February2014thevalleyonline

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Serving Mifflin County and the surrounding area.

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

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The Valley, February 2014

Feeding The Birds Isn’t Rocket Science

By Deb Brackbill

tion year—birds came down from up north that we don’t regularly see around here. We were lucky enough to have Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, and a female Evening Grosbeak at our feeders.

This year seems to be another great year for viewing a rare sight in Pennsylvania—Snowy Owls,

and if you’ve been lucky enough to see one, you know just how beautiful they are!

You don’t have to go broke feeding birds. We get our suet cakes when they come on sale at area businesses and try to find ones that have fruit and nuts, along with seeds in them. Our

regular feeders are kept filled with a blend of bird food made especially for this area. We’ve been buying our bird food at East Gate Feed & Grain for years now, and we (and the birds!) are quite happy with it. Our finches— House and Gold varieties, love nyjer seed and we get that at

Fisher & Thompson in small bags.

Finches are quite finicky and

Feeding the birds that come don’t like seed that sits around for into your backyard isn’t complimonths on end, so it’s best to buy cated. All you need to attract birds in small quantities. An article on is food, water, and shelter. My bird feeding wouldn’t be complete husband and I had our two acres without discussing the squirrel in Licking Creek Valley certified issue. Some folks absolutely hate as a Backyard Habitat with the seeing squirrels at their feeders National Wildlife Fedbut we have determined eration several years ago, that their entertainment and today, our property value is worth the price attracts at least 20 species of any food they eat. of birds all through the We do buy ears of corn year. We feed all year from a local farmer for long, which can be a bit them, and that seems to tricky in bear country. We help keep them away bring a lot of our feeders from the bird feeders— in at night, and one is on at least part of the time. a pulley so we can heist

Whatever you it into a tree at night. We do, if you start feedrealize that a hungry bear ing birds in the winter, could climb up and take continue feeding them. what he wants, but so They become used far, none have been that to a regular source of hungry! food, and depend on

The trick to feeding it, especially when the birds (other than keeping temps go down like feeders clean) is to know they’ve done this winwhat birds you have in ter. So, if you haven’t your area and give them fed the birds before, consider starting. The what they want. We have fun of watching them several types of feedand seeing how many ers—platform, fly thru, species you can draw finch, and suet. Those, in will pass the time along with natural food while you’re waiting on sources from native spring to come. plants, are enough to draw birds into the yard.

Picture Caption: DifAll the seasons are great ferent feeders will draw for watching birds, but different birds to your spring and fall migration, yard. Experiment to see just what foods your along with winter are the birds like, then sit back very best times to see not and enjoy watching only the regular species, them! a but sometimes rare ones. Different feeders will draw different birds to your yard. Experiment Photo courtesy of Mike and Laura Jackson to see what foods your birds like, then sit back and enjoy watching them!

Last winter was an erup-

Lighting Brush Fires in People’s Minds

The Valley, February 2014

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Editor’s Corner Wayne Stottlar

Is it spring yet? I know that I am from New England, and our winters are normally like this one and colder and longer, but this is central Pennsylvania! It isn’t supposed to be quite this cold for this long, at least that has been my experience since moving here in ‘01. Heck, the last couple years I was even able to metal detect almost all winter.

This winter has been a reminder that one should always prepare for the worst, and we are, but seeing my woodpile already surpass what we used all of last season is disheartenin. It means that I will have to start all over again and get enough wood put up to go through two years of regular winters, or one of these types.

Regardless, the piece of mind in knowing that we can outlast whatever mother nature throws at us is comforting and liberating at the same time.

To see the catastrophe down south when a couple inches of snow fell, should be another lesson. Once things start getting out of control in the high density population areas, it can cause large areas to become paralyzed.

Could you be happy staying put in your home for an extended period of time? If not, figure out why and fix it—this could mean the dif-

ference between being miserable during a crisis because you didn’t think ahead or being comfortable and able to help loved ones who aren’t as good at thinking past the end of their nose.

When you see how quickly things devolved, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a prolonged crisis is going to bring out the worst in people, and you may become a victim of a herd of people reacting to survival instinct—that is never pretty. Refuse to be a victim, prepare.

Lots of new and exciting things to mention this month. First off, two more new writers join The Valley family in this issue.

Lisa Nancollas authors a column called “A Call To Action.” She is going to keep readers apprised of hot button issues like Common Core standards and Smart Meters, as well as local Second Amendment rights issues. Expect it to get a little feisty as Lisa is a nocompromise conservative and will be sure to elicit responses from all sides of the political world.

Another new author is Katie Beiler from Howard, PA. Katie will bring together a discussion on many topics, including one of my favorite substances, coffee, and other perspectives on healthy eating. Katie’s column is entitled

“A Few Valleys Over Yonder,” because, that is really where she is! Katie had originally called me about advertising, but after spending a delightful 3 1/2 hours talking with her and her husband Jake, I knew she had something to offer our readers.

Also this month, we have guest author contributions from Deb Brackbill, who I refer to as “The Bird Lady,” but many of you know her from her writings in Common Ground Magazine. Her story on feeding on our front page is very timely and informative during a time when the birds need us the most. I have always been one who feeds the birds, especially during the winter, and I find that the enjoyment and educational opportunities more than make up for any of the cost. I consider it a hobby and enjoy when I have time to watch from the kitchen window while sipping a fresh cup of coffee.

A lot of you are familiar with Tamela Hetrick, owner of Shade Mountain Naturals, as she has contributed stories in The Valley over the years. Lately, as her product line grows and new products are introduced, Tamela has become a teacher where skin care

products are the subject. Her writing style reminds you of learning from that favorite teacher you had back in school. Tamela has promised more stories over time, so that is a real plus for all of you seeking the truth about skin care.

Guys, you should pay attention too—this stuff is always thought of as women’s territory, but you guys have skin, and proper care of it will help you as it does the females in your life.

Did anyone waste time watching the State of the Union speech? I did not, figuring the highlights, or low lights in this case would be dissected ad nauseam by the talking heads in the media, and after seeing a few clips and reading a couple write- ups, you could get a good feel for what it was all about.

Well, I have spent the last few days being “informed” by the print media and the news dopes on TV. After seeing a few clips, it is quite clear that as of that speech, we now have a president who believes he is a dictator. I don’t know the actual count, but he said several times that he isn’t going to go through Congress as our Constitution outlines, but is going to rule by executive fiat and use executive orders to forward his agenda. WHAT?! Does anyone really pay attention, especially the so-called reporters in the news media? Does ANYONE, (including the House and Senate) know that this is illegal and grounds for immediate impeachment?

The founders set up our government with CO-EQUAL branches of government, meaning that the president had to garner approval of the two houses in order to move an agenda through legislation. When you have a divided government as we do, guess what? THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT GET HIS WAY! The founders put this in there so that a president such as this one, would not be able to ram through unpopular law and regulation.

Obama needs to grow up and realize that if he can’t persuade the other two branches of government to his thinking, then it doesn’t get done—PERIOD!

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

Perhaps the biggest tragedy in this whole mess is the cowardice of the representatives who refuse to do their duty and rein this dictator in. When you have people from both sides of the aisle applauding a president who just told them he isn’t working with them, isn’t obeying his oath to the Constitution, and is seizing dictatorial power, we have a broken government. The president, and about 98% of the rest of those in the House and Senate, should be removed immediately—they have an obligation to the Constitution as well, and they have failed to uphold it. Our government IS the problem. If those that we have elected to represent us fail in their job, it is up to us to replace or remove them and fix the problem ourselves. Are there enough people left in this country with enough guts to take this on? I am hard pressed to find any. We are a nation of sheep these days and have been indoctrinated to blindly obey “authority,” lest we be labeled with some nasty name or singled out for persecution by agents of the government using their unlimited power to control you. This is a very dangerous time for our nation, will it survive? Not unless some people are willing to go to the mat to save it. This may mean being labeled an outlaw or worse, just don’t forget, he who wins the battle, writes the history.

It is way past time we start writing it ourselves. a

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The Valley, February 2014

Hearts, Love, Chocolate and Kindness from page 25 our massage therapist in a healing Himalayan Salt room, surrounded by soft relaxing music, and using your choice of chocolate hydrating crèmes.

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*Ten minutes of Whole Body Vibration to get your circulation moving, your lymphatics stimulated, and your muscles relaxed.

*20 minutes in a Far-Infrared Sauna. Our sauna has the ability to systemically eliminate internal chemicals and heavy metal toxins, including mercury. The infrared Sauna burns about 500-700 calories in a 20-30 minute session.

It is also great for stress relief, improving cardiovascular conditioning, and enhancing your immune system.

*30 Minutes on the Jade Infrared massage bed with a Hot Butter Hand treatment. This hot butter treatment begins with an exfoliation to cleanse the skin, remove dead cells, and open pores so skin can receive benefits of hot

butter. Warm melted butters are then drawn into the skin and your hands are then tucked in a warm Himalayan salt mitt until butters are delivered deep into skin layers. The mitts are removed at the end of your Jade Massage and excess butters can be rubbed in to reveal softer healthier hands. Hot butter is shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, vitamin E, essential oils of tea tree, palmarosa, lavender, and chamomile. All formulated to accelerate healing of dry cracked hands and encourage growth of new healthy skin.

* Included in this package is your choice of a mandarin chocolate or chocolate cherry scrub or crème to take home. $49.00 SALTY CHOCOLATE KISS

*Ten minutes of Whole Body Vibration to get your circulation moving, your lymphatics stimulated, and your muscles relaxed.

*30 minutes on the Jade Infrared massage bed with a Hot Butter Hand treatment. This hot butter treatment begins with an exfoliation to cleanse the skin, remove dead cells, and open pores so skin can receive benefits of hot butter. Warm melted butters are then drawn into the skin and your hands are then tucked in a warm

Himalayan salt mitt until butters are delivered deep into skin layers. The mitts are removed at the end of your Jade Massage and excess butters can be rubbed in to reveal softer healthier hands. Hot butter is shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, vitamin E, essential oils of tea tree, palmarosa, lavender, and chamomile. All formulated to accelerate healing of dry cracked hands and encourage growth of new healthy skin.

*45 minutes in a Himalayan Salt room to shrink your inflammation, relax your mind and reduce stress, while detoxing your body.

* Included in this package is your choice of a mandarin chocolate or chocolate cherry scrub or crème to take home. $49.00

All of these packages are followed by complimentary: chocolate! Your choice of wine, hot chocolate, or organic tea.

For more information call us at 814-954-7731 or 717-2482000, and visit our web-site at www.simplyhealth-calm.com We love our new location on South Atherton in State College in Creekside Plaza. Come see us for a delicious and healthy experience! xoxo a

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Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.

-- Benjamin Franklin

The Valley, February 2014

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WROL Homestead Security

Last month I began my series on security and protecting your property in a scenario Without Rule Of Law (WROL). I discussed four categories of possible aggressors we could face in this scenario and how important it is to take the necessary steps now to protect yourself and your family against these possible future threats. Included in these categories were: naysaying family/ friends, roving bands of looters, government agents, and the last group consists of those folks who are on some form of psychotic prescription medication, who in a WROL situation, would suddenly be cut off from these needed medications.

I also discussed the three different “rings” of perimeter

Part Two

security that are often referred to by the experts. These “rings” consist of what I called the personal, intimate, and distant rings.

I am assuming that you will have taken the necessary precautions and made every effort as to not attract attention to yourself and your home in a worst-case scenario: using blackout curtains, avoid running generators, and avoid cooking outdoors if possible, are a few examples.

I am also assuming you have the means and willingness to defend yourself against these aggressors. This could be a do-or-die situation.

In this month’s article, I want to focus on ways to “harden” the interior of your home, which I consider the personal or center

ring. I’m going to suggest two different measures that you can take to make your home more secure.

These will include practical, common sense methods, and more extreme measures.

Let’s start with the practical (Pre-SHTF/WROL).

There are many steps that you can take to secure your home.

Let’s look at the main points of entry: the front and back doors.

With home invasions becoming more and more widespread even in rural areas, making your exterior doors more secure is imperative. Replacing that easily compromised wooden door with a steel door is recommended, albeit it is more costly. The addition of deadbolts is the next step; but those small, weak factory screws

included will not do. It’s recommended that all screws used on attachment points be replaced with longer, stronger screws.

These points include: catch plates, hinges, and deadbolt hole plates. These screws should extend all the way through the door jam and into the adjacent stud. One expert recommended using 4-inch T25 Torx screws.

Reinforcing these points of attachment will substantially increase the strength of your door.

Another point of entry into your home would be your windows. Most windows found in homes today are either singlehung or double-hung windows.

Windows can obviously be easily compromised and are probably the hardest to properly secure. Aside from the fact that the glass window can obviously be shattered, there is a quick and easy method used to make those windows more secure and to prevent the window from being slid open. This method requires you to drill two holes at a downward angle, into the window frame for a single-hung, and for double hung, through both sashes, and inserting a nail (or something similar in size) into the hole. Just make sure the nails can be removed quickly in case of an emergency.

The above mentioned recom-

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mendations are just a few examples of practical steps that you could take to make the interior of your home more secure. There are also many security devices on the market that could be installed on your doors and windows.

Let’s move on.

The stuff has hit the fan. Now it’s time to get serious.

Starting again with the exterior doors and assuming you have already implemented the aforementioned practical steps, let’s look at a few extreme methods in home security.

Even if you have decided to use the more aesthetically pleasing wooden door, there are steps that we can take to make that door harder to breach. To reinforce the door and to protect against a chainsaw wielding zombie intruder, holes can be drilled and steel rods inserted into the door itself.

Next barricades can be installed to further reinforce the door. Think of those medieval movie scenes where the castle gates are barricaded using a wooden beam and large brackets. The same idea can be applied to your doors using 2x4s and metal brackets. While it is probably not the wisest thing to pre-install those brackets now (at least not before you get your spouse’s permission), having the

Continued on page 30

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The Valley, February 2014

February is Chocolate Month at Shade Mountain Shade Mountain Naturals is busy creating Soaps, Whipped Cocoa Butters and Sugar Scrubs Stop in: get a FREE sample and see us in action as we create our 100% Natural Products!

Thursdays and Fridays 10 to 6 Also: the first Saturday of every month from 10 to 2

Chocolate & Cherry

Ahhhh, Mint! The mere word conjures up images of cool, refreshing greenness; the memory of sharp, invigorating aromas; the savored enjoyment of clean, stimulating flavors. As one of the most common flavorings used in many commercial products, mint is easily recognizable. From candy to toothpaste, chewing gum to cleaning products, there are few people who do not recognize the scent or flavor that we refer to as mint. And when it comes to tea – hot or cold - the mints are hands down some of the easiest to grow and harvest for your own delicious beverages.

Let’s get started with a simple scientific review of the mints; just as a quick refresher course to get us in the groove, so to speak.

To begin with, the plants that we call mints are members of the genus Mentha, the name referring to certain plants that have specific characteristics that include the cooling flavors and aromas that we associate with the word mint.

Continuing with our family tree, genus Mentha belongs to the larger family Labiatae, often called the mint family. It is interesting to note that this family of plants also includes other familiar plants such as rosemary, lavender, sage and catnip, all highly aromatic plants, with varied culinary (and medicinal) properties.

The useful properties of these aromatic plants are mostly to be found in the oils that they produce. In the case of many members of the Labiate family, these essential oils develop and are

Mint Chocolate

Tea for Two and Mint for You!

“The smell rejoiceth the heart of man, for which cause they used to strew it in chambers and places of recreation, pleasure and repose, where feasts and banquets are made.”

- John Gerard, the section on Mints from his Herball, 1597

Mandarin Chocolate

stored in microscopic glands that lay on the surfaces of the stems and leaves, an important point to recall when we are discussing harvesting, processing and storing your teas.

On our farm, the mints that we use for teas and cooking and whatnot, are peppermint (Mentha piperita) with its darker, toothed leaves and stronger, almost warm flavor, spearmint (M. spicata) lighter in color and more delicate in appearance and taste, and what we call applemint (M. rotundifolia- we think) with its oval, furry leaves. There are, however, many varieties of mint, including one (listen up chocolate lovers) that smells exactly, and taste vaguely, like a York Peppermint Patty (don’t know if it’s legal for me to say that but, well, there it is).

Doesn’t get much better than that!

GROWING

Mints are extremely easy to grow, given fairly good soil and adequate moisture. That said, once established, mints are fairly tough plants and will grow in less ideal conditions. If you’re new to the mints (or any herbs, or even gardening in general) here are a few tips for getting started (check out the resources at the end of the article for more ideas).

Mints appreciate sunlight, so pick a spot where they’ll get those healthful rays over the most of the day (although a little shade in the afternoon won’t hurt). Dig your soil well, the depth of your shovel is a good rule of thumb. Even if you’ve worked this area before, add some well rotted stable litter or ripe compost (a layer about an inch or two to start with, a bit less if the soil is already good), and really dig it in. If you’ve got it, a sprinkle of kelp is nice; lots of micronutrients to help keep things ultra healthy. Your goal is soil that is dark and crumbly,

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that holds water but doesn’t stay soggy (that’s what “drains well” basically means). One of the great

advantages of soil with high organic content, soil that is “actively alive”, is that the it will hold water where the plants can get to it, even in dry weather and that’s important for mints.

Make these additions, if you can, the autumn before you plan to plant or as early in the spring as the soil dries out enough to work, to give the soil critters time to process what you’ve added, making the nutrients available to your plants (and to you!).

Your can start your mint plants from seeds, to take advantage of the enticing varieties of mint out there to try; you can buy your plants (obviously faster) or you can perhaps get starts from gardening friends (nice ‘cause you’ll already know what to expect).

Plan to plant in late spring thru early summer and watch the soil over the first few weeks to make sure it stays moist (not wet) most of the time; mulch will help with this at first but, eventually, the plants will form a thick clump that will shade itself, helping to keep things cool and damp.

Mints are perennials; once

they establish themselves you’ve pretty much got them forever.

And be prepared – mints love to creep about; over a single growing season one plant can easily spread to fill an area of a square foot or more. If you’re pressed for space, consider planting your mints where their wandering nature will be controlled by walls or try growing them in containers (check out the resources at the end

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of the article).

Over the years, depending on your situation, your mint patch may need a reworking every so often. If the plants are beginning to look a bit straggly despite watering and fertilizing, dig up clumps of root and start new beds in a new place. Since you’ll have far more starts than you’ll prob-

Continued on page 30

The Valley, February 2014

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Old Testament era when the blood from animal sacrifices was poured under that altar. They aren’t complaining, but they do teach us that they do not know when God’s justice will occur. Hence, we won’t become gods in heaven or know everything, for these won’t.

But we will be far better off than we are here for sure!

So they don’t know when God will judge but the Lord assures them He will in His time.

This is the first encouragement, namely, God has His timetable!

How often we get impatient at injustice because we forget the God of all the universe WILL do right, but that is when He is ready. His timetable is perfect. Think about that for a moment, aren’t you glad that’s how it is? What if God were as quick to judge as we are?

None of us would get to heaven!

We are all born sinners and if God judged the very first time we failed Him we’d all be doomed.

God is slow to wrath and for that

I’m glad! He is longsuffering and patient with us, He gives people great opportunity to repent. This means His love is great for us all but this doesn’t mean we are to take advantage of how He is and abuse this grace. Instead we should appreciate and embrace it by quickly admitting when we do wrong and do what’s just ourselves. So remember God’s timetable whenever injustice begins to bother you!

Then the sixth seal is opened and the apostles states, “And, lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood...” The other lesson to encourage you when you see injustice is God has His “turntable”. If you are around forty and above you likely remember the record players which had these but fewer know that railroad folk know this term altogether differently. A turntable to a railroad person is a platform

where a train is placed upon and revolved and repositioned in another direction. Satan and those who major in creating injustice will one day have the tables turned on them! Haman did in the book of Esther, Nabal did in David’s day, and the wicked politicians seeking to place Daniel in the den of lions found themselves snacks for the lions’ breakfast!

The sixth seal commences just before the midpoint of the tribulation period with a humongous earthquake. In fact the word for “great” is mega in the Greek!

