Silly Duck!

HAH!! After last night's episode of near freezing, the duck spent the night in the barn atop the hay bales.She peered thru the bars of the sheep stall and checked out the sheep , then settled down next to a chicken for a cozy night's sleep.The next morning, Ed went out to feed the barn people.He found the duck in a hilarious predicament.Baling rope was looped and dangling from a pole.Of course Miss Duck had to stick her head thru it, then her wings.When he entered the barn, there she dangled like a marionette.The duck puppet!
Then, back out to the snow and the pond with her little duck family!

You NEVER know what a day will bring~~

Especially on a farm. I NEVER expected to be wading almost waist deep in my pond, smashing thru ice with a log.One of my Indian Runner ducks was not able to manage the fine art of ice skating.Instead, her belly bonded with the ice as she desperately tried to paddle her way off with webbed feet.Ducks love to swim, even in frigid weather.They run the risk of having their feet iced into a pond or lake or their toes frostbitten.Fortunately,this gal's troubles were brought to my attention just before dark.I grabbed my hip high fishing boots and turned the vacuum on~~~ WHY???? Spiders and mouse nests claimed Squatter's Rights.Once they were successfully sucked free of every fiber,web and dirt I pulled them on and UP,snapped the strap onto my belt runner on my dungarees and made a quick headway for the pond.It was iced over.The springs stay at about 55F. all year and keep that one small entry way free of ice, but the main body of pond freezes.It was getting dark and she flapped her wings helplessly on her icy bed beneath her belly.I smashed the ice with the heel of my boot until I was beyond knee deep.Then I used a log to smash my way thru.The smashings frightened the duck and she flapped her wings and pushed her feet away from me further across the ice.A grass rake was the answer (my husband's good idea!)and she was pulled to safety.She hobbled across the yard but appeared to have a limp,so once she hid under a bush I wisked her up under my arm and into the house next to the woodfire.My grandchildren named her STEVE.Since all the Indian Runners look the same, I shall call them ALL Steve.Anyway, Steve was quite content in the house, leapt off my lap and hid behind the wood stove.It was the most pleasant hour she spent since winter began! Warm and toasty! She wagged her tail the entire time she hid in that corner.Once a 'ducksplat' hit the floor, she was OUTTA HERE ! Into the barn atop the hay bales with the chickens.Not a bad deal for one night! (:>

