Penn Lines March 2010

MARCH 2010

Delivering

the goods Growing interest in local produce through community supported agriculture

starter’s maxim PLUS Seed March madness Wild things

MARCH Vol. 45 • No. 3 Peter A. Fitzgerald DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS/EDITOR

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FIRST WORD Avoiding a ‘glorious mess’

Katherine Hackleman ASSOCIATE EDITOR/WRITER

James Dulley Janette Hess Barbara Martin Marcus Schneck

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CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

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E N E R G Y M AT T E R S Lighting innovations on the horizon

W. Douglas Shirk

KEEPING CURRENT News items from across the Commonwealth

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Vonnie Kloss ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION

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 166,400 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 17105 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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F E AT U R E

Delivering the goods Growing interest in local produce through community supported agriculture

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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 co-op

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POWER PLANTS

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Seed starter’s maxim

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Spend the long, cold evenings planning a garden

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COUNTRY KITCHEN

March madness 20

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

Wild things Do giant Broad Top serpents slither in Bedford, Fayette counties?

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SMART CIRCUITS

Cut energy costs — with landscaping

Board officers and staff, Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association: Chairman, Tim Burkett; Vice Chairman, S. Eugene Herritt; Secretary, Lanny Rodgers; Treasurer, Kevin Barrett; President & CEO, Frank M. Betley © 2010 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 http://www.prea.com/Content/ penn_lines_magazine.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.

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CLASSIFIEDS

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PUNCH LINES

Thoughts from Earl Pitts– Uhmerikun!

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Earl says, ‘Stress? What stress?’

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RURAL REFLECTIONS

Spring is just around the corner

O N T H E COV E R Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a growing method for small farmers to thrive while providing fresh, homegrown food to members.

MARCH 2010 • PENN

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FIRSTword

by Glenn English

Avoiding a ‘glorious mess’ Congress needs the right tool for regulating carbon

GLENN ENGLISH CEO National Rural Electric Association

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THE FEDERAL Clean Air Act was passed to control specific pollutants on a local scale. But in 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the term “pollutant” in the Clean Air Act could include carbon dioxide, and required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “make the call” on whether or not to classify carbon as a threat.

One of the main authors of the most recent version of the Clean Air Act, U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), warned that using the act to regulate carbon dioxide, which was never considered by Congress, would result in a “glorious mess.”

Ignoring that concern, late last year the EPA announced it would include carbon dioxide in a list of pollutants contributing to climate change to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. It seems that “glorious mess” could indeed become a reality.

The Clean Air Act in its modern form was originally passed in 1970 to control harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide on a local and regional level. And in every case where these emissions fell under federal regulation, proven technology existed to address the goals of the legislation.

But when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, no such solution currently exists.

Experts estimate at least a decade of research — on a massive scale — on promising technologies like carbon capture and storage must be conducted

before a viable approach to limiting carbon dioxide gas from smokestack emissions can be found.

In many ways, regulating carbon dioxide emissions under the law is akin to using a hammer to tighten a screw. You may eventually get the screw hammered in, but better tools are needed — ones that don’t put your electric bills at risk during these tough economic times.

Electric cooperatives have been fighting to make sure any energy or climate change policy remains fair, affordable and achievable. Much of this effort so far has been focused on legislation being considered by Congress, but the EPA’s actions have opened a new front in the fight.

We are asking you to make your voice heard in preventing the EPA from doing something Congress never intended. Reach out to your elected officials in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate and ask them to support fellow members of Congress who are doing important bipartisan work to prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the federal Clean Air Act. Urge them to sign on to the Murkowski-Lincoln resolution (S.J.RES. 26) in the Senate, and the Skelton-Emerson-Peterson bill (H.R. 4572) or Pomeroy bill (H.R. 4396) in the House.

Together, we can make a stand that will help ensure an affordable energy future — and prevent an economic train wreck.

Visit www.ourenergy.coop today to send that message to Congress. l

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ENERGYmatters Lighting innovations on the horizon

By Martha Carney and Brian Sl ob oda

THE EDISON BULB, still a cherished light source in many homes, may finally be entering its twilight years after well over a century of dominating the lighting market. The drive for efficiency is pushing major changes in the world of lighting.

Compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs) boasts four times the efficiency of the Edison bulb, and has made a splash over the past few years. But even though quality, reliability and the versatility of CFLs continue to rise, consumer acceptance has been slow. Many people’s opinions were formed by early CFL lamps, renowned for poor light quality and unreliable performance.

A new lighting product quickly making gains in the market may one day overtake CFLs and other types of lights in many applications. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are being hailed as the next great innovation in lighting, promising long life, great light quality and super efficiency. However, the ultimate promise of LED technology has yet to be reflected in the current reality.

The Arlington, Va.-based Cooperative Research Network (CRN) partnered with several electric cooperatives throughout the United States to test a variety of LED lamps as alternatives to conventional lighting or CFLs. CRN and many electric co-ops are cautiously optimistic about LED technology because of the following consumer benefits: k LEDs could last longer, perhaps for decades; k The energy to use LEDs could be sub6

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stantially less than that of CFLs or other fluorescents; k With no mercury content, LEDs are more environmentally friendly; k The products are rugged and more resistant to breakage; k LEDs perform well in cold climates, especially outdoor applications; and k LEDs can be dimmed and produce a more pleasing light.

As promising as the technology appears, the path to seeing store shelves stocked with reliable and affordable LEDs may be a long and rocky one.

Obstacles such as limited light output and high initial prices are barriers to widespread LED use. In the current economy, consumers will not purchase LED lighting until manufacturers bring down costs significantly.

The cost of an LED LEDs are perceived as expensive.

Indeed, an initial investment in an LED fixture today is far greater than for an incandescent bulb — sometimes as much as 100 times more expensive when compared to an Edison 100-watt lightbulb priced at $1. However, a light’s total cost of ownership includes the energy cost of running the light and replacement costs.

When LEDs are perfected, it should take about 50 incandescent bulbs, or eight to 10 CFLs, to equal the life of one LED lamp. LEDs also are expected to be about 20 times more efficient than an incandescent bulb. Below is a realistic comparison of how the costs for these two different light sources could stack up. So when you compare the lifecycle cost of a light source, the question is: which would you rather pay — $550 to use an incandescent bulb, or $154 to use an LED?

Goodbye filament…

Hello semi-conductor chip The Edison lightbulb creates light by heating a filament — an inefficient process that actually produces more heat than light, explaining why incandescent lightbulbs are hot to the touch.

LEDs, on the other hand, create light through a semi-conductor chip mounted on an electronic circuit board.

When energy passes through the chip, it creates bright light and almost no heat on the bulb itself. Heat is dissipated out of the back of the lamp.

LEDs are not entirely new. In fact, they are the familiar red or blue indicator lights on electronics, used in stereos, personal computers, and even traffic lights. Over the last two years, there have

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been technological strides in the development of white, high-brightness LEDs. This opens opportunities for much broader lighting applications within our homes, offices and for outdoor street lighting. Several electric co-ops are working with CRN to test LED lamps in parking lots, roadways, farms and schools.

The test results will give co-ops a strong voice with manufacturers in creating new LED lamps that will be less expensive, last longer and benefit consumers.

Buyer beware — A strong word of caution The message of “buyer beware” is crucial when speaking of LED lamps.

Poor quality LED products are flooding the marketplace and are easily purchased on several well-known websites and through big box retailers. Many products promising to be “good for the planet” are not as environmentally

friendly as claimed. Several of these products are manufactured outside of the United States with components that produce low light levels, don’t stand up on long service life or have exaggerated energy saving claims.

Don’t be fooled.

Two key positive indicators are price and the presence of a Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Quality Advocate label (see “lighting facts” label example below). With LED lamps, you get what you pay for. A product that costs $15 is likely to provide less light and have a shorter life than one that costs $50.

Even high-quality LED lamps are in a relatively early stage of development and few have undergone rigorous testing in real-life settings.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) advocates for quality and is establishing Energy Star standards around LEDs. Until this happens, the DOE encourages consumers to become educated before investing in LEDs. The DOE also asks consumers to look for the SSL Quality Advocate label, which is similar to the one used by the FDA for food labeling.

Consumers should look for this label, which displays several important LED product features, such as light color and energy consumption.

However, most consumers will need to go to the website

listed on the label to really understand what these terms and numbers mean.

And the presence of the label doesn’t guarantee the product’s high quality. It simply indicates it might be better than a product without the label.

LED lighting holds a great deal of promise. However, the gap between promise and the delivery of products to meet consumer demand remains wide.

Most ready-for-prime-time LED products are in a few niche applications, such as task and display case lighting.

General illumination lights are, for the most part, still a work in progress.

Smart consumers will do a little homework before purchasing LED lights.

Over time, the quality of the products will increase and consumers will be able to buy them with confidence.

Electric co-ops are at the forefront of those working to make this revolution in lighting truly deliver on the promise of quality and efficiency. l Source: Cooperative Research Network MARCH 2010 • PENN

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KEEPINGcurrent Edward Asner, as FDR, opens NRECA Annual Meeting In celebration of the 75th anniversary of rural electrification, actor Edward Asner opened the 2010 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

BACK IN THE 1930S: Actor Edward Asner portrays President Franklin D. Roosevelt discussing the Rural Electrification Act.

(NRECA) Annual Meeting with a dramatic portrayal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, stating: “I signed the Rural Electrification Act, which set the grand experiment of member-owned electric cooperatives into motion. It enabled citizens to bring power to themselves, and with only a little help from the government. When those electric cooperatives were unleashed, they grew to a force of more than 900, that powered Alaskan and Hawaiian fishing villages, dairy farms in Vermont, oil fields in Texas, Indian reservations out west, and so many communities in between. That, friends, is progress. Progress never rests.”

Asner, 80, is best known for playing Lou Grant on the “Mary Tyler Moore” show. He is currently touring the country portraying FDR in a one-man show.