And an eerie darkness prevails worldwide too! Joel touches on this (Joel 2:30) as does Isaiah (Is.34:7) and the Lord Himself (Matt.24:7). The intent is to let those who parlay injustice know that their judgment is now at hand and it’s coming from none other than the Creator Himself! It will no longer be “business as usual” then and John describes for us this future day, but rest assured it’s closer then the last tick on your clock. Gone will be the days of living life unconcerned for God and others, the times when people are taken advantage of, etc. The day of reckoning will have begun as this scene is immediately preceding what has been termed the GREAT TRIBULATION! Imagine then the fear and anxiety, but also imagine now how beneficial

if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at anytime. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in Him, and he in us, because He has given us of His spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the son as the savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us, God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as HE is, so are we in this world…We love him because he first loved us.”

If we want to give true love to others ,we will need God’s love in us. In John 15:13 Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friend.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What amazing, beautiful love these two verses reveal to us. They tell us

that even in our messy unfriendly state, Jesus not only wanted to be our friend but he was the ultimate friend, He laid down his life for us giving us the opportunity to expe-

rience real love and life eternal.

This Valentine’s day consider this—have you truly accepted Christ’s gift of love to you? If not, will you seek out a trusted

Encouragement from the Book of Revelation

by Pastor J. C. Reese

It is so easy to look at our world and see injustice in so many forms. We see in the news crime that goes unpunished, scandals in politics go unchecked, and on and on. How about when you try to do what’s right only to be hurt in the process? These are times we clamor for justice but if we’re not careful we’ll get bitter rather than better if we don’t take to heart the two lessons in our next passage in Revelation!

The last part of Revelation 6 (verses 9-17) deals with seals five and six. As the fifth seal is opened John writes, “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God... and they cried with a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” These will be tribulation age believers who have been killed for their faith in God. John sees them under the altar which echoes back to the

Love

“Everyone says that loves hurts, but that’s not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts.

Losing someone hurts. Don’t confuse reality with love, love is the only thing in this world that covers up all the pain and makes us feel wonderful again.” (author unknown)

We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly – (Sam Keen, from “To Love and Be Loved.”)

Valentine’s Day is a great day to think about love and how incredibly blessed we are to be able to give and receive it, not just on a special day, but every day.

The word love is used so carelessly that maybe we too often we forget the depth of it. But real love is incredible. It is often unexplainable with mere words.

The only way we can know the true meaning of love is to know God, because God is love!

I John 4:10-19 says “In this love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved,

it is to truly believe that God will turn the tables for it places in us a right respect for God or what the Bible calls the “fear of God” that brings a true quality of life.

The once “great” men of earth will be hiding in fear for their very lives as they say to the mountains and rocks: “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne” (vs.16).

Their palatial estates and swelling bank accounts will do them no good then. So why major on living for things and the now since this seal will be opened?

If all the “toys and treasures of this life” will come to ruin how foolish it truly is to pin your hopes on these! Why waste time fretting for and living for such things that perish? Look into the future, friend. Why not major on the things that last and that truly count: living for God, loving your family and others above self, worshipping and serving the Lord in a church that truly believes and teaches His Word. Refuse to waste one more minute of your life embittered at life’s injustices when you can focus on the facts that God’s “timetable” is impeccable and His “turntable” will always be right!

believer or pastor and ask them to help you come to the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Check out our church’s website at nittanybaptist.org and come visit us some Sunday! a

Continued on page 14

OBSERVATIONS . . . of an OLD MAN We are living in divisive times, we are challenged daily to discern.

What are my thoughts? Do I understand the opposition’s perspectives?

POSITIVES NEGATIVES

Love

Hate

Sharing/Caring

Greed/Selfish

Light

Darkness

Understanding

Judgmental

Compassion

Cruelty

Joy

Sadness

Good

Evil

Trust

Fear

God is: Love, Caring, Sharing

Evil is: Fear, Greed, Hate

Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious; If there is any excellence, anything worthy of praise; Think about these things Philippians 4:8

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Peter J. Moses

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The Valley, February 2014

Adventures on Our Nourishing Journey

by Sue Burns

A Seedy Affair

I don’t know about you, but these dark, blustery, winter days are beginning to wear thin. The holidays are but a memory and glimpses of spring seem further than “just around the corner.” By the time you read this, our state’s furry weather prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, has more than likely predicted six more weeks of the same, so I am in dire need of a pick me up. My gardening and farming friends are eagerly poring over seed catalogs this month. Ah yes, there is nothing like the promise of new life that a seed can bring. It represents abundance, fresh beginnings and

life. It is a living food, which is why it is best, from a nutrition stand point, to eat them raw.

When buying seeds, it is important to avoid roasted or coated seeds. Once seeds are roasted they are exposed to heat and the vitamin, mineral and essential oils are destroyed and damaged.

By roasting a seed, its classification moves from a living food to a dead food. On the other hand, seeds can be soaked, ground or mashed (i.e. tahini), especially if a seed’s shell or coat is too difficult to pierce with the teeth, without changing its nutritional profile.

a bundle of nutrition all wrapped into a tiny speck of a package.

While I am not a seed planting expert, I do have years of experience eating seeds. For some reason however my consumption has slacked off a bit, so perhaps this just might be the perfect time of the year to start munching once again on my favorite delectable kernels for a much needed energy boost. While it may seem that nuts get all the glory (and yes, technically, nuts are seeds) when it comes to compact goodness surrounded by a protective shell, I believe seeds deserve their time in the nutrition spot light too. Want to join me in rekindling my love affair with seeds? If so, check out why I am passionate about these seedy superstars.

Keep in mind that a seed is

Here Are Seven Sensational Seeds

One of the distinguishing characteristics of chia seeds is their hydrophilic nature. They have the ability to absorb more than 12

times their weigh in water. This means if you stir a teaspoon of seeds in a glass of liquid and come back about 30 minutes later you will have a gelatinous blob. Now this may not sound too exciting, but it can be a mighty useful mixture in cooking and baking. I don’t have the space here to go into details, but I will include a chocolate

1) CHIA SEEDS —Fortunately, chia seeds are becoming better known as a super food and are less remembered from the “chia pet” craze. Who knew we should have been eating these seeds rather than waiting for them to sprout into “hair”? These little black wonders are loaded with vitamins and minerals, are an excellent source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants, and are one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Consumption of chia seeds can help reduce joint pain, aid in weight loss, deliver an energy boost and protect against serious ailments such as diabetes and heart disease. As an added bonus, chia seeds are gluten free.

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chia seed pudding recipe that will ensure a most unique Valentine’s Day treat!

This ability of chia seeds to hold on to water encourages prolonged hydration. As we all know, our body fluids and electrolytes provide the environment that supports all the body’s cells.

Yet many of us are chronically dehydrated. When consuming Chia

Continued on page 11

The Valley, February 2014

8

Life Lessons

I’ve done an article similar to this before, but I’ve decided to try it again now that I am several months older and wiser than the last time! Lately I’ve been thinking about things that I’ve done and won’t do again, good ideas, and those things that I just don’t quite have figured out yet. Some are silly, some require deep pondering, and others are just plain wise. Here we go!

1) Don’t iron your clothes while you are wearing them. You

guessed it, this was a bad idea of mine, that is now a wise statement. I have the scars on my belly to prove it.

2) Don’t tell you boss you are “all caught up.” I haven’t done this in the past 20 years, but one of my staff did recently….and you can ask her if it was a good idea or not.

3) Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss! Pair that with “What you don’t know won’t hurt you” and you are in great shape; just be sure to pull your head out of the sand once in a while to breathe.

4) When you are a teenager, don’t tell your Mother that she’s the meanest mother out of all your friends’ mothers— she’ll remind you that you said it for the rest of your life.

5) While recently exchanging emails with an advertising client, we were wondering “where does all the time go?” Actually, I know exactly where mine goes, but I’m not telling anyone—lest I be called lazy.

I’m not telling anyone where all my money goes either, just in case you were wondering that too.

6) Buy some gold and silver.

Don’t put all your savings in paper money. Can you tell that I just proofread Dave Wilson’s article in this month’s issue? (Now I suppose you think you know where all my money goes too.)

7) Don’t put something in a unique place just because you think you’ll never forget that you put it there and no one will ever find it if they break into your house.

Guess what....a couple months later, you’ll never find it either.

I’ve been there and done that a few times!

8) When you are

have come in handy many times though!

12) Going along with number 11, always keep a roll of Tums in your glove box, a tube of handi wipes and a book in your car. I also keep a roll of trash bags, although I’m not really sure why.

Maybe I’m expecting to have to hide a dead body some day.

13) Never leave cans or plastic bottles of soda in your car when it’s below freezing. What a mess.

14) When you can’t find your glasses, check the top of your head.

15) Who is the genius that decided that the Superbowl should be played on a Sunday night?

As you ponder that one, I’m gong to wrap this up, proofread one more article and put this puppy to bed! a

on Facebook, if it seems to good to be true, it is. Disney is not giving free trips for “Liking” their page and you’re not going to get a free iPad for sharing a post. Face it, if you want a trip to Disney or an iPad, you’re probably going to have to pay for them. Ditto for emails that ask you to send them to 10 of your friends in 10 seconds. Just resist....pleeease!

9) Sometimes I’ve apologized for things I didn’t do. It’s just easier than fighting and it didn’t kill me. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, and that’s all that matters. Take one for the team once in a while.

10) It wouldn’t feel so much like work if we could take our dogs.

11) I always keep a book of stamps in my wallet. When someone really needs one—I can charge them a dollar for it (I’m kidding!) Stamps in the wallet

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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact:

Vicki Williams American Cancer Society 814-695-9232 Vicki.Williams@cancer.org

Free Transportation Available (Mifflin/Juniata, January 2014) – “How am I going to get to treatment?”

If you have cancer and have asked yourself this, you are not alone.

Every day people with cancer need rides to treatment. They may not feel well enough to drive themselves or may not have friends or family that can help.

The American Cancer Society is there to help through its “Road to Recovery’ program. “Road to Recovery” provides those with cancer with free rides to and from their treatments and related medical appointments.

A curbside to curbside program, trained volunteers pick patients up at their place of residency and bring them to where they are receiving treatment, and take them back home again.

There are local programs in your area. To arrange a free ride, please call 1-800-227-2345 as soon as you know you need a ride.

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9

The Valley, February 2014

Ein Grus Zu alle thal lasers.

Hello to all The Valley readers from Hillside Orchard, where the roosters crow, the children play and the temperature can drop below zero, and actually did this morning. With the mercury hovering at -8 degrees and windy, it is enough to make your cheeks sting when you go outside. One thing for sure, Mr. Gore was no where to be found when I went out to do the chores. He was probably sitting in a cozy mansion explaining how global warming is causing this cold weather.

This is a good time of year to prune pears and apples, especially those types susceptible to fire blight. Fire blight is destructive to apples and is the most serious pear disease in the eastern United States.

It’s called fire blight because the blighted areas look like they are burnt black. There seems to be some evidence that pruning below 45 degrees helps to reduce the spreading of the disease. The disease can enter the tree in three different ways. It can enter through blossoms, new growth and injury sites. If fire blight is discovered it should be removed staying several inches below the infestation, and should be taken out of the orchard right away.

There is a fungicide called Streptomycin sulfate that is effective against the disease and might be a good thing to have on hand, even if you don’t normally use it, this might come in handy in an emergency. Even if you see minimal or no blight, serious infestations have broken out after hail storms followed by warm humid weather. With the hail injury spots for entry, the disease can spread like wild fire in such a condition.

Fire Blight

Spraying might be the best option.

Choose your cultivars and varieties wisely, some apples and pear cultivars and varieties have more resistance than others.

While apples can be pruned any time during the dormant season, it is best to wait until buds start to swell to prune stone fruit.

Three common orchard pruning styles are central leader for apples and pears; open center for peaches and nectarines; and modified central leader for plums and sweet and tart cherries. The reasons for pruning are tree form, sun and spray penetration, and air circulation. The central leader is a single upright trunk and several sets of horizontal fruit bearing branches. One thing to remember is, up for form, down and out for production.

The modified central leader has 5 or 6 upright leaders and the open center has a short main trunk of 2 or 3 feet and then has 3 or 4 main limbs going out at a wide angle around the tree forming a saucer shape.

This is also the time of year that people who know the taste of real maple syrup start to get excited about going out and drilling holes in those trees and put taps in and let the goodness flow out of them. In my opinion, there is only one sweetener that equals to maple syrup and that’s honey.

According to history a century or longer ago, honey and maple syrup were two of the main sweeteners back when a large percentage of people lived on farms and raised their own food. Back then, a college degree came from learning by doing, then along came the so called industrial revolution and a lot of people moved from the rural areas to the urban centers in hopes of finding a higher paying job.

So farmers became less and less, and the demand for packaged “grab and go” foods skyrocketed. As the small family farms disappeared, more and more foods were produced by mega farms. Sad to say, a

lot of the foods coming from these farms isn’t equal in nutrition with

the food that comes from family farms. Butter was replaced with margarine, whole grain bread and cereals were replaced with white flour—it was a win/win situation as it was cheaper to produce and it tasted better. However, if you realize what it did to people’s health, you realize that those poor sheep

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might very well end up paying three fold at the other end.

Next time someone throws a stone at you, use it for a stepping stone, rather than a stumbling block.

Auf Wiedershen a

The Valley, February 2014

10

2014 Horse Happenings

Looking for something to do with your horse in 2014?

Whether you compete in horse shows in western pleasure, kick up the dust at a barrel show, or trail ride to enjoy the scenery; being around your horse should be

fun and relaxing. Here are some suggestions of local horse events to attend this year.

There are several horse shows over the summer in “The Valley” area. Wood Valley Wranglers in Huntingdon will be holding some all game/ fun shows in March, April and October.

Their Open shows will be in May, June and Barrel Racing at Rocky Ridge Ranch in McVeytown. Photo by SepWendy MacDonald tember.

Top Notch Ranch in New Bloomfield has both outdoor and indoor arenas for year round events. I “found” Top Notch Ranch at the end of last year and will definitely enjoy going back. It was a great place and I loved their timed trail class. Hilltop show ground in Lewistown has kid’s shows and open gaming shows. Huntingdon Horsemen has a game show at the end of the month throughout the summer on Saturday and an open show on the Sunday. The Williamsburg Horse Show is a bit further to travel but a great horse event to attend, whether it is a fun show or open show.

Team Penning at Barry Smith’s Arena in Lewistown is a great place to hang out with local horse friends one Friday and Saturday a month throughout the summer. Rocky Ridge Ranch in McVeytown has cattle sorting and fun shows throughout the year.

Sorting is held all winter, weather permitting. PA Timed Events also hold some of their competitions

at Rocky Ridge. Those events include barrels, poles, breakaway, tie down roping, and team roping.

Many areas of “The Valley” have beautiful scenic trails if a nice relaxing trail ride is more to your liking. Popular places to ride including The Juniata Saddle Club, Benezette, and Rails to Trails. One of my favorite places to take the horses is Canoe Creek State Park. If you are looking for a great group of people to ride with for a good cause, the Bedford County Therapeutic Riding Program has a Spaghetti Trail Ride

every October.

If you are looking for a horse or tack, there are several sale barns in the area. Middleburg Horse sale is the last Saturday of the month. Centre Hall horse sale is the last Friday of every month.

Belleville Sale Barn sells horses and livestock on Wednesdays, and while you are there you can shop around at the flea market.

In April, Penn State holds their annual Penn State Equine Science Showcase & Quarter Horse Sale.

East Gate Feed and Grain in Reedsville will be holding a Horse Owners Workshop in March. We will provide educational information as well as door prizes.

If you need more information on any of the events, please contact me at East Gate Feed at 717667-6556. I have schedules available for many of these events.

Several can be found online or on Facebook. Also don’t forget to “LIKE” The Horse Scoop if you are on Facebook. Hope to see you Horsin’ Around this summer. a

Sydney Taylor Pole Bending at Top Notch Ranch in New Bloomfield.

Photo by Wendy MacDonald

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11

The Valley, February 2014 A Seedy Affair from page 7 seeds our hydration is enhanced.

Because there is a greater efficiency in the utilization of body fluids, our electrolyte balance is maintained and our endurance and energy increases. If you are not into making “chia gel,” simply sprinkle them in and on just about anything such as salads, shakes, yogurt, and cereal. Here are a few amazing nutrition facts about chia seeds. You can find them in most large grocery stores and at our local health food store, Nature’s Harmony, on Belle Avenue in Lewistown.

Chia seeds have: - 2.5 times more protein than kidney beans - 3 times the antioxidant strength of blueberries - 3 times more iron than spinach - 6 times more calcium than milk - 7 times more vitamin C than oranges - 8 times more omega-3 than salmon - 10 times more fiber than rice - 15 times more magnesium than broccoli 2) HEMP SEEDS —I know what you are thinking. When you hear the word ‘hemp” you may automatically associate it with marijuana, yet according to the hemp growers industry, industrial hemp grown for food, fuel and natural fibers contains virtually no THC (less than .3%). THC stands for Tetrahydrocannabinoids, the intoxicating ingredients that can make you high. That’s good news because more and more people are discovering the nutritional benefits of hemp seed and oil such as: -All 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce.

- A perfect 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 Linoleic Acid and Omega-3 Linolenic Acid — for cardiovascular health and general strengthening of the immune system.

- A vegetarian source of protein considered easily digestible.

- A rich source of phytonutrients, the disease-protective element of plants with benefits protecting your immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, organs and mitochondria.

3) POMEGRANATE SEEDS —Pomegranates are one of the very best food sources that come to us only in the fall and winter months. Take advantage of them now. I know they seem unusual to prepare, but they are really quite simple. Cut off the top, (the end with the crown), and then cut

in half and in half again. Working with each quarter section begin to pop out the seeds into a bowl.

Some of the white membrane will tag along. When you are finished harvesting all the seeds, fill the bowl with water and the white membranes will float to the top.

Use a slotted spoon to scoop it out, drain off the water and presto, you have hundreds of red jewels to mix in with other fresh fruit, tossed greens, cereal, yogurt or to just eat by the spoonful. Wear an apron when seeding the pomegranate as the seeds, resembling a popcorn kernel, are contained inside a very juicy sac. When working with them, they tend to sputter and squirt their beautiful ruby red juice.

Pomegranates are a rich source of antioxidants. Therefore, the seeds helps to protect our body’s cells from free radicals, which cause premature aging. In simple words, pomegranate juice pumps up the level of oxygen in our blood. The antioxidants fight free radicals and prevents blood clots. This eventually helps the blood to flow freely in our body, in turn improving the oxygen levels in our blood. Pomegranates are especially high in polyphenols, a form of antioxidant purported to help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. In fact, pomegranate juice, which contains health-boosting tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid, has higher antioxidant activity than green tea and red wine. The antioxidant properties of a pomegranate prevent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from oxidizing. This essentially means that pomegranates prevent the hardening of the artery walls. In addition, pomegranates are high in vitamin C and potassium, low in calories and a good source of fiber. If that is not impressive enough, pomegranates help to reduce the damage on the cartilage for those suffering with arthritis. This fruit has the ability to lessen the inflammation and fights the enzymes that destroy the cartilage.

4) FLAX SEEDS —Flax has been cultivated for centuries and has been celebrated for its usefulness all over the world.

Hippocrates wrote about using flax for the relief of abdominal pains, and the French Emperor Charlemagne favored flax seed so much that he passed laws requiring its consumption!

The main health benefits of flax seed are due to its rich content of Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA), dietary fiber, and lignans.

The essential fatty acid ALA is a

powerful anti-inflammatory, decreasing the production of agents that promote inflammation and lowering blood levels of C - reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation. Through the actions of the ALA and lignans, flax has been shown to block tumor growth in animals and may help reduce cancer risk in humans. Lignans are phytoestrogens, plant compounds that have estrogen-like effects and antioxidant properties. Phytoestrogens help to stabilize hormonal levels, reducing the symptoms of PMS and menopause, and potentially reducing the risk of developing breast and prostate cancer. The fiber in flax seed promotes healthy bowel function. One tablespoon of whole flax seed contains as much fiber as half a cup of cooked oat bran. Flax’s soluble fibers can lower blood cholesterol levels, helping reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Ground flax seed provides more nutritional benefits than does the whole seed.

Grind the seeds at home using a coffee grinder or blender to assure freshness and add them to cereals, baked goods and smoothies.

5) PUMPKIN SEEDS —Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein.

