October2013thevalleyonline

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Serving Mifflin County and the surrounding area.

The Valley A free newspaper dedicated to agriculture, self-reliance, frugal living, and modern homesteading.

Tomorrow’s Media - A Day Early Volume 4, No. 10

The Valley, October 2013

Complimentary

Big Changes for Big Valley?

Big changes are literally looming on the horizon for Big Valley. Not just Big Valley, but many other areas of Mifflin County will see some big changes on the top of Jacks and Stone Mountains if industrial wind projects are built. Jacks Mountain is targeted for two industrial wind projects. Volkswind and E.ON, two German companies, plan to construct industrial power plants on top of Jacks Mountain.

E.ON is also testing wind speeds on Stone Mountain. The test tower on Stone Mountain is easy to see from the northeastern end of Airydale along Rt. 655 – look toward Stone Mountain and you will see the tower. Volkswind has a test tower on Jacks Mountain above Belleville, readily seen from Apple House Road and Dry House Road. The test towers are meteorological towers that collect data on wind speed and direction.

Jacks Mountain is narrow and steep on top in many places, so there will have to be a huge cut-and-fill construction project to create a ledge wide enough to place roads, underground connecting cables and industrial turbines.

Each turbine will have a cleared area beside it large enough for a huge crane. The cranes and turbines must be sited on a compacted, level area devoid of trees.

The impact to the top of Jacks Mountain will be significant. The trees on top will be cut; stumps will be buried and possibly burned. The rocks will be blasted.

The rubble will be bulldozed. A wide flat ledge will be fashioned out of rock so heavy equipment

can travel along the top. The turbines will be built on that ledge.

A wide road without any tree cover will connect the turbines.

A clearing along the road will contain buried cables that connect the turbines.

Volkswind’s Proposed Project:

We know that Volkswind plans to construct 20 industrial turbines that will be 436 feet tall, measured to the tip of the upright blade. Volkswind has submitted the 20 location points to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval. The turbines will be on top of Jacks Mountain and will dominate the skyline for over 4 miles, impacting Granville, Union, and Menno Townships.

Any type of construction project on steep slopes will have to comply with DEP’s water pollution regulations and that will require a lot of sediment traps and retention basins built downslope from the turbines and the road – adding even more changes to the forested slopes on Jacks.

Fortunately, DEP has strict regulations for construction, to reduce the erosion and sedimentation prob-

lems that occur when building on steep slopes. That might be why there are no other wind projects in Pennsylvania, which I know of, that have been constructed on a mountain as steep and narrow as Jacks. There was one project proposed for Dunning Mountain in Bedford County, which is a lot like Jacks Mountain, but the company eventually abandoned the project.

E.ON’s Proposed Project:

We know even less about E.ON’s plans for its wind project, but we suspect that this project will be much larger than Volkswind’s, and will be built on both Stone and Jacks Mountain. Based on the limited information available on the PJM grid, upwards of 75 turbines might be built, possibly impacting 8 – 9 miles of Stone and Jacks Mountains.

The PJM grid is part of the Eastern Interconnection grid that

operates the electric transmission system in all or parts of 13 states, plus the District of Columbia.

PJM (which stands for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland) headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is the world’s largest competitive wholesale electricity market. Watch for a later article that explains more about how the grid operates and why large amounts of wind energy added to the grid increase the likelihood of having power outages.

Impact on Water Supplies:

Clearing and excavating huge amounts of rock and dirt on steep slopes will significantly change how the mountains supply water to the farms, homes, and businesses in the valleys below Stone and Jacks Mountains. Forested mountains act like a giant sponge when it rains. The trees soften and slow the impact of stormwater, allowing the rain and melting snow to seep into the ground.

Down slope, this water flows to the surface as a spring, or forms a stream.

When the trees are cut on the upper slopes Photo courtesy of Mike and Laura Jackson of mountains, and

Lighting Brush Fires in People’s Minds

replaced by wide roads, concrete pads, and clearings, there is a lot of runoff during storms and snowmelt. Stormwater channels will be needed, as well as many retention basins. What might look good on paper doesn’t always work. Maintenance is always an issue, too. There is often little oversight on maintaining stormwater controls and road grading after the wind project is constructed.

One inch of rainfall on 4 acres totals about 110,000 gallons of water. Where does water go when trees and underbrush have been removed on top of a mountain? Downhill, and in a hurry! The culverts and ditches will actually concentrate the force of water, which will require many infiltration areas with very deep soils.

The entire water recharge system on top of the mountain will change. Who knows how that will affect wells, springs, and streams so vital to farms and communities in the valleys?

Impact on Scenic Viewsheds and Tourism:

Pick up any real estate listing in central Pennsylvania and one of the selling points often listed is “beautiful mountain views.”

Many people live in Mifflin County and surrounding areas because they value the rural lifestyle and beautiful surroundings. Whether you like the looks of wind turbines or not, turbines create a visual clutter on the landscape that can’t be denied. Many people

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The Valley, October 2013

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Editor’s Corner Wayne Stottlar October! Quite possibly my favorite month of the year! The air is invigorating, the afternoons pleasant and the nighttime air has the faint odor of early wood fires for heat. October is a transition month to me, it warns of the coming cold, yet gives a few nice days yet to complete winter preparations. There are still some cool weather crops in the garden to harvest, but the garden falls out of the daily routine as we scurry around like a squirrel hiding nuts getting everything prepared for our long winter rest. Rest! Who said that? I know it is supposed to be a time of rest, but in my world that seems to just be a carrot to keep me focused on what has to be done.

Speaking of things that need to be done, I made a huge error last month with the name of one of Dutch Pantry’s suppliers of local ingredients for his jams.

When making note of where Scott buys his blackberries, I inadvertantly said Dena Hostetler out on Church Lane. I know perfectly well that her name is Dena Yoder, but I think because I hang around with Moses Hostetler and the rest of the Hostetler clan out on Back Mountain in Milroy, I just wrote Hostetler instead of Yoder. Besides, I am old and forgetful. Ok,

no excuses, I just got it wrong. So if you too want some of the best black raspberries in The Valley next year, see Dena & Sam Yoder out on Church Lane.

While I am in mind of my Amish friends, tonight probably was the last time this year I am going to be able to enjoy some sweet corn from Hostetler’s Naturals. I was treated to some of the best corn I have ever eaten this summer and I am sad to see it end.

Although, I did blanch and freeze about 40 ears during the peak of it, so I am still going to be having some darn good sweet corn going into winter, it just won’t be fresh picked from Moses’ farm. It will still be non-GMO, and free of synthetic chemicals, so it will be way better than anything available commercially.

We have been canning up a storm here the last month as we have been cleaning out the garden as we harvest in order to plant buckwheat for my bees. My thinking is that this will give them one last nectar flow before winter.

They sure have been working it over this past week! I succession planted it every two weeks in order to provide a constant flow until frost kills it back for the year, I hope the bees like it and reward me with another extraction

LOCAL business highlighted is one 1/4 page ad placement that we will be glad to design for you free of charge. Since this paper’s inception, I have been amazed at the amount of quality small local businesses that we have that no one knows about. They are head and shoulders above their big box competitors and they are your neighbors too, I can’t think of a better reason to shop locally. Hopefully we can bring some of these great businesses to your attention in upcoming issues. If we all shop at our local businesses, we become the masters of our own economic development.

Getting back to the canning, I had problems the last couple of years with early and late blight on my heirloom tomatoes. Last year’s crop was almost a total failure, add that to the fact that the rest of the garden was under constant attack After 3 1/2 weeks of canning, I was still left with from the local deer herd, this huge harvest of ripe tomatoes, and about and we didn’t have a lot 40 gallons of green tomatoes when pulling the to put up. So this year I plants. Spaghetti sauce it shall be! fell for a new triple reof honey before winter sets in. sistent hybrid called Iron

New this month is a new Lady. It was a new tomato for the page entitled “Keeping it Local,” 2013 growing season. I don’t usua place for small businesses to ally grow hybrids, preferring my have their business profiled. Most old stand by heirlooms like Pruplaces charge for this service, dens Purple for a slicing tomato, but since part of our mission is and Amish Paste for our saucing to promote our local businesses and canning tomatoes. But when all that is required to have your you lose your crop, it matters not what you like as you have NONE!

This tomato was sold in lots of 10 seeds for around $8.00, but I bought them anyway, determined

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

not to be tomato-less again this year. Miraculously, all ten seeds germinated and grew into beautiful stocky plants under the lights on my grow rack. This type is a determinate variety, meaning that the plant reaches a certain point, flowers all at once, produces one big flush of fruit and then they are done, they don’t continue to grow and produce until frost kills them. This was all part of the plan as I had said. I had plans to take the garden down in sections and plant buckwheat in the newly vacated spots. Well the plants did just as well in the garden as they did under the lights—they grew abundantly and produced a huge volume of baseball- to softball-size tomatoes. They are the most perfectly shaped and colored tomatoes you would ever want to see. They were very blight resistent and I had only

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The Valley, October 2013 Editors Corner from page 2 minor issues with a couple plants and the affected plants seemed to recover quickly and continue producing. The only drawback is that they are somewhat like storebought tomatoes, very firm and not exactly as enjoyable as biting into a juicy Prudens Purple. I was disappointed as I had a HUGE crop— what to do? Lynn mentioned that she didn’t think they were all that bad. I guess like everything else, you have to give up something to get something, and in this case it was taste you had to give up in order to reach the end of the season with something to can, and surprisingly, these do can up VERY well. We made stewed tomatoes, canned whole tomatoes, ketchup (much, much better than store- bought), and Lynn came home with a recipe for salsa from a co-worker, so we made a LOT of that too. I am still processing a huge pile now that is all going

into sauce. We also had about 40 gallons of green tomatoes that we have been giving away to friends and family. So all in all, the experiment was a success, I got lots of tomatoes, but next year I will grow my old standbys again and try to work on improving the soil before then, so there is some natural defense against getting blight in the first place. It is all about the soil! I am not bad-mouthing Iron Lady tomatoes either, they did exactly what they said they would do. They resisted blight and produced a huge crop, but next year I want some for fresh eating, and since we canned so much this year, we won’t need any canned tomatoes for a couple years now.

If any of you are still trying to make sense out of the goings on in our government, God Bless you, I have given up. There does not appear to be an ounce of common sense left anywhere in Washington DC. What comes from the media, both print and TV is for

the biggest part, lies, misinformation, agenda driven hyperbole and absolutely not news. The only place you will find any inkling of truth is from “Independent Media.” That does not cover anything that comes across your TV. When I hear our elected officials telling bald-faced lies to the camera and the country, and not one reporter has the guts to push for the truth, I can’t help but to think that we are in the same place Russians found themselves under the old USSR. Even funnier is that Vladimir Putin is more believeable and more truthful than our own president.

When you have the likes of John McCain and Lyndsay Graham (Are the people of Arizona and South Carolina this incredibly stupid to keep electing these two clowns?) making back room deals with the Democrats supporting something that Americans DO NOT want, I say it is time to start over. The corruption in that swamp has reached critical mass,

time to send all of those “good Ol’ Boys” packing. Representative government DOES NOT exist there any more. They think they are rulers, not your SERVANT. I don’t believe if you know history, that this can end well.

Just remember, the Democrats AND the Republicans created this mess, they both try to blame it on the other, but in truth, they are both working toward the same end, and it isn’t good for YOU! They are the ones responsible and they are the ones that should be held accountable and fired at your next opportunity.

I would also like to know where all these people are that the news heads are talking about who don’t want the government shut down. I do!! If they are shut down, they can’t pass any more ridiculous laws or regulations or spend huge sums on pure stupidity. A government shutdown would be a great first step at restoring Liberty!

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“Governments are instituted among men, deriving their JUST power from the consent of the governed” --US Declaration of Independence CONSENT REVOKED!!

I believe that to save our nation and our Liberty, we must be ready to exercise Nullification by the states of any federal law deemed unconstitutional by the state. The States created the federal government and as creators, have the right to limit the power afforded it. Since the Civil War though, government has been waging an all out war against State control and power over the federal government. The only way the government can exercise their perceived power is if the States are ready to let them. The 17 enumerated powers loaned to the government by the states can be revoked at any time, by any state.

It is time! a

The Valley, October 2013

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Survival Seed

Several issues back I brought up the idea of stocking up on items that I believe, during an economic collapse, would be useful for bartering. Among those items mentioned were seeds; specifically heirloom seeds. While silver coins, ammo, and tools will be in very high demand in a collapse scenario, I believe seeds will be one item that will be the most sought after and have the highest trade value.

While I do recommend that everyone store up several months’ worth of food, having the means to grow your own garden full of nutritious food to supplement your food storage could be the key to you and your family’s ability to survive and thrive.

While in the past I have

purchased seeds online that were intended for storage, I have made it a point to save seed from this year’s harvest specifically for my personal use and/or barter. I have also saved seed from fruits and vegetables that were given to me, bought at a local farmers mar-

ket from a reputable non-GMO grower, and bartered for.

Now, the type of seed that you will want to store specifically are open-pollinated, heirloom seeds. These seeds differ from other types of seed because: 1) they are not genetically modified, and 2) they will grow “true,” meaning they will produce plants just like their parent plants—

generation after generation. Many of the seeds available from the big seed companies today are a hybrid of two different varieties of plants. While seeds obtained from these plants will usually produce more crops, they will not grow “true-to-type” and many times the seed will be sterile. This is intentionally done so that you as a grower will keep coming back year-after-year and buy more seed from these large seed companies. And no, this is not another one of my so-called conspiracy theories, this is a fact.

There are many internet companies that offer what they sometimes refer to as a seed “vault” or “bank.” These “vaults” are a basically a vacuum sealed can containing thousands of heirloom seeds that are packaged into individually sealed Mylar envelopes. Seeds from: peppers, beans, onions, corn, squash, and many more are included. MyPatriotSupply.com is one such company and is highly recommended.

Many folks say to stock up on this or stock up on that; silver coins, ammo, and batteries

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for example. I have in previous articles suggested all of those things and more, but I have come to the conclusion that while some individuals will know that the worn 1963 Roosevelt dime you are willing to trade is worth more than a dime dated 1987, there are others who won’t. Those heirloom seeds that you have stockpiled could make all the difference in those situations. I think everyone will understand the possibility that those seeds could produce bushels of nutritious food. They may be more than willing to barter for seed than unfamiliar coins.

Now let’s talk about the proper method, well at least the way I do it, for storing your seeds.

If you choose to purchase those seed vaults, storage is pretty simple. All packages should remain sealed until ready for use and stored in a cool, dark place. Seed that you save yourself should be properly dried, and placed in a moisture proof container. I choose to place my seed in envelopes that I have made from paper bags.

Some folks prefer small muslin bags, and then placed in plastic bags with silica packets, and then placed in another air-tight and moisture proof container. Every effort should be made to keep

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The Valley, October 2013

Getting Down And Dirty!

And It All Adds Up To...

“Life on earth is based on the fragile top inches of the soil.

There, unbeknownst to our eye, lie teeming trillions of bacteria and other microscopic flora [plants] and fauna [animals] that are the very engine of our existence. A half cup full of fertile soil contains more microorganisms than there are humans on the planet. Organic agriculture begins with the recognition that these microbes are what feed the soil, which feeds the plants (which feeds the animals), which feed our bellies.

There is no chemical shortcut to this existential truth.”

—quote from The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist, by Michael Phillips

You will have noticed, no doubt, that this month’s lead-in quote is the same as last month’s.

Why?

Well, it’s simply that these five sentences perfectly sum up what we’ve been discussing in our series on “dirt” and are worth another look.

Take those “…fragile top inches of the soil.” that take thousands of years to form, building up microscopic stockpiles of minerals that

are used by, and made available to plants by, the “…teeming trillions of bacteria and other microscopic flora and fauna that are the very engine of our existence.” “…the very engine of our existence.” Think about this and you will come to see that it really does all come down to the soil. And not just any soil. Oh, yes it’s true that many organisms adapt themselves to some fairly harsh (by human standards) environments. But the majority of life is packed into that fertile strip of temperate and tropical zones that band the middle two thirds of our planet, where the soil and the organisms that live in it and on it are interconnected in a perfect system.

“Organic agriculture…” is nothing more, and nothing less, than the recognition that Nature’s system is, indeed, perfect. What we see as flaws in that natural system are actually flaws in our understanding of how the system works. But as long as we look to Nature – to that perfect system – for our guidance we can not go wrong.

“There is no chemical shortcut to this existential truth.” And TRUTH it is, because despite what may be considered “conventional agricultural wisdom” all of the practices of so-called industrial agriculture compromise living systems, from the soil up and the evidence against these practices is available for anyone willing to actually look.

Listen up, folks.

When someone tells you “right hand up to God” that herbicides and pesticides are necessary to grow enough food to feed the world, when some one glibly promotes Genetically Modified Organisms as the path to food security for the future, when someone in author-

ity or in the neighborhood coffee shop makes the pronouncement that billion dollar, cutting edge science is the only way for us to survive what’s coming in the next centuries and that this, that, or the other company has everything we need to do the work that needs to be done, then you know that there’s something very, very wrong with this picture and there are three possibilities to consider.

One: these are persons spouting the latest fifteen second media news briefs and they are fairly harmless since their attention will soon shift to the next catchy phrase that gets spoon fed to them. Two: they are very sincere, hardworking people who, for various reasons, have been deluded by decades of corrupted science and clever marketing and they need our understanding and infinite patience and, if they are ready to work along side of us, our help so that they, too, can find a better path to walk. Three: these persons are true snake-oil peddlers, are downright dangerous, and should be ignored when possible and handled only with gloves and only when absolutely necessary.

Having plenty food to eat food that is so nutritious that it

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keeps you fit and can actually restore your health, food that is rich in flavor and pleasing to the eye and easy to procure - is a human right. But it is a right that we must earn and we must earn it, in part, by helping to protect its ultimate source – the soil, because the soil is “…THE VERY ENGINE OF OUR EXISTENCE.” Period.

Want to know more: Consider a subscription to: ACRES U.S.A. a monthly magazine and “the voice of ecoagriculture”, P.O. Box 301209, Austin Texas 78703-0021 www. acresusa.com How Soil Works by Paul Syltie Bread from Stones by Julius Hensel Anything by Dr. William Albrecht, Ph. D., and, really, just about any good book on organic agriculture, since they all recognize the proper worth of the soil. a

The Valley, October 2013

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Encouragement From The Book Of Revelation

by Pastor J. C. Reese

As a boy I remember watching a TV show called Star Trek where people would be “beamed up” and materialized only to reappear where they wanted. “Beam me up Scotty” became a familiar phrase to “Trekkies” and others then. But wouldn’t it be amazing to do that? In Revelation 4 John was “transported” into the spirit realm to see things and then record them for our encouragement, so if you need some today read on!

Truth is, there is more to life than what you now see. There is a spirit world about us, there is a grand future in store for you if you are truly a believer in Christ (if unsure please read our website about this). But how about it, is anything troubling you lately, or someone you know? Chapter four of Revelation points us to focus our minds on heaven when we are distressed. This is the start of the

prophetic part of this book and as John is transported to the realm of the spirit world to see the future he reveals three areas that both captivate and hearten us !

First, John saw Who really is preeminent. He said he “looked and behold a door was opened in heaven. . .and behold a throne was set in heaven, and One sat upon the throne. And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone. . .” This is God the Father for the Son will later approach Him in 5:7 receiving a scroll from Him. The imagery is breathtakingly beautiful with the jasper being like a dazzling crystal and the sardine stone as a lustrous red ruby. These are significant for the breastplate of the priest included these gems and they represented the first and last tribes of Israel, so that in effect, this “Throne-sitter” was Head over all His covenant people. The first,

the last, and everyone in between ! So how do you see God, really?

To be in charge? Or is that what you see as your role? When we are preeminent things have a way of not going well. When He is first, peace pervades, and joy is truly full ! He is greater than any trial you face, surer than any doubt, stronger than any weakness and if you focus on Who He truly is, things will be just fine !

Next, John saw who really are the “players”. The word player can be used in a less than flattering way or it can be used to mean those who are really making a difference. John sees twenty four elders, he sees the Spirit of God, and he sees the holy angels – all great players indeed. The elders are church age saints who have passed from this life to the next . The word used for their garments tips us off to this and their crowns show they

distinguished themselves as, not perfect, but having lived here for Christ very well. If you are a believer you will one day be here and perhaps one of these elders ! Store up rewards now by doing what you do FOR Him, serve well in a church which truly honors His Word for there’s more to life than what we see here. The Spirit of God is what John speaks of in vs.5 with the description of “the seven spirits of God” . There is One, but John’s use of seven here comes from how the Spirit is as seen in Isaiah 11:2 just as we can be happy, serious, wise, respectful, etc. Do you need direction?

Strength ? This same Spirit is in you to help you in these ways.

And the last players are the angels which some translations refer to as “beasts” but the original language uses a word meaning a living being. These were the seraphim, a special class of angels seen in Isaiah 6, who guard the throne of God. It can be of great comfort when you truly believe that God has His angels which also look out for His children !

Last, John saw what really is the priority and this in a word is, worship ! As John watched in rapt attention those dazzling seraphims fly around God and exalt “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord

God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” And as he gaped upon the elders laying before Him in great adoration exclaiming, “Thou art worthy, O Lord. . .” he and we cannot help but be reminded that it is worship, pure and simple, that alleviates the distresses of our day and causes our focus to be raised a bit higher then before. We lose good worship when we allow our sight to be fixated on the things of this life as we worry, and hold on to embittered feelings towards others, or we get bogged down in going through the motions. Worship is adoring God and we humans tend to reverse this, we want Him to accept and adore our ways and our sin, but He cannot. We must spend time focused on Him and His Word, and like John, when we do we will be greatly encouraged.

Pastor J.C. Reese pastors Nittany Baptist Church in Potters Mills, the “log cabin church” on Rt.322 just a few miles past Milroy. The church’s website is nittanybaptist.org.

See the tab on “How to Get to Heaven” !

Home Nursing Agency Named to Best Places to Work in PA

Home Nursing Agency has been named one of the Best Places to Work in PA for 2013. The awards program, created in 2000, is one of the first statewide programs of its kind in the country.