Pennsylvania tackles waterway pollution Pennsylvania ranks second, behind only Tennessee, in efforts to clean up the state’s waterways, according to a report recently issued by the Environmental 8

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Protection Agency (EPA).

The report notes that Pennsylvania has 18 waterway sections totaling 69 miles that have been restored to health.

They had been listed as unable to support aquatic life or as degraded due to high acidity caused by mine drainage, high concentrations of metals, and silt from coal mines and coal waste piles.

The waterways, mostly in the northern and western counties of Pennsylvania, were rehabilitated by constructing mine drainage treatment plants, reclaiming abandoned mine lands with vegetation and stabilizing stream banks, according to the report. Changes were also made to how the streams are used, such as keeping livestock out of the water and building stormwater drainage projects.

Much of the funding for the waterway cleanup came through the state.

It’s important to return 2010 census form The 2010 census isn’t just a count of the number of people living in any specific area; it’s the base used to determine the amount of federal funds allocated to the state for the subsequent 10 years, as well as the total used to determine the number of congressional representatives each state has.

“Each year, more than $400 billion in federal funds are allocated based in all or in part on the results of the census,” reports Gov. Ed Rendell.

“That’s more than $4 trillion over the 10-year period for critical things like schools, senior centers, job training centers, bridges, highways, public transit, and local emergency response services and training.”

That means the state cannot afford for

any resident to skip responding to the 2010 census, which involves answering 10 questions, which should take about 10 minutes.

The U.S. Census Bureau is mailing out census forms in mid-March with forms to be returned by April 1. The form comes with a postage-paid envelope. If the form is not returned by mail, census workers will visit homes to obtain the information in person. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, returning the form by mail is the most cost-effective method, as the bureau saves between $80 million and $90 million for every 1 percent increase in the response rate via mail.

For more information about the census, visit 2010.census.gov.

Deer management audit released The Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee in mid-February issued its audit report of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s deer management program.

According to the audit, the foundation of the game commission’s deer management system is sound, and the design of the Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) reflects a necessary compromise among competing interests. However, a number of recommendations for improvements were made, including: k Improve the accuracy of the sex-age-kill model used to estimate the size of the deer herd. k Develop procedures to increase harvest reporting. k Publish estimates of deer herd population in each WMU. k Consider eliminating herd health as a goal due to lack of a way to measure progress. k Improve sampling size for forest regeneration metric because deer management is an essential part of forest ecosystem management. k Increase communication with stakeholders. l

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PENNlines

Delivering

the goods Growing interest in local produce through community supported agriculture

by Kathy Hackleman A s s o c i a t e E d i t o r / Wr i t e r

OFTEN, good things come in small packages, like a delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables. Today, those packages of goodness reach more and more people, thanks to a rapidly expanding enterprise known as community supported agriculture.

CSA, as it’s commonly called, is a way for people who like to garden and don’t mind hard work to build a family business on a small acreage. It’s also an excellent way for consumers to have access to fresh, locally grown produce.

Each spring, more CSAs sprout up across Pennsylvania as word spreads about the unique method of farming that involves a farmer offering “shares” of his crop to the public. The buyer — usually known as a member or subscriber — receives a share of seasonal produce from the farm each week during the growing season. Risk is also shared — in an exceptional growing season, members will receive more produce, while bags will not be as full when Mother Nature intervenes in a negative fashion.

CSA owners benefit from the system because they know what their seasonal income will be and how much to plant because they pre-sold the shares during the slow winter. CSA members benefit because they are assured of getting fresh produce from someone they know.

While all produce grown at CSAs is fresh, some CSAs provide certified organic produce, and many of the CSAs offer recipes and tips for preparing the vegetables and fruit.

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PLANTING TIME: Jim Barbour prepares to plant potatoes at Barbour Farms near Hallstead. He is assisted by his children, Kiley and James, and his father, also named Jim Barbour (not pictured).

(Photo contributed by Barbour Farms)

Like the ‘old days’ United Electric Cooperative members Lucinda Hart-Gonzalez and her husband, Stephen Cleghorn, go even further to assist their subscribers by writing a weekly newsletter with recipes contributed by Bob Blumer, chef, cookbook author and host of “The Surreal Gourmet” on The Food Network. The couple met Blumer when he filmed an episode of his current Food Network show, “Glutton for Punishment,” at their Reynoldsville farm. He spent a week there learning to milk goats and then competed at the Mason-Dixon Fair in Delta, Pa. This season will be the couple’s third as a CSA, though their main business is a goat dairy and creamery. They do raise chickens and sell their eggs, but most of their 50-acre farm is in pasture and hay for their goat herd. They devote about one acre to the CSA business, growing a wide variety of fresh certified organic produce from salad “fixings” to strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

They plan their garden to provide salad ingredients and fresh herbs every week in their CSA bundle, along with whatever else is in season.

“There is a difference in eating from a CSA and a market,” explains HartGonzalez. “At the market, you can get whatever you want year-round. With a CSA, you are eating by the season, more like in the old days. Instead of thinking,

‘What do I want to make?’ and then going to the market to buy the ingredients, you must think, ‘What do I have?

What can I make?’”

The couple, both of whom hold doctorate degrees, worked in Washington, D.C., before deciding to become what Hart-Gonzalez describes as “late-life farmers.” They purchased the Jefferson County farm and moved there in 2005.

“We absolutely love what we are doing,” she reports. “We are here by choice. We enjoy the healthy living, and producing healthy items for us, for our neighbors and for our environment.”

Living the way they have chosen to live may be rewarding, but it’s not easy.

“Between the produce, the dairy and the animal care, we work from the time we get up until the time we go to bed,” she reports.

Return to rural roots A hundred miles northeast of Paradise Gardens and Farm, there’s another couple with a similar story. Denise Fedele and her husband, Mike Fetchko, also both hold doctorate degrees and are looking forward to their third year of providing fresh organic garden produce from Gobbler’s Knob Farm to their CSA members. Fedele and Fetchko, who live eight miles south of Galeton on Route 144, are members of Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative, based in Mansfield. They own 32 acres with their garden taking up about one and one-half acres.

Fedele and Fetchko are native Pennsylvanians who worked in Switzerland for several years. However, rural Pennsylvania continued to hold a special place in their hearts.

“Before we went to Switzerland, we hiked part of the Appalachian Trail,” Fedele explains. “Being outdoors that much made us rethink our career plans.

We really liked to be outdoors and work with nature. While we were working in Switzerland, we were always thinking, ‘How could we be outside, have a more MARCH 2010 • PENN

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PENNlines simple life and be more self sufficient?’

Farming seemed to be a good answer although it’s not simple at all, as we have learned.”

Both Fedele and Fetchko are substitute teachers, but they devote the majority of their time to their CSA. It’s been quite a learning curve, she admits, noting it has been a lot more difficult than they expected to keep ahead of the weeds and bugs without using any chemicals, herbicides or pesticides.

They also have bee hives and sell honey and related products including candy and lip balm made from beeswax.

Fetchko handles most of the beekeeping duties. He started out with three hives and has built up to 32 hives. Having bees onsite practically guarantees good pollination of crops, but it also means Fetchko must guard against hungry bears who would like to scoop up the honey before he can get to it.

The rural lifestyle that Fedele and Fetchko have chosen allows them to spend the majority of their time with their children, ages 2 years and 8 months, but they also have found they enjoy growing a life-sustaining product.

“We find it very rewarding to be able to sell food to people because it’s such a basic necessity,” Fedele explains. “It’s

Jeddo Fedele-Fetchko, son of Denise Fedele and Mike Fetchko, plays in the hoophouse as his parents work to get an early start on the produce for their Gobbler’s Knob Farm CSA near Galeton.

(Photo contributed by Gobbler’s Knob Farm) LITTLE GARDENER:

just neat to be able to sell directly to people through the CSA and to hear what they think about it. … To grow food without chemicals is very expensive and very time-consuming, but our customers appreciate that.”

Grow your own food and SAVE BIG! COMMUNITY GARDENING REVIVAL GROWS AS A COOPERATIVE REMEDY FOR TOUGH TIMES

By John Bruce If you and your neighbors are looking for ways to help dig out of the recession by lowering your food bills, then history offers a valuable lesson: Look to the earth under your feet.

Community vegetable gardens emerged as a cooperative solution to help the U.S. war effort during World War I. These so-called “victory gardens” took root in rural areas, cities and towns. Garden patches were planted in yards, railroad rights of way, city parks and other public lands.

The victory garden trend resumed full force in World War II. The U.S. Department of Agriculture informed the public that if they wanted fresh fruits or vegetables in their kitchens, they should plant victory gardens. Almost instantly, Americans were growing vegetable gardens. By some accounts, victory gardens then produced 40 percent of the nation’s produce.

Later on, modern causes such as the Slow Food movement engendered a renewal of interest in community gardening. Slow Food describes itself as a “global, grassroots movement with

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Family business Jim Barbour, a member of Wysoxbased Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative, came to the CSA program from a slightly different background. He and his wife, Kim, along with their son, Jim,

thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.”

These days, many point to the economic downturn, a desire to reduce one’s carbon footprint and protect the environment, concerns over food safety, and cravings for bettertasting food as the motivations driving folks to work the earth themselves.

Vegetable seed sales grew by double-digits from 2008 to 2009, the nation’s major seed companies reported. The number of homes growing vegetables was forecast to climb more than 40 percent compared with just two years earlier, according to the National Gardening Association, a nonprofit organization for gardening education.

As catalysts for neighborhood and community development, community gardens encourage social interaction and selfreliance, according to the authorities on the subject at the American Community Gardening Association. Community gardens beautify neighborhoods, produce nutritious food, reduce family budgets, conserve resources and offer opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education.

