May 2014 the valley new online

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The Valley, May 2014

Tokyo

The Best of asian cuisine

If you haven’t been to Tokyo Restaurant yet, you are depriving yourself of an excellent dining experience. From their top shelf fresh Sushi, artfully prepared by Xiao Jin Lin, to their Japanese Hibachi and Tempura platters prepared by Guo Jin Chen, to the Traditional Chinese menu items prepared by Qiang Lin and Yi Young Lin, you will find something everyone can fall in love with at Tokyo.

Just six months since their grand opening, Tokyo has had a steady increase in business as word got out about the great food and service provided by Shuzhen and the rest of her family and friends. It is quickly becoming one of those places where the locals “in the know” eat. A clean, bright, tastefully decorated dining room add to the pleasant experience that dining at Tokyo provides.

Many may remember our story from July a couple years ago about the hard working couple at China House restaurant in Lewistown, our #1 favorite Chinese restaurant on the planet. We were both saddened to learn of the business being sold this past winter.

The new people are very nice and welcoming, but you know how it is when you lose familiarity that has grown over many years. At the same time we both figured Shuzhen and Qiang had grown tired of working 364 days a year and had moved on. We were glad to find out we were wrong!

About this same time, the new Tokyo restaurant opened in

Burnham and we decided to give it a try. We were both delighted to see Shuzhen there helping her brother, who had just come from New York to open Tokyo. While leaving the city hustle and bustle for the country life, Xiao Jin Lin (Shuzhen’s brother) brought much of the city flair with him. Tokyo would fit in quite well in any metropolitan food scene, but it is all ours, right here in Burnham on the strip between OIP and Vince’s in

the former Pizza Hut building By some stroke of luck and creativity, it lent itself wonderfully to the current Asian decor.

With the Japanese food catching on with locals who were into sushi and hibatchi, Shuzhen and Qiang decided to join in the endeavor with Shuzhen’s brother and father by adding Chinese food to the menu. Now no matter which Asian cuisine you prefer, you can get it all under one roof.

The “Great Food Crew”, (from left to right) Qiang Lin (Chinese cook), Yi Young Lin (Chinese cook), Guo Jin Chen (Japanese cook), Shuzhen Lin (Hostess), not pictured is Xiao Jin Lin (Sushi Chef). A great dining experience is their mission and they never fail to satisfy!

Lighting Brush Fires in People’s Minds

With everything being fresh and cooked to order, you might expect longer than average waits, but not at Tokyo. The efficiency of the kitchen is amazing and food arrives at your table very quickly.

A great place for lunch, you can plan on being ack to work on time due to the quick service. And we haven’t even talked about the food yet, but trust me when I say, “You won’t find fresher, high-quality Asian food anywhere. The Lins have a very high expectation for every platter they serve, and it shows. If you haven’t had a chance to scan their huge menu of offerings, stop in and grab a menu to drool over at home while you decide. The prices are extremely reasonable, even inexpensive.

Tokyo has extensive hours— they are open Monday thru Thursday from 10:30 am to 10:00 pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 am to 11:00 pm, and Sundays from 11:00 am to 9:30 pm.

Tokyo isn’t just a dine-in establishment, you can also call 717-242-0888 or 717-242-0800 for take out service, which might be a good option judging by how popular the restaurant is becoming. Some day soon it will be hard to get a table here I believe. The quality of food for the price can’t be beat, and the service is second to none.

We are delighted to have another great restaurant so close by.

Now if we could just talk Shuzhen into delivery service! Give Tokyo a try, it will quickly become one of your favorites as well.

The Valley, May 2014

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Editor’s Corner Wayne Stottlar

This is probably the hardest column I have ever had to write since our founding almost 5 years ago. The Valley has lost one of our foundational building blocks, and I have lost a very good friend, my first real friend from the Amish community.

On 22 April 2014 Jeptha I. Yoder took hold of his Lord’s hand and passed from this life to his next. My thinking at the time was that God must have needed a writer for Heaven’s newsletter, and when he looked around, he realized we had one of the best newsletter writers anywhere. This gift of communication must be somewhat hereditary, because during my first meeting with Jeptha, I learned that his grandfather had also been a writer for an Amish newsletter.

Jeptha was born with cystic fibrosis, a disease that usually claims life when the patient is in their teens. Jeptha made great use of the extra time he had, as he ran all the way to 36. I think there was much he needed to teach others; therefore, he outlasted the effects of the disease. I never heard him once complain either. He seemed to have been able to see the good in everything, no matter what was placed before him.

Looking back, I can now see that he had profound effects on my thought processes. You see, when the weather was nice, I would sometimes sneak out to his farm and spend a good deal of time just talking. I didn’t realize it then, but now looking back, I can see that the return trip home was always a happy one, Jeptha had

a way of helping you find inner peace.

The circumstances of our meeting were a little out of the ordinary as well, another sign that this whole project isn’t something that is of my doing, other hands are at work. Early on in the concept phase of creating this paper, one of our missions was to include a voice (or voices) from our Amish neighbors, if that was at all possible. Being “from away” as we say in New England, I was not too privy to the Amish culture, but the more I learned, the more I admired it. As most of us do, I began to create idyllic visions of what their culture was like.

Soon after moving here, I began getting my eggs, and later milk and produce, from my Amish neighbors.

Farm fresh is always best! When the idea for the paper came about, I desperately wanted to find an Amish writer and started asking every Amish person I knew about finding someone. My egg lady, Emma, directed me to Jeptha.

She told me a little about him and why he might be a good person to ask, but I was so excited to have a lead that I wasn’t as attentive as I should have been when she was telling me where he lived.

I spent several hours the next two days riding back and forth on East Back Mountain Road, looking for I don’t know what. I obviously didn’t have enough information to find him—I guess I was expecting a miracle and he would step out and flag me down. That didn’t happen, but one day a van pulled up beside me and asked if I was looking for someone, since he had seen

me driving back and forth. I told him who I was looking for and he said he thought he knew who I wanted and gave me directions to his house. Not knowing what to expect, I nervously drove into their yard.

Our first meeting was somewhat brief and after telling my plans for the paper to Jeptha, he said he would think about it. A week later I went back to his farm, and he already had a column, or as he says it, “letter,” to submit.

Each meeting thereafter seemed to last longer and longer as he taught me the meaning of things that I had yet to understand. I was a grateful student.

Jeptha was a wordsmith; he had a way of writing and speaking that causes you to reflect and respond in a more measured way.

I don’t believe any intentionally hurtful words ever left his mouth.

He was a very thoughtful writer and speaker. Jeptha also had a sense of humor. I remember once during one of our hour-long visits, he came out with something so profound that it stopped me in my tracks. I don’t even remember now what it was he said, just that it floored me. I asked him “how the heck did you figure that out?”

His soft spoken response was, “Well, I have a chance to think. I don’t have a radio, television, cell phone, or a bunch of other people taking up space in my head like you do, so I have more time to think.” I guess that could have been lesson number one. It was his way of teaching me the information that I yearned to know about the difference between the cultures. Rather than tell me, he showed me and drew a picture with his words.

Jeptha also taught me about controlling emotions, especially anger. He was a gentle man and a good role model for a person like me. Jeptha also opened many doors for me and the newspaper with other people in his community. He is responsible for introducing me to the many dear friends that I now have amongst the Amish. I am humbled by their friendship.

Going forward will not be

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

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

easy, but when we think about how gracefully and without complaint Jeptha walked his path, we should realize we must as well.

At the viewing, Jeptha’s father Isaac said to me, “this leaves a big hole,” and he is right—both cultures lost a good man. Another older Amish gentleman outside the house asked me if I intended to try to replace him in the paper. I don’t even know if that is possible, or even if we should, so I am going to leave that in God’s hands. If he wants us to have another Amish language writer, he will send one to us, and they of course would be welcomed here at The Valley.

I know as time moves on we will look back and be thankful that we got to know Jeptha, and spend some of his too-short time here with him. I remember being quite surprised to see him show up at our Community Day event in Reedsville, as I knew he was always happiest at home. I know it was probably a hard thing for him to do being out amongst so many strangers. Within minutes of his arriving, his look of concern faded as a steady stream of people walked up to his table to talk about his column or seed saving. I think he had a good time, if being exhausted at the end of the day signifies that.

Thank you Jeptha for all the memories I will carry while I walk what’s left of my path. a

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The Valley, May 2014

setts and a panel member of the Center for American Progress, can be found iterating the phrase, “The children belong to all of us.”

Likewise, MSNBC’s promotional video with Melissa Harris-Perry claims, “we need to recognize that kids do not belong to their parents… …kids belong to whole communities…” We can argue that these are just words and the government doesn’t act on these claims, or it is a conservative versus liberal rant, but what benefit will that bring over discussing other people’s words spoken out of context.

Here is why you need to know what is going on with your parental rights over your children.

These are not the words of the government, these are their actions:

My youngest son brought home a book about being a good citizen. This government-sponsored Carson-Dellosa Publishing Co. manual goes into different aspects of how parents make mistakes, how children have individual rights if they feel their parents are wrong, and how parents let them watch TV shows and play video games that are hurting

their development, etc. Each page has a very light, barely perceptible, watermark that subliminally enforces the words in the paragraphs. The questions at the end of each section use a form of repetitive back-and-forth manner in which to force similarities to the government and law being good and parents being full of mistakes.

According to the CD-104031 U.S. Government worksheet for children, “Government is like a nation’s family. Families take care of children and make sure they are safe, healthy and educated, and free to enjoy life.” The questions on the worksheet initiate a comparison of how parents “might make you safe” versus how the government “makes you safer than your parents.”

My daughter happens to be one of those children who is overly outgoing and friendly to everyone. Because of this attitude, she was invited to a newly created school program. The program seeks to indoctrinate children into a special group of people who, “Stand above the standards and show all students what it means to be a better citizen.” Her program gives her the ability to leave class at any time in order to formally report other students for not being “good citizens” and as a reward, her group is pulled from the school day in order to go to amusement parks, receive awards or badges, and be promoted by the school as a “leader of good

citizens.”

It is not just the schools, it is happening in medical facilities too. My eldest son recently had a bad fall on his knee. We did a quick visit to the E.R. and in the line of questions he was being asked about the injury, two stood out in my mind. The questions were, “does anyone in your family smoke cigarettes or do any drugs?” and, “are there any guns or weapons in your home?” I asked the triage nurse to explain to me how either of those questions will assist in diagnosing his knee injury. She retorted that the questions are, “Federally mandated and must be asked of all patient intakes of minors.”

In recent days many incidents have taken place where the government is taking away parental rights. In Boston, Justina Pelletier had a stomach virus, was mis-diagnosed as having a mental ailment and was taken away from her parents. She was placed into a mental institution, only to be released to a group home without visitation rights from her parents.

In Texas and Colorado, vaccinations known to have very severe adverse effects are still being forcibly given by the schools to the children without parental consent and mandated by the Federal government. In Georgia this past week, parents who signed the waiver to not have the

outdoors, and doing without what most of us would consider the basics for many years.

It’s hard to tell exactly how many years because Annie is more than a bit non-linear about time.

Her account (which I gather began as isolated stories on the BHM forums) jumps from year to year, season to season, and incident to incident without much pattern.

The editor decided to consider non-linearity a feature rather than a bug — and he’s right that the randomness gives Annie’s tale the quality of being told by someone recalling memories over time by a fireside.

And what memories. Annie’s life in the little house began and remained very tough. She reminds me of my desert-hermit friend Joel. Both went off-grid in middle age, lived on small incomes, had scant experience when they set out, and overcame severe disadvantages (physical for Joel; emotional for Annie).

But Joel, I have to say you’ve got it easy compared with Annie.

She never did have indoor plumb-

ing or an electrical system, even a makeshift one. Worse, instead of the friendly, reliable neighbors Joel has at the Desert Hermitage, Annie had to deal with meth heads, thieves, and a fair number of bullies. Of course there were some good people, too. But I get the impression hers was a distinctly bad neighborhood.

And work? Long hours. Low pay. Tough, dangerous, dirty work splitting firewood (for the bundles you see in stores). But with a lot of pride. Also, despite what seems to have been serious emotional fragility, Annie was one tough cookie when it came to physical labor and holding her own against anyone who imposed or trespassed.

She writes of rewards, too: her friendship with a troubled young neighbor boy; her triumphs at scrounging; her engineering of a rainwater catchment system; becoming skilled with firearms; her family of dogs and other critters; and the many satisfactions of walking that 50 acres with its beauty and its wildlife.

This is clearly an amateurwritten book. Its non-linear quality is occasionally dizzying. Annie also protects privacy by leaving out some details that it would really help the reader to know. (I understand as well as anybody a writer trying to tell her story while still guarding her own and others’ private lives; that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when important developments are left vague.)

Sure, the book has its flaws.

But it’s also unique, inspiring, sometimes heartbreaking, and highly readable. If you want to read a remarkable story about a remarkable woman’s remarkable off-grid life, A Widow’s Walk is one you shouldn’t miss.

All Of Your Kids Belong To US

by Scott Glass A child is a human being’s natural offspring, a person who is between the age of birth and full growth. In nature, a child is the result of fundamental natural law representing the manner in which the psychological and physiological needs of mankind are arrived through the propagation of the species. Biblically there are at least 62 verses stating why one is to have children and how important children are to both a married man and woman. So it should be without question that a child is a little person who is owned and the responsibility of a parent until fully grown, right? Not according to the United States government.

People have been fighting with government-based social services for decades over the limitations government has to take a child away from parents.

Sometimes it seems like a necessity when parents exhibit gross negligence, incapacitation, or even actions that are considered undue force or violence against a child. But the power the government is giving itself, has been growing at exponential rates in the past five to ten years. There was a lot of groaning with the “No

Child Left Behind” (NCLB) Act of 2001, and many parents did not like the provisions of treating all children equal to the lowest common denominator within the class. Yes, you read that correctly—whoever is the slowest, least adapted, poorest grades, underdeveloped child within a classroom, including those with physical and mental disabilities, that is the speed at which the class will learn. Like driving in traffic congestion, you are only as fast as the slowest person in front of you.

Provisions of the subsections within the NCLB went without any acknowledgment or questions because parents did not read the Act; they only saw what was initially happening in schools as it was implemented. Well, these subsection provisions have provided parents with a new challenge called Common Core State Standards that gives the state the ability to manage education and provide that power to the Federal government. It also clearly states that the child is not the property of the parents, but rather the property of the government.

Paul Reville, former Secretary of Education for Massachu-

One Tough Way to Go Off-Grid Book Review by Claire Wolfe A Widow’s Walk Off-Grid to Self-Reliance: An inspiring, true story of courage and determination Mason Marshall Press, 2014 www.masonmarshall.com $12.95 paperback $8.95 Kindle

Photos show a normal, though elderly, little house. But Annie Dodds quickly discovered why she was able to lease the place sight-unseen for just $500 per year. It had no electrical service, no plumbing (not even an outhouse), rats in the attic, a tree staving in one wall, and a host of other cold, hot, wet, dry, dirty, inconvenient problems.

It was the kind of place where, on a bad day, you might open your sock drawer, briefly think, “I don’t have any socks

that color,” then realize you were looking at a rattlesnake coiled atop your footwear.

But Annie loved it.

A Widow’s Walk tells the story of how she — recently widowed, emotionally devastated, dead broke, middle-aged, and equipped only with her own resourcefulness — followed her Backwoods Home-inspired dream of living independently and offgrid.

Although she kindly credits me as one of her inspirations, she gives me far more credit than I deserve. For sheer guts and persistence, Annie Dodds beats the heck out of me!

Annie’s inconvenient little house was set on 50 acres in Texas. And there she lived, improvising her own water system, cooking and taking showers

The Truth Has No Agenda

Continued on page 14

Read more by Claire Wolfe on the Backwoods Home website at www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/ ClaireWolfe.

See display ad on page 5 for information on how to obtain this book. a

The Valley, May 2014

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WROL HOMESTEAD SECURITY PART 3

Greetings Valley readers! Just to let those of you new to this fine paper that most of my articles pertain to emergency preparedness and dealing with the aftermath of a possible economic collapse and so, after a brief hiatus, I’d like to wrap up my series on WROL Homestead Security and discuss a few measures that can be implemented to deal with potential security threats from the four categories of potential aggressors that I mentioned in parts 1 and 2 of WROL Homestead Security.

Now many of you who aren’t familiar with the acronym WROL are probably scratching your head trying to figure out what I am talking about, let alone trying to pronounce it. WROL simply stands for Without Rule Of Law.

A WROL situation isn’t a pleasant one. It is one without the protection of the police and where lawlessness and chaos abound. It is where all security and protection for yourself, property, and family fall into your own hands.

Now, like I discussed in the previous two articles, the categories of potential aggressors could include: naysaying family/friends who mocked your emergency preparedness efforts and are now facing desperation, roving bands of looters, government agents looking to confiscate supplies, and the last group consists of those folks who are on some form of psychotic prescription medication and who in a societal breakdown or WROL situation, would suddenly be cut off from these needed

medications.

I also discussed the three different “rings” of perimeter security that are often referred to by the experts. These “rings” consist of what I referred to as the personal, intimate, and distant perimeter rings. I gave you suggestions on how to “harden” or secure your home from intruders. This is what I referred to as the personal ring.

I’ll combine in this article the two outer rings because the ideas I’m about to suggest could be implemented in both. The area covered by these two outer rings includes the outside walls of your home and beyond. For urban dwellers, this could mean less than an acre to secure, but for those lucky enough to live in a rural setting, this could mean hav-

ing the task of possibly securing many acres of property. Setting up a defensive perimeter that consists of a large area would be difficult, but it can be done.

Creating a mutual aid agreement with neighbors would allow you to cover a large area, but security measures in a worst case scenario would have to include armed patrols, listening/observation posts, and supply caches. And perhaps more importantly, the knowledge to safely implement such measures.

Area-deniers (ADs) are another key element to consider when setting up your homestead defensive perimeter. These ADs could include structures or devices, landscaping, and natural formations. Structures and devices to consider could include the ordinary like fences and gates to the extreme anti-personnel devices such as caltrops (see the Aug2013 issue of the Valley on how to make your own), or barbed wire traps that would definitely make someone think twice.

Landscaping considerations could include bushes and trees like the Pyracantha and Barberry plants, for example. Both of which have flesh-shredding thorns. The idea here is to not only deny entry to certain areas, but to also slow down any unfriendly advance and

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

to force intruders into your line of sight and line of fire. Remember, the situation we are discussing is a WROL situation—a post-SHTF collapse of society. Doomsday if you will. All measures of security must be considered and implemented wherever possible.

Early warning systems are also imperative in your security preparations. Tripwires connected to noise makers, flares, or rigged to a silent alarm will allow you to keep the element of surprise. I would also place man’s best friend in this category. Preferably a large one—or two.

Obviously firearms and the training on how to properly use them will be an absolute necessity in a WROL situation. Selecting the proper weapon to engage targets at long range, medium range, and close range should be considered. Remember, firearms are tools and that there are certain tools for certain tasks.

One last thing to consider is what is often referred to in the military as OPSEC or OPerational SECurity. Keeping a low profile now could possibly allow you to avoid a difficult situation in the future so use extreme discretion when discussing your emergency preparedness plans and supplies.

Until next time, stay safe and prep on. a

The Valley, May 2014

May Your Memory Be Eternal

Near the end of April, a few days after the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, Jeptha I. Yoder departed this life for the next. He will be missed

One of the first writers to join The Valley, Jeptha was a member of the Old Order Amish community. His daily activities were a living example of the paper’s mission statement – dedicated to agriculture, self-reliance, and frugal living. An avid gardener, seed saver, and a student of all that Nature teaches, Jeptha shared all he had learned, and anything that

he had grown, with everyone who wanted to add to their own knowledge and skills. Always with open hands and a ready smile. He will be missed.

I met Jeptha only once. No matter; we recognized one another as fellow workers of the earth, we spoke the same language. Actually, he spoke far better than most of us the language of the earth, of the seasons, of the cycle of life and death and life. For Jeptha was a poet, in the true sense of the word.

In his writing for yet another publication, “Wholesome Garden-

ing”, his words painted in brilliant strokes Nature’s delicate beauty, her rough truths and even her humorous moments. His articles pulled you into his world - where the rewards of hard work are a larder bursting with good things to feed and heal both body and soul, and the time to see the miracles that surround us everywhere.

Even more, he was able to remind us of the joy – the pure joy – that comes with simplicity, quiet and a willingness to embrace our place in the universe. What a marvelous gift to give to his readers. He will be missed.

This spring, as we begin the season’s work, turning the rich earth and planting with sure hope of the harvest to come, we will miss Jeptha. But even more, and more so as the years go by for us, we will remember, with joy and gratitude, a gentle man who knew the true richness of life and who walked humbly with his God.

“To the soul of your servant, departed this life, do You, O Lord, give rest in a place of light, in a place of green pasture, in a place of refreshing, where pain and sorrow and mourning are fled away.

May your memory be eternal.”

Amen. a

Destined to Become a Classic!

The Truth Has No Agenda

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The Valley, May 2014

6

Encouragement from the Book of Revelation

by Pastor J. C. Reese

Some people seem to be eternal optimists. No matter what bad happens they always find a way to see something good in it. Are they not living in reality or are they? I think those people are not seeing the world through rose colored glasses but through the eyes of God ! Paul wrote “All things work together for good to them that love God. . .” (Rom.8:28). He didn’t say “some things”, he said ALL ! The “woes” of Revelation are a bit frightful if you look at them with a limited scope but if you look a little deeper you can see something positive !

At this point in our articles on Revelation we have seen the first of three series of judgments called the Seal Judgments. Its important to know that these will be more global than what we have just been looking at in the next round known as the Trumpet Judgments. The Trumpet Judgments are more local (taking place mainly in and around Israel). In last month’s article we looked at trumpets one through four which depict the invasion of the “King of the North” on Israel. I am not a date setter but if the rapture were to occur soon, Putin would be after more than just the Ukraine !