The program is a public/private partnership between Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Central Penn Business Journal.

Home Nursing Agency has been consistently named as a Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania from 2004-2010, and in 2012.

Last month, the Agency was also designated as a Best Place to Work in Modern Healthcare, which ranks healthcare providers throughout the United States.

Both designations are based on employee surveys as well as an audit of workplace practices.

“This achievement, like all others at Home Nursing Agency, is a result of our dedicated

employees,” said Robert Packer, President of Home Nursing Agency. “They continue to meet and exceed many expectations in light of our industry’s challenges, and their commitment to bestpractices not only in the workplace, but also in the community has also resulted in an all-time high in Customer Satisfaction scores,” added Packer.

Over the last fiscal year, Packer said 90.3% of customers surveyed across all HNA programs and services marked the highest ranking possible in their ‘likelihood of recommending HNA to family and friends’. “It takes a unique ability to achieve exceptional outcomes while also demonstrating the best practices to be a people-oriented organization. It’s a tremendous challenge, and once again, our employees have risen to the occasion,” said Packer.

The Best Places to Work in PA awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in

Pennsylvania, who are benefiting the state’s economy and its workforce. Employers are categorized based upon the total number of employees they have in the United States, 25 to 249 employees and 250 or more employees.

To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

- Be a for-profit or not-forprofit business

- Be a publicly or privately held business

- Have a facility in Pennsylvania

- Have at least 25 employees working in Pennsylvania

- Be in business a minimum of one year.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the 100 Best Places to Work in PA. The first part of this process was evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophies, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience.

This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process.

Home Nursing Agency will be recognized at the Best Places to Work in PA awards banquet on Thursday, December 5, 2013, at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, Pa. Rankings will be revealed at the ceremony.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.CPBJnow.com/events.

In addition to the public/

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private partnership, the program is supported by the following organizations: Lead Sponsor—Team Pennsylvania Foundation; Presenting Sponsor—ParenteBeard, LLC; Major Sponsors—Capital BlueCross; Comcast Business; Global HR Research; Purpose1; Ryan LLC, Saul Ewing, LLP; and Sovereign | Santander.

For more information on the Best Places to Work in PA, visit www.bestplacestoworkinpa.com or contact Jamie Mowery, event coordinator at the Central Penn Business Journal at 717-2364300 or jamiem@centralpennbusiness.com.

HOME NURSING AGENCY 20 Sheraton Drive, Altoona, PA 16602 P: 1.800.992.2554 x.2547 F: 814.946.5352 www.homenursingagency.com a

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The Valley, October 2013

Adventures on Our Nourishing Journey

by Sue Burns

Blender Basics

Shake It Up! Bountiful Blender Basics

Yesterday, while making a quick swipe through the grocery store, I accidently picked up a pack of organic spring mix greens instead of what I really wanted, which was organic spinach. I did not notice the mistake until this morning when I started assembling the ingredients into the blender for my morning breakfast shake. Yes, you read that correctly. I often like to put raw spinach into my “grab and go” smoothie.

Hey, don’t knock it until you have tried it. I know people who can not tolerate spinach in any way shape or form, but actually LIKE it blended into a cool swirly drink.

What do you think? Are you willing to give it a try? Great!

In the Burns household, our blender is one hard working appliance. In fact, more often that not it does not even see the inside of a cupboard because we give it a quick clean up immediately after using, sit it upside down on a dish cloth and grab it again later in the day for another whirling culinary creation. If you already have a

blender, I encourage you to get reacquainted; if you do not have one, I suggest you put a nice little 600 watt, glass jar model on your Christmas list for it can bring you delicious and nutritious snacks and meals at the touch of a button.

Here are some ideas to get you started: Benefits of Blending FoodQuick Nutrition at its Best

Blending food makes it possible to extract the maximum nutrients from food. When food is blended, its cell walls are broken down, releasing nutrients that might have passed through the body untouched. Certainly a similar action happens when we chew our food, but all too often we do not chew thoroughly enough. In addition, blending fresh raw food provides the health benefits of avoiding the cooking process, which destroys nutrients through heat. Naturally, most of us will primarily consume cooked food, but taking in a percentage of fresh raw food each day greatly enhances our diet.

An additional benefit that almost all of us welcome is the increase in fiber that comes from blending fruits and vegetables.

A diet with adequate fiber is believed to help prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes, diverticular disease and gall stones and kidney stones.

Now, about that spinach; getting A single appliance for a quick, easy, and super nutritious more breakfast! greens into

our diet can vastly improve our health. They are very low in calories and bursting with nutrients.

Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, probably the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats. Yet how many of us eat a nice large, dark, leafy green salad everyday? Besides, many of the best greens, like spinach and kale, are a bit bitter when eaten raw. Cooking makes them a little more palatable but destroys some nutrients. So how do we get those beneficial morsels into us on a regular basis? Blend them with fruit and protein. They not only taste great, they are fast and easy to eat.

Here is my basic formula for protein smoothies.

It is a complete meal in a glass. I encourage you to mix and match to discover your own perfect blend. This is a toss and whirl technique. The only thing I measure is the liquid, (I prefer about 8 ounces), and a measuring scoop of whey protein powder. (The scoop comes with the powder).

• One scoop whey protein powder * (or other protein source such as Greek yogurt) • A handful of “greens” such as spinach or kale • Fresh fruit such as a few berries, ½ banana, mango, peaches, pineapple (whatever you like) • 1-2 T of ground flax seeds or chia seeds • 1T of peanut butter or coconut oil for a splash of healthy fat Breakfast in a glass!

(I don’t always use the bus! I loved hearing that. the peanut butter, it Keep in mind that these drinks depends on the fruit) provide a great burst of energy in • A dash of cinnamon mid-afternoon too. Also, remem• A few drops of liquid stevia ber to go easy on the fruit, espeor maple syrup or raw honey cially the tropical variety such as if you want it sweeter. bananas, mango and pineapple if you are watching your blood

That’s it! It may seem like sugar levels. a lot of ingredients, but once

*Whey protein is one of the you get stocked up, this healthy two major groups of proteins concoction will go together in no found in milk.

Remember little time. Kids LOVE to help in the Miss Muffet, eating her curds (caassembly process. Last month, a sein protein) and whey?

Whey Mom in my neighborhood texted is a highly digestible source of me to say her son got ready for his first day of first grade by sipping a kale smoothie before he boarded

All in One Protein Shake •

8 ounces of liquid (I use water but many people prefer milk, almond milk or diluted fruit juice)

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Continued on page 11

The Valley, October 2013

8

Ahhh October!

Ahhhh…. October! Hands down, it’s one of my favorite months. I love the fall anyway, but October is just spectacular in these parts. The foliage is at its peak, the weather is still beautiful (usually right up until the end of the month), pumpkins and cornstalks grace mailboxes and front

porches. It’s usually the time that I feel like being in the kitchen again. Pies, cookies and breads accompany roasts and stews.

Football is on the “telly” as is hockey. Let’s not forget about Halloween! OK, I know a lot of you probably don’t celebrate but we here at the MacConnell house-

hold pull out all of the stops for the kids. We have so much fun and even our adult kids usually join in the setting up and scaring the unsuspecting trick-or-treaters!

The neighbors love it and last year we had a ton of kids come by our house as word spread of our “haunted” house.

But I digress, baking is what I wanted to get to this month.

I have come across several yummy recipes with a fall flavor and I wanted to share them with you.

Comfort food is the idea and I am regaining the weight I lost this summer just thinking about it.

APPLE CINNAMON LOAF 1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2/3 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups allpurpose flour 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup milk 1 apple, peeled and chopped

loaf pan. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. Beat white sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated; add vanilla extract.

Combine flour and baking powder together in another bowl; stir into creamed butter mixture.

Mix milk into batter until smooth.

Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Next add half the apples and half the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.

Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and add more brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a finger or spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

FOR CRUST..In a bowl combine cracker crumbs, oatmeal, pecans and brown sugar. Stir in butter.

Press onto the bottom of the baking dish. Set aside.

This dessert uses two of my favorites and combines them.

Yum!

APPLE CINNAMON MONKEY BREAD

APPLE CRISP CHEESE CAKE INGREDIENTS: CRUST: 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats 4 teaspoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons butter, melted FILLING: 2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 3 tablespoons sour cream 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 2/3 cup sliced peeled apple TOPPING: 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon quick-cooking oats 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons cold butter DIRECTIONS: Grease a 9 x 13 inches baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch

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FOR FILLING... In Mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg; beat on low speed just until combined.

Stir in the sour cream, cinnamon and ginger. Pour over crust. Arrange apple slices over filling.

FOR TOPPING.. Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apple.

Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack. When cool refrigerate.

This last one is a quick weekend style breakfast or treat.

Refrigerated biscuits found in the grocery store are the starter for this recipe.

2 (7.5 ounce) cans biscuits 3 medium sized apples, peeled and grated or shredded 1/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 5 tablespoons butter or margarine 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup nuts, divided (your choice on your favorite kind) 1 cup raisins , divided Cut each biscuit in half and roll out each half as large as you can get it. Add about a teaspoon of the apples and roll into a ball with your hands. Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and roll each biscuit ball in the cinnamon mixture.

Generously spray a bundt pan and add half the nuts in the bottom of the pan along with half the raisins.

Put half the cinnamon balls on top for the first layer. Melt the brown sugar and butter and pour half over the first layer. Add the remaining half cup of nuts and rai-

Continued on page 22

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The Valley, October 2013

Hello to all Valley readers.

What a pleasant time of the year with the warm summer days and nights giving way to the cooler days and nights of fall.

I am planning to have the majority of my writing about fruit production, although there is probably a lot of people better qualified to write about this subject than I am. You have to start somewhere. Did anyone ever become a professional player without being a rookie first?

In this month’s column we’ll focus mostly on winterizing your orchard or fruit trees. Although I realize I have a lot to learn yet, I did learn some important lessons since we started our first fruit trees four years ago. What you do in the fall can have an impact on disease severity and insect pressure the following year.

Since we started our orchard, two exotic insects have become major pests in this county. The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and the Spotted Wing Fruit Fly, both of which are Asian insects. I wonder if they were included in a trade deal with China? Maybe that would be a question for Toomey or Casey! Unlike the regular fruit fly that goes after ripe fruit, the Spotted Wing goes after premature fruit and by the time it is ready to pick, it can have tiny maggots in it. From what we are learning, they especially go after cherries and berries. The good news is, it is fairly easy to control.

However, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is a different story. There are sprays that kill it, but they are that poisonous that they are killing the army of beneficials that were doing a good job in controlling the mite population in Pennsylvania, thus causing mite flare-ups to the point where the mite damage is as bad as the Stink Bugs.

I don’t have a pesticide license and I don’t want one. I don’t want to eat and or sell anything that is sprayed with something that poisonous that you have to go to school to learn how to use it. I don’t want to kill my beneficials. So what is the answer?

Here, we come back to winter preparation. In the fall, insects

crawl in bark cracks, under brush in the fence rows and in or under grass clumps, especially the Stink Bugs, that is why it is important to mow the grass and weeds as short as possible in the fall. It also helps to discourage the presence of rabbits and rodents, but you should still put tree guards on young trees.

Peach Leaf Curl is a disease that has to be controlled in the dormant season. In the fall after leaf drop is the best time. Copper compounds work good for it if you put it on heavy enough and make sure you get good coverage.

A bit more info on the Stink Bugs. Our friend and owner of White Oak Nursery was doing some experimenting and is getting some fairly good results with Surround, an O M R I (Organic Materials Review Institute) listed product that is a water soluable powder, mixed with a concentration of Neem oil, also O M R I listed. The downside of it is your fruit has a whitewashed appearance on apples. You can wash it off fairly easy on apples, but on peaches it’s hard to wash off because of all the fuzz. The upside is that you don’t have poisonous spray on your fruit. The biggest thing would be educating your customers about it. As you see by now, fruit growing is a bit more than planting trees and harvesting fruit, but we enjoy it for the most part. However, I have to admit that at times I felt like throwing up my hands and saying “I’m Done!”, but that isn’t the way to get anything accomplished. Solomon admonishes us in Proverbs; Steady plodding brings prosperity, hasty speculation brings poverty.

We’re enjoying the Autumn beauty to the fullest, the colorful leaves and the yellow goldenrod fields remind us that another growing season is drawing to a close, that was blessed by our Creator. There is also a lot of birds and other wildlife around this time of year. By the way, our neighbor lady that is in her mid 80s and a widow had some excitement. She was out picking sweet corn and she made a pile and went in to get the wheel barrow and when she was coming back out, she saw

that a black 4-legged intruder had beaten her to the pile of corn. She decided not to pick a fight and in-

stead she left for the house as fast as she could, which I think was a good idea because of the size of the bear as she described it.

I once read a sign in a persons shop that read like this. There are three kinds of people, ones that make things happen, ones that watch things happen, and ones that wonder what happened.

Well, I don’t know where I fit in, so I had better end this writing and go see if I can make things happen, so I don’t have to watch

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things happen and end up wondering what happened.

Auf Wiedershan a

The Valley, October 2013

10

Winterize!

When the green grass starts to disappear horse owners need to start thinking about winterizing their horses and their barns.

As grass becomes minimal or nutritional quality decreases closer to fall, we need to look at whether we need to increase hay or feed. October/November is when we need to evaluate our winter feeding program. Horses which have been competing all summer, but now will be getting a break may need to be cut back on their feed. Harder keepers which were maintaining well with the extra pasture may need to increase the quantity of feed and/or hay.

Horse owners do not want to look at their horse in January and wonder why he looks so thin. Plan

water pipes to prevent freezing. Consider switching to rubber buckets over the colder months instead of plastic.

Rubber buckets are much easier to break ice out of if you do not want the investment of heated waterers.

Obstacles not be being used should be picked up and stored over the winter to prevent deterioration or someone from being injured by tripping over them in the snow.

In order to keep pastures in optimum condition year round,

now to help your horse maintain ideal weight until Spring arrives.

Consider adding either a mineral block or free choice minerals for your horse to give him the nutritional necessities he may not be getting from pasture or feed.

Fall is a good time to decide whether to blanket or not over the winter. Horses that are competing may need to keep a shorter hair coat, or older horses may need a blanket to help keep them warmer over the colder months. Just remember if you start blanketing you need to continue throughout the colder months to help your horse to maintain an ideal body temperature and not to become overheated. Check blankets daily to make sure they are not wet or

you may want to consider making a sacrifice area. Keeping horses off pasture during muddy or slushy times will help to keep from tearing the roots up. Fall is a time to consider fertilizing those areas also. Consider adding gravel or stone dust to these areas to help with mud and drainage.

General barn maintenance should be a year-round task, but a fall cleanup is sure to make the winter go smoother. Many horse owners dread the winter months.

Not only the added difficulty of caring for the horses, but often the lack of riding is sure to bring some winter stress. Plan ahead so you can just enjoy those snow covered rides with your horse. a

torn to the point of getting caught on trees or fencing. Horses should be provided adequate shelters if they are given constant turn-out.

Deworm this time of year with Ivermectin for bots. Plan your deworming schedule to help maintain parasite control throughout the year. Not only parasite control, but rodent control is important in the winter months as the rodents head to the barn for shelter.

Now that you have a plan to winterize your horse, consider what needs to be done around the barn.

Check your barn for stall or fence repairs. Doing repairs while there are still warm temperatures is much easier The approach of fall calls for a plan to winterize your horses, and your land. than in the dead of winter.

Look for areas in walls or windows that may become drafty with winter wind. Insulate

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11

The Valley, October 2013

LIbrary Lines

The digital barcodes are easily scanned at the library and at the grocery store or gas pump. This app is also free and requires an email address for updates. The more popular cards, like Giant, Sheetz and Weis, are scanned and come with an image. I had to manually type in my Mifflin County, Juniata County, Centre Region, and Free Library of

Your Mifflin County Library

I have fallen in love!

With apps!

I have a mobile device which I love, I take it everywhere and I want to share with my library friends/ book lovers some exciting apps that I found.

Of course, every library patron who owns a mobile device should already know about the Overdrive app. We use this to download eBooks and eAudiobooks from the www.mifcolib. org website. For free. eBooks are checked out like a regular library book. Many devices do not need the app in order to download the eBooks but you do need the app to return your book early. Don’t worry, after the lending period is over the books vanish—poof! Just like magic.

But to return early, you need the app. The Overdrive app for Mifflin County Library has very recently increased the number of

When searching for the “Overdrive” app look for this symbol.

“Sue Burns” Blender Basics from page 7 protein. When shopping for whey protein read the label carefully.

You are looking for non-denatured protein that has been protected from damaging high heat processing. Ideally, the milk has come from grass-fed cows, which has a better balance of essential fatty acids and is pesticide and chemical free. Some people may have an intolerance to products made from whey protein, but in actuality they are having an adverse reaction to high heat pasteurization, which causes irreversible damage (denaturation) to the milk’s components. If you do have a true dairy allergy, you can find vegan protein powders made from sources such as hemp or pea. Most whey protein provides a whooping 20 or more grams of protein per serving.

books to be checked out at one time to 10 items (instead of just 4). The Overdrive app is easy to download and it is free. You do need to set up an Adobe account, but that’s not very difficult. Just go to www. adobe.com and create an account. The Overdrive app works on all mobile devices, Nook and Kindle, apple and android products.

And remember, if you The “Key Ring” app is recognized by the above symbol need help, your library is here for you.

Another app you must have Philadelphia library cards. But to make your life easier is the now that they are in there, what a “Key Ring” app, available on the difference it makes in my purse!

App Store (for Apple products) Again, if you need help, just come and through the Play Store (for in!

Android). With this app, you scan Enjoy these apps and read all of your bonus cards, rewards lots of books!! cards, and “Ta-da!!” your library cards!!! I am a library card junkie Susan Miriello and I have 6 library cards. I keep Children’s Librarian every one of my cards in the app.

Mifflin County Library a Additional blender creations

On those days when I want eggs for breakfast, but still want to get a good dose of fruit and vegetables, I turn to a green drink I heard about through Dr. Oz. who developed this recipe made from raw vegetables, herbs and fruit. It is low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is packed with calcium, potassium, folate and magnesium and gives a whopping 200 percent of the daily value for vitamin A based on a 2,000 calorie a day intake. When creating this, make sure you use a blender and not a juicer as this will remove the pulp and many of the nutrients that go with it.

Dr. Oz’s Green Drink • • •

8 ounces fresh filtered water ½ - ¾ cup spinach ½ medium cucumber, skins

• • • • • •

on 1 rib of celery ½ apple ¼ cup fresh parsley The juice from ½ lemon (can also add lime juice) A thin slice or two of fresh ginger Sometimes I add a drop or two of liquid stevia

Wash vegetables, use organic when possible. Chop the cucumber, celery and apple into chunks. Place all ingredients into a blender. Process until fully incorporated. You may have to stop and stir it a bit to get the solids to make contact with the blades.

Enjoy immediately.

breakfast, give blender pancakes a try. The recipe is adapted from a whole foods cookbook created

by Sue Gregg. You can add any favorite ingredient to make them your own special creation such as nuts and berries. The only down side is that you have to think about getting them started the night before you want them.

Yet, from my perspective, this is an upside because this “two stage process” enhances the nutrition while creating a smoother batter and lighter end product. Some of you may recall when I wrote about the benefits of soaking grains like oatmeal for 6-8 hours, (and up to 24 hours) before eating.

In a nutshell, the theory behind this is that the soaking will neutralize a large portion of the phytic acid that is contained in the bran portion of the whole grain. Phytic acid combines with key minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and zinc and prevents their absorption in the intestinal tract. When the grain is soaked in an acid medium like yogurt or buttermilk, not only is the phytic acid neutralized, but enzymes and other helpful organisms such as lactobacilli work to break down complex starches and irritating proteins including gluten. For many, this process may lesson their sensitivity to particular grains. The end result is a greater release of nutrients and ease of digestion. Take a few minutes on a Friday or Saturday evening to begin putting the batter together.

Your family will thank you the next morning.

As you can see, the recipe calls for one cup of any whole grain. You can make them gluten free by using gluten free grains.

You can mix your grains too. My favorite combination includes steel cut oats, brown rice and cornmeal. I have also used Bob’s Red Mill multi grain cereal mix.

Usually I toss in some flax seed for good measure. Quinoa, barley and millet work great too.

Here is the basic recipe for Blender Batter Pancakes • •

Another Blended Breakfast Offering

If you are not in the mood for blender drinks and prefer a more traditional yet nutritious

•

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1 cup whole grain 1 cup buttermilk, kefir, or yogurt thinned to the consistency of buttermilk (this provides the acid medium). A dairy free alternative would be one cup diluted fruit juice or almond milk to which you would add 1 T raw apple cider vinegar. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the vinegar.

1 Tablespoon liquid fat such as melted butter, coconut oil

• • • • •

or olive oil ( sometimes I use a little more) 1 egg ¼ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder Up to 1 tsp vanilla extract and/or sweetener of your choice

Directions:

The night before, combine the whole grain and the milk in the blender; Using the pulse button, start to grind the mixture.

When this mixture starts to make a vortex in the middle let it run to grind the grains. This can take a few minutes. If it does not make a vortex, add a little more liquid but do so sparingly. Let this mixture sit in the blender covered on the counter for 6-8 hours or overnight. Make sure your blender jar does not leak. If it does, pour the mixture into a bowl and let it sit on the counter.

In the morning grind the grain mixture again to loosen it.

Add the egg, blend again and then add the melted fat as the blender is running. This keeps the fat from clumping when it hits the cooler batter. Finally, add the vanilla and sweetener. When you are ready to cook the pancakes add the salt, baking powder and baking soda. I use a hot cast iron skillet that has been coated with coconut oil to cook the pancakes. Pour a ¼ cup, more or less, of the batter onto the hot cooking surface and bake until bubbles begin to form. Flip and cook until heated through. To serve, top with berries, yogurt, peanut butter, or the traditional topping of butter and real maple syrup.

We really like the light and fluffy texture of these pancakes and I hope you do too. It is hard to believe they are made with a whole grain.

I have a few more blender recipes I would like to share with you, but I think I have given you enough to explore for now so they will have to wait until next month.