Acts of leadership have helped spur a national revival of community gardening. Soon after her spouse’s inauguration, First Lady Michelle Obama planted the first garden at the

and his wife, Heather, are growing produce on 25 acres of their 460-acre farm near Hallstead that has been in the family since 1941. Barbour’s grandfather and father operated a dairy, but he left the farm and was in the ministry for 23 years. A couple of years ago, when he and his family decided to make the farm their future, they knew it had to undergo a significant change in order for it to support the four adults, along with the younger couple’s three small children.

Operating as Barbour Farms, the family opened a sustainable agriculture produce stand on Route 29 about 8 miles north of Montrose, and also began supplying locally grown vegetables to area grocery stores. Then, in 2009, they launched their CSA venture. Their first year was discouraging to say the least, as they lost all of their 1,900 tomato plants to blight. They also had problems with weather, bugs, birds, deer and bear, not to mention issues with keeping their internet site up and running.

But Barbour remains optimistic.

“We are gearing up for the new season,” he reports. “We learned a lot last year — what to grow, what not to grow, how much to plant. Farmers have to be the optimistic sort, or they wouldn’t be farmers. We always think the next season will be better than last year.”

Most of their acres this year will be in sweet corn for their roadside stands and grocery customers, but they also will grow produce for their CSA members. While Barbour notes that the window of time that customers see — from late spring through early fall — is a frantic one, the family remains busy all year.

“During harvest, we’re out in the field at daylight and lots of times, well after dark,” he explains. “We’ve even learned how to pick with headlamps on because there LITTLE HANDS PICK BIG EARS: Mariah and Cheyenne Carmody pick aren’t enough daylight hours corn at Paradise Gardens and Farm, a CSA operated by their grandin the day to keep up with parents, Lucinda Hart-Gonzalez and Stephen Cleghorn, near things. This time of year (late Reynoldsville. (Photo contributed by Paradise Gardens and Farm) winter and early spring), we thing to do for us and our customers,” are more flexible, but still we need to make our plans, work on the equipment explains Barbour. “It’s a way of life that provides healthy food and allows us to and start plants in the greenhouse.”

But the four adults in the Barbour fami- be able to work together.”

The CSA lifestyle, the farmers all ly are pleased with their choice to work full time at the farm and when they have a little agree, provides an unparalleled opportunity for family togetherness, as well as more experience under their belts, they delicious, healthy food — two things plan to expand into their 250 tillable acres. that Pennsylvania residents savor.

“We decided we had the property, For more information about where which provides an excellent place to CSAs are located throughout Pennsylvagrow produce, and we all like healthy nia, log onto www.localharvest.org. l food, so we decided this was a good

White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden during World War II. Her deed sparked a new wave of interest and earned a commendation of the American Public Gardening Association, publicgardens.org, a group for building awareness of public gardens and supplying resources to the industry.

One key element in successful gardening is soil. Whether gardening at home or in a community garden, testing the soil is key to success. This is available through some county extension services and commercial outlets. Test results may reveal the need to amend the soil in a gardening spot with nutrients or by topdressing or mixing in a balanced garden soil.

Amending or adding soil to a garden spot is one way to maximize output and ensure success in gardening. New gardeners often have limited success when growing produce due to poor soil conditions.

So, just how do you go about actually beginning a community garden?

The American Community Gardening Association provides resources on its website, communitygarden.org. Click on “Starting

a community garden,” and you’ll find an entire step-by-step guide.

The National Garden Bureau (NGB), ngb.org, a separate group dedicated to educating gardeners about successfully growing flowers and vegetables from seed, recommends wise planning in taking full advantage of a community garden area. For instance, the NGB suggests that wide beds — about 3 feet across — are better than rows because you cut down on the number of paths needed, especially important in small gardens.

Vegetables need full sun and moisture, so select a site with a southern exposure and easy access to a water supply. The vegetables among the easiest to grow from seed in garden soil outdoors, the NGB says, are: beans, cucumbers, peas, radishes and summer squash.

Why wait to begin planning with your friends and neighbors? The community gardening movement has a huge volume of success stories. No doubt, its resurgence is a seed of hope in a time of global challenges when self — and community — reliance is of prime importance.

John Bruce is an editor, writer and gardener.

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TIMElines

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

2000 AFTER DECADES of legislating and litigating, rural schools in Pennsylvania in 2000 still find themselves on the outside looking in as they battle for funding reform and a fair share of state education dollars.

In 1968, Pennsylvania developed the concept of “aid ratio,” a measure of the income and property wealth within a school district that determines the amount of state assistance each district should receive. By 2000, a widening of the tax base gap among suburban, rural and urban districts left many schools with financial problems resulting in fewer educational opportunities for rural students.

Rural education providers struggle as they find themselves unable to offer their students the same level of education that is available to students attending schools in wealthier regions of the state.

In Pennsylvania, efforts to change educational funding inequities are being led by the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS), a coalition of rural and inner city school districts. PARSS officials call their objective of an equitable school funding plan “a pipe dream” for now.

In 2010, PARSS continues to promote equal opportunity for quality education for all students in every school and community in Pennsylvania, and works closely with the state legislature to ensure ongoing state funding for education. From an initial membership of 40 school districts, the organization has grown and now has nearly 200 districts as members. It offers assistance with issues related to school finance, budgeting, transportation studies, vocational education, legislative initiatives and superintendent searches.

1970 Kathleen Annette Wable, Fort Hill, Pa., is crowned Pennsylvania’s Queen Maple at the 23rd annual Maple Festival at Meyersdale in Somerset County.

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1980 Personnel from Oregon Hill Ski Area near Morris, Pa., make 7.25 million cubic feet of snow for the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

1990 Ray Nelson takes on a one-man gypsy moth eradication plan. In a one-acre patch near DuBois, he finds and disposes of 5,287 egg masses, destroying 2.6 million eggs.

COOPERATIVEconnection

Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

F R O M

T H E

M A N A G E R

Electric City EVERY YEAR, Carline

One of 14 electric cooperatives serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Somerset REC 223 Industrial Park Road P.O. Box 270 Somerset, PA 15501 814/445-4106 1-800-443-4255 Email: e-mail@somersetrec.com Website: www.somersetrec.com B O A R D O F D I R EC TO R S

President Wayne E. Sechler, District 6 Vice President James C. Brocht, District 8 Secretary/Treasurer Lowell L. Friedline, District 3 David M. Hostetler, District 1 William L. Glessner, District 2 Jerry L. Engle, District 4 Clarence B. Waltermire, District 5 Samuel W. Poorbaugh, District 7 C. Edward Burnworth, District 9 Richard S. Bauer General Manager OFFICE HOURS

Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

E M E R G E N CY O U TA G E N U M B E R

814/445-4106 1-800-443-4255

Mitchell and I venture forth to different school districts around the county to talk to students about electricity, what it does and how to stay safe around it. It is one thing to talk about it, but it brings a whole different understanding when you

by Richard S. Bauer can show it.

General Manager About nine years ago, Somerset REC purchased “Electric City,” a large tabletop display specifically designed for the cooperative with our logos and power line configurations. The special thing about this display is that it puts voltage on the tabletop power lines and we can simulate real events that involve electricity. More importantly, instead of just talking about what can happen when people, vehicles, ladders, animals or kites come in contact with electric lines, we can show the students. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a demonstration is priceless.

The cooperative has provided this presentation to Berlin, Rockwood, Windber, Shanksville, Salisbury and Meyersdale elementary schools over the past few years. We have been in firstgrade through fifth-grade classes, and we tailor the discussion to meet the students’ ages and to follow along with the teacher’s lesson plans.

Electricity is taken for granted in everyone’s lives but many people don’t understand how or why it works. My favorite part of the presentation isn’t seeing “Neon Leon” or “Lightning Liz” light

up when they come in contact with electricity, it’s explaining to the children how electricity is made, what electricity likes and dislikes, and how we make it work in the home and workplace. In everyday life, most people seem to be moving quickly, just trying to stay ahead of their commitments. It is so refreshing to sit down and have conversations with these children about electricity or any other questions that they may have. As the old saying goes, “Out of the mouth of babes comes the truth.”

It is truly amazing to me how much understanding these young students have concerning electricity. Ms. Beachley, a fourth-grade teacher at Berlin Brothersvalley Elementary School, calls on us each year when she is presenting the electric unit in her class. I feel this not only benefits the students but us as well. The kids are full of great questions and it’s refreshing to know that our future is in the hands of such bright, energetic students.

If your child or grandchild comes home and starts talking about frying a hotdog on electric lines or harnessing a bolt of lightning, please take the time to listen to his or her story. There are great lessons in there for all of us.

If you or an organization that you belong to are interested in seeing this presentation, please don’t hesitate to call the cooperative. We really enjoy putting on the demonstration and I am sure that you will take something home from it.

As always, please feel free to call, write or stop in anytime. Remember, our youth are our future and our future is in our youth. l

MARCH 2010 • PENN

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Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Planting a home vegetable garden cising; you need to start slowly or you might quickly become discouraged. If you plant a huge garden the first year, it might be overwhelming and back-breakWHEN YOU DRIVE along the rural ing, only to turn you off on gardening landscape in Somerset County, it is obvious that agriculture plays a large commer- for good. So, if you’re new to gardening, start off small. You can always expand cial role in the area. Local farmers plant later after you mastered the art of garacres and acres of corn, soy beans, potadening. toes and more. It’s always fun to see if the Choose a location that receives as corn is “knee high by the 4th of July.” much sunlight as possible throughout However, on a smaller scale, many rural residents have been planting back- the day and has good drainage. Miguel Saviroff, Somerset County Extension yard gardens for years simply to help educator, recommends getting a soil test sustain their family. Today, that’s a to determine the quality of the soil growing trend as we want to lessen our before you begin. Few garden plots start reliance on mass-produced or imported food, foster a sense of independence and their life with perfectly balanced soil save on our grocery bills during the cur- that is rich in organic matter and nutrients. More typically, a new garden plot rent economic climate. And don’t forget will have soil that isn’t optimal for growthat tomato you just plucked from the ing. Perhaps it has too much clay or vine in the garden always tastes so much better than the one you purchased sand, a high or low pH, or an unbalanced nutrient content. You can pick up from the supermarket. a test kit at the Extension Office on Glades Pike in Somerset. The cost of the kit is $9 and soil testing is best if done in the fall.