Now we come to the final three trumpets and they are introduced in 8:13 thus: “Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth. . .”. As the fifth angels blows his trumpet the first woe commences with the falling of a “star” from heaven. It is clear

by John’s language that this is a person for the Bible says here “and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit” (9:1). This “star” is none other than Satan (who currently has access to heaven but here will be cast out) and he promptly opens the pit and once he does a great smoke arises out of it so much so that the skies are darkened and “locusts” jump out and infest the earth. These are not ordinary locusts but demonic hordes ascending from their subterranean prison to wreak havoc upon man and being allowed by God to do so for a period of five months. They will be driven to force men to take the mark of the beast or face intense pain and suffering should they refuse as is more described in 13:16-17. I have talked to many folks through the years and things such as bar codes, microchips, etc. come up here and those with any fear of God at all worry about this time.

Hate to Love, Die to Live The bible presents us with a lot of paradoxical teachings. A paradox by definition is a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Jesus used this type of teaching many times and if we don’t take the time to really look at the deeper messages behind these teachings we miss out on extremely life changing ideas.

Luke 14:26 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 says, “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

These are difficult scriptures to read and can be very troubling.

Hate our spouses, family, friends, self and everything we have? It’s

similar to the scripture that says in order to live we must die to ourselves. I have heard people say that Jesus did not literally mean hate but the greek word he used “miseo” actually meant none other than hate!

It’s important to take scriptures like these and compare them with Jesus over all teachings, concepts and doctrines. It’s also important to not pull one scripture out of the text of the Bible and the context it is used in to create doctrine. It’s obviously clear after a short scan over Jesus teachings that Jesus did not mean literally hate your family, friends, own self and everything you have in the sense that you should do harm to anyone or anything. The definition of hate is: to feel intense passionate dislike for someone. I was

They swear up and down they would never take this evil mark of the beast but when it comes to being able to buy and sell people will take this mark in droves !

There is only one way to avoid such a decision, make the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior now !! How encouraging that God has provided a means to not have to go through this future agony.

The second woe or trumpet number six unleashes four demons who have been bound in the Euphrates River. Angels are nowhere seen bound in the Bible but demons are (Jude 6; Rev.20) and here their diabolical mission is to lead in the killing of one third of mankind. Chapters ten and eleven are actually providing for us background to this trumpet as for example 10:6 means that God is permitting judgment upon an unbelieving world through means of this demonic oppression and that at this time there will be no more delay in dealing with the wicked of this old world. And in chapter 11 the Two Witnesses preach a message of salvation and judgment as Noah did prior to his world being judged. The AntiChrist will make war against them

and kill them but God will resurrect them before the world’s eyes (FOX News will have 24 coverage that day !) and the second woe will end. This reminds us that even when we go through the worst of days here there is always a ray of hope if we look for it and latch on to it ! Those who follow Christ will stand !!

The seventh trumpet or final woe will come just before the Second Coming of Jesus and will proclaim that the Kingdom of Christ is now about to begin as the trumpet judgments will now usher a Divine response in seven final judgments upon Satan and his kingdom. And with that seventh trumpet blast great excitement is recorded for us by John in heaven exulting in God’s victory over evil on this planet and the ushering in of a just and righteous kingdom of God upon the earth. The boom is about to be lowered on Satan and his minions. Fireworks in the State College area are spec-

tacular but the part everyone oohs and aahs over is the grand finale.

That is what the Bowl Judgments, the last set of judgments, will be. How exciting that even in judgment, God’s Word encourages us here in that all the bad guys are going down. That person who oppresses you with no fear of judgment will learn he has a reckoning and when you do right and it just doesn’t seem to pan out, it will !! You can bank on these things, God says so !!

Come join us Sunday at 10:45 a.m. as we dig into the Scriptures at the “log cabin church” a mile past Potters Mills on Rt.322 and just ten minutes from State College a

OBSERVATIONS . . . of an OLD MAN

We are living in divisive times, we are challenged daily to discern.

Do we understand the opposition’s perspectives?

POSITIVES Love Sharing/Caring Light Understanding Compassion Joy Good Trust

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God is: Love, Caring, Sharing

NEGATIVES Hate Greed/Selfish Darkness Judgment Cruelty Sadness Evil Fear Evil is: Fear, Greed, Hate

Albert Einstein: “ Peace cannot be found or kept by Force. It can only be achieved by Understanding”

Continued on page 11

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

Peter J. Moses

7

The Valley, May 2014 left leg to the left and jump from your right foot to the left, immediately bending into a half squat with your left leg as you sweep your right leg behind you. That’s 1 rep. Continue alternating legs to complete the set.

Heel Walk Targets: Glutes and shins Walk on your heels (toes off the ground), taking short, quick steps, while extending your arms and swinging them in opposition to your legs. Keep your body weight centered on the middle of your heel as you push off your heel with each step. Step first with your right foot, then your left, for 1 rep.

Single-Leg Step-Down Targets: Glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings Place your right foot on the edge of a curb or step, allowing your left leg to hang in the air. Pull your navel toward your spine and, keeping your chest lifted, bend your right hip and knee toward the curb or step, lower your left foot, and gently tap your left heel on

Strong, Stunning Legs As summer approaches we begin to think of all the fun-filled activities the summer season brings such as swimming, biking and hiking. It also reminds us that that we will need to pull out our swimsuit and shorts, and that can be intimidating because you may feel self conscious about your body.

Many women have a very negative body image and as the article below states, negative body image is one of the top reasons women avoid exercising in front of others. Curves fitness facility is specially designed for women and provides a caring, supportive environment to help you reach your fitness goals. Give Curves a call today and set up an appointment so we can help you get ready to enjoy all your summer activities!

Lou Ann Yoder

Owner, Curves Burnham 717-953-9101

Slip on your favorite summery shorts--with confidence!--and seize all the summertime fun you can handle --Selene Yeager

As summer begins there is plenty of time for hiking, biking, swimming, softball, and all varieties of fun in the sun. Like many women, however, there’s a good chance you find yourself sitting on the sidelines more than you’d like because you feel self conscious about your body. A recent survey of more than 1500 people found that a negative body image is one of the top reasons people with some weight to lose—especially women—avoid exercising in front of others.

Or maybe you feel awkward.

Feeling uncoordinated can be another big game ender, says Leigh Crews, a spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise: “Nobody likes to feel clumsy in front of others.”

Or maybe, like millions of Americans, you feel a little unattractive and awkward. Well, time to leave the lawn chair and join the fun! This month we provide four super-sculpting moves that target your major lower body movers, including all the key stability muscles in your legs and core. You’ll improve your strength and balance and feel fit to take on any outdoor opportunity that comes your way—and you’ll look

fabulous to boot!

Every Little Muscle Counts

First, rest assured that if you’re a little softer in the thighs and less sure on your feet than you once were, you’re not alone.

Somewhere around age 40, everyone starts losing muscle--a loss that, if you do nothing to stem it, accelerates as you age and picks

Katie Mitchell, Curves director of exercise and research. “The Curves strength machines are perfect for helping us build and maintain our strength in the muscles that help us maintain our balance. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it, so be sure to work hard on those machines!”

To raise your active outdoor fitness to an even higher level,

the ground or floor. Keeping your right heel firmly planted, return to the starting position. Repeat for half of the prescribed repetitions, then switch legs to complete the set.

Super X-Lunge Targets: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and core Stand with your feet together and arms raised in front of you at shoulder height, palms facing down. Imagine you are standing on a clock, facing 12. Step your right foot (toes pointed forward) to the 2 o’clock position and bend your knees, pressing your hips back until your right knee is aligned over your right toes. Your left heel should lift off the ground.

As you lunge, rotate your torso toward the right. Push off with your right foot, return to start, and repeat to the left. That’s 1 rep.

“Reprinted with permission from MyCurves magazine. For a free monthly subscription, go to www. curves.com/mycurves.” a

KICK START

WEIGHT LOSS IN JUST

up considerable steam in your later years.

You already know that losing lean muscle, especially in your legs, means you look less trim and toned in skirts and shorts. And obviously, less muscle leaves you weaker and less energetic. What you may not realize is that muscle loss can throw you off balance-literally--so it’s harder to feel on your game when you do want to play. “Balance requires that you have strength and stability from the core down, and that includes all the little muscles that support your hips, knees, and ankles,” says Crews.

Here’s some good news: Your Curves workout hits the major and minor muscle groups in your hips, legs, and glutes from every angle.

Using the Glute Machine, Hip Abductor/Adductor, Leg Extension/ Leg Curl, Leg Press, and Squat machines effectively strengthens and firms your inner and outer thighs, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip flexors. The Ab/ Back, Lateral Lift, and Oblique machines on the Circuit strengthen your core muscles.

“The ability to maintain our balance is a concern that grows larger and larger as we age,” says

however, try adding a few special moves that engage every last lower-body muscle, especially your stabilizers, even more. The following moves work the supporting muscles around your lower-body joints, especially the hips, knees, and ankles. Each exercise also adds a balance challenge to increase stability and zones in on your core to provide a rock-solid foundation.

If you want to give your balance an extra boost, add the following four moves to your next walk (or do them as a separate workout, if you prefer). Perform 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps of each exercise 3 days a week, perhaps at home on days when you can’t get to Curves—of course, it’s also fine to do them on Circuit days.

Speed Skater Targets: Glutes and quadriceps Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hands on hips. Shift weight onto your right leg, bending it about 45 degrees while sweeping your left leg diagonally behind you.

In one smooth motion, step onto your left leg, bending it about 45 degrees while sweeping your right leg diagonally behind you. For more of a challenge, sweep your

The Truth Has No Agenda

30 MINUTES

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*One time service fee charged at enrollment. Minimum 12-month recurring billing required. Offer applied to first month fee.

All fees vary by location. Valid for new members only. Not valid with any other offer. Jillian Michaels workouts scheduled by location and only offered at participating locations.

© 2014 Curves International, Inc. (1402)

*

The Valley, May 2014

8

Feeding the Beast

Without going into any of the gory details, I have to admit that the last few months have been a struggle for me and a test of my patience. Have you ever gone through those spells when life just seems harder than usual, and you find yourself at the end of your rope? I think that’s usually when smart people plan a vacation so they can crawl back up to the top of the rope. Well, I’ve been working my way down that rope for a few months now, and I think I’ve almost reached the end, but a vacation isn’t quite in the works yet. So what’s a person to do?

I found myself driving to work last Friday, frustrated with every single car in front of me, behind me, and beside me. That’s right, the car ahead of me was going to slow, the car behind me was following too close, and at a stop light, I looked over at the car next to me and I was resentful because I imagined that they had no where important to go and they were going to just go enjoy their day.

Yea, when you start imagining things like that, you realize you really should have planned that vacation YESTERDAY!

This sad story doesn’t end there either. I got to work, late as usual, and the minute my feet hit the pavement, I began reading my email on my phone as I walked from the parking lot to the building where I worked. That’s brilliant, right? Wrong! If you really want to be annoyed, read your email in the parking lot. So there I was, walking, but not watching where I was going, and tapping away replies to messages that I found particularly frustrating. Did I mention that a few weeks ago the little heel tap had fallen off of the bottom of one of my shoes, so to make matters worse, I was making a loud clapping noise as I walked through another building en route to my office. Ugghh, why hadn’t I taken the time to pound that heel thingamajob back onto my shoe three weeks ago?

I had the thing (it fell off in my office for crying out loud!), I just couldn’t be bothered to do it! And the frustration level builds—the rope is fraying. About then, my heel-tap-less shoe slips on the waxed floor and I almost take a digger, but...I saved it. Good lord, how am I going to get through this day? My attitude is shot and I haven’t even booted up my computer yet.

After airing my grievances to a few officemates, I settle down to business.

This is Friday after all, I can do this! The day goes without much incident, but by the end of the day, I realize I’m only slightly calmer than when I started. I leave the office about 5:15 and as I’m crossing Atherton Street, I notice that traffic is horrendous—bumper to bumper and moving at a snail’s pace. Oh yes, it’s the last day of classes at Penn State. Now I get it. As soon as I hit Atherton Street, I decided it was a good day to take the “back way” home because my frazzled nerves were never going to make it through the next 25 minutes until I reached beyond Boalsburg and faster moving traffic. It took me 15 minutes to get to Route 26, and from there I felt like a free woman. That is, until someone in a Ford Edge decided to ride my bumper all the way past Whipple’s Dam. At that point I stopped looking in my rear view mirror because I decided that I wasn’t going to let a person behind me dictate how fast I drove. I have no idea where they turned off.

Pizza was on the menu for dinner, so I called it in from the road, but when I arrived at the OIP, the whole parking lot was FULL! Did I mention that my rope was already frayed? I turned around in the little bit of space afforded and managed to find a space farther away from the restaurant. It was standing room only and I had to squeeze myself in the door. Thankfully, my

pizza was ready, and I squeezed myself back out the door as more people were gathering in the entrance (and blocking my exit).

Breathe!!! Ten more minutes and I’d be home and away from the madness. As I turned onto my street and then backed into my driveway, I quietly thought to myself, “Wow, I really don’t Don’t Feed think I can take any more people today.”

Ok, so am I alone on this?

Has anyone else felt this way, or is it just me? Am I the only one that lets everyday things just pile on until I feel like I’m ready to snap?

Once I was home, and I knew I was home for the weekend, I began to gain a lot of perspective.

Doesn’t that always happen when you are lounging on the couch and enjoying life?

My frustrations didn’t start because of other people... they started because of me. They started because I was late, and so I was looking for someone to blame.

Once you start to feed the beast, it grows and

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

grows until it gets so big it consumes you. Well, my beast was a BIG sucker by the end of that day!

So I thought about that beast most of the weekend. Here it is Sunday night and I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to starve the beast this coming week. First, I’m going to leave for work on time tomorrow (yea, that’s the Beast! the plan).

Then, maybe on the way home, I will stop at the Himalayan Salt Spa and treat myself to a relaxation session. Once I’m home, I’m going to try to break out of my regular “couch” routine and switch it up a bit so I’m more productive. Ok, that’s enough starvation for one day. How will I attack the beast throughout the week? Well, I don’t quite have that all figured out yet, but maybe it will come to me as I’m relaxing in the Salt Spa. It’s amazing how one little weekend can let you start the climb back up that rope!

“Getting stress out of your life takes more than prayer alone. You must take action to make changes and stop doing whatever is causing the stress. You can learn to calm down in the way you handle things.”

Joyce Meyer a

The Valley, May 2014 chance of survival you have.

Once inside, dampen the ears with cool (not cold) water, and call your vet for further instruction. Heat stroke is not something to mess with.

As long as you keep your rabbit in the shade, with access to nice cold water, something cool to lay on, and a fan to keep air circulating, you should be fine, but as I said, just keep a watchful eye on them, and you are set! Happy spring! a

Heat is one of the quickest killers in rabbits, Rabbits can overheat and get heatstroke in one afternoon. One day you have a perfectly healthy bunny, and the next, a dead one. Heat is not something to take lightly with these critters! I know, it’s still a little chilly, our stock tank was frozen over on Easter morning, but trust me, the heat is heading our way!

The number one thing to do is to avoid heatstroke all together. If your rabbits are housed outside, be sure to take all precautions you can to keep your bunnies cool.

Here are a few things you can do, to keep your bunnies happy!

Keep the hutch out of direct sunlight: I realize this is not always possible, I mean come on, it’s outside, it’s going to have sun on it. And some sunlight is fine, but if possible, keep the hutch under a tree, or against a building so that when the sun is at its worst, the bunnies are in the shade. You can also help the situation by giving your rabbit a box to hide in to get out of the sun (If your hutch does not already have one built in.). The ideal box would be a square wooden box (cardboard will work just as well, but the bunny may chew on it. Again, that’s fine, you may just need to replace it a few times.) that is big enough for your rabbit to comfortably sit and turn around in. It should have an entry hole and an exit hole. Rabbits, being prey animals, will feel much safer if they have an escape route if something tries to come in the entry. Also make sure the box has a roof, to keep the sunlight out.

Keep air circulating: Even if your rabbit is in a shed, this is a good idea. Keep a fan blowing on the cage (Not so hard it blows the rabbit away, obviously.) so that cool air is constantly moving through the cage. You can buy cheap little office desk fans that should do fine for most of the time, unless it gets into the 90s or above. If it is 90 or above, I recommend you bring your rabbit

in anyway, but more on that later.

Give your bunny something cool to lay on: A lot of people freeze water in water bottles and give them to the bunnies to lay against when it gets hot out and this works very well, I personally like to use tiles for my rabbits, just 12” X 12” tiles, when put in the freezer over night, will give bunnies something cool to lay on for a few hours. They do not last as long as a water bottle, but I like them better, since the rabbit can actually lay on it, instead of just against it. Besides, you can stack 4-5 tiles up in the freezer, and it will still not take up a lot of space, so then you can just switch the tiles out every hour or so.

Make sure your rabbits have cool water ALL the time: Now more than ever it is imperative for rabbits to have fresh, cool water 24/7. They can dehydrate very quickly, and once they dehydrate, you are in trouble. Check rabbits water 2-3 times a day, and refill often with nice cool water.

If you can, even put ice cubes in the water, the bunnies love to lick them, and it will keep the water cooler longer. Sometimes I freeze the bunnies favorite treats into ice cubes, then give them as treats to keep the rabbits drinking.

Be watchful: We can try to prevent the bunnies from getting too hot all we want to, but we still have to be careful to watch them for any signs of distress. If you notice that your rabbit is flopped out, panting with its mouth open, it’ hot. Take a spray bottle of cool water and gently spray the rabbits ears. The ears are how rabbits cool themselves, since they cannot sweat. (Hence why breeds that originated in Africa, like the English Lop, have such huge ears.). If you notice that your rabbit is lethargic (they will be a little bit because of the heat, but if it gets bad, that is a sign of heat stroke) or if your bunny is tossing its head back while panting with an open mouth, GET IT INSIDE. Heat stroke can kill fast, so the sooner you catch it, the better

The Truth Has No Agenda

9 Providing shade is a VERY important thing to consider with the approach of warmer weather— heat can kill, FAST!

The Valley, May 2014

10

Meet Turk

I own two horses, Crockett and Goose. I like horses that can be good for all around use. I feel that each horse must be able to “earn their keep,” although none of them actually “earn” that much.

Both of my horses do serve many purposes. They are trail horses, team roping horses, barrel horses,

Turk

pleasure horses, and some days they are my therapists. I also have Dynamite Donkey. I bought him for team roping practice, and I still do use him for that. Other than that, his purpose is mostly to entertain…and some days all he does is annoy. This summer, I have the dilemma of what to

Learning to cross the bridge

do with Dynamite when all the horses leave at the same time for an event?

It probably would have been easier to just sell the donkey, but what do I do? I buy Dynamite a friend. Meet Wild Turkey, aka Turk. When I first saw him in the trailer, I thought he looked a little wild. I thought since I already had

a Goose, it would be neat to have a Turkey.

So he was named Wild Turkey.

He came from Fisher’s Sale Barn.

He is a 13 hand, 6 yr. old pinto pony.

And he is far from wild. He wasn’t very well trained, but is a sweetheart and very quiet. Other than just being Dynamite’s babysitter, Turk has become my summer project pony. My goal for Turk is to get him broke to be one of those great all around ponies, and to find him a kid in the future.

So far Turk has learned to move more freely forward. He has learned to step over many obstacles. I am anxious for some nice sunny days and a little less mud so I can see what this pony can do. Hopefully he will be

Making a calm easy trot

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

chasing cows soon and maybe getting to go to a horse show.

And if you have a kid that would like a good broke pony, look me up in a few months.

However, then I will be looking for another babysitter for Dynamite, so maybe I will just end up keeping Turk. Stay tuned. a

11

The Valley, May 2014

Out of respect for our Amish writers, their columns will only appear in our print edition.

Hate to Love, Die to Live from page 6 not there when Jesus was sharing these thoughts so I’m not positive of anything, but I believe Jesus, while on earth, was an extremely passionate man. I believe he was trying desperately to get something very important across to the original listeners and to us. He said at the end of Luke, Chapter 14 “he that hath ears let him hear.” Again, a strange statement, because of course, every person there had ears.

I believe Jesus was saying for the people who really want to get this, it will take a bit of thinking to figure it out ,but when you do, how blessed you will be. Like this passage in Luke, there are also other paradoxical passages that talk of dying in order to live.

Dying and hating are both very strong words. And in both of these cases neither can be taken literally, not in the physical sense.

Jesus did not want someone to kill themselves in order to follow

him, nor would he ever want us to literally hate someone. It’s just not possible that he meant that. The bible is a collection of sacred, God inspired texts that are addressing the spiritual side of our existence. Yes, it gives physical human history, human experiences and even day-to-day advice, but this entire incredible book is a deep spiritually focused guide book. Therefore, not everything in it can always be taken literally in the physical sense.

I think when Jesus uses strong words in passages like these, we need to use our spiritual ears to hear what he is saying and maybe be alerted to the fact that this is something very important because Jesus is using the strongest language he can.

The opposite of hate, the passionate dislike of someone, is love, a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection for another. So in these passages, I think Jesus is challenging us saying, do not love yourself, your family, your friends or your stuff

more than me. If any of life’s physical things come before our relationship with Christ, with God our creator, then we are not truly following him with our hearts, minds and souls as he has asked.

He asks this of us not because he is narcissistic, but because HE knows that out-of-balance love of all these things ends up causing us grief and pain and disappointment. Anytime any one of the things Jesus referred to become our main focus, Jesus is no longer first. If we get caught up in our all our human drama in our human relationships, we can find ourselves sinking in the quicksand of selfish desires. We are too busy worrying about how our husbands, wives, family or friends are treating us, or worrying unnecessarily about our children or making them our top priority, that we have no time left to be still and know God. We can become so focused on making more money and having more things, that our passions shift from Jesus to things.

Jesus wants our attention to be on

The Truth Has No Agenda

Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Centre County Announce Plant Sale!

The Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Centre County are hosting their annual Garden Fair and Plant Sale on May 17, 2014 from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM at Ag Progress Days Site (at Entrance “K”) 2710 West Pine Grove Road, Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa..

The Garden Fair will feature many vendor booths, exhibits and demonstrations, gardening talks and a rain barrel workshop. The Plant Sale will consist of thousands of potted plants and feature native and pollinator plants, and include perennials, annuals, herbs, houseplants, and vegetables! Vendors will also be selling trees, shrubs and organic vegetable plants in addition to many garden related items!

Breakfast and lunch items will be available.

Parking and admission are free.

Please visit our website for more information: extension.psu.edu/garden-fair him, because it is only through him that we can find true balance and peace. He knew if we loved any of the things he mentioned in an unbalanced, unhealthy way, they had the potential to take us from him and his plan of redemption for this world. We can only properly love others when God is first in our lives and we are filled with his passionate love!

Jesus may well have been saying, keep proper perspective, don’t become so “in love” with these other things that you are not

able to love me. Jesus died and rose again to restore the broken relationship we had with God. He took care of the sin problem that would keep us from heaven and the root of most sin seems to be self, so when Jesus says die to yourself, hate anything that could pull you from me, He says it because of how very much he loves us. He went through hell so we wouldn’t have to. So we “hate” and “die” to sin in order to “live” and “love” for Jesus. a

The Valley, May 2014

12

3 Ways To Restore Joy

How does a fairytale romance end up as a source of confusion and unhappiness? Is there anything you can do to preserve that special feeling you had for one another at the beginning? Can those feelings be revived?

I hear these questions so often from couples struggling with increased stress on their relationship. Maybe you feel the same way.

Look at the reasons why a good relationship can become negative, and what you can do to prevent or reverse that sad trend.

There are three ways you look at your life that can be adjusted to bring back the joy you used to share.

Focus, Filters, and Priorities

Our individual perception and attitude color how we view the world. Our version of reality is based on what we focus on, how we filter the information, and the way we set our priorities. These three factors also determine how we respond to the world around us and how we interact in our closest relationships. Your partner is the most likely to see your “true colors.” Do you like what you see?

Adjust Your Settings to Joy 1. Adjusting your focus. When your relationship was new, you focused on all your partner’s amazing qualities. No matter what the rest of the world doled out, you never let it put a damper on the wonderful time you spent together. You focused on one

another in a loving, joyous way.

Do you still focus on your partner’s good points or has your attention drifted to faults and shortcomings? Do you still give one another undivided attention and admiration? Or has the stress of everyday life cast a gray shadow on the way you interact?

Focus is the most powerful way to adjust your impression of reality.

Suggested solution: Make a conscious, consistent effort to recapture the kind of focus you had when you first fell in love.

Turn your attention back to those amazing qualities, and let go of anything that doesn’t feed your sense of joy and appreciation. By focusing on the positive perception of your partner, your partner may also respond to in a kinder, more appreciative way.

Relationships are based on cause

and effect. If you change the cause, the effect will change.

2.

Adjust Your Filters. When you and your partner first got to know one another, did you find those little idiosyncrasies irritating or entertaining?

Did you see unique personality traits as refreshing or in need of change? The way you view your partner has always been your choice. You can choose which filter you use – murky gray or shiny bright.

When you look through a critical or judgmental filter, you see the bad things. When you look through a joyful, grateful filter, you find more and more reasons to appreciate your partner’s unique attributes. By using a positive filter, based on love and appreciation, you can filter out many of the annoyances that rob you of the joy you both deserve.

Suggested solution: Think of a positive time in your relationship.

Combine a positive focus with a positive attitude and you’ll start a chain reaction of joy and satisfaction. No matter what happens in other parts of your lives, make an effort to greet your partner with love and appreciation.

3. Adjust Your Priorities. When

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

your relationship was a priority, you shared a wonderful tingly feeling of love and joy. Has your relationship been bumped out of first place – substituted with cares, worries, faults, and stress? This is not about how you divide your time, it’s about what’s most important to you. Many of us spend more time working than interacting with loved ones. Which owns your heart now?

Make your relationship a top priority. Give time to your partner and don’t allow other parts of your life squeeze out the joy. Do it because you want to rediscover the joy of being together, working as a loving team. Your heart will return to your relationship.

Suggested solution: How have your priorities changed? Be honest with yourself. Have you swung your attention away from the relationship and given it to things less worthy? Ask your sweetheart. Figure out what steps you can take to put your relationship back in the number-one priority spot. When you put your relationship first, you’ll share life together again – interacting with renewed joy.

Go Make it Happen!

Use positive filters, focus,

Continued on page 20

The Valley, May 2014

Time Banks Build Community

Time Banks are a great way to build community. We wanted to inform everyone about a great dollar-saving and communitybuilding program that is now available to county residents.

Mifflin County PA Strong is a community exchange network or “Time Bank” that enables members to exchange skills, talents and services using gifts of time as currency instead of money. For every hour that someone invests helping a member or participating in a community exchange network program, they put an hour in their “time account.” They can then spend that hour on any service offered by any other member of the network.

Everyone’s time is valued equally; an hour’s time provided by a lawyer, plumber, electrician, landscaper, housecleaner, hair stylist, therapy dog handler, baby sitter, or someone that can

simply spend time to help someone else, is banked as an hour.

A proprietary computer program is used to post members needs and the skills they are willing to provide to community members, and to keep track of everyone’s time/hour credits.

The more members, the greater the pool of services available to everyone. To see how a time bank works, check out the Time Banking segment on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer that aired Jan 15th https://www.youtube.com/ watch?feature=player_

embedded&v=y-HFfHCCkrI

As part of a Rutgers University project, community exchange networks (named similarly with the county state and the word strong) have recently been launched in every county in NJ, NY and PA. Consider joining (it’s free) then spread the word! Community exchange networks or “time banks”, such as this one, have enormous potential if they’re utilized by the members of the community. Questions? Email countystatestrong@ gmail.com or call (610) 847-2411 Julie M. Fagan, Ph.D. Associate Professor Daniel Murphy ’14 School of Environmental and Biological Science Rutgers University a

The Truth Has No Agenda

13

The Valley, May 2014

14 Poor Wills Valley Almanack from page 19 Strawberry Rains, the wettest time of May in the lower Midwest and the Mid Atlantic states.

May 15: Today is a good target date for having fields planted in order to avoid a serious delay in seeding (as well as to take advantage of moisture for seed sprouting).

May 16: Cutworms begin to attack many field and garden crops.

Weevils build up in alfalfa. Flea beetles are in the corn. Bagworms and powdery mildew can be attacking the wheat.

May 17: Now blueberries are flowering along the Canadian, and the zucchini harvest starts in the South.

May 18: Half of the area’s field corn has usually emerged by this date. In the garden, remove seed pods from daffodils and tulips.

May 19: Just as all the corn gets planted, the armyworms and corn borers go to work. They appear in fields throughout the country this month.

May 20: Haying ordinarily has begun throughout the southern counties of the region.

May 21: Use the waning moon for hunting insects in your crops.

May 22: The major commercial planting time for cantaloupes and cucumbers has begun. Home gardeners plant their own cucumbers and cantaloupes, too.

May 23: Most of the commercial potatoes and processing tomatoes have been planted by this date – and all tomatoes for home use should be in the ground, as well.

May 24: The first zucchini ripens and elderberries start to bloom.

If you don’t have your zucchini seeds in the ground, plant them as the dark moon gets ready to be new.

May 25: The waning moon is recommended for worming and spraying livestock for external parasites.

May 26: Poison ivy and early thistles bloom. Catch the poison ivy now before it spreads; dig the thistles before they go to seed.

May 27: Sunburn time spreads toward the Canadian border throughout the month, and sunburn is sometimes caused by more than just over exposure. Some goatherds believe that when goats browse lush clover or buckwheat their susceptibility to reacting to sunlight increases. Horses get sunburn, too – especially those with white faces. And, of course, keep your children from eating all that clover and buckwheat!

May 28: Gather cherries, mulberries, and black raspberries. Ferti-

lize asparagus and rhubarb as their seasons end. Side dress the corn.

May 29: As heat builds up in the hen house, gather eggs frequently to reduce spoilage. Give your horse a shower if it is sweating a lot in the heat. Consider installing water misters for your hogs.

May 30: A tetanus antitoxin can help guard your goats against infections from summer cuts on udders, feet and legs caused by plants as well as by sharp objects in grazing areas. Heat can contributed to split hooves in your horses. Check their feet regularly throughout the summer. And be sure a salt block is available for them.

May 31: Winter wheat is golden in the South, deep green in the Valley. Blueberries are setting fruit in the Northeast, maybe a few on your land. In Southern gardens, squash bugs and Japanese beetles are out in force and will soon run over Pennsylvania.

Almanack Classics At the Full of the Moon

By Fanny Lindsey, Willard Ohio

This story is real. My daughter, Lisa, lives in North Carolina.

She called me one day and said, “Mom, there is a guy who wants to meet you.”

Well, my husband had passed away on February 1, 1999. My daughter wanted me to be happy, so I told her I would go down there to visit, and when I got there, my daughter talked and talked and didn’t go to bed until 3:00 a.m.

Well, lo and behold at 7:00 a.m., there was a big knock at the door. O boy, I was mad, having to get up so early!

Well, everyone got up, and there was that “guy” with a big smile on his face. He stayed all day, but the time went by so fast.

Then it was dark. I cooked supper, and he ate with us.

Then I walked by him, and he pulled me over and kissed me.

Boy, was I shocked.

Then later he asked me outside, and we looked up at the full moon. Then he kissed me again.

The next morning, I left for home.

Then a week later, here he comes, and we’ve been together ever since.

And every full moon, he says “Come on out,” and he kisses me again.

Everyone laughs about this, but love works in many ways. ***

Spring is for love stories!

Send your unusual romantic tales to Poor Will, P.O. 431, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. Three dollars

paid for the purchase of any story printed in this column!

“We Cranked and Cranked!”

By Clarence Dinnen, Jamestown, Ohio

I was ten years old when the war began for the United States, December 7, 1941. During the war years, many things were rationed, including tires and rubber boots, gasoline, and a variety of foods. By living on the farm, we had plenty of meat, milk, eggs, cream, and lard to cook with.

It was a cold January day, a Sunday afternoon, probably in 1943. My dad and I decided we would make a freezer of ice cream. My mom said she would make the ice cream mix if we did the rest. She cooked the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla and let it cool.

Dad and I broke some ice from the stock tank at the barn and crushed it in a burlap sack.

We carried the ice to the house.

We filled the freezer can with the ice cream mix, added the ice, layered with salt and started to crank.

We cranked and cranked and cranked. Then we cranked some more. But the ice cream did not freeze. Finally I tasted the ice. It was sweet! We had used all of a

brown bag we thought was salt. It was our sugar – all of our rationed supply!

Well, we had no more sugar.

We used corn syrup and some honey for our sweetener for the next several weeks. Over the years, when we recalled this episode, we would laugh and make fun of ourselves and remember our rationed sugar. *** Any season is right for memory stories. Send yours to Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. Three dollars will be paid to any author whose story appears in this column. *** Poor Will’s Sckrambler Only one person solved the April Sckrambler. But a prize was promised to the the 4th , the 12th, the 20th, the 40th or 99th person to return your correct Sckrambler solutions by my deadline. That means if you go back and find your April The Valley, you have a 25% chance of winning.

And, for May, if you are the 4th , the 12th, the 20th, the 40th or 99th person to return your correct Sckrambler solutions by my deadline, you will win $5.00. There should be no typos in this puzzle, and no typo prize will be awarded. If you happen to find a typo, however,

LOCAL MASTER GARDENERS OFFER COMPOSTING CLASS

Composting, a popular program presented by the Juniata Valley Master Gardeners, will be offered at the local organization’s annual plant sale on May 17. Participants will learn to turn kitchen and lawn waste into a rich organic soil supplement. The free compost bins given to participants who complete the class are in short supply and this may be the last opportunity to obtain one.

Held in the Woodlawn parking lot, across from the Mifflin County library, the plant sale will begin at 8:00 and end at 12:00.

The composting class will be held at 10:00 am.

New to this year’s plant sale are pollinator boxes containing pollinator friendly plants and

directions for planting a certified pollinator garden. Dish gardens will also be offered for sale for the first time.

In addition, there will be a demonstration of “Living Art”. A variety of succulent plants will be used to create an attractive, living wall decoration.

Most of all, those attending the plant sale can choose from a large variety of perennials, annuals, herbs, and vegetables, just in time for spring planting!

The Juniata Valley Master Gardeners is a program of Penn State extension. For more information on the organization or the annual plant sale, contact Darryl Dressler, coordinator, at 4367744. a

Next Issue Of The Valley

June 4th

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

you may simply skip that word without penalty.

UENTAR RVOEL

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RMULPBE

CANIITELERC

VTIIAANNERRE

TRSICNTUOR

TOCNATNCUA

EELRGAN CCORTATRON HDNFDILEA

MSHAREDN

LDAMIMKI

EAESTT GARMEAN

NCIMHECA

PTUPORNOSTI

MSOITIPT

HLSIOPHPERO a

All Of Your Kids Belong To US from page 3 Criterion-Reference Competency Test (CRCT) given to their children, just like we can do with our PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment), were met at the doors of the school by armed police informing them they were trespassing because they opposed the school’s process of testing all of the children. The sole purpose of these tests is to gain funding for the school’s education program through the Federal government.

I urge all parents to watch your children closely and start teaching your children history.

Teach them that the government is the servant of the people, not the master. Tell them a good citizen is a person who takes care of themselves and does not report friends and family because it disagrees with government. Doctors are for healing ailments, not knowing what your family does.

Schools are for teaching math, science, language arts, and history. Otherwise we are doomed to repeat the history we have seen happen in the Revolutionary War, World War I, and World War II. a

15

The Valley, May 2014

VSO is Relocating Coming to a Reedsville near you! That’s right VSO will be relocating to Reedsville this month. Let me start at the beginning. In January 2011, Valley Sports N Outdoors was formed.

VSO was located at my residence in Maitland. I focused on growing the business with very little inventory. VSO placed orders for archery customers and certain ball

organizations. We were very small to start, but we were growing as the year went on. In the fall of 2011, we decided to start looking for a store front. We new it was a big step and we needed to get something affordable. In January of 2012 we moved into the 1400 square foot building that we are in to this day, which is located on Glenlew Drive, behind Kish Vet.

It was a excellent starter location.

2012 and 2013 were tremendous growing years with new faces walking through the doors everyday. Inventory was expanding with a new Bear Archery bow line, new archery dealers like Extreme, Trophy Ridge, Rocket broad heads; clothing lines like Under Armor, Moon Shine and WSI; fly fishing equipment like Redington, Rio and Allen, baseball and softball equipment from Wilson, Demarini, Rawlings,

The new location behind Dutch Country Inn provides us with the square footage to offer a complete experience for the lover of everything outdoors

Plain Talk

Solar Explained

by Steven Yoder

Hello to all neighbors of The Valley. Already in the month of May 2014—hard to believe. Hope this finds you all on a beautiful spring day. My subject this month is about choosing batteries and how to monitor solar systems.

There are many kinds of batteries on the market. To name a few are A.G.M. cell, Flooded lead acid including tubular cell and R.E. or Renewable Energy batteries in many brands. Typical battery life varies a lot depending on kind and cell design. Discover’ tubular cell battery is becoming a best choice because of longer life.

Typical R.E. batteries are rated between 1500/1600 cycles, while Discover tubular cell batteries are rated above 2000 cycles. Also

the Discover includes signs and glasses for water level monitoring, making maintenance easier than ever and quicker checking of water level instantly by sight rather than opening each cell to check if water is needed. Traditional batteries require you to open individual caps to check levels.

Monitoring your battery bank is simple. Most controllers include date log features. When using inverter/chargers, there is montioring equipment available for the Magnum inverter/charger.

The Mag Web Montitoring kit or the low cost ethernet version is available by special order from the factory. You can add additional mates to the set and control your whole system. Also, don’t

forget the Magnum and Outback battery bank monitors, which act as a fuel gauge for your battery bank.

We are currently selling most Magnum inverter/chargers at 20%

and Worth; kayaks by Emotion; and camping accessories. Eventually we started running out of room at the Glenlew location. Another search began in the fall of 2013, but this time we wanted a building that would accommodate a batting cage and a video shoot. After looking at many locations, we found the space behind the Dutch Country Inn in Reedsville at the 322/655 exit. We couldn’t have found a better location. It has easy on and easy off the highway, great visibility, lots of traffic and plenty of growing businesses in the area.

I’m looking forward to the move.

In the new location, VSO will offer some new things for our customers. Some of the new things will be an indoor Video Range, The range will allow us to offer a place for customers to shoot during the winter months. The range will also allow us at VSO to provide one-on-one or group archery instruction for beginners and advanced that just want to step up their game. It will also be a place to properly tune bows and to let people shoot in the bow that they bought in the cold months.

VSO will also be adding an indoor batting cage. VSO teamed up with Demarini and became your area’s off list prices. Special orders on all Magnum inverters/chargers and accessories usually take less than two weeks and often only a few days for items to arrive.

To see more, stop by and grab some literature, and check these quality built inverters/chargers out at low prices.

Thank you for your time looking this over. a

Solar is not that much of a mystery, stop out to our shop and let us help demystify solar power for you. We can help you design a system to meet your needs and future expansion.

The Truth Has No Agenda

very own Demo House. There are only three Demo Houses so far in the state of PA, and we are one of them. The batting cage will also allow people to come in and take their swings, work on their pitching, and receive some one-on-one hitting and pitching instruction as well. The batting cage can also be used for local teams to have practice throughout the winter.

VSO will also be holding clinics, seminars and contests in the new building. VSO will be able to expand our inventory with the 4000 square foot facility, and we will be able to set up ground blinds and tree stands so you can see the products first hand. At the new facility we are going to expand our hours starting at 10 am and ending at 8 pm Tuesday through Thursday, 10am to 9pm on Friday and 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday. We will be closed Sunday and Monday. As you can see, we at VSO are very excited about our new adventure, making new friends, and giving the community a sporting goods store that thrives on customer service, great prices, and an at-home, friendly atmosphere that you all deserve. Keep your eye out for us to open soon behind The Dutch Country Inn at the Belleville/ Reedsville exit off route 322/655.

Visit VSO for all your Sports n Outdoor needs in one place. See ya soon!!!! a

The Valley, May 2014

16

What’s All The Buzz About Essential Oils?

by Leah Hutchinson

Healthcare in today’s economy is not easy to come by for all Americans. In a study conducted by the Commonwealth fund in 2012, 41 percent of adults (2 of 5 adults, or an estimate of 75 million people) reported that they had a difficult time paying their bills, even with health insurance,

and had been turned into collection agencies or had to change their way of life to afford payment of their medical bills. The truth is, even as a developed and prosperous society, we are still torn between affordability and being healthy. Are you literally sick of this? A microscopic virus can have you down for days and some like me, can’t afford to miss

the paycheck we rely upon, taking care of family, running errands, and accomplishing daily needs.

Sometimes our trip to the doctor gets expensive with co-payments and antibiotics, and we can’t forget the price of gas. This is a problem. The amazing news is that there is something that Americans can utilize that could help diminish the problems we

face with our health. doTERRA Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils are a gift from the earth for our health. Essential oils come from a plant’s natural medicine and fight against bacteria, viruses, and diseases that attack the cells. One drop contains hundreds of unique compounds offering powerful chemistry for fighting many different issues we face every day. The fascinating part: naturally our bodies work with the oils and they work on our behalf just as they would for the plants immunity. They not only support our bodies systems, but get to the cellular level of the problem, which helps our bodies balance and heal. If we provide our body with the tools it needs, it will in turn heal itself. Our bodies regenerate new red blood cells every 4 months; furthermore our entire body regenerates itself in 7-10 years! While that process of regeneration is not quite as effective as we age, our brilliant bodies are amazing and have the ability to heal! Prevention is the key, and essential oils are an impressive support to our body!

Many essential oils have powerful cleansing properties and are naturally antimicrobial. We have found them to be safer, cheaper, and more effective than modern medicine. doTERRA Essential

“Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

Oils have no additives, fillers, or synthetic chemicals, so there are no side effects. These are natural solutions that have countless uses including pain relief, reducing inflammation, elevating moods, supporting our body through allergy season, restoring cells, and the list goes on. doTERRA offers so much it’s hard to contain the excitement of sharing! I learned about doTERRA Essential Oils from two of my friends Jen Kruba and Jeff Frey. Jen Kruba told me her story on how she uses these incredible oils! Her story was intriguing to me and I wanted to share it with you. Here is just a little background on Jen Kruba.

“First and foremost. I am a mother of 3 beautiful children.

I am also a Licensed Massage Therapist and Wellness Advocate.

I have used essential oils for over 15 years. I am unique in the ways I have raised my children. After birthing my son in a traditional hospital environment, I decided I didn’t want to do that again and chose to homebirth my next two children. My children have also had chiropractic adjustments from the moment they were born.

I didn’t want to rely on modern medicine for my children, so I looked into alternative medicine.

Continued on page 29

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The Valley, May 2014

Standing Firm

The ground is beginning to seriously shake beneath us. This month I’d like us to consider a compilation of quotes as we contemplate our current world situation. From Crimea to the Middle East to Nevada, life looks more interesting than it ever has before.

Alexander Tyler, the 18th century historian and jurist wrote:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy

followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.” (emphasis added)

George Washington in his farewell address stated:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute

of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?

And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.

Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

Abraham Lincoln said:

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

With regard to standing firm, Paul the Apostle in Ephesians challenges us as follows:

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

And from Philippians he goes on to say:

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humil-

ity of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Finally, from King Arthur in the movie First Knight:

“May God grant us the wisdom to discover right, the will to choose it, and the strength to make it endure.”

That also is my prayer for us as people today.

