Penn Lines April 2013

APRIL 2013

Time

machines

Classic tractors tell early story of American agriculture

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APRIL Vol. 48 • No. 4 Peter A. Fitzgerald EDITOR

Katherine Hackleman S E N I OR E D I T O R / W R I T E R

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C ON T R I B U T I N G C O L U M N I S TS

E N E R G Y M AT T E R S

Batteries ARE included

James Dulley Janette Hess Barbara Martin Marcus Schneck

Cooperatives test energy storage systems

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W. Douglas Shirk

F E AT U R E

Time machines

L AYOU T & DESI GN

Classic tractors tell early story of American agriculture

Vonnie Kloss A D V E R T I S I N G & CI R C U L A T I O N

Michelle M. Smith M E D I A & M A R K E T I N G S P E CI A L I S T

Penn Lines (USPS 929-700), the newsmagazine of Pennsylvania’s electric cooperatives, is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. Penn Lines helps 165,800 households of co-op consumermembers understand issues that affect the electric cooperative program, their local coops, and their quality of life. Electric co-ops are not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed, and taxpaying electric utilities. Penn Lines is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. The opinions expressed in Penn Lines do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, or local electric distribution cooperatives.

Subscriptions: Electric co-op members, $5.42 per year through their local electric distribution cooperative. Preferred Periodicals postage paid at Harrisburg, PA 17107 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes with mailing label to Penn Lines, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266.

Advertising: Display ad deadline is six weeks prior to month of issue. Ad rates upon request.

Acceptance of advertising by Penn Lines does not imply endorsement of the product or services by the publisher or any electric cooperative. If you encounter a problem with any product or service advertised in Penn Lines, please contact: Advertising, Penn Lines, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Penn Lines reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

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S U B - F E AT U R E

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Farmville Diorama depicts early farm life

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TIME LINES Your newsmagazine through the years

14A C O O P E R AT I V E

CO N N ECT I O N

Information and advice from your local electric cooperative

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KEEPING CURRENT News items from across the Commonwealth

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18 24

COUNTRY KITCHEN

Flexible Tex-Mex 20

POWER PLANTS

Impatient about impatiens 22

CLASSIFIEDS

24

O U T D O O R A DV E N T U R ES

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How did I ever survive?

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RURAL REFLECTIONS

Spring arrives 26 Board officers and staff, Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association: Chairman, Leroy Walls; Vice Chairman, Tim Burkett; Secretary, Lanny Rodgers; Treasurer, Rick Shope; President & CEO, Frank M. Betley

PUNCH LINES

Thoughts from Earl Pitts– Uhmerikun!

Earl discovers he doesn’t have long to live after results of ‘sitting’ test

© 2013 Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Visit with us at Penn Lines Online, located at: www.prea.com/Content/ pennlines.asp. Penn Lines Online provides an email link to Penn Lines editorial staff, information on advertising rates, contributor’s guidelines, and an archive of past issues.

O N T H E COV E R Among the main draws of the annual Indiana County Fair are the antique tractor show and the antique tractor parade. Photo by Kathy Hackleman

APRIL 2013 • PENN

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ENERGYmatters Batteries ARE included B y M a g e n H o wa r d

ONE OF the main obstacles to widespread use of wind and solar power production is nature itself: the wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine. But electric cooperatives are on the cusp of efforts to develop technology aimed at storing excess renewable energy for when it’s needed most.

Battery storage systems, first developed in the 1970s, have become more viable on a large scale thanks to recent chemistry breakthroughs that increase the longevity while lowering the cost of batteries. If battery energy storage at the utility level can be made commercially viable, it could result in a revolution for the aging American electric grid.

Wind and solar energy are called “intermittent” sources of power — meaning they don’t provide a steady supply of electricity like traditional generation fuels, such as coal or natural gas.

Even in the best situations, wind blows on average only about 30 to 40 percent of the time and usually not during hot, humid weekday afternoons or extremely cold mornings when electricity use spikes. Meanwhile, solar energy production can dramatically drop even when a band of fluffy clouds briefly passes over the sun.

That’s where battery energy storage comes in. For example, the electricity produced when the wind blows at night and the sun shines can be used during times of peak demand — the electric utility industry’s version of rush-hour traffic, when power use skyrockets — to 4

PENN

LINES • APRIL 2013

PHOTO PROVIDED BY XTREME POWER

Cooperatives test energy storage systems

XTreme Power’s DPR 15-100C containerized battery energy storage unit is part of testing by electric cooperatives on the viability of harnessing and stabilizing renewable energy.

TEST FACILITY:

avoid purchasing expensive supplemental power.

So far, a handful of electric cooperatives across the country are testing various uses of batteries.

Harnessing energy saves money Battery storage systems are a big investment for any electric cooperative.

The good news is, benefits exist beyond leveling out renewable energy supply.

“Properly managed battery storage systems can delay the need for building expensive transmission lines that are difficult to get permits for in the first place,” says Dale Bradshaw, a senior program manager with the Cooperative Research Network (CRN), the research and development arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). “It also reduces wear and tear on baseload power plants, which operate year-round to provide dependable electricity at a low cost, and can make electric distribution systems run more efficiently. All these opportunities add up to cost savings for consumers.”

At present, pumped-storage hydro —

a hydroelectric plant that generates power by using water previously pumped to an elevated reservoir during off-peak hours, when electricity is less expensive — remains the largest-capacity form of energy storage available.

Another option, compressed-air energy storage — power plants “fueled” by air pushed into an underground cavern during times of low electricity consumption — has received increased attention because it can be expanded relatively cheaply. PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, a generation and transmission cooperative based in Andalusia, Ala., operates one of only a handful of compressed-air energy storage facilities in the United States.

“Pumped-storage hydro and compressed-air energy storage facilities generally operate when electric use soars,” says John Holt, former NRECA senior manager of generation & fuels. “But geography limits where they can be located.”

That means development of better batteries could be the key to wide use of (continues on page 6)

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(continued Campfire from page 4) Third Pg.storage technologies. energy Before central station electric service PUB(s): National came toCountry rural America via the electric Market Reader movement in the 1930s, cooperative Regional Insertion: farmers used “battery sets� that were Penn Lines recharged with windmills and ram Ins Dt: Like conventional sealed leadpumps.

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What energy storage means for the future The U.S. Department of Energy forecasts that energy storage will significantly change the electric grid. With it, the nation could possibly create an electricity “stockpile� like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. But initially, energy storage systems will make renewable generation sources more financially feasible — a critical step as U.S. lawmakers contemplate ways to create a more diverse energy production portfolio. “Co-ops could also use battery stor-

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age systems to cut down on blinks — those momentary service interruptions that force you to reset your digital clocks,� Bradshaw notes. “If enough energy is stored, power could continue to flow to homes in such an event.�

He concludes: “Electric cooperatives are leading the charge in researching and testing energy storage systems that will directly benefit consumers — from reduced operational costs and better service reliability to environmentally responsible power production.�

Sources: Cooperative Research Network, U.S. Department of Energy, NRECA Magen Howard writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service organization for the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-forprofit electric cooperatives. Additional information provided by RE Magazine. l

Shale gas production in the second half of 2012 topped the record sixmonth production level, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Production from 3,551 unconventional wells totaled 1.15 trillion cubic feet during the period.

The top five natural gas-producing counties in Pennsylvania include: Bradford, Susquehanna, Lycoming, Tioga and Greene. These counties accounted for 77 percent of the total production of natural gas in Pennsylvania in 2012, according to the DEP report.

As the research and development arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, CRN pursues innovative solutions that helQ 1FOOTZM WBOJB electric cooperatives deliver safe, reliable, and affordable power to their consumer-members.