One hundred grams of pumpkin seeds on a daily basis provide 54 percent of the daily requirement in terms of protein. They are a great source of vitamin B complex and are high in L-trypotophan which is well known for boosting our moods. If you are prone to kidney stones, keep pumpkin seeds handy. Studies suggest that pumpkin seeds can help prevent certain kidney stone formations like calcium oxalate kidney stone.

Pumpkin seeds also have the ability to fight off nasty intestinal demons such as parasites.

7) SUNFLOWER SEEDS — Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E, the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant.

Vitamin E travels throughout the body neutralizing free radicals that would otherwise damage fatcontaining structures and molecules, such as cell membranes, brain cells, and cholesterol.

Sunflower seeds have some of the highest total phytosterol content of seeds. Phytosterols are compounds found in plants that have a chemical structure very similar to cholesterol, and when present in the diet in sufficient amounts, are believed to reduce blood levels of cholesterol, enhance the immune response and decrease risk of certain cancers. Sunflower seeds are a good source of magnesium.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that magnesium helps reduce the severity of asthma, lower high blood pressure, and prevent migraine headaches, as well as reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

A Seedy Valentine Treat Here is the chocolate chia seed pudding recipe I promised. What a unique Valentine’s Day treat to share with those you love. This recipe can be adapted so that you can add additional flavors depending on your tastes. For example, I add cinnamon because I really like the blending of chocolate and

6) SESAME SEEDS —Sesame seeds are highly valued for their oil which is exceptionally resistant to rancidity. Not only are sesame seeds a very good source of manganese and copper, but they are also a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. In addition to these important nutrients, sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. Both of these substances have been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans, and to prevent high blood pressure and increase vitamin E supplies in animals.

Sesamin has also been found to protect the liver from oxidative damage.

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cinnamon together. I also splash in a little vanilla extract.

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Ingredients: 3 tablespoons chia seeds 1 cup milk (I use coconut, but you can use your favorite - almond, soy, dairy, etc.)

1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder (or more; I usually double this amount) 1 tablespoon maple syrup or more to taste, (I also sometimes use liquid stevia or honey instead of the maple syrup) Instructions:

In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients.

Optional: if you want it to be smooth, pour everything into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. (I don’t do this because I like the “tapioca “type texture but some people really do not, so the blending works for them).

Place pudding into a covered container in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Have a love affair with seeds this month. You never know what new energy may begin to sprout!

Sources: whfoods.com wikipedia.org bodyecology.com www.52kitchenadventures.com a

For The Love of Fiber For the Love of Fiber 2014 is designed to promote the exchange of ideas, creative vision, and enthusiasm of fiber related interests. Knitters, Weavers, Spinners and Embroiderers representing area guilds will be present to share their passion, demonstrate their craft, and showcase their members’ work. Fulfilling the goal to focus on education, scheduled demonstrations and impromptu how-to discussions take place throughout the day. Raffles will be held hourly with some fantastic fiber-related prizes. Local businesses and farms will sell their fiber, fleeces, yarns and more at the “Fiber Merchant Mart.” Hosted by the Centre County Knitters Guild, this annual event takes place February 15, 2014, at a new location, General Potters Farm, 2843 General Potter Highway (Route 322) Potters Mill, PA. 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. This event is free to the public. Food Bank Donations will be welcomed.

CONTACT: Mary Ellen Litzinger, 526 Glenn Road, State College, PA. 16803 Tel: 814-441-9904

The Valley, February 2014

12

has happened in the past year that has made you completely and totally happy? This time the questioner may speak periodically, but only to get more information, ask questions, encourage the other to share more of that wonderful experience.

Though this is just the first step of learning effective communication, it’s a revealing beginning. When you engage the talker, encourage him or her to share, and truly understand, both of you will be enriched by the experience. I’ve heard some say to a long-time friend or life partner, “I never knew that about you!” and “It was really nice getting to know you better.”

If your job requires relating to people, interviewing job candidates or motivating employees, for example, practice listening to them as well. If you don’t care, they will feel it. They won’t want to work with you or contribute to your success. If you can’t listen at work, it’s probably not happening at home either.

Communicating, listening, and learning about one another takes time, but it’s worth it – a key

Communication is Key to a Good Relationship You Hear, But Are You Listening?

If you want a successful relationship, just listen. Of course you already hear the words being spoken by your parent, boss, friend, or life partner, but are you really listening? As a Relationship Coach, one of the most important means of strengthening relationships is teaching people to listen to one another. Really listen and understand.

If you’re like most people, you think you are “hearing” the other person just fine. During a discussion, it’s common to tune out, waiting for your “turn” to prove you are right. Maybe the other person interrupts to make his or her point. Both of you may chime in with examples of experi-

ences that “relate” to the other’s topic.

That’s not listening. That’s more like competing. Did you really hear what the other person said – the meaning behind the words, the experience behind the pain, the emotion behind the facts?

Here’s an exercise about effective listening. It involves two questions. At a recent group presentation I asked guests to pair up and take turns asking the first question: What are your challenges and frustrations in life right now? Then I asked them to sit back and listen. Don’t interrupt.

Don’t fool with your “iThingy”.

Be encouraging with eye contact,

positive expressions, nodding.

Just listen. Really hear what your partner has to say.

When your partner asks you the same question – really listening – did you enjoy the experience? Most in my group did: “It was great,” “It was fantastic and made me feel good,” and “I liked it. I never get this at home.”

A few found it hard to listen to the other person, because something else was on their minds or they genuinely didn’t care at that moment about what the other was saying. Some found it hard not to interrupt. Make sure you are in a calm, caring state of mind when listening to others.

The second question is: What

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to solving problems, teaming up to meet challenges, or preventing misunderstandings.

Couples, if feel like you are ready to take your relationship to a deeper level, improve your ability to attain true emotional intimacy, ready to release a need for one to be right and the other to be wrong, want to strengthen your ability to resolve issues as a cooperative team and ready to create a new vision for yourselves as a couple, contact me about the 6-week “Connecting to US” teleclass, which starts Wednesday, March 19, 2014. A colleague and I will present a weekly 90 minute group telephone session with Q & A and “homework” for the next class the following Wednesday.

Really listening can make a huge difference in any relationship. Just listen! a

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The Valley, February 2014

Understanding the Constitution

by David Molek

Obama’s Constitutional Violations

Some time ago, I did a presentation at Kish Park at a Mifflin County 912 Tea Party rally covering President Obama’ s Top-10 Constitutional Violations.

At that time, I had difficulty with limiting it to ten. I had to group some together and endure a great deal of research into unpleasant governmental actions in order to complete the task. I thought it would be appropriate to do something similar without limiting it to ten. So here goes.

I am not attempting to put these violations in any sort of order of importance, because, in my opinion, they are all important. I will let you place the order of importance in your own mind.

In my opinion, 2013 was one big constitutional violation with the everyday actions of our federal government.

It has been a terrible year for those of us who love freedom, individual liberty, limited government, less spending, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.

I see our country moving further toward socialism. I see the cur-

rent administration targeting those who disagree with them and rewarding those that do. Americans are moving in greater numbers from alarmed to angry over the unlimited federal government. It seems that Obama is destroying our economy, our rights and our security. I am tired of hearing about “fairness”.

Obamacare has so many violations that it deserves its own category. President Obama both implemented and delayed provisions of the law passed by Congress unilaterally without congressional approval or amendment. His unilateral one-year delay on all requirements, unilateral one-year delay of employer mandate, his unilateral delay of out-of-pocket caps, his exemption of Congress from the law, expansion of employer mandate’s penalty through IRS regulation, and healthcare waivers, just to name a few. That is without discussing pending court challenges or looking for more defects buried in the thousands of pages of legislation and hundreds of thousands of

pages of regulations.

DOMA law is a statute which said marriage was between one man and one woman. Obama direct his federal Department of Justice to ignore the Constitution and separation of powers and not enforce the law. He does the same with the Dream Act and immigration. Then, he sues states like Arizona for upholding federal laws on immigration while his administration refuses to do so.

Obama then appoints agency czars without the “advice and consent of the Senate” violating Article II, section 2.

We cannot forget his four executive appointments when the Senate was not in recess. He also bypassed Congress again and gave EPA the power to advance cap-ntrade and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau the authority to write and interpret laws, obvious violations of due process and separation of powers.

Obama hides behind executive privilege in the Fast & Furious gun running scandal and Benghazi. When government misconduct is the concern, executive privilege is negated. Don’t

forget about his plethora of executive order. Those on gun control where he infringes on our 2nd amendment rights, those bypassing Congress on immigration, EO 13603 government seizures, EO 13524 giving INTERPOL jurisdiction on American soil beyond our FBI, EO 13636 on infrastructure cybersecurity bypassing Congress’ legislative power, and the list goes on.

We cannot forget the GM and Chrysler bailouts with unlimited, unreviewable and often secret bureaucratic discretion with no constraints. Some of us suffered personal financial losses when Obama took away our rights as stockholders and gave our worth to the unions. There was no due process and separation of powers issues abound.

The deep water drilling ban created by a blanket 6-month moratorium on new oil and gas drilling was struck down, but a new order issued. How about the political profiling by the IRS? Obama issued a BOLO ( be on the lookout) order for organizations which included words or activities involving tea party, patriots, criticism of government, educating about our Constitution or chal-

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lenging Obamacare. Based upon the federal government’s arguments before our U.S. Supreme Court, they view their power as virtually unlimited in cases involving property rights, religious liberty, immigration, tax law and securities regulation.

Obama refuses to acknowledge states’ 10th Amendment powers, ignores bankruptcy laws, signs treaties without Senate approval, violates the origination clause of our Constitution by having revenue bills originate in the Senate, rather than in the House of Representatives. To me, this all adds up to the administration’s incredible and unconstitutional power grab.

These are some examples of our chief executive’s dereliction of duty to “preserve, protect and defend “our Constitution. He certainly selectively ignores his duty to “take care that the law be faithfully executed”.

The Founders understood the fragility of the idea of America and the importance of an informed and engaged people. They took great care to form 3 equal branches of government equipped with checks and balances in order to prevent power from accumulating with one branch.. You would never know that today our federal government has only enumerated powers. It is time that We the People awaken and face the crossroads at which we find our beloved country. We are not blameless. We do need to ask every time, “Where does our federal government get the power to do

Continued on page 15

The Valley, February 2014

14 Poor Wills Valley Almanack from page 19 dark. Spread phosphate and potash as needed in your pastures.

Pull back some garden mulch to allow soil to dry out and warm up.

As the new moon approaches, plant rows of peas, onions, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, asparagus crowns, spinach, turnips and carrots on milder afternoons. Then take cuttings to propagate shrubs, trees, and houseplants; experiment with forsythia, pussy willow, hydrangea and spirea.

All summer flowering plants like rose-of-Sharon and butterfly bush can be pruned in February or March. Trim back ornamental grasses.

Continue to seed flowers and vegetables that will bear their fruit above the ground as the moon waxes. Flats under a warm shop light should produce strong sprouts by the time April brings milder temperatures.

It’s not too early to feed your bulbs with liquid fertilizer before major blooming time begins.

Mardi Gras will be here in just a few days. Consider advertising your lambs and kids to this barbeque market.

When the land is ready, worm livestock before turning them out to pasture. Mares show signs of estrus as the days grow longer.

The last of the lambs and kids conceived in middle autumn are born.

Barometric changes can trigger flare-ups of arthritis in people and also in your pets and livestock. Add paprika mixed in molasses if you think an animal is suffering from joint pain.

Almanack Literature “I Told You So.”

By Pliny Fulkner Cincinnati, Ohio

My wife always tried to remind me gentrly about things that needed to be done around the house. She put up with my negligence most of the time, and most of the time, I eventually got around to doing the things she felt needed to be done.

Now, we had our share of mice, and I was more tolerant of them than she was. Often as we sat by the fire, she would say, “Did you hear that? Something is in the kitchen. I think it’s a mouse under the dish washer.” Or she would hear scratching noises in the wall, and say, “Did you hear that? I think we have a mouse in there.”

And I would nod and tell her

I would set a mousetrap, and then I’d usually forget to do that, and my wife would remind me a day and a week and a month later, and then I’d set a trap, and sometimes I would catch a mouse, and sometimes I’d catch one and then forget about mice for a while.

“After all,” I thought, “what harm can the mice really do under the dishwasher or in the wall? They are just trying to hide from the cold.”

Then one day, the dishwasher wouldn’t wash dishes. When my wife turned it on, nothing happened. I checked the fuse box but couldn’t find a blown fuse. So we called the repairman, hoping that the problem might be something minor.

The man came and did some checking and testing, and then he pulled the machine out from under the counter. Lo and behold, all of the wiring had been shredded by the mice! Time for a new dishwasher.

It took about two more years before the mouse in the wall finished his work, and cut off electricity to half of the house.

The electrician spent hours and hours trying to find the problem area, and when he did, he had to cut through the wall to reach it.

And what did he discover? A mouse had eaten through the wiring and had been electrocuted in the process, shutting down much of our power.

“You’re lucky that didn’t start a fire!” said the electrician, and he kept the fried mouse, along with the wires, for his museum of things that can go wrong.

I was out a total of about two thousand dollars, thanks to the electrocuted mouse and the dishwasher mouse. My wife was nice and never said, “I told you so.” But I have listened closely for gnawing sounds and have kept the mousetraps set just the same.

Almanack Classics “Good Memories”

By Hallie Moser, Defiance, OH

I am old enough to remember the horse and buggy days, and I also am old enough to remember the first car we had.

My father came into the house and told my mother he was going to Sherwood to buy a car.

She told him to buy a new one, not one someone else had. Anyway, one of my brothers took him to town to the Ford dealer, and he bought a 1918 Ford touring car.

They told him how to start and stop the car and sent him on his way.

We lived down a lane, so we all went outside to see him and his new car. He came driving down the lane, and when he got to the barnyard, he leaned back, gripped the steering wheel and yelled, “Whoa! Whoa!”

He finally came to his senses and put on the brakes before he hit the barnyard gate.

We had the car until 1926 and sold it at auction after Dad passed away. It was a good car, and Dad took good care of it.

Good memories!

KCILSRE

Recent Sckrambler Winners Barbara Molek of Yeagertown, PA was the November winner. Anna Byler of Belleville, PA won in December. Only three people enter each month so far; you really have a good chance of winning! a

Love from page 6 Christ? Will you allow yourself to be loved by the one who created you and knows you better than anyone else? If your answer is yes to the question of accepting Christ, then does everyone around you see His kind of love in your speech, your smile, your conduct?

The gift of love is the most beautiful and meaningful gift we can give to each other on Valentine’s Day and everyday in between. a

Send your family stories (especially stories from a long time ago) to Poor Will at P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387 or to wlfelker@gmail.com. Three dollars will be paid for the purchase of any tales printed in this almanac. *** Poor Will’s Sckrambler If you are the 3rd, the 13th, the 30th, the 60th or 130th person to return your correct Sckrambler solutions by my deadline, you will win $5.00. There should be no typos in this puzzle, and no typo prize will be awarded. If you happen to find a typo, however, you may simply skip that word without penalty.

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15

The Valley, February 2014

Bruce Lilley’s Second Wind Dream

Have you ever done something for somebody that made you smile? Have you ever watched someone accomplish something that they thought they would never do again? Were you ever the person that helped bring a Second Wind Dream to reality? If you have ever done any of these things, then you know what the feeling is like. To watch a person’s eyes light up because they performed a task that they haven’t performed in 30 years.

That was me on Sunday, January 19th, 2014. That was the day I

met Bruce Lilley. Bruce was into archery back in the day. He told me stories of how they used to make their own wooden arrows and hunt for deer with their recurve bows and long bows. Bruce told me the story about the day he shot his friend in the foot. He said it was an accident.

Bruce had a dream of shooting a bow again. That’s when Jeanne Kanagy from Elmcroft senior Living in Reedsville contacted me to see if I was interested in helping Bruce’s dream come true.

Without any hesitation my answer was YES!!!! Jeanne and I were in contact with each other for a couple months until we could coordinate a date that suited both of us. I invited Bruce and his cheering section to Shawnee Archers located on Sand Ridge Road in Lewistown. I was already there when Bruce got

Obama’s Constitutional Violations from page 13

be paid for by the tooth fairy or someone down the road without any thought about the long term consequences of their actions.

Congress should resolve in the new year to not vote for anything they have not fully read and understood. I wish we could elect all principled candidates so we could remedy Obama’s unconstitutional actions.

Our President and our Congress has undermined the peoples’ respect for them. They are sowing the seeds of their own demise.

The administration has created political strife which is fundamentally based on clashing views on the role of government in society.

Things may get worse before they get better with Podesta coming on as the new presidential counselor with his belief in government by fiat with focus on executive power. We need to step up and protect our Constitution before it is too late. a

that?”

If the federal government acts outside the scope of its delegated and carefully enumerated powers, then it is no better than an armed mob. Our president blatantly violates the strictures of our founding document. He has difficulty in telling the truth. He focuses on executive power to “fundamentally transform” our country without congressional acquiescence.

America was the first country to form a government by and for the people in order to preserve liberty. In order to challenge Obama’s actions which are contrary to our Constitution, there are two remedies in that document.

The remedy for Congress is impeachment, and for the American people is the election process. I do not see our Congress moving forward with impeachment.

Our Congress promise goodies to

there, so I got to see Bruce’s eyes twinkle when he walked in. Ya see, Bruce used to be a member of Shawnee Archers when he was younger. When he walked in he looked around and said “WOW!!

This place changed!”

I introduced myself to Bruce, and I asked him “When was the last time you were here Bruce?”

Bruce said “It was 1984. That’s the last time I was ever up here and the clubhouse looks great.

This indoor range wasn’t here back then.” We talked a little bit about shooting, hunting and the equipment that he used vs. what people use today. I explained to him what releases and stabilizers were and Bruce chuckles and says, “Huh, I don’t even know what that stuff is.” Everyone in the room got a kick out of him.

Especially me. Then I said, “Well Bruce, you ready for this?” and he responded “Yep, lets do it.” The bow I took up was a 2014 Hoyt Ignite compound bow. This bow is a lot different than what Bruce

was used to. I could tell Bruce was a little nervous, so I cracked some jokes to make him a little more comfortable. Like, “Hey don’t worry about putting a hole in the roof Bruce, I watched guys in their 20’s do that. Look at all those holes…” He laughed and said “Now I don’t feel so bad.” We strapped the Jim Fletcher release up to his wrist, knocked up the gold tip Expedition Hunter arrow and Bruce tried to draw the bow.

First time failed. I said, “That’s ok Bruce, that’s my fault. I have the poundage set to high.” I lowered the Hoyts poundage and told him to give it another try. I held Bruce’s wrist with my left arm and held the riser of the bow with my right, and I helped him draw it. We lined the bow up on the target and I said “Okay Bruce, ready when you are.” As he sent the arrow down range, his face lit up with joy. As did mine. When I asked him if he wanted to shoot another one, Bruce said, “Heck yeah!” So, we shot three more arrows. I went and got the arrows while Bruce took a break. Bruce and I shot four more rounds that afternoon.

Bruce loved every minute of it, as did I.

If you have never helped a person that had a dream, helped their dream come true, and be there when it happened, I suggest that you do this whenever you can.

The feeling that came over me while Bruce was having the time of his life, the feeling that I got as I watched him try as hard as he could to achieve his dream was something else. Bruce put every ounce of effort that he had in him to make this happen. I will never forget that. I hope Bruce Lilley takes me up on my offer to shoot bow with him again soon. I guess the message that I’m trying to get across is, spend time doing the things you love, with the people you love doing them with, because you never know when you are not able to do the things that mean so much to you. Accomplish the things that cause joy in your life. Whether you just do not have the time in your busy schedule, or you just can’t physically do the things you love to do anymore, there will be a day when the things you love to do will be put aside, and become dreams of your own. a

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The Valley, February 2014

16

How is everyone on this really SHORT winter day? As I write, it is 3 am, and I am suffering with a really nasty bout of Bronchitiis.

I know that I’d rather be poked in an eye with a fairly shaahp stick, then to have this much longa!

Even my hair hurts. Probably my skull follicles, but at this point, I just want it gone.

Whatchoo been up to? My bro brought me some copper tubing made for putting in an icemaker. We will be telling you all about a Pressure Canner Distiller next month, when I can think straight.

And NO. Before you start in on me, this is for purifying drinking water the easiest way possible.