I believe they will pair perfectly with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Until then, drop me a line and let me know how you like your green smoothies. Have fun finding your perfect blend!

Sue is a holistic nutrition consultant and holistic health educator.

Her office is located at 54 Chestnut Street in Lewistown. To learn more about her services go to www.mynourishingjourney.com.

She can be reached by email at sue@mynourishingjourney.com or give her a call at 242-3132.

12

Pemi Valley Moose Tours

Well friends, guess what?

I survived the summer with the bees and soon the only place those little critters will be buzzing is inside their hives while trying to keep a core temperature of about 95 degrees all winter. Yup, 95 degrees. That’s toasty! The bees will form a cluster (or ball) and if they let the core temperature of that cluster drop below 55 degrees, well then, I have to help set another hive in place next summer because the “girls” will die. And if I must do that, then I’m wearing the full body bee suit!

But bee-lieve me, before I let them go in there to cuddle, er... ummm, cluster, all winter, they’ve got to earn their keep. We’re hoping to get one more collection

The Valley, October 2013 all of that buckwheat pollen into delicious, sweet honey!

I did tell you that we already extracted 20+ lbs. from the hive, didn’t I? I didn’t? Oh yea!

Several weeks ago, Wayne pulled four frames and took them to Sam Alexander (the Mifflin County bee expert as I like to call him), who extracted it for us since he has the fancy machinery to do it quickly.

Wayne was just about as proud and as excited as I’ve ever seen him that day.

Now, it’s 9:07pm on the night that this paper must be uploaded to the printer and I am just starting my article. Gee the page sure looks empty when you are pushing a deadline! I guess I’m going to have to include several pictures and blow them up really big to fill space this month!

My favorite thing about fall is the cooler temperatures both day and night. Every year the heat Wayne holding 5 lbs from the first extraction of ‘liquid gold’ from his hive. and humidity of summer seem to He’s so proud of his ‘girls.’ annoy me more and more. When the nights turn cooler and we can of honey from them before the start sleeping with the windows daytime temps drop drastically. open, life just seems so much betWayne has been planting buckter! wheat to keep them happy for the Now speaking of cooler last month or so. He’s counting on weather, let me tell you about our the fact that his “girls” are turning

trip to NH in August, specifically the night before and they do not the Pemi Valley Moose Tours like to be “skunked”—especially based in Lincoln, NH. Wayne not two nights in a row! We saw touched on it in his editorial last TEN moose on our tour and I was month (stole my thunder, he did), so thrilled! but I think there’s more to say.

They have a nice tour bus

Since I’ve been to NH nuwith windows that lower. The merous times and still had not had bus is complete with disco lights, the pleasure of seeing a moose, music, TVs to show movies and we decided that this was going to hooked to video cameras once be the trip to check that box off moose are spotted. Food and once and for all. (Incidentally, I drink is allowed on the busses and was beginning to think the whole they make a couple potty breaks, moose thing was a ruse concocted so the trip is as comfy as can be. by the locals to draw in tourists!)

They also pass around moose

We inspected the weather parts while they tell you all about once we were settled in NH and them—it’s just like show and tell! scheduled our tour. The tour

Moose are nocturnal so the isn’t cheap at $30/adult ($20/ tour leaves just before dusk and child under 12), but we thought it continued on page 21 would be a fun night out. And we weren’t disappointed! The tour guides go above and beyond to do anything they can to make sure you see a moose and enjoy the tour.

Our tour lasted five hours (which is the longest tour they’ve ever taken). They took a longer route, almost to Maine, because they had been Isn’t she cute? Our pictures didn’t turn out so I had to “skunked” (0 borrow this one from Pemi Valley Moose Tours. She’d moose sightings) be pretty tasty in a stew too!

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13

The Valley, October 2013

Understanding the Constitution

by David Molek

Constitution Day 2013

226 YEARS AGO on September 17, our Constitution was signed by 39 delegates. September 17 has been designated as Constitution Day by a Resolution of Congress. Designated, but not necessarily acknowledged or observed.

We celebrate many holidays in the U.S. today – Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Presidents Day…yet Constitution Day is seldom acknowledged. It shows general apathy and disregard of this unique document in our lives. With recent government mandates, government controls, takeovers, executive orders, presidential directives and similar federal government dominance, we question what are the constitutional limitations of our government in Wash, DC?

To me, it seems America has forgotten one of the key concepts

that made her unique as a nation: a constitutional commitment to limited government. Our Constitution strictly limits what government can do. Some of us believe our government has forgotten this, and needs to be reminded.

America is not a democracy, but a representative constitutional republic. It is one with checks and balances built in, with a constitution, with a federal government of limited power and scope; not one based on the direct vote of all the people.

WE THE PEOPLE are the central concern of our Constitution, as well as its opening words, since it is a constitution for a self-governing nation. But WE THE PEOPLE are treated as an obstacle to circumvent rather than the decision-makers.

Our Constitution is our most fundamental law. It is, in its

own words, the supreme law of the land. In the end, the continued success and viability of our democratic republic depends upon our fidelity to our Constitution.

Unfortunately, there has been an expansion of government under the guise of the “general welfare.

People have been dumbed down by government and the mainstream media to believe Uncle Sam is there to solve all our problems – from healthcare, banking, insurance, mortgages, food, the list goes on. However, the federal government does not exist to provide a paycheck, a job, healthcare, charity for the indigent or a minimum wage. The founders and drafters of our Constitution believed these to be individual responsibilities. The transfer of responsibility from individuals to the government is NOT a sign of progress.

Last month, I made this presentation to students and faculty at South Hills School of Business and Technology. I would like to convey several numbers and see if you know how they relate to our Constitution: 4543/7591 – words in the original, unamended constitution including signatures/ with amendments 11,000/33/27 – amendments introduced in Congress/ to states for ratification/ adopted 17 – number of limited powers given to the federal government in Art 1, section 8 It is the oldest and shortest written constitution of any national government in

the world.

My main thrust was what I consider to be the top 5 issues/ facts about our Constitution that now affects or will affect everyone .

5. WORDS . Did you know that NONE of these words are in our Constitution? Bailouts, redistribution of wealth, education, separation of church and state, abortion, healthcare, federal reserve bank, and czars. What words are in our Constitution?

Limited government, We the People, justice, liberty, supreme law of the land. Notice a trend or pattern?

Our Preamble is a short onesentence introduction (READ IT).

These words are the strongest links between our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The significance is that the PEOPLE are the ones giving power to the government, as opposed to the government’s role of having power over the people. We the people are at a turning point.

4. COMMERCE CLAUSE. Our Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states. Commerce is activity in which individuals choose to engage. That original

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intention was to handle interstate activities, not business in just one state. There have been over 1400 U.S.Supreme Court cases interpreting and enlarging the commerce clause to give more power to the federal government over all kind of things. Our Supreme Court, since the 1930s, has taken the commerce clause way beyond what it was intended to be. (e.g.)

Nebraska wheat farmer, Montana gun maker, Obamacare.

3. DEBT/ BUDGET. If you do not realize our federal government is engaged in out-of-control spending, then you have no clue what is going on. There are continuing resolutions, but no budgets. There is deficit spending year after year. How long could you go by spending more than you take in week after week? The problem is that you folks in this room and your children will pay for it. Not only does our Congress and President both fail to adopt budgets as required in our Constitution, but spend money for purposes NOT enumerated in the 17 limited powers given to our federal government in our Constitution. Over 70% of our federal spending is spent on objects of benevolence for which there is no constitutional authority. A fact that you will realize in the near future (if you do not already) is that the federal government cannot give to anybody what it does not first take from somebody else.

2. EXECUTIVE ORDERS/ SEPARATION OF POWERS. Obama has signed over 130 E/Os. Know what it is? It is a signed

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The Valley, October 2013

14 Constitution Day 2013 from page 13 statement by our president which has the effect of law (e.g.) telling DOJ & AG to stop defending DOMA; Dream Act by stopping immigration enforcement. There is absolutely no authority in our Constitution to allow a President to overrule Congress. There are 3 branches: Legislative makes laws; Executive enforces laws and Judicial interprets laws. The, our president appoints over 45 czars, who are not confirmed by the Senate and report directly to the president. We have a diversity czar, a voter list czar, income redistribution czar, and behavioral czar. We have more czars than imperial Russia had in its entire history.

1. 10th AMENDMENT. In my opinion, one of the most important issues today is the 10th

Survival Seed from page 4 the seeds dry. Seed envelopes should have the seed information clearly written on them including: type of seed, year saved, and where the seeds came from. The containers should then be stored in a cool, dark place. Root cellars are an excellent place for seed storage. Storing seeds in a freezer will extend the life of your seeds considerably.

Amendment. It is worth reading…powers not delegated to the federal government by the constitution are reserved to the states, or to the people. Remember our federal government is granted limited authority and responsibility with MOST powers being reserved to the states or to the people. This 10th Amendment is supposed to reinforce the federal system and acts against federal intrusion on state authority and individual liberty (e.g.) gay marriage, marijuana. I believe it is the most important area to pursue if we want to get back to the country our founders intended.

We honor our flag in America but not our Constitution. Our flag is the symbol; our Constitution is the real thing. We should respect it and, more importantly, live under it. The best way to honor this day is to read our Constitution. a

There are many sources of information out there on seed saving and I’ll mention one book that I have found to be quite informative, useful, and well worth the purchase price, Seed To Seed

by Susanne Ashworth. Finally, I encourage you this month to really make an effort to add openpollinated, heirloom seeds to your barter supplies and to especially consider learning how to save, store, and grow your own seed. a

Poor Wills’ Valley Almanack from page 19

Poor Will wants your raccoon and bear stories. Send them to Poor Will’s Almanack, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387.

Three dollars paid to the author of any story printed in this column.

HTNUEDR GINNHTGLI RICSUR COALTMULUSU SUTTRSA RRHUCINAE OOADNRT NIWD AHIL ZDARIBZL ODOLF GDRUOTH TACSERVO CERPPAIIIONTT ZIRDELZ GOF

and told him to start pounding.

As soon as we lit the lantern and he saw all those rats scampering toward him, he just threw up his hands in the air and yelled: “God in Heaven!” He then apologized WHO SOLVED THE AUGUST for saying those words.

SCKRAMBLER?

But the next night, he decided Daniel Yoder of Belleville won to try again. This time he said he the five-dollar prize! was ready. We lit the lantern and started yelling and pounding our A SCKRAMBLER FOR clubs in front of the rat holes. But OCTOBER as those scores of rats came dashIf you are the 2nd or the 5th ing toward him, our uncle again person to respond with the correct threw up his club and hollered the answers, you’ll receive a $5.00 Listen to Bill Felker’s weekly same thing!! Again, he apologized prize. There should by no typos “Poor Will’s Almanack” on for talking like that in this puzzle, but if you do find podcast any time at www.wyso.

Needless to say, that was the one, you June skip the word org. And Bill’s website, www. last time he ever went on a rat without penalty. There should be poorwillsalmanack.com, conhunt with us. no typos in this puzzle, and no tains weekly updates and a siz typo prize will be awarded. If you able bank of information about What Was It? happen to find a typo, however, nature. His organization of

By Pliny Faulkner, Xenia you may simply skip that word weather patterns and phenology Township, Ohio without penalty. Send your entries (what happens when in nature)

Here’s what happened: by postcard only to Poor Will’s offers a unique structure for I always feed the birds, and I keep Valley Almanack at P.O. Box 431, understanding the repeating my heavy plastic bird seed conYellow Springs, Ohio 45387. The rhythms of the year. tainer (two feet deep and a foot names of the winners will appear across) on the back porch. So one an upcoming issue of The Valley Bill lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio. night, I didn’t screw the lid back Newspaper.

He has two daughters, Jeni, who on very good, and something took DUOLC is a psychologist in Portland, Orit off, knocked over the container INAR egon, and Neysa, a photographer and scattered seed all over.

NOWS in Spoleto, Italy. a So the next night, I screwed the TAHE lid on tighter. That didn’t help.

DOLC The next night, not only was the ORTSM lid removed but the container was dragged five feet off the porch and seed dumped on the ground.

I should have just brought the container into the house, but I hadn’t had enough of this creature until….

The next night, the container was dragged thirty feet from the porch well into the garden. The lid was again removed and • Reliable Propane & Heating Oil Delivery the seed scattered around.

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Was it a giant to learn about our • 24/7 Emergency Service seed-eating racNEw CustOmER coon? Maybe. Was • Heating Equipment Service Plans it a pack of overasPECiAls! • Safety Trained Professionals chieving racoons and possums?

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Or maybe it was a bear .Somebody told me bears were back in Our Business is Customer Satisfaction Ohio.

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15

The Valley, October 2013

Our Environment Our Culture Economics of a Rural Community

by Kevin Morgan

Here at Community Partnerships RC&D we are always striving to find ways to improve the region. We aim to interact with the community and find ways to fill in the needs within three areas: environmental, cultural, and economic. However, we understand that here in Central Pennsylvania we can search for capital to stimulate enterprise, advocate for increased education within the populace and link organizations together that have resources, but we cannot rejuvenate our rural economy alone. That falls on the populace.

We believe that the only way to truly energize a local economy is by purchasing local goods and services from small independent businesses. In today’s age that is tough to do. Everyone is looking for a deal, but with every purchase money is being shipped out of our community or contributes to a healthy local economy. We are not here to bash large retailers, but to advocate for the small independent business man. In fact, the inventory of many of these busi-

nesses is dependent on large retailers, but the capital continues to stay within the community when these businesses are frequented opposed to large retailers and there is data to support this claim.

A study was conducted by the Institute for Local SelfReliance. In this study, data was analyzed from fifteen independent retailers and seven independent restaurants, all located in Salt Lake City, and compared their impact on the local economy with four chain retail stores and three national restau-

rant chains. The study found that the local retailers return an average of 52 percent of their revenue to the local economy, compared

with just 14 percent for the chain retailers. Similarly, the local restaurants re-circulate an average of 79 percent of their revenue locally, compared to 30 percent for the chain eateries. So why the big difference? It all comes down to labor. Many independent businesses employ local accountants, printing shops, and other regional services needed to run a business.

For large retailers they have corporate accountants and outsource much of their costs associated with doing business outside the community. It is important to understand that large businesses supply these smaller businesses and restaurants with goods and services and in order to return a profit, the small business has to mark up the product to cover overhead. This means that, yes, the product or meal may cost more at the independent business, but in the long run, more of that capital will evidently come back to another independent business.

I have recently seen something

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going around the internet that says every time you buy from a small business, you help purchase soccer shoes for a little boy down the street, heating oil for a neighbor, or food for the guy behind you as you sit at a red light in town. This claim holds a lot of water. The biggest weapon we as a community have against the slow erosion of the voice of Rural America is our purchasing power. We have the ability to determine how much we wish to succeed as a community.

Wayne has started a new monthly column in the paper “Keeping it Local.” There are many businesses in town that are unknown to the public. These businesses do not have the advertising budgets of the larger retailers. It’s up to the community to get the word out about these businesses and the goods and service that they offer. Here is our regional word of mouth and a positive thumbs up goes a long way.

You will see me at Wal-Mart and Lowe’s. It’s hard to get away from those stores and do not get me wrong, they provide employment in our area also. But as the Holiday Season approaches, please consider purchasing some of your Christmas gifts from the independent businesses in your region, because with every purchase, you provide a present under the tree for a little girl or a side dish for their Holiday Dinner. a

The Valley, October 2013

16

NuVisions Window Treatments

Window treatments add style to your home from the inside and out. They can help curtail heating and cooling bills as well as potential sun damage by controlling the amount of direct sunlight that filters in. And they’re instrumental in home safety and security plans.

Add all of these benefits together and you see why designing the right coverings for your windows makes sense for both aesthetic and financial reasons. But how do you choose the right style and fabrics for your home?

Call on the experts at NuVisions Window Treatments. Formerly Juniata Custom Drapery, NuVisions Window Treatments has been creating beautiful and

functional window coverings since 1991. From pinch pleats and valances to swags and jabots, their design consultant can walk you through the process of selecting, designing and ordering the perfect window coverings to complement your home and lifestyle. NuVisions can also create sunlight blocking shades, insulating cellular blinds and remote controlled motorized systems. They have 23 years of experience making all kinds of window treatments for satisfied customers. This assures you of the highest quality construction including pattern matching, calculating appropriate fullness for draperies, and selecting the right drapery lining to cre-

ate the perfectly fitting, beautiful and functional window treatments that your home deserves. And this quality is affordable. All of the draperies and blinds are manufactured locally in Lewistown, PA. You buy directly from them, cutting out additional mark-ups added by showrooms and other retail stores.

There are other benefits to buying window treatments from NuVisions. They are a division of NuVisions Center, a non-profit agency that generates much of its operating income through their window treatment, janitorial and contract sewing divisions. This income is used to support services for people who are blind and vi-

sion impaired in Mifflin, Juniata and Huntingdon Counties.

Originally known as The Juniata Foundation for The Blind, NuVisions continues to provide community programs including vision Sewing drapery linings in the NuVisions Window safety education Treatments work room. NuVisions Window Treatments and screenings, can create draperies for one window in your home or escort services dozens of windows for hotels and other commercial for important buildings. appointments and This month only, receive 15% off networking opportunities. your drapery order if you book

Call NuVisions Window your home consultation before Treatments today to make an Oct. 31. a appointment for a free in-home consultation. As a member of the Window Coverings Association of America, NuVisions has a large variety of materials available for your home window treatments. Talk with their design Proceeds from NuVisions Window Treatments help to consultant about fund many community services like vision screenings your ideas and he’ll bring the fab- for pre-school children. ric samples to you.

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The Valley, October 2013 Big Changes for Big Valley from front page oppose wind turbines built on mountains because they transform an undeveloped, wild area into mile after mile of industrial power plants. The turning blades during the day and the red blinking lights at night are a distraction which many people find to be objectionable. We’ve developed our valleys, but the steep topography of our mountains has protected them until now. Uncluttered, open space on forested mountains provides important safeguards for communities, such as clean water and air.

Beautiful mountains also draw tourists to the area, especially to enjoy the dramatic color as the leaves change color in the fall. Busloads of tourists stop at the top of Jacks Mountain to visit the hawk watch and to enjoy the rural views and colorful scenery.

Will tourists want to visit an area when the mountains are degraded by industrial turbine projects?

Impact on Health:

Turbines produce various types of noise: one type is a screeching and thumping when the blades rotate or turn. This noise has been described as jets circling in the sky, or giant washing machines spinning overhead

for hours at a time. The noise is most bothersome at night, and may prevent people from getting enough sleep. A high-pitched whistle also occurs when the tape on the leading edge of a blade becomes loose. Blades have shattered and pieces have been flung many feet away from the tower.

Ice builds up on the blades in the winter, making it unsafe to be near turbines. These huge icicles are flung with tremendous force and have actually smashed through truck windshields. Eventually the blades stop turning when icing occurs, but accidents may occur before the turbines are stopped.

Another type of noise produced by turbines is a lowfrequency vibration that may cause severe health problems in people susceptible to this type of vibration. While much research remains to be done, doctors all over the world are dealing with patients who live near wind turbines. Some people experience migraines, dizziness, palpitations, vertigo, and other illnesses only when they are near wind turbines.

A growing number of doctors recognize that the low-frequency vibrations can affect the delicate sensors in the ear, as well as cause other body organs to resonate.

The wind industry in general denies any health-related problems

– much like the tobacco industry denied that smoking causes cancer in some people.

Some wind experts advise that turbines should be set back at least a mile from residences, as this will avoid most of the noise problems caused by turbines.

In the case of Volkswind’s proposed project, some of the turbines will be quite close to homes on both sides of Jacks Mountain, so it is likely that there will be health problems caused by the noise.

More details on health issues will be addressed in a future article.

Wind Turbines Kill Wildlife

Both Jacks Mountain and Stone Mountain have hawk watches where volunteer counters have recorded many years worth of data showing that these mountains serve as important migratory pathways for thousands of birds.

Bats also migrate along the top of the mountains, as do monarch butterflies and various species of dragonflies. In some areas, the wind turbine blades have to be cleaned, because the crust of dead insects creates a drag on the leading edge of the blade.

Industrial wind turbines kill birds through direct hits and indirectly by degrading their habitats.

Bats are killed when they fly near

a turbine – their delicate lungs explode from the sudden drop in air pressure. Future articles will explain in more detail why biologists are greatly concerned about industrial wind’s threats to wildlife. Even though wind turbines do not produce toxic pollution, they still kill many species of wildlife.

It’s Really All About Federal Subsidies

Industrial wind companies need four main resources to operate: proximity to transmission lines, good prices for electricity, adequate wind, and government subsidies. Jacks and Stone Mountains offer the first three and tax payers kick in the subsidies.

Electricity produced by the proposed wind projects will have to be routed to substations and then fed to transmission lines in Big Valley and on Jacks Mountain. The power market has good prices in the eastern United States.

The other necessary resource is wind. Pennsylvania’s windiest areas are on our mountains – that’s why wind companies want to build on top of Jacks and Stone Mountains.

But the wind resources in Pennsylvania are limited. The average production from wind projects in Pennsylvania is only 25%.

We just don’t have the steady,

reliable winds that are needed to produce much electricity.

The fourth resource, federal subsidies, is really why wind companies are targeting Pennsylvania’s mountains. Even though we do not have good wind resources, the federal payments make the projects feasible. Right now companies are receiving a production tax credit of 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is substantial.

The Wind Production Tax Credit expired at the end of 2012, but was extended as part of a deal cut by politicians to avoid the spending cuts and steep tax increases on the middle class – the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

According to the Institute for Energy Research, as long as the wind project is operating by 2015, the developers will receive the credit for the next 10 years. Even projects that come online after the 2015 deadline could possibly qualify.

Supporters of the Wind Production Tax Credit point out that all energy production is subsidized, and this is true. Wind and other renewables, however, are the only ones that get tax credits based on production, which makes this subsidy highly lucrative for

Continued on page 30

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The Valley, October 2013

18

POOR WILL’S VALLEY ALMANACK For October of 2013

by Bill Felker

Seasons pursuing each other, the plougher ploughs, the mower mows, and the winter grain falls in the ground.