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PENNlines

Time machines Classic tractors tell early story of American agriculture

By K at h y H ac k l e m a n S e n i o r E d i t o r / Wr i t e r

TRACTORS PLAY a vital role in the story of American agriculture. From the early days of steam engines to today’s iconic John Deere models, the machines tell the story of a growing nation. Thanks to the dedication of classic tractor enthusiasts, much of that early story is on display at tractor shows, county fairs and community events across the countryside.

“I have a lot of great memories of these machines from when I was a kid,” says Clark Brocht of his interest in steam-powered tractors.

Brocht, a member of Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) and son of Somerset REC director James Brocht, has been fascinated with the old, smokebelching giants since he was just a child.

The Brocht family owns a 1928 50-horsepower Peerless they display at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee, held annually the weekend following Labor Day in New Centerville. There, the steampowered tractors on display provide the muscle to bale hay, cut wood, grind feed, thresh grain, mill flour and shell corn, just like they did a century ago.

Full steam ahead It may have been brief, but there was a time when American agriculture was

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by the wayside as lighter, less expensive, internal combustion tractors became more and more popular.

When the Brocht family purchased the Peerless in the mid 1970s, it had not been operated for nearly three decades.

With family and friends providing the bulk of the labor, the Brochts restored the steam-powered tractor, and learned even more about its history.

“Back in the early days, there would be one person in the community who had a steam engine that was pulled from farm to farm with horses,” Clark Brocht explains. “At first, they were strictly beltpowered. Then they began to put gearing on them so they could run by themselves, and they could pull SEE THE ENGINES: The 2013 threshing machines with them Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee is Sept. 4-8 in New Centerville. from farm to farm.”

powered by steam. Big, bulky and expensive steam-powered tractors were the face of the country’s agricultural revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Before tractors, a typical workday on a farm included lots of heavy lifting — figuratively and literally — by men and horses, so despite their drawbacks, they were a welcome addition to the farm. Eventually, however, the steam-powered tractors were left

STEAM ENGINE FUN: Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative members Jason Spangler, below left, and Mike Neil, shown with his son, 6-year-old Cooper Sanner, own this 1921 Banting Greyhound.

OWNING A PIECE OF HISTORY: Clark Brocht, a member of Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, and his father, cooperative director James Brocht, own this 1928 Peerless, which they’ve had since the mid1970s. They fire it up every year at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville.

Area farmers would move around the neighborhood with the steam tractor and threshing machine, providing the manpower needed to harvest the crops, while the women cooked all day to provide food for the hungry threshing crews.

As majestic as they seem when steam is pouring from them and their loud whistles are shrieking, it’s easy to see why the steam-powered tractors fell out of favor.

“With steam engines, you have to work on them constantly,” Brocht reports. “First, you build a fire. It takes two hours to get ( the Peerless) to steam.

You start the fire with wood, or my secret is to start it with used baling twine. Once you get steam, you can turn the blower on, and then the steam starts

really shooting up. Then you throw coal on it. And you keep that up all day.”

Despite the effort involved, Brocht loves the old machines, having learned about them from the farmers who actually used them.

“I got to hear a lot of the stories firsthand,” he relates. “The old-timers who used this equipment are gone now, but I remember their words. Back then, I was the young one talking with the old guys about the engines, but now I am becoming one of the old ones. And I like to talk about them with younger guys. I want the knowledge they passed to me to be passed along again.”

Labor of love This opportunity to pass along history — and provide rides to awestruck fans — gives Rockwood resident Mike Neil, a member of Somerset REC, all the reason he needs to be involved with steam-powered tractors.

Neil and Jason Spangler, a New Centerville resident and Somerset REC member, are the co-owners of a 1921 Banting Greyhound. Both men had relatives who were part of the early Farmers and

Threshermens Jubilees, so the friends from grade school grew up attending the annual Somerset County event.

“Years ago, we decided we wanted to buy (a steam-powered tractor) together,” Neil explains. “We weren’t set on a Greyhound. We just wanted to find a steam engine that needed work.”

Steam-powered tractors usually range in price from about $5,000 for a scrap tractor to about $150,000 for a professionally restored, sought-after model, Neil reports. Wanting to stick to the lower end of the scale, the men began their search. Soon, they heard of a tractor for sale near Freeport.

“This one was literally stuck in the mud,” Neil recalls. “It was dilapidated. It was rough.”

Despite the tractor’s condition, Neil says he and Spangler were certain they could bring it back to life. They purchased it in 1989 and spent a good bit of the next two years working with assorted family members and friends to restore it.

“It required a lot of learning on our part,” Neil explains. “We both had mechanical backgrounds from fixing APRIL 2013 • PENN

LINES

9

PENNlines tractors and keeping stuff patched together. We have both been playing with junk all our lives.”

“Junk” is the last thing anyone would now call the steam-powered tractor that Neil and Spangler proudly show off every year at the jubilee. However, “work” is a word that does come to mind.

To get ready for a show, the men must pull the tractor out of storage, truck it to the site, hook up the plumbing, put the handholds in the gaskets and the plugs in the boiler, put water in the boiler and pressure check it for leaks, and grease all the gears, pistons, and slides.

“Then you throw a half a truckload of wood in,” Neil says. “Once you get it going on wood, then you start throwing coal on the fire. All this takes about four hours.”

At the end of the day, the men start lowering the boiler pressure by letting the fire burn itself out or, if they’re in a hurry, they shovel the fire out by hand.

“It’s pretty labor-intensive,” Neil explains. “It takes more than a day to get it out of storage and running. Then it takes about four hours to get it to steam.

It’s more work to shut it down. …

There’s a reason these engines fell out of favor.”

Clem Empfield, a member of REA Energy Cooperative, drives a McCormick-Deering W-40 in the parade of antique tractors annually held as part of the Indiana County Fair.

ON PARADE:

What makes it an enjoyable hobby, and one he wouldn’t give up despite the work involved, is the interaction with people.

“We run the wheels off of it, giving people rides,” he says with a laugh. “I have seen everyone from toddlers to 80year-old kids want to go for a ride. The oldtimers walk up and say, ‘When I was a kid, my grandpap had one of these.’

Giving people rides, teaching people about it, that’s what makes all of the work worthwhile.”

Powering up

DO-IT-YOURSELFER: REA

Energy Cooperative member Bob Simpson does the restoration work on his collection that features several brands of vintage tractors, including this Farmall Super M. 10

PENN

LINES • APRIL 2013

With the advent of the internal combustion engine, it was inevitable that steampowered tractors would be replaced by this new technology. These new tractors dramatically changed American farming, and collectors of these early models are no less enthusiastic about their machines — right down to the color.

It’s said that every farmer has a favorite color. Perhaps it’s “John Deere green,” “Farmall red,” or “Ford gray.” The actual color doesn’t matter.

What matters is that many farmers choose their favorite color based on the color of

their favorite tractor. And these days, that favorite tractor is quite possibly several decades old, but its paint is as bright and shiny as it was on its first day on the farm.

Jim Harteis was a typical farm boy.

By the time he was 8 years old, he was raking hay with a Ford 8N tractor. His family also had a Ford Golden Jubilee (a special edition tractor released by Ford in 1953 and 1954 to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary).

Harteis, a director of Indiana-based REA Energy Cooperative and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc., went on to farm on his own, using mostly John Deere tractors on his dairy farm near Ebensburg. But when he retired a few years ago, childhood memories of the old gray tractors from his past led him to a new hobby: purchasing, restoring and showing vintage Ford tractors.

Harteis has reconfigured his old bank barn into a shop where he keeps his nine vintage Ford tractors, each under its own cover to protect its paint job.

Speaking of paint, Harteis notes that to describe his Ford tractors as “gray” doesn’t do them justice.

“The color of the paint changed a bit over time, from model year to model year,” he explains. “That makes it a bit challenging to get the correct color of paint on the correct tractor.”

