the duplication to my friend. In fact, I did not reveal anything to anyone about this book. I simply placed the second copy in a remote place on my shelf only to rediscover it yesterday. How selfish of me. A second copy of anything is meant to be shared! As I continued to leaf through the pages, a voice inside told me it was time to share some of its topic with all of you Valley readers. So here goes… my first “book review” of sorts. Let me begin by saying that I became fast friends with author Natalie Savona when she stated in her introduction of The Kitchen Shrink that ….”Broccoli and brown rice are indeed healthy foods, but they alone will not sustain you. On the other hand, the occasional bar of chocolate or glass of red wine can be positively good for the soul”. Amen. I wanted to know more, and thus

began my journey into the world of food and mood. Throughout the book, Natalie brilliantly targets “the physiology of melancholy.” She speaks of nutritional imbalances that may affect our moods and explores specific strategies for addressing those imbalances. Although our wellbeing is influenced by may factors including our genetics, and environment she believes (and I agree) that our food choices give us tremendous power to maintain our energy and moods at an optimum level. The information she shares is aimed at all of us who feel fatigued, “down” and lacking brain power from time to time. Can you relate? It is important to keep in mind that it is not designed to “treat” any serious psychological illnesses. A primary focus is placed on five critical underlying dietary principles that hit the nail on the head when it comes to “eating happy.” They include:

1. Blood Sugar Balance 2. The Stress Response 3. Critical Nutrients (FYI- I disagree on her “take” regarding saturated fats as not being necessary to our diet) 4. Toxins 5. Food Sensitivity The author goes into specific detail as to how the above mentioned areas weave together to influence our energy, feelings of depression, binge eating, sleepless nights, brain fog, premenstrual challenges, and seasonal affective disorder. In chapters three and four she

walks us through her “feel good diet” and to top it off, includes a lifestyle element with “feel good strategies.” I found the solutions to be practical, understandable, easy to follow and most importantly, brimming with delicious recipes! The food illustrations are so real you will almost wish you had a fork in hand while reading. As an example, here are a few of Natalie’s Feel Good Diet Principles: • Have fresh, colored vegetables TWICE a day • Have a least two pieces of fresh fruit daily • Always eat breakfast • Dilute fruit or vegetable juices with 70 percent water (due to their high sugar content) • Grind pumpkin, flax, chia, and

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sunflower seeds (in a small coffee grinder) and sprinkle on salads, soups, or cereal • Eat two to three servings of fish per week to get those amazing omega -3’s • Avoid fried foods • Avoid processed, pre-packaged foods and fast foods • Avoid sugar and foods containing sugar, as well as too much (more than 3 cups) of a caffeine beverage. As you can see, her basics of eating for good moods call upon common sense. Yet if we are honest, how many of us are following her suggestions on a regular basis? As I mentioned this topic has become one of great interest to me. Natalie’s book launched me into more research. Here are some highlights of what I have learned about food and mood thus far: The link between food and mood is not new. We all have heard about drinking a glass of milk before bed to induce a restful sleep. This practice is more than a wives tale. Whey protein found in dairy products and protein powders is a great antidote to stress, improves mood, and enhances memory. One cup a day has been shown to induce a sense of well-being and relaxation. If you are not a milk drinker, green tea, packed full of antioxidants contains thiamine, an amino acid that helps combat stress and depression. Our food selections affect our memory, mood and vitality long before they will show signs of how they affect our heart and our bones. Imbalanced eating triggers a vicious cycle. Making poor food choices can result in feeling physically and emotionally spent, which in turn causes us to reach for “quick fix” foods. These foods only perpetuate the fatigue and depression. Stress and low energy leave us nutritionally depleted and the cycle continues. Even if we know the reason behind our negative mood and can not make immediate changes in that regard, improving our nutritional status

Continued on page 11

The Valley, March 2012

Julie Mac’s

Wisdom from the Kitchen, Home, and Garden Julie MacConnell Odds and Sods and Notes from the Farm So I am considering making a huge change in my life. I wanted to share this with you as I always try and encourage people to follow their life’s passions. As you may have guessed, homesteading has become an important part of my life and that of my family’s. I have been working a full time, dead end job for fifteen years and homesteading mostly on the weekend. Our property is considered to be a “Hobby Farm.” We have a huge vegetable garden, a small orchard and have a batch of goofy chickens that have become more like pets than just a few pieces of livestock. As the discontent over my job has grown, so has the desire to do this homesteading venture full time. I took the plunge last week and registered my property as a farm and took out a business license. I then promptly went over to our bank and opened a business checking account. It was easily one of the scariest things I have ever done, yet wonderfully

exciting at the same time. Everyone at work was very happy for me, and they have already lined up to buy eggs and produce from me…but I think they see the writing on the wall. A friend in my office says that she will be committed to the Funny Farm if I leave. A few have expressed concern that I would quit my job in a time when the economy is in such horrible shape. Their concerns are warranted and even though I can cash in my pension to help us live for the next year and give us money to put into a few improvements here at the farm, the idea that I would actually go through with it has me scared out of my wits! I keep hearing the voices in my head saying, “Do it, you Ninny! You tell everyone else to follow their dreams, you need to also!” You can build that barn and buy those goats and try and be totally self sufficient-or close to it. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Two of my three children are adults now. I

have only one little one left. I am not getting any younger. If you are going to do it, the time is now. My husband supports me 100% in my decision. My children are thrilled at the idea that I might finally be a stay at home Mom. So am I trying to convince you, or me? I haven’t figured that one out yet. But it is so heavy on my mind that I was at a loss for a subject matter for this month’s column. Like the month of March, it is a season of transition….. I checked on the batch of potatoes that I had saved to plant for this year’s early crop. I have planned to buy some seed potatoes also, but I always like to experiment. They have sprouted beautifully and are waiting to be put in the ground soon. I also discovered a bag of russet potatoes that had been buried in my pantry. They have begun sprouting also so they are going to go into the dresser in the garage with the others. I am going to chit these as

they are a little large and would be a waste if I tried planting them whole. The place where we buy our topsoil – of course this is a must if you live on the Cape because most of the top layers of our soil here is sand and a nasty grey clay—is still waiting for their first delivery of the season. We are on stand by for a delivery, so I am fearing that I might get a late start in planting the season’s first seeds. We are getting a load of beautiful off-Cape loam for the orchard plantings, so we figured that we would get a dump load full to top dress the garden at the same time. I feel like I am late for some reason this year, even though the calendar says it’s still February. I guess that maybe I’m just getting the itch early this year. It is snowing this morning—hardly looking like peas and lettuce should be sprouting, but still I feel like I should be doing something. May be this weekend I will start some tomato plants. Hopefully this year I will show some restraint and not plant so many. Last year I ended up putting 50 or so tomatoes in and was a little overwhelmed by the amount of tomatoes I got—especially when we were threatened with last year’s Hurricane Irene that forced me to pick so many that were still green. I ended up running out of time and energy trying to process as many green tomato pickle recipes as I could find and the rest went to the chickens or into the compost pile. Lessons learned! My husband began measuring for the new fence that we are installing around the orchard area. We’re putting in a cedar triple split rail fence to keep the critters in check. We are going to then tack some galvanized

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garden fence on the inside. This will keep the chickens in and the bunnies out. We had an explosion of rabbits around here last year and they did a number on my peas and lettuce. The holes in the wire fencing were just big enough to let the baby bunnies in while the parents sat on the outside and waited for them to finish. I couldn’t tell you how many mornings I saw them scamper away from me as I went to turn on the morning hoses. I kept hoping that me chasing them would do enough to scare them away for good, but no such luck! They even set up their rabbit lair under my deck so that they could keep watch of when I was in and out of the garden. The dogs were not even enough to keep them at bay. They would gleefully chase them around the yard and then the bunch of them would dive under the deck for the relative safety underneath. I know what Wayne would say, he would say that I should keep my pellet gun nearby and have rabbit stew! Unfortunately for me, my eight year old is a softie and would never get over Mommy putting his bunny friends in the stock pot. There is one in particular that he looks for. The little guy is a beautiful brown and has a star on his forehead—if he were to disappear one day, we would have a major trauma, especially if he knew that his mother was the doer of the deed. I have heard the coyotes during the night lately. Maybe they will take care of this for me. Then at least we could have the talk again about the circle of life and how the food chain works. This whole idea of having a farm is going to be a process with him, but as he gets older I am hoping that he will understand. a

The Valley, March 2012

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The Valley, March 2012

The Horse Scoop by Traci Hanna Yoder

It Fits When we think about “fit,” we can relate it to many aspects of our life. Fit is very important when you think of how it relates to horses. If something does not fit, we may not be able to get the full enjoyment out of spending time with our horses. One of the most important topics we hear about regarding “fit” is saddle fit. Behavioral problems can be caused by improper saddle fit. When your horse is under saddle, evaluate what his body language is telling you. Is he unhappy when he is being saddled? For example does he swish

his tail, lay his ears back, or nip at you? When mounting your horse, does he move away, hollow his back, or attempt to buck? Does he act lame when saddled or sore in his back? Do the sweat patterns on his back show uneven pressure when you remove the saddle? Is he showing white hairs on his withers? These are all signs that something does not fit. The saddle may not be positioned correctly, or it may not be made well enough to fit most horses. How do you know if your saddle fits? There are few easy ways to check your saddle fit.

Start by positioning your saddle over your horses withers and give it a slight shake for it to move into place. If your saddle fits your horse it will stay in position behind the horses shoulder blades and not rest too high on his withers or slip back and dip down in front. The underside of the saddle should not feel as though it is pinching the horse’s withers. There should also be two to three fingers of clearance from the pommel to the withers. This should also be checked after mounting the horse. The seat of the saddle should remain level for comfort to both the horse and rider. Your Phone (717) 667-6556 141 Three Cent Lane saddle pad may Toll Free (888) 567-6556 Reedsville, PA 17084 not properly fit your horse either. A good saddle pad should be breathable and More than just a feed store shock absorbent; it should evenly distribute pressure

and maintain its structure after repeated use. A saddle pad should also be flexible to conform to the horse’s back. If it is stiff and does not conform to the horse, it is creating uneven pressure. A saddle pad could make a saddle fit better or even worse. A saddle that does not fit the horse properly and sit level could also throw the rider off balance. A saddle with poor fit and design can cause a rider to struggle with proper position of their body. A seat that is too small can cause the rider to become sore in the back, knees or thigh. Therefore even the prettiest saddle and pad will not be worth a dime if it doesn’t fit. Many cheaper priced saddles and saddle pads do not properly fit a horse, but even more expensive ones may not fit “your” horse. Once you have determined that our saddle is a good fit and is not causing behavior problems with your horse, you need to look at the fit of the bit. A bit should be wide enough for the horse’s mouth. Horse’s mouths actually come in different shapes and sizes. The bit should sit properly in the horse’s mouth. The “wrinkle” rule has been used by many people to determine if the bit is sitting in the right place in the horse’s mouth. With many different mouth pieces available, sometimes this is not accurate. The bit should be sitting across the bars of the horse’s mouth regardless of whether one or more wrinkles are showing in the corner of the horse’s mouth. If the bit is not properly positioned the horse my chew and “mouth” the bit or flip his head. If the mouthpiece does not fit the needs of the activity you are doing you need to change to something that works. Bits are one of the things in the horse business that sometimes take a lot of trial and error to find the right fit. Your horse’s halter must also fit properly to be effective. Whether it’s a show halter that is to fit snuggly like a second skin and show off our horses heads, or a training halter that is being used to create better ground manners; it needs to fit. A halter should never

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fit so loosely that it looks like it is falling off the horse’s head. This would not be effective for handling or tying a horse. Not only must everything fit on our horses accurately but we need to look at how our attire fits us when we are riding. A rider’s boots must fit, not only for comfort but for safety. If you are wearing a helmet, it must be properly fitted and snapped to be safe. In the show ring fit is important in all your clothing, to give the best appearance of you and your horse. Even when buying a trailer, we need to make sure that our horse will fit in the trailer. A horse that feels too confined in a trailer by either being too narrow in a straight load or even too low, can have serious issues when it comes time to reload him. Trailers that are small and too confined can cause a horse to become claustrophobic. Many times horses that do not want to load have become fearful of the trailer they are being hauled in. Slant load and stock trailers often work best for horses that have developed these problems. The horse feels like they fit better. Therefore they feel more relaxed and comfortable. There are many types and brands of horse feed available today. It is important to find a feed that fits your horses needs to give him optimum appearance and performance. Not every feed will work for every horse. The same sized scoop of feed will not work for every horse. Often times this is another area of trial and error. If you are having problems determining what to feed your horse, for the greatest results contact your feed store ( such as East Gate Feed & Grain ) to give you the best available options. So when we think about “Fit” as it relates to our horses, it matters. Probably the fit that matters the most is that our horse “FITS” us, not only in size but in our interests and in abilities. The way that everything fits together in life can make all the difference. a

The Valley, March 2012 Don’t Worry, Eat Happy from page 7 will help us feel better, allow more energy, and improve our immunity to fend off infection and illness. During the past thirty years there has been an explosion of interest in the relationship between diet and behavior. For example, each year we understand more about our addiction to sugar and how it is linked to food cravings, energy levels, seasonal affective disorder, depression, stress response, mental acuity and sleep patterns. Repeated poor food choices can set fundamental patterns in the production of brain chemicals that regulate appetite and mood. All of our moods, emotions and feelings are controlled for the most part by neurons (the smallest functioning unit of the nervous system) and neurotransmitters (the “baton passers” located at the end of the neuron). At least 40 of these neurotransmitters have been identified. They are extremely important for they are responsible for our memory, appetite, mental function, mood, movement, and sleep-wake cycle. Disruption of just ONE can have a huge effect on our body, as well as our emotional, and mental processes. Now, here is where it gets really interesting. Many neurotransmitters are made up of either amino acids (building blocks of protein) or a fat like substance called choline, found in food. Vitamins and minerals function like assembly line workers in the creation of neurotransmitters. They take the raw material from protein and fat, add their special touch and voilá, a neurotransmitter is created. Insufficient intake of essential nutrients during all stages of our life is critical, but especially during pregnancy and the early years of life when irreversible damage to the nervous system can occur thus altering personality, mental function, and behavior. Food additives and preservatives can influence brain activity by blocking these vital neurotransmitters. Modern psychiatry bases the treatment of mood challenges on the manipulation of neurotransmitters. It is an established fact that low levels of certain neurotramitterrs are a key cause of depression. There are four neurotransmitters that are manufactured directly from food components; serotonin, dopamine, nor epinephrine, and acetylcholine. Their levels and activity are sensitive to food intake and changes in dietary

patterns. Registered Dietician Elizabeth Sommers explains that we are born with an inherent neurotransmitter profile. Thus all people do not have the same food preferences and responses to food. In general however; even though we can not change our genes, simple dietary changes can have dramatic effects on mood, sleeping habits, and cognitive skills. Please understand that I am not implying that food alone can release everyone from mood disorders. Pharmaceutical drugs can be very effective and indeed life saving in cases of severe depression. However, for others suffering from mild “mood swings” there are alternative, natural ways of raising levels of mood boosting neurotransmitters. Natalie shares an often forgotten fact about how to assist our body in making adequate amounts of serotonin. Serotonin is a multi-tasking neurotransmitter. Ample amounts are necessary for regulation of sleep, mood, food intake, and pain tolerance. Low levels produce insomnia, depression, food cravings, aggressive behavior, increased sensitivity to pain and poor body temperature regulation. It is manufactured in the brain from an amino acid called tryptophan, which is found in protein-rich foods along with vitamins B6, B12, C, biotin, zinc and folic acid. Remember that serotonin levels are directly related to diet. Ironically, however (and this is the secret), eating a high protein meal lowers brain tryptophan and serotonin. Here is why. Tryptophan is a large amino acid that shares an entry gate in the brain with several other large amino acids. When we eat a large protein rich meal, (like chicken, turkey or tuna) our blood is flooded with both tryptophan and its “competing” amino acids, and they all fight for entry into the brain. Sadly, only a small amount of tryptophan gets across the blood-brain barrier so serotonin levels do not rise too much. As a result, we may crave refined carbohydrates, feel moody, sleep less soundly or notice less tolerance to pain. So what are we to do? Sorry Atkins Diet lovers, but when we include a wonderfully non-processed, whole grain food such as oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, or sprouted grain bread like Ezekiel bread along with our protein it greatly enhances the amount of tryptophan that can be transported in to the brain. And we feel happy and crave dessert much less!!! Food cravings are often

the body’s way of correcting a deficiency. It is our body’s way of getting our attention. For instance when we feel fatigued, sad or mad we may reach for a doughnut for breakfast and BAM our serotonin starts flowing and we feel great. For a little while. Eating a banana, yogurt and some sunflower seeds will do the trick too and keep our blood sugar (and weight) in check for much longer. One thing I have discovered personally and when working with clients is that you can not “will away” a food craving. Slowly but surely, or fast and furiously, it will return with a vengeance. Give me a call if you would like some tried and true guidelines for understanding and working with your cravings. Feel Good Food Natalie not only suggests what we can include in our diet in order to feel happier, but she also shares easy to make, delicious and unique recipes. Here are a couple energy bursting recipes that are sure to please: Nana’s Rice Salad These ingredients provide a quick complete meal. Add other vegetables as you desire. The capers are optional but if you are like me and happen to enjoy the addition, they really make this dish “pop” with flavor. You can find capers with the olives at most grocery stores. 1 cup (or more) cooked brown rice 3 hardboiled eggs (chopped) 3 large tomatoes 1 green pepper 4 scallions 12 green or black olives Several mint leaves 1 7 ounce can tuna (packed in water) 1 tablespoon capers (optional) 3 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon Freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt Cool the rice and eggs. Chop the vegetables. Combine the rice, eggs, and vegetables with the drained tuna and capers. Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Pour over all the ingredients. Toss well. Add the chopped tomatoes and toss gently. Baked Bananas with Raspberry Sauce 1 ½ cups raspberries Grated nutmeg (I prefer cinnamon) 2 large bananas 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon sweet fruit wine (or any red wine) – If you don’t have a tablespoon of natural jelly also works. Juice of ½ lemon 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Keep several raspberries aside for garnish. Heat the remaining raspberries over low heat in a pan with the nutmeg or cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the honey and the wine or jelly. When the raspberries are soft remove from heat and process in a blender. For a rougher texture you can also mash them with a fork and strain in a sieve to remove the seeds. Slice the bananas in have lengthwise. Put them in a baking dish, squeeze the lemon juice over top, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of honey and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds. Bake in the oven for 10 -12 minutes. Serve the bananas drizzled with the raspberry sauce, topped with the whole raspberries. You have to be feeling pretty happy after you eat this!! In conclusion, I want to again underline that extreme depres-

sion, fatigue, or other emotional challenges often are signs of a more serious underlying illness that requires medial attention. Yet for many of us, mood and energy concerns are a result of what we eat and how we live. Making a few simple yet powerful choices in what and when we eat can result in feeling great. Any diet aimed at improving mood is much the same as a diet that emphasizes good health. There is not one “super” food that boost mood. A diet that is rich in a wide variety of unprocessed foods that do not starve the body of vital nutrients is best. I would love to get my extra copy of The Kitchen Shrink into circulation. Give me a call or send an email if you would like to borrow it. Remember, there is a lot more to life than “just getting by.” Life can be filled with adventure, joy and vitality when we feel our best but these are not handed to us. We have to reach out and grab it. Just like that cup of green tea that is waiting for me! Cheers! 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 2423132. References: The Kitchen Shrink –Foods and Recipes for a Healthy Mind by Natalie Savona The Food and Mood Handbook by Amada Geary Food and Mood- The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best by Elizabeth Somer, M.A. R.D. a

The Red Brush Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will hold their 25th Anniversary Banquet on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at the Penn Stater Conference Center. We will also honor the legacy of Jim and Sylvia Bashline. Cocktails begin at 5:30pm with dinner to follow at 7:15pm. Join us for a great night of celebration with good friends, food, drinks, raffles and auctions! For tickets, contact Jim Weaver at jimwredbrush@gmail.com or 814-574-8053.