--Walt Whitman The Sun October 23 is Cross Quarter Day, the halfway mark between autumn equinox and winter solstice. The sun enters Scorpio at the same time. Within a little more than a month of equinox, the sun has traveled half the distance to winter.

The Planets of October Jupiter lies in Gemini, high in the east before dawn. Mars, still in Leo, trails along behind him.

Venus moving retrograde into Ophiuchus stays the brightest evening star. Saturn in Libra disappears from the evening sky this month.

The Stars October evenings bring the Milky Way from east to west across the sky. Now the Big Dipper hugs the northern horizon, its pointers actually pointing up and south to Polaris. As midnight approaches, the red eye of Taurus will have risen over the horizon, pulling December’s Orion with it.

The Shooting Stars The Draconid meteors arrive in the late evenings of October 7 and 8. The Draconids usually appear before midnight, unlike the Orionids which will peak in and around Orion near and after midnight of October 21-22. The moon will be dark for Draconid viewing, but will be waning through its third quarter for the Orionids, making sighting of the shooting stars more challenging.

Meteorology and Peak Livestock Activity

In October Weather history suggests that cold waves usually cross the Mississippi River on or about the following dates: October 2, 7, 13, 17, 23, and 30. Storms can occur prior to the passage of each major front.

Fish, game, livestock and people tend to feed more and are more active (and often more troublesome) as the barometer is falling one to three days before these weather systems.

Frostwatch The following chart shows the approximate chances that frost will have occurred by the date indicated. Calculations are based on the typical frequency of freezing temperatures at average elevations along the 40th Parallel during the month of October. The data can be adjusted roughly by adding five percent for each 100 miles north or south that Parallel. Check your local frost history for greater detail.

FROSTWATCH

The following chart shows the chances that frost will have struck your plants by the date indicated. Calculations are based on average frequency of freezing temperatures in central Ohio and Indiana during the month of September. The data can be adjusted by adding five percent for each 100 miles north of the 40th parallel. Subtract five percent for each 100 miles south of the 40th parallel.

Date Light Frost Killing Frost Oct 1: 85 percent 10 percent Oct 5: 90 percent 13 percent Oct 10: 98 percent 20 percent Oct 15: 100 percent 30 percent Oct 25: 60 percent Oct 30: 80 percent THE ALLERGY INDEX Estimated Mold Count (On a scale of 0 - 7,000 grains per cubic meter) Fallen leaves are often the most troublesome source of mold at this

time of year. High pollen counts are over in most of the country until next spring.

October 5: 5100 October 10: 4600 October 15: 3000 October 20: 2300 October 30: 1900 OCTOBER - WEEK 1 THE FINAL WEEK OF EARLY FALL Lunar Phase And Lore The Harvest Moon becomes the new Cider Moon at 7:35 p.m. on October 4. The last apple crop of the year is picked throughout the autumn, and apple cider is just one of its many products. Like maple syrup time that marks the transition from winter to spring, cider time leads to leaf turn and leaf fall and then to the cold of winter.

Rising after midnight and setting in the late afternoon or evening, the dark moon moves overhead (its most potent position for fishing and hunting) in the middle of the day, favoring the search for wild food as well as the planting of bulbs for spring and trees for shade and fruit. As the barometer falls before the cold fronts around October 2 and 5, fishing and hunting should improve. Lunar position in Scorpio on October 6 – 8 could enhance the sowing of winter grains.

Weather Trends Most of the days this week will be in the 60s or 70s, with the latter predominating. On October 4, however, a ten percent chance for highs only in the 40s occurs for the first time since May 25. Light frost strikes ten to 20 percent of all the nights, with October 3 most likely to bring a damaging freeze in the 20s (but just a five percent chance of that).

OCTOBER - WEEK 2 THE FIRST WEEK OF MIDDLE FALL Lunar Phase And Lore The Cider Moon waxes through-

out the week, entering its second quarter at 6:02 p.m. on October 11. Rising in the morning to mid-day and setting well after dark, this crescent moon will be overhead in the late afternoon, improving fishing and hunting – but foiling dieters – at that time.

The urge to bite and eat will be especially strong as the cold front of October 13 approaches. Lunar position in Scorpio on October 8 could enhance the sowing of winter grains.

Weather Trends Highs only in the 40s and 50s are more common this week than last, with October 11, 12, and 13 being the days most likely to see cold (a 40 percent chance).

While some days are often warm (the 8th of October has a 40 percent chance of highs above 70 degrees), others are typically cooler (for example, the 11th of the month has only a 15 percent chance for a high above 70). October is the earliest day that flurries might occur. October 12 is the first day that measurable snowfall has a five to ten percent chance of occurring. The coldest morning so far in the season usually comes on October 13, when the chances of a low in the 20s are 20 percent for the first time since spring.

OCTOBER - WEEK 3 THE SECOND WEEK OF MIDDLE FALL Lunar Phase And Lore The Cider Moon waxes until it becomes full on October 18 at 6:38 p.m. Rising in the evening and setting in the morning, this moon will pass overhead in the middle of the night. The second penumbral lunar eclipse of the year will also take place on October 18, and it will be visible throughout the Americas. Watch the eclipse from sundown until about 11:00 p.m.

Lunar position favors night fishing and midday hunting this week, especially as the cold fronts of October 17 and 23 approach.

After the passage of those high-

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pressure systems, rest a few days before going out to the field and water again.

Weather Trends Chances for nightly frost rise to one in three this second week of middle fall, and the likelihood for rain increases up to an average of 35 percent chance. Snow falls once every ten to fifteen years on the 18th, 19th, 20th and 25th.

Cloud cover increases radically over that of last week, clouds being twice as likely to occur than in the first half of the month.

OCTOBER - WEEK 4 THE THIRD WEEK OF MIDDLE FALL Lunar Phase And Lore The Cider Moon wanes throughout the period, coming into its final quarter at 6:42 p.m. on October 26. Rising in the middle of the night and setting near midday, this moon will pass overhead in the morning, making after breakfast the most profitable lunar time for fishing and hunting – especially as the cold fronts of October 27 and 30 approach.

As the moon wanes through its third quarter, its influence on the ocean tides and human tides wanes also. The upcoming weekend will, consequently, be relatively calm for public service employees, parents, and partners.

Seasonal stress is only partly related to the moon, however, and the increasing cloud cover, the shortening of the day, and the changeable weather keep gathering momentum, escalating the likelihood that many people will begin to suffer from S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder).

Weather Trends

Average high temperatures sink below 60 throughout the area for the first time since the middle of April. And average lows edge down to near 40. Still, the cool is not bad for outside work: between now and the arrival of early winter (the first week of December) there

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The Valley, October 2013 should be about 25 nice mild, dry days for fertilizing, harvesting, wood cutting, planting spring field and garden crops, raking leaves, transplanting, and digging in spring bulbs.

The fifth cold front of the month, accompanied by precipitation, is expected around the 23rd of the month, and chances for frost this week will be highest after that date. Afternoon temperatures will be mostly in the 50s and 60s, with 70s coming about 30 percent of the time, and cold days only in the 30s or 40s occurring one year in five. The days in the final third of October likely to bring a killing frost are the 25th and the 26th, both having a 35-percent chance of a low only in the 20s, the first time this season the chances have risen so high.

A DAYBOOK FOR OCTOBER October Now cull the lanky bucks and does Before the pasture season’s close.

Now treat for worms and crawling things, Before the chill October brings.

Now weigh the does whose time is near: Set grain for those to kid this year.

October 1st: The rutting period, when buck deer are most interested in does, and when they are most reckless in the pursuit of mating, follows relatively predicable patterns from year to year. For example, the first rutting period for whitetail deer is expected to begin in early November in the northern states, about the second week of November in the central states, and a week later in the South. The length of the rut is about 14 days. A secondary rutting period begins around three to four weeks after the first period.

Whether you hunt deer or are simply concerned about hunters accidentally shooting your livestock, it is important to know the hunting seasons in your area.

October 2nd: The first cold front of October arrives near this date and is typically a powerful one, bringing freezing nights to the northern states. New moon on the 4th is likely to intensify the cold and chances for sleet along the Canadian border.

October 3rd: As the weather cools, keep warm water on hand for your brood ewes and does.

They will be drinking more now.

October 4th: New moon (today)

and bad weather often cause stress to livestock – especially those expected to perform after being transported. Keeping stress low and nutrition levels high for several weeks after breeding can minimize the danger of embryo losses October 5th: Splitting up your flock and herd into feeding groups according to their different nutritional needs can help each group to get the kind of feed mix it needs throughout the winter. And it saves you time.

October 6th: Start planting spring bulbs and transplanting perennials.

October is a more pleasant time for these activities than November. Also, dig up cannas, caladiums, tuberous begonias and gladiolus prior to heavy frost.

Transplant new trees and shrubs, and then make sure they have plenty of water. Mulch all perennials and new transplants after watering.

October 7th: The weather system that crosses the Mississippi near this date is the final one of the subseason of “Early Fall.” This front is often weaker than the October 2nd front.

October 8th: As Middle Fall approaches, many people experience mood swings related to the transformation in the landscape.

No matter whether you are excited about the new season, sad about the end of summer, or dreading the winter to come, no matter if you live in the middle of the city or in the country, the immensity of the changes in the foliage and the weather often creates feelings and behavior that do not usually appear in the summer. Your homestead journal, of course, will tell the tale.

October 9th: Place salad greens in the cold frame, providing full ventilation on warmer days.

Mulch root crops there too in order to keep them from turning to mush when the ground around them freezes solid. Heaping leaves around kale and collards can often keep these hardy vegetables alive through numerous heavy frosts. Bring in pumpkins and winter squash before the weather gets much colder.

October 10th: When planning to move temporary fences throughout the colder months of the year, consider pulling or planting posts during the low-pressure systems that arrive before cold fronts.

Temperatures are often warmer and the ground may be more cooperative at these times.

October 11th: Don’t forget to plan for your birds: many birdseed outlets have special sales now. Attracting more birds to your property is not only fun, it also helps keep down the insect population.

October 12th: Plants and bulbs intended for winter and spring forcing should be placed in light soil now and stored in a place where temperatures remain cool (but not freezing). Although winter flowers may seem a luxury, their positive psychological effect during the coldest time of year can help you endure until spring.

October 13th: The October 13th cold front almost always brings in the more dramatic subseason of autumn known as middle fallall . This period can be expected to bring nights in the 20s in the north, upper 30s or lower 40s in southern states. In addition to cold, the October 13th high-pressure system marks the transition from leaf-turn to leaf-fall in the mountains of the Northwest and Northeast; in the central states, ashes shed and maples become orange and red. In the South, a gradual alteration in leaf tone forecasts November’s radical transformation.

October14th: Check the chicken house as the days shorten. Make sure ventilation is adequate at the floor level and near the ceiling. A smaller area for winter perching often means warmer hens.

October 15th: The great leaf turn will soon be peaking, but the mind and body aren’t used to such rapid change. You will notice differences in your outlook and maybe in your philosophy of life. Expect changes in your livestock and poultry, too!

October 16th: As you harvest honey this fall, be sure to leave plenty of winter food for the bees.

October17th: Chances for freezing temperatures continue to grow as the October 17th front moves across the country – chilled by tomorrow’s full moon. Lows in the 20s or 30s are most likely to occur on the mornings of the 19th and 20th, with the latter date carrying the highest chances for a freeze so far this season.

October 18th: Review last year’s winter feed costs per animal and estimate your expenses this year.

Cull livestock as feed and costs dictate. And consider new hay mangers (like keyhole feeders) that help prevent the waste of hay.

October 19th: Colder ground temperatures (in the 40s and 50s) combine with a reduction in the average amount of daylight and sunlight this month to bring an end to the grazing season in much of the northern half of the nation this month. Make the autumn feeding transition to supplements and hay as gradual and stress free as possible, and that includes a gradual transition at the end of Daylight Savings Time early next month.

October 20th: Gradually increase feeding of grain and free choice hay as the weather cools. This is especially important for pregnant livestock; an undernourished animal not only may develop health problems but also will probably pass problems on to its offspring.

Improper feeding can also cause premature births.

October 21st: Consider the difference in selling registered and unregistered animals. The paperwork required for registration may be a nuisance, but it could add a substantial percentage to your profits if you sell.

October 22nd: At the peak of middle autumnutumn leaf color, it is often hard to imagine what the landscape will look like in a week or two. But reality may set in all at once with an emotional letdown at the end of harvest, and the first major seasonal affective disorders of the fall could strike hard.

October 23rd: The weather system of October’s fourth week is one of the most dependable of October fronts. It moves across the nation between the 20th and the 25th, bringing precipitation and cold temperatures.

October 24th: If you want your hens to lay all winter, consider providing fourteen hours of light for them – the period that usually produce best production.

October 25th: Be careful of giving your animals the wrong percentage of grain in their fall and winter diet. Too much grain can lead to too much fat in the udder and reproductive tract - and that can impact negatively on breeding and milk production.

October 26th: Just because hot weather is about gone for the year, don’t forget to put out free choice

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baking soda for your goats. The soda helps keep the right balance of acidity in the goat’s rumen.

October27th: Before you let your pastures rest for the winter, do your soil test and add nutrients as needed. Soil tests after harvest of corn and soybeans let you plan ahead for spring fertilizer requirements.

October28th: In the last fall days, make improvements in your buildings and equipment with an eye towards becoming approved to sell your goat and sheep milk, cheese and ice cream to your newfound markets.

October 29th: High pollen counts are over in most of the country until early next spring. Average mold counts are typically low at this time, too: usually less than 2,000 out of a possible 7,000 grains per cubic meter.

October 30th: Mild winds often warm the country as the last front of October approaches. When the weather system passes through, frost can be expected, and then another warm-up during the first days of November.

October 31st: As you do your fall woodcutting, try drilling holes in tree stumps. Fill the holes with corn, and then let your hog eat the stump trying to get to the grain.

Almanack Literature The Rat Hunters

By (Name withheld upon request, probably for good reason.

Do not try this at home!)

Me and my brothers loved to hunt rats on our farm when we were kids. We had an old henhouse that was just full of rats, and we would sneak into the henhouse after dark, then we would each stand guard at a rat hole with a sturdy stick while someone would light a lantern.

Then we would start screaming and yelling at the top of our lungs as the rats went zipping this way and that way for their holes.

We’d start pounding our clubs in front of their holes to keep them from going in, and as they ran past us, we’d get them with our sticks, and sometimes we got as many as twenty rats in an evening.

One time, Mom and Dad went on a trip and our unmarried uncle came to help us with the work around the farm. Well, that evening he said he wanted to help us kill rats, so we went into the henhouse and gave him the best hole

Continued on page 14

The Valley, October 2013

20

Fifty Years Ago From the pages of The Sentinel (Lewistown, PA), founded in 1903: October 1963

Food markets were offering Fall sales. Smoked hams at 29 to 49 cents per pound were advertised, with whole hams averaging 14 – 16 lbs. each topping out at 45 cents per pound. Instant puddings – 4 for a quarter; Betty Crocker cake mix – 3 for 79 cents; Kraft Mayonnaise – 3 qt. jars for 49 cents.

Going out for dinner? Try Angelo’s on the Granville Road.

Just cross the Viscose Bridge, follow Rt. 103 for a mile. October specials include: seafood dinner for 2 for $2.50, lasagna at 2 for $2.00. “Try our Italian steak, ravioli, manicotti and veal scaloppini, all served with our home baked bread.”

From the Township Secretary: “Attention Armagh Township Residents: Parents will be held responsible for property damage and vandalism by Halloween pranksters.”

Governor Scranton banned all hunting and fishing in Pennsylvania woodlands. His action stopped the state’s bow season for deer, as well as all fishing. Action came due to the extreme fire hazard brought on by the extended drought.

One Hundred Years Ago From the pages of the Democrat & Sentinel (Lewistown, PA), founded in 1832: October 1913

Squirrels, pheasants and other game birds had their long summer repose disturbed today by the band of guns in the hands of eager hunters. Armagh and Brown

townships into the Seven Mountains is each year becoming more noted as a hunter’s paradise as the catch of game increases. Some hunters see small benefit in the law forbidding the killing of wild turkeys. They say that the species is being exterminated more rapidly by foxes... that feast upon the young birds and are known to devour turkey eggs with relish.

Civil War Echoes – One Hundred Fifty Years Ago From the pages of the Lewistown Gazette (Lewistown, PA), founded in 1811 October 1863

The state election approached. The editor of the Gazette wrote: “A number of papers like the Lewistown Democrat advocating the election of Woodward for governor publish the most unblushing falsehoods

in regard to the official actions of Gov. Curtin… Charging him with complicity in the imposition of shoddy and paper-soled shoes to our soldiers… He has been completely exonerated by a committee after a thorough investigation.

Headlines heralded after the votes were counted: “The Election – Mifflin County and State All Right.” “Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue.” Curtin for Governor carried Lewistown, Armagh, Decatur, Union and Menno townships. Woodward, the Democrat, carried Granville, Derry and Brown townships. Curtin won Mifflin County by 83 votes out of 3,335 cast, and carried the state by 18 thousand.

A farmer above Lewistown planted seven acres of tobacco in light of the shortage of the leaf due to the war. He was expecting a harvest of about one ton per acre.

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The Logan Guards - The Civil War’s First Defenders from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania by author Forest K. Fisher tells the story of this Mifflin County militia company. $17.75 plus PA Sales Tax and $3 S&H - Available at these locations: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1 W. Market Street, Lewistown, PA 17044 or - Purchase with PayPal, visit our web site at www.mccoyhouse. com, click on STORE - Also the JVACC Gift Shop, Historic Courthouse, Lewistown, PA. For more information: Call MCHS Office at 717-242-1022 or info@mifflincountyhistoricalsociety.org a

21

The Valley, October 2013

Modern Energy and Alternative Heating with Curt Bierly Humidity, Comfort and Indoor Air Quality

When it comes to Comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), humidity plays a very important role. There is a certain range that makes us comfortable in our home or business. The EPA recommends a humidity level of 25% to 40% in the winter and a maximum of 60% in the summer. If you control the humidity in the summer and winter, you will reduce your energy bill and live healthier and more comfortably.

Adding a humidifier in the winter is an easy and inexpensive solution to bring the humidity level into the 25% to 40% range, but to maintain a humidity level of less then 60% in the summer is tougher. That will require an air conditioning system and/or a

dehumidifier.

An air conditioner is controlled primarily by temperature – so – although it does dehumidify as it cools, it may not provide enough dehumidification to keep your home or business under 60%. A dehumidifier is controlled by humidity level, but it produces warm air as a byproduct of dehumidification and thus warms the area and places an extra load on your air conditioning system.

So what is the best way to keep humidity under control in the summer in your home or business.?

To help to dehumidify your Home in the summer, proper sizing of an air conditioning system is very important. The old adage

that bigger is better doesn’t apply to an AC system. On the hottest day of summer, the air conditioning unit should run non stop, constantly cooling the air and dehumidifying it as it strives to maintain the set temperature. If the AC unit is seriously oversized, it will quickly cool the home or business and then shut off because the set temperature is quickly reached. This will leave the area cool and clammy (i.e. it’s cool in Penns Cave, but I wouldn’t want the live there.) Sized properly, an AC system may do all necessary dehumidification. AC Manufacturers are helping now by providing variable speed units with dehumidifying cycles. It is also important to keep the system operational 24/7. Don’t turn the AC off during the day or set it back while you’re at work for example.

Set it and forget it.

Another benefit to low humidity is that you can be comfortable at a higher temperature (i.e. it is more comfortable at 90°F in Arizona (low humidity) then it is at 90°F in Mississippi (high humidity). Thus, you can set your thermostat higher in the summer (75°F to 80°F) and still be comfortable. That saves energy!

If the humidity goes higher than 70%, you run the risk of mold forming in damp areas.

Mold will seriously impact your indoor air quality and thus your health, including but not limited to, nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing and eye or skin irritation.

If you have a basement or crawl space, a dehumidifier is your best choice to control humidity (don’t oversize it). Your AC unit won’t help you a lot here because it is most likely already cool in the basement so it won’t run much. The little bit of heat the dehumidifier produces when it’s running in the basement in the summertime usually doesn’t impact the comfort in the basement – so – it’s an ideal place for a dehumidifier as long as it isn’t too cold (less then 65°F).

Buy yourself a digital humidistat and check out the humidity level in your home or business to see how you’re doing. If you buy an AC system or a dehumidifier don’t oversize it.

Curt Bierly is president of the bierly group incorporated of which Stanley C. Bierly is a division. He graduated from Penn State with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and is a member of the Penn College HVAC Advisory Board. You can contact him at 814-349-3000 or cbierly@bierlygroup.com. a

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Pemi Valley Moose Tours from page 12

continues throughout the night.

The bus is equipped with huge spotlights and the tour guide also uses a spotlight to help “spot” the moose as the bus zips down the highways. They slow and stop in good “moosey” spots and give you plenty of opportunity to take pictures. On one stop they even let us get off the bus for a closer look. If you want to get pictures, that turn out, plan to take a good camera with an adequate flash to cover the distance and the darkness of night. A little point and shoot camera is not going to do the trick. Two more tips. (1) New England nights get cool (even in August) and they ride with open windows, so take some layers and wear socks and shoes to keep your toes warm. (2) Book your tour as early as possible as they seat you on the bus by the order you registered for the tour. So if you are one of the first to sign up, you get your choice of seats!

I really enjoyed this tour and I’d actually do it again sometime to try to see a bull moose (All of our moose sightings were cows (female moose) and calves (baby moose) or yearlings (1 year old moose). I highly recommend this tour if you are visiting New Hampshire or Maine. a

The Valley, October 2013

22 Ahhhh, October! from page 8 sins, the rest of the cinnamon balls for a second layer. If you have any cinnamon and sugar mixture left spread it on top. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes checking for doneness as ovens vary. Cool. Can add

Dutch Pantry from page 31 is designed to give you the feel of flowing water causing subtle light variations. Vecchio glass has a classic, old world look with subtle tiny bubbles that sparkle brilliantly.