And it does matter, he points out, especially when the tractor owner wants to compete in tractor shows.

“They are pretty particular when you’re in competition; they are looking for authentic restorations,” he reports.

Better than new Harteis does a lot of his own restoration work, especially the “rough” restoration. Once he locates and purchases a tractor, he cleans it, sandblasts it and takes it apart, keeping meticulous records as to how he disassembled it so that it can more easily be reassembled. Young Sandblasting, New Florence, has done most of his finish painting.

The approach appears to be working well as Harteis has taken “best of show” awards a couple of times already.

“To take best of show,” he adds, “it has to stand up to any kind of scrutiny.

It has to be better than new.”

As much as he enjoys finding, restoring and showing his tractors, he also

gets a kick out of the people he meets while pursuing his hobby.

“You meet the nicest people at tractor shows, and they appreciate what they are looking at,” he says. “Any time you talk to people, they will tell you their tractor stories from when they were a kid, or about an old tractor they are still using on the farm. You’ll also learn from them as they will tell you about their screwups so you don’t have to repeat them.”

While Harteis is fairly new to the antique tractor show circuit, REA Energy Cooperative member Clem Empfield is an old-timer. He’s been collecting vintage farm machinery since the 1970s. He has several old tractors — his favorites include a McCormick-Deering W-40, a McCormick-Deering T-20 crawler and a Farmall F30 — but he also collects other old farm equipment, including threshers, manure spreaders, corn planters and balers. He has 14 pieces of equipment in running order, with about that same number for “parts.”

“I grew up learning to drive tractors and equipment,” he recalls. “Once I started, I didn’t want to stop because I learned that once this stuff is gone, it’s gone forever. Once it’s in the junkyard, it’s gone forever.”

TRACTOR COLLECTION: Jim Harteis, a director of REA Energy Cooperative and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc., has taken up collecting vintage Ford tractors after his retirement from active farming.

Here, he displays part of his collection at the Indiana County Fair.

Empfield, who does much of the mechanical work on his equipment, hires a painter to finish off the job. He demonstrates his equipment at a variety of shows around the area, and one year hauled his F30 to Florida to participate in an event there. He also opens his collection for viewing to friends and tractor buffs, calling it his “museum at home.”

A former telephone lineman who used to feed beef cattle at his rural residence, Empfield doesn’t limit his collecting to any one brand of equipment.

“I like just about any kind of old machine,” he says with a smile. “These machines have been a big part of my life, and a big part of a lot of peoples’ lives in Pennsylvania.”

Farm boys Bob Simpson, also a member of REA Energy Cooperative, agrees.

“I grew up on a farm, and I drove these kinds of tractors when I was a kid,” Simpson recalls.

Simpson, who has directed the antique tractor show affiliated with the Indiana County Fair for the past 10 years, does all of his restoration work himself on his collection that includes Internationals and John Deeres.

“They’re not perfect,” he admits, “but I can say I did it myself. … I learned as I went along. Through the years, I have worked at places where I learned how to do part of it, and I had friends that restored tractors, and they told me the tricks. I really enjoy working on them, and showing them.”

With a smile, his wife nods, saying, “You can take the boy from the farm, but you can’t take the farm from the boy.”

While the majority of antique tractor collectors are aging “farm boys,” a farm background is certainly not required to be a spectator at an antique tractor show.

“There are tractor shows and festivals all over the state,” Harteis notes. “Anyone, farmer or not, can go online, find a show in their area and attend an event that is lots of fun. They can learn about the past and recognize the ingenuity of previous generations, and see the effort that people are putting into preserving this part of our country’s history.” l APRIL 2013 • PENN

LINES

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PENNlines

Farmville

Diorama depicts early farm life

By K at h y H ac k l e m a n S e n i o r E d i t o r / Wr i t e r

Farms — and the tractors that power them — come in all sizes. For Indiana resident Fred Foster, that size is “tiny.”

Every year at the Indiana County Fair, Foster sets up a diorama, a three-dimensional, scale model of a farm that includes buildings, fields, crops and equipment. It runs across the entire side of the large exhibit building, around the corner and part way down the second side — more than 70 feet in all.

It’s the story of Foster’s life. In miniature.

There’s a weather-beaten, old farm house beside an equally weathered barn. They LIFE IN MINIATURE: Fred Foster displays the three-dimensional scale model he built that includes scenes from his grandare replicas of his grandfaparents’ farm in rural Indiana County, above, as well as Indiana County fields where he worked as a young man, below. ther’s farm in Indiana of his equipment, with the exception of tractors, are handmade.

County’s Brush Valley Township during the Depression. The “These are all pieces of equipment that I worked with on the adjoining fields are filled with crops and machinery, including farm,” Foster reports. “I took manuals and books and made the threshing machines, steam engines and tractors. equipment, sizing them down to 1/16th scale.”

Next, Foster crafted an L-shaped farm house and barn to Foster has limited his display to the Indiana County Fair the represent a 1940s-1950s farm — his “dream” farm. Again, past couple of years because it takes a full two days to set up the period machinery dots the landscape, and Foster has added the display, and then someone has to sit with the exhibit, followed by outbuildings, crops and machinery he remembers from working the dismantling procedure. However, he is mulling over an invitaon a farm in his late teens and early 20s. tion to display it at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in 2014.

Near the corn crib, pig pen and chicken coop, he carefully He says he can’t even estimate the number of hours he has places potato planters, potato diggers, cabbage planters, and rows put into the diorama, which has more than 550 toy tractors and rows of cabbages and potatoes. All of the buildings and most and other pieces of equipment he can use to replicate different farm scenes.

After working for several years on a farm as a young man, Foster took a job with an agricultural business, where he worked for 40 years in the purchasing department.

“But I never forgot my years on the farm,” Foster says. “I still think farming is a good, clean life. I always wanted to have a farm, but when I was old enough to have one, it took a lot of money to get into it.”

Now retired, Foster has moved into Indiana from the rural area where he lived, and where he was a member of Indianabased REA Energy Cooperative. In one of life’s odd coincidences, his home is located on the acreage he farmed decades ago. But the gently sloping terrain and the crops of that longago farm live in more than just one man’s memory. They have been captured in a diorama that provides a tiny glimpse of what life was like when rows of cabbages and potatoes sprouted where rows of houses now stand.

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LINES • APRIL 2013

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Yo u r N e w s m a g a z i n e T h r o u g h t h e Y e a r s

2003 THANKS TO ingrained popular stereotypes, most of us envision inventors as quirky individuals secretly huddled in dark, cluttered basements or outlandish laboratories feverishly working on their latest creation.

But it is very possible that your very normal neighbor just down the road may be an inventor, testing an idea at the kitchen table.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office notes that more than 2,500 patents were issued to rural Pennsylvanians during the 1990s.

Like most employees, REA Energy Cooperative member Gene Hauzie was looking for a way to make his job as a pipefitter and welder in a coal cleaning plant a bit easier. Working on a hunch, he spent many late nights working at home developing an instrument that would allow him to predict an angle relative to two separate pieces of pipe. He then would go on to devise a way to attach the device to an existing pipe with a clamp assembly and arrange the tool’s parts in a style that would make finding the centerline a breeze.

On Jan. 14, 2003, Hauzie was awarded a patent for his device from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

1973 An attorney hired by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association concludes the U.S. president has no authority to terminate the REA Loan Program, as has been proposed.

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LINES • APRIL 2013

1983 Early spring, with its sub-freezing nights and warm days, makes the sap flow in the trunks of maple trees. It takes 40 to 50 gallons of raw sugar water to make a gallon of syrup.

1993 Electric meters rarely fail or drift out of calibration. Today’s technology is making manual meter-reading a thing of the past.