With steam—NOT making booze, or, whatever. Myself, I don’t find reality all that hard to take. Lucky, I guess.

(Later that day) I just spent three hours at the Emergency Room. Yep, Bronchitis. The two meds they prescribed, I had in my stash. Glad to know I would have been right, if my brain was functioning above that of a retarded weasel.

It makes you realize, that when this precarious economy crashes, just how easily things can go to hell. You’ve seen this on the news. Food cards mess up, the herd mob mentality is just below the surface, waiting. I try my best to be prepared, within my very limited budget. I hope you have a stash of needed items at your place. The piece of mind alone is priceless.

I’m sure medicines would be hard to come by, along with everything else.

I read somewhere that the average home has just 5 to 7 days worth of food. To me, that is just CRAZY. Just watch when a storm is coming. Watch the store shelves empty. Usually bread and milks go first. I’d be heading for the meat department, but that’s just me. I can drink water, and eat meat with a fork. Maybe because I can easily bake my own bread, and store milk is not really milk to me.

Because knowledge is power, some movies to watch: Farmageddon, Food, Inc., Frankensteer, Food Fight, Chew on This, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, Hungry for Change, Forks over Knives, Food Matters... The list is extensive.

Just watch Death By China to get your heart pumping.

Foods to avoid? Any food

with a bar code or a tv commercial.

Remember when the price of diesel fuel skyrocketed a few years back? Food prices went up, didn’t they? Have you noticed them come back down? Fuel did, to some extent, then why didn’t the food prices? Follow The Money. Something to think about.

I hope you garden. No matter where you live, you can grow SOMETHING. Container gardening can yield a surprising amount of food in a very small space.

I know that most people are squeamish when it comes to raising rabbits for meat. Thankfully, I don’t live in Disneyland. In my little world, Thumper grows fast, has a great feed to meat protein ratio, low cholesterol, they are quiet, clean, and fairly easy to

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raise and care for. If you are serious about wanting to feed yourself and your loved ones, then get to know your food. Raise them with respect and kindness. Process them with care and swiftness.

The same goes for any animal raised for food. Rabbits have that cuteness factor that most just can’t deal with. Chickens are my favorite, as far as enjoyment of raising.

I call it Chick-a-vision. No bar code to be seen, anywhere.

Until next time, enjoy your seed catalogs. If you don;t have any, just order a few. They seem to multiply. Like... Rabbits ;-) a

17

The Valley, February 2014

Enraptured by the Rapture

People in the church today are taken away by the thought that they’ll be taken away or “raptured” from this Earth prior to any major tribulation so that they won’t have to suffer. This is called the Pre-tribulation rapture of the church and is vaguely referred to in the Bible, in First Thessalonians 4, which reads: “ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them (those who have died previously) to meet the Lord in the air.” This is the key reference to this event and we have built an entire theology around this one verse.

Is it possible this view is wrong? I believe so; and if this is the case, it is damaging to hold to this position as it de-

ludes people into thinking they don’t need to prepare for coming hardship. What we are discussing is prophesy, and the book of Revelation says Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Today, prophesy in the western church is often times nothing more that fortune telling, and much of it is incorrect as people want their ears tickled.

When discussing the rapture, we are talking prophesy and authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have published the extensive Left Behind series consisting of 16 volumes, which have sold 63 million copies and have been made into a couple of movies, along with children’s versions to inculcate the young. Is it possible these men falsely prophesize?

Let us discern by looking into

the Word of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to see what it says.

The Biblical prophets of old understood the word of The Almighty as written in TORAH (The five books of Moses). Their job was to bring correction to the populace when they erred. They then entreated the people of God to get back into line with what was written there in, to again obey His commands and right rulings when they strayed or else they would suffer the consequences the Almighty had already put forth in His word.

The Bible is written from a Hebraic mindset and in Hebraic thinking all things operate in cycles instead of time lines.

The end of one cycle is also the beginnings of another, and found in those cycles are patterns and shadow pictures of things to come. Therefore, to understand the end, we need to go back to

the beginning, as in Isaiah 46:9 & 10, The Almighty states: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning.” Literally, the Hebrew reads: declaring the end out of the beginning.

Therefore, going back to the beginning, let’s look at three examples of things that have happened previously to see if the patterns line up and confirm this pre-tribulation rapture theology.

Additionally, we will punctuate these examples with a parable told by the Master Jesus in Matthew.

If it’s not confirmed by scripture, then we need to discard this teaching for a correct interpretation of scripture and this event.

Early on in the Biblical narrative, Noah, who found grace with God, survived the flood of judgment when the rest of mankind drowned in the waters of the great deep. We see here that the righteous were left and the wicked were taken out.

When the Almighty brought judgment on the Egyptians, He brought His people through the Red Sea. Who was taken out and who was left behind? The Egyptian army was swallowed up by the Red Sea and the children of Israel were left behind.

Consider the account of

Sodom and Gomorrah, who was taken out and who was left behind on the Earth? Judgment was brought upon the twin cities for their sin and Lot and his family were left behind.

In Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13, He states: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?

Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” According to this parable the unrighteous are collected and taken out first and the righteous are saved and left

Continued on page 30

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The Valley, February 2014

18

Poor Will’s Valley Almanack

for Late Winter and Early Spring of 2014

by W. L. Felker

All about me the snow thawed - the tracks of rabbits fell together and faded; the tunnels of mice were exposed; bird prints vanished. The air was sweet with the fragrance of thawing snow and rang with the songs and cries of chickadees, juncos, tree sparrows, blue jays, the conversation of quail, the fresh vibrant cawing of crows on wing.

--August Derleth The Sun On February 18, Cross-Quarter Day, the sun reaches a declination of 11 degrees 53 minutes, its halfway point to equinox. It enters Pisces at the same time.

The Planets Venus continues as the bright morning star throughout the remainder of the winter. Mars and Saturn rise after midnight, both planets moving up from the eastern horizon near bright Spica.

Jupiter is the dominant light in the west after sundown.

The Stars

Early in the morning dark, the sky foretells the warmth of a middle summer evening: Cold Leo and bright Regulus are setting in the far west, chasing Cancer into the horizon. Due south, Libra and Scorpius stalk Virgo and Corvus. Herculus and red Arcturus (shadowed by Mars) move directly overhead. Rising for July and August, the Summer Triangle of Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila fill the east.

Meteorology If strong storms occur this month, they will be most likely to strike

on or around February 2-4, 6-9, 14-18 and 24-25. Full moon on February 14 is likely to increase the intensity of the weather system that typically arrives near that date.

Peak Activity Times for Livestock, Fish, Game and Dieters Fish, game, livestock and people tend to feed more and are more active as the barometer is falling one to three days before the weather systems that arrive near February 3, 6, 11, 15, 20, 24.

Fishing and hunting may be most rewarding and dieting could be most frustrating near these dates at midday when the moon is new, in the afternoon and evening when the moon is in its first quarter, at night when the moon is full and in its third quarter, in the morning when the moon is in its fourth quarter.

Holidays for Homesteaders February 27, 2014: Dominican Republic Independence Day: Consider marketing lambs and kids to this market, a sizeable market in eastern Pennsylvania.

FEBRUARY– WEEK 1 THE SECOND WEEK OF LATE WINTER Lunar Phase And Lore The Snowdrop Moon, new on January 30, waxes throughout the period, entering its second quarter on February 6 at 2:22 p.m. Rising in the morning and setting at night, this moon is overhead in the afternoon. Lunar position before sundown is expected to make late afternoon the best time for fishing this week, especially before a cold wave arrives around February 7. As the moon passes through Taurus between February 5 and 7, it favors the seeding of bedding plants for spring.

Weather Trends The second barometric high of February arrives near the 6th and generally reinforces the cold. The following three days frequently

bring dangerous weather to the nation’s midsection and produce some of the most frigid mornings of the entire year. The third cold wave of the month, ordinarily the last severe system of late winter, arrives near February 11, bearing a high chance for precipitation and sunless skies. And as this system moves east, the odds for milder weather become substantial.

FEBRUARY – WEEK 2 THE THIRD WEEK OF LATE WINTER Lunar Phase And Lore The Snowdrop Moon waxes gibbous throughout the first part of the period, becoming completely full on Valentine’s Day at 6:53 p.m. Rising in the afternoon and setting before dawn, this fat moon moves overhead (its most influential position) in the middle of the night. The moon’s passage through fertile Cancer between February 10 and 12 is the last best lunar time for putting in bedding plant and hardy vegetable seeds under lights before dark moon time at the end of the month. As the barometer drops in advance of the February 11 and 15 cold fronts, seeds will be more eager to sprout and fish to bite.

Weather Trends February 15 has the highest incidence of highs in the 50s and 60s of any time so far in February - a full 40 percent of the afternoons reach those levels (with a 15 percent chance for 60s, and 25 percent for 50s). That’s the first time since December 15 that the likelihood of mild temperatures has been so great. And those statistics provide a neat numerical parenthesis to winter: December 15 is the pivot date for the arrival of really severe weather in the region; February 15 is obviously the spring pivot date.

FEBRUARY – WEEK 3 THE FIRST WEEK OF EARLY SPRING

Lunar Phase And Lore The Snowdrop Moon, pulling the snowdrops through the cold and snow, wanes into its final phase at 12:15 p.m. on February 22. Rising in the night and setting in the late morning, this moon comes overhead before dawn, making sunrise the best lunar time of this week for angling. As the cold fronts of February 20 and 24 approach, the falling barometer will encourage morning fish to bite even more.

Lunar passage through Capricorn between February 24 and 26 will favour the planting of all root crops directly in the garden.

Put in shrubs and trees, as well.

Capricorn and the dark moon will encourage root development (if you keep the plantings watered).

Weather Trends Although high pressure sweeps across the nation around February 20, the low that precedes that front often brings some of the warmest temperatures of the month. Even when it passes through, the system rarely brings major difficulties to travellers or farmers. And as the barometer drops before the next front, it sometimes makes the 22nd and 23rd some of the most gentle days since early December.

However, after the benign days of February’s third week that often force snowdrops and aconites into bloom, the chilly February 24 front almost always pushes Snowdrop Winter across the Lower Midwest. Since this high often clashes strongly with the moist air of early spring, snowstorms, flooding and tornadoes are more likely to occur now than at any time since the 15th.

FEBRUARY – WEEK 4 THE SECOND WEEK OF EARLY SRING Lunar Phase And Lore Waning throughout the end of February, the Snowdrop Moon becomes the new Robin Chorus Moon on March 1 at 3:00 a.m.

The number of robins increases

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throughout the month, and by full moon time, their chorus fills out the calls of the cardinals before sunrise. Rising before dawn and setting near sundown, this new moon comes overhead at midday.

The best lunar time for fishing (and the worst for dieting) occurs around noon as the barometer falls in advance of the first cold front of March. Lunar passage through fertile Pisces between February 28 and March 1 announces the very best early spring planting period.

Weather Trends The cold front that ends the month of February is almost always more gentle than the February 24 front, and its transit signals the end of Snowdrop Winter. Clear skies are a hallmark of this front’s arrival, and bright conditions usually follow on the 28th.

A Daybook for February February 1: By midnight, giant Orion begins to move west from its dominating January position in the center of the southern sky. The star group of Canis Major takes its place along the horizon.

February 2: For guidance about the progress of the season, the groundhog is a fickle prophet, rarely emerging to prognosticate so early. Other creatures, however, take up the slack, most notably the skunk. When your nose identifies the night-time wanderings of that mammal, you know that spring is only six to eight weeks away, clouds or no clouds.

February 3: The first major waves of robins and bluebirds now reach the Valley. Along the backroads, roadkills attest to the increasing night-time activities of opossums. By the time the Groundhog Day Thaw is over, the sun will have climbed past a declination of 16 degrees, more than 30 percent of the way to spring equinox.

February 4: Mardi Gras Season

19

The Valley, February 2014 begins around this time, lasting until the big celebration on March 4. Consider marketing lambs and kids (and plenty of beads) to those who observe this season.

February 5: When you hear mourning doves singing before dawn, then organize all your buckets for tapping maple syrup.

When you hear red-winged blackbirds in the wetlands, then the maple sap should already be running. When maple sap runs, then prune house plants to encourage spring growth.

February 6: When you see sparrows courting, then cut branches of forsythia and pussy willows for forcing indoors. When the first daffodil foliage is two inches tall, then monarch butterflies are beginning to migrate north from Mexico.

February 7: When the red tips of peonies push out just a little from the ground, then listen for blue jays courting and watch for wild turkeys to be gathering in flocks.

Cardinals began their mating calls before dawn in the last week of deep winter. Now they are in full song by eight in the morning, sometimes sing all day.

February 8: By ten o’clock in the evening in the first week in February, giant Orion begins to move west from its dominating January position in the center of the southern sky. The star grouping of Canis Major takes its place along the horizon, with Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest light in the whole night sky.

February 9: Depending on the year, growth occurs on ragwort, dock, sweet rocket, asters, winter cress, poison hemlock, sedum, mint, celandine, plantain, poppies, pansies, daffodils, tulips, crocus, aconite, hyacinth, strawberries.

February 10: The pollen season, which ended with early winter, has now begun again across the South with the blooming of mountain cedar, acacia, smooth alder, bald cypress, American elm, red maple, white poplar and black willow. Bluegrass, which stopped flowering in midsummer, revives and starts its seeding cycle. As the February thaws bring moisture and warmth from the Gulf of Mexico, they also bring the pollen from all these flowers to the North.

February 11: More than half of the pussy willows have opened in a typical year. And all along the

40th Parallel, people are getting ready to tap maples for sap.

February 12: The day’s length is a full hour longer than it was on December 26.

Azaleas are blooming in Alabama.

In the lowlands of Mississippi, swamp buttercups, violets and black medic are open. Across the deserts of the Southwest, wildflower season begins with the first spring rains. In the Lower Midwest, skunk cabbages are opening.

February 13: Owlets and young bald eagles grow inside their eggs.

Riding the southwest winds, redwinged blackbirds, meadowlarks, starlings, cedar waxwings, snow buntings, eagles, killdeer, and ducks of all kinds migrate, accelerating the appearance of spring.

February 14: Today’s full moon is likely to delay the arrival of the mild, mid-February weather that often ushers in the season of early spring.

February 15: Sometimes the weather doesn’t change for the better in the middle of the year’s second month; sometimes the cold is worse than in the middle of January. But it’s the sound that changes and fills the silence of dormancy, songs accumulating like spring leaves.

February 16: Fields of daffodils open in southern Georgia, and throughout the South, honeybees and carpenter bees collect pollen from yellow dandelions, silver and red maples, blue toadflax, white clover and mouse-eared chickweed.

February 17: When wild multiflora roses sprout their first leaves in Pennsylvania, then wildflower season has begun in the Southwest and bald eagles are laying their eggs in Yellowstone.

February 18: Today is CrossQuarter Day, the date on which the sun reaches half of the distance to spring equinox, entering the early spring sign of Pisces at the same time. The night has shortened by 90 minutes through the space of the last 60 days, and the speed of the change reaches real spring levels now, the remaining gain of 70 minutes occurring between February 18 and equinox.

And the sun, which took 60 days to travel the first half of the way to equinox, suddenly doubles its speed, completing the second half of the journey in only 32 days.

February 19: When you see

small brown moths on warmer afternoons, then you know that ducks are looking for nesting sites and that ambystoma salamanders will be mating at night in the slime. Striped bass are often biting in lakes across the Lower Midwest as the sun warms the shallows. When you see tulip foliage emerging from the ground, then horned owlets hatch in the woods and sweet corn is coming up along the Gulf coast. Redbuds and azaleas are in full bloom in northern Florida, rhododendrons just starting to come in. In the lowlands of Mississippi, swamp buttercups are open, violets and black medic, too.

February 20: The cold front that arrives near February 20 marks the end of the snowiest part of the year throughout the region. Of course, blizzards love March in the northern Plains.

February 21: The violet and golden flowers of the snow crocus, the white blooms of snowdrops and the bright yellow blossoms of aconites often begin their seasons during the last week of February. Those seasons last through the middle of March, if the weather is not too warm, and they are parallel to the season of red and silver maple bloom.

February 22: The Season of the Ten-Hour Day, during which the day’s length remained more than nine hours 59 minutes but less than eleven hours, began on January 27 and ends today. And the Delta Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak directly overhead in the early morning hours February 23: Today marks the beginning of the end of winter’s gray skies. Although February and March still have plenty of clouds in store, the frequency of brighter days now shows a slow but steady advance.

February 24: After Snowdrop Winter (between February 23 and 27), geese follow the lead of the blackbirds, marking ownership of the more favorable river and lake sites for nesting. More migrant robins join the sizeable flocks that overwintered in the exurban woodlands.

February 25: Sap is running in the maples, a sign that migraine headache season is at its peak throughout the country. Although your asthma may have improved slightly through the winter, the gradual increase in pollen that accompanies the end of Febru-

ary may bring on a new period of congestion.

February 26: Great flocks of starlings and grackles move across the nation as February comes to an end. And from now on, average temperatures rise at their spring and early summer rate, one degree every three days, until the second week of June.

Migrant crows return with their young, sometimes clashing with the crows that have spent the winter here. Along the Lake Erie shore, the steelhead salmon run, which started in the fall, comes to a close.

February 27: The very earliest bulbs, the snowdrops, the snow crocus and the aconites, have already bloomed in the sunniest microclimates. Now it is time for the larger, brighter standard crocus and the small spring iris, the iris reticulata to flower.

February 28: The blossoming of the standard crocus bears witness to the blossoming of silver maples and the red maples along city streets, the blooming of weedy henbit in the garden, the increasing flow of maple sap, the full emergence of pussy willows, the appearance of woolly bear caterpillars, the full bloom of the snow trillium along the rivers, the final bloom of skunk cabbage, the time for killdeer and to arrive from the South, and for juncos to depart for the North.

Countdown to Spring • Just a week until the first red-winged blackbirds arrive, and skunks prowl the nights • A week and a half to the first snowdrop bloom and the official start of early spring – a time when maple sap season can begin at any moment • Two weeks to major pussy willow emerging season and the time during which salamanders mate in the warm rains • Three weeks to crocus season and owl hatching time and woodcock mating time • Four and a half weeks to the beginning of the morning robin chorus before sunrise. At the same time, sandhill cranes assemble for migration in Nebraska • Five weeks to daffodil season and silver maple blooming season and the first golden goldfinches • Eight weeks to tulip season and the first wave of blooming woodland wildflowers and the first butterflies • Nine weeks until golden forsythia blooms and skunk cabbage sends out its first leaves

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In the Field and Garden

When the first knuckles of rhubarb emerge from the ground, then it’s time to plant your onion sets and seed your cold frames with spinach, radishes and lettuce.

Plant impatiens and coleus under lights for May and June. When trees bloom early but the flowers are killed in the cold, then feed your bees to take up the slack.

Dig horseradish and comfrey root before the weather moderates.

Onions may be planted as soon as the soil can be properly prepared.

When the first snowdrops emerge from their foliage (but are still not open), then be sure your cabbages, kale, Brussels sprouts and collards are sprouting under lights.

When aconites bloom, then spread fertilizer in the field and garden so that it can work its way into the ground before planting.

Schedule your tree tapping for between the 15th and the 24th as red-winged blackbirds burst into song and the moon is fat and round.

As the moon wanes, tuck a few radish, beet, and turnip seeds into the garden. The waning moon is good for root crops, and when the weather warms up a few weeks from now, you may have the first sprouts in the county.

Think about ordering roses, hawthorn, raspberry, tansy, hollyhock, peppermint, thyme and chamomile, all herbs that fight abortion in your flock and herd (and, of course, in humans too).

Spray fruit trees with dormant oil when high temperatures climb into the 40s and freezing temperatures are expected to stay away for 24 to 48 hours.

If you hear spring peepers (they sound like “peep - peep”) or wood frogs (they sound like a flock of ducks), then you really know it’s almost time to let the livestock out to the driest, greenest piece of ground. On the other hand, if you hear a flock of ducks, that should mean that the wood frogs will soon be calling.

If you need a guard animal for your goats, consider getting a cow. If raised with goats, a single cow will think it’s a goat and will keep dogs and coyotes from threatening the herd.

Don’t let your pigs – especially your piglets and weaner pigs – get caught in late-winter drafts. Wind chill can kill a young pig.