Christmas Memories and the Attic

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of 'The Attic'.Helping my mother search for Christmas decorations and Lionel trains (still in their original orange boxes).Bubble Lights and colored glass ornaments were hidden back under the eaves of the roof beams. A stream of light lit the way from the small attic windows on either end of the house and snow dusted the ground below as we glanced thru the old windows.From that height, we could see the NYC skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The Empire State Bldg was the attraction that stood out.The World Trade Center & Verrazanno Bridge were not yet built or even thought of in those days.It was doggone cold up there! The floor creaked underfoot since cheaper grades of plywood were used as flooring.Initially , there was no flooring, just beams, until my dad laid some down.Some of my mother's toys, from her own childhood,were stashed away up there under the eaves over the doorway.A metal green and cream colored kitchen set- I think it was a stove or sink.A red wooden doll crib and a weathered colored wicker doll carriage.As we descended the stairs, she cautioned me to "Be careful of that bottle of turpentine" in the long necked glass bottle on the side of the stairway.The attic stairway let out into my bedroom.I was happy because we were decorating for CHRISTMAS!!
"I Remember Mama", was a soap opera on TV at that time.'Papa' took the children out to the barn, in back of the house, to hear the animals talk the second the clock struck 12:00 midnight on Christmas morn.The children of that household hid amongst the haybales until it was midnight and the animals would talk.While that played on TV,my mom rolled out cookie dough that my brothers and I would cut out with cookie cutters.The three of us got a bath in the tub, then my mom curled my hair in these pink plastic things, set us on the couch to watch 'Lassie' with Tommie Reddick & Gramps and peel oranges on a towel just before we were scooted off to bed.Then my dad would set up the trains. Setting up trains was always a pain in the neck and still is. They just won't cooperate!!(I was 6 weeks old when my father bought me my first set of Lionels.You KNOW I needed them then! I still have the engine, but none of the rest of the set.)
The attic I have now is very similar in size and design.I love it because I can shove all kinds of junk up there.Christmas decorations with all its boxes of ornaments,tree trimmings and decorative junk, trains and all of the boxes of accessories,village paraphenalia;Easter baskets;Thanksgiving decorations;Hunting clothes and archery stuff;picture albums,etc,etc.
If you know me, you've already realized I'm a hopeless sentamentalist. I probably have every card my children and grandchildren have ever sent or, especially, made for me.I still have the Christmas Card sent to me by my cousin Bobby ~my first Christmas back in 1949.It has roosted atop all my Christmas trees until this day.I've taken my children and grandchildren's school pictures and placed them into little picture frames to hang upon the tree this year.They stand next to ornaments from WWII, when hooks were made of paper (to conserve metal),and ornaments from my childhood that haven't yet bit the dust.It seems that every year, an ornament or two accidentally falls and smashes to the floor."OH NUTS !! NOT THAT ONE!!" You know the feeling.
I came across some of my mother's keepsakes in the attic as I brought down Christmas decorations.A handful of cards for various occasions were loosely flopping around in an old white plastic bag stuffed in a dusty box,hanging on for dear life.I came across several of her bridal shower cards from her Jersey City Medical Center nursing schoolmates Dec 15th,1948.Her wedding date was New Years Day, 1949. Then I came across this Christmas Card!! It was from my father to her on their First Christmas together, Dec 1949. They had a lot to celebrate!! ME !! Their first Christmas together and a new baby!! (I was born on Nov 18th,1949.And brought home on Thanksgiving!)I read the words on this card. The inside is smudged and discolored but truer words were never spoken as far as they were concerned.This card is beautiful.My parents set a fine example to me and my brothers and sister ,as we grew up,of how a married couple should love each other.My dad NEVER was demonstartive, in fact he crossed out the word "DEAR" on a mother's Day card he gave her.It made him feel 'silly'.It wasn't a word he used .I laughed when I saw that, but I never doubted his love for her for a minute.

Sentimental Wedding

Ever watch "Bridezilla" on TV ? Spoiled brats with 'In your face' confrontational personalities. They take tantrums and are frustrated because "The Wedding" isn't going the way they always dreamed it would.Exorbitant amounts of $$money$$ are spent on flowers, photographers, bands or disc jockies, the CATERING & HALL(!!),the dresses, yadda, yadda, yadda. Some churches expect a large 'Donation'. A 4 hour party costs the same as a down payment on a house.But there's another way. Charity & Jesse's way.These kids are 19. So what! Both my grandmothers were 16 when they married and their marriages lasted their lifetimes.They took marital VOWS that meant divorce was not an option.The vow was given to God. End of story.They loved their husbands and I know their husbands loved them.My dad's mom died in her 50's and my Grandfather was lost and heartbroken without her.I used to work in his appliance store on 918 B'way in Bayonne,NJ when I was a kid.I watched the store & if a customer walked in, I knocked on the hot water pipe that went to his upstairs apartment.I used to catch him whispering to himself. He was "talking to Katie", his wife. Telling her about his day and his troubles.My dad's mom gave my own mother excellant advice when she married my father.Later, on that one.
My mother's parents came from this area, in Pa.(Larksville/Plymouth). My grandma (Maggie Burns) was 16 when she married my coal mining Pap(Patrick Bernard McCue).They had 13 children.He was orphaned at 9 yrs old and started mining as a breaker boy not so long afterward.Their marriage also lasted a lifetime and my Grandpap died at age 72.Since my mom was the youngest, age 17 at the time, most of Grandma McCue's kids were grown .Her husband was her vision and purpose in life.She grieved for him till the day she died, age 92.
Charity chose to wear her own grandmother's wedding gown, the same gown her mom wore when she got married. Her Dad 'gave her away' and ALSO married them~ he's a pastor and was their pastor growing up until he retired due to physical infirmities & limitations.God's Blessings on you both, Charity & Jesse! I cried thru a good deal of your wedding ceremony.Not because of the beautiful decorations, flowers and gowns but because of the words you spoke to each other.I know you meant them .Someday we'll chat.We'll talk about the wisdom Grandma Lawler passed onto my mother who in turn passed those same words on to me.Good, good words! 'Grandma Words' whose marriages lasted a lifetime and are happy! Well, these two kids glowed and are in love.GOOD start!!
We waited a long time for them to show up at the reception.WHERE ARE THEY? We thought.Well, after the wedding ceremony & pictures, they went to the Nursing Home to visit her GRANDMOTHER and hug her & kiss her.She couldn't be there for the ceremony because of physical limitations.I hope my young grandbabies remember me that way!