KEEPINGcurrent Somerset REC joins in effort to save osprey nest

ground wasn’t frozen on the lake bed, but with teamwork, we were able to straighten the pole and hopefully save the nest.”

Working together, Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative (REC), the Somerset County Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently reset

PHOTO BY MIKE LANZONE

Chronic wasting disease found in free-ranging deer in Pennsylvania

SAVE THE OSPREY: Somerset Rural Electric personnel assist in resetting a utility pole topped with an osprey nest at Somerset Lake.

a 40-foot utility pole used as an osprey nest at Somerset Lake.

The pole, which typically is located in water, was accessible this year because the lake was drawn down due to damage to the dam breast. The upright pole, with predator guards in place, is now ready for the return of a nesting osprey pair that has made it their home for the past several years.

“It was a great partnership effort to help save the osprey nest at Somerset Lake,” says Doug Glessner, manager of outside operations at Somerset REC. “It’s nice to work together with the local agencies toward a common goal. It was challenging to get to the leaning pole because the 16

PENN

LINES • APRIL 2013

The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently confirmed three deer taken in Pennsylvania in the 2012 general firearms deer season tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Two were from Blair County; the other was from Bedford County.

These are the first positive cases of CWD in free-ranging deer in Pennsylvania. The samples were taken as part of the state’s CWD surveillance program, which sampled tissue from approximately 5,000 deer taken during firearms season. Some samples have yet to be tested.

CWD is a degenerative brain disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, it is transmitted by direct animal-to-animal contact through saliva, feces and urine. Signs of CWD include weight loss, excessive salivation, increased drinking and urination, and abnormal behavior such as stumbling,

Chronic wasting disease is confirmed in free-ranging whitetail deer in Pennsylvania for the first time.

DISEASE SPREADS:

trembling or allowing unusually close approach by humans or predators. There is no known treatment or vaccination.

CWD is fatal in deer and elk, but there is no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease was first documented in the United States in 1967 in captive mule deer in Colorado. It has since been confirmed in 22 states, including New York, West Virginia and Maryland. It was first confirmed in Pennsylvania in October 2012 in a captive deer on an Adams County deer farm.

The latest information about CWD is available on the Pennsylvania Game Commission website, www.pgc.state.pa.us.

State to spray for gypsy moths in eight counties The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is spraying gypsy moth populations in eight counties in an effort to control one of the most destructive forest pests in Pennsylvania. The gypsy moths strip trees of foliage, leaving the trees weakened and susceptible to disease, drought and attacks by other insects.

Spraying is scheduled for nearly 45,000 acres in state forests, state parks and Pennsylvania Game Commission land in Cameron, Clarion, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga and Venango counties.

DCNR last sprayed for gypsy moths in 2009, but DCNR officials report the insect has multiplied in some areas to the point that suppression efforts must be resumed.

Spraying will continue from mid-April through June 1. The Pennsylvania forest spray programs are a cooperative effort among the DCNR, county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

More information about gypsy moths is available at the DCNR website, www.dcnr.state.pa.us (click on

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PHOTO BY CHRIS DENAPOLI MICHAEL

As soon as the March issue of Penn Lines began hitting cooperative members’ mailboxes, we began getting calls.

People were asking, “That photo on Page 24, what is it?”

They were asking about the photo taken by United Electric Cooperative member Chris Denapoli Michael that was printed in the Rural Reflections section of the magazine.

Michael explains the photo in her own words: “The photo is a digital mesh of 16 photos, no Photoshop involved. Every photo had to be shot quickly because of the natural light, in focus and sharp, each one from a slightly different angle. The scene is off my front porch. Look closely and you will see spring snow, hedges, trees, a cloud and a beautiful blue sky.”

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Penn State University institute to study natural gas Penn State University has established the Institute for Natural Gas Research to conduct rigorous, independent scientific research into the broad area of natural gas, including exploration, production, transmission, storage, processing, combustion, infrastructure, and water transport, use and impact.

A major goal of the institute, according to a Penn State University press release, is to support the ongoing development of a natural gas-based economy that will allow the country to eventually consume a predominantly domestic supply of gas for many years to come.

The institute is a joint effort of Penn State University’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and College of Engineering. More than 50 current faculty members have research interest and programs in natural gas-related areas, and an additional 12 faculty members will be added to strengthen key areas.

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Study: state’s wine industry has room to grow Research sponsored by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania shows that despite consistent growth over the past several years, there is still room for the state’s wine industry to grow, as the industry is operating at only 76 percent of capacity.

The research, done by Dr. Shailendra Gajanan and Dr. James Dombrosky of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, found room for growth without additional investment in land, labor, technology and capital goods applied to production. It also noted that about 81 percent of the industry’s product is sold directly from wineries, with virtually no sales to wholesalers or distributors.

Copies of the research report, “Pennsylvania Wine Industry – An Assessment,” are available by calling or emailing the Center for Rural Pennsylvania at 717 787-9555 or info@rural.palegislature.us, or visiting www.rural.palegislature.us. l

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by Janette He ss

Flexible Tex-Mex MANY RECIPES — especially those that don’t involve leavening or thickening ingredients — are actually quite flexible.

They may be tweaked here or there to accommodate taste preferences or ingredient availability. Tex-Mex food is a prime example of flexible cuisine.

While some people adore the fresh, bright flavor of cilantro, others find it somewhat bitter. Similarly, while some people like beans and cheese in abundance, others find that a little goes a long way. And, of course, the “heat” of any dish may always be adjusted.

This month’s Shrimp Rounds are an easily adaptable appetizer. If additional “heat” is desired, simply add a small sliver of chipotle pepper to each appetizer. If queso fresco is not available, substitute finely shredded Monterrey Jack cheese. With Southwest Black Beans and Rice, the amount of beans is adjustable and the cilantro is completely optional, because, as we all know, the consumer is always right!

Fried Ice Cream is a favorite dessert served in many Mexican restaurants, but most diners would agree that ice cream is indulgent enough without running it through a bath of hot oil.

Faux Fried Ice Cream easily mimics the flavors of the restaurant dish but involves no last-minute preparation or frying. l A trained journalist, JANETTE HESS focuses her writing on interesting people and interesting foods. She is a Master Food Volunteer with her local extension service and enjoys collecting, testing and sharing recipes.

SHRIMP ROUNDS 24 large, raw, de-veined shrimp 2 teaspoons mild taco seasoning mix 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil Non-stick cooking spray 1 7-ounce package prepared guacamole 24 round, flat tortilla chips 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled

If necessary, thaw shrimp and remove shells and tails. Pat shrimp dry and place in small bowl with seasoning mix and oil. Toss to coat. Place shrimp in non-stick sauté pan that has been prepared with cooking spray. Cook over medium-high heat until shrimp begin to turn pink. Turn shrimp over and cook until completely opaque, about 2 more minut es. Remove from heat. Cool in refrigerator. At serving time, spread each chip with guacamole and top with 1 piece of shrimp. If additional “heat” is desire d, add a small sliver of chipotle pepper. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese.

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SOUTHWEST RICE WITH BLACK BEANS 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, diced 2 cups long grain rice 2 10-ounce cans mild diced tomatoes and green chilies Approximately 3 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 to 1 1/2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed 1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro (optional) Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until onion is softened. Add rice and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.

Transfer to 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Drain tomatoes; reserv e juice. Toss tomatoes with rice. Measure reserved tomato juice and add enough chicken broth to make 5 cups of liquid. Add to rice. Bake uncove red at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from oven and stir in desired amount of beans and cilantro.

Serving option for leftovers: Combine rice and beans with an equal amount of shredded rotisserie chicken. Heat through. Serve as a burrito filling with soft tortillas, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa and sour cream.