C. Mark Ostrowski, MSFS, is the Founder and President of The Stewardship Group in Belleville.

His articles ponder various contemporary topics evaluating them from a political, economic and scriptural point of view. a

MEAT. WILSON’S MEATS AND GROCERIES

Fresh Meats, Full Line of Groceries, and Produce

Open 7 Days! 7am - 9pm

The Truth Has No Agenda

A hometown grocer you can trust.

The Valley, May 2014

18

Poor Will’s Valley Almanack for Late Spring of 2014

by W. L. Felker

We looked far across the valley, to the green fields and the green of woodlands and the shadow of valleys. The air vibrated with birdsong, which is the great rhythm made palpable to the ear. All the senses tingled, alive with the season as the world itself is alive. Nothing was impossible.

High achievement was all around us, beating on every one of our senses for recognition.

--Hal Borland The Sun

On May 21st, the sun enters Gemini; it enters the middle summer sign of Cancer on June 21, summer solstice day, at 6:51 a.m.

EDT. Between June 19 and 23, the sun remains at its solstice declination of 23 degrees 26 minutes, and the day’s length remains virtually unchanged everywhere in North America.

The Planets Venus keeps its position as the morning star throughout May and June. Mars and Jupiter are evening stars in the west throughout the period. Saturn is visible at night along the center of the southern horizon The Shooting Stars

The Eta Aquarids are active on May 5 and 6. Find them after midnight in Aquarius above the southeastern horizon. The dark moon should favor meteor viewing, and the early morning of May 5 should produce the most meteors.

The Stars The Summer Triangle is the stellar gauge of summer. It is a parallel marker to Orion that clocks the unfolding of the leaves and flowers. Accompanied by the opposite

end of the Milky Way, it appears on the evenings of May. Its triple constellations, Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila, contain three prominent capstone stars, Vega, Deneb and Altair, which form a giant triangle.

When all these stars come up after dark, the canopy of leaves is almost complete. Mock orange and peonies and iris blossom in the gardens, morning birdsong swells, strawberries ripen, sweet clover is open by the roadsides, and goslings enter adolescence.

When Vega, Deneb and Altair are positioned overhead at midnight, then the birds are quiet, ragweed pollen is in the air, blackberries are sweet, hickory nuts and black walnuts are falling, katydids and cicadas and late crickets are singing, rose of Sharon colors the garden.

When leaves are turning throughout the nation and the last wildflowers have completed their cycles, then Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila set in the west after sundown, leading the Milky Way through Cassiopeia and Perseus, dividing the heavens into equal halves, for an instant holding in balance summer and winter, linking the Summer Triangle with Orion rising again in the east.

Holidays for Homesteaders May 26, 2014: Memorial Day: Have your lamb, chevon and early vegetables at local markets for Memorial Day cookouts and picnics.

Peak Activity Times for Livestock, Fish and Wild Game Fish, game, livestock and people tend to feed more and are more active as the barometer is falling one to three days before the weather systems that arrive near the following dates, dates on which cold fronts normally cross the Mississippi River: May 2, 7, 12, 15, 21, 24 & 29. Seek food and offer food at midday when the moon is new, in the afternoon and evening when the moon is in

its first quarter, at night when the moon is full and in its third quarter, in the morning when the moon is in its fourth quarter.

MAY – WEEK 1 The Second Week of Late Spring Lunar Phase And Lore

The Forsythia Moon, having brought all the forsythia hedges into flower, becomes the new Tulip Moon on April 29 at 1:14 a.m., then it waxes throughout the first half of May, reaching its second quarter at 10:15 p.m. on the 6th. Rising in the morning and setting in the evening, this moon moves overhead (its best position for angling – but worst for dieting ) in the afternoon.

Lunar position in Taurus during the last two days of April and in Cancer between May 3 and 5 are recommended for all your summer planting. The waxing moon (in the first two weeks of both May and June this year) is especially good for the seeding and setting out of all flowers and vegetables that will bear their fruit above the ground. The waxing moon is also fine for the harvest of spring vegetables.

Since the moon may exert less influence on ocean tides and on human and animal behavior when it comes into its 2nd and 4th quarters, it might make more sense to perform routine maintenance on your livestock and pets today or about May 21. Lunar apogee on May 6 – the same day as the moon comes into its second quarter – will provide superb conditions for long talks with friends and family, and for working with livestock and pets.

Weather Trends Cool fronts are due to cross the Mississippi on or about May 2, 7, 12, 15, 21, 24, and 29. Full moon on May 14 and new moon on May 28 could contribute to unseasonable cold and to unstable meteorological conditions. Lunar perigee (when the moon is closest

to earth) on May 18 is likely to strengthen the effect of the full moon and intensify the likelihood of bad weather. Tornadoes, floods or prolonged periods of soggy pasture are most likely to occur within the following windows: May 3 – 12 and May 17 – 24.

MAY – WEEK 2 The Second Week of Late Spring Lunar Phase And Lore

The Tulip Moon, entering its second quarter at 10:15 p.m. on May 6, continues to wax throughout the week, becoming completely full at 2:16 p.m. on May 14. Rising in the afternoon and setting after midnight, this moon moves overhead (its most potent position of angling – and for bringing tulips into bloom) early in the night. Lunar position in Cancer on the 4th and 5th could be best for planting; however, the waxing moon favors completion of all field and garden planting through the end of the period.

Weather Trends Normal temperatures continue to rise at the rate of one degree every three days this month. Average highs move from the upper 60s on the first of May to the upper 70s by the beginning of June. Lows climb from the middle 40s to the middle 50s. The mean temperature for the month in this region is a little over about 60 degrees, and it reflects conditions generally throughout the lower Midwest.

Distribution of high temperatures in May is normally five days in the 80s, fifteen days in the 70s, seven days in the 60s, and four days in the 50s.

MAY – WEEK 3 The Third Week of Late Spring Lunar Phase And Lore

The Tulip Moon, rising in the evening and setting in the morning, moves overhead in the middle of the night and becomes completely full on May 14 at 2:16 p.m. On May 18, the moon is at

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perigee, its position closest to earth. Lunar phase and position will keep tides (both in the ocean and in humans) high this week.

Expect increased activity and irritability in people, pets and livestock. Fishing between 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., however, should be enhanced by the powerful moon.

Lunar passage through Scorpio between May 12 and 14 and through Capricorn between May 17 and 19 will favor all spring plantings, especially root crops, shrubs and trees. Heightened metabolic rate of seeds started close to the full of the moon may accelerate spouting.

Weather Trends

In an average year, May is often the second wettest month, and rainfall is ordinarily greatest as strawberries begin to set fruit. The soggiest May days, those with at least a 45 percent chance for precipitation, are the 12th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 25th, 26th, and 27th; wettest of all, with a 60 percent chance for rain, is the 29th.

High temperatures are usually above 60 degrees, with the chances for 70s or better rising to 70 percent, a ten percent increase over last week’s chances. Cold highs in the 50s occur rarely.

Chances for frost are low, but tender plants are in most danger after the passage of May’s fourth cold front on the 15th and the fifth cold front on the 20th.

MAY – WEEK 4 The Fourth Week of Late Spring Lunar Phase And Lore

After reaching perigee on May 18 (its position closest to earth), the moon continues to wane, entering its final phase at 7:59 a.m. on May 21. It darkens through the rest of the month, becoming the Cherry Pie Moon at 1:40 p.m. on May 28. Rising after midnight and setting before dark, this moon will be overhead near dawn (the best position for fishing). As the barometer falls in

19

The Valley, May 2014 advance of cool fronts expected on May 24 and 29, early morning angling could be even more productive, but many people will feel out of sorts with the change in barometric pressure. Lunar position in Pisces between May 21 and 23 and in Taurus between May 25 and 28 augur well for the planting of all the rest of your summer seeds and for putting in shrubs and trees.

Weather Trends The final week of May is typically a wet one, with completely overcast conditions more common than during any other time of the month. In the period between the 25th and 27th, rain falls between 50 and 60 percent of the time, with the 29th being one of the rainiest days in the whole year – bringing precipitation 70 percent of the days on record. Average temperature distribution for this time of the month is as follows: five percent chance for highs in the 90s, 30 percent for 80s, 30 percent for 70s, 25 percent for 60s, and ten percent for 50s. The brightest days of the week are usually the 27th and 30th, both having an 70 percent chance for sunshine. The darkest day is the 25th, which has only a 50 percent chance for a break in the clouds.

FROSTWATCH Between May first and June first, only a few mornings of light frost occur at lower elevations along the 40th Parallel. Chances for freezing temperatures after the dates listed below are: May l: 45 percent May 5: 35 percent May 10: 25 percent May 15: 15 percent May 25 5 percent May 31: 2 percent The May Daybook May 1: Mock orange, locusts, wild cherry trees, yellow poplars (tulip trees), Kousa dogwoods and peonies join the early iris, sweet Williams, climbing roses and rhododendrons.

May 2: Venus will move retrograde into Pisces throughout the month, keeping its position as the morning star. Mars remains in Virgo, visible in the south well after dark. Jupiter stays in Gemini as the evening star throughout May, following Orion into the sunset.

May 3: The leaves of the understory reach full size, and the high canopy starts to fill in above it. Redbuds cede to crab apples and then to dogwoods, then to honeysuckles and azaleas and rhododendrons. In most years,

the great dandelion bloom ends in lawns and roadsides while garlic mustard and sweet rockets dominate the woods and fields.

May 4: Geraniums, sedum, tall buttercups, ragwort, Jacob’s ladder, water cress, fleabane, spring cress, sweet rocket, catchweed, sweet Cicely are all in full bloom.

Small flowered buttercup flowers are fading, its seed burs forming.

May 5: After midnight, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower brings between ten and 40 shooting stars a minute through Aquarius.

May 6: Redbuds get seedpods; scarlet pimpernel opens below them. Clustered snakeroot season starts in the new shade. Eastern wood pewees arrive. Northern spring field crickets hatch in milder years.

May 7: At least a third of the region’s goslings have been born.

They will have all emerged by the end of the month.

May 8: Fledgling grackles, sparrows and cardinals are leaving their nests and are begging for food in the honeysuckles. Goslings and ducklings swim the rivers. Lake carp and pond koi are mating. Insects increase in number. The high canopy suddenly fills in. Flowering locust trees join mock orange, honeysuckle and late lilacs to create the most fragrant time of the throughout the central portion of the United States.

May 9: Saturn travels with Libra into the far west at dawn until tomorrow. After the 10th, it is visible in the evening, rising in the east and moving along the southern horizon.

May 10: Pollen from flowering trees usually peaks about May 10, but trees continue to be the major source of pollen in the air until grass pollen replaces it in the third week of the month.

May 11: Under the closing canopy, spring’s garlic mustard, chickweed and catchweed die back, their yellow foliage accentuating a major decline of middle spring growth.

May 12: Bullfrogs call all along the rivers. Catfish, bullheads, northern pike, bluegills, largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, spotted bass, striped bass, and crappies spawn when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees.

May 13: All the clovers come into bloom, along with the small black medic, purple vetch, and the weedy yellow and white sweet clover, in all but the northernmost states. When the clovers bloom, flea season begins for dogs, cats, goats, cattle, horses and sheep.

May 14: Ragweed has grown

two feet tall, crickets sing, and cow vetch, wild parsnips, poison hemlock, angelica, motherwort, wild roses, locusts, blackberries and yarrow flower. The last of the leaves come out for summer.

May 15: Then when azaleas lose their petals, daisies and the first clematis and the first cinquefoil open all the way, the first strawberry ripens, and the first swallowtail butterflies visit the star of Bethlehem and bleeding hearts.

The last quince flowers fall, and lilacs decay.

May 16: Multiflora roses and wild raspberries are budding. Black walnuts and oaks become the major sources of pollen. Deep red ginger has replaced the toad trillium close to the ground, around the fingers of white sedum.

May 17: Cedar waxwings migrate up the rivers as the last buckeye flowers fall. Half the goslings are bigger than galoshes. When the first firefly glows in the lawn, flea beetles come feeding in the vegetable garden.

May 18: The moon’s position today (powerful perigee closest to Earth) increases the likelihood of turbulent weather. Livestock may be more restless, children more obstreperous and the infirm more uncomfortable.

May 19: The second-last week of late spring is honeysuckle week, and, of course, all the honeysuckles blossom. Pink and violet sweet rockets and the ubiquitous fleabane reach full bloom, too.

Locusts and wild cherries are in flower. Daisies, columbines, lupines, scarlet pyrethrums and orange poppies take over the dooryards.

May 20: The first shiny blue damselflies emerge. White spotted skippers and red admiral butterflies visit the garden. Goldcollared black flies swarm in the pastures. Leafhoppers look for corn. Scorpion flies make their appearance in the barnyard.

May 21: Daddy longlegs are all over the undergrowth, partial to clustered snakeroot and its pollen.

Bright green six-spotted tiger beetles race along the maze of deer paths in parks and woodlots.

May 22: Grasshoppers come to the fields. Northern Spring Field Crickets, the first crickets of the year to sing, are singing. Baby robins are out of the nest. The antlers of bucks are a third grown.

Reckless adolescent groundhogs wander the roadsides.

May 23: Wood hyacinths and spring beauties disappear during Honeysuckle Week. Violets stop blooming until autumn. Dogwood petals are taken down by the rain and wind.

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May 24:. Rhododendrons open after azalea petals fall.

May 25: Some Canadian thistles are budding. Wild strawberries climb though the purple ivy and the sticky catchweed. Blue-eyed grass is open. Wild iris blooms in the wetlands. White clover blossoms in the lawn.

May 26: Multiflora roses, spirea, boxwood and yellow poplars are ready to bloom. Evergreens have four to six inches of new growth.

Sycamore and ginkgo leaves are half size, and the rest of the maples fill in.

May 27: The last of the lilacs turn brown. Hydrangea snowballs lose their luster. Sweet cicely goes to seed Spring phlox are getting old.

Ragwort flowers turn to fluffy seed heads. Watercress falls over in the sun. The last tulips and latest daffodils are gone.

May 28: Catalpa and wild cherry trees are flowering. The earliest fireflies come out tonight.

May 29: It’s pruning time, after flowering, for forsythia, quince, mock orange, and lilac. Pollen from grasses reaches its peak in the central portions of the United States, as bluegrass, orchard grass, timothy, red top and Bermuda grass all continue to flower. In the northern forests, pines, spruce, hemlock, arbor vitae, alders, and birch reach the height of their blossoming.

May 30: After locust trees are done flowering, then snow-onthe-mountain blossoms and sweet Williams, clematis, and spiderwort open. White spotted skippers and red admiral butterflies visit the garden.

May 31: Gold-collared black flies swarm in the pastures. Leafhoppers look for corn. Scorpion flies make their appearance in the barnyard.

In the Field and Garden May 1: While the moon is still relatively dark, fight armyworms and corn borers. Attack carpenter bees around the barn.

May 2: The dark moon also favors traditional worm control methods such as liming the pasture, planting garlic, and plowing in mustard.

May 3: Plan to have all your corn and soybeans planted by the time the first thistles bloom.

May 4: As conditions permit, sow seeds for forages that will provide as close to year-round grazing as possible: tall fescue, ryegrass, wheat, oats and rape for early spring; Kentucky bluegrass and orchard grass for spring and fall; bromegrass and timothy for early summer; birdsfoot trefoil, bahiagrass, Bermuda grass, Sudan

grass, crabgrass and lespedeza for mid to late summer. Plan to seed turnips in July for late fall and early winter grazing.

May 5: The first crop of alfalfa should be gaining a little more moisture as the crescent moon becomes a gibbous (fat) moon.

Put in the last of the pickles, corn, soybeans, and hot-weather vegetables (like tomatoes, squash, eggplant and peppers) as the new moon waxes.

May 6: Spring pasture now reaches its brightest green of the year, and haying is underway in the southern states. The cutting will move towards the Canadian border at the rate of about one hundred miles a week, and it will be taking place almost everywhere by the middle of June.

May 7: Major planting of peppers, cantaloupes and cucumbers is taking place when you see spitbugs hang to the parsnips. Canadian thistles are budding then, too.

Weevils get into alfalfa.

May 8: Spring rains and humidity can increase the risk of internal parasites in livestock. Consider using stool sample analysis to ensure that drenching has been effective.

May 9: When mock orange, sweet Cicely, Robin’s fleabane, chives, catmint, waterleaf, wild raspberry, shooting star, peonies, sweet rockets, and May apples come into bloom, pastures may be just right to move all your livestock to pasture.

May 10: It’s the center of corn, pepper, cantaloupe and cucumber planting, the quarter mark for soybean seeding, budding time for alfalfa and setting time for tobacco.

May 11: Orchard grass is heading up in the North, and a little alfalfa is budding. This is the center of pepper, cantaloupe, and cucumber planting, and the quarter mark for soybean seeding.

May 12: Migrant workers move north to help with setting plants.

In the wood lots, eastern tent caterpillars are defoliating the cherry trees. Spittlebugs appear on pine trees, azalea mites on azaleas, cankerworms on elms and maples, lace bugs on the mountain ash.

May 13: Commercial sunflower planting time begins as the chances for a light freeze fall well below five percent along the 40th Parallel. In the salt marshes of the South, fiddler crabs emerge from their tunnels in the creeks and estuaries.

May 14: The mid-May cool front and the next two high-pressure systems are often followed by the

Continued on page 14

The Valley, May 2014

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Fifty Years Ago May 1964 Effective in early May, Route 76, stretching from Reedsville to the Mifflin-Huntingdon County line, became Route 655. The changeover was made by the State Highway Department in order to save lower numerical designations for future interstate highways.

Thus 76, has been temporarily retired until some future time when it will grace the berm of an interstate roadway.

Summer yard work is in the offing, and Penn Furniture, Lewistown advertised “Whisper-Cut” Mowers, a 21-inch, 4 cycle Briggs & Stratton with Impulse Starter or a self-propelled 21-inch 3-HP 4-cycle, your choice at $69.95. A smaller 19-inch model with recoil starter was just $39.95.

Leacy Motor Co. on Valley Street, Lewistown was the local Renault dealer, boasting a parts department second-to-none!

“Buy a 1964 Renault…25% more power…40 miles to the gallon of gas…4 doors…the best heater and six thousand of the best parts in

the world…Driving is fun again!

You’re invited to personally inspect our Parts Department…and get into parts up to your ears!”

Only $1642, with automatic transmission optional.

One Hundred Years ago May 1914 The Lewistown Democrat & Sentinel headlined “Police Raid Blind Tigers” and “Two Alleged Burnham Speak-Easies are Entered and Three Men Placed Under Arrest.”

The anti-liquor crusade, which several weeks ago resulted in the arrest of seven Lewistown men charged with “boot-legging,” was extended to Burnham. Over fifty individuals were at the speakeasies at the time, but no other arrests were made, and only a small amount of intoxicating beverages were found on the premises.

Mifflin County threshermen and their brethren across Pennsylvania will strike and withhold harvesting services, according to a report in the Lewistown Democrat & Sentinel. The legislature passed a highway bill, bestowing

sole control of Commonwealth roadways to the State Department of Highways. Officials of that department plan to license or withhold licenses on any farm equipment that traverses state roadways, much to the consternation of the agriculture community.

“Matter will be laid Before the Highest Courts; Adverse Decision Means Unique Strike,” notes another newspaper headline.

Civil War Echoes May 1864 The Pennsylvania Canal was reopened after the winter shutdown.

The delay in reopening was due to repairs and replacement of a lock at McVeytown.

A Milroy man, member of the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry home on furlough, came to Lewistown on his way to return to his regiment when he got among “evil company.” He walked out of a tavern and fell into the canal and drowned. He left a wife and five children. Authorities had his body exhumed a week later to learn if he was the victim of foul play. An

After two years of researching local history, collecting community photos, documenting the findings and reviewing his own experience, Paul Fagley’s book on the history of Derry Township Community Park is available.

Entitled “Memories of Kishacoquillas Park,” the book presents the heyday times of this community landmark, which was once a popular amusement park, through more than 300 pages of color photos, illustrations and printed memorabilia. The idea for the book came to Fagley in 2010 after giving a walking tour of the park for the local Boyscout Camporee.

“Memories of Kishacoquillas Park” is priced at $32.95 plus tax. Contact the Mifflin County Historical Society at 242-1022 or at info@mifflincountyhistoricalsociety.org Books can be purchased from the Historical Society office, at the Chamber of Commerce Gift Shop in the Historic Courthouse or at Friendship Book Store in the K-Mart Plaza, Burnham.

allegation of violence upon his person was made against another soldier later held under suspicion.

An examination of the deceased revealed no injuries prior to death, and the suspect was released.

Testimonials were published in the Gazette from local individuals about the efficacy of

3 Ways To Restore Joy from page 16 and priorities to renew a satisfying and meaningful relationship. Yes, things have changed since you first met, but you’ve also learned a lot more good things about your partner. You can’t control how your partner acts, but you can give him or her a reason to respond in a more positive way – bringing more joy to your world.

It you’re ready to work out your differences and make love work, it would be my privilege to support you in this worthy and noble cause. Just get in touch with me to see if we’re a fit for relationship coaching together.

814-777-0410 coachjoanie@joanieyanusas.com www.coachjoanie.com

There is virtually nothing you can do in life that has more power to enhance your life than to build and protect a great and happy committed relationship. a

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Swyer’s American Liniment and Pain Exterminator. This preparation would cure pain of the side, rheumatism, asthma, pain of the hip, quinsy, diphtheria, cramp, etc. One used took fifteen drops inwardly and used more to rub on his back, bringing instant relief. a

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The Valley, May 2014

Modern Energy and Alternative Heating with Curt Bierly

Next Winter

The long, brutal winter of 2013/2014 will long be remembered. We’re hopeful we don’t have another winter like that any time soon. At the moment we’re all enjoying spring and looking forward to warmer weather.

That said, I’m sure during those cold winter nights you had time to consider the performance of your current heating system and/or supplemental heater (stove, fireplace, fireplace insert) and possibly want to make a change before next winter tosSave operating cost and increase comfort. Possibly you aren’t sure where to start.