Much to be Thankful For !

The HOLINESS of God.
The MERCY of God.
The FAITHFULLNESS and LONGSUFFERING of GOD
The SALVATION of GOD thru our GREAT SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST!!!

1.A terrific preacher, my Pastor Ray Purdy.(Living Word Baptist Church just east of Red Rock by Rickett's Glen).What a tremendous sermon he gave today on the first chapter of Job.We are very, very blessed to have him and his wife and other hard working members of his family .
2.The wonderful harvest God gave us throughout the spring, summer & fall.Our farm !
3. The meat He has given us~ beef (from steers down the street), turkey,chicken & pork.
4.My new grandaughter,Charity, who married my grandson Jesse. I also love her family, now MY family ! (:>
5.My husband, Ed.What a great guy!What would I do without him? He treats me like a queen.
6.All of my children and grandchildren.I love having them around me.
7.My wonderful friends!They are KEEPERS forever!
8.My job~ I really love my job and the people I work with. Both my coworkers and management are a terrific bunch .
9.COUNTRY!! Mountains and creeks and DEER DAYS!!! Starting tomorrow!! Draggin' my butt out to the deerstand in the dark~ freezing my tail off,reading a book to kill the long hours sitting there before Bambi's father cruises by (:>
10.The warmth of the sun,the excellance of the stars at night,the lovliness of the birds,the purring contentedness of a cat asleep on my lap,the happiness of dogs,the MASSIVE varieties in the creation that God has made! THE GOOD EARTH. The endless variety of foods and tastes.

AND NOW!!! How can you tell if underground nuclear testing is being done in your neighborhood??? Raise turkeys and compare them with the storebrand.On the right is a 16 lb turkey from supermarket.On the left is the turkey who's weight is OFF THE CHARTS!! I think he was eating radioactive worms (:>

Havin' Trouble!

DANG!!! I can't do this!! Patty, my lamb, was born March 17th-St Patty's Day. Before he's a year old I'll have to butcher him (before he turns to mutton or a cinder-block headed ram! ) well,as much as I LOVE leg-of-lamb .....no, I still can't .......having a farm is VERY EXPENSIVE if you hang onto animals/poultry that are non-productive.I love my turkeys..... my chicken mamas,my lambs........but the FEED is ASTRONOMICAL!! At Thanksgiving, Weiss Supermarkets sell turkeys for $0.49/lb !! hahaha! That is a store promotion gimmick sold at a GREAT loss! Don't think for a minute you could raise a turkey or a chicken for that price....EVER!!It becomes easy to drive the piggers to the butcher at the time appointed because they are pretty brutal by that point~ shoving,biting and smashing into my knee joints.But my 10 month old lambs and 6 month old turkeys~~~ welllll,they please me and are my sweethearts.~~~~~ NUTS!!!!

SAUERKRAUT

Making sauerkraut: Begin with a 5 gallon glass jug or clean plastic bucket or pickle keg crock without any cracks( this must 'ding' with a clear ring when you strike the edge.Otherwise, cracks will leak toxins into the kraut as it ferments and becomes more acidic.Buy a new one instead of trusting older ones from the flea market or antique store).
2-3 large cabbages and plain Kosher salt(non iodized) is all you will need.(Iodized salt will discolor the sauerkraut).

DO NOT use the darker green leaves.(Ruins the taste)Use only the white portion of the cabbage. Make pigs in the blanket or something else with the green leaves.