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The Valley, March 2012

Roads Less Traveled... by Lynn Persing

Friends

Have you ever wondered what you’d do without your friends? Me too. Friends are so important for our mental wellbeing. They are there to listen

when you need an ear and lend a hand when you need some help. My friends have done some really wonderful things for me and they ask for nothing in return except

my friendship. What makes a great friend? Well for me it’s someone who makes me laugh, listens to me vent, gives me good advice, picks up my spirits when I need it, accepts me the way I am, and is always up to going out to eat, shopping, or just gettin’ together to gab. Ok, if you are a guy, I’m sure your list is a bit different. The Roman philosopher Cicero said, “Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” I couldn’t agree more. The Wikipedia provides the following list as the properties of friendship. Funny how I didn’t think of honesty and trust when I made my list above, but those are two key components in any friendship. • The tendency to desire what is best for the other • Sympathy and empathy • Honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one’s counterpart • Mutual understanding and

• • •

compassion; ability to go to each other for emotional support Enjoyment of each other’s company Trust in one another Positive reciprocity — a relationship is based on equal give-and-take between the two parties.

• The ability to be oneself, express one’s feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgement. When I look at the last item, I have to chuckle. Do your friends judge you? You bet they do! But they probably do it in a more subtle way and accept your mistakes more readily than those who aren’t your friends. Friends tend to overlook your idiosyncrasies and mistakes, and focus on your positive qualities. Friends can offer more objective advice and counsel than often you can give yourself. Need to know if an outfit looks good on you? Ask a friend. Need to know what your wife would like for her birthday? Ok, guys, don’t ask your guy friends. They don’t know either.

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Ask HER friends! Have you ever heard this saying, “Friends come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.” I think we all have had friends at one time or another that meet one of these criteria. I have friends that I grew up with who I don’t see much anymore. But recently when we got together to chat again, I realized we had so much to share. We had a lot of common threads in our lives, and just never kept in touch. Some friends you can call crying, and others really only want to hear from you when you’re happy. It’s ok—you easily know which ones are which and you accept them both for their different perspectives. I’ve made a lot of new, casual friends through the newspaper, and I’m amazed

at how many really good people there are in our little town and beyond. So make sure you nourish all your different types of friendships. A HUGE THANK YOU to all of mine, for enriching my life and being there when I needed you. You all know who you are and I am so grateful to each one of you for the value you have added to my life! a

“Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.” George Washington

The Valley, March 2012

Understanding the Constitution

by David Molek

Is Education a Federal Constitutional Power?

The Tenth Amendment states that the powers NOT delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. Article I, Section 8 enumerates the things over which Congress has the power to legislate. Not only does the list NOT include education, but there is no plausible rationale for squeezing education in under the commerce clause. But, like many other things, the Supreme Court found a “rationale”, but it cannot be plausible. The U.S. Department of Education, formed in 1979 during the Carter administration, represents, to me, an intrusion by the federal government into an aspect of American society for which there

is no constitutional authority. Our Constitution gives Congress no authority whatsoever to collect taxes, fund or operate schools. Therefore, under the Tenth Amendment, education should be entirely a state and local matter. The framers of our Constitution had a limited federal government in mind. For more than 200 years, the federal government had left education to those who were in the best position to oversee it – state governments, local governments and families. Without question, the framers intended that most aspects of American life would be outside the purview of the federal government. They never envisioned that Congress or the President would become involved in funding schools or

mandating policies, procedures and regulations for our classrooms. At a philosophical level, our framers intended that local government should do only those things that individuals cannot do for themselves, that state government should do only those things that local governments cannot do, and that the federal government should do only those things that the individual states cannot do.. Education is certainly something that individuals acting alone and cooperatively can do, particularly with some efforts by local and state governments. The U.S. Department of Education was created as a political payoff to the teachers’ unions for their 1976 endorsement. In every year from 1980 to 2000, the GOP included in its national platform a plank that stated that the federal government has no constitutional authority to be involved in school curricula or to control jobs in the marketplace and that is why the GOP will abolish the Department of Education. But that priority has slipped from the platform, and federal involvement in education has skyrocketed. Such programs as No Child Left Behind and Rise To The Top are great sounding names for complicated, wasteful and controlling mandates that are

unworkable and ineffectual. With Obama’s Race To The Top legislation providing state waivers, most intelligent people would question why any law that has automatic waivers was passed in the first place. There is not only the problem of unconstitutional actions, waste of taxpayer dollars, and results that show little, if any, real improvement in education, but there is also the continued deficit spending and our crushing federal debt. There is a real problem that needs to be addressed. Suggestions that propose a 3-year dissolution plan that gives everybody time to adjust programs on the state and local levels and to give federal workers at the Department of Education time to find their next job look appealing. The current channeling of taxpayer dollars through Washington and then back to the states is an inefficient way to fund local activities such as education. It would be better if the states funded their own education programs free from all the laws, paperwork, regulations and reductions in flexibility that comes from the federal govern-

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ment. The federal government could collect facts about schools and student performance and let the data speak for itself. Other than that, it is just difficult for me to believe that a group of federal bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. can design a curriculum that meets the unique needs of millions of school children across our nation. We need to restore control over education to the local and state levels. It seems to me that a proposal to eliminate the federal Department of Education is a pro-education position that can be supported by those of us who believe in limited government and following our Constitution. We need to return to our small government roots. We can’t solve our budget problems and restore liberty by simply tinkering around the edges. Instead of pledges to fix, or reform, or streamline these programs, our elected representatives need to be willing to make tough decisions, but right decisions, and scrap the U.S. Department of Education. It is unconstitutional, a waste of billions of taxpayer dollars, and shows no credible evidence of a positive effect on American education. a

The Valley, March 2012

Public Auction Thursday, April 5, 2012

Equipment/Personal Property at 9:00 a.m.; Real Estate at 11:30 a.m. (1% broker’s participation with registered buyer)

290 acre dairy farm in Mifflin County, PA Offered as two parcels; One a great recreational property and the other a dairy farm Parcels will be auctioned separately and as an entirety (separate parcels subject to subdivision approval) Location: 3355 S. State Route 103, Mcveytown, PA 17051 acres—90 acres—is mostly wooded with some open fields; 2nd parcel of 126.4 acres REAL ESTATE: 1 parcel of 157.7 acres tillable acres and the rest meadow–dairy farm is set up for 100 cows; This real estate is close to the Juniata River. Down payment on day of sale: Parcel #1-$25,000; Parcel #2-$35,000, Entirety-$60,000 TRACTORS: 574 International tractor-9267 hours-uses oil; 1066 Turbo International tractor-122 horsepower-3726 hours; 766 International tractor-89 horse power-hour meter broken FARM EQUIPMENT: International 27 sickle mower; 650 New Holland auto wrapper baler 1997; 710 Packwen haytedder; Lanco wagon rex front 3 beater with 10 ton Chassis; Zimmerman head chute; 4 gravity wagons; 38 inch rubber wheel snap on duallies; 10 ton Gehl wagon no roof; 5100 White no-till air corn planter; 510 International grain drill 10 ft.; 323 New Idea 1 row corn picker; 56 New Holland rake; 28 ft. Harvey elevator; Grove elevator; 2 prong bale forks with 3 point hitch; Fifteen 100 pound tractor weights; 450 automatic reset plow 4 bottom; 27 sickle mower for parts; 2 feed wagons-20’ & 16’; 350 Nu Hawk by Ideal side delivery manure spreader 1000 rpm pto; 616 John Deere rotary mower; 3 old trailer frames 8ft., 12 ft., and 24 ft.; 200 gallon field sprayer; 610 John Deere 8 tooth high clearance chisel plow; 46 International 11 ft. disc; 14 ft. Brillion cult packer; 489 New Holland haybine broken shaft; 12 ft. Pittsburg harrow; Woods 8 ft. scraper blade 3 point hook up; Bale tooth 3 point hook up; 275 gallon plastic liquid fertilizer tank; 3310 Gehl skid loader with 54 inch manure fork and bucket; 500 gal. stainless steel water trough; Muller 1000 gal. milk tank; Compressor and tank washer; 8 Westfalia C milk units auto stop; 5 horse power vacuum pump; Plate cooler with 2” stainless steel pipe line for 32 stalls; 3 Surge stainless steel milk pails with palsators; Milk pail with lid and stainless steel buckets; Wallas milk yield indicators; 10 inch Hobart meat slicer; Kleen Kut meat bandsaw new 5/8 100 inch blade; 1 horse power Dunkam-Bush compressor with 2 fan evaporator TOOLS and MISCELLANEOUS: Tires and wheels; Plastic bed liners for pick up trucks; 2 rolls cable; Old house doors; Lumber; 2 feed carts; 3 dehorners; Tagger; Nose lead; 2 dippers; Milk cans; Cow foot bath; Coats tire changer; 18434 tire chains; Other misc. supplies

Open House Dates: Feb. 25 from 12-3 p.m. and March 3 from 12-3 p.m.

Directions: 522 South from Lewistown to McVeytown; at light turn left on East John Street, turn right on 103 South; follow through small town of Ryde; another three miles and farm is on right along 103 South

For more information or a private showing contact:

Glenn Horst (Lic. #AA019298) 717-271-8868 J. Meryl Stoltzfus (Lic. #AU005403) 717-629-6036

Auction Services: 888-209-6160

Auction by: Leon R. Rhodes Sr. (owner very motivated to sell) Attorney: Stuart A. Cilo (717) 248-9603

See auctionzip.com for more photos of equipment

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The Valley, March 2012

Our Environment Our Culture Traditional, Sustainable, Natural, Organic Agriculture What’s in a Name? by Melissa Piper Nelson Outreach and Marketing Manager Community Partnerships RC&D Producers and consumers hear a lot of terms these days that are linked to the many types of farming and agricultural systems currently in use in America and worldwide. While proponents of different systems extol the benefits of their own production method, the public in general often expresses confusion at which is the better and healthier way to produce a crop or raise livestock. Here in Pennsylvania, we have a long tradition of production agriculture that stretches back centuries. While agricultural production methods have evolved and adapted to changing conditions, machinery inventions, soil amendments, building innovations and other factors, we still see large parcels of land being farmed with “traditional” methods side by side with natural or organic operations.

And today, all methods claim some trend toward sustainability, or keeping agricultural production and the land healthy and ready for future generations of farmers. Some farmers see the advantage of producing large acreages of crops and keeping large numbers of livestock. The vertically integrated system of agriculture (production to grocery shelf for the masses) introduced after World War II, spurred farmers toward big land, big investments, big equipment and a global scale thought process. Today, we call this “traditional” farming. Developing alongside the global production emphasis, however, some farmers branched out toward a philosophical, as well as a production-oriented goal, to farm without large inputs of commercial chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides and equipment.

The movement throughout the world and in the U.S. to connect more locally with food producers instead of purchasing food that is transported from across the nation or the world, has made us more aware of natural or organic agricultural production. Over the years, the terms “natural” and “organic” have been promoted, and even in some instances misused, to encourage consumers to buy what is termed healthier or more natural food instead of food being produced on a mass scale. To be certified as an organic producer in America today, farmers must adhere to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) standards and adopt a farming plan that meets organic certification. Those farmers who want to produce food and fiber without commercial inputs may also produce “naturally certified” goods that may not meet all the criteria of the NOP, but can be considered “natural.” And, to mix things up a bit further…some farmers may produce goods through traditional methods mixed in part with natural production. As wise and educated con-

sumers, we are encouraged to get to know our area farmers and understand about how they choose to produce our food and fiber. We can then judge for ourselves if traditional, natural or organic is what we select to purchase and support in our region. We must understand however, that we are not the only local farmer’s customers. He or she is probably also producing for our extended neighbors here and abroad. Programs such as community supported agriculture (CSA’s) help local farmers finance their operations and produce for customer expectations, but until farmers can be totally supported in their own neighborhoods, many forms of agriculture will still be carried out on Pennsylvania farms. That brings us to sustainability. Over the years we have learned many significant lessons

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about what is good and healing for the land we farm and the resources necessary to support farming. By hard lessons we have also learned what devastates good agricultural land and sends it to the brink of being non-recoverable. In our own minds, the terms set the stage for how we anticipate having enough food and fiber to feed and clothe our families. For the most part, we make individual choices about what is important to us – traditional, natural, and organic and all production methods in-between. Sustainability speaks to the here and now, as well as to the far-reaching consequences of how we farm the land for the future. It also asks us to honestly and openly communicate what is important to all of us about the land and resources we share. a

The Valley, March 2012

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

Easter Bunnies! Over the years, baby rabbits and chicks have become the face of the Easter season. As softly colored pastel decorations outfit the shops around town, some begin advertising “chick days” and bunnies can be found in both the live and chocolate varieties. As you can imagine, a lot of people begin to consider bringing home an adorable baby animal for Easter morning. Unfortunately, rabbits are not the easy starter pet that many consumers expect and they may be forgotten after the holiday comes to a close. For others, one tiny Easter bunny could be the start of a never-ending passion and dedication for rabbits. Although I’m not pointing fingers, I may

know of a case like this. So while I can’t exactly discourage rabbits as an Easter surprise, I encourage you to do some research before adding one to your own household. Below are a few of my own pointers that may help to prepare those of you who plan to become new rabbit owners this March and April. The average lifespan of a domestic rabbit is 7-10 years, although someone forgot to mention this to my own pet rabbits that are approaching and passing this age. Before bringing home a new bunny, be sure that you are prepared to take on a small animal with the lifespan of a large dog. Beware of “dwarf bunnies.” Although there really are small

dwarf breeds, the term “dwarf bunnies” is often used to advertise any tiny baby rabbit around Easter time. These rabbits usually become very large in the weeks following the holiday. Instead of trusting second-hand sources, it is usually best to buy directly from a reputable breeder who can give you more reliable information about the breed of your choice. Do not buy rabbits under the age of 8 weeks old. Before this time, kits (baby rabbits) are still weaning and unable to handle the stressful transition to a new home. It can be difficult to estimate age if you are a first time rabbit owner, so be sure to ask the seller. If they cannot tell you the birthdate of the animal, it is probably better to keep looking. Some rabbits are lap pets. Some rabbits hide under your furniture. Some rabbits climb on top of your furniture. Their personalities are very individual and a rabbit may not hold up to your expectations of a fuzzy squishy lap pet. In fact, many more fall into the other categories. Rabbits love to run and play, but do not

expect them to socialize with you in the way that a puppy might. Be prepared for a slightly more distant relationship and happy if your rabbit happens to be one that Easter Bunnies are a responsibility, this article will prepare you. does enjoy cuddling. less room than larger animals. Although the media may Plus, they make very little noise show rabbits eating lettuce and (Hint: If you house your rabbit carrots, iceberg lettuce can be fatal in your bedroom, use a water to domestic rabbits and carrots crock rather than a water bottle. are too sugary to be an everyday *click click click*) and can be treat. The best diet is a plain rabbit litter trained to live in the house. pellet (no colorful bits mixed in) I may be biased, but I highly and a handful of grass hay daily. recommend rabbits as pets and Rabbits may enjoy a small amount hope that as you consider adding of dark greens (romaine lettuce, one to your home, you will take parsley) as an occasional treat. the time to research more about Rabbits are very social proper rabbit husbandry through animals and enjoy as much daily the American Rabbit Breeders’ attention and care as a cat or dog Association website at www.arba. does. While they are not the easy, net. And as always, feel free to short-lived starter pet that they contact me with questions as well. were once considered to be, rabHave a hoppy month! a bits make excellent companion pets. They are small and require