Depending on test results, you may need to treat your soil to correct any imbalances.

Living in rural America PICKING HER WAY THROUGH THE PEA PATCH: Elaine Landis, a cooperative has its benefits, member living on top of White Horse Mountain, displays her fresh crop of sugar but it also can snap peas. Elaine and her husband, John, take great pride in their garden. They pose a few make it a year-long project, from ordering the seeds to harvesting their crop. problems with So, you’re aware of the benefits of eat- gardening. Unfortunately, we have many pesky critters that may take a shine to ing fresh vegetables, and you have the your new garden. Rabbits and deer can space for a small garden, but you just be a problem. For the small garden, a don’t know where to start? For those wire mesh surround works well as it will who have never turned that first shovel discourage most critters. of dirt, look no further than these helpful tips to help you put fresh, crisp vegSeed/plantlet selection etables on your dinner table.

Next, it’s time to plant. Here’s the fun First, think small. Don’t bite off more part. You can purchase seeds from the than you can chew, or hoe. It’s like exerBy Carline Mitchell

Director of Marketing & Member Services

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LINES • MARCH 2010

store or order them through the many catalogs on the market. Whatever you do, buy quality seeds.

Miguel suggests, “Check a variety of seeds and plantlets resistant to blight, fungal disease and viruses.”

What we’re trying to do is maximize our chances of success at this endeavor, not pinch pennies.

In a small garden, you may want to avoid some of the space hogs, like corn, squash and pumpkin. If you do plant corn, remember to grow it along the north side of your garden so it doesn’t shade the rest of your crops.

Easy-to-grow crops include onions, peas, beets, lettuce and zucchini squash. These can also be planted early. Tomatoes and peppers need to be started from seed indoors about eight weeks prior to planting time, or purchased as transplants. Be sure to space things in your small garden LOST IN THE BOUNTY OF THE according to the the huge pea plants. John and instructions on the to mulch around their garden p packets. Make sure garden during the winter as co

Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

BEAUTIFUL BOUNTY

you plant your tender crops (tomatoes, squash and beans) after all danger of frost has passed. Plant seeds when the soil has warmed to around 50 degrees. You also need to consider when the last frost will be. Miguel usually uses Memorial Day as a good reference as to when to plant.

Fungal diseases After the planting is done, we need to pay close attention to the potential for diseases.

“In June, the problems start with rain,”

It’s hard to find Elaine Landis among Elaine Landis use grass clippings throughout the summer plants. In the fall, they collect leaves to pile over the ompost. They harvest carrots and beets all winter.

E LANDIS GARDEN:

Miguel notes. Warm, wet weather promotes the growth of fungal diseases, so be prepared. Common fungicides are products with chlorothalonil as the main chemical ingredient. There are also natural fungicides available. Look for products that contain the active ingredient limesulfer, copper or horticultural oil.

Beetles & bugs When we think we are home free with the fungal diseases, we need to look for bugs. Miguel notes, “At the end of June and into July, we start feeling the threat of bugs and beetles.” To help battle the bugs, look for insecticides with the main ingredient carbaril. Organic gardeners can use products containing pyrethrum, nicotine and rotenone.

Late blight Miguel makes mention of late blight — a problem local growers had last season

as late blight affected tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. Late blight, which thrives in cool, wet weather, is different from fungal diseases.

Some late blight symptoms include pale green or brown lesions on the top of the leaf that expand rapidly. On the lower surface of the leaf, a white, downy mold will appear. Eventually, the lesions begin to appear on the fruit and can enlarge until the entire fruit is covered. The disease can spread via windblown spores.

To prevent the deadly disease, make sure everything from the past growing season is dead. If gardeners compost their diseased plant material from the previous year, there could be another outbreak. Late blight cannot withstand the freezing winter temperatures, but may be able to live in the center of a warm compost pile. Preventative applications twice a week of a fungicide containing chlorothalonil during the entire production cycle may also help before late blight symptoms appear. If signs of late blight appear, quickly remove the affected leaves and increase the treatment to three to five times a week.

“Currently, there are no tomato varieties that are resistant to late blight, however local growers and home gardeners observed this past year that the Mountain Spring variety of tomatoes and also cherry and grape tomatoes were less susceptible than others,” Miguel reports.

He also encourages gardeners to fertilize midway through the production cycle with a mixture of nitrogen, phosphate and potash, water the garden in the early morning or late afternoon hours, water to absorption, not saturation, and don’t forget to keep the soil surface free of weeds.

Soon, it will be time to harvest your garden fare. To get the full health benefits of your veggies, harvest them when they are ripe and don’t overcook your vegetables. More importantly, enjoy the experience of eating fresh, crisp vegetables you grew yourself! l MARCH 2010 • PENN

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Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Change the clock, change a lightbulb!

We spring forward this year at 2 a.m. on March 14, kicking off months of extra sunlight in the evening. These extra daylight hours save electricity by allowing people to turn the lights on a little later in the evening.

This year, make those energy savings go even further. When you set your clock forward one hour, change a lightbulb in your home from an energy-wasting incandescent bulb to a compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL). That single lightbulb could pay for itself many times over in lower energy bills by next March, as CFLs offer a similar quality of light but use significantly less energy.

Daylight Saving Time offers another reminder — to change the batteries in

your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Stay safe and efficient while you enjoy the extra hour of sunlight this year.

Scholarship process under way for 2010

6-year tank warranty • 6-year parts warranty • Extra foam insulation R-20 • 3000-watt elements standard — other sizes available • Factory-installed temperature and pressure relief valve • Heat traps • Adjustable thermostats

In a continuing effort to reward outstanding college-bound high school seniors from our area, Somerset Rural Electric is again offering $1,000 scholarships. Competition is limited to the sons or daughters of Somerset REC members. The applicant must be enrolled in an accredited college or university.

This is the ninth consecutive year the cooperative has offered scholarships.

Applications are now available and will be accepted through May 3, 2010. You may download an application at www.somersetrec.com and click on the scholarship link or clip the attached request and mail it to the cooperative office.

80-gallon capacity $480 **Elements and thermostats available The water heaters are stocked at the cooperative headquarters building and are available to our membership for purchase.

They must be picked up during normal business hours.

Request a 2010 Scholarship Application

Somerset County Builders Association and Somerset County Chamber of Commerce

Name of student: Name of parent: Electric account number: Please complete coupon and mail to: Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Attention: Carline Mitchell P. O. Box 270 Somerset, PA 15501 If you have any questions, please call the cooperative office at 814/445-4106 or 800/443-4255.

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LINES • MARCH 2010

50-gallon capacity $285

MEGA show

Home & Garden, Business Expo, and Job Fair Location — former Builders Surplus building at the Lowe's Plaza north of Somerset Admission $2 and children under 12 are FREE! Saturday — March 20 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Sunday — March 21 Noon - 5 p.m.

Come visit us at the MEGA show and find out the latest information on geothermal heating and cooling.

POWERplants

by Barbara Martin

Seed starter’s maxim YOU’VE probably heard this hackneyed line of gardening wisdom: “A seed is a plant waiting to grow.” You may not have thought too much about how this came to be a gardening rule, or why its message is so valuable to us as gardeners.

Quick review: Back in the day, Mother Nature planted seeds in her garden through a low-touch, low-tech process.

Plants flowered and set fruit, the flower faded or the fruit ripened and then as it rotted, the seeds were left outdoors — either on the ground or on the plant — until the next growing season. At that point, the spring rains and returning longer days and warmer weather ensured the seed contacted the soil, enabled the seed to sprout, and then, assuming no intervening disaster struck, the next generation plant grew up all by itself!

This natural cycle of growth and decay, the steady rhythm of summer and winter, repeats endlessly in nature. So why do gardeners find it so intimidating, challenging or difficult to grow plants from seeds?

I think it’s because we try to make seed starting too complicated. We forget that each seed really is a plant primed 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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and ready to grow, if only we will set the stage and then get out of its way. And in our excitement to be starting the seeds, we may overdo it with the goodness and overdose the seeds and/or seedlings with kindness and care. Or, we forget that we have created an artificial environment for our seeds and that our care must be ongoing and sustained over a period of weeks or months.

In this artificial environment, the seedlings depend on us for all of their needs.

Let’s step back and take a quick look at home seed-starting procedures. We provide bright lighting as a substitute for the sun, water frequently as a substitute for the rain, and supply a growing medium as a substitute for the soil. The plastic cell pack, plant pot or recycled milk container substitutes for the open ground.

We also provide extra protections indoors, to give our seeds a jump on the season.

We provide a heated space and manipulate the temperature as a substitute for weather. We fertilize as a substitute for naturally occurring nutrients. For certain seeds, we provide a quick trip to the household refrigerator as a substitute for experiencing winter’s cold.

It’s fascinating how complex our stewardship can become, once we try to imitate nature and the natural growing conditions! Some gardeners get pretty involved in their seed-starting venture, providing elaborate set-ups with bot-

LINES • MARCH 2010

tom heat to warm the soil, intensive lighting to replace the full spectrum of the sun’s light, automated watering, special probes and test strips and giz-whizzes, the works!

Other gardeners take the simplest route and pop a few marigold or sunflower seeds in a paper cup, set it on the windowsill and call it a day.

Both ways can succeed, although I would recommend somewhere in the middle ground if you want consistent results from your efforts.

No matter how you go about your seed-starting routine, there is a basic sequence in the procedure: putting a seed into good contact with moist soil. Lots of light. Moderate temperatures.