1.Fill a very clean sink with cold water.Cut up cabbages with a meat cleaver.Toss chopped leaves into the water to cleanse leaves and moisten them.
2.Place leaves in a food chopper vegetable grinder.This will give you perfectly shredded kraut.
3.I place 2 of these chopper bowls of packed shredded kraut per layer in the keg or bucket.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 c. Kosher salt(or less) across & over the top and then mix it in a little. Pack it down firmly with a wooden mallet.
5. Repeat this process layer by layer until all cabbage is in there.
6. Take a kitchen size plastic garbage bag with a few gallons of water and stick it in the crock so that the bag of water spreads over the top layer .Press around so that all air pockets are removed .
Store in basement or in a not too warm room for 5 weeks.Do not open to check it or you will allow air in.After that, remove any scum off top layer. Can or freeze kraut.

If you want to make smaller amounts, use a 1 gallon glass jar and use same instructions.

What the heck??

More thsn 13,000 GAY troops have been tossed to the curb in the military.Dismissed. Tank'd.Our government allows,tolerates,promotes Muslim extremists.I am wondering what radio station,what radio wave, our national leadership is functioning on???

American Sheep

There's a difference in the way we Americans in Pa. raise our sheep

Thought you might be interested.



Q. Why do the Taliban wear beards?
A. And why not? Our wives do.

Great Pumpkin of 2009

Bloomsburg Fair winner.I wonder how many quarts of pumpkin would be canned up from this? I hope they didn't leave this big boy to rot.Definately needed a fork lift to move it.

We didn't produce many pumpkins this year.The seeds just didn't grow.That's what happens when you use hybrids.You become dependant upon the big seed companies to provide seeds from year to year.I grew the huge jack-o-lantern pumpkins one year.Their seeds produced the following year but after that the pumpkins that grew produced seeds that apparently did not germinate.I'm going to do a little more research into the non hybrids and focus on the heritage lines of veggies this coming spring.I miss having wheelbarrow loads of pumpkins this year.It's especially nice when you have chickens, turkeys and piggers to feed.Just toss a pumpkin into their pen and it keeps them busy for hours and out of trouble. My piggers started pulling rocks out of the barn foundation one year~ HUH!! I started tossing an avalanche of pumpkins into their pen to keep them out of mischief.A nearby veggie stand gave me all his HUGE pumpkins at the end of the season one year that did not sell.That was a lifesaver (barnsaver).

Pumpkins

I know pumpkin carving has a terrible story behind it with Druid history. We won't go there.I do love to pumpkin pick ,carve out a pumpkin in a funny face and set a candle inside and watch it glow in the dark on my porch.I'm not a Halloween person when it comes to witches & goblins, etc. However I know kids love to dress up.When my kids were small they were ballerinas,etc for trick or treating and we had fun.

Dang! It's that time of year again!

I hate this! I have to figure out which turkeys to butcher and which one's will live. It's based upon prettiness of their feathers and broodiness and which ones are good mamas.Also, I keep 2 gobblers.
Today I spent a few hours just sitting on a chair at their coop door.I sat some of them on my lap & petted their necks & feathers.I watched their behaviours. I already know which ones are the good mamas to their chicks.But I still can't decide.DANG!!

Next

Everybody wants to get in on the act!

Story time

I have a story for you. It's about my burly man, Alfalfa, the ram of the farm.

RodeoRoosters

Men never change~ no matter what their breed.Consider the rodeo.We sheep also love a good toss to the ground. Take Alfalfa, for instance. You'd think he'd grow up, especially since he needs to be a good example to Patty, our son (sitting here next to me).We graze in the fenced in chicken yard during the day. The coop door is closed (so we sheep don't eat their grain).When the sun goes down, the gate opens and we make a beeline for the barn to our warm cozy stall.Then the chickens are let into their coop to roost for the night.But last week it was nightime before we were let out. In the meantime, chickens were fretting and fretting over where to roost! They clumped together in little groups in nooks and crannies and huddled against the outside coop wall.It was pathetic ! But two smart roosters found a warm cozy place to sleep on Alfalfa's back.No problem! It was a pleasant night and Alfalfa could care less. Chickens finally purred and made their contented little groans as they settled in.Turkeys roosted on the coop roof and clucked quietly ~~ UNTIL ~~the CAR CAME HOME ! Alfalfa leaped to his feet - the eyes of the roosters snapped open~~ WIDE OPEN!! They held on while my honey ram got his footing.Then the gate creaked and scraped open ~~~~ COMIN' OUTTA SHOOT NUMBER NINE!!! Alfalfa bolted ,chickens learched backward and talons gripped his wooly back to hold on for dear life. Whattles fluttered and they let out terrified screeches .Alfalfa was in a full blast run, dodging this way and that around junk cars,wagons,bushel baskets and chicken crates .Roosters bounced up and down,lerching to the right then being flung over to the left as Alfalfa made a beeline to the barn.Finally the 2 cowboys hit the dirt and trotted in a disoriented retreat to the safety of their coop.Then they stretched out their necks and let out the winner's crow ~ "Err~ Err~ OOOOOO" !!! HAHA! (:>