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The Valley, March 2012

Homeschooling on the homestead with andy weller

Improvise, Adapt and Overcome Humor, I can find it in anything. Just ask my wife, she says I laugh at the weirdest things. Take a couple of days ago for instance: I was at work minding my own business when my wife called me. She was a bit agitated (meaning a bit frustrated with my son). I don’t think she even said hello, she just started telling her story. It went something like this: “Your son is doing his math and he got the whole page done then he got to the word problems. He did one of them with a little help from me then moved on to the second one. He read the second problem several times then stopped and said that the problem was unsolvable.” My wife went on to say that she worked with the boy for about twenty minutes trying to get him to logically look at the problem, she would even work him through the problem trying to get him to

see how the word problem would be turned into a division problem and how that would work. She did all of this to no avail, after about twenty minutes my son had stuck to his guns and continued to say that the problem was unsolvable because he needed to more information. Once my wife walked me through the problem and explained the whole situation to me I laughed. I laughed so hard I almost cried. My wife and son were both frustrated; they might have been a bit miffed at each other, but I thought it was funny. See, I told you I could find the humor in everything. Anyway, after I stopped laughing and wiped the happy tears from my eyes, I talked to my son and we worked through the problem rather quickly. In the bit of musing above, my point is illustrated perfectly. The point you ask? When you’re

presented with a problem with your student (child) many times it’s easy to lose your cool, become frustrated and do or say something that will negatively impact truly learning a subject. Before you get to that point, take a breath and get another perspective. That may mean getting input from a third party or it could mean taking a break, letting the kid go outside and run and play figuring out another angle to take with him or her. Taking the time to give both you and your child a break could be what is needed for something to be truly learned. By the same token, there are times when you just need to drive through a problem and learn it by wrote. You know your child and you know what he or she needs in order to learn. You also know yourself and you know when you’re too frustrated to

effectively teach. It’s a judgment call that your going to have to make when you are working on a problem that tries your patience and your teaching ability. See it’s kind of like that movie Heartbreak Ridge where the venerable Clint Eastwood grumbles to his squad to improvise, adapt and overcome when presented with the problem to be sure to match his shirt when the whole squad falls out for early morning PT. That takes me to the next topic I wanted to cover. When folks think of a homestead, farmstead, or hobby farm they dream of the perfect rural house on a small paved road that rarely sees a vehicle, with a cow munching in the field with a smile on it’s face, waiting patiently to be fed and milked before once again being turned out to pasture to eat more grass. On the other side of

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the driveway in the goat pen are a couple of goats browsing on the brush. Behind the house in the garden the produce is on the plants and it’s all big and plump and filled with tasty goodness. Now wake up in reality. The house needs to be painted, the road is dirt and filled with pot holes and sharp rocks, and farm trucks are racing up and down the road. The cow has knocked down the fence and is standing in the road waiting to get hit by said farm trucks, the goats have found the one hole in the pen and are now standing in the garden eating your corn and tomatoes after decimating the tasty goodness of your strawberries and blackberries. Now you have to get the livestock back in their respective pens and salvage all the produce you can, but on the homestead, just like in homeschooling, you have to adapt, improvise and overcome. Sometimes it seems like it’s more struggling and overcoming than adapting and improvising, but you get my meaning. A couple of commonalities in homeschooling and homesteading is that it’s not always easy, but once you and your child(ren) adapt and improvise where needed, you will overcome and it’s rewarding as hell! a

The Valley, March 2012

Woods, Water and Wildlife by Wayne Stottlar

Natural Pest Control In our quest to be more selfreliant, eat healthier, and stock a pantry, many of us have taken to gardening. As our economy nose-dived in 2008, some folks began waking up and discovering that there is

one person that you can count on most every time, especially if prospect of starving enters the equation, and that person is YOU! In talking with my seed suppliers and a few local greenhouses, the last few years have seen a tremendous increase in people having home gardens. I am sure many fall for the commercials and at the first sight of a problem, run to grab this chemical or that spray to help save your precious plants. I am not sure about you, but aside from the whole food storage aspect of gardening, I also garden to provide ourselves with natural, chemical, and pesticide free food. House Wrens will work overtime if you provide The last thing I want to housing. Their insect eating tendencies are do is reach for a chemilegendary.

With Lynn’s artistic touches, the Wren boxes became a visual, as well as practical, addition to our gardens.

cal if a pest shows up. Even those listed as “safe,” forgive my cynicism, but let’s just say I am skeptical. I started searching for a solution that didn’t require a chemical. I read dozens of whacky sounding solutions and then stumbled upon something that made sense. WRENS! Yes, the bird. I read stories of people saying that they never used chemicals, because the wrens living in their yard kept the insects at bay. I wondered if they could eliminate the small little worms that we sometimes found as we blanched our broccoli for freezing. They didn’t bother me all that much, but I could tell Lynn preferred to get her protein from other sources. If she wouldn’t eat the vegetables we grew, at least part of the reason for growing our own vegetables

would be lost. I have been an avid backyard birder for 30 years or more, but I had never recalled seeing any wrens in our yard. Although, I thought I had heard their song at times. Research told me that if I built homes for them, they would come. I also discov- With a short tail, and a plump body, House ered that possibly the reason Wrens can sometimes remind you of brown torpedoes! I hadn’t seen them hangoverall this particular design met ing around the feeders is all the other needs. because almost 100% of their diet I decided to build a couple consists of insects! Okay, now houses and position them near the this theory was coming together, garden in the back yard, and near I provide housing for the wrens, the flower beds in the front yard. they return the favor by eating the I decided to use 1” X 6” pine bugs in our yard. PERFECT! boards for construction and prime I set off to build a few houses and paint them for protection. with the hopes of attracting some wrens to the yard to see for myself Another option would have been to use cedar or another weather if this really worked. Having built resistent wood and leave them bird houses in the past, I knew natural. We decided on using the that certain birds had specific pine and paint route so Lynn could requirements for housing. The use some of her artistic talents to design ideas were numerous, but the one glaring difference was that dress the houses up a little bit. With the first house finished, Wrens preferred a 1” diameter we hung it in the front yard where hole for entrance to the house. we could observe the house from Other than that, it seemed they inside. Before the second house were not very fussy. In fact, they was finished the first house had are known as one of the birds new tenants who were heard long most tolerant of human presence before we were able to train our near their nest boxes. I finally eye to follow the song back to decided on a design that would allow me to build for specific birds Continued on page 39 by just adjusting the hole size, as

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The Valley, March 2012 From Salad Bowl to Snack Bowl from page 5 kale chips while asking Country Cousin (that’s me) about using parsnips and kale that she got from a sort of C.S.A. thing they do up there. (Hey, these city folks are catchin’ on, believe you me). It seems that a friend of hers was making these leafy chips to encourage her children to eat kale. Boston Cousin made some, tweaked the recipe a bit, made some more, and pronounced them fairly edible—so we’ll be getting to the chip recipe in a bit. But first, let’s talk kale. A little F.Y.I. to begin with. Let us remember that all of the members of the cabbage family, Brassica oleracea, are the same plant; the very same plant, now mind. For more than two thousand years, we’ve been selecting and breeding them to display different traits—flowers, leaves, big buds, little buds—and savoring the variety of results. The most familiar types of cabbage, such as we grow for slaw or kraut, belong to the group capitata, which is Latin for head, i.e. a head of cabbage. Kale, along with collards, belongs to the group acephala, which is Greek for without a head, i.e. a bunch of cabbage leaves. These “leaf” cabbages are considered the oldest forms of this plant family—much like the original wild cabbages our far distant forbearers started to fiddle around with. [There is also kale that is classified Brassica napus, but that’s a whole other story and for the purpose of this article, we can just lump them in with our headless oleraceas.] Kale may not be as familiar in our neck of the woods as other cabbages, but our ancestors from colder regions used and appreciated it well. What endears kale to we northern gardeners who do grow it, is its affinity for cold weather. Like parsnips and carrots, the flavor of kale is improved by low temperatures, so if you’ve tried kale that was picked before the fall frosts and crossed it off your list, you might want to try again. More importantly, and sometimes without even the protection of shelter (be it hoop house, cold frame or well placed straw bales), hardy kale has the potential to provide the luxury of FRESH greens for the winter table. That alone endears this plant to those of us who try to harvest at least something from our gardens year round. A very attractive plant, there are dozens of varieties of kale to choose from. They can be low growing (usually better for over

wintering) or more upright. They run the gamut from light green to purplish green, redish green, to blackish green; the leaves can be toothed, ragged, curled, frilled or savoyed. Even those flowerlike ornamental kales would be edible in a pinch. As mentioned, well grown kale is a nutritional powerhouse. Along with all the usual good things vegetables give to us, it is high in vitamins C and E, as well as folates, beta carotenes, bioflavonoids with healthy servings of calcium, iron, and potassium thrown in for good measure. Although it’s a great base for winter salads, cooked kale is tasty as well as long as you don’t cook it to death; try it steamed, lightly braised or added to soups near the end of cooking. Grow kale like other cabbages; plant in well drained soil enriched with plenty of organic matter (when it comes to growing bounteous Brassicas, leaf mold is particularly mentioned by gardener extrodinaire Eliot Coleman) and mulch to keep the moisture even and the soil cool. Kale is susceptible to the same diseases and munching critters as the rest of the cabbage family, but good gardening practices (healthy seed, planting rotation, full sun, rich soil teeming with life) and some simple techniques (floating row covers, a covered plate of beer for the slugs, a can of water covered with vegetable oil to knock bugs into, a .22 or a BIG TRAP for the groundhogs), will all but guarantee a good crop going into the winter months. Speaking of winter months, timing your plantings will allow you to take full advantage of kale’s attributes. If you want some kale RIGHT AWAY it can be planted early in spring for a spring and early summer crop. Planted in late summer, watered and watched through any late season heat waves, kale will go into fall and winter ready for harvest with sturdier plants coming out in spring ready to make seed to start the cycle all over - kale is a biennial and will cross with other family members, so do a bit of research here. Some plants may even self sow and you’ll find kale volunteering in out of the way spots which is a rather delightful aspect of gardening, having the plants just pop up willy nilly to surprise you. With superior nutrition, easy cultivation and it’s hardy nature, it’s no surprise that kale has favored plant status in many gardens and kitchens throughout the winter. But, being open to new ideas, the minute that kale chips

were mentioned, out came the baking sheet, the oil, the salt and the experimenting commenced. If you go online and do a search on “kale chips,” you’re going to get a few million listings. No, really, you will. After looking at about a dozen different sites and comparing them to what Boston Cousin explained, • Reliable Propane & Heating Oil Delivery it seems like they • Budget Payment Plan are all just variaCall today tions on a theme. to learn about our • 24/7 Emergency Service So here’s a basic NEw CustOmER • Heating Equipment Service Plans recipe and we’ll go sPECiAls! over each ingredi• Safety Trained Professionals ent in turn. • Over 80 Years Experience Kale Chips Kale—any variety will do but try as many as you can to find your favorite. Also keep the Our Business is Customer Satisfaction small tender leaves for the salad bowl. 717-248-5476 • 1-800-PROPANE (776-7263) Wash the leaves, WWT Answers: 1) Peregrine Falcon. 2) All raptors are protected. 3) The California Condor—now 380 in existence. then dry well. A salad spinner, the kind with a basket that spins off recipes. The volume of salt added powdered salt a pinch at a time the water, works well here or you to these chips is quite small when and toss. One quarter of a teacan toss the kale a bit in a big compared to the salt in commerspoon should be all you need for kitchen towel. Whatever you do, cial brands of snacks and it still a LARGE bowl of leaves. Boston let it air dry for about a half an fulfills the purposes of drying Cousin favors a few sprinkles of hour. Prepare the leaves by cutting and flavor enhancement. One tip, balsamic vingar - GET INVENout the heavy stems and veins, whether you use average table salt TIVE. they dry unevenly with the leaf or an unrefined salt imported from Place the coated kale on the and small veins. Scissors work some exotic locale, powder it; use baking sheets; they can touch well for this. The pieces should a mortar and pestle or the back of but they shouldn’t overlap much. be a bit larger than you want the a spoon. The fine salt goes further Bake in the oven for 18 to 22 chips to end up - they do shrink a and adheres better to the kale than minutes or so. Remove, cool bit. That said, one web site mengranular salt. completely and store in an airtight tioned kale chips made with one Preheat the oven to 275 container. of the longer less curled variedegrees* which will dry the kale Now you’re ready to wow ties where the center stem was without browning and help to ‘em at your next get together. removed and the leaves were left keep the oil healthy, we’re after Put out a bowl of deep green long. Experiment, that’s the fun of crisp and GREEN. Line a baking kale chips with your other ofdoing it yourself. sheet (or sheets if you’ve got a ferings and get everyone talk Oil—call me biased (okay, in lot of kale) with parchment paper. ing - and munching! If you’re this I am), but is there really any You can use this paper for more reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally careful... choice other than rich extra-virgin than one batch, especially if you um...nope, you still probably olive oil? Re-read Sue Burns’ arti- use the unbleached kind. won’t be able to scoop up half cle in the August 2011 The Valley Place the prepared kale in a melted homemade ice cream with about healthy fats and oils. Of bowl large enough to allow you your leafy garden snacks, but, course you’re going to use your to work. Add the oil a teaspoon well, we can’t have everything! own favorite, but do make it a at a time and toss it well to coat Hmmm, wonder what collard flavorful and healthy one, and yes, the leaves LIGHTLY. This is most chips would taste like? we admit there are a few choices efficiently done with your hands, * You can also use a food besides olive oil. This is also one so scrub them and get in there. dehydrator set in the 120 to 150 way to add variety to your chips. Don’t be afraid to rub everything degree range. It takes a few hours Steep herbs or spices in the oil together to get that oil distributed, and the results are a bit different then strain before adding to the especially with the more ruffled but it works! kale. varieties; the entire surface of Check out this web site. Intel Salt—many of us have found the kale should be covered by a lectual property rights are all well that adding salt in cooking is THIN sheen of oil. As you work and good, but this is just ridicuWAY overdone and that less or no you will see if more oil is needed, lous. There are recipes too! salt makes for results just as tasty but add the least amount needed EATMOREKALE.com a as the amounts called for in most to coat the kale. Sprinkle on the

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The Valley, March 2012

Dairy Princess Memories by Macy Fisher Mifflin County Dairy Princess 2011-2012

Happy March everyone! Hi, I’m Macy Fisher the Mifflin County Dairy Princess. Did you know that there are many holidays in March that are out shown by St. Patrick’s Day/ First of all March is Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month. I have recently found that Guinea Pigs are actually a very high maintenance pet. Two guinea pigs were donated to our FFA chapter in the past month and they are the talk of the town. Well, maybe not the town, but definitely the talk of the school. When they first arrived in our shop, they were in a very small, poorly assembled cage. It didn’t really hook shut anywhere and it was a hazard for the guinea pigs. If they would have squeezed through the sides of the pen, they could have escaped and would have been running around the school. So we were going to put them in one

of the empty rabbit cages, but the holes in the wire bottoms of the pens were too big and their feet would have gone straight through. It looked like we were doomed to a life of constantly wondering if the guinea pigs would escape. However, Mandy found a solution. She found one of our large empty fish aquariums that was large enough for them to be able to run around in. She rigged the feeders and water bottles up so that they would hang over the side of the tank. She also put some wood shavings in the bottom and also put a box in the tank. Guinea Pigs have to have some kind of shelter in their pens or they will stress themselves out to the point that they will die. So our guinea pigs have a box for shelter. These guinea pigs have become Mandy’s personal time consuming project. One of the students said that they want to take them home and it is a trustworthy student, so the guinea pigs may leave in the next few days, which would actually be a lot easier for everyone. We wouldn’t have to worry about them dying from stress of escap-

ing, but for now they are staying in their tank. This month is also Deaf History Month, which if find very interesting. One of the women my mom works with at school is an interpreter for deaf students and I find her job very cool. I have learned may words and phrases so far this year like, “I like milk” or “I am the Dairy Princess,” which could come in handy some day. Now all I need to do is find out how to say dairy facts like “milk has nine essential nutrients” or “you need three servings of dairy every day” in sign language and I will be good to go. I just find sign language interesting in itself. I am fascinated watching deaf or mute people having a conversation. A favorite show of Mandy and I is actually Switched at Birth, which has deaf/mute people in it and I just love watching them in a long argument. I can’t follow the subtitles fast enough, but I still think it’s interesting to watch. Like I said earlier, St. Patrick’s Day is the big holiday in March, which is also my cousin’s birthday, but anyway, the rumor is that

if you have corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day then you will have good luck. Well, I have some new ways for you to receive your good luck. The first recipe is a great cool fresh milkshake that will help the corned beef to go down. The other two recipes call for corned beef and will be something different than just plain old corned beef and cabbage. Don’t get me wrong, I love corned beef and cabbage especially with a fresh piece of butter bread, but sometimes you just need to change thing up a bit! I hope that everyone has a great month of March! Mint Mocha Shakes 2 cups milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon mint extract 1 envelope instant cappuccino Irish Cream mix 2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened In a blender, combine all the ingredients, cover and process until blended. Stir if necessary. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Dilly Corned Beef Dip 1 can (12 ounces) Corned Beef 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream 2 cups mayonnaise 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill or