Sometimes we lovingly plant the seeds outdoors one by one in a tidy row, other times we spray them wide with a rotary lawn seeder, and still other times, we sprinkle a few seeds here and there in an attempt to imitate nature’s casual “drift” planting style.

READY TO GROW: Seeds need moist soil, lots of light and moderate temperatures to grow.

Then we water or we wait for rain and we hope for sunny, mild, spring days. Either way, the common thread is a desire to facilitate plant growth, to participate in the growing cycle, to experience a real-life connection with nature.

For some of us, seed starting is a way to stay grounded; for others, growing from seed is a pleasant hobby, a diversion from day-to-day living; for a farmer, this seeding ritual is a livelihood. I believe most devoted gardeners find that seed starting, whether it is indoors or outdoors, is a life-affirming event. At its essence, seed starting is an act of optimism.

Here’s another apt gardening adage: “Gardeners are perennial optimists!” So what are you optimistic about growing this year? And what growing conditions are you optimizing to make it happen? l

Kids love to garden, and anyone can give the gifts of gardening delights and adventures to the children in their lives.

A little patience, imagination and good advice go a long way toward instilling a lifelong interest in gardening. It also helps to have a short-handled shovel, rake, trowel, a small watering can and a small wheelbarrow.

Keeping the garden fun is a must.

To avoid frustration, give a child his or her own small garden plot. Create a child-sized plot using raised beds enclosed by timbers in a sunny spot near a source of water, or use containers anywhere there is sun.

Beans, sunflowers, radishes or cherry tomatoes are recommended for young gardeners. Start plants from seed indoors using recyclable containers like egg cartons. If faster results are desired, then buy garden vegetable and flower seedlings.

You can spice up your child’s gardening adventure by planting veggies of unusual colors or sizes. Purple Queen, a bush bean, doesn’t require support. Its ripe purple beans are easy to spot at harvest time. The Easter Egg radish matures in a rainbow of red, purple and white in 30 days. Mammoth sunflowers grow up to 12 feet tall with huge flowers and edible seeds.

Here are some books to help provide gardening ideas: “Gardening with Children” by Monika Hanneman, Patricia Hulse, Brian Johnson, Barbara Kurland and Tracey Patterson and illustrated by Sam Tomasello, published by Brooklyn Botanic Garden, helps parents, teachers and community gardeners introduce gardening to kids.

“A Child’s Garden: 60 Ideas to Make Any Garden Come Alive for Children” by Molly Dannenmaier, published by Archetype Press Books, is a guide for parents wishing to create natural spaces in the garden where children can explore.

“The Vegetables We Eat” by Gail Gibbons, published by Holiday House, is a picture book detailing the eight groups of vegetables, from growing to harvesting.

John Bruce is an editor, writer and gardener.

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COUNTRYkitchen

by Janette He ss

March Madness MARCH MARKS the end of the regular collegiate basketball season and the beginning of national tournament play. March also marks the beginning of an intense period of snacking, because whenever and wherever fans gather to watch make-or-break basketball games, they expect good food! If your family and your friends count themselves among the fans of roundball, allow this month’s recipes to lead you to culinary victory.

For the pre-game meal, try oven-baked ham balls.

These tasty orbs are a winner with every crowd, but be warned: the sauce just might result in a double dribble!

For other snacks that mimic the game at hand, try Slam-Dunk Spinach Balls or Championship Cheddar Balls. Both are packed with flavor and provide easy eating while all eyes are glued to the game. The cheddar balls are so easy to prepare, they won’t send you into overtime in the kitchen. The spinach balls will let you toss in a serving of healthy greens.

So this March, don’t get called for a food foul. Instead, go for a tasty layup on your snack table. 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.

LLS BLE HAM BA DOUBLE-DRIB oked ham 1 pound ground sm und ro nd ou 1/2 pound gr rk po nd ou gr d un 1/2 po ker crumbs ac cr am 3/4 cup grah aten 1 egg, slightly be 1/2 cup milk ili sauce 2 tablespoons ch ed horseradish ar ep pr 1 teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon dry own sugar br ns 2 tablespoo parsley 1 tablespoon dried

9- by balls. Place in two nts and form into for die s re ee gr ing de all 0 x 35 mi Thoroughly pan and bake at oll lyr over jel e ge uc lar sa e e drizzle th 13-inch pans or on e oven and evenly ger. th lon m s fro te nu ve mi mo 60 Re 15 minutes. d bake 55 to an en ov e th to rn tu the meatballs. Re ed meatballs. ely 40 medium-siz Makes approximat SAUCE: substituted) ly (grape may be 1 cup red plum jel 1 cup chili sauce on juice 2 tablespoons lem r te wa ns oo 2 tablesp en before comin a microwave ov th. tly gh sli n fte so If the jelly is firm, s. Whisk until smoo maining ingredient bining with the re

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EDDAR BALLS CHAMPIONSHIP CH ddar cheese 1 cup grated sharp che ces) oun 4 ly ate xim pro (ap tened sof , ter but 4 tablespoons ur flo cup 3/4 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon salt nish olives 24 pimiento-stuffed Spa

all ingredients except . Using fingers, combine o 24 pieces. Wrap one dry pat and es oliv in Dra int Form into a log and cut ange olives into a stiff dough. y encasing the olive. Arr ghl rou tho e, oliv h eac und 24 aro gh kes Ma dou s. of ute ce min pie e at 400 degrees for 12 on a cookie sheet and bak the dough around small pieces of walnut or p wra appetizers. For variety, roasted red pepper.

SLAM-D UN

K SPINA 1 10-ounce CH BAL bo LS 5 tablespo x frozen, chopped spinach ons butte r, 1 generou s cup herb softened -seasoned 2 eggs, sl stuffing igh 1/4 cup gra tly beaten ted Parme san cheese 2 tablespo on 1/4 teaspo s diced onion on garlic sa lt 2 to 3 dro ps hot pep per sauce Thaw and dra combine a in spinach, squeezi ng out all ll ingredien ex ts may be ch illed at this and shape into 1 1/4 cess liquid. Thoroug hly - to 1 1/2-in bake at 35 point.) Arr an ch 0 serve with degrees for about 15 ge on a rimmed coo balls. (Balls k ra 20 appetize nch or honey musta minutes, or until set. ie sheet and rd dressing If rs. for dipping desired, . Makes 18 to

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OUTDOORadventures

Wild things Do giant Broad Top serpents slither in Bedford, Fayette counties?

ALTHOUGH some who’ve misread my various articles over the past 20 years or so about mountain lions in Pennsylvania would be surprised to hear it, like the X Files’ fictional FBI agent Fox Mulder, I believe the truth is out there.

And, I believe part of that truth involves mountain lions roaming the wild places of Pennsylvania, not because they’ve always been there or because they got there naturally on their own, but because there are many, many illegally held pet mountain lions in this state and an illegally held pet often becomes an escaped or released pet.

I’ve seen some of the truth out there, in the mountains of Pennsylvania: tracks that almost certainly were made by mountain lions, scat that almost certainly was deposited by mountain lions, photos and videos that sure do look like mountain lions.

I’ve talked to completely MARCUS SCHNECK , outdoors editor at The Patriot-News (Harrisburg) and outdoor blogger at www.pennlive.com, is the author of more than two dozen outdoors books and a contributor to many state and national publications. You can reach him at mschneck@comcast.net

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by Marcus Schneck

believable and reliable people with plenty of outdoor skills and abilities who insisted they have seen mountain lions.

I give you all of that not as the beginning of another “mountain lions in Pennsylvania” story, but as evidence that I am no newbie to the realm of cryptozoology in the Keystone State. I’ve been following the search for hidden animals, which is the definition of cryptozoology, for a good number of years.

With that in mind, you might be able to share my surprise at learning about an additional cryptid, which is the word for one of those hidden animals, thought to be out there, in Pennsylvania.

Chad Arment, who runs Coachwhip Publications, a Lancaster County publishing company producing cryptozoology and other books by Arment and others, told me about the Broad Top serpents, which are said to be giant snakes in an area of Bedford and Fayette counties.

He said the best evidence he’s come across was a report from a woman who claimed to have seen one of the giant snakes along a country road in the Broad Top area.

“I don’t like the idea of speculation without having an actual body or other physical evidence,” Arment commented, but noted there is a genus of large pine snakes that today is found in isolated pockets across the country, and their overall range more than likely once included Pennsylvania. Maybe there’s a pocket in the Broad Top area.

That’s the great thing about

LINES • MARCH 2010

cryptozoology. You never get to the end of it. There’s always something more. If someone proves that there are wild mountain lions in Pennsylvania, then there might be these giant snakes in Bedford and Fayette counties. And, if someone proves the existence of those giant snakes, then there’s this other undocumented species somewhere else in the state.

Arment doesn’t even think of the eastern mountain lion, which would be the native species in Pennsylvania if it still existed here, as a cryptid.

He said it’s a recognized species that just may or may not be extinct.

CRYPTIC: It would be wrong to assume

there are no mountain lions in the state, because pets can — and do — escape or face release into the wild.

“More cryptozoological,” he explained, “would be the black panther stories,” of which there are many in Pennsylvania, as well as reports of a long-tailed, bobcat-like feline in Pennsylvania that has not been named in the scientific literature.

You see? In cryptozoology there is always a new truth out there, somewhere. I like to think it might be here in Pennsylvania. The possibility makes our wild things and wild places just a touch wilder. l

SMARTcircuits

by James Dulley

Dress up your home — and cut energy costs — with landscaping PEOPLE tend to appreciate landscaping for its aesthetic value, but landscaping also impacts the energy efficiency of your house. From an overall environmental standpoint, good landscape design also minimizes the need for mowing and other lawn care.

Wise landscaping can also reduce the need for watering. Even if there’s adequate water available, it takes large amounts of energy at municipal waterworks facilities to process and pump domestic water.