Take A Hike

Consider the days spent in a waste of time.Grab a kid, a dog, a book and a picnic basket and go for a hike.The State Forests and Gamelands are fantastic places to spend a few hours.Instead of surfing websites or watching TV,take advantage of a sunny day and walk a trail :)

Lost Cabin

It's fun hiking the trails in the woods as long as there's a Find along the way. A waterfall is always fun or a place to swim. Like Hansel & Gretal these guys and their sister came upon a 'lost cottage'.It had a couple of small saplings growing out of the roof which made it even more wonderful, of course :)

Concord Grapes

My grapevines are 3 years old this year and produced a nice little crop.I still had to buy my grapes for the year's grape juice from the local produce market.Next year my own vines will be better established and I hope to harvest all my own grapes.Today I made grape jelly~Yummy! You can still buy half bushels of grapes, if you hurray.To make your own grapejuice :

To each Quart canning jar : 2 handsful of Concord Grapes (washed and stemmed)
1/4 c sugar
Fill with boiling water (mix well before sealing or sugar will settle on bottom in a hard clump afterward.)

Seal with lids and bands .Follow Ball Blue Book's directions on canning grapejuice.I believe it's 15 min in water bath. I use my pressure canner at 5 lbs x 5 min and turn it off.The time it takes the pressure to drop to zero is about the same and works perfect.
Let juice stand 3 months before drinking.It should be ready by Thanksgiving.That's when we have our first jar (:>

Covered Bridges

It is imperative that children not be forced to drive in a car through covered bridges.That is child abuse. Nay~ they must be allowed to run through them, screaming like banchees. Then reward them with ice 'scream' or a hamburger w/fries from the General Store (:>

Octoberfest & Kids

The second week in October is spectacular in this part of the state.The trees put on a great show with their changing colours and when the sun is shining there's just nothing like it! The sunsets will be pink and yellow and October and November are harvest moon months. Make SURE you get outside when the full moon is on the horizon~ the biggest grandest moons of the year!
There's so much going on as far as Festivals & Heritage Days in different villages.I'm glad I'm able to be here for it all and not have to visit from a long distance.I'm especially glad to be able to take the Wildjowls with me! They make these trips a lot more fun!This is them standing on the bridge on Rock Run Rd crossing the Loyalsocks Creek.
Pennsylvania has 197 covered bridges,more than any other state.Sullivan County has several beauties and you can be further entertained by wandering through the various General Stores in Forksville, Hillsboro and Swisher's General Store on RT 42 in Franklin Twp. Swisher's has a second story with antiques and pictures of the past Gen Store Days when horse drawn wagons made the deliveries to replenish their stock.The road in front of the store sure looked a lot different back then.
Sullivan County is a great place to visit now! Wine vineyards in LaPorte & Lopez have their Concord grape wine! Yummy!! Sullivan County is a huge county and has only ONE TRAFFIC LIGHT in the entire county (Dushore)!! HAH!! I love it!! It's a wild place to be the first few days of rifle season for deer~ schools and businesses close for "DEER DAYS" and hunters are driving through town with their deer trophy's tied to their roofs,hoods,or more discreetly in the back of their pickups.
The Loyalsocks Creek runs through Sullivan and is just beautiful!! Great hiking trails and trout fishing holes.Swimming & picnicking at the dam in World's End State Park.