First, you need to decide what amount of money you can afford to invest in the project. Is the money immediately available or

will you finance the investment?

The beauty of this opportunity is if you make the correct choice, your investment will save you lots of money and make your house more comfortable in which to live.

Second, you need to determine what fuel source you will use to power the new HVAC equipment or supplemental heat source? There are numerous possibilities to choose from including heating oil, natural gas, electricity, propane, coal, wood and wood pellets. The best choice (my opinion) is to use a combination of two or three fuels so if one is in short supply or becomes very expensive, you have the choice to move the bulk of your heat-

ing requirements to another fuel.

As an example, if you choose to purchase a warm air gas furnace with an electric heat pump and purchase a wood stove, you’ll be set up to burn three fuels.

Finally, you need to contract an HVAC professional or an alternative heating retailer to discuss your plans, solicit their suggestions and request a quotation.

When upgrading a hot water or steam central heating system to save operating cost, many of our customers are switching from fuel oil (Oil) to natural gas (Nat Gas) or propane. If they have an oil hot water boiler, they may choose to replace it with a high efficiency (93%) Nat Gas or propane hot water condensing boiler or a geothermal (GEO) hot water heat pump (uses electricity). Although hot water heat is tough to beat for comfort during those cold winter months, it has the disadvantage of not providing air conditioning (AC) in the summer; therefore, another option is to keep the present oil system as a backup and install a ducted or ductless heat pump/air conditioning system to help lower the heating cost in the winter and provide AC during those hot summer months. This is a very good option if you have an oil steam boiler as the efficiency of a replacement oil unit will only

The Truth Has No Agenda

A Jotul Oslo Wood or Gas Stove—a supplemental heater for that extra warmth!!

be in the 80% to 85% range, and unless you go to the expense of converting the steam system to hot water, you will continue to incur the inherent inefficiencies of steam heat.

If you don’t have a supplemental heating unit, you need to consider purchasing one. Let’s assume you set the temperature in your home to 72˚F and the central system did a fine job holding that temperature this winter. You will enjoy immensely the extra warmth of a wood stove on a cold winter day. Also, it will provide you with an emergency heat source if needed.

I know it is tough to think ahead to another winter right now, but this is a good time to make a decision and schedule a timely, stress-free installation.

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 the chair of the Penn College HVAC Advisory Board. You can contact him at cbierly@bierlygroup.com. a

The Valley, May 2014

22

LIbrary Lines Your Mifflin County Library

Joining a Book Discussion Group

by Trish Forshey

Have you ever considering attending a book discussion group?

Two years ago, that thought never would have crossed my mind. I had this image in my head of elderly women sitting in someone’s living room going into discussion of all the symbolism and hidden meanings in a classic work of literature. So when I started working at the library and found out that I would be the facilitator for one of these groups, I became quite concerned. I spent many hours preparing for the first meeting and stressing out that I wouldn’t do it right, the big night finally arrived.

When everyone arrived and we started talking about the selection, much to my surprise, it was very relaxed and informal. It was just a group of friends catching up and talking about a good book, nothing like the picture in my head.

Everyone who attends book group stands to gain something.

The discussions are often widely varied due to the diversity of our members. We have teachers, farmers, moms, dads, nurses, business people, and of course librarians, who can all offer a very different view on the same subject. This is the beauty of book group. The woman sitting next to me may have taken away something totally different from the same story that I have just read. When we talk about these books, we are letting our fellow members take a peek into our own thought processes.

This can be a very intimidating and scary thing to do but it can also really help to enlighten someone on why you feel the way you

do. I was very nervous at my first book group because I was afraid that I would say the wrong thing or maybe I didn’t understand the book the way it was intended. But once the discussion got started, I realized that everyone had a different interpretation anyway.

There were no wrong answers or wrong way to feel about the story.

The important thing was that you own the way you feel. Even though someone in the group may challenge your point of view, they respect your opinion and interpretation. Nobody is going to tell you that you are wrong just because your view is different. Each person is free to feel and think what they want to about what they are reading. Whether you are reading for entertainment or for education, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you ARE reading.

Mifflin County Library currently offers two different book group options. There is the Third Tuesday Book Group that meets the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 at the Kish Branch Library and the Second Wednesday Book Group which meets the second Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. at the Lewistown Branch.

Details on the current reading selections and contact information for each group is available on our website at mifflincountylibrary. org under the “adults” tab. New members are always welcome and registration is not required. Please consider joining us for one of these meetings, we would love to see you. a

Notice

INFORMATION/DOCUMENTS Needed to complete historic register appl: architecture drawings/plans & company name, remodeling plans, ownership histories, deeds, acreage histories, employee histories, superintendent names, postcards, pictures of, Send to : Malta Home Freelance Archivist 5231 Simpson Ferry Road, Box 189 Mechanicsburg, PA 17050 “Fair & Balanced” means Spin gets Equal Time

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The Valley, May 2014 frustrated dog owner. A must have book if you have questions about your dog’s behavior!

Mail Pouch Books

THE CAT BEHAVIOR ANSWER BOOK

By Arden Moore Copyright 2007

by Carleen B. Grossman

The month of May brings us National Pet Month! This is a special celebration honoring the benefits that pets bring to people’s lives and vice versa. I have included some very special pet books for you to enjoy during this month....I guarantee that these books will bring smiles to you!

CITY GIRL COUNTRY VET

By Cathy Woodman Copyright 2012

This book reminds me of the James Herriott books in the 1970’s. Although, this is a novel and not true stories. But I can attest to the vet stories being very accurate since I worked for 8

years as a Veterinarian Technician and all around office helper for a small-animal practice!

The story tells about a smallanimal practice in the English countryside where a veterinarian from the city of London goes to be a relief vet while her old school mate Veterinarian friend goes on an extended vacation. As you follow this city vet on her journeys getting used to the locals of the small borough, you will find her not only dealing with the competition from a local veterinary practice, but also adjusting to the ways of the people of the community.

The book covers a menagerie of pets including the expected dogs and cats, but also you will meet a loquacious cheery cockatiel, a harry hamster, and even some cows, sheep and a donkey!

There is a thread of romance throughout the story as the vet meets the veterinarian son from the local large-animal hospital.

And there are even some riveting times as a disaster occurs in the community.

Interspersed with a bit of comic relief, this enjoyable novel is written by a woman who began her career working as a smallanimal vet prior to turning to write fiction. She lives in a village in Hampshire, England and this light but enjoyable book touches

realistically on her own experiences dealing with animals while living in the English countryside!

THE DOG BEHAVIOR ANSWER BOOK

By Arden Moore Copyright 2006

What kind of behavior problems do you have with your dog?

This question and many more will be answered in this book written by an animal behavior expert.

You will find topics from grooming to obedience for the new or

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If only you could understand what elicits purrs and what provokes hisses from your cat! With this great book you can. Written by a cat expert, this book will inform you about the mysteries and thoughts behind cats’ actions.

Topics such as catnip, hairballs, dead birds, lap kneading, litter box problems and many more are covered in this interesting guide book!

HOW TO THINK LIKE A HORSE

By Cherry Hill Copyright 2006

What motivates horses? How do they experience the world and what makes them happy or what worries them? Journey through the equine mind with this book that tells the basic needs that are dictated by horse behavior and mood. Other topics covered are touching, tastes, flight or fight and responses to sudden movements.

This is a very informative book! a

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The Valley, May 2014

Find us on The Valley Newspaper

The Pen and Thread Custom Calligraphy and Weaving

Mary Anna Chenoweth Proprietor

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

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

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25

The Valley, May 2014

Folk College, the annual music event hosted by the Huntingdon County Arts Council at Juniata College in Huntingdon over the Memorial Day weekend, May 23 – 25 will celebrate 15 years since its inception. The brainchild of musician Linda Littleton of the musical trio Simple Gifts as an event by musicians for musicians has matured since its early days at Clarion University. Since 2005 Folk College has called Huntingdon its home and has provided a plethora of musical experiences for workshop attendees, concerts guests, dancers and through outreach components in public schools.

This year, over 70 workshops will introduce the novice musician to concepts of folk music, while the more advanced musicians may choose from a variety of master classes or workshops specific to a certain style, instrument or technique. Two concerts, lots of jams, a dance and a community of fellow musicians round out a weekend that has become a staple for numerous attendees.

“Making music together in a welcoming, encouraging environment — what could be better?” says attendee Judy Minot. Folk College has been praised by its participants, teachers and the community as an outstanding opportunity and significant event.

It has been rewarded with four National Endowment for the Arts grants, and as of this year has earned the support from fine instrument builders J. R. Judd Violins and Oriskany Guitars.

The event features a faculty that encompasses nationally recognized master musicians, professional performers and

music instructors. This year’s staff includes fiddle master Bruce Molsky and Canadian musicians Yann Falquet and Pascal Gemme of the group Genticorum who have wowed audiences with multitasking performances including

fiddle playing, foot percussion and singing simultaneously. The Hot Seats are this year’s band performers, their unique blend of old time with a modern twist a well-suited choice for Folk College. Co-coordinator of the renowned Augusta Heritage Days, Wendi Bourne, and international performer Dede Wyland will lead numerous singing and general music workshops, while New Yorker Tomchess will introduce the sounds of North African and middle eastern musical traditions.

Guitarists will benefit from lessons learned by award winning Orrin Star, a former flat picking champion and columnist for the Flatpicking Guitar

Magazine. Laura Cortese who was most recently part of Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday celebration shares her expertise on fiddle and cello, while Mariel Vandersteel who studied in Ireland and Norway focuses on traditional Celtic music. Ira Gitlin, an institution on the Washington D.C. bluegrass scene will join Jerry Trusty on banjo and central Pennsylvanians Richard Sleigh on harmonica and Henry Koretzky on mandolin and guitar, fiddler Debbie Rifkin and Gordon Bonnet on flute will round out adjunct staff. And as every year, Simple Gifts will be musical hosts to the event.

Music workshops will begin with master classes on Friday morning, separate registration required, and general workshops will start on Friday afternoon lasting through Sunday morning. A Friday evening concert features Simple Gifts, Pascal Gemme and Yann Falquet, the Hot Seats and Tomchess, followed by jamming.

On Saturday evening the concert includes Dede Wyland and Henry Koretzky, Laura Cortese and Mariel Vandersteel, Orrin Star and Bruce Molsky. The concert is followed by a contra dance and

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jamming opportunities. Evening activities, including the concerts and dance are open to the general public with tickets available at the door.

Workshop registrations will be accepted until the day of the event, however to secure housing and meals, a registration should

be received with sufficient notice.

Registration forms are available online at www.folkcollege.com.

Additional information is available by calling the Huntingdon County Arts Council at (814) 643-6220 or (814) 599-6000 or by e-mail at huntingdonarts@gmail. com. a

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The Valley, May 2014

Out of respect for our Amish writers, their columns will only appear in our print edition.

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The Valley, May 2014

Doug’s Rug Spa Changes to Doug’s Rug Care

When the Doug’s Rug Spa concept was originated, the marketing plan was very specific.

Name recognition and commitment to outstanding service was the mission. Last December, Doug’s Rug Spa’s Facebook business page was shut down by Facebook citing a legal issue of

infringement. It became evident that another rug cleaning business in Spokane, Washington had federally trademarked “Rug Spa.” Because of this, we are going to change the name to Doug’s Rug Care.

Located at the main intersection in Pleasant Gap (routes 144

& 26), is the most technologically advanced and nationally accredited rug care facility in Central PA. Doug Moerschbacher, owner & operator of Doug’s Rug Care, is an IICRC (http://www.iicrc.org/ ), Textile Pro Network certified Rug & Fine Fabric service provider, certified by International Cleaning Registry, and a WoolSafe Service Provider (http://www.woolsafe. org/usa ).

Our main services are; buying, selling, repairing, and washing. We offer all of the cleaning methods currently available for rugs: Dry cleaning, Dry Foam, Absorbent compound, Bonnet, encapsulation, hot water extraction, and total submersion washing. We offer guaranteed pet odor removal services as well.

There are many different

Old Fashioned 10 Gallon Tin Milk Cans For Sale $25 Each Contact: Isaac M. Yoder at 150 Red Lane Milroy, PA 17063.

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types, styles, and constructions of rugs. That is why it can be necessary to use one of, or a combination of. several methods of the aforementioned cleaning methods.

We clean each rug individually. We would never wash a rug with other rugs in a tub together.

You are kept informed of any special conditions noted during the inspection that are affecting your rug. We use a special machine to dust the rug. Your rug is flipped face down on a collection grid and all of the deeply imbedded dirt, dust, and allergens are vibrated out of your rug. Then the appropriate cleaning method is put to work. In the majority of the cases, it is full submersion washing on our wash floor. We use only the safest & gentlest cleaning solutions on your rug. Our Rug

Care facility has the most technologically advanced drying systems currently available in the industry.

Doug’s Rug Care, located at 105 N. Main St, is open for customers to drop off or pick up rugs Monday-Saturday 9am-2pm or by appointment. We also offer pick up & delivery service and can help put your rugs back in place. If you are driving through Pleasant Gap, look for the 8 foot metal Sculpture of T-Rex in our parking lot at the traffic light by the Uni-Mart, Red Horse Tavern (http://therhtavern.com/), and the Village Eating House (http:// villageeatinghouse.net/). Please stop in to see all the services for rugs that we offer—you will be amazed. a

The Valley, May 2014

28

Savvy Cents & Sensibility

by JoAnn Wills-Kline MBA

Frugal Feastings with Five or Less

As the days get longer and the temperatures rise higher, we tend to want to spend less time in the throes of meal prep. Many people desire to enjoy the warm sunshine from a patio or porch rather than staring out a kitchen window as dinner prep duties get accomplished. I strive to keep dinner meal prep simple, and sensible within super tight budget constraints. My favorite way to whip up an easy and healthy meal from scratch is to use a five ingredient or less recipe. This month, I’m going to share a few of my favorite five or less recipes, and offer readers a few website links that have oodles of “five or less” recipes… enjoy!

My very favorite frugal recipe with five or less ingredients is Perogies with Chipotle Sausage, Kale and Mushrooms - You will need: 1 box/bag of Perogies ($ 2.70 approx.), 1 small bunch of kale ($2.50 approx.), 1 small box fresh mushrooms ($2.50 approx.) or 1 small can or mushrooms ($1.50 approx.), about a tablespoon of butter, and 1 lb. of chipotle loose sausage ($4.00 approx.). ***I purchase my chipotle sausage from Wilson’s Meats and Groceries in Lewistown – it is AMAZING!!! – but other loose sausage could be used. First, in a large fry pan, brown the sausage (drain), pull the kale leaves from the stems and slice the mushrooms. Add the kale and mushrooms to the sausage and add a pat of butter if desired. Let it simmer until kale and mushrooms soften. While the kale and mushrooms are simmering, I boil water in a large pan, add the Perogies, and cook until softened (about 7-8 minutes). Drain the cooked Perogies and add to the fry pan with the sausage and softened kale and mushrooms. At this point, I usually add a few seasonings and herbs such as garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Toss all ingredients and serve. The recipe usually makes two heaping servings or three mid-size servings. For less money and time involved than a take out purchase ($11.70 approx. to feed two), I put a healthy dinner on the table.

Another of my favorite frugal five recipes is: Penne with Broccoli Rabe, Bacon, and

Chickpeas from Cooking Light (http://www.cookinglight.com/ food/quick-healthy/5-ingredientpantry-recipes-00400000047368/ page2.html) You will need: • Broccoli rabe – 1 lb. coarsely chopped • Penne pasta • Cooked Bacon – six slices crumbled • Garlic cloves – 3 cloves or jarred chopped garlic to equal • Can of no-salt-added chickpeas - drained Preparation: Bring broccoli rabe to boil in large pan, cook til tender. While broccoli rabe is cooking bring pasta to boil in another large pan, cook til al dente. Drain broccoli rabe.

Drain pasta reserving ¾ cup of pasta water for a later step. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a large fry pan and melt over medium heat Then stir in garlic and chickpeas, toss til begins to brown. Stir in broccoli rabe, bacon, and pasta.

Add the ¾ cup reserved pasta water – bring to a bubbling simmer until most of pasta water boils off.

Add salt and pepper to taste… enjoy! Usually yields 4 servings, and takes about 30 minutes total.

A newly added recipe to my frugal favorites is one that could double for breakfast or dinner, and be prepped ahead if necessary. It is Spinach and Feta Crust-less Quiche.

You will need: • Six large eggs – beaten ($.85 approx.)

• 4 oz. feta cheese ($3.00 approx.) o I have also used blue cheese and gorgonzola cheese instead of feta • 1 box frozen spinach ($1.50 approx.)

• 1 box of fresh mushrooms or 1 small can of mushrooms ($2.50 approx.)

• ½ - ¾ cup of shredded

mozzarella cheese ($1.25 approx) • 1 pie pan – greased with butter to prevent sticking • Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.

Preparation:

In a large fry pan, cook the frozen spinach until easily broken apart and water is absorbed. Add the mushrooms and simmer until softened. Add salt, pepper, and garlic seasonings to taste. Place seasoned spinach and mushroom mixture into greased pie pan. Add feta cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. Pour beaten eggs over the ingredients in the pie pan. You may leave the ingredients layered, or you may choose to slightly mix up with a spoon.

Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350F for approximately 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

*** This recipe can be prepped the night before and baked right before serving, or prep and bake the night before – then just re-heat before serving. Serve at least four people for less than $10.00!

All three of my favorite recipes have healthy ingredients – protein, carbs, and veggies. All three are budget friendly, easy to prepare, and make yummy leftovers. Below, find a few links to great five ingredients or less frugal meal ideas… then get out of the kitchen to enjoy the sunshiny season and celebrate feeding your family well on a shoestring budget!

Cooking Light http://www.cookinglight.com/ food/quick-healthy/5-ingredienthealthy-recipes-00400000053319/

Call or visit today!

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Eating Well http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/5_ ingredient_recipes Delish www.delish.com/recipes/cookingrecipes/five-ingredient-recipes a

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4417 East Main Street Belleville, PA 17004-0911

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The Valley, May 2014

Mifflin/Juniata Relay for Life

Recruiting Teams

Relay For Life of Mifflin Juniata is currently recruiting teams and sponsors for the annual event that benefits the American Cancer Society. Relay For Life of Mifflin Juniata 2014 will take place at Derry Township Community Park.

The event begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 14, and ends on Sunday, June 15, at 10 a.m.

Relay For Life is an inspiring 24-hour event that raises funds for the American Cancer Society for cancer research and patient services. The mission of Relay For Life of Mifflin Juniata is to celebrate those who have won their battle with cancer, remember loved ones who have passed, and fight back against the disease.

There will be different entertainment acts throughout

the event, as well as a special Luminaria ceremony in which hundreds of decorated paper bags will be lit in honor, support, and in memory of those who have battled cancer. All are welcome to attend the event, but are encouraged to join a team and raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

Information about the schedule of events taking place throughout Relay weekend will be released as soon as all acts are confirmed.

For more information about Relay weekend, visit www. relayforlife.org/pamifflinjuniata or contact American Cancer Society Staff Partner Maddy Pryor at maddy.pryor@cancer.org or by phone at 814-234-1023. a

The Buzz About Essential Oils from page 16

I studied herbs, homeopathies and also found essential oils. I absolutely fell in love with essential oils, which we call our Natural Medicine. They worked fast, had no side effects, and were cheaper, plus completely natural. This is exactly what I needed as a Mom to be the healer in my home. I have used the oils on my children to support their bodies through earaches, colds, flus, allergies, fevers, cuts and wounds, acne, moodiness, plus so much more! To date my children Joseph (14y/o), Isabella (12y/o) and Danayla (9y/o) have not needed prescription or over-the- counter medicine. We have been blessed to care for them effectively in the comfort of their own home with this gift from God. The doTERRA essential oils have provided support to their systems allowing their bodies to heal on its own. While I was one of the first in this area to start using essential oils, we are not the only families with these stories anymore. There are literally millions of people now looking to doTERRA Essential Oils for their alter-

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native healthcare. We also have many hospitals, doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and nurses that are now utilizing the many benefits of essential oils in their practices and facilities. It is really neat to watch modern medicine and natural medicine working together! We are not against modern medicine or doctors; we are so thankful for the wisdom and expertise they provide and would never deny our children a physician if they needed care. However, if we can take care of our family in our home naturally without synthetics and side effects, that is what we choose first and foremost. I would encourage every person to

look at their natural healthcare options and what essential oils can provide in their home. We present educational classes all over the country empowering families on how to effectively use essential oils for their health and well-being.�

DoTERRA CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) Essential Oils are truly a gift from the earth.

If you are interested in being a wellness advocate like I am, and want to learn how to take control of your health naturally, please feel welcome to contact me. Email leah_hutch@yahoo.com or phone 717-994-1929 or 717-4362741. Thank you! a

The Valley, May 2014

30

Count Your Blessings While You Can

by Dennis Pagen

Look around and count your blessings. We live in central Pennsylvania where traffic is light, threats are few, neighbors are neighborly, the air is clean and streams run clear. And, we have our mountains. From nearly every location in our valleys, the mountains hover over us like a comforting parent. They protect us from some weather extremes and define our perspectives.

Their green slopes are soothing and represent a wildness that may be the connection to the natural world we all need for sanity.

Even if we never venture to climb them, they hold out a promise.

They offer us nourishment for our psyche.

The mountains we call Buffalo, Stone, Shade, Blacklog and Jacks have withstood the slow wearing of weather for eons—literally. But they can lose nearly everything they represent in a few short years—literally. Industrial wind turbines are coming to our mountaintops. And despite their classification in the minds of many folks as “green” energy, they are actually a shade we can best describe as “olive drab.”

They are a messing in disguise.