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2 tablespoons dill weed ½ teaspoon seasoned salt Assorted crackers or vegetables Crumble corned beef into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, parsley, onion, dill, and seasoned salt. Pour over beef; toss to coat. Serve with crackers or vegetables. Reuben Baked Potatoes 4 large baking potatoes 2 cups finely diced cooked corned beef 1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed, well drained and finely chopped ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese 3 tablespoons sliced green onions 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Bake the potatoes at 425 for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool. In a bowl, combine the corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, onions, garlic, horseradish and caraway. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the potatoes, leaving shells intact. Mash potatoes with cream cheese, stir into the corned beef mixture. Mound potatoes mixture into the shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 25 minutes or until heated through. a

The Valley, March 2012

Modern Energy and Alternative Heating

with Curt Bierly

Home Show Time Before we discuss the upcoming Home Shows, I have a comment about last month’s article relative to the installation of a Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Recirculation Line System in your Home or Business to give you instant DHW at the faucet. We installed a system in our home soon after the article was published. It is working great and we love the convenience. We no longer need to let the water run for what seems like forever until the hot water arrives at the faucet. For sure, we are saving water. To keep the installed cost down and heat loss low, we used CPVC Pipe (hot water plastic pipe) in lieu of copper, ½” wall Armaflex pipe insulation, a small stainless steel circulator and a Sparco tempering valve (not nec-

essarily needed in every case). It is powered by a Viessmann Hang on the wall condensing propane hot water boiler (98% combustion efficiency), which is also used to heat the house. To save energy, this boiler has a feature that shuts off the DHW and the recirculation circulator at preset times. Ours is set to shut off from midnight to 6pm. A reader emailed me and asked if an instantaneous water heater could be utilized. The answer is yes, most certainly. Any unit designed to heat DHW can be used. Spring is the season for Home Shows. If you have a project that you want to accomplish this year, a home show is a great opportunity to begin to educate yourself relative to cost, current technologies, and to meet the professionals

that would be available to assist you with the project. To provide additional information, seminars are usually offered. There is a nominal admission charge to enter, but the show can save you lots of time and money rounding up the facts. For example, if you are interested in moving from an oil furnace or boiler to a natural gas or propane unit to heat your house and/or your DHW, or you want to consider an Air to Air/ Geo Heat Pump, I encourage you to meet with those people and ask the questions that are on your mind. If they are busy when you pass their booth and you don’t want to wait, consider stopping back or leave your cell number on the back of their business card (usually available in the booth) and have them call you when they have a moment. Once you have their attention, you can ask questions and/or sign up for a site visit and a quotation on your project. We will be attending the State College Home Show this year, which is scheduled for March 9,10 and 11. Hours are Friday noon to 8pm, Saturday 10 to 8pm and Sunday 10 to 4. It will be located at the Bryce Jordon Center on University Drive. Our seminar

will be on Solar DHW and we’ll also touch on Solar Electric. Check for additional information at www.centralpabuilders.com. Hope you can attend. We look forward to speaking to you!! The Harrisburg Home Show is scheduled for March 3 to 11, 2012 (two weekends and the weekdays between). The hours are weekdays noon to 9pm, Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm. It is held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Building in Harrisburg. Check for additional information at www. pahomeshow.com and click on “Visitors.” Although this is most likely too far to reach for a “local” professional to “do the work,” it is a good place to educate yourself on that project you want to accomplish. To learn of the seminars being offered click on “Schedule of Events.” I know we always have a few people stop by our booth at the State College Home Show to ask us about equipment they saw or seminars they attended at the Harrisburg Home Show. The Williamsport Home Show is scheduled for March 16 to 18, 2012. The hours are Friday 3 to 9pm, Saturday 10am to 8pm

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21 and Sunday 12am to 4pm. It is held at the Lycoming College Recreation Center. Check for additional information at www.westbranchbuilders.org and click on “Home Show” (watch for it to pop up along the right hand border.) We were an exhibitor last year and I don’t remember any seminars being offered; however, it was a full show with plenty of educational displays being offered. As with the Harrisburg Show, this is most likely too far to reach for a “local” professional to “do the work”; however, it is a good place to educate yourself on that project you want to accomplish. Home improvement projects, correctly done, improve the value of your home, increase your quality of life and provide great personal satisfaction. Go talk to the professional people that can help make this possible. Curt Bierly is president of the bierly group incorporated of which Stanley C. Bierly is a division. He graduated from Penn State with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and is a member of the Penn College HVAC Advisory Board. You can contact him at cbierly@bierlygroup.com. a

The Valley, March 2012

Recipes-Crafts-Gifts With Debra Kulp Meatball and Vegetable Kabobs 4 Servings 1/2 of a 6oz. can of tomato paste with Italian seasonings 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, crushed 16, 1-inch cooked frozen Italianstyle meatballs, thawed 2 small zucchini 8 large cherry tomatoes Vegetable choices, also skewer quick-to-cook or partially cooked Brussels Sprouts, mushrooms, onions, potatoes and squashes Nonstick cooking spray Preheat broiler to medium high heat. In medium bowl combine tomato paste, 1/4 cup water, and Italian seasoning to make a thicj sauce. Add meatballs, stir to coat and set aside. With vegetable peeler, cut 4 evenly spaced strips from zucchini, then cut into 1 inch cubes. On skewers, alternately thread meatballs and vegetables. Lightly coat kabobs with cooking spray. Broil 4â&#x20AC;? from heat for 4 minutes on each side or until meatballs are heated through and vegetables are crisp tender. Brush remaining tomato paste mixture on meatballs during last 2 minutes of cooking.

Pork Chops with Braised Red Cabbage Serves 4 3 tbsp olive oil 4 small bone in pork chops (about 1 inch thick) 1 tsp curry powder or ground cumin Kosher salt and pepper 1 red onion, sliced 1/2 small head of red cabbage (about 1 lb.); thinly sliced (about 6 cups) 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the pork with the curry powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per side. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a second skillet over medium heat, Add onion and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, vinegar, 2 tbsp water, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is just tender, 5-6 minutes, fold in the dill and serve. *Make this dish sweeter by adding one Braeburn apple (cut into 1/2 pieces) to the skillet with the cabbage. a

Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances. --Benjamin Franklin

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The Valley, March 2012

Through the Window: glimpses of nature from the Juniata Valley Random photos shot by amateur photographer, Doug Sabin, Sr. Pastor of Kish Valley Grace Brethren Church, Reedsville. Doug and his wife Barb live in Milroy.

Birds in the Valley Mail Pouch Books by Carleen B. Grossman With Spring hopefully not too far away, I have tried to select books that not only get you thinking about certain aspects of springtime fun, but also thinking about some of our animal friends who begin to show up more often this time of the year. I have tried to provide you with a variety of books that can be enjoyed by the entire family.....ALL AGES! The first book I have chosen for your family use is a story for youngsters ages 4+ years of age to enjoy along with adults. It is filled with humor, fun, and ideas to get those young ones helping out in the kitchen; and, this particular book will be perfect for leading you into the Strawberry season when it arrives. COOK-A-DOODLE-DOO! By Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Copyright 2005

In this book, a big brown rooster is in search of something other than chicken feed for his meals. Remembering the old family legend of his Great Grandmother, the Little Red Hen, he goes in search of her cookbook; upon finding it, he decides to make her wonderful strawberry shortcake! And of course just like in his grandmother’s days, none of the other farm animals want to help. Finally, he is able to get Turtle, Iguana, and Potbellied Pig to offer to assist. Yes you might have guessed, that with such unusual helpers there are going to be various problems. During the many difficult times, you will find yourself having delightful belly laughs with this book. You will want to look carefully at the zany pictures which will reveal even more details the second time you peek at them. There are also marginal, sidebars in this book that give some factual information on the cooking and baking process. And, the special recipe for Great Granny’s fantastic strawberry shortcake is definitely included at

the end of the book. I guarantee you that this will be one of the most well crafted stories you have read in a long time. Being able to use such a book with your children or grandchildren is the icing on the cake--but, you may want to keep a copy of it just for yourself to tickle your funny bone whenever needed! THE RHYTHM OF FAMILY Amanda Blake Soule Copyright 2011 Do you want to know how to slow down your life and make it more meaningful? This book gives you that pleasure by sharing simpler life tips for a natural rhythm with family. Rhythms that have our families spending more time out of doors and that help eliminate the overuse of computers, televisions and cell phones. You will learn how to partake of the simpler life activi-

ties such as sloshing around in the springtime rainy weather and enjoying it, gathering for a cozy family get-together around the wood stove in the wintertime and in general experiencing new types of creative play and exploration.

the tales are outstanding. Experience joy and sorrow as you read and view these occurrences. The author of this book is a National Geographic senior writer and her 47 examples of animal pairing are astounding.

UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS: 47 REMARKABLE STORIES FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM By Jennifer S. Holland Copyright 2011 What a joy to read these true tales and view the amazing photos in this book. Your heart will be warmed by the bonding of some of the most unlikely friendships of creatures on this earth...for example, unique interspecies friendship between an elephant and a sheep, a bird and a cat, a dog and a fish and 44 more instances. The cases of friendship this book shares are incredible and the photos used to accompany

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This single edition book for children or adults is told by a father, daughter team. This book was actually one of the tales used in the UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP book mentioned above. However, this single edition is filled with more detail and photos that make it a perfect book for your own library or your child’s library shelves. Here is a heartwarming, feel good book for the entire family! This is a true story about an amazing friendship between a baby hippo and a 130-year-old giant tortoise. You are going to LOVE the photos in the book. a

The Valley, March 2012

Buckhorn Taxidermy and Sporting Goods has added a new addition of live pets and pet supplies to the store. We also have a line of live bait and live crickets year-round for the fishermen and pet lovers.

The Pen and Thread Custom Calligraphy and Weaving

Mary Anna Chenoweth Proprietor

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

Tropical Fish Birds Lizards Frogs Snakes Spiders S corpions Hamsters Gerbils Rats Mice

We are a full time taxidermy shop with over 50 years combined experience. Big game, game heads, small game, fish and exotic animals. 316 N. Logan Blvd. Burnham, PA 17009 Open 7 days a week (717) 242-4490

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

Mon & Fri. 10am - 7pm Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat - 10am 5pm Sun - 8am - noon

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The Valley, March 2012

Walking on the wild side by julie shultz smith

Trailriding with a Zebra Talk about Walking On the Wild Side, what do you all think of the weather we have been having? I personally think it’s been great! Gives my girls and I the chance to get all the horses, Zahara (the zebra) and Donk (Zahara’s donkey buddy) out to play around with them. They just love the attention and I love the time with the kids and the animals—there is nothing better. I have to say that one thing that lights up my day is sitting on the back of the horses and chatting with my girls; it just doesn’t get better than that! Isn’t it funny how we find ourselves spending family time together and there are animals involved in some way. Our family time is usually spent at horse shows, trail rides, doing something with the buffalo, or even just doing barn work together. For me it’s the best of both worlds. The last trail ride Logan and I went out on, I decided to take Zahara with us. I bet our neighbors think we are crazy. It’s not every day that you see someone out on their horses with a zebra tagging along with them. So there we were, Logan on her horse, Shane and I were riding my horse, Buddy, and leading Zahara along. I really wasn’t sure how all this was going to work out as Zahara

together and we also got to spend time with the animals. Zahara got out on her first trail ride and is hopefully another step closer to

has never met Shane or Buddy. I thought, “what is the worst thing that can happen? Zahara would get away from us and we would have to catch her.” As we started out I was a little nervous, as I wasn’t sure if Zahara was ready for her first trail ride or not. All in all, I was pretty proud of her. She walked right along with the horses and didn’t seem to mind anything. The only problem we had was when she was done with the trail Me atop my horse Buddy, with Zahara on the lead ride, that was it! taking off for her first trail ride. She was done. She locked her legs up and just would being ridden herself. Once spring not walk no matter what. I tried gets here and the days are longer to pull her along with Buddy, and warmer, I plain to take Zahara and once again, she locked those out for many more trail rides with little legs up and was not going the girls and I. a another step. I have to say that day I learned how stubborn a zebra can be! I have been told by other zebra owners that zebras can be as stubborn as mules. I’ve never owned a mule, but now with owning Zahara, I believe I know what they are talking about. Once we turned around and she knew we were headed back towards the house, she had no problem walking then. On the way back Logan and Shane got out of our sight and Zahara got a little worked up and made her zebra noise. I’m not really sure what to call the noise zebras make, or even how to explain it to you, but it was so cute. Once we got back to the barn Zahara was so excited to see Donk and Donk was happy to see her. I believe that was the longest period they have been apart from each My daughter Logan leading Donk, Zahara the other. I have to say it Zebra’s buddy. was a good day Logan and I got to spend time

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The Valley, March 2012

Nitro-pak website, consider your “Survival Pantry” a type of insurance policy in the event of an emergency, a financial crisis due to unexpected unemployment, or as a source of charity for a family in need. I like to take this time to give a little shout out to a new advertiser to The Valley, my friend Deb Peffer down at H.D. Peffer’s Army Navy surplus. Located at 325 S. Main Street in Lewistown,

thoughts from the Bunker by jared kauffman

Got Food The Department of Homeland Security has recommended every family in America have a backup food reserve in case of natural disaster or terrorism. Think of it as the “Insurance Policy” that you can eat. In today’s uncertain world, it pays to be prepared one year too early than one day too late. Be safe… Be Prepared! –Nitro-Pak website “A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precaution; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” Proverbs 22:3 Life Application Study Bible translation Take a look in your pantry. Is it well stocked? Does it consist of a couple of cans of tuna and condiments? What if a disaster, whether it is natural or man-made should occur and you are unable to drive to a store to buy food. What if your local supermarket’s shelves were stripped bare with no means of replenishment? Would you be able survive by eating only what you have stored in your pantry? For a few days, a week, a month? Well, let’s take a look at getting started on a “Survival Pantry” that could improve your odds during a crisis. The Red Cross and FEMA recommend keeping a MINIMUM of three days’ worth of nonperishable foods, but a two week

supply is suggested. A two week supply should see most families through the majority of storm related emergencies. Storing extra for friends and family is always a good thing. Remember, there will be those folks who don’t see the wisdom in food storage. Those that laugh at you now because of your preparedness plans will be the first to beg from you later! GETTING STARTED Let’s look at the food that will go into your pantry. Start with food that is eaten daily by your family; regular wet-packed canned goods; fruit, meats, assorted vegetables, Ramen noodles (yes I will suggest this dorm room staple even though it’s nutritional value is probably nil), any type of ready-to-eat food that doesn’t need refrigeration, needs minimal preparation, and uses little water. Grab and go foods such as dehydrated or freeze dried food pouches and military style MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) are a great idea to have on hand in case of a hurried evacuation. Variety is the key. The FIFO (first in first out) method should be adhered to for proper rotation of canned goods. An angled storage rack on which the cans are fed from the rear will solve that problem. Your “Survival Pantry” should be located in an area with an optimum storage temperature between 40-70 degrees F.

Remember to store an appropriate amount of water and to have an alternate method of cooking in case of power failure. Stocking that pantry is as easy as simply buying an extra can of beans; for example, each time you are doing your regular grocery shopping. A few trips to a warehouse type store will expedite getting your food storage to the level you desire. A six month to a years’ worth supply of food can be bulk purchased from several online retailers including: Readymaderesources.com, Nitro-pak.com, and BePrepared.com, to name a few. This supply is mostly freezedried, requires minimal preparation, and lasts up to 25 years! If a major disruption in the food supply is a concern, consider a long term food storage plan. Buying bulk rice, wheat, and other foods and the techniques used to prepare them for long term storage will possibly be covered in a future column. Set goals and start out with the types of food your family is familiar with. Start with the recommended two week minimum and work up to a month, six months, even a years’ worth supply of food. Like the aforementioned suggestion from the

Pa, H.D. Peffer’s Army Navy has been in that same location since February 1996. Open Thursday through Saturday 9:30am to 6:30pm, owners Deb and Harry Peffer offer a wide range of genuine military surplus and new uniforms for law enforcement, military personnel, and emergency service workers. Deb also has a large selection of backpacks, pouches, boots, holsters, and rifle cases. Genuine surplus mess kits, all-steel ammo cans, service branch pins, hats, and t-shirts. Emergency preparedness items such as flashlights, ponchos, and Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) by the case or individually priced. All this and much more is available to complete your survival kit at H.D. Peffer’s Army Navy. If you have any questions feel free to call Deb during regular business hours at 717-248-2080 or e-mail at peffersarmy@pa.net. a

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Brewing Economics 101 from page 37 When the math is done, that is about 50 cents a beer. You can go to the distributor and purchase some Genny Lite for about 40 cents a beer, but taste and quality are going to be lacking. If you go all-grain, the cost drops to about to about 20 dollars for a five gallon batch of basic ale, but the needed equipment for this process is going to increase. If you are interested in purchasing needed ingredients, I would suggest visiting the good people at Scotzin Brothers in Harrisburg, www.scotzinbros.com. They are very knowledgeable, but they are only open on Wednesday and Saturday. If you don’t get into Harrisburg too often, check out ordering online from Northern Brewer, www.northernbrewer. com. One of my personal goals is to make a beer with no monetary input. Grow the barley and hops and prorogate the yeast. One last thing, do not cut costs by using table sugar and baker’s yeast—it will make an alcoholic beverage, but it’s not very drinkable. Been there and done that. a