Proper landscaping includes the use of ground cover, dwarf and full-size shrubs, climbing vines and trees. Ground cover is typically some type of plant, grass or gravel. The selection you make depends on your climate and specific house.

In general, try to use low-growing ground cover plants or gravel instead of grass. Other than some unique types of grass, most common species of grass require maintenance. Grass is still the best choice for areas of your yard where children play or pets roam, but try to keep it to a minimum.

In all but the most humid climates, placing low-growing ground cover plants near your house helps keep it cool during summer. The leaves block the sun's heat from being absorbed into the ground, and they give off moisture. This evaporation of water from the leaves, called transpiration, cools air near the home.

In hot, humid climates, gravel that is shaded from the sun can be more effective than ground cover plants. Using gravel also eliminates the need for watering, but it may increase the air temperature around your house. The thermal mass of the gravel stores the afternoon sun’s heat, causing the heating effect to

last into the evening. Though not helpful during summer, gravel provides an advantage during winter.

When selecting ground cover plants, consider their mature size, water needs, propagation, foliage density, etc. To minimize the watering requirements, group the plant types based on their watering needs.

Dwarf shrubs are ideal for energyefficient landscaping because they remain small at maturity (2 to 3 feet high). Plant some near the house foundation and some further away for windbreak ramps. Since they stay small, they require little care and little watering.

In addition, dwarf shrubs can cut your utility bills year-round. The sill plate, the bottom frame along a home’s foundation, remains one of the greatest air infiltration pathways into many houses. Planting dwarf shrubs near the house, especially evergreen varieties, can block the force of cold winter winds and reduce the amount of air leaking in.

As a windbreak ramp, dwarf shrubs can be planted to the northwest side of taller shrubs and trees. These smaller plants begin directing the cold winds upward toward the tops of taller trees.

The upward wind path continues over the top of your house.

Planting climbing vines on a trellis can create effective shading to reduce the heat buildup on a wall during summer.

In most climates, locate the trellis close to the house to also take advantage of transpiration cooling. In humid climates, locate the trellis a little further away from the wall. This allows the air flow to carry the moisture away, but still provides good wall shading.

Climbing vines are often more effective than trees for shade because you can target specific windows and areas of your house where heat produces the greatest problem. Deciduous vines that lose their leaves during winter are best so the winter sun still reaches the house.

Trees have perhaps the greatest impact on your utility bills. The actual landscaping details vary for different climates, but some general concepts apply to all. Evergreen trees are effective for the northwest across to the northeast side of a house to block the winter winds. During winter, the sun does not shine from those sides.

Deciduous trees planted on the other sides provide summer shade, but allow the winter sun through. You may want to leave a small gap to the southwest to allow summer breezes to reach your home. l is a nationally syndicated energy management expert. You can reach him at James Dulley, c/o Penn Lines, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244.

JAMES DULLEY

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PENNLINESclassified HERE’S MY AD: Yes, I want my message to go into more than 166,400 households in rural Pennsylvania. I have counted _________ words in this ad. (FOR ADS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, ADD 20 PERCENT TO TOTAL COST.)

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Additional words: _____________________________________________________ (use separate sheet if needed) NOTE: You must pay for special heading requests, even if the heading is currently appearing in Penn Lines.

Only the following qualify as free headings. Please check your selection: 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. FOR SPECIAL HEADINGS NOT LISTED: Indicate special heading you would like, and add $5 for co-op members, $10 for non-members. Insertion of classified ad in Penn Lines serves as proof of publication; no proofs are furnished.

SEND THIS FORM (or a sheet containing the above information) to Penn Lines Classifieds, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108.

FOR INFORMATION ONLY Telephone: 717/233-5704. NO classified ads will be accepted by phone.

ATTN: Checks/money orders should be made payable to PREA/Penn Lines.

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May 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . March 18 June 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . April 19 July 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 17 All ads must be received by the specified dates to be included in the corresponding month’s issue. Ads received beyond the deadline dates will automatically be included in the next available issue. Written notice of changes or cancellations must be received prior to the first of the month preceding the month of issue.

For information about display rates, continuous ads, or specialized headings, contact Vonnie Kloss at 717/233-5704, the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES RECESSION PROOF BUSINESS — Our top appraisers earn over $100,000/year appraising livestock and equipment.

Agricultural background required. Classroom or Home Study courses available. 800/488-7570. www.amagappraisers.com.

FENCING

AROUND THE HOUSE

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

“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.

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 800/497-9793.

OUTSIDE WOOD HEATER - $1,595. Forced air system. Rated 100K BTU. Heats up to 2,400 square feet. Houses, mobiles or shops. Low-cost shipping. Easy install. 417/581-7755 Missouri. www.heatbywood.com.

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: 814/749-6116.

BUY STOCK in Coudersport Mercantile! $500/share. Main Street over Wall Street. Invest in our downtown. Communityowned clothing store plans August opening. Prospectus: coudymerc@gmail.com. Phone 814/848-7944 or email wshirk@pennswoods.net.

ROOF KILLING YOU? Instant Renew Roof Coating (sm) saves replacement cost — metal, rubber, flat. Hotels, schools, factories, offices, trailers. Winter/summer don’t miss out, addon or new start. Business Mfg. Direct Aztec 573/489-9346.

CHARTER BOAT FISHING

SALES AND SERVICE — Specializing in above average running antique pocket watches. Call for free watch list. All include six-month guarantee. World-wide mail order watch repair since 1971. Coyote Ricotta. PA 814/342-3709, 9:30-5.

CHARTERS of six people or less. Fish the Delaware Bay or Atlantic Ocean from Lewes, Delaware for sea bass, drum, flounder, stripers, tuna, taug, sharks, etc. Questions, rates, available dates call 302/645-2431 or 717/872-5406.

BUILDING SUPPLIES CHURCH LIFT SYSTEMS STEEL ROOFING AND SIDING. Discount Prices. Corrugated sheets (cut to length) 52¢ per square foot. Also seconds, heavy gauges, odd lots, etc. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania. 814/398-4052.

METAL BUILDINGS — 24 x 40 x 8, $9,900 installed. 30 x 40 x 8, $11,900 installed. Includes one walk door and one garage door. All sizes available. 800/464-3333. www.factorysteelbuildings.com.

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

BUILDING STONE — All sizes, all loose. You load, you haul. $65 ton or make offer. Phone 814/849-8641.

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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. 724/348-7414 or 814/926-3622.

CONSULTING FORESTRY SERVICES 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.

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. 814/867-7052.

FREE Fence Guide/Catalog – High-tensile fence, horse fence, rotational grazing, twine, wire, electric netting – cattle, deer, garden, poultry. Kencove Farm Fence Supplies: 800/5362683. www.kencove.com.

GIFT AND CRAFT IDEAS “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. TURKEY HUNTERS — Build your own box or slate. Kits, $21 including S&H. Also finished calls, box or slate, $29. To order call Joe Spicer 410/734-6628. Trace Creek Calls.

HANDCRAFTED FURNITURE COUNTRY CRAFTED bentwood oak/hickory rockers. Swings, gliders, double rockers, coffee/end tables, bar stools, kitchen sets, cedar log outdoor furniture, log bedrooms, SPECIAL queen log bed, $599. 814/733-9116. www.zimmermanenterprise.com.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION 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 IMMUNE-26 today! It’s safe, affordable, and it works.

Call 800/557-8477: ID#528390. 90-day money back on first time orders. When ordering from Web, use Option #3. www.mylegacyforlife.net/believeit.

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.

PENNLINESclassified INFRARED SAUNAS

P2000 INSULATION SYSTEM

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

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. 814/443-3115.

Out of 20,000 homes, Energy Star found this one to be the most energy efficient home ever tested in PA, NJ, NY & DE. Stops cold, heat, wind and moisture. Vapor barrier and sheathing all in one. Residential - Commercial – Hobby - Shops – Farms – Pole Buildings. Burkenhaus Distribution Center, Thomasville, PA. 717/801-0013. JoeBurkeyp2000@comcast.net or visit www.P2000insulation.com.

SHARPENING. Carbide saw blades, scissors, knives, wood chisels and tools. Arius Eickert Certified to sharpen beauty shears. Scissor sales and service. Call 814/267-5061 or see us at www.theScissorGuy.net.

LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL – SALES – SERVICE – PARTS. Compact Loaders & Attachments, Mowers, Chainsaws, Tillers, etc. We sell BCS, Boxer, Dixon, Ferris, Hustler, Grasshopper, Shindaiwa and more. HARRINGTON’S, Taneytown, MD. 410/756-2506. www.harringtonsservicecenter.com.

LIVESTOCK AND PETS GERMAN SHEPHERD puppies $900-$1,500. Young Adult $800 and Adult dogs $500 from imported blood lines. 814/967-2159.

Email:rick@petrusohaus.com Web: www.petrusohaus.com.

GYPSY VANNER YEARLING FILLY $9,000. Black blagdon.

Approximate 15.1 hands at maturity. Very calm. Great temperament. Jennerstown area. 814/629-5652 daytime.

Email aprilt@floodcity.net.

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 814/696-1379. www.villagerestorations.com.

MAPLE SYRUP STEVEN’S PURE Maple Syrup, Liberty, Pa. Plastic from 3.4 ounces to gallons. Glass containers for gifts and collectors.

Maple Sugar, Maple Cream, Maple Candy, Maple Bar-B-Que Sauce, Maple Salad Dressing, and Gift Baskets for any occasion made to order. Wholesale or retail prices. NEW Number: 570/324-2014 or email: buymaple@epix.net.

MISCELLANEOUS BECOME AN ORDAINED MINISTER, Correspondence study. The harvest truly is great, the laborers are few, Luke 10:2. Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, 7549 West Cactus Road, #104-207, Peoria, AZ 85381. www.ordination.org.

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).