FAUX FRIED ICE CREAM 1 1/2 quarts (48 fluid ounces) vanilla ice cream 1 8-ounce container whipped topping 4 cups plain cornflakes 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup honey Maraschino cherries, chocolate syrup and additional whipped topping for garnish, if desired

just until they In large bowl, soften ice cream and whipped topping on and cinnam ne combi , shaker or bowl small can be combined. In dish and sugar; set aside. Place 2 cups cornflakes in 9- by 13-inch on-sugar mixcrush lightly with hands. Sprinkle with half of cinnam of ice cream ture and drizzle with half of honey. Top with dollops Using knife or mixture, taking care not to disturb layer of cornflakes. remaining crush Lightly spreader, smooth ice cream into even layer. cinnaing remain with Top . cream ice over le cornflakes and sprink or overnight. mon-sugar mixture and honey. Freeze at least 4 hours ed topping, Cut into squares to serve. If desired, garnish with whipp chocolate syrup and maraschino cherries.

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POWERplants

Impatient about impatiens NOTHING SAYS “Spring is here!” faster than finding flats of impatiens on display at the nursery. Flat after gorgeous flat arrayed like an artist’s palette of glowing flowers. Impatiens: steady, reliable, saturated color ranging from the palest of pastels to the richest of lipstick hues; utterly predictable and uniform and easy to grow.

Countless blooms all summer long ending only when frost knocks them flat. No wonder we love impatiens! But now, it seems, we have literally loved them to death.

Our habit of impatiens monoculture has finally come back to bite us, with disease devastating our beloved impatiens. The problem has wrought havoc in the annual bedding plant industry, and leaves gardeners scrambling for that elusive impatiens substitute.

A mass bedding scheme of impatiens was the easy answer for shade gardens, our automatic choice. I might change BARBARA MARTIN ,

who says she began gardening as a hobby “too many years ago to count,” currently works for the National Gardening Association as a horticulturist. A former member of Gettysburg-based Adams Electric Cooperative, her articles appear in magazines and on the internet.

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by Barbara Martin

the color from year to year, but other than that, it was like unrolling the “impatiens carpet” for the season. Gorgeous, but also the same old thing every single year. How unimaginative! Maybe it’s high time to get out of that planting rut.

I don’t think there is one perfect replacement. But now that impatiens has been hit with disease, it’s time to make the proverbial lemonade out of this lemon. It strikes me that we might reformulate the question from “What can I plant to replace the impatiens?” to “What can we do with that shady area?”

This back-to-basics question is an opportunity for all of us to rethink our garden’s design from overall goal and plant choices right down to hardscape or bones. For example, I usually opt to maximize the floral display, with blooms spilling everywhere. Impatiens was a natural choice, but not the only choice by far. And where once I was happy with buying, planting and then tending a huge square footage brimming with annual flowers, now I might consider scaling back on the work.

For lower maintenance, I tend to favor long-lived perennials with flower or foliage interest and preferably both, inter-planted with shrubs that not only flower, but also look good year-round. Enkianthus and sweetspire and oak leaf hydrangea are possible contenders, along with my favorite rhododendrons.

Sometimes our taste

LINES • APRIL 2013

changes, too. Rather than high-impact bright colors, perhaps we’d prefer the understated elegance of perennial plants such as hostas and ferns, lungwort and brunnera.

A theme based on white variegated foliage and white flowers, such as summer blooming astilbes and fall blooming anemones, can be enchanting.

Or we could choose native plants, perhaps spring ephemerals like Virginia bluebells, along with easy but less well-known perennials such as woodland phlox and Solomon’s seal.

Taking this a step further, perhaps some graceful flowering shrubs could fill that space and change naturally with the seasons. How about a small,

Gardeners must find an alternative to the old standby, impatiens, as disease threatens its future.

BLIGHTED BLOOMS:

understory tree surrounded by ferns and “Annabelle” hydrangeas?

A wee bit further down the path of wide-open possibilities, that shaded area could become a favorite hideaway. A few flagstones or a mulched path could lead to a comfy seat.

Add a single generous container of African violets or caladiums and call it a day.

So let’s roll up our sleeves, open our minds and put on our thinking caps. Somehow, I don’t think we’re really going to miss the impatiens all that much. l

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PENNLINESclassified ISSUE MONTH: AD DEADLINE: Penn Lines classified advertisements reach more than 165,800 rural Pennsylvania households!

June 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . April 17 Please note ads must be received by the due date to be included in the requested issue month. Ads July 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 17 received beyond the due date will run in the next available issue. Written notice of changes and cancellations must be received 30 days prior to the issue month. Classified ads will not be accepted August 2013 . . . . . . . . . June 18 by phone, fax or email. For more information please contact Vonnie Kloss at 717/233-5704.

CLASSIFIED AD SUBMISSION/RATES: Please use the form below or submit a separate sheet with required information.

Electric co-op members: $20 per month for 30 words or less, plus 50¢ for each additional word.

Non-members: $70 per month for 30 words or less, plus $1.50 for each additional word.

Ad in all CAPITAL letters: Add 20 percent to total cost. Please print my ad in all CAPITAL letters.

PLACE AD IN THE MONTHS OF: .

WORD COUNT: I am an electric co-op member. Attached is my Penn Lines mailing label. Name/Address or Mailing Label Here: Enclosed is payment in the amount of $ .

I am a non-member. Address is noted or attached at right.

Enclosed is payment in the amount of $ .

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FREE Headings (Select One): Around the House Business Opportunities Employment Opportunities Gift and Craft Ideas Livestock and Pets Miscellaneous Motor Vehicles and Boats Nursery and Garden Real Estate Recipes and Food Tools and Equipment Vacations and Campsites Wanted to Buy SPECIAL HEADING: . SPECIAL HEADING FEE: $5 for co-op members, $10 for non-members. Applies even if heading is already appearing in Penn Lines. Insertion of classified ad serves as proof of publication; no proofs supplied. SEND FORM TO: Penn Lines Classifieds, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Please make CHECK/MONEY ORDER payable to: PREA/Penn Lines.

AROUND THE HOUSE

CHURCH LIFT SYSTEMS

GRASS FED BEEF

“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.

“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.

Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men and women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention: Cookbooks.

Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.

Make your church, business or home wheelchair accessible. We offer platform lifting systems, stair lifts, porch lifts and ramps.

References. Free estimates. Get Up & Go Mobility Inc. 724-7460992 or 814-926-3622.

100% GRASS FED BEEF. Our holistic management produces the highest quality meat. Animals graze on a natural diet, are never fed grain, growth hormones, antibiotics or pesticides.

McCormick Farm, LLC 814-472-7259.

CLOCK REPAIR: If you have an antique grandfather clock, mantel clock or old pocket watch that needs restored, we can fix any timepiece. Macks Clock Repair: 814-421-7992.

BUILDINGS If you can dream it, we can build it. No building too big or too small. USA made steel buildings, Amish crafted wood structures. Guaranteed financing, backed by full Warranties.

570-869-2631 or 570-721-2844.

CONSULTING FORESTRY SERVICES

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

NOLL’S FORESTRY SERVICES, INC. performs Timber Marketing, Timber Appraisals, Forest Management Planning, and Forest Improvement Work. FREE Timber Land Recommendations. 30 years experience. Call 814-472-8560.

Tired of all those medicines ⎯ Still not feeling better? Do you want to feel better, have more energy, better digestion, less joint stiffness, healthier heart/circulation and cholesterol levels? Find out how to empower your own immune system ⎯ start I-26 today! It’s safe, affordable, and it works. Call 800-5578477: ID#528390. 90-day money back on first time orders or call me 724-454-5586. www.mylegacyforlife.net/believeit.