Broadcast clover in the pastures, and spread grass seed in the lawn after snow has melted and the moon becomes completely

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The Valley, February 2014

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County officials, where he was employed at a nearby lumber camp. Railroad officials were fumigating the rail car on which the man was traveling.

Fifty Years Ago February 1964

The groundhog saw his shadow forecasting more snow and winter woe. Twelve inches of fresh white blanketed Mifflin County, snarling traffic and closing schools at mid-month.

Earlier, along the Juniata River near Mattawana, ice dams forced four to six feet of jammed ice onto roads, blocking traffic. The ice was between 16 and 18 inches thick, as bulldozers were called in to clear one lane through the icy obstacle.

If the weather had you down, movies offered an outlet. The Miller was showing Paul Newman’s latest, “The Prize” with Elke Sommer, Diane Baker and Edward G. Robinson, plus “Palm Springs Weekend” starring Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Ty

Harden and Stefanie Powers. At the Embassy, more edgy fare, with “Free, White and 21” for adults only, plus a “new high in harrowing shock-suspense” starring Joan Crawford as axe murderess Lucy Harbin in the not-so-subtly titled “Strait-Jacket.”

Local high school sports saw a potential three-way tie in the Tri-Valley League wrestling circuit, as Kishacoquillas tops Chief Logan; Lewistown cagers top Captain Jack in the Mountain League. However, Chief takes the wrestling league crown with a win over Juniata Joint.

One Hundred Years ago February 1914

Democrat & Sentinel headlined “Sleighing Passing.”

“Sleighing, which had been delighting young and old in and

about Reedsville for the past several weeks, has been about concluded for the present,” the correspondent wrote. “The tepid rains of Saturday and Sunday played sad havoc with the snowscape and sleighs have been stored away awaiting more favorable opportunity for use.”

“A Smallpox Case Found in Town Jail” prompted officials of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Lewistown to track down, in a “wild chase,” any passengers that were on the same train as the smallpox carrier. The 22 year-old indigent from Carlisle, was first held in the county jail, then moved to the County Pest House under control of the Poor Board. He was transported from Hollidaysburg by train, the fare paid by Blair

Get Ready for Lambing/Kidding Season Part: 2 In the January article of “From Me to Ewe,” I discussed important things to remember prior to lambing/kidding. In this article, I will be focusing on what to do once your lambs/kids have arrived, and problems that can arise with newborns.

While walking out to the barn, you hear crying in the distance. You open the barn door, and there lays a lamb/kid, still covered with the amniotic sac from inside the womb. Now what? The first thing you should do is clear the airways of the newborn if they aren’t already breathing. If you are the main caretaker or the ewe/

doe, most mothers are okay with you checking on their offspring.

Make sure you know the mothers’ personality though, as some ewes/ does can become aggressive with their mothering abilities kick in.

The next step that is very important is to make sure that the ewe/doe’s teats are open by milking her just like you would a cow. Any blockage can be detrimental because the lamb/kid has no access to milk. If a lamb/ kid is found and already dried off, and you have checked the mom and their teats are open, the best indication to determine if the little one has nursed is if you stick

your finger in their mouth and it’s warm. If their mouth isn’t warm, they haven’t nursed in a while, or even at all and will need immediate attention.

A mother’s colostrum (first milk) is import for the newborns, because of its high protein, low fat, and antibodies that help fight disease. We also give newborns nutri-drench (which can be purchased at a local livestock feed store), which is high in nutrients, and gives the lamb/kid a boost.

As stated in the previous article, iodine is also a must during lambing/kidding time. Iodine will be used on the umbilical cord of the

Civil War Echoes February 1864

Quotas for the second draft by borough and township were announced in the Lewistown Gazette, including: Decatur, 17; Derry, 23; Lewistown, 38; Granville, 14; Oliver, 15; McVeytown, 7; Bratton, 9; Armagh, 22; Brown, 16; Union, 19; Menno, 18; Wayne and Newton Hamilton, 21. It was anticipated that the draft would occur after March 1, 1864. The Gazette noted that there was ample time to recruit volunteers to avoid the draft, at least in some districts. The newspaper suggested raising a fund of $5,000 to offer $50 bounties for volunteering. The government’s $300 bounty each would help lure new recruits. Veterans re-enlisting would receive $100 extra from the government as a bonus.

newborn, both to detract disease, and to dry up the cord.

The birth is just the beginning. Now brings on responsibility. With having lambs and kids born in such cold weather, they are also prone to more upper respiratory problems, as well as getting cold, which leads to pneumonia. By making sure your barn is closed with no access to any cold drafts, and pens with fresh bedding, your lamb/kid will be happy and healthy.

Health problems are a major concern, but so are lambs/kids that can’t figure out the concept of nursing on their own or even ewes/does that don’t have enough milk to supply to their offspring.

At HSE Club Lambs in Halifax, PA, we always have a lamb or two each year that just don’t understand the concept of nursing.

When this happens, repetition is key. Helping the lamb/kid find the teat, or even bottle feeding the lamb/kid (By either milking the ewe/doe or supplying formula) is crucial. If it doesn’t seem like the ewe/doe has enough

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

milk, you might also have to substitute natural milk by using formula. Natural milk is much healthier and they also grow better for lambs/kids, but sometimes it’s just not an option. If problems arise and you don’t know what to do, the first thing to do is call a veterinarian, or someone that has years of experience with lambing/ kidding.

At HSE Lambs, we currently have 19 lambs, with six ewes still left to lamb for this round, and six ewes to lamb in early April. Maintaining adequate records, as well as multiple checks on the new arrivals is crucial. If you have any additional lambing/kidding questions that I didn’t cover, feel free to email me at brcarl@frontier. com a

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The Valley, February 2014

Modern Energy and Alternative Heating with Curt Bierly

Were You Ready for the 2014 Cold Snap?

It is a cold winter night as I write this column. The temperature outside is in the low teens and the wind is blowing. Burr!!

We’ve seen a couple of nights plummet to -4F and I know other areas had even lower temperatures. In a nutshell this winter has been BRUTAL so far!

We just returned home from our store in Millheim, and I took a look at today’s mail. It’s amazing the junk mail one receives these days. One in particular caught my eye. It is designed to look very official. 2014 Medicare Health Plan Update, Return Reply Requested, Please Acknowledge by 01/21/14 - is written on the front

of the piece of mail (today’s date is 01/24/14). This one has the tear off ends just like the US Social Security Agency would send you.

Inside there is verbiage that encourages you to respond immediately because you may be missing out on saving lots of money. The word FREE is in large letters. At the bottom of the page in small letters it states “Not affiliated with any government agency.” So even though they made it look like an official government agency notice, it isn’t. In the trash can it goes!!

Besides, I missed the expiration date to respond!

Anyway, back to the cold night and the “Cold Snap” that

I hope is over by the time you read this. Our technicians have responded to numerous out of heat calls this winter. Many of these customers had no backup heat and really hadn’t given it a lot of thought. Currently there are rumblings about a shortage of Propane and higher prices. We can all remember when oil was in short supply. Then there is always the trees falling on the power lines because of a wet snow that was too heavy for the branches, and as a result you lose electrical power. I can remember years ago many trees fell on the power lines passing thru the Millheim Narrows, and it was a week or so until power was restored in part of Brush Valley. If you haven’t thought about it already, you need to consider now an alternative for heating your home in case of an emergency.

What you choose will depend on how much you want to budget toward a solution. If your primary heat is oil or gas, the solution can be as simple as a few electric space heaters that you can place at strategic locations throughout Your Home. You don’t need anything expensive. We usually hand out milk-house heaters for our customers use in an emergency.

The units have two heat selections, a small fan and a knob to set

the relative temperature. Purchase Whatever you choose, make the ones that have a tip-over shutit a priority to become more off switch in case you bump into independent from a heating perit and it upsets. Remember all spective. It will give you piece electric heaters are 100% efficient. of mind during those cold winter For every 1000 watts of electrical nights when the temperature dips power you put into the heater your into the low single digits and the receive 3412 btu’s of heat – so – it wind is a howling. isn’t necessary to purchase one

that has a lot of bells and whistles Curt Bierly is president of the bior promises more then 100% eferly group incorporated of which ficiency.

Stanley C. Bierly is a division.

If you want to budget more He is chair of the Penn College money toward the project, purHVAC Advisory Board. You can chase something that heats withcontact him at 814-349-3000 or out using electricity. The simpler cbierly@bierlygroup.com. a the better.

You can purchase non-electric units that burn wood, coal, gas or oil. Pellet stoves are popular, but they use electricity – so – you would need a generator. Some units require more “tending” then others. The gas and oil stoves require no tending and very little annual maintenance. Coal requires less “tending” than wood.

Consider selecting a fuel other than what your central system uses in case a shortage arises. There are some really good looking units out there for your living room, family room or recreation A standard, inexpensive, Milkhouse heater room - or - some generic ones for your basement.

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The Valley, February 2014

22

LIbrary Lines Your Mifflin County Library

Mifflin County Library is working hard to improve your library experience. For the past year, we have been planning major upgrades in our internet and internal library services.

As of January 2, 2014, our wireless service, at all branches, now requires a wireless security password. This will give our patrons better security in their wireless usage. This password is mifflinlibrary. We have also increased the speed of our internet service over ten times what we previously subscribed to.

All branches of the Mifflin County Library will be closed February 1-4, 2014, to upgrade our library system. We will be

going from a server-based system to a cloud-based system. This will give staff, as well as patrons, better access to the services provided

by The Library Corporation, our current library system.

By the beginning of March, the library will be installing a new patron internet and print management system. This will allow the patrons to bypass the desk and sign into any available computer.

Patrons will still be required to have their valid library card with them to sign into the computer.

Look for more Mifflin County Library improvement projects in the future.

Marsha Shilling- Technology Services Coordinator a

PA Cleanways of Mifflin Co.

Another year is over with over three tons of trash cleaned up, 1000 tires recycled, and 300 yards of river cleaned. As spring nears, we will have our first meeting on February 11 to make plans for this year’s cleanups. A lot of our cleanups depend on how many volunteers we have available and weather conditions. Some of our illegal dump cleanups have slopes that weather conditions such as rain, snow, etc. play a role in decisions on whether we can do them when scheduled. We often schedule cleanups weeks in advance and spring weather can be very changeable. It would be a good idea to check the www.keeppabeautiful.org website to see if a cleanup is still on. If you let us know in advance that you would like to help, either by phone or email, then we can let you know if the cleanup is still on schedule.

One of our toughest cleanups has been Jack’s Mountain. We have worked on it for five weekends so far. Several days before a cleanup, we check to make sure conditions are right. I have met some really friendly people from the Hawk Club when checking the site out, who are watching the raptors going over the mountain. Some of these come from as far away as Holidaysburg.

We have also met members of the Glider Club who have come

out to help us during our cleanups.

Afterward, we would get to watch them soaring off the mountain.

Hopefully all these members will have many more years of soaring off the mountain. They come in from all over the country, frequent our restaurants, stay in our hotels, and thus help with the economy throughout the county. Looking out over the beautiful Ferguson Valley and Big Valley in any season is breathtakingly beautiful. I can’t imagine acres of trees being cut off, or this scenic highway area disappearing.

We do have our date picked for our Tire Recycle Challenge this year, which will be Saturday September 20th, 2014. I will be working on the exact location in the next few months. They are finding more and more uses for tires. A lot of the mulch that they grind up is used in horse arenas, on high school track surfaces, floor mats, pails, and many other items.

Please consider taking pride in your community by doing a roadside cleanup this spring.

Consider adopting a highway through PennDOT, or a township road through Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Pam Sechrist Affiliate Coordinator PACleanWays of Mifflin County a

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The Valley, February 2014 how one couple gave up their careers and high-pressure life in New York City to move to rural New Mexico, where they made, built, invented, foraged, and grew all they needed to live self-sufficiently, discovering a new sense of value and abundance in the process. The book includes many tips and tutorials!

Mail Pouch Books

by Carleen B. Grossman

With Spring just around the corner, I have tried to provide some thought provoking yet motivational nature books for your enjoyment during these wintry days of February. These books will provide you with great food for thought and something to look forward to while waiting for those balmy days to come!

THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS

By Elizabeth Gilbert Copyright 2013

This epic novel spans much of the 18th & 19th centuries; it follows one family of botanical explorers. The reader will learn about the South American quinine

trade that helps to spark the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S., and about orchids and mosses and how they in intertwine in botanical studies. And finally, the reader will learn how botanists strive to understand the hidden mechanisms of all of life!

The story touches upon the controversies of evolution and religion.

The book will take the reader traveling to London, Peru, South America, Philadelphia, Tahiti and Amsterdam with missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses and even people who seem mad! In this saga, the reader will be free to ponder burning wonders related to the need to understand life itself as per a personal passion and controversial issues.

The Signature of All Things brings to mind all those forgotten women of science, whose trailblazing work was swallowed up by more famous men. But it also makes us consider whether a life lived in the shadows of unnoticed actions, is worth any less than a life of public recognition.

An added note for your enjoyment is that there are many parts of this book that paint great historical pictures of Pennsylvania! For example there were frequent descriptions about the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s pharmaceutical companies, botanical gardens, mills and mines!

And lastly, I will leave you with a perfect quote form this interesting read: From page 495: “We are surrounded by a host of unseen friends and loved ones now passed away who exert influence upon us and never abandon us.”

HERBAL ANTIBIOTICS, 2nd Edition: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-resistant Bacteria

By Stephen Buhner Copyright 2012

Read about information on herbal alternatives vs. standard antibiotics. In this reference book,

THE GOOD LIFE LAB: Radical Experiments in Handson Living

By Wendy Tremayne Copyright 2013

This inspirational story tells

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there are explanations of antibiotic resistance, values of herbal treatments, and profiles of 30 herbs, noting for each one its antibiotic properties, methods for collection and preparation, dosages, potential side effects, contraindications, and alternatives.

MAKING BENTWOOD: Trellises, Arbors, Gates & Fences

By Jim Long Copyright 1998

In this oldie, but goodie book, you will learn by the use of photographs and step-by-step instructions how to make beautiful, sturdy bentwood projects. In addition, you will find growing information about 40 popular vine-type plants, and guidelines for harvesting their limbs in a responsible manner. a

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The Valley, February 2014

Find us on The Valley Newspaper

The Pen and Thread Custom Calligraphy and Weaving

Mary Anna Chenoweth Proprietor

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

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

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The Valley, February 2014

Hearts, Love, Chocolate and Kindness

inflammation naturally, without

February is a month where we think of hearts, love, chocolate adding more drugs to our bodies. and possible acts of kindness.

While shrinking the inflamHow about we suggest you do mation that is in your body, you all of those for yourself….and can have a massage in a salt possibly with a friend, spouse, or room and magnify your benefits. daughter.

Massage increases circulation,

At Simply Health Himalaallowing the body to pump more yan Salt Spa we are featuring all oxygen and nutrients into tissues the month of February, ways to and vital organs. Massage also improve your health through doing heart healthy things. This month I would like to include in my information some facts about massage that you may not have thought about before.

If you happen to be someone who thinks you do not The ultimate in pampering, a massage in one of our Himalalike a mas- yan Salt Rooms. sage because you do not like to be touched or stimulates the flow of lymph, the hate to get undressed, please read body’s natural defense system, on, we have something wonderful against toxic invadfor you as well. ers. In breast cancer

Massage is not just a “treat” patients, massage that we can give ourselves. Mashas been shown to sage offers a drug-free, nonincrease the cells invasive and humanistic approach that fight cancer. based on the body’s natural ability Being in a Himato heal itself. There are so many layan salt room things we can do for ourselves has helped patients and our bodies to help them to going through heal that are all natural. The ultichemotherapy and mate healing possibility then is to radiation to sleep have that massage in a Himalayan better and reduce Salt room at our Spa on Monday pain. Massage or Tuesday. Himalayan Salt is therapy also relaxes anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and softens injured anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial. and overused Inflammation is at the root cause muscles, reduces of almost all disease. Every time spasms and crampyou sit in our salt room, you are ing, and increases starting to shrink the inflammation joint flexibility. that is in your body. We all have It also increases inflammation, even infants and circulation of blood babies. It is much kinder to our and lymph system, bodies to get rid of some of our which of course im-

proves the condition of the body’s largest organ…the skin. Massage therapy improves range-of-motion and decreases discomfort for patients with low back pain. It helps reduce post-surgery adhesion and edema and can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred. Massage therapy releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller, and is being used in chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain.

The different types of massage therapy that are offered at Simply Health Salt Spa are Swedish/Relaxation, Deep tissue, Neuromuscular, Myofascial release, Hot Stone, and Trigger point therapy. Myofascial release is best described as addressing restrictions that lie in connective tissues to alleviate pain and dysfunction by releasing the root of the problem. It is a very gentle therapy with profound results.

The ultimate treat is to have a massage in our Himalayan Salt room and use Himalayan salt stones. The salt stones are drawn and guided to the points in your body that will melt away stress.

Your body is nurtured with the

natural elements of each individual hand-picked salt stone. The warm penetration of the salt stones helps to break away any tension or pain on a cellular level by gliding over the stressed muscles and problem areas.

Much more information is available on our web site at: www.simplyhealthcalm.com.

For those of you who think you would not like a massage because of being touched or having to disrobe, you will love our Jade Massage bed!

Our Salt Spa offers a warm and relaxing Jade massage bed which combines the benefits of massage, Far-Infrared heat, and Acupressure to leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. The Far Infrared heat delivers deep–tissue penetration several inches into your body’s muscles, tendons, and organs, improving blood and lymph circulation in those areas and improving overall functioning.

Regular use on our Jade Massage bed will help maintain correct posture and overall body fitness.

The benefits include reducing and eliminating pain from arthritis, Fibromyalgia, muscle soreness and spasms. The infrared heat and jade rollers help to relieve stress, tension, anxiety and increase blood and lymphatic circulation.

This massage is completely noninvasive as you lay fully clothed and allow the heated jade rollers to massage the full length of your body, while surrounded by Hima-

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layan Salt lamps and soft music.

The month of February we are featuring our signature Chocolate Cherry Supreme massage and Mandarin Chocolate Delite massage. Our aromatherapy hydrating crèmes and scrubs are made for us locally using all natural products, and of course, Himalayan salt. Our all natural cocoa butter has major moisturizing powers and is extremely rich in antioxidants—keeping your skin looking healthier and younger.

Cocoa contains serotonin and endorphins, which have a soothing, relaxing effect.

To enable you to improve your health with massage therapy this month, we are offering the following package choices: CHOCOLATE INDULGENCE

*Ten minutes of Whole Body Vibration to get your circulation moving, your lymphatics stimulated, and your muscles relaxed.

*A 60 minute massage with

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The Valley, February 2014

26

Blessings to you all!

Almost February—Yum— fresh maple syrup.

Seems like Pennsylvania syrup isn’t like the stuff up yonder in the cold states. But I’ll take milder syrup for milder weather, No Tradin!

Since we believe in self-sufficient living, we don’t need to have a lot of Maple trees or make a lot of money to simply enjoy fresh local syrup.

If you only have a few trees, you have enough to experiment and enjoy!

Well, it’s time to make sure there is a stack of wood beside the greenhouse and everything is ready to germinate seeds. Now is the time to make up our minds on which varieties we want to grow this coming season.

We prefer “Open Pollinated” varieties because you can save seeds that are true to type. If you are new to this, we would recommend you try it. It’s very rewarding. It could very well be your future food supply. START NOW! Don’t depend on our government

or a company to supply our seeds.

Before we plant our seeds, we do what’s called a hot water treatment. Since we like to save our seeds, this is very important. We believe it is even more critical for us to do this with the few seeds we do buy.

The reason we give them a hot water treatment is to control seed borne diseases like bacterial cankers, early blight, bacterial spot and wilt in tomatoes, and bacterial spot in peppers to name a few.

We don’t believe in using chemical treated seeds, so we do this with most of our small vegetable seeds. Many commercial operations and others use Captan to control seed borne diseases and damping off. We worry about the use of Captan, so we prefer the hot water treatment.

The procedure goes something like this: simply immerse the seeds in 125 degree F (52C) water and soak at this temp for 20 to 30 minutes. Then cool the seeds quickly and plant immediately.

Why is this important?

Because when fires are prevented, firemen aren’t needed. Preventing the spread of diseases, means less need for poisonous fungicides. In today’s world, synthetic chemicals are thought of as the only way to feed the world.