Kokomo glass, used by the famous Louis Comfort Tiffany, has a long history of awards beginning in 1889 and the factory still produces all the same colors that Mr. Tiffany used. They have a variety of textures, including ripple glass, mottled glass (areas of opaque and translucent spots of color), and marbleized glass (two opaque colors swirled together). I have seen many of Mr Tiffany’s stained glass windows in St Augustine, at Flagler College and in many churches there. He became a friend of Henry Flagler, who is responsible for developing much of the East Coast of Florida with his railroad.

I have used all these glass types and have broken only a few in ways I didn’t want to. The technique is to cut on the smooth side using a carbide glass cutting tool, lubricating with oil and using the right amount of pressure.

Drilling glass requires patience and also the correct amount of pressure, using the proper tools and doing so under water or having water flowing over the

topping below. Enjoy!

TOPPING FOR MONKEY BREAD 1 cup powdered sugar 3 or 4 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Whisk together and pour over bread. Can add more milk if needed. a glass. I use a Dremel and various diamond coated bits, which only last so long depending on the thickness of the glass, what you are drilling through, and the amount of pressure being used. I use different size bits for different materials that I drill. It’s all a learning process. After the glass is cut and drilled, I use a sander for the rough edges. I used to do this by hand with a big file, but a sander saves time and most likely helps to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.

So the process for me is to select an item to work with first, picture the finished product in my mind, start the beading process, attach them, decide how many chimes should be added, cut the glass, drill the glass, attach the glass, inspecting and measuring as you go.....and Voila, there you have it!! Some days the drilling goes well and some days it doesn’t. Have I cut myself? Only one very minor cut so far and it wasn’t because of the process.

Care is necessary in dealing with glass, not only to protect yourself, but also to keep the fragile glass from breaking.

So far my products are in three places, but Dutch Pantry Gift Shop in Milroy gave me my first opportunity (Thank You Scott). I look forward to expanding my products as I learn more while working with glass. a

Thank You

by Sarah Hurlburt Happy Fall to y’all! I hope you are enjoying this time of year as much as I am. I love the joy of bringing in the final harvest from the garden and seeing things safely tucked on the shelves and in the freezer for the winter. I smile as the crisp fall air sweeps over me and I marvel at all the beautiful color and scents that this season brings us.

I want to take time to thank all who have read my columns

and hope and pray that something may have encouraged you along the way. However, I am now moving online and you can find me on Bacebook. Simply type in the name Sarah Hicks, send me a friend request, and you can join me on my devotional page.

I would love to hear from you there and look forward to sharing thoughts, scriptures and prayers to encourage you as we journey along together. Hope to see you there. a

thevalleynewspaper@gmail.com

23

The Valley, October 2013 a menagerie of animals all who become their pets! This hilarious yet insightful and helpful, nonfiction, book will show you just what is involved with keeping animals....no matter what one considers to be a pet!

Mail Pouch Books

by Carleen B. Grossman

This month brings us some zany Halloween festivities. I have tried to select books that will be both fun yet educational and that also complement the festivities of this month. For the novel, I have selected a hauntingly good classic and for the non-fiction books, I have chosen some fowl-themed books to help us enjoy this season!

TO DANCE WITH THE WHITE DOG

By Terry Kay Copyright 1991

This story tells about an old man who has recently lost his wife, leaving him to feel lonely and lost. A white dog appears

shortly after her death, almost as if by magic! Strangely, the dog makes its appearance only when the old man is present. The dog is thought by some to be a ghost dog! As well as being inspirational, this is one of the best character-driven novels I’ve ever read. It is based on the author’s own parents in the autumn of their lives!

The book is a simple, but hauntingly memorable one that is a eulogy to old age. After the man’s wife of 57-years passes away, he is faced with living out his final years while ignoring the good intentions of his worried children. The white dog becomes his companion for the remainder of his life. The story packs an emotional punch, but one that you will love. Anyone who’s ever experienced love in life, will both laugh and cry when reading this book, and I can guarantee one thing--you will never forget this story. This is definitely an American classic and storytelling at its best.

This book is very eloquent in its rendition of this balancing act that many of us have to perform with our aging parents--keeping them safe without threatening their freedom during their process of growing old and eventually dying. The book is filled with hope

and love and the promise of more to come. The plot never slows, and it speaks straight to the heart.

ENSLAVED BY DUCKS: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order

By Bob Tarte Copyright 2004

A young couple move to the country and begin to collect

GARDENING WITH GUINEAS: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Guinea Fowl on a Small Scale

By Jeannette S. Ferguson Copyright 1999

In this fact-filled book, you will learn: Reasons for raising guinea fowl, what you need to know before you buy, working with newborns and young keets, handling typical problems, and

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the basics for raising guinea fowl from egg to adult, including incubation, feeding housing, training and common problems.

IN PRAISE OF CHICKENS: A Compendium of Wisdom Fair and Fowl

By Jane S. Smith Copyright 2011

Having chickens can be a real passion for animal lovers and here is the book for just such people.

This book chronicles centuries of poultry wisdom and has dozens of antique illustrations for you to enjoy.

This non-fiction book is packed with information both practical and frivolous! a

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The Valley, October 2013

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, October 2013

Cave Echoes

by Marge Delozier-Noss and

Nikki Santangelo

The Himalayan Salt Cave Is Moving!

Exciting news! After much deliberation, we are moving Simply Health and the Himalayan Salt Cave to State College. Our new address is 1760 S Atherton Street, State College in the Creekside Plaza.

We needed to expand in order to offer new services to compliment our Himalayan Salt Cave.

Our new location provides a “spa” environment and we will be providing many traditional spa services. All of our treatment rooms will be lined with Himalayan salt lamps to provide the benefits of the Himalayan Salt while being pampered with one of our other services.

One big improvement to our new location will be that we will have 3 smaller salt caves instead of one large one. This will enable us to better serve you. If someone wishes to bring their child or baby, we will not need to worry about disturbing other guests. The Himalayan salt cave is excellent with children and babies in the relief of allergies, sinus issues, and other breathing challenges. It will also enable a small group to have a “healthy” meeting in the cave or just have your own private gathering where you can spend some quality time together.

Massages will be offered

lotion.

Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates about our new location. We hope to reopen by November 1. Visit our website

www.simplyhealth-calm.com for the latest. You can continue to always reach us at 717-248-2000.

in the salt cave so that you can enjoy the benefits of a therapeutic massage as well as the many benefits of the Himalayan salt.

Remember, Himalayan salt is anti-inflammatory, anti- bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral.

We will continue with our current detoxing services as well.

We will offer the Ion-Cleanse detoxing footbaths. In this day and age where we are subjected to literally thousands of chemicals daily in our food, air, and water, we feel it is one preventative health tool to help our bodies operate at an optimum level and keep our bodies from breaking down and making us sick. We will continue to have two machines to better serve you.

The Infrared Sauna with Himalayan salt can be used by one or two people. Also great for detoxing. It also burns 500-700 calories per 30 minute session.

The Infrared Sauna will be accompanied with a shower to use if desired at our new location.

Along with traditional spa services and the services listed above, we will offer Vibrational therapy, alkaline water, and a few other surprises! We are also expanding our Himalayan Salt products with our very own line of salt scrubs, soaps, lip balm, and

www.thevalleynewspaper.com

In the meantime, DON’T MISS US AT THE HARVEST FEST IN REEDSVILLE ON Friday, OCT. 4 FROM 12-9 AND Saturday, OCT 5 FROM 9-5. We will have great specials on our products at the show.

Never too early to do some Christmas shopping! Stop by and say Hi. We Look forward to seeing and pampering you all at our new location. a

The Valley, October 2013

26

Health 101:“Urinary Calculi”

There are many diseases and complications that can occur at unexpected times with livestock.

Being prepared and knowing what to do in specific situations is crucial for both you and the animal.

You can save an animal’s life by educating yourself on common illnesses. In this article, I will be explaining what exactly urinary calculi is, common symptoms, and treatment.

What is Urinary Calculi?

Just think of urinary calculi like a human kidney stone.

Also called “Urolithiasis” or “water belly,” Urinary calculi is a metabolic disease common in male goats and lambs (castrated males are most susceptible). This disease happens because of a calcium/phosphorus imbalance, and phosphate salts are lodged in the urinary tract which prevents urination. The primary cause of urinary calculi is when your animal is fed a concentrated diet with excess in phosphorus and magnesium. Also, water with high amounts of certain minerals can also contribute to urinary calculi.

What are the symptoms?

It is usually easy to recognize that there is a difference in the animal’s behavior when they have urinary calculi. They will become restless and depending on the severity of pain, they will lay flat on the ground. They will become more vocal and will lose appetite. Bloody urine and a hard/ discolored abdomen are common symptoms. You may see the lamb or goat kick and strain to urinate.

Death will occur when the blad-

der erupts and urine is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Prevention: The easiest way to prevent urinary calculi is by feeding a quality complete feed.

There are several things to look for on your feed label. Under the ingredients you should see Ammonium Chloride which helps dissolve phosphate “Diego.” This was my 2011 Market Lamb for the PA Farm salts, and salt Show. He developed urinary calculi two months before which causes Farm Show, and we were lucky to have caught it in time to the animal to save him. He went on to place 1st in his weight division” drink more ammonium chloride, which will and dilute phosphate salts. The acidify the urine and break up other key thing to look at are the the crystals, will help. Consult a phosphorus and calcium levels. veterinarian for dosages.

There should be at least twice as much calcium as there is phospho- Helpful Tips: rus, three times is better.

From experiencing urinary calculi first hand, I cannot stress Treatment: enough the importance of reading

If caught in time, the animal feed labels and the guaranteed may be able to be saved. If you analysis on feed. Buying medicatare new to owning livestock, coned feed can help prevent certain sult a veterinarian or experienced diseases, and learning more about livestock owner. Muscle relaxants prevention is crucial. Urinary can be administered by a vet to calculi is a scary thing, but taking make the animal more comfortpreventative measures and conable, and removing feed for 24 sulting professionals is important hours and applying oral doses of and can save your animals life! a

Our ad rates are the best value anywhere. Call us and see what we can do for you!

717-363-1550

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27

The Valley, October 2013

Grosze Thal Nachbaren

(Big Valley Neighbors)

by Jeptha I. Yoder

Ein Grusz in dem Namen unsers Herren Jesu Christi. Es ist jetzt abend. Und Ich bin unter dem Apfelbaum sitzen. Dies Jahr sin wir reichlich gesegnet mit Obst. Die nachte sin kuhl, aber nicht zu kuhl fur die Kroten und noch viel Ungeziefer ihre Gesange singen. Die Bergen sin ein wenig am Farben wechseln. Es ist trocken und ein recht schone zeit um durre Bohnen und andere Samen and Fruchte zu ernten.

Der Acht und Zwanzigst August waren wir in der Gemein ans Jesse J. Hostetlers in ihr neu Haus fur das erste mol Von McClur war Nancy Hostetler (Iddos’). Von andere Theilen waren Isaac Rs, Solomon Cs, beide Hostetlern, und Noah C. Speichers und Familien; (Sam R.) Barbara H. und Sohn Joel; (Jephta H.) Lydia R.; Jephta, Jacob, Franey und Dorothy (Emanuel J.) alle Yodern.

Elisabeth und noch andere waren dort fürs abendessen und singen.

Mose C. Yoders waren in McClur bei ihre Eltern die Yost I. Hostetlers. Ost Lang Leen Gemein war ans Noah D. Hostetlers.

Der Erst September war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Joseph

S. Yoders. Lang Leen West war ans Christ E. Yoders. Ost Milroy ans Samuel A. Hostetlers. Christ G. Yoders waren hier furs abendessen. Unkel Jesses und drei eltste Tochter waren hier abends.

Der Acht war unser Gemein ans Rudy C. Yoders furs erste mol, auf der vorige Alpha Speicher Wohnplatz in Treaster Thal. von andere Theilen waren, seine Eltern Sam Ns, Bruder Christ T., Groszeltern Rudy S., und Vetter Christ Es und Kindchen Ruth, alle Yodern. Ost Lang Leen war ans Johannes I. Hostetlers. Nieder Milroy ans Noah R. J. Hostetlers.

Der Erst September war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Joseph S. Yoders. Lang Leen West war ans Christ E. Yoders. Ost Milroy ans Samuel A. Hostetlers. Christ G. Yoders waren hier fürs abendessen. Unkel Jesses und drei eltste Töchter waren hier abends.

Der Acht war unser Gemein ans Rudy C. Yoders fürs erste mol, auf der vorige Alpha Speicher Wohnplatz in Treaster Thal.

Von andere Theilen waren, seine Eltern Sam N’s, Bruder Christ T., Groszeltern Rudys, und Vetter Christ E’s und kindchen Ruth,

alle Yodern Ost Lang Leen war ans Johannes I. Hostetlers. Nieder Milroy ans Noah R. J. Hostetlers.

Der Fünfzeht war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Joel M. Yoders.

Lang Leen West ans Mose J. Hostetlers Jr. Ost Milroy ans Tobias P. Zugen. Meine Eltern waren ans Johannes Y. Hostetlers nachmittagges. Seine Mutter die (Sam H.) Lydia A. Hostetler von McClur iss jetzt an dort bleiben.

Ihr ander besuch waren Mose E. Hostetlers fürs Mittag-essen und Abraham J. Hostetlers nachmittagges. Darnach waren meine Eltern ans Uria S. Hostetlers fürs abendessen. Christ Speichers waren ans Joseph S. Yoders fürs abendessen.

Christian greetings to all readers and writers of “The Valley.” Fall seems to be here.

Nights cool down to the forties. Oh! It was in the thirties this morning. The mountains are changing color, already. We have been blessed with lots of fruit this year. The apples seem to have fallen from the trees somewhat early. Due to the dry weather?

Anyway, it’s nice weather for shell beans and late tomatoes. Our dry September had silo-filling in full swing. Next is corn husking.

Corn is an exceptional crop this year.

Joining three brothers and two sisters is Elizabeth on August 26th to Jacob M. and Elizabeth M. Yoder. Grands are widower Hosea J. and David L. and Mary Y. (Zook); Great-grandfather is widower Jacob B., all Yoders.

Joining one brother, is Barbara to John J. and Catherine B. Zook.

Grands are Abraham J. and Mary N. Zook; widow (Kore) Nancy L. Hostetler. Great-grandfather is

widower John B. Yoder.

First-time parents are Esle B. and Elizabeth L. to Josie A. Grands are Moses S. and Rhoda L.; (Yoder) Josie A. and Dorothy A., all Hostetlers. Great-Grands are widow (David J.) Leah N.; John B. and Frona E., all Hostetlers; and widower John B. Yoder. Both of these babies share September 10 as their birthdate.

Saturday September 14th was a barn raising at Abraham J. Hostetlers. They took down their “shed stable” earlier this summer and have replaced it with a nonbank barn.

Rudy S. Hostetler will have a birthday on October 10th (1946).

He is wheelchair bound for twenty plus years. Let’s fill their mailbox at 260 Hoffman Lane, Milroy, PA 17063.

Rufus M. Yoders of Hammondsport, New York were in the area over the weekend of the fifteenth.

Moses I. Hostetler wasn’t feeling so good. He had a ministroke and fluid problems noticeable in his feet and legs. However after a recent Dr. visit and taking fluid pills, his legs are thinner, at last reports. Address is 8100 East Back Mountain Road, Reedsville, PA 17084.

Aslo Moses I’s sister Leah, wife of Issac S. Yoder, has not been well lately. Lord Willing, she will have a birthday on October

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

3rd (1934). Their address is 1065 Church Lane, Reedsville.

Moses E. (March 3, 2006), son Eli S. and Adelina R. (Yoder) Hostetler is having mono-like symptoms and has missed school.

Send him a line of encouragement at 365 Orchard Drive, Milroy.

This is now a bit later and some more news has come to mind.

A daughter Malinda B. on September 1, to Jonathan M. and Katie M. Hostetler. Grands are Henry R. and Barbara E. Hostetler; Josie B. and Malinda Y. (Hostetler) Zook; Great-grand is widower Menno J. Zook. All the above are first-timers. Also great-grands are (David J.) Leah N. (Michael S.) Catherine S., both Hostetlers and both widows.

Traveling to Hammondsport and Little Falls, New York was a load from the area, including Christian Z. Speichers and John S. Hostetlers on September 6th and 7th.

On the 14th some from the area were to the Dr. Morton auction in Martinsburg.

Also on the same weekend others were to Winfield, including widow (Seth J.) Malinda A. Hostetler.

Bisz Nächst Mol

(Until next time)

Gottes Segen Gewiuscht

(God’s Blessings Wished) Jeptha I. Yoder a

The Valley, October 2013

28

Savvy Cents & Sensibility

by JoAnn Wills-Kline MBA

83 Days Till Christmas...!!!

Last month we kicked off our “112 Day Holiday Strategy Plan” and a mini recap of that article is as follows: 1. Assemble a Holiday Binder (a three ring notebook binder works great).

2. Binder suggestions – tabbed separators for Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. 3. Pocket folders to hold sales flyers, receipts, ideas, lists, and invoices.

4. Clear document sleeves to hold magazine or print ads, coupons, gift cards/certificates purchased for gift giving (clean and safe keeping).

5. Several sheets of paper (ruled or not – your choice) use for budget crunching, list making, recording of “Aha!” moments, etc.

6. Set a holiday budget for spending – stick to it once all the bugs are worked out and you have a solid dollar amount that is workable for you.

7. Announce to family/friends that you would like to receive their “gift wish-lists” or gift preference ideas by September 30th.

Now, we are ready for October’s Holiday Strategy Plan.

Hopefully you have your wish lists and gift preference ideas at hand, but if not, remind your family/friends and extend your deadline by one more week. This month Christmas Clubs will be dispersed and the funds sent to the club holders. By end of month, have a rough draft of your gift giving list for all recipients. Guard the Christmas Club funds… don’t spend quickly… think it through thoroughly.

It’s time to begin to think about holiday cards. Will you use a particular theme for your cards such as snowmen, Santa, nativity, stars, angels, etc? Or, will you mix it up and select individual cards to send rather than purchasing a box of assorted cards? I like to use a few different kinds of cards and group them into three categories. First, I select cards to send to the small group of family/friends who will be receiving a gift from me. These cards are usually nice but basic boxed cards. Next, I select cards

for family/friends who will not receive gifts. These cards are usually a bit fancier because the card itself will serve as the “gift” and therefore be spotlighted. Lastly, I select a box of mini cards that are much smaller in size but have several more per box than standard size cards to serve as my “general” holiday cards to send. If you plan to send portrait holiday cards, now is the time to plan the card theme, family wardrobe, and backdrop.

Holiday meals are really right around the corner. Now is the time to plan whether you will be hosting a meal (either for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or both), or will be a guest at someone else’s table. If you will be hosting a meal, get a jump start on planning your meal menu. Will you be supplying all the food or will others contribute a “covered dish?”

Will you create a “theme” meal or will you serve “traditional” fare for your family/friends? Consider options and jot down ideas for the food to be served. Next, begin to assemble recipes and place them in one of the plastic sleeves in your binder. If this is your first holiday meal to cook/serve, begin to peruse recipe books, magazines, and websites for ideas that appeal to you then save the info in your binder. If you will be a guest at someone else’s table, consider your options. Will you create a “Wow!” dish (something unique and impressive), or will you choose “simple & scrumptious” or a “family tradition?” Assemble your recipe plan, and calculate the grocery budget needed to prepare your fare.

Holiday decorating is also just around the corner. October is the perfect month to brainstorm holiday decorating. Will you decorate for the Thanksgiving season too? Cornstalks, hay bales, gourds, and pumpkins from October’s décor can be re-used for Thanksgiving – especially if pumpkins and gourds have been left uncut and kept out of the direct sunlight. October is also the perfect month to string holiday lights outdoors because the weather has not turned too cold. If you hang lights on bushes and trees, consider hanging them in October during the milder weather then

wait until you are ready to light them. Begin to peruse magazines, books, Pinterest, and websites to spark your decorating creativity. Place your favorite ideas in your holiday binder. Create your holiday decorating budget. Now let’s recap…

By months end, you should have a rough draft or working outline of the following: 1. Gift ideas and wish lists • Spending limits per person • Overall gift budget 2. Holiday cards • Recipient list • Card themes or types of cards i.e. boxed, extra fancy, handcrafted, portrait • Card budget 3. Holiday meals • Create a menu – responsible for a single covered dish or full meal prep (?)

• Create food shopping list and budget • Pick up shelf stable staples to prep the meal or dish now • Consider serving options – sit down, buffet, or simple potluck • Create list and gather/ shop for tableware & table décor if needed 4. Holiday décor • Check holiday décor for missing or non-working pieces and fix • Check lights for safety hazards and worn cords

•

Check exterior outlets and extension cords for safety hazards If purchasing holiday décor – create item list and budget Hang exterior holiday lights now – before the bitter cold arrives

•

5. Holiday parties • Will you be hosting one?

• Begin to plan guest list and menu • Begin to prepare party budget

•

• •

• • • •

Will you be attending – work, social, family/friends parties?

Plan for covered dishes if required to bring one Plan for hostess gifts Plan for holiday attire Don’t forget… this category includes New Year’s parties too!

Consider the holiday party outline for New Year’s celebrations too. a

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29

The Valley, October 2013

Converting A Recipe

When I started brewing, I had limited equipment and could only brew extract brews. So many times while trying to find a recipe to brew I would run across one I liked, but it would be for an all-grain brew. I would have to let it go because I just figured there was no way for me to figure out how to convert the grain bill over to liquid malt extract or dried malt extract (DME). Then one Christmas a friend gave me a new homebrewing book, The Homebrewer’s Recipe Guide. It’s a good one and highly recommended. It’s filled with unique recipes with great backstories and throughout the book it has brewing quotes and brewing tips. And what do you know, one of the tips

contains formulas for converting recipes, but before we get into the formulas, a few words to the wise.

When converting all-grain to extract, a good rule of thumb is always use a light malt or pale extract. This allows you keep the specialty grains the same. In the recipe, the grain with the highest weight is the grain that provides the sugars in the brew—it’s usually referred to as a base grain. All the other grains are your specialty grains. In an all-grain, the base grains and the specialty grains are mixed together during the mash to provide the sugars, color, and mouth fill/taste of the beer. The specialty grains provided the last two. All you need to do is place the specialty grains in a brew

bag and place it in the kettle with water. When the temperature reaches 170 degrees F, remove the brew bag then add your converted amount of extract. Then brew as normal.