Nobel Peace Prize

So you're asking yourself the same question the rest of the world is.The big question mark up in the sky~ "Why Obama?". "What were the Norwegians thinking???"
The leftist Norwegians are not dumb.It was a chess move to keep Obama backed into a corner in the hopes of preventing him from taking military action against Iran.It was a "STAY OUT OF IRAN" tactic.
Nominees in the past were Adolf Hitler (nomination was later withdrawn), Joseph Stalin, and Mussolini .SURPRISED??? I wondered WHY????? Maybe that was it~ hoping to keep them on a peaceful road so as not to lose face if they were declared the winner of the Peace Prize. Of course ,leaders who wear military uniforms,(Stalin,Mussolini,Castro,Hitler,Quadaffi,etc,etc), would not recognize that association .If they did, they would not give a flip. Obama is not a military minded man .Let's see how this award screws with his mind now that North Korea & Iran are thumbing their noses at the world.

Vaccines

There is a growing concern of the increase in autistic children showing up in recent years.The question is,"Are childhood immunizations the culprit?" It's a legitimet question and I hope research will find the answer soon.SID's and ecxema were also cited in the past as being possibly linked to immunizations,Pertussis (Whooping cough) in particular.Would I risk my child contracting any of these horrible diseases to avoid the remote chance of autism or SID's? No.
I read a very interesting account in Carla Emery's book,"THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COUNTRY LIVING".She, like many other concerned parents,decided not to immunize her children.Then she almost lost a child to whooping cough.She gave up sleep and peace of mind and could not leave her child's side. She said,"Your child of any age-infants can get this!-will have a literally life threatening coughing attack,desperately battling to dislodge the constant dangerous buildup of the most thick,copious,ugly masses of phlegm you can imagine,every 8 to 18 minutes, day and night for the NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS-and longer.The child can drink light liquids like 7-UP.There won't be much other eating going on because the constant battle with phlegm predisposes to vomiting,though you have to try to get food down.....YOU HAVE TO BE PRESENT FOR EVERY COUGHING ATTACK TO GET THE CHILD SITTING UP AND LEANING SLIGHTLY FORWARD SO THE EXHAUSTED VICTIM CAN GET THE PHLEGM OUT OF THEIR MOUTH.LITERALLY SCOOP AND PULL THE LONG STRINGS OF PHLEGM OUT OF THE CHILD'S MOUTH WITH YOUR FINGERS if the child is choking on them and is unable to get them out without help."
A friend of mine at work had whooping cough as a child and it lasted until the following spring. There is no medical treatment for whooping cough.Supportive care is all you can do. Consider the weight loss a child will experience and how important adequate nutrition is in combating disease .Inadequate protein intake cripples the immune system.Perhaps the combination of inadequate sleep,exhaustion and poor nutrition is the reason this disease lasts as long as it does.
D.P.T.~ Diptheria (a demon of a disease that closes off your airway), Pertussis(whooping cough) and Tetanus. Don't get me started on tetanus! Two years ago I learned of a poor fellow who died of tetanus.Something got jammed under the nailbed of his thumb.He thought nothing of it until he became symptomatic and sought help when it was too late. A miserable way to die.
While I don't believe every vaccine out there is beneficial (some I question if they really are effective), I absolutely believe in the childhood immunizations for the deadly diseases.

Devastating Epidemics~ what HAPPENED to them??

Do we miss them?? Oh, NO!! I received an email from a dear friend expressing his concerns about vaccines. A little flavour of gov't conspiracy was peppered in the information I was given to read & consider.You may already know that I am from a steady line of generations of nurses (given that women who worked in health/medical field in the 1860's were considered nurses).Anyway, my great,great grandmother (Moore) was the town midwife & also cared for the sick in the 'smallpox house' in Plymouth/LArksville, Pa. back in the late 1800's. I checked out what I could find and found that those infected were infected by used clothing sent from relatives from upstate NY. Around the same time(early 1900,s~~ 1909?) "rummage" clothing started a smallpox epidemic in Bayonne, NJ. When was the last time YOU met someone with smallpox? Hmmmmm? ~ I remember getting immunized before I started kindergarten.The World Health Organization (WHO) has so successfully immunized the world that this disease is now eradicated.
Tonight I watched an old movie about Sister Kenny, an Australian nurse who had an effective treatment against some forms of polio.It was a great movie .She came to America and to Jersey City Medical Center when my mom was in nursing school.(My mom brought her birthday cake to her.) When I was small, polio was the big scare, especially during the summer months.My Aunt Rose brought me to the park playground one summer day, let me strip down to my 3 or 4 yr old panties and play in the spray in the wading pool. My mom would have gone nuts! But, I interviewed every child & asked,"Do you have polio ?". Of course every kid said "NO!!"OK~ I was safe (in my 3 or 4 yr old mind). Now, polio was at its' worst in the summer months and spread thru water & contact thru oral/fecal means. I had a child neighbor,'Rhoda' who had polio and was left with a lame leg. Also, my father-in-law, a nursing school mate and a preacher friend all had polio. One day,when I was in first grade(1956) we all stood on line and a doctor gave us a shot in the arm to protect us from polio. Then in 1961 we received the sugar cube boosters.~~ By the way, when was the last time you came across a recent occurrance of polio in THIS country??
Check out the gravestones in OLD cemetaries and take note of the 2 year olds & younger that are laid to rest there.NO immunizations~~~