I confess I consider myself an amateur naturalist and an environmentalist without portfolio. I love the forests that run up and along the endless mountains. I care about preserving our natural heritage and keeping the natural beauty around us beautiful. So why wouldn’t I embrace the clean promise of wind turbines to help

offset drilling, fracking, burning and nuclear reactors to feed our energy cravings? I used to. But a little education goes a long way and here is what I found out.

Wind turbines are most efficient when they are sited in ample wind flows. The more wind the better (up to the point the wind becomes too strong for even the high-tech blade materials). In our region, that puts wind turbines up on the highest ridges. The wind accelerates over our ridges like water over a submerged log. Even though we get some tree-stripping storms in our valleys, it is up on top of the ridges where the squirrels hunker down in their bunkers when a cold front barrels south.

Another location wrinkle is that single ridges are better than multiple ridges because an additional ridge weakens the flow in certain wind directions. Thus, it is our mountaintops that are threatened by wind turbine development. Specifically, it’s the singular spectacular formations of Jacks and Stone Mountains that are the planned victims in our region.

One problem with the current industrial wind turbine design is that they are only about 25% efficient despite their futuristic appearance. They do not capture all the potential wind energy since they have trouble always facing the wind, the blades have tip vortices (losses due to turbulence) and a minimum wind speed is required to turn their massive rotors. In addition, our mountains do not have very good wind resources and

even when the wind does blow, lining our valley, picketing our A road has to be built along the it is not constant. In fact, a single mountains and disturbing our ridge for installation and service. wind turbine only produces about quiet starlight, some significant There will be erosion, degrada2 megawatts of power. As a result, tion of runoff water and loss of quality of life will be lost. Immean individual wind project needs diately and permanently. wildlife habitat. We may not care to erect at least 20 wind turbines Fortunately we don’t have to for some of the critters living up to make the economics pay off. wring our hands and feel helpless on our mountain (rattlesnakes and

Here’s a little statistic to in the face of the onslaught of bats, for example), but they all afdigest: Pennsylvania has five development and money politics. fect us directly by helping control nuclear power plants which There is an active group helping other wildlife we all find worricombined generate about 40% of prevent the invasion of industrial some—ticks and mosquitoes as the state’s electricity. To produce wind turbines into our area. This well as crop-destroying rodents. this much power from industrial group is S.O.A.R.—Save Our None of the outcome of wind turwind turbines, about 3,600 miles Allegheny Ridges. Some of the bine emplacement is green except of Pennsylvania’s mountain members have long been involved in regard to the money changing tops would have to be covered in successful fights to stop the hands. with over 19,188 turbine towers, despoiling of our natural heritage.

“You don’t know what each rated at 2 megawatts, with You can become part of the soluyou’ve got until you lose it” is a 5 turbines per mile. Essentially, tion with your neighbors by writcliché we all have grown up with. the whole state would have to be ing to Save Our Allegheny Ridges Most clichés have an element covered with wind turbines for us P. O. Box 178 Everett, PA 15537 of truth and this one speaks so to feel much of a jolt of juice from elegantly that it was the catch or checking on line at www. wind power.

SaveOurAlleghenyRidges.org phrase for a hit song in the early

Imagine how the countryside 60s—the ultimate endorsement

There is a story about an old would look, if in every direction in our pop culture. Anyone with a farmer from Iowa who moved to you see hundreds of white giants memory can look back and see an Colorado. After some time there, a flashing in the sun. Actually, you erosion of quality of life. Rememneighbor asked him how he liked don’t have to imagine it; all you ber when we didn’t have to lock the mountains. “They sure are have to do is wait around doing our doors, you could eat the fish pretty, I suppose,” he replied, as nearly nothing and both sides of you caught with little contaminahe looked around, “But they sure the Big Valley—Jacks and Stone tion worry, your kids could walk do block the view!” It’s all a matMountain—will soon be lined home from school? The list is ter of perspective. Here in central with the austere towers. Make no long. Such erosion tends to occur Pennsylvania we are blessed with mistake about it, while modern gradually, so we often barely the mountains whether they block wind towers look elegant at first notice it. In truth, here in the Big the view or not. But our blessings glance (and admittedly on second Valley we are insulated from some will be squandered if we allow glance), they soon lose their of the quality of life losses. But our views to be forever defaced. charm and take on the appearance make no mistake about it; with What will it do to our psyches? of an alien blight on the land. giant gesticulating wind turbines a They are no more aesthetic than the thousands of seesaw oil wells that worry the American West.

Their blades slice 450 feet and higher into the sky—nearly half the mountain height. Their collective hum and flicker during the day and blinking red lights at night disturb the peace.

They will be like constant tics at • Reliable Propane & Heating Oil Delivery the borders of our vision.

• Budget Payment Plan Call today Wind to • 24/7 Emergency Service le arn about our turbines cannot NE be magically w CustOmER • Heating Equipment Service Plans dropped in place sPECiAls! • Safety Trained Professionals like a leggy Lego.

Their masts are • Over 80 Years Experience massive; their blades are like the wings of a Boeing 787.

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Expect More from Your Fuel Supplier!

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31

The Valley, May 2014

Himalayan Salt Lamps have been around for a very long time and the benefits of having one of these lamps are far more than one article can cover. So I decided to narrow in on a benefit that really affects anyone that has electronics in the house.

Due to the electronic age, most of us live and work in environments dominated by electronics — giant HD televisions, computer monitors, cell phones, PDAs, etc.

While actively using these electronic devices, invisible electromagnetic frequency waves bombard your body.

Terms used to define this type of air pollution include “electrosmog” and “electronic air pollution.”

Whatever you call it, this is serious invisible pollution of your air.

While watching television or working on your computer, your body could be exposed to frequency vibrations 20 times higher and faster than your own brainwaves.

Frequency vibrations your body simply isn’t used to.

Excessive amounts of positively charged ions like this can potentially cause you... · Increased nervousness · Added bodily stress · Annoying sleep interruptions · Lapses in concentration · Increased free radical accumulation in your body (agerelated degeneration)

There are many ways to counteract these impacts to your body... like making sure you take plenty of breaks when using electronic equipment and getting away from the device to grab some fresh air, even if for a brief period of time.

Something else you can do to help offset excessive frequency vibrations while you’re actually using an electronic device is to use beautiful decorative lamps, called Himalayan salt lamps.

These lamps can help you counteract the electronic vibrations and excessive positive ions in selective areas of your home.

Hard to believe?

Well, not if you understand the amazing benefits of pure Himalayan crystal salt.

The basic premise behind a salt lamp is to help cleanse your

indoor air and provide an attractive soothing light in your home.

Using some of the most diverse measuring methodologies available, worldwide scientific tests have shown how crystal salt lamps can increase the number of negative ions released into your indoor air.

So, how do salt lamps actually work?

It’s really quite simple, a heated crystal salt lamp: · Attracts humidity causing the surface of the salt crystal to become moist · Creates a buildup of ions and removes moisture from your air · Binds excessive positive ions with their negative ions · Helps to neutralize the “electro-smog” in your air and reduces allergens and irritants · Creates potential soothing effects for you from multi-colored salt crystals

From a more scientific standpoint, three natural action principles are at work with crystal salt lamps: Ionization — The emission of ions is primarily caused by the alternating actions of the heated salt’ ability to first attract and absorb water, and then evaporate it. The salt goes into a solution as it mixes with the water molecules.

Sodium, as positively charged ions, and chloride, as negatively charged ions, become neutral and are released into your environment — which helps reduce pollutants such as allergens and irritants from your air.

Electromagnetic oscillation -Every form of life on the planet depends on the electromagnetic field of vibration (known as the Schuman resonance frequency).

Due to electronics and industrialization, your body receives artificial electromagnetic wavelengths with many diverse frequency values.

Because of the neutral atomic structure of crystal salt, a heated salt lamp helps you harmonize and balance these artificial frequencies, and neutralize “electrosmog.”

Transparent-crystalline structure developing the light waves It’s well-known that you need the light waves of the rainbow spectrum (300-700 nanometers) for your health and preservation of

your body. Your cells are supplied by light with new energy in the form of electromagnetic wavelengths.

The wavelengths of salt crystal colors fall within the upper nanometer zone (600-700 nanometers) — producing positive and soothing effects.

What’s more — I must admit, in addition to the potential indoor air enhancements and the soothing effects of the salt lamp colors, I enjoy how the lamps add beauty to my home. Many people obtain salt lamps for their beauty alone and I can certainly see why. From my own personal experience, these lamps are stunningly attractive. If you’re looking to add an intriguing conversation piece to your home, crystal salt lamps come in many soothing colors and shapes that are sure to please every decorating style. At Dutch Pantry Gifts In Milroy, Pa, we have an entire line of stylish salt lamps from treasure chest lamps to hand carved bowls. We offer a style for everyone’s style preference.

One of the biggest challenges with crystal salt lamps is their limited range.

You can’t simply place a single crystal salt lamp just anywhere in your home and expect to promote improved air quality throughout your entire house—it doesn’t work that way.

But you can place a few lamps in selected areas where you spend the most time,such as the family room, home office, bedroom, etc.

By doing this ,you accomplish the following... · Maximize your benefits from negative ions where you spend the most time · Help neutralize the

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impacts of “electro-smog” from your television and computers in specific areas where they’re located · Enhance the beauty and serenity of selective rooms with the strikingly attractive colorful lamps What should I look for in a salt lamp?

There are many factors that make up quality Himalayan Salt Lamps, but first and foremost is the quality of the salt itself. There are numerous mines in Pakistan, with varying qualities of salt, and it shows in the end product. In fact, some manufacturers don’t even use the crystal salt from deep in the mines like our sources do, they use inexpensive rock salt from the top of the mountains.

Another factor is the skill of the craftsmen creating the Himalayan Salt Lamps. This is especially evident when looking at the crafted products that different companies sell. There are many vendors selling inferior products and it’s unfortunate that when you buy on the internet, these differences aren’t readily apparent. So be sure to do your homework.

Additional factors include the components that are used, such as a UL listed electrical cord, stainless steel screws, and quality

wood base.

When you purchase your Himalayan Salt Lamps from Dutch Pantry Gifts, you can rest assured you are getting the highest quality Himalayan Salt Lamps that contains all of these features.

All of our genuine Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamps come complete with a rosewood base, stainless steel screws, UL listed cord and bulb, and gift box. Have a Salt Lamp already but need replacement bulbs? Dutch Pantry Gifts now supplies replacement bulbs and chords for lamps all shapes and sizes.

In honor of Mother’s Day we will be adding our entire line of Salt Lamps to our Mother’s Day Sale from May 10-17th. a

The Treasure Chest Lamp serves as a very unique and functional decor item.

The Valley, May 2014

32

STEINBACH HOME A FINE EXAMPLE OF BUILDER’S STYLE

by Kim Rickert

Not many small communities can claim their own well-known builder in their history, but if you have been around Lewistown for any amount of time, you have heard someone refer to a Steinbach home. These homes, built from 1912 to 1952 are distinguished by their quality construction and exquisite architectural detail. The builders, brothers Charles and Wilbert Steinbach, renamed the company begun by their father in 1903, and the company was known as W.D. Steinbach’s Sons from 1912 forward.

One fine example of a Steinbach home is the Massenburg home at 203 Lombardy Circle in the South End of Lewistown. This majestic two story brick home was built in 1938 for the Roger Franciscus family. The home was purchased by the Benjamin Glick family in 1940, then the John Brittain family in 1977. The Massen-

the floors on both the main and second floor are oak hardwood, except for the bathrooms which are ceramic, and the kitchen.

Walking across the hall to the dining room, the crystal chandelier lights the table where many family meals and celebrations took place. Two built-in oak china cabinets hold the special dishes that only came out on those occasions. Thankfully, the gorgeous oak crown molding and trim, built-ins, and doors have been un-tampered with by previous owners.

The kitchen has reminders of a simpler time with a hidden wall mounted ironing board and a secret insulated compartment where the milkman delivered the daily order for the lady of the house.

The home includes a large library with magnificent cabinets and shelves, and a bay window seat, topped on the exterior with a copper roof.

The French doors from this room lead to the flagstone patio on one side, and a private screened patio on the opposite side. A brick Beautiful “curb appeal” comes with this home at 203 fireplace in Lombardy Circle the room has been converted with a wood burning burg family has owned the home insert for use in heating the home since 1981.

As one walks up the sidewalk as a supplement to the oil hot air heating system. The first floor also to the front door, a portico greets has a powder room and interesting you, and the welcoming foyer carved oak panels in the hallway. beckons through the leaded glass side lights and transom. Entering

Ascending the carved oak the foyer, guests are greeted with stairway, one comes across an elaborate carved oak stairway another window seat tucked into lit by a crystal chandelier. Lookthe hallway with solid wood doors ing to the left or right you can’t on the linen closet opposite. Four help but admire the carved oak bedrooms are scattered along the trim around both arched doorways second floor hallway along with leading into the living room and two full baths. The larger of the the dining room. The living room bedrooms features corner cabifeatures a carved oak fireplace nets, while the Master bedroom mantle with marble encasement has a walk-in-closet with built-in and the floors beneath the carpet drawers — something that was are oak hardwood. In fact, all of often a trademark of the Stein-

bach homes and ahead of its time.

The adjoining Master bathroom features a flawless pink, gray and black mosaic tile floor, art deco design, stainless and glass shower door and ceramic tile wall surround. The second full bath on this floor features a black and white mosaic tile floor and an ironically modern looking glass enclosed tub and shower combination, with the same white and black tiles accenting the lines.

An elegant formal dining room with built in cabinets for your fine china.

This home has a partially finished basement with a large open rec room; one wall showcases collectibles and extra china in a

The Oak and Marble trimmed fireplace highlights a craftsmanship largely unknown today.

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built-in cabinet running across the entire width of the room. The rec room wouldn’t be complete without a bar; this one is upholstered in jade vinyl. A circular banquette sofa in the same hue is built around a support post. The room reminds one of days when friends stopped over for a few drinks and a game of cards on a Saturday evening.

The property at 203 Lombardy Circle includes two parcels of land, a detached two car brick garage and the original black wrought iron fence still guards the back yard. The home has many reminders of days gone by when the elaborate details of a Steinbach home were probably more appreciated than they are today. But to those who admire the architectural techniques of these brothers, there is nothing quite like a Steinbach built home. a

33

The Valley, May 2014

Back Talk

by Dr. Joseph Kauffman

The Time Is Coming required to get pertussis vaccines in these bills).

Legislation has been introduced in Illinois (HB 4406) that would require day care centers in the state to mandate all day care workers get federally recommended vaccines.

Last year, influenza vaccine mandates for all healthcare workers in New Jersey (NJ A 2172/S 1464) was vetoed by the Governor after vocal citizen opposition, but the Pharma-Medical TradeGovernment Health lobby is back again this session with a vengeance. A proposed new law (NJ S 1176) would require healthcare facilities to require all personnel to get an annual flu shot or be fired and denied new employment.

get HPV vaccinations and the bill also is trying to raise the overall HPV vaccination rates in the state.

All sixth grade students in Kentucky will be required to get HPV vaccine if the lobbyists pushing KY HB 311 get their way.

Some of the most disturbing bills are out of New York: NY A 497 and NY S 3134 would make it possible for doctors to give minor children vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases (such as hepatitis B and HPV vaccines) without their parents’ knowledge or consent if the minor child agrees to get the vaccine.

Missouri (MO SB 748), Nebraska (NE LB 460) and New York (NY A 4221) all have bills filed that would require meningococcal vaccinations for students in different age groups.

Mandates and Ignoring Parental Rights

Meanwhile in Indiana (IN HB 1236), some legislators want to pass a law mandating that all boys

Papers, Please?

Since the 1990’s, the National Vaccine Information Center has been warning Americans about the systematic erosion of civil

Part Two

Get Vaccinated or Get Fired

Health care workers, teachers, daycare employees and students in NINE states are targets of new legislation that proposes to force children and adults to get federally-recommended vaccines or suffer economic and other sanctions - from denial of employment and education to denial of parental rights to be informed if a minor child has received one or more vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases!

Health care workers in Illinois (Il SB 1610) and Massachusetts (H 1975) may be required to get flu shots every year in order to keep their jobs. If either of the Vermont bills pass (VT H 114 or VT S 103), Vermont would become the first state in the country with pertussis containing vaccine mandates for teachers that could result in teachers being fired for declining vaccination (daycare workers in Vermont are also being

liberties and violation of privacy and informed consent rights when citizens are forced to participate in government-operated vaccine tracking systems without their voluntary consent.

The Centers for Disease Control continues to report on and support the expansion of Immunization Information Systems (IIS).

These electronic medical record monitoring systems are used to identify, track down and harass those not compliant with the federally recommended child and adult vaccine schedules to enforce use of a growing list of vaccines promoted by public health officials, pharmaceutical companies and medical trade groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Iowa (IA HSB 530), Indiana (IN HB 1352) and Missouri (MO HB 1445 and MO S817) all have bills that will require doctors and other vaccine administrators to enter vaccine records into state vaccine tracking registries operated by government health officials.

Foster Parents’ Informed Consent Rights Attacked

Some legislators don’t want to accept laws protecting vaccine informed consent rights from last year’s legislative session. For ex-

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ample, last year the Arizona legislature passed a common sense law giving foster parents the right to make voluntary vaccination decisions for their own children and still be foster parents. This was particularly helpful in cases where the children of foster parents had medical contraindications to vaccination or had filed non-medical vaccine exemptions. Now there is a proposed law (AZ SB1243) that would basically repeal this law and instead force foster parents to vaccinate their biological and legally adopted children or be denied the right to be foster parents.

Restricting Vaccine Exemptions in Oregon

Last legislative session, the state of Oregon suffered a setback when OR SB 132 was passed and eliminated the religious exemption to vaccination. The new law requires parents and guardians, who file a nonmedical exemption for their child after Mar. 1, 2014, to receive state-approved “education” about vaccination before being allowed to file the exemption. If a parent already has a non-medical exemption form on file with schools and daycare facilities, the form does not need to be resubmitted. Only parents

Continued on page 47

The Valley, May 2014

34

Joanne Wills-Kline Contentment Quest

Lessons from Luca

Recently, we shared our humble abode with two houseguests.

Our visitors traveled from the most remote destination on Earth; an island located in the hemisphere where east meets west… a place known to the entire world as paradise… beautiful Oahu, Hawaii. Our guests journeyed with a great purpose; an excursion to celebrate a rite of passage… one’s first trip around the sun… a milestone first birthday. Our houseguests were Rick’s daughter and her son Luca who would celebrate his first birthday party at the PSU blue/white game. Their presence graced our home for nearly two weeks. Over the course of their six week trip, they visited friends and family in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The weather during their trip was Luca’s first experience with cold temperatures, snow flurries, and cold weather clothes.

Many people traveled from near and far to celebrate Luca’s first birthday. They came from different states: Oregon, Florida,

Washington D.C., Northern New Jersey, New York, and all across Pennsylvania. They came from different upbringings and means, but they all came together as one big ohana (Hawaiian word for family) for one big reason – Luca’s first year. Everybody in Luca’s big blended ohana had something special that they wanted to share with him during his visit. Some shared nursery rhymes. Some shared songs.

Some shared new foods. Some passed down clothes from boys before him; some passed down stories of Luca’s heritage; some passed down customs; but all passed down love. I wanted to share so much with Luca, such as my love of books and the written word; backyard BBQ’s and mountain pies; and the natural world within our property space.

I wanted to teach him so much… but instead, something unexpected happened… he taught me.

First, Luca taught me the significance of expression. Luca

squealed when delighted, fussed when frustrated, and cried when unhappy. He lived in the present moment and placed his attention in the here and now. Spending time with Luca reminded me to keep my attention in the here and now. It also reminded me of a quote by Mindfulness Master Jon Kabat-Zinn “Wherever you go, there you are.” Living in the present moment enriches our lives and the lives of others – reminder noted and lesson learned.

Second, Luca taught me the value of listening to one’s body and the benefit of comfort. If Luca was feeling frustrated he “voiced” his frustration by fussing. He in no way shape or form was willing to adapt and freely accept frustration and discomfort. Instead, he worked with his environment to actively reduce frustration and increase his level of comfort.

Watching him made me wonder why do we as adults just “accept” high levels of frustration and discomfort. Why on earth do many of us adults wear frustration, discomfort, exhaustion, stress and over-productivity like a badge? It made me wonder at what point in our lives, what age range, do we “learn” to accept that discomfort is a given in life?

Luca bubbled over with giggles, smiles, and full belly laughs when his comfort level was high. He exuded a sense of security, ease and relaxation when he was comfortable and cozy.

Luca ate when he was hungry and stopped when he was full. He enjoyed wholesome natural foods as he had not yet been tainted with processed and refined foods.

Luca ate slowly and savored his

meals. Eating was a sort of sacred experience for him. It was almost as though he “knew” that nutritious food was a gift of sustenance for body mind and spirit. Luca enjoyed exploring his food, and he was very mindful of texture and temperature. Eating was definitely a here and now experience for him. We adults should always give ourselves permission to seek comfort and alleviate frustration.

We should rest when we are tired and sleep long and restful hours to restore our minds and physical bodies. We should consume nutritious foods and slowly savor our meals giving thanks for the gift of sustenance. Spending time with Luca reminded me to honor my body and treat it with respect.

It also reminded me of a quote by the great American dancer Martha Graham “The body is a sacred garment: it is what you enter life in, and depart life with, and it should be treated with honor, and with joy, and with fear as well.

But always though with blessing” - reminder noted and lesson learned.

Lastly, Luca taught me to recognize awe in the everyday world all around us. Spending time with Luca revitalized my senses.

He took pleasure in the tactile world. Luca enjoyed being outdoors touching the grass, leaves, and trees. He always stopped still to listen to the birds sing. He enjoyed playing with Isaac the cat and was fascinated with his fur and purrs. He delighted in the crisp breeze and warm sunshine on his checks. He lifted his face to the sky, eyes closed, to savor the feeling, and giggled afterward.