When going from extract to all-grain, it gets a little trickier.

If the recipe called for dark malt, you are going to have to add black patent malt or chocolate malt to achieve the desired color and/or roastiness. If it calls for amber malt, you are going to need to add crystal malt. The type of beer will determine the amount needed.

There is no way to tell you how much you need. I would recommend looking up an all-grain recipe for that type of beer and going with that. So if your extract recipe is for brown ale and recommends amber malt, convert using weight of the extract needed using the follow formula below. Then look up a basic brown ale allgrain recipe and use its specialty grain bill. Use this same proce-

dure for everything from lagers to stouts. I always have a supply of a base grain. There are many to choose from, but I have found that Maris Otter works well for about any type of beer. So here are the formulas.

All-Grain to Extract

Amount of pale malt X 0.8125 = amount of liquid malt extract. (example: 8 lbs. pale malt X 0.8125 = 6.5 lbs. liquid malt extract)

Amount of pale malt X 0.6875 = amount of DME. (example: 8 lbs. pale malt X 0.6875 = 5.5 lbs. DME)

Amount of wheat malt X 0.937 = amount of liquid wheat malt extract. (example: 6.5 lbs. wheat malt X 0.937 = 6.1 lbs. liquid wheat malt extract) Extract to All-Grain

Amount of liquid malt extract X 1.23 = amount of pale malt. (example: 6.6 lbs. liquid malt ex-

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tract X 1.23 = 8.1 lbs. pale malt)

Amount of DME X 1.45 = amount of pale malt. (example: 5 lbs. DME X 1.45 = 7.25 lbs. pale malt)

Amount of liquid wheat extract X 1.07= amount of wheat malt. (example: 6.6 lbs. liquid wheat extract X 1.07 = 7 lbs. liquid wheat malt extract)

There you have converting recipes. These are some handy formulas to have around if you find a recipe that you do not have the equipment to make or do not have the time to brew an all-grain.

Just convert it. Well this week I thought I would end with one of the quotes from this awesome book that provided the converting formulas. Until next month, Cheers.

Do not cease to drink beer, to eat, to intoxicate thyself, to make love and celebrate the good daysEgyptian Proverb a

You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline.

--Frank Zappa

The Valley, October 2013

30 Big Changes for Big Valley? from page 17 companies. That’s why so many fossil fuel-based companies are developing wind projects. They want the easy money available from government handouts.

How can you help?

Volkswind and E.ON have not received any permits to build these industrial power plants on Jacks or Stone Mountain, so it isn’t too late to contact the township supervisors in Granville, Menno, Union, and Wayne Townships in Mifflin County.

Brady Township is impacted in Huntingdon County. If you live in the Belleville area, call and thank the Union Township supervisors for passing a wind ordinance to help protect the residents and the wildlife. While it is illegal to ban a project, or to impose a moratorium, it is legal to regulate setbacks and noise limits. Union Township supervisors developed an ordinance that will help to protect residents from noise and safety concerns.

Call the township office where you live and ask the supervisors to pass an ordinance that regulates setbacks and noise limits. Supervisors have the duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the township residents.

Tell the supervisors you are concerned about industrial projects planned for the top of the mountains and ask them to protect your way of life by providing some

safeguards.

Then join Friends of Jacks Mountain – it’s free!!! Please cut out, fill out, and mail: See Membership form at end of article

Laura Jackson is a retired biology and environmental science teacher, amateur naturalist, and nature photographer who used to support industrial wind energy development in Pennsylvania until she learned about all the negative impacts to wildlife, habitats, watersheds, and communities. She helped to start Save Our Allegheny Ridges (SOAR) in 2006 after wind projects were proposed for Dunning Mountain and Shaffer Mountain in Bedford and Somerset Counties. Due to SOAR’s efforts, both projects were terminated in 2012. Laura serves as the President of SOAR and volunteers her time and expertise to help other communities regulate industrial wind development.

SOAR is a 501(c)3 organization, so any donations are tax-deductible. SOAR is partnering with Friends of Jacks Mountain to educate residents and municipal officials about the impacts of wind projects on Jacks and Stone Mountains. SOAR membership dues are $25 and can be sent to SOAR P. O. Box 178 Everett, PA 15537. Any donations over $25 will be used 100% for regulating wind development on Jacks and Stone Mountains. a

Laura Jackson, President Save Our Allegheny Ridges www.SaveOurAlleghenyRidges.org

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

_____________ Zip code

_____________________________________ 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.

MAIL TO: Darrell Smith

567 Mile Long Lane Martinsburg, PA 16662

Dr. Joe, Quiet Court from page 41 has just been vindicated. The account reports, ‘While repeated studies from around the world confirmed Wakefield’s bowel disease in autistic children and his position that safety studies of the MMR are inadequate, Dr. Wakefield ’s career has been destroyed by false allegations. Despite this he continues to work tirelessly to help solve the autism catastrophe.’

The article from The Liberty Beacon closes with a direct quote from Dr. Wakefield himself to the independent grassroots outlet, “There can be very little doubt that vaccines can and do cause autism. In these children, the evidence for an adverse reaction involving brain injury following the MMR that progresses to an autism diagnosis is compelling.

It’s now a question of the body count. The parents’ story was right all along. Governments must stop playing with words while children continue to be damaged. My hope is that recognition of the intestinal disease in these children will lead to the relief of their suffering. This is long, long overdue.”

Wakefield attacked again

Since the world has slowly become aware of the dangers of the MMR vaccine, parents around the globe have refused to get their children vaccinated. Earlier this year, the UK government singled out Dr. Wakefield and blamed him for the rising number of measles outbreaks in the country. In an April 2013 interview, he responded publicly.

The website TheRefusers. com published both the video, as well as the written transcript, of Dr. Wakefield’s public response.

Below are some excerpts of the doctor’s remarks:

“The important thing to say is that back in 1996-1997 I was

made aware of children developing autism, regressive autism, following exposure in many cases to the measles mumps rubella vaccine. Such was my concern about the safety of that vaccine that I went back and reviewed every safety study, every pre-licensing study of the MMR vaccine and other measles-containing vaccines before they were put into children and after. And I was appalled with the quality of that science. It really was totally below par and that has been reiterated by other authoritative sources since.

All I could do as a parent was to say, ‘what would I do for my child?’ That was the only honest answer I could give. My position on that has not changed. So, what happened subsequently? At that time the single measles vaccines were available freely on the National Health Service. Otherwise, I would not have suggested that option. So parents, if they were legitimately concerned about the safety of MMR could go and get the single vaccines. Six months later, the British government unilaterally withdrew the importation license for the single vaccines, therefore depriving parents of having these on the NHS; depriving parents who had legitimate concerns about the safety of MMR from a choice; denying them the opportunity to protect their children in the way that they saw fit.

The news shouldn’t be left wing or right wing, conservative or liberal. It should be the news. It should be independent – Whiteout Press

And I was astonished by this and I said to Dr. Elizabeth Miller of the Health Protection Agency, ‘why would you do this, if your principal concern is to protect children from serious infectious disease? Why would you remove an option from parents who are

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legitimately concerned about the safety of MMR?’ And her answer was extraordinary. She said to me, ‘if we allow parents the option of single vaccines, it would destroy our MMR program.’ In other words, her principal concern seemed to be full protection of the MMR program and not protection of children.”

Dr. Wakefield himself reiterates the final conclusion of the courts in various countries, but censored by the world’s media outlets saying:

‘Now this question has been answered not by me, but by the courts, by the vaccine courts in Italy and in the United States of America where it appears that many children over the last thirty years have been awarded millions of dollars for the fact that they have been brain-damaged by MMR vaccine and other vaccines and that brain damage has led to autism. That is a fact.’ http://www.undergroundhealth. com/courts-quietly-confirm-mmrvaccine-causes-autism/

October is National Chiropractic Month. There is no better way to protect yourself from ailments such as the common cold and the flu than regular chiropractic care to ensure that your immune system is functioning at 100 percent. It’s also important to do the things you know to do to promote proper health: good diet with many fruits and vegetables, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, exercise and relaxation combined with a positive mental attitude. Without a properly functioning body, though, sickness becomes normal. Call us to see how chiropractic can help you!

Dr. Joseph Kauffman Kauffman-Hummel Chiropractic Clinic drjosephkauffman@comcast.net 717-248-2506

31

The Valley, October 2013

How one housewife turned her spare time into a business

By Micahl DelVecchio and Scott Keys

If the networks ever decide to do a series on the Housewives of Mifflin County they wouldn’t need to look any further than Dutch Pantry Gifts for a few episodes. At Dutch Pantry Gifts we have been honored to find some of the finest women that have dedicated their life to family and now are reaching out to the community to show us all their other great talents. This is one woman’s story of success of balancing home life and starting a business. Micahl DelVecchio and her new business, A Moment in Chime, is inspiring to all the housewives out there and to those represented at Dutch Pantry Gifts. Here’s her story.

Several years ago, I was asked what I did for fun, what I had for a hobby, and what I did in my spare time. I just laughed. I think my answer was,” washing dishes.” At that time, I was going through several life changes, most of which I hadn’t chosen, and had spent a good portion of my “spare time” taking care of my family that included seven active children. I also taught music les-

sons in the home and was on the music faculty at Juniata College.

I enjoyed the music activities, especially Lewistown Community Band, the Juniata College Wind Symphony, and the St. John’s Handbell Choir, but I couldn’t think of any hobby that I had.

With such a large family, we had collected many craft supplies over the years. The supplies included stamps and ink pads, lots of glue, colored construction paper, the normal crayons, a button maker (because of high school marching band), fuzzy things, pipe cleaners, water color pencils, and lots of fabric paint, as we had gone through the “decorate your T-shirt and sweatshirt” stage.

As the kids graduated from high school, college, and left home, the supplies remained.

There were some I just couldn’t part with because I still had a longing to create something with them.

So this question about my spare time/hobby stuck in my mind for a while. I remembered

when my oldest daughter, Kristin, and her husband, Brian, had taken a stained glass course in Florida, and that I was a bit envious..... thinking that was something I would enjoy doing. When Kristin branched out into jewelry making, I had watched her work many times and appreciated the end result. In fact, I attended a bead show in Orlando with her and purchased some beads myself, thinking I might get into that area. Brian had even obtained the equipment necessary to help her out by making original glass beads for her. (He was restricted to the garage as making the beads involved a torch and a flame.) I wasn’t THAT interested!

So the beads I bought in Orlando started another collection. I just knew I’d use them sometime, so I added a few more jewelry making tools. I had also seen the scraps of stained glass in their garage and asked Brian if I could have them. At that time, I didn’t know exactly what I would do with them, but they were so colorful, I knew “down the road” I would use them somehow. My first idea was to paint wood birdhouses, decorate them with flowers and fences, and hang the stained glass from them. The scraps of glass were odd sizes and had sharp edges, so that idea was put on hold.

All my adult life I had enjoyed going to art’s festivals... with and without the children. I usually paused at the stained glass booths and occasionally brought a piece home.

They were hung in the kitchen and in the living room, which had floor to ceiling windows, so the pieces really came to life.

It wasn’t until

this summer that everything fell into place. I was visiting my youngest daughter, Kim, in Atlanta, (on my way to Florida), and she took me to an Art’s Festival where she was playing in the local community band. I saw what I wanted to do. All the seeds that had been planted in my mind were actually still alive. I listened to the band a lot (yes honey, they were very good), but I kept going back to this one booth that was watering those seeds. I was very excited and shared it with Kim, “Uh huh,” she said, “Sure.”

I shared the idea with Kristin and Brian when I got to Tallahassee. I questioned Brian about the various strains of glass, and what tools I would need and then I went to the studio where they had taken their course. Susan was very helpful, showed me how to cut glass, and let me practice on some of her scrap. She talked to me about drilling and sold me a few necessary tools and some stained glass. I couldn’t wait to get started.

I wanted to start as soon as I returned home, but my mother, who had experienced a stroke three years earlier, was not doing well. I was spending what time I could with her. She passed away in the middle of June, before I was set up for my new interest. Had she known, she would have said the hobby is perfect for me. As a child growing up in West Virginia, my family took Sunday afternoon drives, sometimes Fall picnics at Hawk’s Nest State Park, sometimes to the famous Green Briar Hotel (where Presidents stay), to Green Bank where the huge satellite dishes were an uncommon sight, and also to the Blenko Glass Factory. At the factory we watched how the molten glass was formed into a beautiful pitcher or vase by man, not machine. I think the glass factory left a last-

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One of many styles of glass wind chimes created right here in The Valley

ing impression on me. I have two pitchers my parents bought there.

The combination of my interest in glass and my fascination with beads have now been combined into a new interest and expression for me. I brought stained glass back from Florida, but I also order it from a dealer in Maryland and from the Kokomo Opalescent Glass Factory in Indiana.

They have learned how to package and ship glass, I have only had one broken shipment, which was quickly replaced. It’s always exciting to see the stained glass in person, the colors are much more vibrant than on the computer screen. There are so many types of glass to work with. My two favorite companies are Spectrum and Kokomo. Spectrum glass has many different types. Cathedral glass is clear and allows light to pass through. Iridescent glass has a mother of pearl sheen and allows for a rainbow of colors. Artique glass is designed to bring you the look of antique glass. Water glass

Continued on page 22

The Valley, October 2013

32

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33

The Valley, October 2013

Back Talk

by Dr. Joseph Kauffman

Quiet Court Releasing Equals LOUD a-ha’s

Many people have been claiming for years that there is a link between vaccines and autism and brain damage. But, once you have court cases admitting this fact and awards from this admission, the point is finally driven across. These cases have finally become a reality. But, have you heard of them? No. It’s pretty much common sense to see that Obama has most of the media in his pocket, but we’ve also known that the pharmaceutical companies have owned the media for years now. Even the headlines are stating “US Court QUIETLY confirms MMR vaccines cause Autism.” Quietly. Why so quiet?

Why not the big proclamation?

Where are the admissions from the pharmaceutical companies stating that their vaccines are dangerous? They don’t want you to know. If these vaccines are truly safe, if there are no harmful side effects, if people like Jenny McCarthy and Andrew Wakefield

are just crazy conspiracy theorists, why have the courts admitted damage due to vaccination and awarded monetary compensation from pharmaceutical companies to victims of vaccinations? If vaccines are so safe, why do these cases exist? This is finally the proof to the pudding. And, the admission comes in a whisper rather than a shout. So, I am shouting it out:

“US Court of Federal Claims (‘Vaccine Court’) Quietly Confirms MMR Vaccine Causes Autism with Large Settlements for Two Children (Sep. 3, 2013)”

“Vaccine Court Awards Millions to Two Children With Autism”

As reported from Natural News, http://www.naturalnews. com/041897_MMR_vaccines_autism_court_ruling.html “Breaking: Courts discreetly confirm MMR vaccine causes autism” You won’t hear anything about it

from the mainstream media, but the federal government’s kangaroo “vaccine court” has once again conceded, albeit quietly, that the combination measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine does, indeed, cause autism.

In a recently published ruling, part of which was censored from public view, a young boy was awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars after it was determined that the MMR vaccine led to a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Ten-year-old Ryan Mojabi’s parents say he first suffered an encephalopathy after being vaccinated for MMR on December 19, 2003. Known as a “table injury,” encephalopathy is a recognized, compensable adverse reaction to vaccines, and one that the kangaroo vaccine court has previously linked to vaccines. According to Ryan’s parents, the MMR vaccine caused their son’s encephalopathy, which manifested as ‘neuroimmunologically mediated dysfunctions

in the form of asthma and ASD.’

After being bumped around from court to court, Ryan’s case was eventually heard by the vaccine court’s Autism Omnibus Proceedings, according to The Huffington Post. And in the end, the federal government agreed that Ryan’s encephalopathy had been caused by the MMR vaccine, a landmark ruling that confirms what Dr. Andrew Wakefield found more than 15 years ago when studying gut disorders in children given the MMR vaccine.

‘Ryan suffered a Table injury under the Vaccine Act -- namely, an encephalitis within five to fifteen days following receipt (of MMR),” admitted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the case. “This case is appropriate for compensation,” it added, in full agreement with the court’s decision.

Of particular note in the case is the fact that concession documents by the government remain under seal. While the court and the government at large openly admitted that the MMR vaccine caused Ryan’s encephalitis, it did not make public its opinion on whether or not that encephalitis led to Ryan’s other injuries, including those that fall into the category of ASD. But the fact that

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these documents remain censored shows that the government is hiding something of importance from the public, which most definitely has to do with the connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Concerned parents everywhere were right all along: MMR vaccine can cause autism

In a similar case heard during the same month, young Emily Moller from Houston, Texas, was also awarded massive compensation for injuries resulting from the MMR vaccine. According to reports, Emily experienced a severe reaction after receiving not only the MMR vaccine but also the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis), HiB, and Prevnar vaccines. Like with Ryan’s case, the government conceded that these vaccines led to Emily’s autism and other developmental problems.

These two cases, combined with numerous published studies out of the U.S., South America, and Europe, prove that the MMR vaccine is not the harmless vaccine that the conventional medical industry claims it is. In fact, everything that Dr. Wakefield found back in the late 1990s concerning the MMR vaccine -- findings that

Continued on page 41

The Valley, October 2013

34

Joanne Wills-Kline Contentment Quest

BoundAries

Self, Family/Friends and Work

I continue the topic of boundaries with this month’s article. With the book “Boundaries”

by Cloud and Townsend as the article’s foundation, let’s get down to business about boundaries.

The Litmus Test

According to Cloud and Townsend (1992, pg. 112), “Boundaries are a litmus test for the quality of our relationships.” When we choose to erect a healthy boundary hedge our eyes are usually opened to the state of our relationships. Either people will respect us more for taking a healthy stand, or they will resent us for saying “No” because we didn’t fall into compliance for what they want. Cloud and Townsend state that some people may choose to abandon or attack us for erecting boundaries. The reason? Our boundaries may create difficulty in their lives. In other words, our boundaries may make it necessary for them to

own their irresponsibility.

Oftentimes, when there are boundary issues that need to be addressed in our lives it is because we have taken on other people’s burdens – whether we realize it or not. Try the litmus test with the significant relationships in your life – tell them “no” in some way. Either they will respect you, and the relationship will grow in better intimacy, or you will realize that there was very little intimacy and respect to begin with. Move forward in the truth and adapt the relationship accordingly. “You will be amazed at how much you can change in your life when you finally let go of what you can never have” (Cloud & Townsend 1992, pg. 261).

Getting Saddled

A lack of boundaries in the workplace definitely creates problems. In today’s world, employees are pushed to their limits.

Many people are expected to take

on more responsibilities and more assignments yet in return receive little or no additional compensation. Today’s workplaces are filled to the brim with unhappy workers, low productivity and toxic morale. Oftentimes the root of the problem can be linked to irresponsibility at some level – whether it is lateral or leadership.

If you are feeling saddled with another person’s responsibility within the workplace, create a list of instances that made you feel saddled. Record the instance, why you felt taken advantage of, whether/how it could have been avoided, whether it stemmed from another level in the organization (was it a snowball effect from several irresponsible parties?) and a possible solution. Then be prepared to exercise your “No.” Kindly, but firmly, say no to taking on another’s work-related responsibility. If it is clearly their job and not yours. then clearly do not feel guilty for saying “No!” That’s why job descriptions are crafted – to give light to expected responsibilities. Ask to review

the description for your position, and if there is no written, recorded description be very concerned. It could mean that management has no comprehension as to what is needed to effectively and efficiently get the job accomplished.

In other words, you could be in an “anything goes” and “fly by the seat of your pants” position.

Sometimes, the real problem can be sourced to irresponsble management or leadership.

Sometimes such management is well aware of problems within the workforce, yet management has no viable solution in sight, so they close their eyes to the problem and hope it will eventually go away – it NEVER does. In such an awkward instance, it may not

Progress At The Embassy

by Patricia Lawson

Last month we talked about the awesome mural honoring the theatres of Lewistown. I promised more information on the “masthead” logos featured on the bottom of the mural and additional facts, so here we go!

As relayed by Paul T. Fagley the President, Friends of the Em-

bassy Theatre: “long the bottom are the ‘masthead’ logos that were used in the newspaper ads. Represented here are the five major, long-lived theatres in Lewistown. There were more, but they didn’t last long. Not already mentioned is the Temple Theatre, Lewistown’s first

theatre (located in the Masonic building across the square). It opened as the “Temple Opera House” in 1894, and usually exhibited Vaudeville shows, and later movies. It closed in 1925.

Finally, the last one is for the Pastime Theatre. Opening in 1906, it was also called the “Bang-Bang,” “Bucket-of-Blood,” “Roxy,” and “ShootN-Juke,” due to the westerns frequently shown there. It lasted until 1953. Today, when you are dining in the “left-hand” side of the Downtown OIP and Grille, you are eating in the old Pastime.

Maybe in a year or two, I will complete a book much like “Memories of Kishacoquillas

Park” I recently did. We have so much rich history in this area, and to preserve it passes our shared heritage to the future generations.

May this mural help to preserve that heritage!”

I saw this additional information as well: Following World War II, the Miller theatre, at 40 Market Street opened in 1949. Two years later the Temple Theatre (no relation to the earlier Temple Theatre), opened at 1016 South Main St., well out of downtown.

In 1954, after purchase by Harold Cohen, it was renamed the Center Theatre. Although handsomely designed and much larger, these two theatres never came close to matching the Embassy in style or grandeur.

More exciting news: The bids have gone out for the Con-

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be feasible to state “No!” to management; however, it is possible to examine your options. Take a long hard look at how situations have been handled in the past – Fairly? Swept under the rug?

Ignored? Blame shifted? Once again create a written list as it will help you to get a true perspective on what the future will look like in the organization. If, after deep reflection, you believe that the irresponsibility will not be rectified swiftly… it may be time to brush up your resume and move on. Some of you may be aghast and shaking your head at such a thought, BUT would you honestly want to trust your financial future

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ceptual Master Plan that we talked about in the August article. This will launch the beginning of the work on the interior of the theatre.