It has been proven over and over, time and again, from the small backyard hippie farmer all the way to the scientist, that this is a serious disaster in the making.

Where it seems most people aren’t willing to pay any attention until a child or loved one is seen suffering, why do we not consider prevention?

Well, don’t forget to put the sweet potatoes in water. Turn in with all the eyes up. Roots should appear in 2 to 3 weeks. If no signs of life, you may cut the bottom end off and put back in the water.

If no signs of life in another week or two, there probably is none. If they are stored too cold, they will root instead of growing.

Have fun! a

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

717-363-1550

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The Valley, February 2014

Grosze Thal Nachbaren

(Big Valley Neighbors)

by Jeptha I. Yoder

Guten Morgen! zu euch alle liebe Leut, über die Landschaft weit und breit! Wir haben veränderlich Wetter gehabt im Jenner dies Jahr. Und wie ihr auch alle wisset, es war zu zeiten sehr kalt. Ein wenig Löwenzahn Blumen welche blüheten über die Feiertagen sind nicht mehr da!

Der Zwei und zwanzigst December war Kirchengasse gemein ans Joel E. Yoders, West Lang Leen ans Isaak Y. Hostetlers.

Rudy E. und Barbara K. (Yoder) Speicher waren hier fürs mittagessen, nachdem sie ans Unkel Christ Ms waren über nacht. Mose R. Hostetlers und familie waren ans Unkel Christs fürs mittag-essen.

Der Neun und Zwanzigst December waren wir in der Gemein ans Manasse J. Yoders. Von McClur war sein bruder Sam (Johannes E.) und Menno Hostetler (Mose Y.). Es waren auch etliche Junge dort von Kirchengasse Theil. Lang Leen Ost war ans Rudy N. Hostetlers.

Der Fünft Jenner war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Noah C. Speicher. Lang Leen West ans Menno R. Hostetlers. Eli S. Hostetlers und Familie waren ans

Unkel Christs abends.

Der Zwelft waren wir in der Gemein ans Eli S. Zugen. Von McClur waren seine Eltern, die Christ Rs und drei Jüngste; und ein Kinderskind David I. Yoder (David H. Jr.); Fräney Yoder (Emanuel J.) kam mit ihre Groszeltern, die Jacob S. Hostetlers.

Etliche Junge waren auch dort fürs abendessen und singen.

Nieder Milroy Gemein war ans Abraham J. Zugen.

Der Neunzeht war Kirchengasse Gemein ans Samuel N. Yoders. Lang Leen West ans Sam I. Yoders. Ost Milroy ans Jonathan M. Hostetlers fürs erste mal. Jesse S. Hostetlers waren ans Jesse Js fürs mittagessen. Unkel Christ M. Yoders waren hier abends.

Am Chrit-tag (Der Fünfundzwanzigst December) waren wir ans Samuel H. Yoders fürs Mittag-essen. Alle von die Mutter ihr Zwistert und ledige Kindern waren dort. Auch zwei vons Christ S. Hostetlers und familien. Unkel Christ Ms hatten ihre Kinder und Kindeskinder.

Abraham J. Hostetlers hatten die Naemi ihr Zwistert und Kinder.

Die Christ M. Zug (Sr.) Familie

waren in Winfield bei ihre Sohn und Bruder, die Eli M. Zugen.

Auch Noah S. Hostetlers waren in Winfield bei seinem bruder Elis.

Die (Jeff) Lydia R. Yoder Haushaltung waren ans Israel E. Yoders, welcher ist die Lydia ihr Neffe.

Am Neu Jahrstag waren meine Eltern ans Jonathan N. Hostetlers fürs mittagessen. Elisabeth ging mit etliche um zu besuchen in McClur, welche waren Unkel Rubens, Unkel Jesses, und fünf Töchter, und Jesse Js und Familie, alle Hostetlern; Yost I. Hostetlers von McClur, waren im Grosze Thal um zu besuchen, auch bei ihre Tochter die Mose C. Yoders.

Am Alt-Christag (der Sechst) waren meine Eltern und ich ans Unkel Christs nach-mittages.

Eli S. Zugen und Familie, waren auch dort. Jesse J. Hostetlers und Familie waren dort fürs abendessen. Es war auch noch viel mehr wanderes und besuches über die Feiertagen - viel zu viel, von zu schreiben uff Papier.

Der Ein und Zwanzigst war Hochzeit-tag fürs Rufus J. der Sohn des Joseph S. und Miriam M. Yoder mit Lena die Tochter (Sam Y.) Emma Y. Hostetler (McClur). Verheirathet durch Ben R. Hostetler. Nevahocker waren Menno Hostetler (Mose Y.) und Mattie Yoder (Joseph S.); Mose Yoder (Joseph S.) und Lydia Hostetler (Emma Y.). Dort von andere Countys waren von die Menno und Rufus Familien; die Sam Y. Lissie und zwei Töchter, alle Hostetlern.

Ausgeruffen um zu verheirathan sind; Witwer (Bish.) Mose J. Yoder (Winfield) mit Tobias P. und Lydia K. (Host.) Zug ihr Tochter (zwilling) Barbara H. am Dreisigst Jenner. Gemein ans Samuel A. Hostetlers.

Christ J. der Sohn Eli J. und Drucilla E. (Zug) Hostetler mits Esle M. und Elisabeth N. (Yoder) Hostetlers ihr Tochter Anna M.am Viert Februar. Gemein ans Noah M. Zugen. Auf diesen tag ist auch Hochzeit in McClur ans Joseph S. und Barbara Ls ihr Tochter Lydia M. mits Yost I. und Elisabeth Ds ihr Sohn Danny V. Gemein ans Abie S. Yoders, so der Herr Will.

Gottes Segen Gewinscht!

Greetings in the name of our Lord. This finds us in mid-winter.

A few dandelions were still blooming over the holidays and we were eating dandelion greens from the garden. This all came to an end the first full week in January when we had sub-zero weather with a strong cold wind.

New arrivals are: A son Bennie A., on December 13th,

to Aaron L. and Lydia R. Yoder, joining two sisters and one brother. Grands are David L. and Mary Y. (Zook) Yoder; Samuel K. and Rhoda Z. (Speicher) Hostetler.

A daughter Elizabeth L. joining one brother on January 12th to Rudy C. and Franey E. Yoder.

Grands are Samuel N. and Catharine R. (Hostetler) Yoder; Ezra B. and Elizabeth R. Hostetler and the late Daniel S. Great-grands are Rudy S. and Lydia B. Yoder; Jacob S. and Franey L. Hosteler. Step-great-grand is widow (Sam R.) Malinda K. (Speicher) Hostetler.

A daughter (third child), Barbara M. to Adam M. and Nancy M. on January 1st. Grands are widow (Seth D.) Rachel L; Rufus J. and Mary N., all Hostetlers.

A son (third child) on January 8th, named Esle J. to John B. and Miriam E. Hostetler. Grands are Josie A. and Dorothy A. Hostetler; Christ R.J. and Miriam S. (Host.)

Yoder. Great grands are Rudy S. and Lydia B. Yoder; John B. and Frona E. Hostetler.

Joining one brother and three sisters is Michael E., on January 14 to Gideon E. and Dena V. Hostetler. Grands are widow (John A.) Barbara M. Hostetler; Michael A. and Franey M. (Yoder) Speicher. Great-grandmother is widow (John S.) Dena B. Yoder.

Moses M. Yoder (84) died January 6th. Funeral Feb. 8, by Jacob Z. Hostetler. Pallbearers were, Josie B. Zook; Moses Y., Emanuel I., and Ezra A; Hauled by John Y., all Hostetlers. Born September 27, 1929 he was a son of the late Menno Y. and Leah Z. (Host.)

Yoder. Surviving is his wife Esther S. (Host.) of 5566 East Back Mountain Road, Belleville, PA 17004; three sons and one daughter Naomi F. married to John M. Hostetler of Reedsville; Joseph S. married to Miriam M. (Speicher) of Milroy; Menno M. married to Malinda F. (Yoder) of Hammondsport, New York; a son-in-law Noah D.

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Hostetler now married to Fronie K. (Yoder); two sisters; Franey, married to Jonathan Hostetler of New Wilmington, and widow (Sam H.) Lydia A. Hostetler of McClure; twenty four grandchildren; seventeen great-grands; preceded by a daughter Leah Z., first wife of Noah D.; an infant daughter; an infant granddaughter; an infant great-granddaughter; two brothers and one sister.

Several more acquaintances passing on were, A. Herbert King (85) who was a trucker, specializing in crippled cattle for as long as I can remember.

Also, the local weekly had the obituary of James Ralph Neal, known as “J.R.”, husband of Elaine (Shank), also known as “Sis”; the sorrowing have our sympathy.

There has been quite a bit of sickness around. Elizabeth (4) daughter of neighbor cousin Moses C. and Emma L. Yoder spent five days in the hospital early this year with an infection in the abdominal area. She had a tube to drain her appendix during this time.

Anna Z. (Yoder) Hostetler (58) wife of Samuel B. is in the hospital, having been transferred from State College to Hershey, for further treatment and possible surgery. Their grandson Moses (Ezra and Lydia) had surgery recently to repair a hair lip.

Sam and Anna’s address is 142 Church Lane, Reedsville, PA 17084.

Keep warm, plan next season’s garden, enjoy the seed catalog and dream of spring.

Until next time, God’s Blessings Wished!

Jeptha I. Yoder a

The Valley, February 2014

28

Savvy Cents & Sensibility

by JoAnn Wills-Kline MBA

Living with Less Waste

Over the course of 2013, I began to be very mindful of “waste” in my household. Early last year, my husband and I vowed to reduce overall waste in our home such as general trash, paper waste, food waste, fuel/gas waste, energy waste, and time waste. As the year passed by, we worked to refine our efforts, and by the end of 2013 we were feeling good about the savings we achieved.

This month I offer the strategies we incorporated to save waste and ultimately money and time. I have separated our waste reduction efforts by topic so that you may zero in on a single category, or multiple categories, in hopes of sparking creativity in your own mind, and thus reducing waste in your household. This month the focus is on energy waste and fuel/gas waste. Next month, the focus will be on food waste, paper waste, and time waste.

Energy Waste – Our home was considered “total electric” until the end of 2013 when we made a change that you will read about in this article. We believed our electric bills were astronomical, nearly superseding our monthly mortgage in cost – even though we were on our power company’s “budget plan.” We thought we had been mindful of our energy consumption and were really doing the best we could do such as: turning off lights when

we weren’t in a room; unplugging small appliances not in use; using cooler water temperatures; turning the thermostat back to 62 in the winter months and cranking it up to 75 in the summer months; and hang drying laundry. The kick in the pants that prompted us to look harder at energy reduction strategies was when our friendly “budgeted plan” amount increased by $80/month or another $960/ year. We chose to take the matter by the reigns and have a “whole house energy audit” conducted.

The audit results sparked more creativity in my mind as to what additional steps could be taken to plummet our energy consumption.

First, I removed us from the power company’s friendly “budget plan” which divides household energy bills (estimated & actual bills) over a period of twelve months. In essence, each month the bills are the same budget amount rather than fluctuating dollar amounts month to month.

Removing us from the budget plan carried some risk because we absolutely had to take massive immediate action to seriously reduce the bill month after month, or we could risk paying even more astronomical energy bills.

Second, I elected to do a “meter read” ourselves every single month so there would be no more estimated bills – which would rely on the previous month/year

consumption and which would appear high. I chose to take it a step further though. I made it a point to take a meter read every single week on the same day at the same time thus giving us a clear picture of our consumption. Every month I called the meter read into the power company. Honestly it was a hassle – sometimes long “on hold” periods by phone – but it would have been even more of a hassle if the bill was estimated and we had to squeeze our very tight household budget even further. By the second month, I had a clearer picture of our consumption and where we needed to make additional changes. We tweaked our usage by reducing the bedroom temperature by two degrees and our water temperature by five degrees; cutting time off of showers and time off of hand washing dishes (as we do not have a dishwasher); and hang drying more laundry. Our overall power usage improved, but we still wanted to achieve lower numbers.

Third, we installed an alternate heating source – propane gas.

While most people were shopping on Black Friday and spending money, we were having a new heating source installed in hopes of immediately saving even more money. Now, you may be scratching your head, and wondering how does one immediately save money if one must first spend money in order to eventually save?! Well, for our household it meant making a deeper sacrifice, which ties into our next topic – fuel/gas waste.

Fuel/Gas Waste - Over the years, we have alternated between being a “one vehicle” or a “two vehicle” household depending on our needs. And, if we, like many others, choose to be very honest, vehicle quantity often depends on our “wants” rather than our “needs.” In the last quarter of 2013, and just prior to the onset of “winter heating season in central Pennsylvania,” we decided to modify our transportation options.

We began being super mindful of ALL of our vehicle gas and transportation usage.

We eliminated quick/short trips – such as a quick run to the store for a forgotten item, or mul-

tiple short jaunts in a week. We decided that we would plan our transportation usage. We incorporated strategies such as “mapping out” our driving jaunts. On the way in to town we would stop at all of our destinations on the right for ease of access, and on the way home we stopped at destinations on our left side. We also chose to walk more. We strived to make a tank of gas last us a month or more – our greatest success was nearly seven weeks on one tank of gas. We live within three miles of most of our conveniences so many times when our rubber hit the road it was in the form of shoes verses tires.

After a few months of taking extraordinary action to reduce our energy and fuel consumption, we decided that we could create even greater savings if we modified our vehicle and heating resources, which lead us to a vehicle with greater fuel efficiency. The change in vehicle gave us the equity opportunity to purchase a propane gas stove with cash. We could immediately begin to generate savings in home heating. The change lead us to our propane stove install on Black Friday – and finally a warm, cozy home at a much lower overall cost. The alternate heating source may also increase our real estate

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property attractiveness and value.

Since the stove install, we have completely turned off our electric heat on the first floor, and reduced thermostats even further in our second floor. Within the first month of operation, the propane has reduced our electric consumption substantially.

I chose to give real examples of energy reduction from my household because sometimes it just takes an “aha!” moment to spark creativity in another.

Perhaps, my examples may spark creativity in you as to how you could reduce energy and fuel consumption in your household.

Perhaps, your location is very different than mine and you may not have conveniences within walking distance; however, still make reduction efforts that will work for your specific household.

I believe if we choose to examine our options completely, deeply, and very mindfully, there will be alternative, creative ideas that bubble up and present “aha!” moments to generate savings in your household. We chose to dive head first into reducing our costs, but even small alterations may present savings to a household. Hopefully, the sharing of our ideas will help others too. a

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The Valley, February 2014

The Barley Bed

This month I wanted to discuss nutrient needs for growing barley and my plan for my barley bed. But in order to do this, I need to tell you about my chickens.

I have had egg laying chickens since I bought my house four years ago. I started off with four hens and two roosters. The second year on the property I turned an old dog cage I found at the dump into my mini chicken tractor. I raise a small flock of meat chickens each spring. The birds eat the grass and poop. Then I rake the poop into the ground.

Then I move the coop to a new fresh patch of grass. As the summer rolled along, I started to

notice the areas that received the chicken poop grew thicker greener grass than the areas the tractor had not been. The third year on the property, I faced a new dilemma.

My layers were going to slow their egg production after three years. I needed another coop so that I could raise new layers. This way, I could rotate my birds out and I would always have fresh eggs.

This was my “Eureka” moment. Why not design a coop that I could pick up and move! Then the ground would be cleared and fertilized for a crop. I remembered from my studies that chicken poop is high in phosphorus and lower in nitrogen than cow

manure. Barley grown for malting needs plenty of phosphorus, lime, and potassium, but not too much nitrogen. Excess nitrogen can cause the barley to grow too tall and cause lodging. I love it when a plan comes together.

The new coop is ten feet long by four feet wide. Half is the coop and the other half is the run (see picture). It holds 3 to 4 chickens. Don’t worry, I let the chickens out frequently to stretch their legs and search for insects.

I put the coop in an area that gets plenty of sunshine. Every four months since last spring I have moved the coop over to a new patch of grass. I will move the coop one more time before I plant the barley. That gives me a 10 x 12 foot bed for the barley, and according to my calculations, that should produce 10 to 15 pounds of grain. And once it is malted, that will be enough for one 5 gallon all-grain brew. After harvesting

the barley, I will move the coop back on to the stubble, and the chickens will eat the stubble and fertilize the area again for another planting the following Another step toward sustainability, everything is working spring. together here, the chickens eat the grass, they then leave

I will manure, which helps my barley grow, which provides me with have to BEER! Win/win if you ask me. fence off the barley bed closed loop process. The chickens because the chickens will scratch fertilize the area and the barley and peck in the bed. However, I absorbs the nutrients, which I love to watch my chickens formake into beer, then I repeat. I age in the yard. In fact, I have hope it works. Next month I will to fence off all my beds in the get back into a new brew and it backyard. Kind of a pain, but the will include a recipe. chickens are healthier and so are

How about a quote to end this the eggs they lay. month’s edition,

I will cultivate the soil in “Not all chemicals are bad. Withlate spring and the crop should be out chemicals such as hydrogen ready for harvest in ninety days. and oxygen, for example, there That even leaves me with a 10 would be no way to make water, a foot by 4 foot well-fertilized area vital ingredient in beer.” — Dave where the coop will be during Barry a those ninety days the barley is growing. I should be able to plant some fall crops in that area.

So that is my plan for my barley bed. It seems like a nice

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The Valley, February 2014

30 Enraptured by the Rapture from page 17 behind. Contrast this to the Left Behind series where the unrighteous are left behind, as compared to these Biblical examples where the righteous are left behind and the wicked are taken out.

I believe the above examples point to a pattern that is used by the Almighty in dealing with mankind and lends a strong argument to the fact that a pre-tribulation rapture is not in the offering.

Looking at extra Biblical sources, consider the words of a Christian tribulation survivor who came through the Holocaust and interment in a concentration camp; Corrie Ten Boom. “There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.”

“In China, the Christians were told, “Don’t worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured.” Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to

death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, “We have failed.

We should have made the people strong for persecution, rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes, – to stand and not faint.”

“In America, the churches sing, ‘Let the congregation escape tribulation,’ but in China and Africa the tribulation has already arrived. This last year alone, more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa.

Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation.”

She tells the following story in this letter she wrote in 1974 about being prepared for tribulation: “When I was a little girl, “I said, “I went to my father and said, “Daddy, I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to be a martyr for Jesus Christ.” “Tell me,” said Father, “When you take

a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?”

“No, Daddy, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train.” “That is right,” my father said, “and so it is with God’s strength. Our Father in Heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He will supply all you need – just in time…”

She continues,” how can we get ready for the persecution?

First we need to feed on the Word of God, digest it, and make it a part of our being. This will mean disciplined Bible study each day as we not only memorize long passages of scripture, but put the principles to work in our lives.

Next we need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the Jesus of yesterday, the Jesus of History, but the life-changing Jesus of today who is still alive and sitting at the right hand of God.

We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is no optional command of the Bible, it is absolutely necessary. Each of us needs our own personal Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will never be able to stand in the tribulation without it.

In the coming persecution, we must be ready to help each other and encourage each other. But we must not wait until the tribulation comes before starting. The fruit of the Spirit should be the dominant force of every Christian’s life.”

In the end, does it make sense that the Body of Christ be taken out of the world when the world will need her most? I don’t believe it does and encourage each of us to prepare accordingly.

C. Mark Ostrowski, MSFS, is the Founder and President of The Stewardship Group in Belleville. His articles ponder various contemporary topics evaluating them from a political, economic and scriptural point of view. a

WROL Homestead Security Part Two from page 4 necessary materials and tools on hand is advised.

One step that I have heard recommended, and is frequently applied in hurricane-prone areas, is to have pre-cut plywood panels installed over windows and glass doors. These panels are usually installed on the exterior, but we are going to pre-cut our panels to fit on the interior of the windows.

Using thick ¾ inch plywood, those 4-inch T25 Torx screws I mentioned before, and large fender washers, while not totally impenetrable and certainly not bulletproof, we will make those windows more secure even if the glass is broken.