He curiously engaged in the world around him and attempted to mimic what others were doing. Spending time with Luca reminded me to mindfully observe the world around me – my world – whether it is my living room,

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my backyard, or my community. He reminded me that the world is still a beautiful place… even amidst difficulties. It also reminded me of a quote by Frank Herbert “Without new experiences, something inside us sleeps.

The sleeper must awaken.” And, a quote by Emily Dickinson “Find ecstasy in life, the mere sense of living is joy enough.”

I didn’t expect to be the student during Luca’s visit. I expected to be the teacher. But, as the old adage goes “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” As I look back over the experiences Luca and I shared during the visit, I am grateful for the opportunity to have spent time with him, and it is my hope that our time together created a positive impact in the little man’s life.

In closing, I leave with a brief message for Luca and a quote

by Cecil Beaton: “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” ~ Cecil Beaton Dear Luca,

May you always voice your truth and utilize creative expression. May you always listen to your body, intuition, and the plea for comfort without any apologies. May you recognize your body as a sacred garment and treat it with honor and respect throughout your life. May you always “let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love” (Rumi, 12th century Persian Poet). And, may you know that throughout your life’s journey, near and far, east to west, and north to south, there will always be a big blended ohana to welcome you home.

With much love, Baba a

The Valley, May 2014

Life in the East End

by Rebecca Harrop

Wo-hoo!! Fishing season is here! I love fishing season almost as much as hunting season. My little cousin Matt caught his first fish this year. Good job Matt!

I’ve been out fishing a couple times. My brother has been out several times already. He’s a fishing fanatic. I’m hoping I can get more fishing time this year. I get teased because I don’t really like eating stream caught fish. I love Long John’s fish, I just don’t care for wild fish. Oh, well I make up for it by eating lots of venison!!

Darn, talking about venison makes me hungry for some. Now I’ll have to check with Dad to see if we have any canned venison left.

Maybe we can have some for lunch.

Dad bought a new zero turn lawn mower with a 60 in. deck.

It shouldn’t take as much time to mow the yard now. I usually do the mowing. Mom likes to mow too, but she doesn’t get much time anymore. Rachel likes to mow the grass also, but since she is working in New Jersey now, she won’t get too much time either.

Dad mows sometimes, but he has a habit of mowing Mom’s shrubs off. Trust me that is not a good thing. Mom doesn’t take it very well when her shrubs get mowed off. Dad says we’ll have to teach Mom to use this mower, but I’m not so sure about that. Zero turns

can be a little hard to get used to.

So I guess the mower is all mine.

Although, I will have to figure something out to mow around the grain bins. I already checked and this mower isn’t going to fit between the bins. We do have one of those DR trimmers, so I’ll just have to use it instead. Anyway I’ll be “cruising” on the mower this year.

Election Day is coming up soon. It’s time to find out about the races and who is running. We all need to take time to learn about the candidates and where they stand on the issues so you are an informed voter. Then on May 13th, Primary election day in PA. If you are registered, make sure you get to the polls and vote.

Like my Dad says, if you don’t vote you can’t complain.

As promised, I have some more info on the Mifflin County Youth Fair history this month.

You may remember from last month that the Fair started in 1954. The FFA club started exhibiting at the Fair in 1958. So while FFA wasn’t exhibiting with 4-H in 1954, only four short years later they were a part of the Fair as well. Both 4-H and FFA have contributed to the Fair’s success over the years. Some of the early exhibits and projects were dairy cows, conservation, shooting and tractor driving. My Pap Goss

GRANGE FAIRGROUNDS - CENTRE HALL, PA

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showed his prized Ayshire heifer, Favorites, when the Fair was at Kish Park. He also showed her at the Farm Show. I saw some of the pictures of him and his heifer. I noticed all the pictures of Ayrshires had horns. There were some pictures of the Jerseys also with horns. The Jerseys looked really neat because they had these chains with little bells on them hung around their horns. The bells hung down on their forehead. I was surprised that they had horns because most cows are dehorned as calves today. I asked Pap about that and he said Ayrshire and Jersey cows were shown with horns and the Jerseys had bells. The tractor driving contests were very popular back then. We still did a tractor driving contest until a few years ago. My brothers were in it a couple of times.

I came across several articles about plowing contests and I’m not sure if they were a 4-H project or something else ,but I thought they were pretty interesting. The sewing, vegetable and flower gardening clubs were very popular as well. I saw lots of articles and photos of entries from past fairs.

The county Dress Revue was a pretty popular event. The horse clubs have been a steadfast part of the Fair as well. The horse club has a lot of competitions that are held throughout the year. The beef and hog clubs have always been very active. In 1966, the first Livestock Auction was held at the Youth Park. The receipts from that auction were $5,530.37. Before that, the 4-H swine were sold at the local sale barn. Today we have goats, sheep, meat chickens, meat rabbits, and dairy feeders, in addition to the beef and hogs sold at the auction. We also sell a gallon of milk from the Dairy Club. There is always some fierce bidding on that!

A quick update on the activities planned for this year’s Fair.

We are adding a “RibbonCutting” Opening ceremony to Monday night’s schedule. At 6:30 pm, at the stage, the ceremony will take place. Several State and local dignitaries or “Digs” as Mom’s been calling them lately, will be participating in the ceremony.

This years Fair is going to be really great so I hope you all will try to come at least one night but every night would be great!

That’s it for this month from the East End. a

CENTRALPAFLEA.NET www.thevalleynewspaper.com

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The Valley, May 2014

36

Is There A Solution To The Failures of Obamacare?

In my second year of nursing school, our instructors told us that patients were supposed to be called clients; doctors were supposed to be called providers.

Health care relationships moved from a personal interaction to a business transaction. Then, it was called an HMO. Now it’s called the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

Both have a played a role in the erosion of our healthcare system. Both are a part of the continuous assault on our personal freedoms.

Under Obamacare, there is a loss of freedom to choose our doctor; to choose our insurance company, and to choose what health care services we receive.

This matters to every one of

us. 250,000 Pennsylvanians will be losing their coverage under this system.

President Obama promised that we could keep our doctors.

But, too often we’re finding our doctors don’t participate in the exchange and our hospitals are opting out.

President Obama claimed insurance would be more affordable. Really? Many insurance companies will not break even on the exchanges. Aetna and Coventry Health Care cancelled plans to offer insurance in the exchange when they could not charge premiums high enough to cover their costs. Cigna pulled out of the federal exchanges in Pennsylvania. And United Health Care abandoned us completely and

took their business to New York.

Those insurance companies that don’t relocate will be forced to pass the skyrocketing costs onto the hard-working families of Pennsylvania. The individual insurance rate has risen in Pennsylvania by 28 percent.

Dr. Paul Nancollas, an Eye Physician and Surgeon in Lewistown, PA, and also my husband, told me that patients who have health care insurance from the exchanges are finding that the antibiotics they need for their eye infections are not being covered.

Not only is Obamacare destructive to people, but it threatens an already struggling economy.

Highmark has laid off 520 employees in PA. And the estimated cost of Obamacare is 3 -7 trillion dollars over ten years.

We will be paying for this failed plan for generations.

If President Obama feels his

signature health plan is so great for this country, then why is he delaying portions of this law until after the elections? He is leaving people in limbo without any health insurance coverage. This is just what he claimed wouldn’t happen.

Progressives have said our health care choices are better. But when our choices are taken away?

When premiums and taxes skyrocket? When small businesses are suffering? People are being laid off because of increased costs to businesses. People are losing their insurance!

Is that BETTER?

There is a solution to our health care issues. It is called the Health Care Compact. This is an interstate compact between two or more states.

The Health Care Compact doesn’t set limits on our choice of doctors, doesn’t dictate who provides our insurance. And it leaves us in charge of our own health, unlike Obummercare.

Two years ago many legislators in Pennsylvania rejected the Health Care Compact. They stated that they did not want a better solution at that time to our health care problems and that they were planning on accepting Obamacare.

However, several states HAVE approved the Health Care

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Compact, including UT, KS, OK, TX, MO, IN, AL, AK and SC. States that have passed legislation on the Health Care Compact include MT, AZ and MN. States that have hearings underway include OH and LA. States that have introduced Health Care Compact legislation include CO, FL, TN and NH.

To learn more about the Health Care Compact go to www. healthcarecompact.org. You can also go to the link: https:// www.facebook.com/pages/ Health-Care-Compact-Pennsylvania/181702348532414 for the latest on the PA efforts to adopt the Health Care Compact.

I got into nursing over 20 years ago because I wanted to help people. Medicine was about caring, about one person caring for another. Under Obamacare that standard is a thing of the past.

However, we can bring back our high standards with the Health Care Compact.

That’s why we have to keep fighting, in order to bring personal choice, the doctor/patient relationship and humanity back into medicine.

Lisa Nancollas, Mifflin County Tea Party Patriots PA State Coordinator Tea Party Patriots a

37

The Valley, May 2014

Swedish Massage and Foot Reflexology

by Tatyana Vdov

After last month’s article, a few people made comments about how I look like a “quack” with all the modalities listed in my ad. Well, I can only thank those people, as I now have the intro for this months’ article. (Honestly, I had no clue how to start it.) Growing up in a holistically oriented family, massage therapy was the #1 thing for aches and pains. At thirteen, I knew that I wanted to be a massage therapist “when I grew up.” Seventeen found me enrolled in YTI Career Institute in Mechanicsburg, and a year later, diploma in hand, I was on the roll.

However, my education did not stop with the grandiose presentation of the diploma. The desire to excel at what I do, drove me to take classes in modalities that I felt would benefit my clients.

While in school, I thought of massage therapy as a wonderful, exciting career, after, I realized that it became my passion and my life. Hence, the list of all the modalities, and I will write about two more.

Swedish Massage, or Classic Massage, originated in the 19th

century. It was the work of Pehr Ling of Sweden and Johann Mezger. Swedish massage is probably what most people imagine when they hear ‘spa,’ ‘relaxation,’ and ‘massage.’ Swedish massage focuses solely on relaxation. (No digging out of knots.)

Medium pressure, broad strokes and continuous movement used in Swedish massage help improve circulation, promote the release of neurochemicals such as endorphins and enkephalins, which are the body’s natural pain killers, reduce muscle tension and improve quality of sleep. If you want to relax and forget that you even have knots, Swedish Massage is probably what you are looking for.

Foot Reflexology is the one modality that gives the feet the

attention they deserve. We use our feet every day, all day. Besides that, many people wear shoes that range from mildly uncomfortable to ‘I have blisters on my feet from those damn things.’ Unfortunately, at the end of the day, most people won’t look twice at their feet.

(Unless of course they have blisters.) Feet are not only important for our ability to walk, but they also play a major role in the health of our whole body.

In ancient Egypt and China, it was and still is believed that the

feet have the map of the whole body. Every organ, every joint and muscle group has a reflex point on the sole of the foot.

Eastern philosophy suggests that the reflex points on the feet are connected to the correlating

areas of the body through meridians or ‘energy pathways’ that run like an intricate web through our bodies. If an organ, for example, the liver, is functioning poorly, we can help it regain optimal function by working on the reflex point on the foot that corresponds to the liver. There is also a scientific approach to the whole reflexology thing. According to the Reflexology Association of America (RAA), each foot has about 7,200 nerve endings. Each of these nerve endings are connected to an organ, joint, tendon, ligament or muscle. By working on the feet, we activate and/or stimulate the nerves in the feet, which in turn create a certain reaction in the area of the body which is connected to that particular nerve ending.

Foot reflexology was shown to increase circulation, relieve tension not only in the feet, but throughout the whole body.

In my opinion, foot reflexology is one of the few modalities that fits everyone, and probably one that everyone needs!

Mother’s Day is coming up, and I hear massage gift certificates come in really handy! Stop in to get a gift certificate and check out my new location! Hope to see you soon and remember to drink plenty of water! ~Tatyana Vdov a

Tanya's Massage Therapy Modalities: Ashiatsu Cupping Prenatal Deep Tissue Swedish Massage Foot Reflexology Raindrop Therapy Russian Clinical Massage How you treat your body today, is how it will serve you tomorrow!

Call to schedule an appointment:

(814) 937-0375 www. tanyasmassagetherapy.com

Email: tanyamassage@live.com !!!!NEW LOCATION!!!!

129 Nolan Drive Lewistown, PA 17044 www.thevalleynewspaper.com

The Valley, May 2014

38

Ed’s Railroading News

by Ed Forsythe

I’m sitting here reading a letter and magazine from The Fort Wayne Historical Society about the #765 Berkshire steam engine that came through this area last year. As I read these items I realize my Valley Newspaper article is very, very late again. So I’ll get back to reading just as soon as I’m done typing. The mammoth steam engine made history again last year when it became the first steam engine excursion train to travel around the Horseshoe Curve since 1977. Every public trip that was made last year was a sold out success. Membership in the historical society nearly doubled as many of us became aware of this engine’s society work.

I heartily encourage all of you to look into joining so you can follow up on the happenings of the #765 engine as well as having the ability to get involved if and when it does return to Central Pa.

Unfortunately, as of this writing the Berkshire will not be returning this year, but hopefully sometime very soon.

One thing that is returning again is the Rockhill Trolley Museum’s weekly running of trolleys for all of us to enjoy. Yes, the weekend operating schedule is posted on the museum’s website, so take a short ride and enjoy a trolley ride back into history when everyone rode trolleys to work, the store or for an outing at the End-Of-The-Line Amusement Park.

Coming up in downtown Lewistown on May 17th is the Mifflin-Juniata Arts Council event with workshops, children’s art displays, local musical talents, the Mifflin County Model Railroad Club’s scavenger hunt around the layouts, and other events happening. Make plans to get involved with this fine group’s efforts to

showcase many of the local talents.

Watch the local papers, listen to the local radio stations, etc. for further information coming forth.

It promises to be a very exciting day of art enjoyment.

Remember, art is not just paintings and sculpture, you can find art in everything.

So come have some “Scavenger Hunt” fun looking for artistic details on the Railroad Club’s layout from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As always, Happy Railroading, Ed a

CENTRAL PA

FIBER FESTIVAL MAY 17 & 18 2014

Free Admission SAT 9-­‐5 & SUN 9-­‐4 Free Parking

Over 40 vendors offering;

Fiber, roving, yarns and finished products

FARM MADE & HAND MADE ITEMS

FREE Demonstrations daily

Including: Spinning, crocheting, needle felting, knitting, tri-­‐loom, weaving, and much more.

Being held at:

CLINTON COUNTY FAIRGROUND In The Commercial Building 98 RACETRACK ROAD MILL HALL, PA 17751

Contact: Brenda Schenck Cell: 207-­‐240-­‐4269 Find us on Facebook

Central PA Fiber Festival Food will be available

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The Valley, May 2014

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The Valley, May 2014

40

Stroke Rehabilitation Helps A McAlisterville Man

Lee Glass, of McAlisterville, likes to be busy. At 77, he builds crafts, enjoys yard work and gardening, and takes care of a few chickens (13,000 to be exact) on the family farm. After a recent stroke, and a stay at Geisinger Medical Center, Lee chose rehabilitation at HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital.

Like Lee, most people have to make a choice about stroke rehabilitation from a hospital bed.

Knowing where you would go ahead of time, and what level of rehabilitation you want, can make all the difference in how you recover.

When Lee started inpatient stroke rehabilitation, he had limited use of his right side, including his right arm. Lee received three hours of therapy a day, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. A retired builder (Lee and his brother owned Glass Brothers Construction in Freeburg), Lee was focused on improving the function and strength of his right side. “I’ve been building things my whole life,” says Lee. “I built our home, and everything from to cradles to toy boxes. I owe my greatgranddaughter a jewelry box; that’s next!”

Lee and his wife, Marlene, have been married, and living together in McAlisterville, since 1985. Lee has two daughters, two grandsons and a greatgranddaughter.

Marlene is the organist and pianist at their church, Pine Grove United Methodist, in Mifflintown.

At HealthSouth, Lee had daily physician

visits, and an interdisciplinary health care team to manage his care. His goal was to get strong and return to his home and his family. Lee says, “The food at HealthSouth is ‘good to very good,’ but I’m ready for my wife’s cooking again.”

An important component of rehabilitation at HealthSouth is education. Stroke patients like Lee, and their families, learn about nutrition, safety in the home and stroke risk factors, both through classes and at the bedside.

HealthSouth pharmacists also participate in education, helping patients and families manage their medications. “We’re available to help as much as someone needs,” says HealthSouth Pharmacist Lance Kephart. “We’ll do a ‘brown bag review’ for patients who want it. We go over every medicine they take, explain how

they work and look for anything that is outdated or may

need to be adjusted.”

After two weeks of therapy, Lee is walking with ease, using stairs, and feeding himself with his right arm again. Lee will be discharged to home, transitioning from inpatient therapy at Pleasant Gap to outpatient therapy at HealthSouth’s Outpatient Clinic in Lewistown. Reflecting on his stroke, Lee says, “You think it will never happen to you. I’m glad that I came here, because now I get to go home and get back to doing the things I love.”

HealthSouth’s stroke rehabilitation program is certified by the Joint Commission, the gold seal of approval in health care. For more information about HealthSouth inpatient or outpatient stroke rehabilitation, or a tour, call (814) 359-3421 or visit www. nittanyvalleyrehab.com. a

HealthSouth Speech-language Pathologist Maria Dombrowski observes the cognitive and memory functions of stroke rehabilitation patient Lee Glass as he reads. After just two weeks of physical, occupational, and speech therapy at HealthSouth in Pleasant Gap, Lee is able to return home to his family in McAlisterville. He’ll transition to outpatient therapy at HealthSouth’s Lewistown Outpatient Clinic.

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Get Vocal - Buy Local

Support Local Business! www.thevalleynewspaper.com

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The Valley, May 2014

42

Painting Songbirds

I think most artists go through periods of painting different subjects and even different styles and art mediums. It’s important to paint what captures your interest at the time, and as a practical matter, also to respond to what potential art clients are interested in.

Back in the 1990s, I was painting mostly wildlife subjects, and while I’ve moved on to a ,ot of other things since then, I still enjoy doing those from time to time. Since spring “birding” season is upon us now, I’ve been working on a series of migratory

songbirds, mostly wood warblers.

These beautiful little birds would look strange painted much larger than life-size, and I like to focus in on just the bird, so I’m mostly painting them on the same 8x10 inch canvas size, using alkyd oils.

These are all species I’ve seen personally, but since I’ve rarely been able to get good photos, I look for a variety of photos as references for the bird and then draw from a number of them, changing the backgrounds and adjusting lighting to make the best painting. I’ve posted some videos showing the process on

my YouTube channel at https:// www.youtube.com/user/KarlEricLeitzelArt, if you’d like to watch a painting take form. I’ll also be planning at least one of my art workshops this year around painting wildlife in general or perhaps even birds specifically. By the time this issue comes out, I should have a nice selection available at the Green Drake Gallery in Millheim, or contact me personally at 814-422-8461 or karlericleitzel@ gmail.com.

If you have the opportunity, try to go warbler watching this spring. The ideal time is early in the morning when they are most active, at a time when the tree leaves are just beginning April/May Special Show to come out but not yet too thick.

This is usually in early May in central Pennsylvania. Even if Simon you don’t know Leach the different species yet by their songs (I only recognize a few that way), you can locate where Maggie the birds are by Wolszczan their singing and then try to get close enough for a look with New: Buy and sell your used binoculars.

Woods edges musical instruments! Get in and young fortouch if you have something ests with plenty you’d like to sell. Email us at of understory shrubs and trees greendrakeart@gmail.com. tend to be the most productive.

Local birding Spring Hours: Fri. 4-8 pm, Sat. 10-6, clubs often have and by chance (look for the OPEN flag) spring walks planned that you can join in to get 814-349-2486 • On the Web at greendrakeart.com started. a

A painting demonstration video by Karl on YouTube

Original Fine Art & Handmade Crafts Maggie Wolszczan & Simon Leach

Chestnut-sided Warbler, Oil on canvas board, 8x10 inches

Redstart, Oil on canvas board, 8x10 inches

101 West Main St., Millheim, PA

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Visit Millheim The Cultural Center Of Pennsylvania

43

The Valley, May 2014 YES, I want to join FRIENDS OF JACKS MOUNTAIN support!!

Membership is FREE – we need your

_________________________________________________________________________________ Please Print: First and Last Name __________________________________ _______________________________ Street City State

__( )___________________________ _________________________________ Phone number, including Area Code

Corporate Welfare Programs for Big Wind

_____________________________________ Email address (will be kept private)

We really just need your membership, but if you would like to donate, we will appreciate any donations.

Tax-deductible Donations should be Payable to Save Our Allegheny Ridges (SOAR) which is a 501(c)3 partnering with Friends Of Jacks Mountain. You will receive a receipt.

Laura Jackson, President www.SaveOurAlleghenyRidges.org

A recent report from the wind industry stated that developers lobbied Congress for 11 years before our legislators were persuaded to subsidize the wind industry, thus allowing large-scale industrial wind projects to be built. Industrial wind energy, in its present form, is too expensive and too risky to finance without substantial subsidies. It is true that our tax dollars subsidize many industries and products even tobacco production. Supporters say that tobacco subsidies stabilize the economy and provide jobs in poor areas. Subsidies to big tobacco companies and to big wind companies speak to the power of corporate welfare programs.

Industrial wind is subsidized at the federal and state level, and benefits from state mandates.

This article explores just a few subsidy programs that support wind development.

According to the New York Times, Pennsylvania spends at least $4.84 billion per year on incentive programs for businesses. In fact, Royal Dutch Shell received a tax credit of $1.65 billion for its petrochemical refinery north of Pittsburgh - the tax credit was an attempt to lure it into our state (1). This is corporate welfare at its finest!

Subsidies distort the market and prop up industries that should be able to function on their own.

Why does the oil and gas industry continue to be subsidized?

Energy companies could compete in the market without government subsidies, but their lobbying power and political influence keep the corporate welfare system in place.