CENTRE FOREST RESOURCES. Maximizing present and future timber values, Forest Management Services, Managing Timber Taxation, Timber Sales, Quality Deer Management. FREE Timber Consultation. College educated, professional, ethical. 814-8677052.

FENCING

BUILDING SUPPLIES STEEL ROOFING AND SIDING. Corrugated sheets (cut to length).

Our best residential roofing $2.25/lineal foot. Also seconds, heavy gauges, odd lots, etc. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania. 814-398-4052.

Building a fence? Find hydraulic post drivers, high-tensile wire, electric fence, electric netting, rotational grazing supplies, tools and more from Kencove Farm Fence Supplies. FREE Fence Guide/Catalog – Call 800-536-2683! www.kencove.com.

GIFT AND CRAFT IDEAS

FACTORY SECONDS of insulation, 4 x 8 sheets, foil back. Also reflective foil bubble wrap. 814-442-6032.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES PIANO TUNING PAYS — Learn at home with American School of Piano Tuning home-study course in piano tuning and repair.

Tools included. Diploma granted. Call for free brochure 800497-9793.

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“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.

“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.

Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men and women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention: Cookbooks.

Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.

HEALTH INSURANCE DO YOU HAVE THE BLUES regarding your Health Insurance? We cater to rural America's health insurance needs. For more information, call 800-628-7804 (PA). Call us regarding Medicare supplements, too.

HOLIDAY CAMPING WARREN COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS in Pittsfield, PA is proud to announce Holiday Camping May 24th-26th, June 28th-July 6th, August 30th-September 1st. Many campsites to choose from.

For reservations or information call 814-730-4644 or 814-7302890. www.warrencountyfair.net.

INFRARED SAUNAS Removes toxins, burns calories, relieves joint pain, relaxes muscles, increases flexibility, strengthens immune system.

Many more HEALTH BENEFITS with infrared radiant heat saunas.

Economical to operate. Barron’s Furniture, Somerset, PA. 814443-3115.

PENNLINESclassified LANDOWNER INCOME OPPORTUNITY

SAWMILLS

WANTED TO BUY

EARN TOP $$$ Leasing Hunting Rights to your property. Call Base Camp Leasing for free quote & info packet. Hunting Leases done right since 1999. 866-309-1507. www.BaseCampLeasing.com.

USED PORTABLE Sawmills and COMMERCIAL Sawmill Equipment! Buy/Sell. Call Sawmill Exchange 800-459-2148. USA and Canada. www.sawmillexchange.com.

CARBIDE – Paying cash/lb. – Some examples of items that have carbide pieces at their tips for cutting or drilling are: coal mining machinery – roof bits – road bits – gas/oil/water well drill bits – machining inserts as well as many others. We will pick up your materials containing carbide pieces. We will extract the carbide item from the part in which it is held in most cases. 814-395-0415.

LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT

SHAKLEE

HARRINGTONS EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 475 Orchard Rd., Fairfield, PA 17320. 717-642-6001 or 410-756-2506. Lawn & Garden equipment, Sales – Service - Parts. www.HarringtonsEquipment.com

FREE SAMPLE Shaklee’s Energy Tea. Combination red, green and white teas that are natural, delicious, refreshing, safe. For sample or more information on tea or other Shaklee Nutrition/Weight Loss Products: 800-403-3381 or www.sbarton.myshaklee.com.

LEGAL SERVICES WORKERS’ COMPENSATION: Injured and want to know your rights? Call us at 877-291-9675 for FREE advice or visit our website for your FREE book at www.workinjuryinpa.com.

LIVESTOCK AND PETS PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI Puppies — AKC, adorable, intelligent, highly trainable. Excellent family choice. Reputable licensed breeder guaranteed “Last breed you’ll ever own.” 814-5873449.

LOG CABIN RESTORATIONS VILLAGE RESTORATIONS & CONSULTING specializes in 17th and 18th century log, stone and timber structures. We dismantle, move, re-erect, restore, construct and consult all over the country. Period building materials available. Chestnut boards, hardware, etc. Thirty years experience, fully insured. Call 814696-1379. www.villagerestorations.com.

LOG HOME PRESERVATION Whether you are preserving your dream home or restoring your piece of history, Perma Chink Systems, Inc. manufactures the highest quality products specifically formulated for natural wood homes. Call 800-257-4864 or visit www.permachink.com.

MOTORCYCLE-SNOWMOBILE INSURANCE For the best INSURANCE RATES call R & R Insurance Associates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800-442-6832 (PA).

MOTOR VEHICLES AND BOATS 16’ FISHING BOAT with live well side console. Stainless prop, 75 H.P. Yamaha outboard, galvanized trailer. Nice boat. Call at 570596-4951.

OUTDOOR FURNITURE POLY AND WOOD Outdoor Furniture. Large selection, competitive prices. Deep discounts available for display pieces. Call for free full-color brochure and price list. 717-532-4561.

REAL ESTATE CAPE COD — Five bedrooms, three baths, kitchen, dining, laundry, living room, family room, two-stall garage, two outside sheds, oak interior, three acres, Crawford County, Richmond Township, $259,900. 814-806-4687, 814-398-2799. 2,900 square feet.

TIMBER FRAME HOMES SETTLEMENT POST & BEAM BUILDING COMPANY uses timehonored mortise, tenon and peg construction paired with modern engineering standards. Master Craftsman and owner, Greg Sickler, brings over two decades of timber-framing experience to helping you create your dream. We use highquality timbers harvested from sustainable forests for all of our projects. Visit our model home, located on Historic Route 6, Sylvania, in North Central Pennsylvania. For more information phone 570-297-0164 or go to www.settlementpostandbeam.com or contact us at cggksick@epix.net.

TRACTOR PARTS – REPAIR/RESTORATION ARTHURS TRACTORS, specializing in vintage Ford tractors, 30years experience, on-line parts catalog/prices, Indiana, PA 15701.

Contact us at 877-254-FORD (3673) or www.arthurstractors.com.

TREE TRIMMING/REMOVAL TOM’S TREE SERVICE – Tree Trimming/Removal – Storm Cleanup – Stump Grinding – Land Clearing – Bucket Truck and Chipper – Fully Insured – Free Estimates – Call 24/7 – 814-448-3052 – 814-627-0550 – 26 Years Experience.

WANTED TO LEASE FARM LAND for local grass fed beef grazing operation. Holistic approach and active grazing plan proven to enhance soil, wildlife, and land quality. Cambria and surrounding counties.

McCormick Farm LLC. 814-472-7259.

Farm • Industrial • Commercial 25 Year Warranty on Roof & Walls; Prices F.O.B. Mfg. Plants; Seal Stamped Blue Prints; Easy Bolt Together Design.

30’ x 50 x 10’..........$8,390 40’ x 60’ x 12’.........$11,799 50’ x 75’ x 14’.........$17,606 60’ x 100’ x 12’.......$22,995 80’ x 100’ x 14’.......$31,549 100’ x 150’ x 14’.....$55,949

PRICES INCLUDE COLOR SIDES & GALVALUME ROOF

Arena Special (roof & frame) 100’ x 100’ x 14’...$33,992 (Local codes may affect prices)

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

F a x : 9 4 0 - 4 8 4 - 6 7 4 6 e m a i l : info@rhinobldg.com Website: http://www.RHINOBLDG.COM

Toll Free

1-888-320-7466

VACATIONS AND CAMPSITES BEAUTIFUL LAKE ERIE COTTAGE — Enjoy swimming, fishing and sunsets at their finest. Sleeps eight, 20 miles west of Erie.

Available May to November. Call 814-333-9669. Visit our website at www.curleycottage.com.

WEEK-LONG RENTALS of cabins, RV sites on shores of Lake Erie.

Halls also available. Fishermen welcomed. Visit us at www.ymcaerie.org or email us at campsherwin@ymcaerie.org.