These are but a sample of

possible measures that you can implement in order to make the interior of your home more secure both pre- and post-SHTF/WROL. There are many other home “hardening” options that can and should be taken into consideration: the installation of an early warning system, creating some kind of internal ballistic protection using sandbags or similar materials, and the construction of a hidden escape point should your home be compromised, to name a few. And while these measures will not prevent a determined person or group from eventually gaining entry to your home, it will buy you time to get ready to defend yourself or to make an escape.

Until next month, stay safe and prep on! a

The Valley is now available at Weis Markets in Huntingdon and Mount Union as well as other area stores.

Tea for Two and Mint for You from page 5 ably need, this is a good time to share your mints with others

An established mint patch requires little care, but it does require care. Especially in the first year or two, unwanted plants (i.e. weeds) must be carefully removed to allow the mint to spread out and make itself at home. It’s very pleasant work, since brushing the mint releases its scent and you can munch on mint leaves as you work. It also helps to water the area about an hour before you weed, to help to loosen the roots you’ll be pulling.

As the older plantings grow thickly and cast good shade, usually only touch up weeding is needed through the season to keep them in shape.

Watering, when necessary, should be in the morning. If the weather has been dry for a few days, feel the ground (watch out for snoozing grass snakes and spiders). If it’s dry, water - and water deeply - preferably at the base of the plants, not just a sprinkle on the leaves.

Other than weeding and watering there’s not much else to do to care for your mint. Though you never know what curve ball Nature will throw, mint tends not to have many problems with insects or disease and in our experience deer and other critters don’t bother it.

In late fall when the plants are beginning to dry and die back

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for the winter, cut the stems off just above the ground. This is the best time to give a final, careful weeding for the season. Then we like to dress the mint patch with a half inch or so of compost, mixed with crushed kelp if you use it, spreading it over the top like a blanket. Over the winter, this will work down around the rooted stems and provide a boost of food for the first growth - and that’s it ‘til spring!

Resources: Check these out at the Mifflin County Library: The Complete Book of Herbs and Spices by Sarah Garland Herbs by James Underwood Crockett Herbs in Pots by Rob Proctor & Davis Macke The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols & Maggie Stuckey Check out these web sites: www.crosbymintfarm.com www.peppermintjui.com And there’s always the classic: A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve And if anyone is interested, a Chocolate Mint plant, which is a variety of M. piperata, can be purchased from R. H. Shumway Seedsman, 334 West Stroud Street, Randolph, WI 53956 Call toll free 1-800-342-9461 for a catalog www.rhshumway.com a

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The Valley, February 2014

At Dutch Pantry Gifts, we are always on the search for local and made in the U.S.A. products that are unique, and we have been blown away by the unique talent not only in our community, but all over the country. We have recently started networking with other small businesses and artisans across the country that share our values in building the economy of our community by supporting handmade in the U.S.A. items. In December, we met a glass blowing artist from Montana by the name of Jacqueline Bean who has revived a 3000 year old tradition with the modern day Tear Bottle.

Tear Bottles Past: The history of the tear bottle is captivating and poignant. Legends of tear bottles or lachrymatories abound in stories of Egypt and middle eastern societies. Tear bottles were prevalent in ancient Roman times, when mourners filled small glass vials with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect.

Classic Forget-Me-Not on a tray.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, the notion of collecting tears in a bottle appears in Psalm 56:8 when David prays to God,

Classic Victorian on a tray.

“Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy Book?” David’s words remind us that God keeps a record of human pain and suffering and always remembers our sorrows.

Tear bottles reappeared during the Victorian period of the 19th century, when those mourning the loss of loved ones would collect their tears in bottles ornately decorated with silver and pewter. The mourning period would end when the tears evaporated from the bottle, but the bottle remained as a token of eternal devotion.

Tear Bottles Present: Tear bottles today are given to symbolize joy and love for others’ important

rites of passage. Births, adoptions, graduations, and weddings are occasions where a lasting gift like a beautiful tear bottle will surprise and delight loved ones. During times of sadness, such as illness or death, a tear bottle or lachrymatory is especially meaningful and can express deep sympathy to loved ones.

“One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation, and compassion.” - Simone de Beauvoir

Jacqueline Bean, Owner of Timeless Traditions was asked why her tear drop bottles stand out over less expensive versions of this ancient tradition.

Her response was one that you would expect from an artisan who promotes Made in America.

Bean says “BECAUSE, genuine feelings should be represented by a genuine tear bottle. Our tear bottles are original concepts, creations, and designs specifically created to honor and cherish special relationships, deep feelings, important rites

of passage or shared emotions.

Timeless Traditions uses only premium quality materials and craftsmanship for the production of our tear bottles. The premium quality” tear-shaped” glass bottles are uniquely encased with leadfree metalwork and finished in gold plate, nickel silver, pewter, antique copper, and brass and they are all Made in the U.S.A. The flame-worked, contemporary designs are made in Montana. So, if you care enough to give the best, give a Timeless Traditions tear bottle. Don’t settle for a knock off ~ an Egyptian perfume bottle, an essential oil bottle, or a leaded decorative bottle that may be less expensive, but ultimately is a poor value as an over-priced pretender

Gold banded Roma

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Roma with tray

originally created for some other purpose less worthy than to convey your feelings, your support and your memories. May someone cherish you enough to give you a Timeless Traditions tear bottle.

Dutch Pantry Gifts is proud to be the exclusive gift shop in Pennsylvania to carry these bottles. Dutch Pantry Gifts is located at 15 commerce drive, Milroy Pa. See our ad for store hours. Stay tuned to The Valley newspaper over coming months as we introduce you to more exciting made in the U.S.A. gifts from people like Jacqueline Bean that are exclusive to Dutch Pantry Gifts. a

The Valley, February 2014

32

Petroleum Jelly

Safe on skin…or not?

By Tamela Hetrick, LMT Shade Mountain Naturals

The skin is the body’s largest organ—so it’s well worth protecting yours! The skin is also the most direct entry point into the bloodstream, and subsequently, all of the internal organs. Less than 1/10 of an inch separates your insides from any harmful substances you apply to your skin.

That’s why I advise that when deciding whether to put something on your skin, you should ask yourself, “Would I eat it?”

Well, let’s first consider where petroleum jelly comes from and how it is made.

Petroleum jelly commonly known by its trademark name, Vaseline, was developed in the 1860s by a chemist from New York who upon visiting an oil rig, noticed the raw material of petrolatum (a gooey substance known as “rod wax”) stuck to the drilling rigs. After much experimentation, he developed a process to distill the rod wax into petrolatum.

Technically, petroleum is a natural product because it comes from the Earth. Petroleum is also a nonrenewable resource. Increasing demands for it can indirectly lead to environmental damage, as the oil spill that occurred in the summer of 2010 showed.

The manufacturing procedures are varied and unregulated in the United States. The concern is with impurities in the manufacturing process, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are considered carcinogenic and have links to breast cancer. Hopefully, manufacturers choose refined petrolatum low in PAHs, but there is no guarantee.

Now, let’s take a look at how Petroleum Jelly works

Petrolatum jelly does not get absorbed but forms a layer of film (a barrier) on the skin, almost like putting on a layer of clear plastic wrap!

First let’s look at the positive effects of this barrier: • If you are putting this protective layer over a wound that is clean, this barrier will protect the wound from dirt, bacteria and debris: Much like a Band-Aid. • If this barrier is put on

healthy skin, it can keep it hydrated by preventing the evaporation of natural moisture. This barrier seems to provide “instant gratification” by immediately keeping moisture in.

Now, let’s take a look at the negative effects petroleum jelly can have: • Healthy tissue is suffocated under this barrier. As a result, your skin cells do not receive enough oxygen and subsequently die. This process leads to premature aging.

• The barrier blocks pores and prevents proper detoxification.

• The barrier prevents absorption of essential nutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants by the skin, leading to under-nourished and unhealthy skin. This is why long-term use of petroleum jelly can actually cause breakouts and lead to dry, cracked and damaged skin.

• Also, if placed on a wound that is unclean, this barrier will trap in bacteria and cause more damage.

It is simply a barrier, it does nothing to nourish or promote the health of your skin.

Who uses…and who does not

In 2004, petroleum jelly was banned by the European Union and is listed as a probable carcinogen in the European Union’s Dangerous Substances Directive.

Although not banned in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts petrolatum to less than 10 parts per million (ppm) in the cosmetic industry.

Women with breast cancer have twice the levels of hydrocarbons (substances found in petroleum jelly) in their breasts than women without breast cancer.

In fact: studies on extremely lowbirth-weight babies show that the use of petroleum jelly is actually linked to higher rates of systemic candida. The “barrier” ointment used in hospitals created a breeding ground for fungi.

Cosmetic manufactures use petroleum jelly as a main ingredient because it is a very inexpensive way to offer the appearance and immediate feel of hydrated skin.

Do not use it for certain conditions

Petroleum jelly cannot be absorbed by your body, but it can be damaging if used topically.

It is typical for people with a cold to put petroleum jelly on their nose in the hopes of preventing or healing sore, irritated skin that is common with a cold. Petroleum jelly applied to the inside of the nostrils drains down the back of the nose with normal nasal secretions and is swallowed. Rarely, small amounts of the jelly can migrate into the windpipe (trachea) and lungs. Over many months, the jelly can accumulate in the lungs — leading to potentially serious inflammation known as lipoid pneumonia.

Apply it on your lips and you run the risk of consumption by licking your lips. In fact, women on average digest 7 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime!

People suffering from skin conditions like acne and rosacea should stay away from petroleum jelly altogether. Such thick emollients can aggravate those conditions and the barrier it creates holds in bacteria.

If you decide to use, what to look for

In most cases, a consumer buying petroleum jelly has no way of knowing if the ingredient is low in carcinogenic PAHs or not.

You should always look for USP white petroleum jelly.

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) sets standards that indicate the grade, where it was refined

and that it meets specific purity standards, including limits for PAHs. What Can You Use Instead?

A natural alternative is Castor Jelly.

This jelly is 100% natural and made from castor oil and natural wax.

Castor jelly is available locally at Shade Mountain Naturals.

Another good natural alternative is beeswax. Straight beeswax, of course, is too hard to use as a moisturizer. But look for products that are beeswax based. A good choice is something that combines beeswax and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter melts at skin temperature, so it sinks in deeper. Beeswax by itself is great at sealing moisture in, but it doesn’t sink in very deep. So the two together make a great combo. One sinks in and the other “seals the deal.” We make a great Whipped Cocoa Butter (cocoa butter, beeswax and candelilla wax).

Products containing beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and cocoa butter seal in moisture and don’t come with some of the risks of petroleum jelly. Natural ingredients come with many nutrients and vitamins and are great

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for sensitive skin. Remember that approximately 60% of your skin care ingredients are absorbed.

One of my favorite websites for researching a product before I use it is www.ewg.org/skindeep.

Petrolatum is listed as having the lowest hazard concern (0 on a scale of 1-10) by the Environmental Working Group in their Skin Deep database. That score only corresponds to 9% of the information known about the product, since 91% of the information is not known about its ingredients.

Which is to say that the ingredients in petrolatum haven’t been studied enough to confidently know one way or the other if it’s safe.

It is scientifically proven there is no nutritional benefit whatsoever from petrolatum jelly.

I personally prefer to use something that my body can use and naturally needs. a

33

The Valley, February 2014 years, which is often attributed to fluoridated water, has likewise occurred in all developed countries (most of which do not fluoridate their water).

Back Talk

by Dr. Joseph Kauffman

It Melts In Your Mouth Not In Your Hand

To be perfectly honest, my topic this month covers something that I knew little to nothing about.

Admitting that, I can hide behind my ignorance as the reason why I have been guilty of using this substance. In fact, I am willing to bet that many of you have and are currently using it with much of the same ignorance that I had.

I had heard a few small pieces of information regarding this, but passed it off as some of the conspiracy theories that I have been accused of myself. The topic I am referring to is Fluoride. This topic is controversial and is likely to step on toes of many people, including friends I have who work in the dental industry. But, the information needs to be learned by as many people as possible. My goal is always to try to get people to think about the other side, to read and educate themselves more and to think “outside the box”.

The more I studied this topic, the

more areas of my life I have seen fluoride. It is in my toothpaste, my kids’ toothpaste, the mouthwash and my wife and I remember getting fluoride treatments and our kids have had one treatment already. Here is one very interesting article regarding this matter:

“If fluoride is really the panacea for dental disease that it’s been portrayed as, then why is it that the United States is one of the only developed countries that fluoridates their citizens’ drinking water? Hint: It’s not because the other countries aren’t aware of fluoride’s supposed ‘miracle’ powers for your teeth … it’s because they fully realize that adding a known poison to your population’s water supply is probably not a good idea.

Even in North America, water fluoridation has come under increasing scrutiny; since 2010, more than 75 US and Canadian communities have voted to end

water fluoridation, and the issue is heating up as more and more people begin to demand water that does not expose them to this highly toxic industrial waste product.

10 Facts About Fluoride 1. Most Developed Countries Do Not Fluoridate Their Water More people drink fluoridated water in the US alone than in the rest of the world combined. In Western Europe, for instance, 97 percent of the population drinks non-fluoridated water.

2. Fluoridated Countries Do Not Have Less Tooth Decay Than Non-Fluoridated Countries According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no discernible difference in tooth decay between developed countries that fluoridate their water and those that do not. The decline in tooth decay the US has experienced over the last 60

3. Fluoride Affects Many Tissues in Your Body Besides Your Teeth Many assume that consuming fluoride is only an issue that involves your dental health. But according to a 500-page scientific review, fluoride is an endocrine disruptor that can affect your bones, brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland and even your blood sugar levels.2 There have been over 34 human studies and 100 animal studies linking fluoride to brain damage,3 including lower IQ in children, and studies have shown that fluoride toxicity can lead to a wide variety of health problems, including: • Increased lead absorption • Disrupts synthesis of collagen • Hyperactivity and/or lethargy • Muscle disorders • Thyroid disease • Arthritis • Dementia • Bone fractures • Lowered thyroid function • Bone cancer (osteosarcoma) • Inactivates 62 enzymes i • inhibits more than 100 Inhibited formation of antibodies • Genetic damage and cell

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death • Increased tumor and cancer rate • Disrupted immune system • Damaged sperm and increased infertility 4. Fluoridation is Not a ‘Natural’ Process Fluoride is naturally occurring in some areas, leading to high levels in certain water supplies ‘naturally.’ Fluoridation advocates often use this to support its safety, however naturally occurring substances are not automatically safe (think of arsenic, for instance).

Further, the fluoride added to most water supplies is not the naturally occurring variety but rather fluorosilicic acid, which is captured in air pollution control devices of the phosphate fertilizer industry. As FAN reported:

‘This captured fluoride acid is the most contaminated chemical added to public water supplies, and may impose additional risks to those presented by natural fluorides. These risks include a possible cancer hazard from the acid’s elevated arsenic content, and a possible neurotoxic hazard from the acid’s ability--under some conditions--to increase the erosion of lead from old pipes.’

Continued on page 35

The Valley, February 2014

34

Joanne Wills-Kline Contentment Quest

Live the Life Chosen or the Life Assigned

Last month I suggested that we start 2014 off with the notion to make art in all we do – to make art in the everyday with our words, our actions, and our thoughts. This month I wish to encourage you to live the life chosen, rather than the life assigned by others, and thus, give yourself permission to make art in your everyday. I adore a quote by Dr. Phil McGraw that pinpoints the concept. Dr. Phil said: “You are going to live the life chosen or the life assigned. I want you to live the life chosen.” Dr. Phil’s quote is the springboard for this month’s

article.

If we are aligned with a life chosen, we have a positive outlook; are often more receptive to change; are usually open-minded; and are able to view art in the everyday. When we live a life chosen, we desire to create with love – whether it be meals for our families, a cozy home, or positive communications – we approach life with caring and love. When we live a life assigned we hand over some of our personal power to others. We give permission to others to choose how our days will be spent – even if it seems to

suck the life out of us. If you are leading a life that seems absent of deep joy, you may be living a life assigned. If you are living a life that seems void of personal down time – time to just be quiet and do nothing – you may be living a life assigned. If you feel as though you are running to and fro, if your days are brimming to the rim with busy work, then you may be living a life assigned. If, when you finally retire for the night, and lay your tired body down to sleep, you often feel as though you didn’t accomplish what you had intentionally set out to complete that day, you might be living a life assigned.

In order to live a life chosen,

we must put forth great effort to protect it; otherwise, obligations and responsibilities will seep in, switching it to a life assigned. In order to say “yes” to ourselves – to our own goals and desires – sometimes we must say “no” to others. We all get twenty-four hours in a day. We can, to an extent, determine how we will use those twenty-four hours. We all have a responsibility to protect our time and mindfully manage our days. Sometimes other people or things push boundaries to monopolize our time. If we choose to live a life chosen, we may need to occasionally vie for preserving our own time. It is perfectly ok to place limitations so that you may protect your life chosen, and thus have time and energy to pursue your own desires.

When you choose to live a life chosen, you choose to live life in a way that makes a difference and influences the people around you. When you life a life chosen, you impact others – whether you realize it or not – though your

Progress At The Embassy

by Patricia Lawson

I recently read a biography about Bette Davis, and it was interesting to read that during The Great Depression there was a heavy demand for movies.

Many cinemas changed programs twice a week and offered double features, so the Hollywood studio system flourished in the thirties.

The public needed to find relief from their woes, and they sought escape at the movies. The ticket prices dropped to only 25 to 35 cents and in some cases, popcorn was sold to make up some of the profits. Dishes were also handed

Some examples of the features of this time are: “It Happened One Night;” “Gold Diggers of 1933” that features the famous song, “We’re in the Money!;” “You Can’t Take it With You;” “Duck Soup,” featuring The Marx Brothers; “My Man Godfrey;” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Example of uplifting movies of the time Popcorn was sold to increase profits

out to entice more customers to venture out to the movies.

At the heart of the Depression, 60 to 80 million people attended the movies each week! Many features depicted humor and hope.

Just imagine how exciting it will be to find that pleasure of escaping to the movies again in lavish surroundings like the good ole’ days when The Embassy re-opens!

Now, as you know, there is a 5 year plan in place to ensure that The Embassy will be rebuilt.

Many have asked why they or their business should support this effort. Here are just a few items to consider:

The Embassy will…1. be a community owned and operated facility whose mission is to serve the community; 2. be a place to experience local, national and international arts on stage, and on screen; 3. be an attraction to Lewistown that will economically benefit other downtown business; 4. provide an opportunity for youth to get involved in the arts in a safe, controlled environment; 5. attract quality businesses and individuals to the area as a “quality of life” attraction; 6. be a link to the history of Mifflin County and provide a future legacy for today’s generations; 7. be an educational “classroom” through partnerships with local organizations; 8. provide a space for non-profits to host events and enhance the community through their organizations; 9. provide a meeting space for local businesses and community organizations; and, 10. The Embassy can be what you want it to be!

That being said, won’t you please consider a partnership with The Embassy? Please contact

Paul Fagley at embassytheatre@ verizon.net or call 717.248.0321 to discuss the options.

Are you looking for a unique speaker for an upcoming event or meeting? Based on schedules, we may be able to provide Board Members and possibly Mike Negra of Negra-Graham Theatrical Advisors who was very instrumental in the revitalization of The

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being, and doing, and speaking. That my friend is living art! I leave you with two quotes by people who live art – Steven Pressfield and Seth Godin.

“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It is a gift to the world and every being in it.

Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.” ~ Steven Pressfield “Art is too an important term to be used just for painters. And sculptors. And playwrights. And actors. And architects of a certain type. No, I think we need to broaden it to graphic designers and salespeople and bosses. To lay preachers, to gifted politicians and occasionally to the guy who sweeps the floor. Art is a human act, something that’s done with the right sort of intent. Art is when we do work that matters, in a creative way, in a way that touches them and changes them for the better.” ~ Seth Godin a State Theatre in State College and many others. Again, contact Paul at the above email and phone number to reserve your date.

As always, your donations are key to attaining our goals.

Please make checks payable to “The Friends of the Embassy” and mail them to: The Friends of the Embassy, P.O. Box 203, Burnham PA 17009. Thank you!

And, now, let’s all go to the Snack Bar, and I’ll talk to you next month!

www.embassytheatre.org www.facebook.com/embassyltwn A Memory with a Future, a Future Full of Memories! a

35

The Valley, February 2014

Life in the East End

by Rebecca Harrop

Hope everyone had a great New Year’s celebration. Ours was pretty low key this year. It seems like since New Years we’ve been going the rounds with this cold, flu or whatever they want to call it. Rachel had it first.