Production Tax Credits: One of the major subsidies for industrial wind projects, the Production Tax Credit (PTC), was not renewed at the end of 2013, but any wind project that starts construction before 2016 is still eligible for a production credit of

_____________ Zip code

2.3 cents per kWh. That doesn’t seem like much, but it is significant. Economists estimate that a 2-year extension of the PTC will cost more than $13 billion over the next 10 years - and even more after that.

There are two big problems with the PTC: 1. If Congress fails to pass a balanced budget, every dollar provided to special interests like the wind PTC is a direct addition to the national debt. Each dollar that Congress adds to the national debt will be DOUBLED in about 15 years from all the interest that accrues.

2. The PTC is the main reason why industrial wind companies like E.ON and Volkswind want to build wind turbines on Jacks and Stone Mountains. The tax credits make industrial wind projects viable, at the expense of wildlife, natural habitats and local communities.

States like Iowa and Texas receive a big piece of the subsidy pie compared to Pennsylvania, which only ranks 30 out of 50 states in wind resources. A recent study by the Institute for Energy Research (2) determined that the federal Production Tax Credit created a burden of $123,299,767.47 in 2012 to Pennsylvania taxpayers. Some of that money supported wind developers in Pennsylvania, like E.ON, EverPower, NextEra, Gamesa, Duke Energy, and others which received $47,313,667.72 in tax credits from Pennsylvania residents. However, most of the money that burdened Pennsylvania taxpayers went out of state to support wind development in other parts of the country.

Pennsylvania residents lost $75, 986,099.75 in credits to big wind states like Texas and Iowa.

Alternative Energy Production Tax Credits: Pennsylvania has its own version of the Production Tax Credit; it is called the 2009 Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Production Tax Credit

MAIL TO: Darrell Smith

567 Mile Long Lane Martinsburg, PA 16662

Program. Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Investment Act of 2008, signed into law by Gov. Edward G. Rendell on July 9, 2008 established the Alternative Energy Production Tax Credit. This tax credit is available to taxpayers who develop or construct alternative energy production projects located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a useful life of at least four years. The program provides up to $1 million per taxpayer. The Act allocated a total of $25,000,000 to qualifying projects. In contrast to the federal PTC, Pennsylvania’s credit may be applied to waste coal, clean coal technologies, and high-speed rail - not just renewable energy projects.

That’s why it is called the “Alternative Energy” PTC. Pennsylvania also offers substantial grants and loans through other programs to support alternative energy development, including industrial wind. While none of them are as hefty as the $1.65 billion offered to Royal Dutch Shell, they spur industrial wind development on our forested ridges and northern core habitat forests.

Subsidies drive energy production, but they can’t control the actual energy capacity - how much energy is actually produced by various forms of power plants. Both wind

and solar are infinite resources, but have low capacities because their energy sources are variable.

Fossil fuel resources are very fixed and dense, but limited in quantity. When energy subsidies are analyzed per production, the true extent of subsidies emerges.

In 2007, industrial wind received a subsidy of $23.37 per megawatthour (MWh). Solar received $24.34 per MWh, while coal received $0.44 per MWh and petroleum received $0.25 per MWh.

Big wind companies are

lobbying our legislators to renew the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) in 2014. Let your federal legislators know that it is time to stop corporate welfare for big wind. Ask them to vote against any bill that reinstates the PTC.

1. http://www.nytimes.com/ interactive/2012/12/01/us/government- incentives.html#PA 2. http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/wp-content/ uploads/2013/12/ State- Level-Impact-of-Federal-Wind-Subsidies. pdf a

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The Valley, May 2014

44

R. O. F. F.

Dairy Connection

by Halee Wasson

Rescue Our Furry Friends

Centre Count y Dair y Princess

Greetings Everyone! Unfortunately this will be the last article I will write as Centre County Dairy Princess. On May 31st my reign will be ending, and a new young lady will be given this honor.

Although my reign is ending, my passion and dedication I have for the dairy industry will continue to grow. Tradition and history are a source of pride for the dairy farmers of Pennsylvania. 99% of Pennsylvania dairy farms are family owned and operated, as is my family farm.

Promotion has been a part of my family and dairy farm for the last 22 years. My five sisters and I have all represented Centre County and Pennsylvania as dairy princesses. We used our voice to allow our story to be heard. We have done thousands of promotions, traveling thousands of miles; all to promote an industry we hold close to our hearts.

My sisters and I do not need a crown to promote. We will continue to tell our story with the same drive and passion we had for the past 22 years. We are proud of and proud to promote our family farm and all Pennsylvania dairy farms. I am enclosing one last

recipe for you to enjoy.

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake 1 pkg. caramels ½ C. SOUR CREAM ¼ C. EVAPORATED MILK 1 ¼ C. MILK ¾ C. chopped pecans, divided 1- 3.9 oz. chocolate instant pudding 1-9” chocolate crumb pie crust ½ C. fudge 2-3 oz. pkgs. CREAM CHEESE, softened Place caramels and EVAPORTED MILK in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium- low heat. Stir until smooth; about 5 minutes. Stir ½ C. of chopped pecans. Pour into 9” pie crust.

Combine CREAM CHEESE, SOUR CREAM and MILK in blender.

Process until smooth.

Add pudding mix; process for about 30 seconds more. Pour

by Patricia Lawson

First, we would like you to meet Edward. He is extremely lucky to have ROFF on his side.

mixture over caramel layer, covering evenly.

Chill loosely covered until set, about 15 minutes. When finished chilling, drizzle the fudge topping over pudding layer in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle top of pie with rest of pecans. Chill loosely covered until serving time.

Serves12. a

The Wasson sisters and their mother (back, center).

Edward

Rescue received a call a few weeks ago about this sweet cat that was in need of some medical attention. Even though we are very limited in space, we always try to help ones who are injured and need immediate treatment.

Edward had a severely broken front leg, which required surgery. The surgery to save his leg was a success and he is doing well with his recovery. We are asking for donations to help with his surgery expenses ($1200), which are very costly to a small rescue.

Edward is a very sweet cat and we are thankful that we were able to help him, as we wish we could help them all. As always, we are extremely thankful for the support we get from others who care as much as we do for our animals in need. If you can help with Edward’s surgery expenses, please make checks payable to ROFF, and mail them to or drop them off at ROFF Headquarters, 133 North Walnut Street, Burnham, PA 17009, indicating that the money is for Edward.

You Axel

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may also drop off your donation at Big Valley Beverage in Reedsville. Thank you!

“Hey there…look at me! I’m Axel! I’m so dog-gone happy that ROFF has rescued me, that my tail is blurry when my picture is taken. But, I could be happier if you would adopt me. I’m in a foster home right now and I get along great with my dog friends.

I even like the cats, but I do like to chase them sometimes. I’m just playing, you know. The humans say that I have all my shots and I’m neutered, whatever that is, plus I’m housebroken and crate trained. I’m an American bulldog and boxer mix, very lovable, and just around 1 ½ years old. So please come and visit me. You’ll see for yourself that I would be a great companion.”

Magic

“I’m Magic. I guess I was named for the common phrase “Black Magic,” since I’m all black. That doesn’t mean that I am bad luck, even though I’ve had a bit of bad luck myself. You see, my owner moved and couldn’t take me along. I’m about 4 years old, and I love playing with the kittens that I’m living with right now. I have “purr”sonality plus, so come over and find out how well I would fit into your family.”

Applications can be found on www.roff.cc , or call 877-9337633.

Our next fund-raising event will take place in front of WalMart on Saturday, May 3rd from 10am to 6pm. We look forward to seeing you there! a

Until they all have homes… www.roff.cc

45

The Valley, May 2014 hundred 14-Karat Gold “Box Chains.” When they arrived, the usual (larger and better quality) lobster claw clasps had been replaced by tiny, terribly difficult to use, clasps that basically ruined the necklaces. When we called and complained, we were told that “everyone else” was “happy” with the change because it helped “keep the products price at a more reasonable level.” (We returned the shipment, and paid the difference to have the midget clasps

Dave Wilson

Coins, Precious Metal and a Little of this and That

Stealth Inflation Is Coming to an End

There is little doubt, that anyone reading this article has not personally noticed product/service price increases, many times substantial increases, over the past several years. True inflation has been with us for much longer than that, of course, but until recently, manufacturers and suppliers were able to “play” with their product’s final (in store) price without most consumers being fully aware of what was going on. We have labeled this “gradual” increasing of prices as Stealth Inflation.

Cereal boxes have shrunk, and even then, many are only filled to 80% of capacity. (Some are so thin, that they look like laptop computer boxes.) Coffee containers have been shrunk to embarrassingly small sizes.

Candy bars are thinner and shorter. Toilet tissue is much more narrow. Tooth paste tubes are several ounces lighter. Ice cream containers have been down-sized, and cans of condensed soup are smaller. Practically everything you use, or can think of, has been packaged in smaller units or

sizes. Almost always, prices for these smaller units are the same, or even higher than before they were reduced. That, of course, is the whole idea behind such practices. In the beginning, manufacturers were hopeful that consumers would not notice that they were paying the same (or even more) for LESS product.

For a time, they were successful.

As the years passed, however, and down-sizing of package contents became more severe, many did began to notice. Product shrinkage was everywhere.

Merchandise changes, usually labeled as “new and improved,” are, many times, not for the benefit of the consumer (as their advertising suggests), but in fact, are another form of Stealth Inflation. Paper towels that have been introduced with perforations closer together, making each towel smaller, are supposed to help you save paper, by tearing off a smaller piece with each use.

However, as most manufacturers probably already know, most people (many times) end up tearing

off two towels, as one just doesn’t get the job done. So, instead of saving 25%, the consumer ends up using 25% more with each use.

(Go ahead and admit it, you have probably done this too.)

Soaps, that now are arched underneath in the middle, supposedly, we are told, are designed this way so they will not stick to soap containers. In reality, it also makes them break in half in a very short time. Most people detest using the smaller pieces, so many (men especially) just discard them, resulting in a huge loss of product. Again, a practice that is likely no surprise (and probably a delight) to the people who make the soap.

Aside from shrinking product packages, and improvements that are not always what they appear to be, there is a general cheapening of many things we use every day.

Three years ago, realizing that they were just as good an investment as anything, we ordered several

replaced.)

The paper bags we use in the store were another issue. Last year we ordered 2000 of them.

Same bag number, same supplier. Normally, the ladies have to separate each bag from the stack as they tend to stick together. In the past, 2 or 3 bags per hundred would tear in the process and be lost. The new bags were so much lighter weight that we lost nearly

Continued on page 47

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The Valley, May 2014

46

Progress At The Embassy

by Patricia Lawson

Thanks to all for coming out to The Embassy Fair! What a fun way to support a great cause. Yes, the momentum continues as The Embassy begins a new phase in renovations.

The spring and summer are filling up with exciting activities! May brings us the MifflinJuniata Arts Festival in downtown Lewistown. Be sure to stop by The Embassy on Friday, May 16th; 6pm-10pm, and Saturday, May 17th 10am-6pm. We are having an Open House, featuring information on our progress!

And, here is a celebration you definitely won’t want to miss: It’s The Embassy’s “Let Freedom

Ring Fourth of July Concert” that will be held on Thursday, July 3rd and the rain date is Saturday, July 5th in front of The Embassy. Come out and enjoy the Lewistown Community Band and the Let Freedom Ring Chorus. Be sure to stay for the spectacular fireworks display!

As you recall, The Embassy Theatre opened in 1927. Let’s take a look at what other events in the entertainment arena occurred during this year. From thepeoplehistory.com and historyorb.com: • Fox Studios exhibits Movietone • Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”

premieres • Director Alfred Hitchcock releases his first film, “The Pleasure Garden,” in England • Ziegfeld Theater (Loew’s Ziegfeld) opens at 6th Ave. & 54th St. in NYC • Buster Keaton’s movie “The General” released & bombed • Louis B Mayer forms Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences • “Ain’t She Sweet?” hits #1 on the singles chart by Ben Bernie • Grauman’s Chinese Theater opens in Hollywood, California • The Cyclone roller coaster

opens on Coney Island • “Wings,” the only silent film to win an Oscar for best picture, opens • Sigmund Romberg’s musical “My Maryland,” premieres in NYC • The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air with 18 stations (and WOR as NYC affiliate) • “The Jazz Singer” opens on October 6th, and becomes a huge success, marking the end of the silent film era.

• Duke Ellington sings “Creole Love Song” • Rodgers & Hart’s musical “Connecticut Yankee,” premieres in NYC • George Gershwin’s “Funny Face,” premieres in NYC • Duke Ellington opens at Cotton Club in Harlem • George Kaufman & Moss

Hart’s “Royal Family,” premieres in NY

As always, your support continues to be crucial to our progress. Your tax-deductible donations would be greatly appreciated. Please make your checks payable to “The Friends of The Embassy Theatre,” and mail them to The Embassy Theatre, P.O. Box 203, Burnham, PA 17009. Thank you in advance for your support!

Be sure to read June’s article.

Paul Fagley, the President of The Friends, will discuss the next Phase of development of The Embassy. You won’t want to miss it! www.facebook.com/embassyltwn

A Memory with a Future, a Future Full of Memories! a

Caving Mifflin County with Todd Karschner

Farmers Help America Keep Soil Healthy

Do you know our lives depend on healthy soil? While most people think of soil as just dirt, its functions are crucial to our everyday life.

Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife and beautiful landscapes.

Soil contains healthy nutrients necessary for supporting plants and animals. And just as plants and animals depend on soil, the soil depends on them too.

Soil is the interaction of living and non-living things, part of a process that is age-old.

Soil is composed of air, water, organic matter and minerals. A community of organisms - called a soil food web – lives all or part of their lives in the soil.

There are more individual organisms in a teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth.

Increasing soil organic matter typically improves soil health since organic matter improves several critical functions of soil.

To learn more about soil conservation, and how you can

get help on your land, visit www. nrcs.usda.gov or contact your local office in Mifflintown, located at 146 Stoney Creek Drive, Suite 3, Mifflintown, PA 17059.

About Melissa Erdman: Melissa is a District Conservationist with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. She works in the agency’s Mifflintown office and can be contacted at (717) 436-8953 x 111 or melissa.erdman@pa.usda.gov.

About NRCS: USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service helps America’s farmers and ranchers conserve the nation’s soil, water, air and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer sciencebased solutions that

benefit both the landowner and the environment. Learn more at www. pa.nrcs.usda.gov. a

Hello Valley readers!

Spring is finally here! I needed a break from cutting wood. large rock to slide down and close We have even more new cavers part of the entrance making it a bit coming out this year—more than more difficult to enter and exit. any year so far. From the very We are going to visit one or young to the retired young. I’ll two public caves this year for admit it, there were people older those who prefer to stay upright than me, with little or no experiand clean. ence, that impressed me with their One other thing, due to undesire to try caving. Some didn’t forseen issues with the old 322 want to go again in the more conservice center, K&W auto marine stricted places, but they did want and small engine will not be based to visit a larger cave soon. at this address. I will post the new We lost one caver because she address as soon as it is open for watched the movie, The Decent. business. If you are a boat owner ITS FAKE LENA! and are looking for a cheaper Anyway, we had two trips this and closer alternative, drop me a past week. One to the Milroy line and I will explain the details. system and one to check out some 717-513-3545 fresh large sinkholes dropping Till next time open here in Armagh Twp. We Cave safe also checked out a few small TODD K. a unmarked caves in the area that still have a few inches of ice as far as 5 feet below the surface.

I haven’t seen it frozen that deep in many years.

The trip to Milroy caves was to break the “cabin fever” and was enjoyed by all. One entrance had either ice damLady Cavers are welcome! age or vandals that caused a

thevalleynewspaper@gmail.com

47

The Valley, May 2014 The Time is Coming from page 33

ues with NJ S 1147 attempting to restrict religious exemptions.

filing non-medical exemptions after Mar. 1, 2014 will have to comply with the new regulations.

Details on this new law and how to obtain the current form for a non-medical exemption before the Mar. 1 change goes into effect are posted in the Announcements section of the Oregon State page on the NVIC Advocacy Portal.

Bills Introduced to Expand and Protect Exemptions

NVIC Advocacy Portal users in Mississippi, New Jersey and New York have been very busy communicating with their legislators to brief them about why securing expanded vaccine exemptions is necessary to protect parental informed consent rights and children’s health. Bills have been introduced in Mississippi (MS HB 1420) New Jersey (NJ A 1534) and New York (NY A 6359 and NY S 3934) to add a philosophical or conscientious belief exemption to state vaccine laws.

There is another bill in New York (NY A2689), which provides protection to parents who file a religious belief exemption from being persecuted.

Legislators in Oklahoma and Wisconsin have stepped up to the plate on behalf of health care workers whose employers are attempting to require flu shots or other federally recommended vaccines as a condition of employment. Codified exemptions are being proposed in Oklahoma (HB 1892) and Wisconsin (WI AB 247).

Additional support for health care worker informed consent rights has surfaced in Wisconsin (WI AB 608). This bill prohibits a health care provider or health care system from refusing to affiliate with or join another health care provider network or health care system based on the influenza vaccination status of a health care provider or the percentage of fully vaccinated employees.

A recently filed bill in New York (NY S 6443), would give Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants the right to grant and write medical exemptions to vaccinations. Under current law, only state licensed physicians have the legal right to write medical exemptions. The bill would also guarantee that the physician or other state-designed health worker who writes a medical exemption will not be pressured by public health or other government officials to withdraw the medical exemption.

Colorado Vaccine Stakeholder Work Group Issues Report

NVIC is closely monitoring developments in Colorado for any attempts by the Pharma-Medical Trade-Government Health lobby to push for legislation that would restrict non-medical vaccine exemptions. In December, the Colorado Department of Public Health issued a press release on a recent stakeholder report discussing Colorado’s personal belief vaccine exemption. NVIC’s Executive Director, Theresa Wrangham, represented NVIC during the stakeholder engagement project and took the position that it is both unnecessary and coercive to make it more difficult for parents to file non-medical exemptions in Colorado.

The report recommends requiring state-approved education and/or counseling prior to a non-medical vaccine exemption being filed. Parents would need to obtain the signature of a doctor or other state-designated health worker or public health official and the exemption would have to be reviewed annually by the state under this workgroup’s recommendations.

NVIC supports the ethical principle of voluntary informed consent to medical risk-taking and opposes restrictions on vaccine exemptions that make it more difficult for citizens to exercise their informed consent rights. While a bill or proposed rule to restrict vaccine exemptions in Colorado has not been filed yet, there is still time so we are watching this carefully.

Other Attempts to Suspend or Eliminate Exemptions

Some legislators in Vermont would like to see all philosophical and religious exemptions suspended if the vaccination rate falls below 90% (VT H 138 and VT S 102). These two bills fortunately did not make any progress in 2013 but they have carried over to 2014 and need to be watched and opposed.

The battle to protect vaccine exemptions in New Jersey contin-

Lawmakers in Virginia are looking out for homeschooled students and students with vaccine exemptions to protect their right to participate in interscholastic activities funded by state tax dollars.

A Virginia bill (VA HB 63) has been introduced that would prohibit a public school from becoming a member of any organization or entity regulating or governing interscholastic programs that refuses to allow a student, who is homeschooled or has a valid legal exemption to vaccination, to participate in activities.

Get Involved and Take Action

By registering for NVIC’s Advocacy portal at http:// NVICAdvocacy.org, you have access to: more detailed information about all vaccine bills pending in your state; •NVIC’s position on supporting or opposing the bill; •a direct electronic connection through your computer or cell phone to enable you to contact your personal legislators, and •talking points and steps you can take to educate your legislators and make your voice heard.

When you log in to the free NVIC Advocacy Portal, you are immediately connected. When you register and become an active user of the NVIC Advocacy Portal, you will automatically be signed up to the Portal’s email alert system for your state so you will receive real-time Action Alerts that will guide you about what to do about a particular bill that NVIC is monitoring.

Our amazing NVIC volunteer state advocacy team directors are on the ground in your state working to monitor legislation and help you protect your informed consent

rights . They welcome and need your help to background and communicate with legislators in your state.

Please forward this NVIC Newsletter to family and friends who care about their parental and informed consent rights and ask them to register for the NVIC Advocacy Portal. You can log in to the Portal and use NVIC’s “Tell a Friend” feature under the “Resources” tab where all you have to do is enter a friend or a family member’s name and email address and we will send information about the NVIC Advocacy Portal and an invitation to register for the Portal. It is free and just by registering, they will automatically receive email alerts with step-by-step instructions about how to educate their legislators when vaccine safety and choice issues arise in their state.” http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vac-

cine-News/February-2014/2014State-Vaccine-Legislation-inAmerica---Battle.aspx

Remember that most of these “Outbreaks” that are ever-soalarming to many health officials are amongst the VACCINATED population!! If vaccines work, why is this so? We can trust our medical doctors, our pediatricians, the FDA, the CDC and the rest of the government at large, right?

Surely, they know what’s best for us and our kids, right? I’m sad to see that our own state is part of these states proposing legislation limiting our rights. If Pennsylvania tries to force vaccinations on my kids, then I will have a problem. We should all have the right to choose. Communism is not far away when rights are taken away. a

Stealth Inflation is Coming to an End from page 45

they have for nearly 15 years, and actual shelf prices will have to rise significantly. We have been told for several years that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has shown only about a two percent annual inflation rate.

When prices begin their rapid ascent, as they surely must, that two percent number is going to be tough to sell to the American public. It will not be long before adding a “0” behind that “2,” will make future assessments much closer to reality! a

25 per hundred! As well, we are now forced to double-bag nearly everything! As you can imagine, the quality of the bags was cheaper, but not the price.

There is an endless supply of other examples! Likely, you could add a few of your own.

But time is running out for American (and foreign) manufacturers. You can only shrink packaging so much. Further cheapening of merchandise, almost to the point of uselessness, is also not a consideration.

Stealth Inflation has seen its better days! Soon, likely very soon, manufacturers will be unable to hide price increases as

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Dr. Joseph Kauffman drjosephkauffman@comcast.net

The Valley, May 2014

48

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