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The Valley, March 2012

Grosze Thal Nachbaren

(Big Valley Neighbors)

by Jeptha I. Yoder Ein Grusz im Namen des Allmachtigen Gottes. Es ist recht gut Wetter um Feldahorn Saft zu Kochen. Mann hat den ganzen winter konnen Kohlkrautern ernten. Der neun-und-zwanzigst-Januar waren wir in der Gemein ans Mose R. Hostetlers. Von andere Theilen waren Joel Es und Fam,. Jacob und Franey (Emanuel J.); Uria, Franey, Thomas, und Ketura (Joel M.), Adelina und Eli (Noah D.) alle Yodern. Auch Maria R. Hostetler welche kam mit ihre Eltern die Amos J. Hostetlers von McKlur am Samstag zu ihre Groszeltern die Jess S’s und blieb uber Sonntag. Ich blied asns Mose Rs furs abendessen. Und Unkel Christ M. Yoders ans Rubens. Ost Land Leen Gemein und Singen war ans Uria J. Yoders. Nord Milroy war ans Noah R. Hostetlers. Der Funft Februar war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Joseph S. Yoders. West Lang Leen ans Rufus M. Yoders. Christ E. Yoders waren ans Unkel Christ Ms und ans Mose C. Yoders furs Mittag und Abendessen. Der Zwelft, waren wir in der Gemein ans Unkel Ruben D. Hostetlers, Von andere Yheilen

waren David H. Yoders Sr. Von andere Theilen waren: Eli Johannes, Witwee (Jeff) Lydia R, Jephta H. und Dorothy M. (Emanuel J.) alle Yodern; Eli Ys, Jonathan Ns, Uria S und Tochter Lydia, Amos S. und Uria M (Christian S.) alle Hostetlern und Christian Z. Speichers. Singen war ans Rubens. So der Herr Will und wir leben ist unser Gemein ans Unkel Jesse S. Hostetlers bis nachst mol. Es waren auch etliche ans Rubens unds Moses furs Abendessen. Nord Milroy Gemein war ans Noah R.J. Hostetlers. Johannes Y. Hostetlers und Jungste waren in McKlur uber die Woch-end. Der Neunzeht, waren Unkel Christ M. Yoders und Eli S. Zugen und Familie hier furs Mittagessen. Mose C. Yoders waren ans Menno R. Hostetlers. Kirchengasse Gemein war ans Joel M. Yoders. West Lang Leen ans Mahlon C. Yoders. Christian greetings, to all Readers and Writers! We are having good maple sap tapping weather for those into this project. As our mild winter draws to an end, we still cannot help but wonder if it will be colder or warmer soon! I remember having

zero temperatures in March some years. I plan to sow some seeds (indoors) as soon as this writing project is finished! Sat. (eighteenth) I made a short call at Aunt (Solomon) Mary R. Hostetler. She had been laid up for a short while, with what was believed to be Erysipelas, delaying a recent visit to her dau., to see her latest grandchild named Emma, born Feb. 7, making first-time parents of David S. and Naomi E. Hostetler of McClure. Other Grands are (Sam Y. Jr) Emma Y. and Great-grand is (Sam H.) Lydia A. both Hostetlers (and widows) and of McClure. Tue. (twenty first) was a quilting at Uncle Reuben D. Hostetlers for Katie’s sisters where Sister Elizabeth also attended. Sat. Mar. 3, widow (Noah I.) Denna L. (Zook) Yoder is having a Public Farm Auction, Lord willing. Sat. Feb. 18 a number of folks from the area attended the Auction in Penns Valley at Menno B. Yoders. A Benefit Auction (also in Penns Valley), is planned at Jacob Y. Zooks on Feb. 25. Annie S. Hostelter, aged 14 years, 11months, 23 days, passed

into Eternity Feb. 2 - the same date her paternal Grandmother, the late (Seth D.) Elizabeth R. Hostetler died from an accident twenty eight years ago (1984). Funeral on the 4th at 9:00 by Samuel L. Hostetler Jr. in neighbor, Jonas A. Hostetler’s house by Jacob M. Yoder. Surviving are her parents, Joshua J. and Salina L. of 195 Hoffman Lane, Milroy, PA 17063. Two brothers and two sisters. Noah J (Jan. 7, 1992) Elizabeth A. (Feb. 20, 1994), Franey E. (May 29, 2001), and Seth D. (Apr. 27, 2010) all at home. Also surviving are maternal grandparents (wheelchair) Rudy S. and Annie Z. (Speicher) Hostetler of 260 Hoffman Lane. Paternal stepgrandmother Rachel L. (Zook) Hostetler of 223 Salem Road, Milroy. Also, all of her uncles, aunts, and cousins survive. Preceded by paternal grandparents, Seth D. and Elizabeth R. Hostetler. Pallbearers were: Daniel S. (EzraB) and Josie A. (Alphie S.) both Hostetlers, Jonas C. Zook(Abraham J.) and Yonie L. Speicher (Yonie N.). Hauled by: Samuel N. Zook (Abraham J.). John T. Yoder was hospitalized due to not being able to stop a nose-bleeding. In the meantime, it was found that his platelet count is, or was, too low. His wife Emma A. has been sickly most of the winter. This young couple just married last fall. Remember them at 5142 East Back Mountain Road, Belleville, PA 17004. Lord willing, Hannas Y. (1968) handicapped son of J. Yost and Nancy Y. Hostelter will have a birthday on Mar. 21. Drop

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him and his parents who are his caregivers a line of cheer at 8107 East Back Mountain Road, Reedsville, PA 17084. Widow (Jeff) Lydia R. Yoder of 981 Coffee Run Road, Reedsville is taking care of a case of shingles. Joining two sisters is a Leah N. on Feb. 15, to Ner M. and Leah M. Hostetler of Burdock Lane, Milroy. Grands are Rudy M. and Leah K. Hostetler; Abraham N. and Lena F. (Yoder) Hostetler. Ners buried a stillborn in 2011. Noah R. Hostetler (41) of 260 Hoffman Lane, Milroy is in the hospital with pneumonia and a weak heart condition, if I have it correct. He was still on the ventilator at this writing. He is a son of the above (wheelchair) Rudy S and Annie Z. His wife Lydia B is a dau. of Christ M. Sr. and Barbara A (Yoder) Zook. They have seven children, ages from 1 to 17 years. For a seed catalog that conducts business (including the typesetting of their catalog) without the use of computers, send one dollar to J.L Hudson, Seedsman, P.O. Box 337, La Honda, CA 94020. Their seeds are all open-pollinated. The forepart of the catlalog list many botanicals (herbs, etc.). The back part has a selection of heirloom vegetables. Well I must close now. Take time to breathe in the sights, signs and smells of the spring season. God’s Blessings wished to all. Our thoughts are with the sick and bereaved. Jeptha I. Yoder a

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The Valley, March 2012

Answers in an ad in this issue

Raptors-Birds of Prey-consist on a meat or insect diet, using their feet, not their beaks to capture and hold prey. 1. With dive speeds clocked at 200-mph, name this falcon. 2. Name the group of raptors not protected in the U.S.. Quiz # 20037

3. In 1987, with only 22 still in existence, what condor was rescued from extinction?

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The Valley, March 2012

The Chicken AND the Egg! by Mike Flanagan

The Old Hippie So he grows a little garden in the backyard by the fence, He’s consuming what he’s growing, nowadays in self defense. He gets out there in the twilight zone sometimes, When it just don’t make no sense ... (1985) He’s an old hippie, even older than before. Wondering what to pay attention to, and what should he ignore. He’s an old hippie, still adjusting to the change. He’s just trying to find some balance in a world gone totally insane. (1995) ~ The Bellamy Brothers Wayne asked us for a short bio to put up on The Valley’s website. Sure, why not? How hard can it be? And then I tried to write it. Well, one thought flowed into another, and pretty soon I was looking at what I suspected was

WAY more than he wanted for a bio page. Please, forgive this old hippie this month and I promise we’ll get back to chicken stuff next month. So, how does the son of “refugees” from Jersey City, NJ end up here? Well, back in 1961, when my brother was born, he was lactose intolerant. Some neighbor suggested to my mother that he might be able to drink goat’s milk. And that’s how it all began. By 1963 they had bought a farm and were raising goats, chickens, and some beef cows. They added some pigs to the mix on the next farm in 1965. My grandfather in Jersey City had his pristine little patch of grass that nobody was allowed to walk on, not much bigger than a two car garage. My father had his garden, bigger than Papa’s entire city lot. We got all of our eggs and milk, and almost all of our meat, from

our own little farm. The term “homestead” had not come back into vogue yet. All of this was done after they returned from their real jobs, way before anybody had heard of a “hobby farm.” Pretty cool, huh? Back in the 70’s, some people were already disillusioned and the “back to the land” movement took off. Looking back at my life I’d have to say that was the beginning of the end. By then, the prosperity that had boomed after the end of WWII was starting to fade. I didn’t buy into it full-swing at that time. In my mind, the farm and its work were nothing more than drudgery, something to be escaped. Little did I know. Reading was my escape; my window into a bigger, brighter world than I saw in my little dripwater town. That water stunk of sulphur and tasted worse. We got fresh water from a spring, but had to be careful in our consumption. We watered Dad’s garden by carrying buckets of water from the stream. The house burned

down, but somehow Mom and Dad rebuilt it themselves, better than before, and taught us a lot in the process. You haven’t lived until you’ve used an outhouse in February in upstate New York! I didn’t know it but those years laid the foundation for where I am now and where I am trying to go. I read a new book my father bought from Reader’s Digest titled “Back to Basics.” It planted the seed of the dream. That a man could start with raw land and build his own little slice of heaven, being nearly self-sufficient, was an idea that stuck in my head. Even back then I was trying to avoid putting a bunch of artificial stuff in my body. With a large family, we used saccharin to sweeten our tea instead of sugar. I learned to drink it black. I railed against preservatives and chemicals in foods. Nobody listened. Cigarettes and second-hand smoke were another objection. Nobody listened. And then I bought into the rat race. Four years of college passed

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in an alcoholic stupor and the last of the “free love” era. Service in the Marine Corps, a brief stint with the County Sheriff’s office, and a 23 year career in “The Big House” set me up for retirement. I’d had three big dreams as a teenager and I accomplished all of them, thanks to the drive to succeed and the belief that I could do whatever I set my mind to that had been instilled within me by my parents. Now it was time for dreams. Reading is still my favorite pastime. And over the years I have read enough scientific and anecdotal materials to convince me that I’ve been right all along. What we are doing to ourselves and our children is not good. I am not a ludite or a technophobe. And I’m not really willing to give up my motorcycles, my computer, or my cell phone. But we need to take a step back and slow down.

Continued on page 30

The Valley, March 2012

”Power Tools” for WomenA Ladies Energizing Day Out! Cultivate Your Vitality With Courage, Clarity, Confidence and Curiosity Saturday April 28th, 2012 • Is your energy zapped most days? • Do you sometimes experience “power” failures in light of the volume of “health” information and advice out there? • Would you like to discover energizing tools to recharge your battery? If so, this power-full event is for you! Join Life Coach Linda Letner and Holistic Nutrition Consultant Sue Burns as they offer A Day of Holistic Renewal That Includes: •

Nourishment for your mind –Discover how to unearth clarity, courage, confidence, and curiosity that will help you blossom into healthy, whole hearted living! • A Feast for your Body- Savor a delicious and nutritious lunch sampling provided by Molly Borg! • Food for your Soul – Indulge in a dessert and wine pairing with Seven Mountains Wine Cellars followed by the showing of an uplifting Academy Award Nominee Movie ! • Unique Door Prizes! Location: The Hill Store Event Place, 3849 West Main Street, Belleville PA – A charmingly restored 1853 General Store located in the scenic beauty of “Big Valley”. Time: 9 am-3:30 pm Cost: $34.00 BUT if you register before April 4th you will pay only $29.00!! Final Registration: April 14th. Call Today to Save!! Register with: Linda@envisionlcoaching.com or call Linda at 717-320-2719 For more information about Linda (www.envisionlcoaching.com) and Sue (www.mynourishingjourney.com) or The Hill Store Event Place (www.hillstoreguestcottage.com) please visit their websites.

A Time to be Born and a Time to Die from page 31 that he cannot find out what God has done from beginning to the end.” He reminds us we won’t be able to figure it all out, but God has placed within us that knowledge that there is something more. That universal understanding that something terrible happened in Eden and that pain of not being able to be in God’s presence like He originally intended, has run down through history clear to our present day. We will all feel the emptiness and it will only be filled by God himself. It’s interesting to think about the fact that God allowed the Bible to be written by mere humans because really God could have written everything down He wanted passed on for us to learn from. It would have been written with a heavenly perspective, but that is not what God chose. He chose to allow the Bible to be filled with human emotion, to be surrounded by cultural and historical elements. The Bible was written in the real world by real men and women that were being guided by God himself. We read Psalm and see David go from pure delight to the depths of despair emotionally and spiritually. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotion, yet in there are some of the most profound prophecies of our coming Savior and how he would die. Incredible. Another great example of this is Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. First of all, when reading Ecclesiastes, especially if you read it in a modern translation like “The Message,” you will think it could have just been written a couple of years ago instead of several thousand years ago. How ironic since one of the first ideas we see Solomon refer to is the idea that nothing ever changes, nothing is ever new under the sun, and things just keep repeating themselves! A person can learn a lot from this little 12 chapter book. It is rather pessimistic, but only from the human view point that Solomon is presenting to us. It’s seems to be in sharp contrast to what Solomon portrays in Proverbs. I think maybe in Proverbs we see how we want it to be, but in Ecclesiastes we see how reality really looks, and most importantly, how it looks without God’s grace. But even still, there are parts that are filled with great revelation about God and who He is. If we look at Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 it’s interesting because Solomon speaks of what he talked

about in his writings in Proverbs, but just puts more clarity to it. He says in verses 11-13 “Because the sentence against evil deeds is so long in coming, people in general think they can get by with murder even though a person sins and gets by with it hundreds of times throughout a long life, I’m still convinced that the good life is reserved for the person who fears God, who lives reverently in His presence, and that the evil person will not experience a “good” life. No matter how many days he lives, they’ll all be as flat and colorless as a shadow because he doesn’t fear God.” (The Message) It amazes me how God used all these different men and women over thousands of years to write just what He wanted recorded covering many different periods of history to share “His Story.” It is complete and inerrant; we see prophecies being fulfilled and all the lessons being tried and true. That’s how we know it’s divine and miraculous. A book written just by many human authors over thousands of years would never be able to make sense to anyone or even be considered a complete story or work because it would be so crazy and jumbled. Yet, because God is outside of our time, He was able to do just that and make us the most beautiful book of His plan and show us who He is and how He loves us. He prepared us for Jesus and taught us there is more to us than just what meets the human eye. So the more we learn of God and the great lengths to which He goes to give us free will, yet pursues us and draw us towards him, it is not hard to think of “dying” to one’s self and being made a new creation by this loving Creator. Really living while on this earth involves letting go of ourselves and being transformed into the person that God intends us to be. It’s never an unfair trade off, don’t ever think it will be a rip off and you will miss out on great things if you have to “die” to yourself. For you will find the sweetest peace, the greatest comfort, and the fullest joy in knowing God. We can trust His promises He gives us about how things will be when all is made new, and even though we will still face physical death, God makes it clear because Jesus conquered death that we will “wake up” from death’s sleep in God’s presence, and it is then that we will truly be alive! a

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The Old Hippie from page 29 We need to strive for balance in our lives. When TWO PERCENT of the population of this country is growing the food for the other 98%, things are not in balance. Back in 1985, when the Bellamy Brothers first released the song “Old Hippie” I was instantly hooked. I wasn’t yet 30, but I was already thoroughly disillusioned with the rat race. Somehow they had written exactly the thoughts that were in my head. I was busting my chops every day and getting nowhere. My life was all quantity and no quality. But I lacked the conviction to make my break and go back to the life I had known growing up. There probably aren’t a lot of people who even know that they released “Old Hippie (the Sequel)” in 1995. But boy, they hit the nail right on the head again. The only problem was that I was now beyond the halfway point to that retirement plan the establishment used to hold out as a carrot to keep us in the rat race. But, I started making serious plans for the day I could return to that self-sufficient little farm I remembered. Yes, I know it’s an idyllic memory. But despite whatever downsides I do not recall, it cannot be any worse than this materialistic hell in which we live today. I’ve been playing around at gardening for the last ten years now. I’m not as good at it as my father was, but I’m improving. About five years ago I talked my wife into getting our first half dozen chicks. That has now taken over half of the back yard and grown to a laying flock of 36 hens plus two roosters. The plan is to find a nice little 20 to 40 acre plot, someplace where I can ride my motorcycle year round, and build that little slice of heaven. We’ll have goats for milk, cheese, and soap. There will be more chickens, of course. Toss in an annual litter of pigs for hams and sausage. And possibly some smaller American Devon cattle for milk, beef, and draft power. My wife is kicking around the idea of some sheep so she can explore the realm of weaving. It amuses and confuses me that what I fought so hard to escape, is all I want out of life now. I guess, as the song goes, “All my life’s a circle.” Until next month ..... Remember, support your local economy. Buy local, eat local, and live well. a