October brings us “Safe Night Trick or Treat” that will be held in downtown Lewistown on Friday, October 25 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Be sure to stop by The Embassy Theatre for some treats and to tour the theatre.

Stay tuned for more details, but a Benefit Auction will be held in November. More information will be posted in the next article, on our web-site and on Facebook.

As always, your donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated. Please make your checks payable to “The Friends Of The Embassy Theatre” and mail it to the Friends of The Embassy at PO Box 203, Burnham PA 17009.

Thank you, and I’ll see you at “Safe Night Trick or Treat”!

Happy Halloween from The Friends Of The Embassy Theatre! www.embassytheatre.org www.facebook.com/embassyltwn A Memory with a Future, a Future Full of Memories! a

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The Valley, October 2013

Life in the East End

by Rebecca Harrop

The weather is starting to get cooler, which means fall is here. I like this time of year when it’s not too hot out. Soon the leaves will be changing. It’s always so pretty in the fall when the leaves change into all the beautiful colors. My family likes to go for walks in the mountain. Last year a few times my brother and I came home with our pockets full of acorns. Mom and I were making center pieces and she wanted some acorns.

Ernie and I took bags with us the next time so we wouldn’t have to fill our pockets—we even got some pine-cones for Mom. We just picked our potatoes and we had a very good crop this year. We had over 60 five gallon buckets, 16 crates and a few bags.

It’s a good thing we have a big family or we would never be able to eat all of them. While we’re filling buckets if we find any bad ones, we always throw them in the corn field. Of course this can be dangerous if you’re not paying attention. I almost hit my Pap when I threw one over my shoulder and didn’t see him walking by.

We also picked red beets, which my Mom is going to can.

We picked grapes too. We’re going to make grape juice and jelly if we have enough. We also got some pumpkins from a neighbor that we are going to can. So we have a lot of work to do in the next week.

September was a really exciting time for my family. Labor Day weekend my brother Ben and Brenda moved into the house they bought at the end of Siglerville. Now he lives right smack in the middle of the farms. My brother Ernie and his wife Joann had twin daughters on September 4th. Their names are Emily Marie & Nicole Elizabeth. That makes three generations of twins in our family. My Mom’s brother & sister are twins, my sister and I, and now Ernie’s girls. Mom said she always heard twins were every other generation, but her family seems to do every generation.

Rachel and I are really looking forward to doing a lot a babysitting. Ernie has already bought them pink camo jackets. They are a little bit big so they will be able to wear them for a couple years.

I know he is looking forward to teaching them to hunt and fish

when they are bigger.

Recently an issue has arisen that is very important to me. The Ag class and FFA program at the Career and Technology Center has been targeted for some drastic changes. While I agree there needed to be some changes, I feel strongly the changes should have been more in the area of how students are admitted to the program.

The Ag Class has always been used as a dumping ground for students who didn’t “fit” anywhere else, along with the students who really did want to be there. Often they would put students with Special Needs in the class, and I do recognize and appreciate that Special Needs students need to have a place in the curriculum, but it is sometimes unfair to the other students who are in the class. For instance, the students have to look out for the Special Needs students to make sure they don’t get hurt. The teacher has to spend extra time with the Special Needs students, which takes time away from the other students when they could be learning. One of the changes being made is that the animals have been taken out of the program. I know that many students who sign up for the class are looking forward to getting to work with the animals. The new teacher has said that the animals are a distraction. Some of the students in the class don’t come from farms, so they don’t get to be around animals everyday.

When I was in the program, we had many different animals such as pigs, steers, sheep, rabbits, and heifers. We would weigh the animals every week to keep track of their rate of gain. We learned how to give animals medication, watch for signs of sickness, and uncountable other things. It is a disadvantage not to have animals for the kids to work with. Also, the kids are not being allowed in the shop as well. Right now the curriculum for the class only calls for Ag Mechanics. How are they supposed to learn this when they aren’t even allowed in the shop?

The number one industry in Pennsylvania and Mifflin County is agriculture. We need to support our local Ag Program. It has been said by a certain member of the School Board that they need to prepare students for college, but it

is a CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY school meaning it is preparing students to go into the workforce or a tech school. My Mom said when she went to Vo-Tech they graduated JOB READY, and I have heard this same statement from other people who also went there. This same School Board member has said that the students need to learn about new technology in Ag. I believe they need to learn the basics of Ag first. If they don’t understand the basics, all the technology in the world means nothing. How else will they know if they want to pursue a career in Ag? Today’s society places too high of an importance on a college education. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against college, but it is not for everyone and you don’t need a college degree to be successful in life. Some of the most successful people I know have not gone to college, some of them have even been through our local Ag Program. Another statement that has been made is that students who go to the Career and Technology Center are not able to attend college. This is not true. I personally know four people who have been through the Ag Program who have gone on to college. Its time to stand up and let the School Board know we are not happy. If they want to make changes they should talk

to people who have been through the Ag Program and even current students so they can find out what works and what does really need to be changed, instead of letting a few people make these decisions because they think they know everything there is to know pertaining

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to agriculture. This affects everyone, because everyone is affected in some way by the agriculture industry. So let the students know they have our support, and let the School Board know that we do actually care. a

Save Jacks Mountain! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-JacksMountain/401857016591293

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Hey everyone.

How you making out down they-ah? Been crazy busy with the harvest this year. Sorry I missed last month, time goes fast when you’re knee deep in....stuff.

God finally heard my pleas for hay help. I can hopefully find some small animals for cheap money this fall, when everything freezes up. We have around 1,000 bales put up at the farm next door.

We had to do small sections, working around the rain drops, but we got it mostly done before the mowing machine went BOOM again. Another winter project, as we can afford it.

We have been canning our butts off for almost a month straight. Still haven’t gotten around to making my zucchini relish yet. Bro has some coming

off now, and he’s out in Arizona doing his Vemma thing. Guessing I’ll be making relish this week.

Ha!

We made salsa yesterday. It was supposed to be medium hot, but the last taste before canning set my mouth on fire. Guess those will be gifted to those that have given me grief this year. ;-)

We’ve canned beans, beets and their greens, carrots, corn, potatoes, swiss chard, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes (in simple syrup)...you get the idea. We are far from being done, because I will put up my 4 foot hoops and poly over whatever I feel I need more of. Like bell peppers, for instance.

We also freeze and dehydrate all manner of veggies, lean-

ing more towards dehydrating because of our lifestyle. They last longer and take up MUCH less space, which is crucial in this tiny camp that we call Home.

All manner of herbs are dried, about half of which we give as Christmas presents. If you have ever done this, then you know what I mean when you are just

amazed at how little you get after pulverizing the dried leaves. I think this year we’ll give ziploc bags of dried leaves away, let THEM figure it out for themselves!

Our little 12’ x 20’ greenhouse is full of a cord and a half of red oak firewood we are speedseasoning, sunflower heads, and dried beans. The firewood was a trade for replacing a window and patching some sheetrock for a friend.

I’m a little nervous at how small my cordwood stash is, but I have faith that a great trade will be forthcoming. There is usually a 2 year supply here, but time

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has a way of getting away from us sometimes. I did go down to my sugarbush 2 weeks ago, and knock over some Maple Uglies, maybe 2 cords or so. After their leaves have all turned brown, sucking out all the sap they can, we will go back down and buck it up. I’d like to find 5 or 6 ‘elected officials’ to come talk to my firewood. All that hot air they spew is bound to help in the drying process. What?

Me? Oh, dontchu worry! I have earplugs. Their venomous lies will fall upon deaf ears. Probably not worth it, anyway. I’d need to have them sign release forms, in case they fell down on their heads and got hurt. Repeatedly.

Until next time, keep your friends close. Especially the good looking ones. :-) a

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The Valley, October 2013

Caving Mifflin County with Todd Karschner

Touring Rat Cave

Hello Valley readers! Well fall is now upon us and it is a little depressing to cavers because of WNS cave closures for the winter. Some caves with known little brown bat populations are closed from Sept. 15th until April 15th. Like I said before, I have no problem with this. We need bats!

And I am willing to do more than my share to help these little flying mosquito munchers!

This month we will be visiting a cave in southern Mifflin County.

Due to the amount of visitors and the irresponsibility of some of them, I am refraining from mentioning its name and exact location. We have visited this one a few times this summer and each time there was fresh trash thrown around for us to pick up and carry home.

Anyway, this cave is not home to bats. It is however, home to Neotoma Magister or Allegheny Cave Rat. We didn’t see any during our visits, but you could smell the “rat latrine” that was in a small sinkhole roughly 70 feet in.

There were nests built in the small recesses close to the entrance and all of us heard something scurrying around in the darkness behind us. Creeped out yet? How about the fact that most of the cave is crawling on hands and knees or your stomach?

The cave is high up on the side of a mountain in a rock outcrop.

Entry is a hands and knees deal

for the first 15 feet or so. Then you duck under the left wall and it opens up into the first of two sizeable rooms where you can stand and walk around. At the far

sloped floors matching the angle of the bedrock, and the second half being a flat clay floor with gravel in places. This is one of the few caves in the area that is considered “dry”—meaning that there

Several nice formations out of the reach of vandals that have plagued this cave.

end of this rectangle-shaped room, the cave continues. A short drop down to a lower floor level gives about 30 more feet of walking and then it pinches down to about 14 inches.

I could not get my ribs to fit through that space, so the rest of the details of the cave are from fellow cavers, Wes, Jenn, and Aimee.

There is about 800 feet of passage with the first half being

are no active streams still cutting away at it.

A little more than half way into the cave is the other sizeable room. In here there are small passages to crawl through and

room to stretch. Not far beyond this room, a small ‘crawlway’ was dug by unknown cavers to reveal about 30 feet of virgin cave. No other attempts were made to find more passages beyond this.

This is a small cave with some nice formations scattered here and there with most of them beyond the pinch—out of reach to most vandals.

That wraps up the “crawling tour of the rat cave.” ( I can just imagine some of the things you folks are thinking! )

For a small and fairly tight cave, there are some spectacular formations.

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If you ARE interested in going along on one of our wild cave trips, or would like to go along to one of our states great public caves, drop me an e-mail at toddkarschnercave44@gmail. com. Or, if you know any of the others in the group, Jenn Jones, Scott Kearns, Wes Stahlman, Aimee Hostettler, Sonnie Wilkins, Shawna Wilkins, Lance Lukins, or Lena Yoder, ask them about some of our trips and the fun they have.

Until next time, cave safe.

TODD K. a

The Valley, October 2013

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Ed’s Railroading News

by Ed Forsythe

HIGH SPEED RAIL in PENNSYLVANIA??? Many countries have had high speed rail service for many years now.

I got to ride on the high speed train in Japan in 1996 and it was awesome. As I’ve written before, I can hardly wait to ride on the newer faster version when we visit our son and family there.

France has it, along with several other European countries. China has one on the drawing board that doesn’t even make stops. The cars have top pods attached to them where the riders go when arriving at their stop and the pods are safely delivered to an unloading ramp while the train picks up a pod of riders at the other end and just keeps traveling. So, why can’t we have high speed rail in the U.S.? Most of time the answer is, we are spread out to far to make it feasible, or our curves are way too tight for the train to make it around. (e.g. remember the

high speed train wreck this year overseas where the engineer was going too fast?) Well, I certainly do understand all these reasons and more but, right here in Mifflin County we have a young man that is working on a solution to these problems that will alleviate having to change trackage and still have high speed trains.

Meet Jonathan Chester. Jonathan is a member of the Mifflin County High School Technology Student Association. Jonathan recently placed first in Transportation Modeling at the 35th Annual Pennsylvania Technology Student Association State Conference. After winning this award, Jonathan represented Pennsylvania at the 2013 National Conference in Florida where he showed his design of a high speed engine that will travel on existing rails. Jonathan placed a very impressive 6th in the nation. I’m sure Jonathan and others who have similar ideas will

get together and sometime in the near future we will have HIGH SPEED rail service not only in Pennsylvania, but nationwide.

This young man has a great future in store for him as he has already shown that he’s a thinker and doer. Jonathan is the Lodge Chief of the Boy Scouts of America Order of the Arrow Monaken Lodge and has recently been tapped-out for the highest honor of Vigil member. One doesn’t get to these types of honors at a young age without giving and showing good leadership skills. I welcome Jonathan to our Brotherhood as he is one to watch in the future.

As I write this article Cathy and I are traveling across our great country on our way to S. Dakota to visit with our son Jason Andrew and family. Along the way at a rest stop in Iowa, a gentleman started a conversation by stating, “I just saw a DD40X in Nebraska and if I wasn’t driving a rig I would have turned around and chased it.” Well, I will say that it took me a few seconds to figure out just what he was talking about and why. First, why. Easy, I had on a railroading T-shirt. Second, what was he talking about,

duh, for those that don’t know railroad engine designations, it’s a really big diesel engine that can’t travel around the old Pennsy trackage due to it’s size. It’s actually two diesel engines placed back-to- back and made into one by the Union Pacific. We started a conversation that way that lasted about half an hour. As it turns out, John, as I found out his name near the end of the conversation, is a model railroader and train buff.

He’s really into modelling Narrow Gauge and is familiar with the East Broad Top Railroad. John has ridden several railroads across the nation in his travels—some people have all the luck We had a really fun time together and then we both had to get back to traveling. He’s been on the road delivering loads all around the country for five weeks now and is looking forward to getting back home to Arkansas soon. Naturally I invited him to stop in if he ever gets to Mifflin County Pennsylvania and he told me about a trolley museum in Arkansas if we get down there. It’s always fun to meet new people in places around the country and to enjoy just how much we all have in common. For now, Happy Railroading, Ed a

E & L Supplies To Offer Organic Animal Feed and Bison Burgers Family Fall Days Event

As most of you know it has been a while since I have written for The Valley. Things this summer have just been so crazy with everything going on with my girls, the animals, and the store.

So many new things are going on though that I just had to let everyone in on the fun!

I know that a lot of the customers that we talk to at E & L Supplies have a big concern of where there food is coming from.

Well, not only their food, but their animals’ food as well. So we figured this was something to look into as we try to listen to what our customers want—and we did just that!

We are excited to say that we are now offering a full line of organic livestock feeds. We are able to get in anything from poultry, dairy, beef, horse, swine, sheep and goat feeds and even bagged ingredients for those of you who like to mix your own feeds. At this point we are just

doing this on an order basis, but as we see what everyone is going to be feeding, we may even start stocking these products. Orders will have to be in by Wednesday mornings no later than 11:00 AM, and then your product will be here for pick up that same Friday. We want to make the ordering process easy for everyone so we have two different ways to order: you can call in your order by calling E & L Supplies at (814) 422- 0370 or just send us a message on Facebook—find us at E & L Supplies.

I know not everyone will want to feed their animals organic feeds and that is fine too. We will still be carrying the full lines of

Purina and Blue Seal feeds that we have always carried. There are just some people out there that would like to feed organic and are having a tough time finding an easy, reliable source to satisfy their feeding needs.

Another new and exciting thing that Herb, myself, and a lot of friends and family members have been working on is getting Triple B concessions up and running. Most of you know that we raise grass-fed bison at our farm, and we have had a lot of interest for bison meat again as everyone is trying to eat healthier. Well now is your chance to get some!

Home-raised grass-fed bison is

what we are serving out of Triple B concessions, along with many other things like sweet potato fries and so much more. Last weekend was the first for it to be open and it was a pretty big hit. We will have Triple B concessions open more this fall, mostly Saturdays.

We will be at the new flea market at Centre Hall fair grounds on Saturdays and two other places we’ll be this fall are the Pumpkin Chunkin’ in Howard to be held October 19 starting at 10 am and right here at E & L Supplies Saturday, October 12 from 10 am till 3 pm for our annual Fall Family Days. Stop out and see us and grab yourself a good home-grown bison burger.

As most of you know, every year at E & L Supplies we hold our annual Fall Family Days and it is that time of year again. This year it will be held Saturday, October 12 from 10 am till 3 pm.

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We will have a lot going on that day with activities for the kids; there will also be some unusual critters here for the kids to see.

Have you ever seen a zebra? Or, have you ever touched a water buffalo? How many of you know what a yak is? Stop out that day and you can get some up close experiences with these animals.

Triple B concessions will also be here serving up those home-raised bison burgers and more. Some pretty good sales will be going on as well inside the store and so much more. Stop out, let the kids have fun, see some animals that they don’t get to see every day, and have lunch. Watch our page on Facebook for updates!

Julie Shultz Smith a

The Valley, October 2013

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foster parent or adopt...you’ll love it too!

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The Valley, October 2013

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Successful Rehabilitation Relies on a Team Effort

A few months ago, Gerry Santoro sustained multiple injuries from a motorcycle accident when a car pulled out in front of him. Broken bones included his left humerus, left wrist, right thumb, left ankle and left knee cap. After surgeries, and a stay at Altoona Regional Trauma Center, Gerry chose HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital for inpatient rehabilitation.

As a faculty member in Penn

State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, Gerry’s main focus in on network and cyber security. He has an amateur observatory and a small organic farmette. Gerry also studies martial arts, and enjoys playing guitar and riding his Harley-Davidson.

Gerry’s wife, Sue, describes him as “someone who likes to go above and beyond in life,” she says. “He was determined to go to HealthSouth because he

knew that he would get more therapy.”

Three hours of therapy a day For over three weeks, Gerry worked hard in physical and occupational therapy. At HealthSouth, three hours of therapy a day are required.

“In physical therapy, we worked on gaining strength and flexibility in my lower body,” says Gerry. Occupational

Gerry Santoro (front, center) visited HealthSouth staff that provided rehabilitation after a motorcycle accident caused multiple injuries. “I will never forget the many who kept me feeling optimistic and wanting to work to get better,” Gerry says. “We are very happy to share our success story, since it truly is HealthSouth’s success story as well.” Pictured front row, from left, Tyler Snook, L.P.N, Gerry Santoro and Physical Therapist Jenna Micsky.

Back row, from left, Amy Adams, Case Manager, and Darla Dickson, Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Therapy Assistant Darla Dickson adds, “When Gerry came to HealthSouth, he only had the use of his right shoulder and his left hand. We focused on teaching him to use adaptive equipment so that he could dress himself.”

Nursing and the rehabilitation philosophy At HealthSouth, rehabilitation does not end in therapy. Nurses, many of whom are certified registered rehabilitation nurses (CRRN®), use the rehabilitation philosophy on the units and in the patient rooms. Gerry says, “The nurses were there when I needed them, but they also encouraged me to do as much as I could on my own,” Gerry explains. Tyler Snook, licensed practical nurse, helped care for Gerry. “When pa-

Continued on page 47

A Higher Level of

Care 550 West College Avenue Pleasant Gap, PA 16823 • 814 359-3421 Providing Outpatient Therapy in Three Convenient Locations Lewistown • 717 242-5400 Mifflintown • 717 436-8233 Pleasant Gap • 814 359-5630 NittanyValleyRehab.com

©2013:HealthSouth Corporation:522041-05

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41

The Valley, October 2013 Dr. Joe, Quiet Court from page 33 cost him his career and reputation, by the way -- are proving to be undeniably true.

‘There can be very little doubt that vaccines can and do cause autism,’ Dr. Wakefield recently stated from his home in

Boundaries from page 34 to such irresponsible behavior?!

Alas, that’s exactly what you are doing if you choose to remain in an organization that has poor leadership, low morale, and management that lacks responsibility and respect for the workforce.

In essence, you are relying on irresponsible people to craft your future. If such people cannot successfully move through an eight hour workday without shifting responsibility, why would such people have deep concern for your future? You trade your life’s energy…your days on this Earth… for your paycheck… do you want to place your life’s energy in the palm of a hand that cannot even be responsible during an eight hour day let alone your lifetime?!

Take a good hard look at the balance of responsibility in your work life. Food for thought: Poor planning on another’s part does not constitute and emergency on your part. “Work will grow to fill the time you have set aside for it.” (Cloud & Townsend 1992, pg.

208) Create boundaries for your

Austin, Texas. ‘In these children, the evidence for an adverse reaction involving brain injury following the MMR that progresses to an autism diagnosis is compelling.

It’s now a question of the body count. The parents’ story was right all along. Governments must stop playing with words while children continue to be damaged. My hope time… keep your limits healthy… work smarter and more efficiently.

Limits on good things keep things good.

“There will be all sorts of resistances to our boundaries and goals. But the person with mature limits understands that, makes room for that, and allows for that. And he or she knows that, should it be needed, a no is waiting inside the heart – ready to use. Not for an attack, not to punish another, but to protect and develop the time, talents, and treasures that God has allocated to us…” (Cloud & Townsend 1992, pg. 292).

I believe the topic and discussion of healthy boundaries is very important in our modern 24/7 world. I believe many of us have been conditioned to be “yes” people when it could be healthier for us to exercise “no” in some instances – and the no’s should come without guilt. I encourage you to read Cloud and Townsend’s book “Boundaries” and rethink your approach to the valuation of your most precious resources – your health, your time, and your energy. e

is that recognition of the intestinal disease in these children will lead to the relief of their suffering. This is long, long overdue.’ http://educate-yourself.org/cn/vaccinescauseautism03sep13.shtml

“After decades of passionate debate, parents probably missed the repeated admissions by drug companies and governments alike that vaccines do in fact cause autism. For concerned parents seeking the truth, it’s worth remembering that the exact same people who own the world’s drug companies also own America’s news outlets. Finding propagandafree information has been difficult, until now.

Andrew Wakefield

At the center of the fifteenyear controversy is Dr. Andrew Wakefield of Austin, Texas. It was Dr. Wakefield that first publicized the link between stomach disorders and autism, and taking the findings one step further, the link between stomach disorders, autism and the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

For that discovery way back in 1996, and a subsequent research paper published by the doctor in 1998, Andrew Wakefield has found himself the victim of a world-wide smear campaign by drug corporations, governments and media companies. And while Dr. Wakefield has been persecuted and prosecuted to the extent of being unable to legally practice medicine because of his discovery, he has instead become a bestselling author, the founder of the

Strategic Autism Initiative, and the Director of the Autism Media Channel.