LAKE RAYSTOWN Vacation House Rental. Sleeps 11, fireplace, four bedrooms, dining table for 12, central A/C, two Satellite TVs, two full baths, two half baths, linens/towels provided, large recreation room. Large parking area for boat, one mile to Snyders Run Boat Launch. Minimum two nights. Call 814-9316562. Visit www.laurelwoodsretreat.com.

FAMILY FRIENDLY Cabin Getaway. Secluded and pleasantly rustic in central PA. Electricity, hot water, bathroom with shower. Sleeps twelve. Attractive rates. 717-989-7864. www.campstonewall.com.

PENN OAKS CAMPGROUND — Seasonal sites, full utilities, cable and internet, ATV friendly. Next to State Park and National Forest, Leeper, PA. 800-634-2495.

ALL WOODED LAND – 8.44 acres. Four miles from beautiful Lake Raystown Resort. Great to build your vacation home or retirement home on perc approved. $56,000. Call 814-658-2511 ask for Kevin.

TIOGA COUNTY CABIN for sale. 1.38 acres located near Blackwell, Pine Creek, Rails to Trails. Well, septic, bathroom, oil heat. New storm doors, windows. Great location, relax, hunt. 724-986-1165. $99,900.

RECIPES AND FOOD “COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.

“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.

Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men and women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention: Cookbooks.

Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.

Maintaining your septic tank is a necessity.

Septal’s formula is used by professionals throughout the industry and is the strongest you can buy.

APRIL 2013 • PENN

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23

OUTDOORadventures

How did I ever survive?

WILDLIFE diseases have become a recurring theme for anyone writing about the outdoors over the past decade or so. Bird flu, hantavirus, giardiasis, Lyme, West Nile, chronic wasting disease, and that only scratches the surface.

It makes me wonder how I could possibly have avoided being sick every other week or so as a kid, much less how I managed to survive into adulthood.

I was constantly dragging some poor creature home from the fields, forest, streams and ponds that were my everyday realm. And, truth be told, I may have been above average in devising ways to capture those critters, but my track record of catching so many of them so readily probably also reveals something about their health and fitness. I likely was not dealing with the healthiest and most fit representatives of their is outdoor editor for The (Harrisburg, Pa.) PatriotNews and a contributor to many outdoor publications and websites, and author of more than two dozen books..

An ongoing guide to his writing and photography appears at www.marcusschneck.com.

MARCUS SCHNECK

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by Marcus Schneck

species at all times.

My appendages were regularly decorated with an array of adhesive bandages.

Mercurochrome flowed like wine in our house in those pre-U.S. Department of Agriculture warning days, long before 1998 and a rising concern about potential mercury poisoning from that universal antiseptic. Leaving home for college, which removed me from the daily care of Doctor Mom, may be the only thing that prevented me from carrying the reddishbrown stain of mercurochrome on my skin to this day.

Those captures that could pass Mom’s rather elaborate screening process, including Rule No. 1 of no snakes, regularly spent some time in an array of jars, cracked aquariums transformed into terrariums, and wire or mesh cages.

I recall a cockroach of some exotic origin that showed up in our home with a bunch of bananas and found a new home in a meshand-metal “Bug Zoo” purchased from some novelty catalog. Being an insect, the thing probably lasted only a couple of months, but my mind’s film library can still run multiple scenes of the thing shedding its exoskeleton to grow, again and again, to eventually reach a size of 3 inches or so.

Meadow voles, salamanders, lizards, turtles, insects, injured birds, fish and more

LINES • APRIL 2013

all did their stints on my shelves, desk, bureau and nightstand.

Some died quickly under the uninformed care of a preteen. Others were released back into the wild after satisfying a “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” curiosity with just a few days of captivity.

A few completed entire lifespans, like the American toad that came to enjoy having its head gently rubbed and would lean with its one front leg against the side of the terrarium, apparently watching me as I worked at my desk.

Later in life, I fostered that same interest in bringing nature into one’s life in my son, whose bedroom was home to everything from a snapping turtle that was raised from hatchling to maturity over several years of regular rodent feedings to an aquarium of locally

APPROPRIATE CAUTION: Learning about wildlife through close contact is important, but it is even more important to use caution when handling the animals.

caught native fish and other aquatic organisms.

But, by the time of my son’s collecting phase, I had already grown more cautious. More nets and fewer hand-to-critter captures.

Hand scrubbing or sanitizer after every contact.

And, today, vinyl and rubber gloves are part of my regular kit for hunting and trapping. Direct contact with the fur and hide and dwindling warmth of game, fowl and furbearer is a fleeting part of the experience.

Will I decide to have my next deer checked for chronic wasting disease before consuming any of the meat? How soft have I grown?

RURALreflections Spring arrives CHANGING WEATHER, along with babies of all kinds, must mean spring is here. And that means it’s time to get out your camera and take some new photos, or dig through your file of old photos and choose your favorites to send to Rural Reflections. We are looking for creative photos taken by amateur photographers that feature the people, animals and landscapes of Pennsylvania.

This year, five amateur photographers will be named winners of our $75 prize in the categories of: most artistic, best landscape, best human subject, best animal subject and editor’s choice.

To be eligible for the 2013 contest prizes, send your photos (no digital files, please) to: Penn Lines Photos, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg PA 17108-1266. On the back of each photo, include your name, address, phone number and the name of the electric cooperative that serves your home, business or seasonal residence. (The best way to include this information is by affixing an address label to the back of the photo. Please do not use ink gel or roller pens.)

Remember, our publication deadlines require that we work ahead, so send your seasonal photos in early. We need summer photos before mid-April; fall photos before mid-July and winter photos before mid-September. Photos that do not reflect any season may be sent at any time. Please note: photos will not be returned unless a self-addressed, stamped envelope of the appropriate size is included. l

Jeanette Wieserman REA Energy

Diane Layden Valley REC

Gary Martin Somerset REC

Lauren Fair Tri-County REC

APRIL 2013 • PENN

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PUNCHlines

Thoughts from Earl Pitts, UHMERIKUN! Earl discovers he doesn’t have long to live after results of ‘sitting’ test

Social commentary from Earl Pitts —— a.k.a.

GARY BUR BANK , a nationally syndicated radio personality —— can be heard on the following radio stations that cover electric cooperative service territories in Pennsylvania: WANB-FM 103.1 Pittsburgh; WARM-AM 590 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; WIOO-AM 1000 Carlisle; WEEO-AM 1480 Shippensburg; WMTZ-FM 96.5 Johnstown; WQBR-FM 99.9/92.7 McElhattan; WLMI-FM 103.9 Kane; and WVNW-FM 96.7 Burnham-Lewistown.

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I want y’all to try this at home tonight. A while back, my wife, Pearl, seen this story about some bird-brain doctor somewheres that said he come up with the most exact scientifical estimate as to how old you’re gonna be when you cash in your chips for the recliner in the hereafter.

Over dozens of years an’ thousands a’ patients, he asked them to sit on the floor, an’ then get back up. But, and here’s the problem, they were supposed to be usin’ as few of their hands, elbows an’ knees as possible. He says the people that needed the most support to get back up died the earliest.

So me an’ Pearl tried this last night. I got news for you — we might already be dead but we just don’t know it. I thought sittin’ down on the floor would be the easy part, on account a’ gravity is workin’ in your favor. But I found out balance, weight an’ general conditioning were not.

Here’s what I decided — what if I was to squat like a baseball catcher an’ then just kind of sit? I see them guys do it all the time.

For the record — squattin’ is a young man’s game. ‘Cause at my age, if you can get down in a squat, that’s gonna be how they find you a couple days later when your buddies call the police worried ‘cause you ain’t been at work for three days.