The Valley, March 2012

A Time to be Born and a Time to Die

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by Sarah Hurlburt Galatians 2:20-21 “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” 1 Peter 2:24 “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” Galatians 5:16 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” I always wondered what all the talk about dying being gain really meant. Philippians 1:21 says, For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. I have heard this concept being taught many times from many preachers and teachers, but it never really made any sense to me, which I later figured out is why death and things that were out my control scared me so bad. It was because I hadn’t truly found “life” in Christ and come to know Him and trust Him. He is our saving Grace, and I mean literally our saving Grace. Without Him life will be meaningless and scary. You may say, “well I don’t agree with that because I have a fantastic life and everything is going the way I want it to and I do not have a relationship with Jesus or God and I’m just fine.” People that feel that way are standing on a very dangerous ledge and it often just takes satan hurling one unforeseen tragedy at that person and they fall hard and end up greatly wounded, having hit rock bottom they become terrified and feel terribly alone. This is where people begin to make serious choices, they start seeking God or they turn to drugs or alcohol or some other type of addiction to mask the pain and emptiness that they feel. Or, they sink into the depths of depression some even go as far as to take their own lives because they cannot handle the emptiness they feel. We may think about this

scenario and say, “why would a loving God do it this way, if he loves us why doesn’t he just show up and take all the doubt away and make it all crystal clear?” Unfortunately I have not been given a clear answer to questions like that, and as much as it seems like it would be so helpful, if we really have taken time to know God we will just accept that there are things about Him and His ways that we are not going to understand. I recently read a book by Phillip Yancey called “Disappointment with God.” For anyone that is interested in a helpful book on questioning God and trying to understand Him, it is well worth the few dollar investment. It is a very helpful and thought provoking book. So, in trying to understand this concept of dying in order to live, I searched the scriptures and tried to understand what those verses meant. I had to learn that God will not reveal truth to someone until they are fully ready and able to understand it, and that is exactly what happened to me. I got to the point in my life where I was ready, really ready, to understand what it meant to die to oneself. God will never force Himself on anyone. We must actually want with all our heart, soul and mind to know God, to allow Jesus to be our saving Grace, to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us up. It’s then that a life begins to change and for the better. Don’t be afraid when the Bible talks of “dying” to yourself our own human nature, human desires and self-centered wills actually look pretty pathetic when you let the light of God’s love shine on you. We begin to realize what real love is and that it can only be found in our Creator God. When we begin to empty ourselves of earthly desires and things of this world, we begin to make more room for the sweet spirit of God to fill us and make us new and we can be given back that spiritual life that was lost in the Garden of Eden. Here is what the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:15-17 “He died for everyone so that those who

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receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” It will take time for this

concept to become reality because it’s so unbelievable and amazing to think that we can have an inner transformation by God’s spirit which we cannot see with our human eyes or touch with our human hands. But “spirit” is sensed, it is felt, somehow it is conceivable and when we begin to be open to God’s spirit, the sweetness of it and the comfort it brings to our lives, just begins to change us. We will look at people differently; we will look at life itself differ-

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ently. We will realize this is not all there is, physical death is not the end, it’s really only the beginning because our minds cannot even grasp the concept of “eternity,” especially in comparison to our short vapor of a life inside this world’s time frame. Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so

Continued on page 30

The Valley, March 2012

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The Valley, March 2012

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The Valley, March 2012

Joanne Wills’ Contentment Quest ENOUGH... Would you consider yourself a person who sees the glass “half-full” or “half-empty?” I consider myself a person who sees the glass “half-full,” but recently I came to appreciate that “half-full” may be considered even better than “really full”... I’ll explain in just a bit. Here’s another question to ponder... do you think that the words “enough” and “abundance” hold basically the same meaning? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the words “enough” and “abundance” share a basic meaning. Enough is defined as “ample, sufficient to meet the demand, need, or expectation.” Abundance is defined as “amply supplied” (http://ww.merriam-webster.com). Would you have expected both words to share nearly the same definition? I didn’t. Not so long ago, if you asked me to define the word “enough,” I would have said it meant a

quantity to “just get by” or “just cover needs – the necessities.” I would have thought that “enough” was synonymous with scarcity not abundance. But now I have come to understand that when we have enough, when we recognize it as sufficient rather than lack, when we give thanks for enough, then our awareness often equates enough with abundance. Since embarking on my “contentment quest,” I have come to see many situations in my life differently. I have shared my shifts in awareness with you – the readers – month after month as I have penned my column. One of the biggest shifts I have had was in relation to my awareness of the vast abundance I have experienced in my life. Material items have come and gone, people and relationships have come and gone, but abundance has remained. I have lived in new expansive houses, and in tiny brokendown apart-

ments. I have owned splashy new late model cars, and I have owned old worn-out cars that sputtered and barely ran. But no matter the state of my material affairs and wealth at any given time, one thing is for sure, when I look back over my shoulder at the past – recent and distant – it is clear that I always had enough. I always experienced abundance because my needs were sufficiently met. At the time, life often didn’t feel very abundant. In fact there were times that it felt down right awful. It felt like I was “poor” and “in need” alot because I didn’t have a surplus of whatever – money, food, clothes, etc. – I had just enough. I alway made it week to week, and month to month, with the money that I had at any given time – although there were times when a fully funded emergency or savings account were just a pipe dream – there was always enough to cover my needs. Abundance was right under my nose, and I didn’t even know it. I was too blind to “see” the abundance before me because I

had become conditioned to associate “enough” with “lack.” I had become conditioned to view abundance as great excess rather than its true definition of ample and sufficient. It is in the most recent years that I have come to fully comprehend the significance of “enough” and “abundance” – and their interchangeable definitions. It was upon deciding to simplify my life in all aspects that I realized through the act of paring down I had gained so much. There is wisdom in keeping life simple. Ecclesiates 4:6 states “Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.” I realized that I need to have one hand open to receive abundance. As long as I was grasping to “have it all” – the better/best/biggest house, car, wardrobe, etc. – both of my hands were clenched... clenched holding all kinds of stuff, all kinds of material wealth that someday will fade away anyways. I was so focued on gaining more, more, more... so focused on not getting gobbled up by the scarcity monster... that I couldn’t see that even in the worst of times I still had enough. When I chose to release my grip, when I chose to “seek” contentment, my focus shifted, and I found abundance. One of my favorite writers, Ann Voskamp, recently wrote: “We can’t give thanks with two hands closed, nor can we clench the gifts God gives us so tightly – or we will lose them.” I was grasping with two hands full... what about you? Are you grasping with two hands full? Or, like me, have you released one clenched hand so you could receive God’s gifts – your gifts. Dr. Wayne Dyer, a New York Times best selling author and speaker/writer once stated that “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” Given my own personal experiences about abundance and enough, I would have to totally agree with Dr. Dyer. My shift in awareness and perception caused me to appreciate enough,

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and comprehend that the state of enough was truly the status of abundance. But my shift occured after I had encountered many difficult times – when I was tried in the fire so to speak. The bible mentions difficult times in relation to awareness of abundance. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 66:8-12. Psalm 66:8-12 states “Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our souls among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our back; you let men ride over our hearts; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” Many great thinkers, writers, and philosophers have mentioned the relationship between enough and abundance. They seem to identify with the shift in perception that I talked about. Sydney Madued once stated “When you have too much month for your paycheck, then what you need to do is realize that there is abundance all around you, and focus on your abundance not on your lack, and as night follows day, abundance will come to you.” Sarah Ban Breathnach stated “Whatever we are waiting for – peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with and open and grateful heart.” The proof is everywhere – in the Psalms, the philosophers’ penned papers, and in our own lives. If we are courageous enough to be “awake” as we move through life we will “see” abundance. If we choose to stay “asleep at the wheel” we will not. If we choose to release one hand’s grasp we will have an open palm to receive God’s gifts. If we choose to move through life with both hands clenched we will

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The Valley, March 2012

Life in the East End by Rebecca Harrop

Preparations

It’s getting to be the time of year when we start to get ready to go to the fields. My Uncle Bob services the tractors and other equipment to make sure they are all in the best condition possible. It takes a while to do that. You have to check all the hoses because if one is cracked or worn, it can break. Naturally, they always break when you don’t need a break down. The cutting knives in the haybine need to be checked and either changed or sharpened. The belts and chains need to be checked for wear and changed if necessary. All the equipment needs to be greased and oiled. The tractors and other equipment are done continually because we use them year round. Farmers who still plow need to check plow shares and other parts of the plow. It’s always a good idea to check all the tires on the equipment also. Changing a tractor tire isn’t the same as a car tire. If you get a flat tire on one of the silage wagons when they are full of silage, it can be dangerous. So it is really important to take time now to get everything ready and in top condition to save time later. Of course we always try to spread manure in the fields before we plant them, so they can use the nutrients from the manure for fertilizer. When I was in school and we would be riding the bus home, I always thought it was funny when the kids would complain about the smell when they would get to our house. This is the ideal time of year to spread manure, but you have to be careful and not do it in fields that are too wet. You could compact the ground and the roots won’t penetrate as well, and then the crops won’t grow as good. It won’t be long before some of the seed companies will start delivering the spring seeds we will plant. You may also see trucks delivering bags of fertilizer for farmers who use bagged fertilizers. We use mostly bulk. We have a truck fixed with an auger that can dump directly into the planters. We usually have ordered most of what we will use for the year by now, so it is just a question of the weather now. The moderate temperatures we have

been experiencing lately have given a lot of us spring fever. But, if you listen to some of the older folks they will tell you we can still have a lot of winter before the end of March. I even remember the blizzard we had a few years ago in March, so I guess we better not get too excited about spring yet. I always like this time of year because you get to watch everything come back to life after winter. The first flowers start popping up, trees get their leaves, and you don’t have to bundle up quite as much to go outside. Spring is really a season of rebirth for nature. My Dad says that if you ever doubted God all you have to do is watch spring unfold. Soon we’ll be getting our garden ready to plant too. I always enjoy working in the garden. Last year we never got our garden planted because it’s in a low spot in the yard and it never got dry enough to plant. Mom wasn’t very happy that she didn’t have any tomatoes last year. I’m hoping to have better luck this year. I like looking through the different kinds of seeds and deciding which ones to plant. I always like to pick something I’ve never planted before, or something unusual and see how it turns out. I always like to plant giant pumpkins, but so far I haven’t had much luck with them. They always end up dying. My brothers Ernie and Ben used to grow them and they got some pretty big ones a couple years, so I would like to get some. Hopefully I can figure out what I’m doing wrong and get a good crop this year. My Dad makes fun of me because almost all of the things I plant I don’t eat. I’m not a big fan of vegetables. I just like to watch the things I plant grow and produce food. I’d rather work in the garden than in the flowerbeds, which doesn’t make my Mom too happy. I tell her I’ll do the vegetables and she and Rachel can do the flowers. Last month was national FFA week. I am still a member and I had an opportunity to go with the Big Valley chapter to Hoss’s in Huntingdon to meet one of the new State FFA officers. They are a great bunch and they will do a

good job. I really enjoyed being able to spend time with the Big Valley members. FFA is a great organization for young people interested in agriculture and I would encourage anyone interested to check out the program. March 11-17 we are celebrating 100 years of Pennsylvania 4-H. 4-H is also another great organization for young people to get involved in. March is the official enrollment month for most clubs so if you

want to be involved in 4-H, now is the time to do that. There are a wide variety of clubs available. No matter what your interest is, there is probably a club for you. Most people are familiar with the animal clubs but there are also shooting sports, baking, sewing, craft, woodworking, rocketry, and several others. There is also a square dancing club for anybody who likes to square dance. So get involved, make friends, learn

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some valuable skills, and have lots of fun. As part of the 100 years of Pennsylvania 4-H celebration the 4-H Junior Leaders Club will be going to a County Commissioners meeting to do a proclamation. They will also be doing an interview on the radio and taping some PSA’s to be played during that week. It will be another busy month out in the East End. See you next month! a

The Valley, March 2012

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

So, the crazy political primary season is upon us once again and, as we settle in for the typical bombardment of bold campaign flyers, misleading television and radio ads, and stale debate exchanges, the madness can be contagious. Acquaintances and friends that are usually so calm and easy-going seem to suddenly morph into rabid enthusiasts of their respective candidate, and demand you convert…or else! Okay, so maybe it’s not that bad, but you know the ones I’m talking about! Political pollution, as I call it, is all the fluff and duplicity that many political hopefuls engage in, and is exactly the sort of thing I need to teach my children to discern and factor into their decision-making as future voters. Alarmingly, less than half of teenage high school graduates are registered voters, and even fewer turn out for the oh-so-strenuous task of actually voting. All of which means that we, as parents, need to be intensely proactive about turn-

ing out politically-knowledgeable and –active young citizens. This column is a call to all parents and grandparents to “man your battle stations” and get about the business of modeling for youngsters in your life the dual nature of American citizenship. Both rights and responsibilities are at the core of U.S. citizenry. They are not a-la-carte menu items, but are deliberately entwined. And an educated citizenry is critical to preserving our republic as originally designed and penned so brilliantly by our founders in the U.S. Constitution. When my children ask why “we” vote for a particular party or candidate, I tell them. Sometimes (my children would say, “most times”), I get a little too “deep” for them when all were hoping for a mere ten-second summary response! But the point is, we need to engage our children’s minds as much in the civic realm as in the mathematical or science realm. Dinner table discussions

about current events or mini-issue conversations on the way to a soccer game are fantastic ways to get the ball rolling. As the radio news report comes on and relates the story of a proposed bill being sent to the house for a vote, jump on that, sharing what you know and think about it, and be ready to defend your position…you do know they will ask “why?”, right?! Waiting until a child is eighteen and expecting him or her to effortlessly and competently adapt to the role of citizen is foolishness. Just as we intentionally share our faith in Christ with our children, with the prayer that they evolve spiritually to the point of making our faith their own, so too do we need to be purposeful about imparting the importance and privilige of citizenship, and all it entails. The future, of course, belongs to our children. Let’s equip them with a civic passion and acumen that is in sync with a biblical faith…and then watch what God does! a

Meet the “Friends of the Mifflin County Library”

At the dawn of the 21st century, there were dire predictions of the future: among them, computers seizing up with Y2K problems, bringing life to a standstill in modern societies. Any computers that survived in working order would supplant books as we knew them and libraries would die. Of course Y2K was a washout and books are still being read right alongside e-books. But libraries, while not dying, have been badly injured by cutbacks in government funding and squeezed by increased costs of staff, materials, and technology. It was in these tough times when Friends of the Mifflin County Library began as an organization to raise money and help pay for items and programs vital to the library and its commitment to the public. In 2010 the local Library Friends formed, simply a group of residents who wanted to work for a better Library. In the past 18

months its membership has grown to over 200 and the Library has received over $11,000.00 in aid, all funds raised in special events ranging from an author book signing to a used book sale in the Big Valley. There’s more than recent history here; the Mifflin County Library was founded in 1842, the same year the Pittsburgh PostGazette was first published, when ether was first used as anesthesia, and the same year Abraham and Mary Lincoln were wed. In 170 years, though Abe, Mary, and ether are history, the Mifflin County Library has evolved into a system of five branches: Lewistown, Allensville, Kish (Belleville), Milroy, and Rothrock (McVeytown). In the 1800s the Mifflin County Library Association cost $2.50 a year to subscribe which entitled you to borrow one book every two weeks. The late fee

was 25 cents a week. The present-day Mifflin County Library has a huge impact on the community. Of Mifflin County’s 46,682 residents, over 17,000 are Library cardholders. That’s about 37% of the population which represents one of the largest constituencies in the County. In 2011 a total of over 156,000 items were checked out at all five branches. There has also been a big impact from Kindle and Nook electronic readers. In January, 592 e-books were checked out. That number is steadily increasing. “How do I become a Friend of the Mifflin County Library?” I hear you ask. It’s very simple. Just ask a staff member at any Library branch for an application form. Becoming a member is not expensive – anywhere from fivedollars for students under 18 and for senior citizens over 65. The Founders Club is still open for

Poor Will’s Almanack from page 41

the sun. Spring peepers peep.

Then the root and insect eaters become active, joining the beavers that have been cutting trees and eating bark since January. Groundhogs dig up the hillsides. Opossums, skunks, raccoons come seek their mates and sustenance. Turkey vultures circle the roads looking for road kill. Wild turkeys start to call. The first woodcocks spiral in the woods. In the village, the tufted titmouse spirals, too. When pussy willows are at their peak, new configurations take shape, adding multiple pathways to all the recent temporal spaces. Into the world of pussy willows come the white magnolias in town, snow trillium along rivers. Across the bottomlands , soft touch-me-nots sprout, coveted ramps push up their medicinal foliage to pace the stalks of daylilies, rhubarb and precocious bleeding hearts. When pollen covers the pussy willows, then honeysuckle, mock orange, privet, wild multiflora roses, lilac, black raspberry and coralberry leaves break out from their buds, a signal for cornus mas and lungwort to flower and for mourning cloak butterflies and cabbage moths to navigate the channels of equinox. A few days later come the question-mark and tortoise-shell butterflies and then the white-spotted skippers. In the last few days of March when the pussy willow catkins start to fall, the archipelago of early spring becomes a dense maze of islets unimaginable at the end of February. In the trees, the finches turn gold. In ponds, the toads are singing. Calves and lambs appear in the fields. Carp are frolicking in the rivers. Young opossums come out to play. those who plan a five-year donation plan ranging from $100.00 to $1,000.00 per year. All donations go to helping offset reductions in government funding and to help restore programs and services at the Mifflin County Library. This year the Friends plan to donate about $10,000.00, the same as in 2011. Here are just a few of the Library Friends activities in the past year: a doughnut sale, appearances at local Community Days celebrations, an author signing event and a Big Valley book sale. We invite you to join and volunteer for Friends of the Mifflin County Library. It can be fun and

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Wasps crawl from their winter crevices. In the garden, the early tulips unfold. Star of Holland comes in beneath the bright forsythia. Buckeyes unravel. Plums bloom. And just as skunk cabbage starts to produce its foliage, the first tremendous mass of wildflowers suddenly opens all at once on the farthest and mildest border of the early spring archipelago: inflorescence of periwinkle, hepatica, violet cress, harbinger of spring, bloodroot, Dutchman’s britches, bittercress, twinleaf and Virginia bluebell leading now into the endlessly intricate paradise of April. Bill Felker Copyright 2012 – Bill Felker The 2012 version of Poor Will is still available: It contains 300 pages full of essays by Bill Felker, reader stories (including some fine outhouse tales), weather outlooks, a calendar of holidays for gardeners, ranchers and homesteaders, a daybook for the entire year, the only S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) Index ever devised, and scrambled word puzzles that offer readers the chance to win cash each month. To order your autographed copy, send $20.00 (includes shipping and handling) to Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. 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. Bill lives with his wife in Yellow Springs, Ohio. They have two daughters, Jeni, who is a psychologist in Portland, Oregon, and Neysa, a photographer in Spoleto, Italy. a very satisfying. As comedienne Paula Poundstone, the national spokesman for Library Friends says, “If you haven’t been to your library lately, you’re overdue.” We urge you to visit your library, use your library, and support your library by joining Friends of the Mifflin County Library on your next visit. We’ll be online soon at mclibraryfriends. org; we should be up and running by early April. a

The Valley, March 2012

Ed’s Railroading News by Ed Forsythe

March, the month with the end of winter in it. After the winter we’ve had, dare I say, EASY, without jinxing us, it will soon be over and with spring comes a new season of birth. Winter will officially be over on March 20th, but will it? We’ll see. I’ve recently spent time with Todd Treaster. Todd was the former owner of McNeal’s Hobby Shop in Lewistown. He’s now an engineer for Norfolk Southern Railroad and can sometimes be seen working in the Mifflin County area as he controls the Norfolk Southern business office special train through the Lewistown station area. Todd’s love of trains and all things railroading started at a very young age and has included not

with other duties. One day he got only his current occupation, but up at 5 a.m. and rode his bike to his experience started when he Standard Steel just to see a special was allowed to ride in the engines around the Standard Steel lower train car being delivered. After gate area. Todd’s grandfather was delivery Todd just went to school a guard at Standard Steel and would allow Todd to visit him at work. Todd got to ride in the engine cabs, learned to drive the engines, attach the air hoses and help make up trains in One of Todd’s layouts showing Pittsburgh with a the yard along Conrail and Amtrak leaving the city.