But in recent months, courts, governments and vaccine manufacturers have quietly conceded the fact that the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine most likely does cause autism and stomach diseases. Pharmaceutical companies have even gone so far as to pay out massive monetary awards, totaling in the millions, to the victims in an attempt to compensate them for damages and to buy their silence.

Grassroots outcry

It was a regular reader named Kathleen that brought this ongoing story to our attention here at Whiteout Press. When asked what her connection to the vaccineautism battle was, the young reader replied, ‘I just researched it for a school project a while back and then I stayed on top of it, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I’m not a parent, nor do I belong to any organization – a mere outside observer.’

This reader isn’t alone. The news that vaccines cause autism has spread across the US despite a coordinated media black-out.

She takes her concerns one step further explaining, ‘All I want is to see this information where the public can access it. I’ve looked everywhere, and no one gives this dire Wakefield situation even ONE small mention.’ She goes on to give us another motivation for her activism, ‘In Washington State, where I’m from, vaccines have become mandatory for school children, which is very frightening!’

Landmark rulings

In December 2012, two landmark decisions were announced

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that confirmed Dr. Wakefield’s original concern that there is a link between the MMR vaccine, autism and stomach disorders.

The news went mostly unreported, but independent outlets like The Liberty Beacon finally began publishing the groundbreaking news.

The website wrote last month, ‘In a recently published December 13, 2012 vaccine court ruling, hundreds of thousands of dollars were awarded to Ryan Mojabi, whose parents described how “MMR vaccinations” caused a “severe and debilitating injury to his brain, diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder (‘ASD’).”’

The Liberty Beacon went on to describe the second court ruling that month, as well as similar previous verdicts writing, ‘Later the same month, the government suffered a second major defeat when young Emily Moller from Houston won compensation following vaccine-related brain injury that, once again, involved MMR and resulted in autism. The cases follow similar successful petitions in the Italian and US courts (including Hannah Poling, Bailey Banks, Misty Hyatt, Kienan Freeman, Valentino Bocca, and Julia Grimes) in which the governments conceded or the court ruled that vaccines had caused brain injury. In turn, this injury led to an ASD diagnosis. MMR vaccine was the common denominator in these cases.’

The report echoes the exact same sentiment that our reader conveyed – Dr. Wakefield has had his career and reputation destroyed over the past 15 years, but

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The Valley, October 2013

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Draft Horses At The Grange Fair An Artists Dream Subject

For six years now, I’ve been the official Artist in Residence at the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, or just “Grange Fair” to most. I spend large parts of almost every day of the eight-day-long event either painting out on the grounds or working on pieces at my display in the Emporium Building. These are usually painted from photos taken a day or two earlier, often of animals or nighttime scenes that would be hard to do “live”.

The idea of a fair Artist was jointly concocted by myself and LeDon Young, a Centre Hall attor-

ney who is one of the main movers and shakers at the fair. LeDon likes to tell people we are the only fair in the country with its own Artist in Residence. We’ve never done the research to figure out whether that’s true, but it sure is fun to say. While I’ve known the fair all my life, I find that I look around more carefully and think about how it all fits together much more when I’m there with the purpose of creating a visual record.

There are so many diverse aspects to the fair that I find new things to paint every year. This year, along with the obligatory paintings of

the tent city, evening crowds on the midway, and one-of-a-kind food stands, I finally made it out to the beautiful new equine facility for one of the draft horse shows.

It was early evening when I walked out to the outdoor show ring for the Men’s Draft Horse Cart event. The sun was low in the western sky but still strong as the carts, each pulled by a single majestic draft horse, circled around the ring. It took a little while to find the best spot for the kind of light and angle of the carts I wanted to paint, and once I found it I just started taking shot after shot. With an animal in movement as well as the driver in the cart, it can take a lot of pictures to get a few where everything, especially the position of the horse’s feet,

is just right.

That evening, I picked out a one of the best shots and printed it out to paint from over the next couple of days at my display.

The resulting 20 by 16 inch oil painting was very well received over the last couple of days of the fair.

Later, I found out the name of the owner, emailed an image, and ended up selling the painting. Since then, I’ve been making contact with other draft horse people and it looks like this could be a whole new area to explore with my art. I just finished a second painting from those photos and next will be painting some of the large multi-horse hitches.

There are two things I particularly like about painting draft horses in action. One is trying to capture the beautiful combination of grace and power that these twothousand pound animals embody.

With their short, sleek coats, every muscle is visible as they glide effortlessly around the ring, or strain against the resistance of plow or hay wagon. The other is the subtle symbiotic relationship between horse (or horses) and driver, wherein they understand each other so well that they function almost as a single entity. In a sense, every good horse trainer has to be a “horse whisperer”.

Many well-known artists over the

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centuries have chosen to paint horses, and now I think I understand why.

I’ve included the two draft horse pieces I’ve finished so far from the fair. You can see more equine and Grange Fair paintings on my website at http://keleitzel. com.

This month in Millheim, you can still see the SeptemberOctober special show at the Green Drake Gallery, “Arts Across the Ocean”, with paintings, photography, and fabric art by several artists from Ghana as well as Sandra Nunes from Brazil. Also, congratulations are in order for Millheim blues singer Melanie Morrison Zeigler. Miss Melanie and the Valley Rats will be the warm up band for Blues Legend B.B. King when he comes to the Bryce Jordan Center October 13th. For Melanie, Mark Ross, and the rest of the band, this is a well-deserved honor. a

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The Valley, October 2013

Keeping Good Records, And Herd Evaluations

Whether you have one rabbit or 100 rabbits, good record keeping is essential. Without good records, there is no way of knowing when your animals were wormed last, or when does are due to have kits. If you ever need to show someone that you take good care of your rabbits, detailed and organized records will go a long way to showing that your animals are well cared for.

There are several different ways of keep good records.

With all of our technology these

days, we have even more. There are computer programs to help keep pedigrees and litters well recorded. Using an old-fashioned binder to keep track of pedigrees, along with the computer program, will ensure that your data will not be lost if the computer crashes.

A whiteboard in the rabbitry, listing all of your current and expected litters is a nice addition to be able to quickly check when a doe is due, or when kits need to be weaned. For records such as worming, weaning kits, and

medications, a calendar can be helpful. This way you can easily see day-by-day what needs to be done.

Another way of keeping detailed records, which I have found to come in quite handy, is a “Rabbitry Journal.”

It may sound silly, but it has proven to be quite useful for me. In this journal, I record feed that I buy, and when; dates that I purchase new rabbits, where they came from, and pretty much every detail I can about them. I also include: stories about my encounters and travels with my rabbits; show records; any changes in environment, feed, hay or water that may cause a rabbit to become ill; and rabbit evaluations when I inspect every rabbit, and take note of their weight, and general condition. I also include herd evaluations.

Herd evaluations are when I step back and look at my herd.

I take note of their weight, like in the rabbit evaluations, but mostly focus on the qualities of the rabbit, for instance, what I like, and dislike about each one.

I use the ARBA “Standard of Perfection,” and give them a score on each quality, as outlined. I also consider things that I personally want to see in my herd.

For example, in Holland Lops I consider if they are a natural poser (if they sit up nicely on their own), and

if they are friendly, because these are things I want to breed for.

There are different guidelines for each breed, so refer to the SOP for your breed’s outlines. Also keep in mind things that you personally want to see in your animals.

Based on the herd evaluation, you can decide which rabbits you want to list for sale. Take into consideration things like: What ratio of bucks to does do you want to keep? Do you have a buck that complements more of your does then another buck? Do you have a daughter of a doe that is better than her mother? If so, you could sell the mother, and keep the daughter.

When considering these things, try to keep emotion out of it. You may really like a rabbit,

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but if he/she is not doing your herd any good, it may be time to move him/her on to someone else, to help improve their herd.

Failing to keep emotion out of it can result in having half your rabbitry filled with pets, which will inhibit you from improving your herd. Clearing out some of the less helpful rabbits will really help you improve the quality of your animals, openingup room for juniors to grow up in.

Keeping good records and doing herd evaluations are very important things to do when raising rabbits, for any reason. For more ideas about how to keep good records, or help doing a herd evaluation, feel free to contact me at maplespringsrabbitry@7mcs. com. a

The Valley, October 2013

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R. O. F. F.

Dairy Connection

by Halee Wasson

Rescue Our Furry Friends by Patricia Lawson

Centre Count y Dair y Princess

The days are getting shorter, nights are getting colder and leaves are turning browner. It’s time to turn up the furnace, put the pies in the oven and take in the beauty that nature has to offer us. Fall is here!

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year because we are able to enjoy the colors and watch the farmers harvest the crops they grew for the past 5 months. Farmers understand and appreciate nature and take good care of their property.

I encourage you sit back with a slice of pie and a nice big scoop of ice cream, as you look at the hard work farmers put forth to help make sure nature’s beauty appears all around you. I am

including some recipes for you to try as you enjoy these beautiful fall days.

HOT FUDGE PIE ½ C. (1 stick) BUTTER 1/8 tsp. salt 2 squares semisweet chocolate 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 eggs, beaten 1 C. chopped nuts 1 C. sugar

ICE CREAM ½ C. all purpose flour Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt BUTTER and chocolate together in small saucepan over low heat. Combine remaining ingredients (except the ICE CREAM) and blend with chocolate mixture.

Spray 9” pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into

pie pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Serve warm with ICE CREAM. HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM 2 C. MILK 2 C. HALF AND HALF 1 ¾ C. sugar 1 T. vanilla ½ tsp. salt 4 C. WHIPPING CREAM Place ingredients in a tub or ICE CREAM mixer, surround with ice and mix until firm. a

You don’t want to miss out on this event…it’s a “Feline Spay And Neuter Clinic” sponsored by ROFF! When: Sunday, November 17th (Hours to be announced) Where: City Hook & Ladder; 317 Valley St., Lewistown Male neuter-$40; Female spay$60; Pain meds-$5; Rabies-$10; Distemper-$10; Leukemia-$20 (must have been previously vaccinated, if not must be tested); Leukemia testing-$25; Ear tipping-$5 (for ferals for catch and release).

Note: For cats only; Limited slots available; Contact us: 877-9337633, PM via Facebook, or email www.rescueourfurryfriends@ yahoo.com. When you contact us to save a slot, please provide your name, address, phone number, cat’s name, age & gender plus the services that you want. You will then be contacted by a ROFF volunteer to schedule your time slot for your cat(s).

And, this month, on Saturday, October 26th there will be a Silent Auction at the Burnham Lions Club from 6-9PM. Come on out to have fun and support a great cause!

Did you know this? I didn’t.

It is illegal to abandon any animal in Pennsylvania, including cats that you do not want. Abandonment is a crime under the cruelty laws. If you get a kitten at your house that you do not want and you take it and drop it off somewhere, you can be cited under the cruelty laws. Please contact a local shelter or find a home that will take in the animal and care for it.

OK, time for some cuteness!

the litter box. We estimate they are approximately 8 weeks old.

The yellow fluffy one and the tiger striped one in the middle are males and the other 2 are females.

Buffy

And this is our girl Buffy!

She is a 2 year old female Yorkie mix. She will be spayed and completely up to date on her vaccines before she leaves rescue. She has been dewormed and started on vectra. She was recently groomed, and is a very sweet girl. She is fostered with other dogs, cats and kids and has done wonderful with all of them. She is house broken and crate trained. If you would like to meet our girl please go to our web site www.roff.cc and fill out an online application or call 877-933-ROFF (7633).

Can you help us out? ROFF rescue is in need of Purina Dog Chow, Purina Beneful, Purina Puppy Chow and paper towels.

These items can be dropped off at 133 North Walnut Street in Burnham. Also, please consider becoming a foster for our adorable cats and dogs or donating your time and/or money by calling 877.933.7633. Your contributions are greatly needed and appreciated. Please make checks payable to ROFF, and mail them to ROFF, 133 North Walnut Street, Burnham, PA 17009.

Thanks, and be sure to check out next month’s article to meet more furry friends that need some lovin’!

Until they all have homes… www.roff.cc a

These little furry cuties have all been tested, wormed and are using

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The Valley, October 2013 a gorgeous, heavy-weight folding album.

We have offered it to no less than 10 people for $2 over face value. (It is still in stock.)

Dave Wilson

Coins, Precious Metal and a Little of this and That

(5) Large “Maps” of Statehood quarters, with each State’s quarter located inside each state’s boundary. (See #4 as to the current value of these Maps.)

One Simple Rule

Just Don’t Buy It!

While goofy, nearly worthless “Trick Coins” (as we call them) have been around for decades, we seem to be seeing an unusually large amount of this merchandise rolling into the store on an almost daily basis.

We are referring to retail coin sets that are offered to the general public as “wonderful deals,” exceptional “investment opportunities” and “appreciated, valuable” gifts for friends and family. Many items are marketed as being offered at LOWER prices than what DEALERS want to PAY for them. That notion is, of course, ridiculous, but you would be amazed at just how quickly and easily that sways the uninformed

buyer into making a TOTALLY WRONG decision!

Any coins that can be packaged (and doctored) to LOOK like they are valuable are exactly what these Trick-Coin sales companies want to pass off as viable investments.

Yes, they ARE collectible, but most people buy these items with the feeling that they are wisely spending their hard-earned money on something that will grow in value. In almost every single case, this assumption is totally without merit.

Here are just a dozen examples of the “special offerings” we are talking about.

Local woman saves $1,316 on MRI!

(1) 2004-2006 Nickel sets that are prepared in fancy, colorful ROLLS, with all the different styles and mint marks represented.

The rolls are then placed into a lovely, custom BOX that makes them look like a million bucks.

We have been offered dozens of these sets and, much to the seller’s dismay, we are not even interested in buying them for face value.

(2) Sets of the new Golden Sacagawea and Presidential Dollar coins (some in plastic rolls with fancy serial numbers, others in folders.) We stopped selling these coins four years ago, as there was almost NO demand for them.

(3) Painted coins of any kind.

(Even the 1-0z. Silver Eagle coins that are painted are worth nearly 15-20% less because serious investors DO NOT WANT THEM. Nonsilver painted coins are worth face value, IF you can get someone to accept them.

Sue P. keeps in shape by jogging after work, but her knee really hurt after a bad fall. Her doctor scheduled an MRI at the local hospital. She checked on her insurance company’s web site and found that her full deductible of $2,000 remained. She checked the cost of the hospital MRI and was shocked at the $1,827 price, since it was her responsibility to pay this amount.

On the same website she noticed that the cost at 611 MRI was $511.

Sue quickly realized that she could pay $1,316 less for the same exam.

Procedure

Your Deductible

Hospital Cost

611 MRI Cost

Difference

MRI Knee

$2,000

$1,827*

$511

$1,316

MRI Shoulder

$2,000

$1,615

$510

$1,105

MRI Lumbar Spine

$2,000

$1,894

$554

$1,340

(4) Gold- and Platinum-plated sets of Statehood quarters. BORING... We made a mercy purchase of one such set in

(6) Folders of complete sets of uncirculated Lincoln cents from 1959-1995. Cute, nice, but worth very little in comparison to what the TV and mail order folks want to charge for them.

(7) 1971-1978 (Non-Silver) sets of Eisenhower Clad Dollars, naturally, in a fancy folder or frame.

No silver? No value.

(8) Big, fancy and colorful (cardboard) pictures, in fancy (plastic) frames that usually contain a few coins associated with the picture shown. (Ten polished Indian Cents beneath a picture of a colorful, charging Indian War party, etc.) Coin dealers are interested ONLY in the coins, not the cardboard. These pictures are sold for as much as $129.95, but probably COST the sellers less than 10% of that figure. If the cents are polished, as they normally are to make them “appear” nicer, dealers have almost NO interest in them.

(9) Uncut sheets of $1.00 and $2.00 US notes. WOW! They look impressive, but they have almost NO after market worth in excess of face. (We had a young lady stop in a year ago with an uncut, 32-note-sheet of $1.00 US Notes. She had paid $99.00 for it and was shocked when we offered to sell her our identical sheet for $45.00. (We still have it if anyone is interested.)

(10). Twenty-five (25) different years of US Proof sets for

*Rates are for areas largest insurer. Check with your insurance company.

814-234-2600 www.611mri.com

611 University Drive, State College

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only $299.00. What a deal, less than $12 a set. Most dealers can package you that set for less than HALF that price.

(11) $5.00 face value (various) commemorative coins from the Marshall Islands, or some other foreign country. They are NOT $5 face value in American money and if they contain no silver, as nearly NONE of them do, they have ZERO intrinsic value and dealers WILL NOT BUY THEM from you, PERIOD! (12) Special “Investment Bags” of old, “impossible to find” valuable coins. This one has popped up most recently and many folks have called to ask their value, AFTER taking delivery. As most contain a majority of Buffalo nickels, their resale worth is only a TINY FRACTION of their purchase price. The sellers of these “valuable” bags, are not involved in the business for their health!

In fairness, we must admit that 4-STAR did, in fact, participate in selling Statehood quarters, albums and Maps. However, if we were asked about their investment potential (as we frequently were) we ALWAYS replied that they were a terrific tool to teach children and grandchildren how to save and to learn a bit of United States history offered on each quarter. But, they were nearly valueless as “investments’ since so many of each state were produced and they would likely have no after market value once the sets were complete. We were 100% correct.

If you are offered a group of coins to purchase, or are considering buying coins or currency offered in strange (non-coin type) publications or on television, ALWAYS check with a coin professional before making such a purchase. Any dealer worth his salt will be happy to answer whatever questions you may have. a

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A Real Honey Of A Mom Random Thoughts of Shirley Alexander

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Psalms 119:103

As God’s word is good for the substance and nourishment of our souls, honey provides nourishment to our bodies and is a very good aid to folks with allergies.

The encouraging and comforting words of our mother Shirley were always smooth and soothing, similar to honey, she never raised her voice harshly to any of her seven children, although we all knew, “the look.”

A memory was that she read to us nightly and one of our favorite books growing up was, “A Hive Of Busy Bees” by Effie Williams (recommended reading) about two children who while visiting their grandparents, got to close to the honeybee hive.

Each night it was a lesson on: Be Obedient, Be Kind, Be Polite, Be Helpful, Be Confident, etc.

The little extra income through the honey stand at Bel-

L to R, Grandson Luke Shirey, Shirley Alexander and Sam Alexander at a recent Belleville Sale selling honey as they have for as long as anyone can remember.

leville each Wednesday afforded the seven children of Richard and Shirley Alexander a few of the niceties of life, such as sports, music lessons, summer vacations with our grandparents, and twice a year dental visits.

Mother continues to bring

honey to market these many years since Dad’s passing with the help of her son, Sam Alexander, daughter, Sharon Shirey, and grandson Luke Shirey. Many of the rest of the clan can also show up on any given market day. a

Join “The Valley” family of Successful Advertisers Our ads are easy and cost effective Call 717-363-1550 for info

Shirley Alexander waits on a customer at the Belleville sale as she has done for many years, bringing the goodness of honey to local honey lovers.

August 22, 2013 the Centre county Grange Fair crowned its queen for 20132014 Madison Kauffman (left). Also pictured are the 2012-2013 queen, Brittany Etters (middle) and 1st runner up for 2013-2014, Kacy Ripka (right).

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The Valley, October 2013 Successful Rehabilitation Relies on a Team Effort from page 40

PACleanways of Mifflin County

As I write this, we will soon be doing our Tire Recycle and on October 12 we will begin our fall cleanups at the Havice Valley dump site. Soon the grass on the sides of the roads will be dying and unfortunately, unsightly litter will be showing everywhere once again. We would hope that everyone would take time this year to take pride in their community and clean the road sides near their property.

I just got all the updated reports for the last three years (2010-2012) detailing what our volunteers have done to make Mifflin County a cleaner greener area. Our volunteers have done 14 cleanups. Some were roadsides and some were illegal dump sites. We have properly disposed of 12.64 tons of trash, 457 tires were removed from dump sites, and we recycled 1162 tires in our recycle last year. There were 245 volunteers, working 979 hours to accomplish all of this. There was $731.91 worth of in-kind donations from different area partners like Penndot, area townships,

the Mifflin County Solid Waste Authority, and our volunteers offering their vehicles to help where needed. The value of all the volunteer hours if we would have had to pay them was $21,038.58.

We would like to thank all of our volunteers for all of their hard work.

We have also done a number of education events to educate residents about the effects of litter and illegal dumping, from preschool to adults. We have focused on the importance of recycling as well. We will be doing another river cleanup next year sometime in August--the exact date will be chosen in the next few weeks.

If you would like to adopt a road or help us with the cleanup in Havice Valley, please call Pam at 717-899-6701 or contact me by email at pammiff@verizon.net.

You can also find out what cleanups we are planning by visiting www.keeppabeautiful.org.

Pam Sechrist Affiliate Coordinator PACleanWays of Mifflin County, Keep PA Beautiful a

tients come from an acute care setting to a rehabilitation hospital, the focus changes. We’re getting them out of bed, and they are getting ready for breakfast, and doing three hours of therapy a day. Part of our job as nurses in a rehab setting is to help keep patients motivated to reach their therapy goals.

It’s about getting strong enough to go home.”

Humor, Support and Encouragement This was the most traumatic ordeal of my life and yet the people were kind and understanding, optimistic, and supportive,” says Gerry. “My way of dealing with things is to try to laugh about them. The HealthSouth nurses and therapists laughed with me, and made me really believe that I would get through the pain and begin my road to recovery.”

Gerry adds, “Dr. Allatt (Medical Director) was a great guy with a gentle manner, who never hesi-

tated to answer my questions.”

A father, grandfather, and devoted family man, Gerry credits his wife, Sue, for being his “angel, so wonderful and strong” throughout the whole experience. “Admittedly, it was scary as heck. Dealing with the pain, working to get stronger…my family and HealthSouth got me through it.”

Gerry’s accident happened one week before a vacation. Gerry explains, “Sue and I planned to ride our motorcycles together down

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the east coast to the Keys, and then back up the Gulf coast, and through the mountains. It was going to be a month of relaxation.”

Those plans are on hold; they are taking things one day at a time.

Gerry’s case manager arranged for a home health agency to continue physical and occupational therapy at home; he’s looking forward to walking again. As for the future, Gerry will be teaching three courses at Penn State this fall. He and Sue plan to ride again. a

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The Valley, October 2013

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