NURSERY AND GARDEN TREE-SHRUB SEEDLINGS — Wholesale Prices. Beautify Property. Make Money Growing Christmas Trees, Ornamentals, Nut Trees, Timber. Plants for Landscaping. Windbreaks, Noise Barriers, Wildlife Food-Cover. Easy Instructions Guaranteed.

FREE Color Catalog. Carino Nurseries, P. O. Box 538PL, Indiana, PA 15701. 800/223-7075. www.carinonurseries.com.

ARBORVITAES — 3-4’ - $18. Quantity discounts available. W. W. Nurseries, Stable Road between Clymer and Indiana. Also over 370 varieties of Rhododendrons and Azaleas. 724/349-5653. www.wwnurseries.com.

Abnormal neighbors? The tree planting specialists at ZEKE WILSON’S Landscaping and Nursery can help with installation of privacy screens, commercial buffers, wind breaks, entrances, etc. Beautiful evergreens to meet every budget.

724/388-9897.

OUTDOOR WOOD FURNACE HAWKEN ENERGY Outdoor Wood Furnace. 20-Year Warranty.

Total Heating Solution — Home, Business, Hot Water, Workshops, Pools, Greenhouse. Time Tested — Proven Furnace Design. Financing Available. Contact: Natcher Drilling, Inc. 814/472-6636.

TRACTOR PARTS – REPAIR/RESTORATION

REAL ESTATE

ARTHURS TRACTORS, specializing in vintage Ford tractors, 30years experience, on-line parts catalog/prices, shipped via UPS. Contact us at 877/254-FORD (3673) or www.arthurstractors.com.

RAYSTOWN LAKE — $375,000, 35 acres, build-ready, mountaintop vista, close to boat launch. Call 814/599-0790.

TREE TRIMMING/REMOVAL

HUNTING PARADISE! 81 Acres includes: 30 tillable acres, 51 wooded acres, a 16 x 24 hunting cabin, frontage on two roads and adjoins hundreds of gameland acres. Lease income, OGM rights and gorgeous view included. Canadohta Lake area, Crawford County. $249,000. Call 814/881-2751.

N.E. FLORIDA building lots with owner financing. Invest in your future. Lots as low as $5,900. Have use of large lake and state forest. Owner 717/532-4882. Manager 386/659-1718.

HUNTINGDON COUNTY GETAWAY — Twenty minutes State College, Huntingdon, minutes to Whipples Dam State Park, Greenwood Furnace, Lake Perez – Hunting, fishing, swimming, boating – 50’ Trailer, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, bath, living room, enclosed porch, fully furnished, well, septic, one acre (wooded). Call 814/944-4482.

MONTROSE — 40 ACRES + HOME – “Negotiable Gas Lease,” three bedroom, three baths, eat-in kitchen, dining room, 2 1/2 car garage w/ two-story loft above, full ceiling height for extra rooms, huge basement, deck, family room, sun room, 58’ storage building. $399,000. Call 973/579-1636.

GENTLEMAN’S FARM — 64 acres, 20 minutes from State College and Huntingdon. 3,200 square foot home with two barns, 60 acres of fencing, two streams, great views, boarders Rothrock State Forest. $675,000. 814/667-3666.

BRADFORD COUNTY: 0.72 acre lot with 12 x 65 two-bedroom mobile home, move-in condition; all interior newly painted, new Berber carpet throughout; 12 x 24 deck, 10 x 10 storage shed, shale driveway; approximately 1.4 mile to Route 154 and State Game lands; winter road maintenance, mail delivery; gas lease transfers. $55,000. 570/673-8961.

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. SAWMILLS

TOM’S TREE SERVICE – Tree Trimming/Removal – Storm Cleanup – Stump Grinding – Land Clearing – Bucket Truck and Chipper – Fully Insured – Free Estimates – Call 24/7 – 814/4483052 – 814/627-0550 – 26 Years Experience.

VACATIONS AND CAMPSITES VACATION PROPERTY — For rent ocean front condo, Myrtle Beach, SC. Excellent condition. Close to major attractions.

Booking for 2010. Please call 814/425-2425 or visit www.oceanfrontmyrtlebcondo.com.

FLORIDA VILLAGES — Two bedroom, two bath, two bikes. Fully furnished. One hour from Disney World. Rent two week minimum or monthly, $2,300 (January-March). Call 716/5360104. Great entertainment. Dancing nightly.

BUNKYS CAMPGROUND and Cabin Rentals located on Juniata River. New cabins and RV hook-ups. Kayaking, canoeing, tubing adventures. Excellent fishing, hunting all year. Contact Larry 814/539-6982 or www.bunkyscampground.com.

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.

WANTED TO BUY WANTED STANDING TIMBER — Excellent veneer markets and saw log markets. Call 814/438-1063.

WORK CLOTHES GOOD CLEAN RENTAL-type work clothes, 6 pants & 6 shirts to match, $39.95. Men’s jeans – 5 pairs, $25. Lined work jackets, $9.95.

Walt's Wholesale 800/233-1853 or www.usedworkclothing.com.

CLUSTER FLY & LADY BUG CONTROL Cluster Fly, Lady Bug, Boxelder Bug, Spiders, Crickets

One Price. One Treatment.

Five Results!® GUARANTEED SERVICE

1-800-726-0537 www.ClusterFlyControl.com

USED PORTABLE Sawmills and COMMERCIAL Sawmill Equipment! Buy/Sell. Call Sawmill Exchange 800/459-2148.

USA and Canada. www.sawmillexchange.com.

SHAKLEE 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.shaklee.net/sbarton.

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.settlementpostbeam.com or contact us at cggksick@epix.net.

See what a difference it makes…

Advertise in Penn Lines Classifieds MARCH 2010 • PENN

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PUNCHlines

Thoughts from Earl Pitts, UHMERIKUN! Earl says, ‘Stress?

What stress?’

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

GARY BURBANK , 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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Now here’s more proof that kids today are a bunch a’ sissified, worthless, leech losers. A new study by your mental health-care professionals — shrinks, quacks an’ what-not — finds that high school an’ college students in 2010 got five times the stress an’ anxiety a’ young people back in the 1930s.

Yeah! Like these are really stressful times. Livin’ with your parents ‘til you’re 30. Mommy an’ daddy clothin’ you, feedin’ you, puttin’ gas in your car, cleanin’ up after you. Payin’ for your college an’ health insurance. I just can’t imagine how such pampered freeloaders live with that kind a’ stress! It’s a wonder more don’t just wig out.

You see, back in the 1930s, when you graduated from high school (more like IF you graduated from high school) your graduation gift was 25 percent national unemployment an’ a stick with a bandana! Your first job away from home was probably as a hobo! An’ your first set a’ wheels was under a boxcar!

A’ course, back then folks didn’t have to worry ’bout what app to put on their iPhone, what video game to play or what sorority to join. No, the only worry they had was where their next meal would come from! An’ if democracy would succumb to world fascism. Yes, those were the good ol’ days.

Now, I wasn’t alive in the 1930s, but I had a lot more stress growin’ up in the 1970s than any American youngster I know. The day I graduated from high school, my daddy shook my hand, pointed to my rusted-out Ford Pinto an’ said, “I hope you got a place to live.”

Then that night my future wife, Pearl, announced, “I hope you make enough to support a family.” An’ with the good ol’ U.S. a’ A. copin’ with the triple whammy a’ double digit unemployment, inflation, an’ interest rates as well as a never-endin’ oil crisis, it appeared democracy may succumb to world communism or be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust.

Can the average kid who’s not patri-

otically serving our country battling evil-doers top that?

Wake up, America! Yeah, kids today feel stress. But not because anything’s really stressful. They’re just a bunch a’ pantywaist crybabies who flip out when they drive out a’ cell phone coverage or have to hook up their computers to a DSL line instead a’ cable broadband. Can the demise a’ our onct great nation be far behind?

Here’s a surefire way a’ tellin’ if you’re gettin’ old. When all print starts to look like fine print.

Yeah, this is what happened. Ol’ Mosley stopped by the Pitts estate last night. Now, Mosley is a real wild man. But last night he wasn’t his usual belligerent self — in fact, he was kind a’ pathetic. Said he had a cold an’ had bought some cold pills. But he can’t read the back a’ the pill box.

So he handed me the container an’ asked if I could read the instructions on the back. Now, I could read it — if Mosley held it an’ I walked over to the other side a’ the room. So I moved ’bout 6 feet back an’ told him to hold the box up close to the light, an’ tilt it a little. Sure enough, I could see the instructions as plain as day. I told him to take two pills every four hours with a glass a’ water.

An’ then I started to thinkin.’ What happened to my eyes? Did you ever watch one a’ ’em animal shows where an eagle can see a mouse hiccup in a field two miles away? Well, that used to be me. My eyeballs worked so good I probably was close to X-ray vision. I could count the toes on a gnat.

Then one day I woke up an’ I couldn’t read anything. Just like that! It seems like your eyeballs give out right ’bout the same age you begin readin’ a lot a’ small stuff.

Mostly on medicine, menus, the back a’ Rice-a-Roni packages an’ magazine articles.

Wake up, America! When you get to be my age, it’s all fine print. My doctor says I need glasses. What I really need is longer arms.

I’m Earl Pitts, Uhmerikan. l

RURALreflections Spring is just around the corner MARCH HAS two personalities — there are cold and snowy days, but there also are days when you can see spring really is on the way as lightning flashes, thunder booms and flowers begin to peep out of the earth.

March also means the 2010 “Rural Reflections” photo contest is under way. Five photographers will be named winners of our $75 year-end prizes in the categories of: most artistic, best landscape, best human subject, best animal subject and editor’s choice.

To participate, send your snapshots (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 is to affix an address label to the back of the photo. Please do not use ink gel or roller pens to write on the photo as they bleed onto other photos.)