Home Brew U

Adventures in Homebrewing by Kevin Morgan

Brewing Economics 101

lifestyle. Everyone has the basic equipment in their kitchen to make a one gallon batch of homebrew. The majority of brew recipes are for a five gallon batch, so with a little math you are ready to go. A one gallon boil pot is standard to most kitchen pot and pan sets. A large metal or plastic spoon is also needed. Never use a wooden spoon. Wood can harbor Lactobacillus. Have you ever walked into an older tavern with a wooden bar and smelled stalled sourness? That is the byproduct of this bacterium hard at work. In fact, Belgium monks used to stir their batches of brew with the same large wooden spoon on purpose to give it a wild beer Several different containers suitable for taste, but let’s

The first question I am always asked after someone brews with me for the first time is, “How much to get started and will it save me money?” I have had a lot of friends who have gone out and started buying equipment and found out that they just do not have the time to devote to homebrewing. Then the equipment sits in the corner of the basement and collects dust. So I’m here to tell you to start small and find out if homebrewing fits into your

fermenting.

stick to the basics to get started. A thermometer is required to check temps regularly and a clean meat thermometer will work. A mesh strainer can be used to separate the hops and other added flavorings after the boil, but, if you don’t have that, cheesecloth and a rubber band would work. There you have it—a basic brewing set up and little money invested. Now you might have to get creative for some other needed equipment. You are going to have to get a food grade bucket with a lid to serve as the primary fermenter. If you know a friend who works in the restaurant business, talk to them about this. Sometimes pickles or other condiments are shipped in buckets and they might be able to get you one for free. Drill a hole in the lid to allow the carbon dioxide to escape during fermentation. Now for the secondary fermenter, look down the juice aisle at your grocery store for a one gallon glass jug of

like any other boy. Todd says it’s safe to tell these stories now as his grandfather and the other old time railroaders who allowed him to do all these things have all retired and/or passed on. However, his memories will always be with him. Besides his time spent with real trains and railroading, Todd has one of the largest “N” scale collections and layout in the nation. “N” stands for nine millimeter, the distance between the rails of the track. Todd has been collecting for 37 years. He received his 1st “N” scale train in 1975. Over the years he’s collected most of the original “N” scale Lone Star trains that were made in England beginning in 1960. He has one showcase designated to Lone Star items and it is almost full. This is just one of the 67 showcases on the walls that hold anywhere from 100 to 400 cars and engines. This collection includes more than 17,000 train cars and over 1400 engines. Yes, that is 17,000 and 1400. There are no errors in typing these numbers. The collection represents

Continued on page 3 apple cider or other juice. To prevent that evil bacterium from tainting your beer, you need to make a simple air lock. Lactobacillus travels in the air until it lands on moist surfaces, but it moves across this surface very slowly searching for sugars. So basically, it’s hoping to land on something to feed. Form a small funnel with some ridge paper and place it in the drilled hole in the bucket lid or the mouth of the gallon jug. Using some aluminum foil, make a ball out of it and place it in the funnel. The object here is to make a device that allows the carbon dioxide to escape out but prevent the bacteria from settling onto the wort. You need to remember to sanitize all of your equipment for the boil and your fermenters before using them. This can be accomplished by using iodine to sanitize anything that comes in contact with the beer, including the bottles, and then rinsing them with cold water. Do not use dish washing soap because some varieties do not sanitize, they only clean. If you have been lucky, all you needed to purchase was a one gallon glass jug of juice for the secondary fermenter. When it comes to bottling the beer, you could purchase a capper

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and some bottle caps. This would allow you to reuse non-twist off bottles. However, I would try to find some swing top bottles in the Grolsch beer style to start. My wife uses them when bottling water kefir and they work well. One last thing is a funnel to make sure all of your precious beer gets into the bottles safely. As far as money saved from brewing, here’s the scoop. There is brewing from extract (syrup or dry malt extract) and brewing an all-grain recipe. An all-grain method is what I described last month. I figured that I could brew a five gallon batch, equal to two cases, of basic ale from extract for about 25 dollars. This is what you want to start with, an extract brew.

Continued on page 26

The Valley, March 2012

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The Valley, March 2012

Notes Friends Organization Hosts Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

Friends of Lewistown Hospital will host a Breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, March 24, 2012, at Lewistown Country Club. Two seating choices are available from 8:30 - 10:00am or from 10:30 – 12pm. Tickets are $5 per child, $10 per adult, and children 3 and under are free. Ticket includes breakfast buffet, photo with Easter Bunny, activities and prizes. Ticket deadline is March 16, or until tickets are sold out. Call (717) 242-7226 for ticket information, or visit www. lewistownhospital.org.

FHA Welcomes Family Practice Specialist

Adaku Orisadele, MD, joins Lewistown Hospital’s Family Health Associates (FHA). She will be practicing family medicine at FHA Mifflintown. Dr. Orisadele earned her Medical Degree from Saba University School of Medicine in Saba, Netherlands Antilles. She received her undergraduate degree from Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, and completed her Family Medicine residency at University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. She is board eligible and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and American Medical Association. As a primary care provider, Dr. Orisadele specializes in health promotion and maintenance, disease prevention, counseling, patient education, and diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of healthcare settings. Dr. Orisadele is accepting new patients. For more information, visit www.lewistownhospital.org/FHA or call (717) 436-5578.

Lewistown Hospital Goes Red

Employees at Lewistown Hospital wore red on February 3, 2012 to support the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day. Wear Red Day is a national campaign to raise awareness of heart disease in women and encourage women to take charge of their health. Heart disease is the number one killer of women.

Lewistown Hospital employees show their support on National Wear Red Day.

Natural Pest Control from page 18

the bird. We were both excited! Wrens had moved in within three days of our hanging the house! As it was early spring, and our garden plants were still under light in the house, we got the second house finished and hung it out back near the garden and with a feeling of accomplishment. Then we forgot about the wrens for a while, although we still heard their song whenever we were outside (which is reason enough to attract them to your yard). Along about Memorial Day I was sitting on a chair down in the garden. Often times in the late afternoon I have found the garden a great spot to relax with a cup of coffee and just take in the sights and sounds right before sunset. Watching bees working the blossoms over in the garden or observing the swallows and bluebirds cruising around the backyard picking off flying insects

Our very first attempt was good enough for the Wrens, as they moved in within three days of the box being hung!

just a little assistance. Now is the time to get started building your own wren boxes so that they will be available for the early arriving males who scout out and prepare nesting sites over its home territory, usually anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of an acre. The male may start building in as

The basic parts list, which we modified slightly by making the back board larger to serve as a mounting plate as well as the back of the house.

is very relaxing to me. All at once I noticed the broccoli plants moving when the air was perfectly still. Then a brown torpedo blasting out of the broccoli up to the wren house overlooking the garden, then the sounds of chicks screaming for food. Almost simultaneously, the other adult came out of the box and flew down to the broccoli. This went on nonstop for over 45 minutes, I lost count after 50 or so trips, but those two wrens were evidently feeding a small army. A few weeks later I harvested our first crop of broccoli, NOT 1 WORM! In fact, the garden seemed spiderless, beetleless, and wormless. The wrens had controlled the insects for less than the cost of one bottle of spray, and my food is now truly the best that can be obtained, and is the best for us. Nature working it’s magic with

getting any other birds to nest there. Wrens are very aggressive and will drive others out of their territory. To me at least, I will make that sacrifice in order to have these insect eating machines patrolling my garden. This is the kind of farming that seems in balance with the land. We provide a home, and the wrens provide pest control. Invite wrens into your garden area and sit back and watch them go to work. We are providing very generic plans obtained online at www. wild-bird-watching.com, which we altered some to suit or needs. You will want to get this project completed soon as the early males may be arriving late this month or early in April. Don’t worry though, if you miss this deadline, House Wrens usually raise two broods a season and always change their nest site for the second family. I like to have the houses ready early so as to enlist their help in keeping our broccoli bug free, but they provide a service whenever you can attract them. a

many as 10-12 different nest sites. Once the female selects the site she prefers, nest building begins in preparation of the first hatching of 5-6 eggs. Wrens are pretty easy to please in box placement, usually anywhere from 4’ to 30’ off the ground will work for them. Be forewarned however, that once you invite wrens to move onto your property, the chances Generic house plan showing parts placement. are slim at Note: You do not need a perch for Wrens.

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The Valley, March 2012

POOR WILL’S VALLEY ALMANACK for March of 2012

The seasons bring the flower again, And bring the firstling to the flock. --Alfred Lord Tennyson THE STARS The late evenings of March show the crocus, aconite and snowdrop stars of Leo overhead, the daffodil budding stars of Bootes in the east, and the pussy willow opening stars and the red and silver maple flowering stars of Gemini and Orion in the west. THE PLANETS In the far west, Venus is still the evening star this month, moving retrograde once again, and entering the sign of Aries. Jupiter, which has followed Aries since the beginning of the year, is very close to Venus (astronomers say it is “in conjunction with” Venus) on March 15. Mars continues in Leo throughout the month, coming up after sunset, moving overhead near midnight and setting well before dawn. Jupiter still lies in Aries this month, much lower on the western horizon after dark than it was earlier in the year. Saturn in Virgo rises in the east after sunset, visible as it crosses all the way to the western horizon by sunup. THE SUN Daylight Savings Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 11. Equinox brings equal day and night at 12:14 a.m. on March 20. Also on the 20th, the sun enters the stars of Aries, the constellation that completes the cycle of Early s Spring and, on April 1st, brings in the greener and more vibrant season of Middle Spring. DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS AT 2:00 A.M. MARCH 11. SET CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR.

MARCH - WEEK 1 THE THIRD WEEK OF EARLY SPRING LUNAR PHASE AND LORE The Red-Winged Blackbird Moon waxes through its second quarter during the entire first week of March. Rising in the afternoon and setting before dawn, this waxing moon lies above your garden after dark. As it grows, the moon will favor the seeding of all flowers and of vegetables that will produce their fruit above the ground, especially when it passes through fertile Cancer on the 2nd through the 4th. This is an ideal lunar time to plant tomato and pepper seeds as well as to set your hardiest cabbage and collard sets directly into the soil. Although St. Patrick’s Day is two weeks away, it wouldn’t hurt to plant several rows of peas if the ground is right. When the cold fronts of March 3 and 7 approach, fishing should improve (but dieting may become more difficult) as the barometer falls in advance of these highpressure systems. WEATHER PATTERNS Although the first cold front of March arrives on or about the 3rd, bringing a 65 percent chance for highs in the 30s or below, the first quarter of the month also brings a steady five to ten percent chance for an afternoon in the 70s for the first time since early November. In fact, 60s and 70s occur more often on the 2nd and 3rd than on any days in the first three weeks of March. And mild 50s occur about 30 percent of the years, similar to what happened during February’s third week. This time, however, the percentage never drops below that level until late autumn. The skies continue to brighten, with the 3rd bringing a 70 percent chance for sun, and the 7th an 80 percent chance. The wettest day of the week is usually the 4th; it has a 60 percent chance for showers or flurries. The 5th and 6th aren’t far behind: 50 percent chance for precipitation those days as the

month’s cruel second cold front moves across the Mississippi. MARCH - WEEK 2 THE FOURTH WEEK OF EARLY SPRING LUNAR PHASE AND LORE Becoming completely full on March 8 at 4:40 a.m., the RedWinged Blackbird Moon wanes throughout the week, entering its last phase at 8:25 p.m. on the 14th. Rising late in the evening and setting after sunrise, this moon lies overhead in the very early morning hours. Planting of all onion sets and flower bulbs is favored at this time, especially when the moon passes through the water sign of Scorpio on the the 11th through the 13th. Seed onion, carrots and turnips, too. Then put out new shrubs and trees. Fishing is favored by the moon’s position overhead before dawn, especially as the cold fronts of March 9 and 14 approach. And the dropping barometer is likely to affect your mood (possibly making you more irritable), as well as your weight (you may weigh a little more on those days than on days after high pressure - unless you pig out because you’re irritable). WEATHER PATTERNS March’s second quarter brings one more major pivot in the year’s weather patterns. The rate of spring’s advance quickens, and odds for milder weather increase with every sunrise. Chances for an afternoon above 40 degrees rise to 40 percent throughout all but the northernmost states by the end of the week. The third cold wave of the month arrives on the 9th or 10th, but it is typically one of the mildest so far in the year. Frost strikes the early garden 60 percent of all the nights, however, and there is still a five to ten percent chance each day this week for a high only in the teens or 20s above the Border States. Odds for rain or snow are about one in three most days of the period; the 10th is the wettest day

and has a 50 percent chance for precipitation. But the sun typically shines a little more than it did last week, with the 14th and the 17th often producing fewer clouds than any time since January 26th through 28th. MARCH - WEEK 3 THE FIFTH WEEK OF EARLY SPRING LUNAR PHASE AND LORE The moon wanes throughout the third week of March, becoming the new Cabbage Butterfly Moon on the 22nd at 9:37 a.m. Rising after midnight and setting in the afternoon, this moon lies overhead in the morning. Since the last week of this month offers superb lunar conditions (and improved odds for decent weather), now is the time to prepare all of your flats and garden plots for new-moon seeding and digging. If you do plant this week, limit your varieties to root crops, shrubs and trees, favoring Capricon on the 15th through the 17th. But when the moon is completely dark on the 19th through the 22nd and lies in wet Pisces, pull out all the stops, and do all your early seeding in flats, lawn and pasture seeding, and landscape setting. Lunar position favors fishing at noon with the moon above you and your fish, especially as the cold front of March 19 approaches. Lunches may be especially appealing to dieters this week. WEATHER PATTERNS Across the northern tier of states, the 18th brings the greatest chance for frost in the entire month—a full 90 percent chance. March 20th is typically the wettest day of the week, with a 60 percent chance for precipitation and the most thunderstorms since autumn. The 21st is the driest day, with just a 25 percent chance for rain or snow. The 21st also brings the most sun of any day in the third week of March: 70 percent of those days are clear to partly cloudy. Only two other March

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days get so bright—the 7th and the 15th. MARCH - WEEK 4 THE SIXTH AND FINAL WEEK OF EARLY SPRING LUNAR PHASE AND LORE The last of week of March brings more ideal lunar planting conditions. The moon waxes through its first quarter all week, passing into its second phase on March 30 at 2:41 p.m. Rising in the morning and setting well after dark, this moon will call out the cabbage butterflies throughout the day as it moves overhead in the afternoon. Moving through Taurus on the 24th through the 27th and Cancer on the 29th through April 1, the moon will encourage sprouting and root development. Lunar position above you after lunch could make afternoons the best times for fishing, especially as the March 29 cold front approaches. WEATHER PATTERNS The last quarter of March brings dramatic changes. On the 30th, for the first time since October 22nd, there is a five percent chance for highs to reach 80 degrees in the lower Midwest and East. And on the 31st, those chances double. On the 23rd, the odds for morning frost in the Ohio Valley are about one in two, but on the 29th, those odds fall to just one in four. In the warmest years of all, frost can be gone until October or November (but an average season brings 20 to 30 more dawns below the freezing mark to most of the northern states). The 25th through the 28th are the driest and sunniest days of the week, each bringing a 60 percent chance or better of a break in the clouds. The 29th is the day most likely to bring overcast conditions—the sun is absent on that date 65 percent of the time, and rain falls 50 percent of the time. The likelihood of a thunderstorm is six times greater this week than it was last week. A DAYBOOK FOR MARCH