So, I ended up fallin’ forward onto two knees. Heck, I’m as good as dead. I mean, at this point I wouldn’t be upset if Pearl pre-registered on eHarmony.com.

Cause that time is obviously comin’ sooner rather than later.

But now here’s the hard part, and that’s getting’ back to your feet with no hands, knees or elbows. I mean — do I look like a circus acrobat? After some significant strugglin’, I ended up usin’ two knees, two elbows and three hands.

That’s right — Pearl finally grabbed me an’ pulled me up.

Wake up, America. So try this tonight

in your home an’ figger out how much more time you got. Just make sure that if your better half is witnessin’ this, she is sittin’ down, ‘cause otherwise she’ll be laughin’ so hard, she’ll fall down.

I discovered another way you can tell you’re gettin’ old. I mean, besides the fact you get up five times a night to go to the bathroom, and the first thing you say when anybody talks to you is, “What?”

You know you’re gettin’ old when the only thing you got to look forward to is lookin’ back.

Here’s what I’m talkin’ about. We’re settin’ at the bar watchin’ the game on TV. An’ they got a commercial for one a’ these tricked out, fancy smartphones. You know, one of them that all the kids got.

Junior Meeker pipes up and says, “I remember when all you could do on a cellphone was make a phone call.”

An’ his brother, Dub, goes, “I remember when if you wadn’t home an’ you wanted to make a call, you needed a pay phone an’ a quarter.”

An’ Runt Wilson goes, “I remember when your TV signal come in through the air, an’ your calls came in on a wire.”

An’ they all nodded, an’ took a drink.

Then a commercial come on for a car with a tricked-out navigation system.

Junior Meeker goes, “I remember when the only electronic read-out on a car was a clock, an’ if you wanted to know where you was goin’, you brung along a map.”

Dub goes, “I remember when if you couldn’t find where you was goin’, you just kept drivin’ in circles ‘til you found it.

Even if it took days.”

An’ they all nodded, an’ took a drink.

Wake up, America. They say people that don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. I think we’re gettin’ to the age where we’re doomed to re-live it. Constantly.

I’m Earl Pitts, Uhmerikun. l

Your furnace.

rmal.

Your furnace with geothe

Take what you’ve got, and make it even better.

A WaterFurnace geothermal split system works with your existing furnace to enhance your comfort and savings. It’s smart enough to heat your home using the most economical fuel for any situation – whether that’s fossil fuel or the clean, renewable energy in your yard.

Even better, it also provides savings up to 70% on cooling in the summer and hot water all year round. And because WaterFurnace geothermal systems don’t use combustion or burn any on-site fossil fuels, they help ensure your children will enjoy scenes like the one above.

For more information, contact your local WaterFurnace dealer today.

Bedford Knisely & Sons, Inc. (814) 623-9086 kniselyandsons.com

Carbondale T.E. Spall & Son (570) 282-3000 thecomfortdoctors.com

Hollidaysburg Knisely & Sons, Inc. (814) 693-8744 kniselyandsons.com

Bellwood Boyer Refrigeration (814) 942-2106 goboyergeothermal.com

Cochranton Tiptons Electric HVACR (814) 425-7083

Northern Cambria Kupetz Plbg & Htg (814) 948-6460 gogeokupetz.com

Territory Managers David Higgins (877) 424-0536 Paul Tipton (877) 533-0216 Larry Brown (800) 934-5160 x8802

visit us at waterfurnace.com ©2013 WaterFurnace is a registered trademark of WaterFurnace International, Inc.

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FREE “THANK YOU” GIFT WITH ORDER OF $10.00 OR MORE!

THUJA ‘GREEN GIANT’ ‘

One of the highest quality evergreens available! Green Giant was introduced to the gardening public by the U.S. National Arboretum. And what an introduction! This outstanding variety is a vigorous grower often growing over 3′ per year. Adaptable trees grow in almost any soil conditions. Extremely uniform in pyramidal shape and require no trimming. Green Giant is very tolerant to pests and diseases. Eventually reaches a height of 60′ tall with a base measuring between 12-20′. Grow as a specimen tree or as an evergreen windbreak. Plant 5-6′ apart for a really fast privacy screen, otherwise 10-12′ apart. Green Giant can be trimmed to any height and width. Supplies are limited so make sure to order yours early!

N7948 $5.99 each 2 for $11.79 4 for $22.99 8 for $43.99 16 for $84.99

MIXED HYBRID LILIES Create a dazzling spot of beauty!

Hardy naturalizer that spreads quickly. Produces bigger stems and more blooms each year. Scatter in an informal setting for a dazzling spot of beauty. Plant 6-8″ deep and apart in full to partial sun. We send our choice of colors. 10-12 cm bulbs. Zones 3-9.

N6492 10 for $7.98 10 for $3.99 20 for $14.98 20 for $7.49

GIANT QUINAULT EVERBEARING STRAWBERRIES

ORDER ONLINE AT www.HouseOfWesley.com/quickorder.asp

Bears all season!

If you love strawberries but don’t like to pick them, grow Quinaults.

THEY ACTUALLY GROW BIG AS TEA CUPS! And they’re just as delicious as they are big. These firm, deep red berries make fancy “restaurant” desserts. Excellent for preserves, freezing and eating fresh, too.

When planted in April, Quinaults will produce July through September — right up until frost! Treat yourself to big luscious berries all season.

N6607 25 for $6.99 50 for $12.99 100 for $23.99

ONE YEAR GUARANTEE If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a one time FREE replacement just return the original shipping label along with your written request within 1 year of receipt. Replacement guarantee is VOID unless the original shipping label is returned. For a REFUND of the purchase price, return the item and the original shipping label with correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt.

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HOUSE OF WESLEY 1704 Morrissey Drive DEPT. 969-9066 Bloomington, Illinois 61704 Name _______________________________ Address _____________________________ City ____________________ State _______ ( ) Zip ____________ Phone _______________ Email _______________________________

Please send the items indicated below:

GROUND COVER DAYLILIES

CREEPING RED SEDUM Cover bare spots with blazing color!

A carefree naturalizer!

(Hemerocallis) A non-demanding cover for steep slopes banks and other hard to mow areas. Plant along roadways, walks and fences. One plant produces 50 or more charming 4-5″ blooms a season.

Spreads quickly. Grows to about 2′ tall. Mixed colors.

(Sedum spurium) You’ll be thrilled with this hardy ground cover sometimes called Dragon’s Blood. Fills those ugly trouble spots with attractive, thick evergreen foliage all year and amazes you with brilliant, starlike red flowers June through September. These are hardy, northern, nursery-grown plants.

N5022 8 for $9.97 16 for $18.99 32 for $37.99

N7036 12 for $3.89 24 for $7.69 48 for $14.99 96 for $27.99

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N5022 N6492 N6607 N6877 N7036 N7948 —

G. C. Daylilies Mixed Hybrid Lilies Q. Strawberries Rose of Sharon Red Sedum Thuja Green Giant Hardy Gladiolus (our choice)

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“Thank you” Gift FREE with a $10 order!

ROSE OF SHARON HEDGE A friendly fence that blooms all summer!

Delightful blossoms of red, white, or purple each summer in a lifetime fence of natural beauty.

These hardy shrubs will grow naturally to 5-10′ for an informal privacy screen or can be trimmed for a neat colorful hedge. Bursts into brilliant bloom in mid-summer and continues to flower through fall. Order today and receive 1-2′ shrubs. Our choice of colors.

N6877 (30′) 6 for $3.99 (60′) 12 for $7.89 (120′) 24 for $15.49 (240′) 48 for $29.99

3.95 Shipping & Processing $_______ SUBTOTAL $_______ IL Residents add 6.25% Sales Tax $_______ TOTAL ENCLOSED OR CHARGED $_______ U Check or Money Order enclosed.

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