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. Please note: photos postmarked after Jan. 1, 2010, will not be returned unless a self-addressed, selfstamped envelope is included with the photo. l

Paul Fedornak REA Energy

Janet Bowman Somerset REC

Ellen Dziedzicki Valley REC

Anne Hoehn Tri-County REC

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Advertisement

Amish Gardening Secrets (Special) Research studies have proven that gardeners cope better with stress and tension - a key factor in achieving and maintaining good health.

And now the special gardening secrets that the Amish use to produce huge tomato plants and bountiful harvests can be yours in Amish Gardening Secrets by Marcy D. Nicholas.

This BIG collection contains over 800 gardening hints, suggestions, time savers and tonics that have been passed down over the years in Amish communities and elsewhere.

The largest Amish settlement in the world is located in Northeastern Ohio in Holmes County. One in every 6 Amish live in Holmes County or the surrounding area totaling approximately 30,000 residents.

The second largest community is also the oldest and most famous. It is in Lancaster county in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The other two large settlements are in the northern Indiana counties of Elkhart and LaGrange and east of Cleveland, Ohio in Geauga county.

The silhouette of a horse and buggy is the image usually seen on billboards, signs and tourist ads in Amish country.

It is an important outer symbol reflecting the distinctive lifestyle and religious values of the Amish.

The Amish are intriguing to the modern world not only because of the horse and buggies, but also because of the quaint clothes they wear, the remarkable handmade quilts and hearty food that they’re known for and the simple way they live their lives.

These people consciously seek to live in a way that honors God. They choose to live close to the land without conveniences.

One in three Amish men make their living from agriculture. Gardening is the responsibility of women and small children while men and boys do the field work. During planting and harvesting, the whole family works together.

There’s something for everyone in Amish Gardening Secrets. From the master gardener to the hardlyeven-a-green-thumber, this 800 plus collection can be yours for you to tinker with and enjoy.

You’ll learn how to use: Walnuts to banish the smell of cooking cabbage Grapefruits to keep apples fresh Spaghetti to liven up your plants Bananas to make your roses blossom Oranges to get rid of ants Pantihose to help your cantaloupe grow As well as how to: Make a homemade fertilizer to give your plants a boost Improve your compost pile Control weeds - with no effort Get rid of bugs safely & naturally Tips for your butterfly garden Top eighteen Amish gardening methods Grow the biggest & tastiest tomatoes Suggestions for a beautiful herb garden Ways your garden can make you

beautiful - remedies for acne, age spots, dandruff, wrinkles & more Garden remedies for your home by decorating, deodorizing, & beautifying First aid from your garden - how your plants can make you healthy And MUCH, MUCH MORE! Get your copy of Amish Gardening Secrets for only $12.95 plus $3.98 shipping and handling (Total of $16.93, OH residents please add 6.5% sales tax). Write “Gardening Preview” on a piece of paper and mail it along with your check or money order payable to: James Direct Inc. Dept. GB283 500 S. Prospect Ave., Box 980 Hartville, Ohio 44632 You can charge to your Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express by mail. Be sure to include your card number, expiration date and signature.

Want to save even more? Do a favor for a relative or close friend and order two books for only $20 postpaid!

Remember, it’s not available in bookstores and you’re protected by our 90-day money back guarantee. If you aren’t 100% satisfied, simply return it for a full refund, no questions asked.

SPECIAL BONUS: Act promptly and you will also receive a copy of the handy booklet “Anti Aging Tips” absolutely FREE. Even if you return the book, it is yours to keep with no obligation.

Act now as supplies are limited.

Orders are fulfilled on a first come, ©2010 JDI GB117S05 first served basis. http://www.jamesdirect.com

H

ard-working farmers for over 50 years have relied on a tough tractor—Farmall— Red Power. As the advertising proclaimed, they were “Time Proved for Improving Farming.”

Now, in tribute to these famous tractors, we’ve created a jewelry exclusive that’s not only attractive but tough enough to stand the test of time. It’s the “Farmall Pride Men’s Watch”— a collectible watch you’ll be proud to wear!

FARMALL PRIDE MEN’S WATCH

Exclusive Design …

Extraordinary Craftsmanship ...

And Officially Licensed Precision hand-crafted , the “Farmall Pride Men’s Watch” is loaded with features and dramatic styling. The bracelet style watch has a highly polished silver-tone finish that features a bold black bezel with markers at every 5 minutes. Standing out against the watch dial is the famous Farmall Model M tractor.

Etched on the reverse side is a United States map with the American Flag, and the motto that says it all ... “Farmall Pride.”

© 2009 CNH America LLC

(Shown actual size)

RESERVATION APPLICATION

LIMITED-TIME OFFER Reservations will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.

Respond as soon as possible to reserve your watch.

9345 Milwaukee Ave., Niles, Il 60714-1393

Dependable ... Affordable Precision quartz movement and an adjustable clasp make this watch extremely dependable and comfortable to wear.

It’s water resistant to a depth of 99 ft., and protected by our unconditional 120-day guarantee as well as a full one-year limited warranty. It’s a superb value as well at just $99*, payable in 3 convenient monthly installments of $33.

To reserve yours, send no money ... just send in your Reservation Application today!

YES. Please reserve the “Farmall Pride Men’s Watch” for me as described in this announcement.

Signature Mrs. Mr. Ms. Name (Please Print Clearly)

Address City

www.bradfordexchange.com/farm

*Plus $9.98 shipping and service per item.

Please allow 4-6 weeks after initial payment for shipment of your jewelry item. Sales subject to product availability and order acceptance.

©2009 BGE 01-09003-001-BIU

State

Zip

01-09003-001-E66101

2 !

1/ ICE PR

WE’LL SEND YOU ONE

FREE TREE! Introducing the Fastest Growing Quality Shade Tree to America!

SCREEN VARIETY

HYBRID POPLARS Hardy, fast growing poplar!

When you need shade in a hurry, we suggest the fast-growing Hybrid Poplar. It has a handsome shape and will actually shade a ranch-type home in just 3-5 years! We haven’t found any tree that grows like it. It has a spread of 30-35′ and in just a few years, at maturity, it reaches 50-60′. It normally lives 30-50 years. It is wind, disease and insect-resistant — it can take the cold as far north as Canada. This is not the short-lived Lombardy Poplar. Best use is to provide beauty and quick, cool shade for new homes. Plant Hybrid Poplars for screening! The screen variety makes an ideal privacy hedge. It has a width of about 10′ and grows to a dense screen usually in 3 years. Plant for quick windbreaks on farms and for living snow fences. We ship strong, 2-4′ trees.

SAVE UP TO 60% on Large Quantity Orders!

N5246 Shade Variety Tree N5247 Screen Variety Tree 2 for $6.95 NOW 2 for $3.47

SHADE VARIETY

(minimum order)

5 for $15.95 10 for $29.95 20 for $57.95 40 for $109.75

NOW 5 for $7.97 NOW 10 for $14.97 NOW 20 for $28.97 NOW 40 for $54.87

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE TREE Simply send us an order (any size) for Hybrid Poplars and we will send you an additional fast growing Hybrid Poplar Tree free of charge. You must indicate your FREE TREE on the order form and also include variety — either shade or screen. No other nursery products included in this FREE TREE offer.

ONE YEAR GUARANTEE If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a 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.

FOUR SEASONS NURSERY 1706 Morrissey Drive DEPT. 949-5066 Bloomington, Illinois 61704 Name _________________________________

CANBY THORNLESS

RASPBERRY Easy to pick — no thorns!

An extra large, bright red berry that’s superior in appearance and taste. Produces abundant crops of delicious berries that are easy to pick because there are no thorns. Bears in mid-season. Tops for freezing and desserts. Grows 4-6′ tall.

Plant 3-5′ apart in full to partial sun. Zones 5-8.

N6539 3 for $8.99 6 for $16.99

DARROW BLACKBERRY Large, sweet berries!

(Rubus) A vigorous grower, it starts to bear mid-summer and continues until fall. Berries are large and sweet, wonderful fresh, canned or frozen. Grow 4-7′ tall. One year old number one plants. Zones 4-9.

N6151 5 for $9.99 10 for $18.49 15 for $25.99

Address _______________________________ City ______________State _______________ Zip _______________Phone (xx ______________ ) Email _________________________________ PLEASE SEND ITEMS CHECKED BELOW:

FREE TREE N5246 SHADE

(Plant Screen trees 9′ apart.) One Hybrid Poplar Tree sent at no charge when you send us a paid order (any size) for Hybrid Poplars below. Only one FREE tree per customer.

HOW MANY ITEM # N5246 N5247 N6151 N6214 N6539 N6607

QUINAULT EVERBEARING

STRAWBERRY Extra Large Everbearing Strawberries!

Delicious as they are big! A firm, deep red berry, they make fancy desserts. Excellent for preserves, freezing and eating fresh, too. When planted in April the Quinault produces July through September — right up until frost.

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

HARDY PECANS Big crops of delicious nuts!

(Carya illinoinensis) A beautiful 40-75′ shade tree that bears an abundant crop of sweet, rich flavored hard shell nuts in fall. Practically immune to insects. Plant two trees for good pollination. Zones 5-9. We send 1-3′ trees. Sorry, cannot be shipped to Arizona, California or Washington.

N6214 2 for $9.99 4 for $16.99 6 for $23.00

N5247 SCREEN

(Indicate variety)

DESCRIPTION

COST

SHADE HYBRID POPLAR SCREEN HYBRID POPLAR DARROW BLACKBERRY HARDY PECANS THORNLESS RASPBERRY QUINAULT STRAWBERRY

2.95 Packing & Processing $______ SUBTOTAL $______ IL Residents add 6.25% Sales Tax $______ MN Residents add 6.875% Sales Tax $______ TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED OR CHARGED $______

Check or Money Order enclosed.

Mastercard VISA

Credit Card #: _________________________ Expiration Date: _______________________ Signature: ____________________________

Order on-line at www.4SeasonsNurseries.com/quickorder.asp