The Valley, March 2012 arch 1: Woodcocks fly to the M Valley. Cardinals sing at about 6:30 every morning. All bedding plants should be started in their flats. Only eleven weeks remain before the most delicate flowers and vegetables can be planted outside. Four weeks until most hardy plants can be set out. March 2: Complete the spraying of fruit trees. Spray with dormant oil when the temperature is expected to stay above 40 for 24 hours. Do late pruning on colder afternoons. Spread fertilizer after testing the soil. March 3: In an average year, the high-pressure system that arrives around March 3 often prolongs the opportunities for tapping trees, repairing fences, and doing other outdoor work. March 4: As soil conditions permit, test the pastures for nutrients. There is still time to add fertilizer to maximize your grazing and hay production. If you till and replant your pasture, the incidence of worm larvae ordinarily declines significantly. March 5: Wild violet leaves start to grow as the day’s length approaches eleven and a half hours. Woodchucks are digging up the hillsides, and ducks and geese are scouting for nesting sites. Red maples flower. Chipmunks are out. The rivers are high, and carp mate in the shallows. March 6: Winter juncos depart. Horseradish leaves are usually an inch long by today. Male redwinged blackbirds (that arrived about two weeks ago) sing in the swamps as females join them in their nesting areas. March 7: Coltsfoot is budding and the first bluebells press through the mulch in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Azaleas are blooming all across the Deep South. In the Mid-Atlantic region, celandine has sprouted. Buds lengthen and brighten on multiflora roses, honeysuckles, mock orange, and lilac. March 8: The first major storm window of March opens today – and stays open through the 14th. Full moon today is expected to bring cold and snow across the North, as well as frost deep into the southern states. March 9: This is an early date for cherry trees to be in full bloom in Washington D.C., and it is also the average date for flower and garden shows throughout the East. In the Northeast, the coats of snowshoe hares begin changing from white to brown. Throughout the Midwest and North, crows are pairing off and selecting nesting sites. Along the 40th Parallel, lawn growth is usually perceptible

now, three weeks before grass is ready to cut. Purple martins migrate. Peregrine falcons lay their eggs. Bald eagle chicks hatch. Ducks arrive in their most attractive mating plumage. White tundra swans usually land along Lake Erie. March 10: Daylight Savings Time arrives tomorrow. Even though your schedule may change literally over night, your feeding schedule for your livestock should be adjusted slowly. March 11: Honeysuckle leaves are opening, one of the first steps in the greening of the undergrowth. Parsnip, horseradish, dock, and dandelion roots are often dug at this time, when foliage just begins to emerge; root quality is usually at its best before the soil begins to warm. Flats of pansies are set out on milder days to harden them for late March planting. March 12: This is the week that the first mosquito bites and that the box elders and silver maples come into bloom on warmer hillsides. The tips of resurrection lilies have risen a few inches above the ground by this week of the year, and spring beauties are budding. March 13: Midseason crocus plants bloom beside the earlier snow crocus. Cardinals now sing at 6:15 in the morning, a quarter of an hour earlier than they did two weeks ago. March 14: The moon’s entry into its final quarter today opens an excellent time for fertilizing areas you neglected to feed last fall and winter. March 15: Foliage of yarrow, lupine, phlox, columbine, coneflower, yarrow, sage, sweet pea, mallow, wild parsnip, goldenrod, snow-on-the mountain, New England aster, Queen Anne’s lace, pyrethrum, bleeding heart, lamb’s quarters and evening primrose is coming up. March 16: Spring is a good time for annual vaccinations and blood work for your flock and herd. Consider a physical examination for yourself, too. March 17: Today is St. Patrick’s day, a traditional time for putting in your peas. March 18: In the wetlands, ragwort is budding when weeping willows glow yellow-green. In the woods, toad trillium pushes up through the leaves when turkeys start to gobble. March 19: Beginning today and lasting through the 30th, the second major March storm period increases the threat of tornadoes in the South and sudden blizzards in the North.

March 20: Be sure salt is available as sheep move out to new pasture. Keep the baking soda on hand for bloat. March 21: Fertilize your pastures at least two weeks before you let your livestock graze. Keep an eye out for bloat, however, as you let your kids, calves and lambs enjoy the new greenery. March 22: New moon today could increase the likelihood of storms throughout the nation. But when new raspberry leaves are almost ready for tea, scillas color city lawns blue, and soft touchme-nots have sprouted in the wetlands. March 23: After March 23, weather history shows a rapid rise in the odds for milder temperatures. Frosts could be over along the 40th Parallel, but an average year brings about 20 more to northern gardens. March 24: Violet cress flowers in the bottomlands. Chickweed and shepherd’s purse open in the alleys. The first white star magnolia blossoms unravel. Transplant shade and fruit trees, shrubs, grape vines, strawberries, raspberries, and roses while the ground temperature remains in the 40s and 50s. Complete all field planting preparations. March 25: The normal average air temperature thoughout Pennsylvania rises at the rate of one degree every three days as Middle Spring approaches. March 26: Pasture season has arrived in the South, spreading north a few miles every day. It may be at your farm sooner than you think. Drench sheep a week to ten days before turning them out to graze. March 27: Leaves are starting to grow on skunk cabbage. Flickers are calling. Gold finches - their breasts turning yellow - are chasing each other through the leafing honeysuckles. Aconites, snowdrops, and snow crocus have passed their best. Termites are swarming. Garter snakes lie out sunning. March 28: This is the time of year that early spring’s first butterflies—the question marks, the mourning cloaks, the tortoise shells and the cabbage moths— typically emerge along the 40th parallel. When the butterflies appear, catfish are getting ready to feed, and yellow-bellied sapsuckers are mating. March 29: The last front of March typically brings storms all across the nation. In spite of the threat of violent weather, haying begins throughout many southern states after this front passes through. Transition your livestock

slowly from the last of the old hay to the first of the new. March 30: Put in first field corn if your land is ready. Commercial potato, sugar beet, carrot and red beet planting is underway. Hepatica comes into early bloom. Bloodroot opens in parklands when forsythia flowers in town. Ragweed sprouts, and cardinals now sing at 5:45 in the morning, 45 minutes earlier than they sang four weeks ago. Bluegrass billbugs may become active, laying eggs. Plan control now, then topdress your winter wheat. March 31: The first spring beauties, Dutchman’s britches, toothwort, small -flowered bittercress, and twinleaf bloom in the woods just as the first May apple leaves push up from the ground. Virginia bluebells flower on the hillsides. Lungwort blooms in the city. Buckeye, apple and peach trees leaf out. The Archipelago of Early Spring February 18 – March 31 All that I had dreamed was true, is true. The earth is fair, more fair Than I had known or imagined. --Harlan Hubbard In the early spring of the Valley, islands of new life emerge from the waves of warmth and cold that move across the landscape. Within these islands, often separated from each other by broad expanses of chilling winds, weeks of gray skies, sometimes only narrowly divided by a night of frost, the season reveals its stunning topography. Early spring is an archipelago of forms rising out of February’s great sea, and like ephemeral atolls, the events of this temporal, mottled continent multiply, swell, and recede to alter the face of our habitat with an inexorable beauty. The geography of early spring is fixed in shape and order but not in time. The archipelago of winter’s end is fluid, what chronologists call a “floating sequence,” a sequence the dates of which are relatively well known in relation to one another but not in relation to when exactly they will occur on the brittle Gregorian calendar. Observation and memory, however, easily decipher the secret code of the floating sequence, uncover the fluid terrain from which fauna and flora materialize, and spread a map of promise across the seemingly uncharted expanse of winter/

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Throughout Pennsylvania, early spring fills the six weeks between the middle of February and the end March. This month and a half links the deep cold with the lushness of April, and it is made up of constellations of color, motion and sound, and musterings of new sprouts and leaves, birds, insects, mammals and fishes. In the South, this season can arrive in the middle of the year’s first weeks; along the Canadian border, it comes in May. Wherever the floating sequence begins, it follows something of the order below; no matter where it takes place, the following landmarks are only fragments of a far greater ferment. Starting with the major thaw of February’s third week, the first cluster of spring’s appearance takes the form of snowdrops and aconites flowering together in the warmest microclimates beside the prophetic hellebores and Chinese witchhazels of late January. Within a few days, snow crocus and iris reticulata complete this island of time at the chilliest edge of spring. A parallel cluster rises from the swamps: the skunk cabbage blossoms. In alleyways and lawns, common chickweed, dandelions and henbit complement the cabbage. Above them all, red-winged blackbirds stake out different limits. After Snowdrop Winter (between February 23rd and 27th), ducks and geese follow the lead of the blackbirds, marking ownership of the more favorable river sites for nesting. Migrant robins join the sizeable flocks that overwintered near the honeysuckles. Past the seasons of the snowdrops and aconites, midseason crocuses initiate more complex configurations that lead to fat pussy willows, bright blue squills, delicate yellow jonquils, then to the full-size daffodils, then to purple grape hyacinths, then to pale wood hyacinths and pushkinias. Towering on the horizon, silver maples and the red maples and box elders prepare to fruit. To these outcroppings come the pollen seekers: the honeybees and carpenter bees. Other creatures follow. Mosquitoes and newborn wolf spiders look for prey. The mounds of ants rise from winter’s prairie. In rivers and ponds, water striders mate. Earthworms come out of hiding, lie together in the mild night rains. It is salamander season in the slime and snake basking season in

Continued on page 36

The Valley, March 2012

Dave Wilson

Coins, Precious Metal and a Little of this and That

America’s Largest Coin Dealer

If you’ve already guessed the “United States Mint” .. then you can immediately place a gold star on your forehead! Boy...am I showing my age on that one! While the US Mint has made proof versions of many coins, even year sets, since the 1800’s, it wasn’t until 1936 that they began to sell Proof Sets to the general public! Mint Set sales began in 1947! As you can imagine, the earlier Proof and Mint sets, due to their limited mintage, have actually increased in value quite substantially. They are still on preferred shopping lists by both collectors and investors. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for sets (both Proof and Mint) that were made between 1968 and 2007. In that 40 year stretch, purchasers of Proof and Mint sets, while perhaps happy with their collections, have NOT been pleased with the retained VALUE of their collections. Had you purchased a Proof set each year from 1968 to 2007, you would have paid the mint a total of $466.55, not including the mandatory return postage fees charged with each order! As of February 10th (this year), current dealer “Bid” for those forty sets was $194.00, representing a loss of $272.55, or

nearly 59% of your total investment. Mint sets have also been a net loser as the current Bid price of $287.60 for all forty sets is 30.5% lower than their (total) issue price of $413.90. Add to that the interest that WOULD have been earned had the money simply been deposited in a bank savings account, and total losses end up being much worse! Earlier this year, we received a call from a woman in Huntingdon who had a “large” coin collection for sale. While we were, of course, very interested at first, our excitement faded quickly when she mentioned that most of her accumulation was non-silver US Proof Sets from 1975 to 1992. We suggested that she might not want to make the trip, and when we quoted her a few prices, she quickly agreed. So, why would a coin dealer willingly announce what a terrible investment Mint and Proof Sets have been? It’s really very simple. First, like it or not, it’s the truth. Secondly, I don’t like them, and never have. I don’t own any (personally) and I have always told my customers (who asked) that they are NOT a good investment. If you want to buy a Proof set as a gift, especially for children’s birth years, wonderful!

However, if you are looking for profit potential, we suggest you look elsewhere! When my business first opened in 1988, we sold nearly 300 proof sets. This past year, we sold a total of 20, and 5 of those were wholesaled to other dealers. With sets now costing $37.00 (and that allows dealers a whopping $3 profit margin), there just isn’t the interest there used to be. Honestly, with difficult economic times at hand, a drop in sales of (what we feel are) overly expensive Proof Sets is perfectly understandable! The United States Mint is the largest supplier of different collector coins and sets in the entire world. There isn’t even a close second. They have never pretended to be a non-profit organization, and they certainly are not! The range of different numismatic products that are offered each year seems to continue growing, and it has become nearly impossible for the normal collector to assemble, annually, one of every mint product offered in each year. Proof sets, Mint sets, usually several commemorative silver dollars, Gold Eagle coins, State park quarters, golden dollars, Platinum sets in some years, commemorative gold coins and Silver Eagles! Gosh, did we forget to mention

Fencing from page 4

my reading and research there are many methods and techniques for building fence. With that being said, read a few books and research the Internet for general “how-tos.” This way you are familiar with the basic principles before embarking on your own fence project.

God’s abundance in our own life. If we choose to keep our heart closed and stone cold we will not receive. I think Elbert Hubbard and Joel Osteen sum it up short and sweet when they said: “Life in abundance comes only through great love.” ~ Elbert Hubbard “When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure you are always blessed in abundance.” ~ Joel Osteen May their words, and the words of the Psalmist and others listed above, open your eyes to the abundance that is present in your life today – in this very minute – and in every day yet to come. a

to erect a significant amount of fence yourself, I recommend that you work on it a section at a time between braces. Don’t overdo it and set a goal, be it daily or weeklym of what you would like to accomplish. In our case, we simply work a section at a time between braces, which are just over 300 feet apart since the average roll of field fence is 330 feet. Naturally, you try and space your H and corner bracing to waste the least amount of fencing. As I have a habit of saying in most of our columns, we are no experts and don’t claim to know the only way to do anything. From

Until next time, Dave & Ginger and Family a

Contentment Quest from page 34 not. If we choose to soften and open our heart we will “see” others in need, and thus help as we are able, and ultimately receive

that nearly ALL of these also come in Proof and some in Silver Proof? You have to buy them all, dozens and dozens of coins and sets, to have a complete year set of US Mint products! (Just the Proof and Uncirculated Gold Eagle coin sets would cost, at current market, about $6850.00!) We do have one piece of advice to those of you who decide to continue purchasing Proof and Mint sets. Writing names or special sentiments on Proof set boxes and envelopes does personalize them nicely. Unfortunately, it also nearly ruins what little secondary market value they may have. So as to not be totally negative about Proof and Mint sets, I’ll end with one of my favorite coin buying stories. About ten years ago, a gentleman brought us a large box full of a mixture of coins, collector albums and, naturally, some earlier (1960’s vintage) silver proof sets. The

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gentleman told us that he had been given the sets (eight of them) by his favorite Aunt over the course of many years. As always, when buying silver proof sets in the floppy plastic holders (in brown envelopes), we always opened the sets to make sure there was no serious carbon spotting on the larger silver coins. When I opened the first set, I discovered a $100 bill. The gentleman was shocked! He was even more shocked when the next seven envelopes produced the same prize...$800 in all! He had never even opened them to look at the coins. That $800 was more than what the rest of his accumulation was worth, combined. Needless to say, he left with an even greater affection for his now very elderly Aunt. He laughed as he left, explaining that he was going to have to figure out how to send her a Thank You note nearly 45 years after receiving the gifts! a

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The Valley, March 2012

How Do you heat your water? by leon clayberger

Hot water is a must in American life. Showers, washing clothes, washing dishes and the list continues. But do you always have enough hot water to accomplish your needs or does the hot water diminish very quickly especially with multiple showers? Is your pocketbook able to withstand the onslaught of energy cost with the typical ways of heating water - electric tank, oil furnace, tank type gas water heater, heating water around the clock for only minutes of use per day? The only time the Rinnai tankless water heater uses energy is when you turn the hot water faucet on. It heats only the water you use, when you use it. When you are at work, shopping, sleeping or on vacation, the Rinnai is off. When the faucet is off, there is no more heating water, therefore an extremely economical way to heat water. Tankless water heaters may be a new idea to many, but the Rinnai tankless water heater has been available for many decades and was introduced in America in 1973. Yes, tankless! No more large water tank. No running out

of hot water at the most inopportune time. This is wonderful with holidays,a weekend of company, vacationers at your home or a busy schedule. “When the water is hot you are glad, if it is not you are mad.” “Either the water is hot or you are.” Busy Schedules Overlap your hot water usage instead of scheduling around the water heater. Rinnai guarantees a dishwasher, washing machine and two showers at the same time and not run out of hot water. No need torun out of hot water in the middle of a shower. We have multiple families who have proven this many times over the years. And the cost to heat all the hot water you need is very economical. Heat only the water you want when you want it. With the rising cost of energy, namely electric and oil,people are looking for ways to economize without giving up the convenience of all the hot water needed on demand. Heating water is the second largest use of energy in the home after home heating costs. Tank type water heaters will be-

come a thing of the past. Save from pollution and greatly reduce your out of pocket energy costs. It is not the initial cost of the unit but the long term saving of energy which will boost the amount of money saved. You will be paying an energy company for energy to heat your water, it is your decision for which one. If you do not have natural gas or propane, no problem. We can get it for you very easily. Rinnai has been Energy Star and Green long before either was implemented. Places of use Residence, hunting camps, rental units, campgrounds, hair salons, motels, restaurants, farms. In addition to residential use we have Rinnai’s installed at Lewistown Creamery, Denny’s Restaurant at Bedford,Burnham Lions Club, Burnham Bible Baptist Church. HGTV has often displayed the Rinnai tankless water heater on various shows. Rinnai has nearly half the world market share with 30 mil-

lion in use because of their quality of the tankless water heater. It is not if you will save significant money with a Rinnai Tankless OnDemand Water Heater, that has already been proven, but it is how soon will you begin saving money! Rinnai has been the world leader in gas appliances since 1920. Check us and Rinnai at www. waterheaterservices.net Call toll free 855-826-5777 for a delightful, no salesmanship, no pressure presentation. Credit cards accepted. Noel Enterprises Inc. Leon Clayberger, Owner/Installer a

A quality install eliminates the inefficient bulk tank with a clean and green system which equates to LOTS of money saved on water heating!

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An old Cherokee told his grandson, “My Son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth. The boy thought about it and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins”? The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed”

The Valley, March 2012

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