Steamroller

I'm glad I don't have one of these big bubba's on the farm, otherwise I have no doubt these 2 varmints would be stoking it's boiler with every piece of wood they could find ."Watch me race this baby!"~~ yes, you can be sure.Don't take yer eyes off these guys.Nope~ not for one minute!

More Country Fair

I love old farm machinery.The first place I go when I hit the Fair is the animal exhibits, then the Farm Museum.This was a big thresher.Or a combine.Maybe it was a milking machine. Heck, I don't remember.I just like the way these contraptions look!That's Kyle~ he'll probably know and tell me the whole story (:>

Fall Canning

I'm not a competative person. I could care less if your waxbeans are more perfect than mine! Who cares?? Let's have supper, is all that makes any sense to me.
When I go to country fairs, I always go to the Agricultural buildings to see the displays of canned goods and their Blue Ribbons. I don't care if they placed their waxed beans or stringbeans in the jar just right and pretty~~ I'm just GLAD that more gals are out there doing for themselves and their families, instead of depending upon giant big agri~ business to provide for their families. Have you ever read Proverbs 31 ? I also like to scan through the canning jars of fruits and veggies to see what's been canned?? Maybe there's something out there that tastes real good and I should be canning it up!

Country Fairs

Finally we had a sunny day, here in Pa. The entire Fair week has been gloomy, rainy & cold.Therefore, when the 50 mile radius of counties awoke this AM, we all decided to "Go to the Fair!".Just too,too many people. At least for me.However, we made our way to the agricultural buildings and observed pigs, goats, sheep and cows all napping with the afternoon sun shining into their stalls.Fresh clean straw matressed each stall and every barnyard animal seemed content with a half smile as it slept in the afternoon sun.Holstein cows have udders the size of tractor trailer sized gas tanks! They are the favored milk cows up here for obvious reasons. Yet, I have an affinity for Jersey Cows.They give less milk, but higher cream content.I'm not a milk drinker, so I don't have a cow. Less than 100 years ago, families had cows for their personal use. This is an oddity for us nowadays. DON'T let it be!! A milk cow can be a small community provider.

Thrice in One Week!

It's been a gloomy week for sure this week, due to rain.It's Fair week but I haven't had ambition to go due to the cold and wet.However, not only did I see half a rainbow Sunday, but Wednesday I saw two more (seperate) rainbows! Wow!! If I do catch sight of one it's usually years apart from my last sighting.I was on my way home from Selinsgrove and driving north.As I started driving on RT 642 I noticed a rainbow beginning to form across the charcoal colored clouds .It continued to arch until it's span resembled the Bayonne Bridge (or the Sydney,Australia famous bridge span).I let out a scream of delight into my daughters ear as I spoke to her on my cell phone. About 20 minutes later, as I was crossing the mountain in Jerseytown, what do I see again? Another rainbow!! Full span. This one was a beaut! The base of it landed in a harvested hayfield going up the mountain in Millville and the colours engulfed a white farmhouse and out buildings! What a beautiful sight! No, I didn't see the treasure at the foot of that rainbow, but as the LORD God said unto Abram,"I am thy shield and EXCEEDING great reward".(Gen 15:1)

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness ,hath shined in our hearts,to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this TREASURE in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us". (2 Corinthians 4:6-7)
Since I wasn't able to download a picture of a full fledged rainbow,the above pic is a reminder that God promised,"Behold, I make all things new".