She gets everything that comes around. When she was finally getting better, Dad got it. Then when he was starting to get better, I got it. As I’m writing this Dad still has a bad cough, I still have a stuffy head, and now Ernie Jr.’s family and Ben’s are getting sick. And now Mom is sick. I’ve noticed over the years that when this stuff is making the rounds, it seems like everyone gets sick and Mom gets all of us through it, then she gets sick. Does anyone else notice that about their Mom? Mom said her Mom was the same

way. She’d knock herself out taking care of her Dad and six kids until they were all better, then she would end up sick. I think Mom’s must run themselves ragged taking care of everyone and neglect themselves because they are so busy, then BAM!, down they go. So maybe next time after your Mom has nursed you through some sickness, remember she may need some extra TLC. Most of the neighbors and other family members have been battling it as well. Our little cousin Matthew has been having a tough time with Strep Throat. He’s missed some school and I’m sure he doesn’t like that. Some of the older cousins are probably glad to miss a day or two of school. I never minded anyway. All of this has led me to thinking about home

It Melts In Your Mouth, Not In Your Hand from page 33

of your body, such as your bones.

5. 40% of American Teenagers Show Visible Signs of Fluoride Overexposure

About 40 percent of American teens have dental fluorosis,4 a condition that refers to changes in the appearance of tooth enamel that are caused by long-term ingestion of fluoride during the time teeth are forming. In some areas, fluorosis rates are as high as 70-80 percent, with some children suffering from advanced forms.

It’s likely this is a sign that children are receiving large amounts of fluoride from multiple sources, including not only drinking water but also fluoride toothpaste, processed beverages/foods, fluoride pesticides, tea, non-stick pans and some fluorinated drugs. So not only do we need to address the issue of water fluoridation, but how this exposure is magnified by other sources of fluoride that are now common.

It’s also important to realize that dental fluorosis is NOT “just cosmetic.” It can also be an indication that the rest of your body, such as your bones and internal organs, including your brain, have been overexposed to fluoride as well. In other words, if fluoride is having a visually detrimental effect on the surface of your teeth, you can be virtually guaranteed that it’s also damaging other parts

6. For Infants, Fluoridated Water Provides No Benefits, Only Risks

Infants who consume formula made with fluoridated tap water may consume up to 1,200 micrograms of fluoride, or about 100 times more than the recommended amounts. Such “spikes” of fluoride exposure during infancy provide no known advantage to teeth, but they do have plenty of known harmful effects.

Babies given fluoridated water in their formula are not only more likely to develop dental fluorosis, but may also have reduced IQ scores. In fact, a Harvard University meta-analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that children who live in areas with highly fluoridated water have “significantly lower” IQ scores than those who live in low fluoride areas.5 A number of prominent dental researchers now advise that parents should not add fluoridated water to baby formula.

7. Fluoride Supplements Have Never Been Approved by the FDA

The fluoride supplements sometimes prescribed to those who are not drinking fluoridated water have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of tooth decay. In fact, the fluoride supplements that the FDA has

remedies, so I thought I would share some of the ones I’ve heard of. I have to tell you, that I’ve heard some pretty unusual remedies. One of my uncle’s smears iodine on his chest for a cold. I have no idea what that is supposed to do other than make your chest yellow. Great Gram Goss used to slice onions, cover them with vinegar and sugar. After they steeped a couple hours you were supposed to eat them. I think this was supposed to sooth a sore throat, but this is one I won’t be trying! Now my Mom swears by Vicks and I know it helps. She always rubbed our chest with it, and our back, if we were really congested. Then we had to pull the covers up to our neck because that kept the vapors in. Now one of our good friends and neighbors says he swallows a big finger full of Vicks for a bad sore throat. Yeah, I’m not doing that either. I’m pretty sure I would be throwing up if I did that.

I’ve heard of vinegar plasters and mustard plasters and I guess you spread them on your chest or back. Of course everyone knows Chicken Soup is a cure-all for

anything, right? When we get a cold we usually make a cup of tea, add honey instead of sugar, 1 tsp. lemon, and 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of whiskey, depending on your age. The honey sooths your throat, the lemon helps to cut the phlegm, and the whiskey helps with fever and sleeping.

My Mom’s family swears by this remedy, although her great uncle Howard used to say you were going to make alcoholics out of the kids. I don’t think so. Ben’s girlfriend, Brenda, told us she puts two honey and lemon halls in her cup of tea also. She says that really helps. Some thoughts for your next cold. Are you brave enough to try any?

It’s butchering season again out in the East End! We have ours set for February 8th. We wanted to do it sooner, but these colds messed that up. I’ll have more about that next month. Hopefully our friend from Jersey will be able to make it again this year.

Speaking of being sick, one year when we butchered, almost everyone was sick. The day of the butchering I was still feeling pret-

reviewed have been rejected.

“So with fluoridation, we are adding to the water a prescription-strength dose of a drug that has never been approved by the FDA,” FAN noted.

8. Fluoride is the Only Medicine Added to Public Water

Fluoride is added to drinking water to prevent a disease (tooth decay), and as such becomes a medicine by FDA definition.

While proponents claim this is no different than adding vitamin D to milk, fluoride is not an essential nutrient. Many European nations have rejected fluoride for the very reason that delivering medication via the water supply would be inappropriate. Water fluoridation is a form of mass medication that denies you the right to informed consent.

9. Swallowing Fluoride Provides Little Benefit to Teeth

It is now widely recognized that fluoride’s only justifiable benefit comes from topical contact with teeth, which even the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged. Adding it to water and pills, which are swallowed, offers little, if any, benefit to your teeth.

10. Disadvantaged Communities are the Most Disadvantaged by Fluoride

Fluoride toxicity is exacerbat-

ed by conditions that occur much more frequently in low-income areas. This includes: •Nutrient deficiencies •Infant formula consumption •Kidney disease •Diabetes

African American and Mexican American children have significantly higher rates of dental fluorosis, and many low-income urban communities also have severe oral health crises, despite decades of water fluoridation.

FAN continues: ‘The simple fact is that poor populations need dental care, not fluoridation chemicals in their water. The millions of dollars spent each year promoting fluoridation would be better spent advocating for policies that provide real dental care: like allowing dental therapists to provide affordable care to populations with little access to dentists. In short, fluoridation provides good PR for dental trade associations, but bad medicine for those it’s supposedly meant to serve.’”

Source: http://articles.mer-

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ty good, but the next day when we were wrapping meat, I had to stop because I got sick, and spent the rest of the day in bed. Everyone in our house started dropping like flies. That wasn’t fun.

The really cold weather has made the barn work a little more interesting than usual lately. It’s funny the things you take for granted until they are frozen up, and make once simple tasks take that much longer to finish. It doesn’t matter how careful you try to be walking on the ice, you are eventually going to fall. The best you can hope for is no one is around to see your less-thangraceful “facer” with a sheet of ice. Of course, someone is always just rounding the corner to witnesses you sprawled on the ground staring at the sky wondering how that just happened. It’s always a struggle between laughing at your mishap and determining if you are really hurt or just bruised your dignity. Well at least I saved the milk this time! Lying in a puddle of milk is not fun.

On that note I’m going to end for this month. a cola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/30/water-fluoridation-facts.aspx

This is a change that needs to be made in our lives and I hope that you do more research on your own in order to be more educated regarding this topic. Then, you can make the best decision for you and your family. Does the risk of consuming fluoride outweigh the benefits? Do you really think that the American Dental Association and most dentists have your best interest in mind when it comes to this matter? Maybe they do. But, like the article said, fluoride is not proven to benefit the teeth as much as a proper diet and brushing with flossing. Fluoride treatments are expensive and most products contain fluoride. Are we consuming too much? Since the fluoride is the byproduct of the fertilizer industry, basically the waste, is any amount in the body really safe? These are the questions that only you can answer for your family and yourself. You need the information to make the best decision. Perhaps, a test of your water is necessary in order to get all of the necessary information.

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

The Valley, February 2014

36

Why Should You Care?

Common Core is a new school curriculum which embraces big government ideas, but rejects Christianity and rejects family values. But what is the real reason for this change in school curriculum?

Pennsylvania Common Core (Core) K-12 School Curriculum is the most intrusive, invasive curriculum ever introduced in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Children using Common Core will no longer have the necessary skills to effectively take care of themselves. Children will be unable to navigate the world the way that you and I can do now, because Core teaches no critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is an essential component of many occupations (for example, nurses,

doctors, electricians, engineers, police, and even politicians).

“Critical thinking is a process that allows you to think and decide if a claim is true, partially true or false. Critical thinking is a tool by which one can come about reasoned conclusions based on a reasoned process.” However, Common Core tests do not contain critical thinking questions and teachers using Common Core do not use critical thinking in educating children. The idea is to remove all passion and creativity from children’s education and, instead, fill children’s heads with global passivism that requires them to accept the government as their superior commander-in-life.

Children will not be able to decipher whether this is good for them

or not; essentially Common Core is a “dumbing down” of your children. Controlling your child’s life and removing the influence of parents are the ultimate goals of Core.

Common Core removes the meaning behind United States history and replaces it with the idea that government is your God and Savior.

Common Core does not advocate the critical thinking or Judeo-Christian values that underpin the Constitution, Bill of Rights and many more freedom documents. Core declares a virtual war on these freedom documents.

Common Core minimizes past history, making it seem as if our ancestors never participated in any historical events. The history of our country will not be accurately taught through Common Core.

By minimizing the importance of

history, family and religion, Common Core will cause our children to be overly reliant and dependent on government.

Some of Mifflin County School Board members, when contacted about Common Core curriculum, did not return my calls. One School Board member who did talk to me said, “I never heard of Common Core and it isn’t an issue for me because we are not in charge of curriculum.”

As far as I know, reviewing curriculum is one of the School Board’s major functions. If it is not the job of the school board, then whose job is it?

Mr. Jim Estep, Superintendent of Schools for Mifflin County, said, “I look at Common Core as a minimum set of guidelines that we are required to follow; there is no attempt to dumb down students.” However, some school educators do believe it is a “dumbing down” of children, since Common Core requires a move away from the traditional emphasis on literature and critical thinking and, instead, requires teaching informational texts such as manuals, government documents and even restaurant menus. How will your child be prepared for college if all they can do is read a menu?

Reading a menu will not give your children the necessary skills

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to prepare them for college. These empty skill sets are all that Core teaches your child; therefore, it is predicted that graduating high school seniors will have a reading level of seventh grade. And the Common Core math standards that are proposed will delay the teaching of Algebra from 8th to 9th grade, making it nearly impossible for graduating seniors to complete Calculus, a required course for many four-year universities.

Therefore, not many children will be going to four year colleges. This is an example of keeping America’s children all equal and not promoting individualism or exceptionalism. Instead, Common Core promotes intellectual laziness, and manipulates our children into becoming vehicles for government propaganda.

Lowering our school standards to make sure everyone is on par with everyone else in the state and the world is a disservice to the children of America and their families. However, Superintendent Estep does not agree with me. Mr. Estep said, “I am from Philadelphia and I believe that students from Philadelphia should be given the same education as children from Mifflin County, and Common Core is the way to

Continued on page 38

The Valley, February 2014

Caving Mifflin County with Todd Karschner

Happy groundhog day everyone! C’mon Punxatawney Phil, give us some good news!

Here in Armagh Township, we have a few historical places that have stood the test of time and modernization. One of these is Alexander Caverns. Now I know in 2012 there were two articles written in The Valley about Alexander’s. In April, Clarissa Goss wrote “A lost natural beauty” and in June, Wayne Stottlar wrote a cover story, A Mifflin County jewel.” Both great reads. I would like to dive a little deeper into the history, and tease you with some more recent discoveries.

Also, I would like to announce that a small peice of our local history is being brought back home.

A large hand-painted roadside sign advertising Alexander Caverns.

The story of how the sign made it back here is interesting in itself. In July of last year, I got a call from a heck of a nice guy, Donnie Prye of Juniata County.

He said 20 or so years ago, while clearing some old farm property, he noticed a piece of aluminum sticking out from under the leaves.

He flipped it over and saw that it was an old sign for Alexander’s.

Not sure what to do with it, he stuck it in the Y of a tree and went back to work.

Years passed, and he all but forgot about the sign until he saw one of my articles in The Valley newspaper. It sparked a memory of that unique find so long ago. Curiosity got the best of him and he jumped into his truck and drove back to that old farm to look for the sign. When he arrived, there were no trees.

Everything was clear cut. Donnie figured that the old sign was long gone. Probably recycled because it was 6’ by 4’ and solid aluminum. He decided to take a look around anyway. He noticed an old outhouse and went to get a closer look. There, curled up around the inside of that outhouse was that old sign! He brought it home and attatched it to a sheet of plywood to keep it flat. On July 20 of this past summer, Donnie brought it to one of the cave tours to show it off. A few months later, he offered it to me. A deal was made over the phone, and it will be here soon.

During this whole process, I was in contact with Forest Fisher.

His grandfather designed and laid it out. His mother had handpainted it somewhere between 1947 and 1948. This sign would have been on a barn or something large along a busy road. The exact location where it hung is not yet known.

Alexander Caverns was discovered in the spring of 1926 by John Spielman and Henry Schmidt of Pittsburgh. They built a small boat, put it in the spring, and paddled into the darkness. Try to imagine the lighting used back then!

After traveling about 1200 yards, the boys noticed a mud bank with an opening at the ceiling level.

Once through the opening, the “dry” section was found.

They returned to daylight and went to the owner of the property, Reed Maclay “Mac” Alexander, and told him what they had seen.

Mac then contacted the owners of Woodward Cave in Centre County and he asked them to join him on an excursion in this new discovery. Woodward Cave owners, Messers Weaver and Hosterman, were so amazed that they formed a small company and began developing the cave into a public attraction.

An entrance was dug sloping down 65 vertical feet into a clay-choked passage. Then 115 concrete steps were installed down the slope.

Next a clay dam was built roughly a quarter mile downstream from the dry section, to almost Mammoth Spring where the cold water that comes from the depths of the cave emerges to form the headwaters of Honey Creek.

Then two boat docks were built. One at the end of the “dry” section, and one at a stopping point at Crystal Lake, a small clear pool that had colored lights to illuminate the water with delicate formations surrounding and hanging over it. Large “punts” powered by outboards were built to transport sightseers through the “wet” section.

Once all the construction and lighting was finished, it was time to open.

On May 30th, 1929 Alexander Caverns opened its doors for

“dry” section tours. Two months later, the “wet” section was opened. It was operated by The Alexander Caverns Company; Nagney. L.L. Weaver was president and Mr. C.F. Kerstetter was resident manager.

It was described in the brochure as a “wanderers dream of a subterranean paradise.” There were picnic tabes, a souvenir shop, and sometimes entertainment. People from all over the country came to see” The Carlsbad of Pennsylvania” as it was once referred to. Then in 1936, a severe flood inundated the area.

The boat docks were destroyed and the dam was breached. After the flood waters dropped, the damage was pretty evident. The “wet” section was closed and never re-opened. There is still one of the old punts sunken in the murky waters just off of the remains from the old dock. During extremely low water, it is almost exposed. With that happening, plus the depression crippling the area, the Alexander family moved to the cave property and the whole family pitched in with the day-today chores of the cave, including leading tours.

In 1940, the cave was leased to Luther Kepler. Then on May 17th, 1941, the Grand Re-opening ceremonies were held.

Pilot Jack Kratzer of Lewistown flew a plane over the towns in Mifflin County dropping green leaflets announcing the re-opening. Jack was also an original explorer of the cave in the 1920’s. Anyone who had one of these leaflets and came to the re-opening on the 17th and 18th was given free admission. On the second day of the re-opening, around 1200 people were counted that day alone! The Reedsville High School Band provided entertainment.

The Alexanders were employed by the Keplers after Luther leased the cave from them. The cave remained open until the lease expired in 1954, and then Alexander’s slipped into history by closing for good. It was at this point when most of the vandalism took

Continued on page 42

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37

The Valley, February 2014

38

Ed’s Railroading News

by Ed Forsythe

This article is a big THANK YOU to J.P.Towsey and his Father Brian for assisting a dear friend of mine, Cameron James, to see their train layout during their open house in January.

Cameron is wheelchair bound and Brian, and a friend of his, assisted getting Cameron from the car to the golf cart then down to the basement area where he was put into his wheelchair to enter the house to enjoy the trains. J.P.

and his friends, Hunter Griffith, Neil McLaughlin, Seth Dowling, Charlie Briner and Paul Campanini all helped to make Cameron’s visit special. Cameron is a huge train lover and always enjoys seeing a new layout. Here are some pictures showing Cameron enjoying the trains.

Again, THANK YOU to all who helped make this young lad and the other 208 visitors happy.

Happy Railroading, Ed a

Why Should You Care from page 36 accomplish that.” However,

I believe we need to protect and nurture the children of Mifflin County and let the Philadelphia School Superintendent take care of Philadelphia.

I see a problem with using Common Core as a tool to educate our children at school. I asked Superintendent Estep if the school district is continuing to push Common Core, despite the fact that so many people oppose it. Mr. Estep’s response was, “I do not know if we can passively resist. Most superintendents are good soldiers; we do what we are told. If it is not detrimental to students, we will toe the line.”

However, many school boards have been resisting Common Core. Recently, the Coatesville Area School Board of Directors passed a resolution to oppose Common Core and some school districts in Wisconsin have decided not to adopt Common Core.

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Apparently, others feel that they do not have to be good government soldiers.

President Obama’s friends, Bill Ayers and Linda DarlingHammond actively support Common Core, a global economy, and have close connections to terrorist organizations. Not surprisingly, Islamic courses, such as A Call to Jihad, Converting to Islam, 5 Pillars of Islam, and Submitting to the Will of Allah are all lesson plans taught under Common Core in Tennessee. This is likely to occur in a majority of states across the country.

Christianity, our kids and our community demand more from us than just being good government soldiers. ~ Lisa V. Nancollas, Mifflin County Tea Party Patriots a

The Valley, February 2014

I gained 50 pounds ...and love it! www.families4kids.org 800-568-6449

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

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39

The Valley, February 2014

40

Practice Makes Perfect

Education Helps Patients Go Home With Confidence

At HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, when a patient is admitted for rehabilitation after an illness, injury or surgery, and has a heart failure diagnosis, they get the benefit of the Heart Failure Program. This HealthSouth rehabilitation program has earned the Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification, the gold seal of approval in health care. Through an interdisciplinary team approach, patients receive intensive therapy, education and discharge planning to return home/to the community.

The Heart Failure Program at HealthSouth has a strong educational component, including classes taught by a nurse, a registered dietitian, a psychologist, and a pharmacist; families are encouraged to attend. Patients are taught about sodium intake, medications, coping with heart failure, and the importance of daily weight monitoring. The interdisciplinary team also teaches patients about foods to avoid, the name of their water pill, how to weigh themselves, and symptoms to share with their health care providers.

In conjunction with the Heart Failure Program, HealthSouth’s Occupational Therapy Department is taking patient education one step farther. They started the “Heart Failure Group” - therapists committed to helping patients with heart failure function better at home and in the community.

According to Occupational Therapist Heather Carpenter, “In this group, heart failure patients practice tasks such as weighing themselves, preparing and making a healthy meal, and managing the symptoms of heart failure. That practice helps patients feel more confident about going home and carrying out a heart-healthy regimen.” Patients also learn exercise tips, and skills such as how to transfer safely to the scale, and how to navigate in the kitchen.

HealthSouth’s Occupation Therapy has a kitchen, where patients practice what they learn about nutrition. The therapy staff teamed up with HealthSouth Registered Dietitian Caryll DeFrate to plan a heart-healthy meal that the patients prepare. “They cook healthy meals like meatless chili and herb crusted cod,” says DeFrate. “We also answer questions that arise about heart-healthy eating.” Patients learn how to

modify recipes to reduce sodium, and make good choices when dining out.

The staff is implementing fun activities to help patients learn about heart failure, including a

bingo game. A newsletter focused on cooking and nutrition was created for patients and members of HealthSouth’s Heart Failure Support Group. DeFrate adds, “We want them to succeed when

they get home, and if they practice while they are here, they will be more confident at the time of discharge.”

HealthSouth’s Heart Failure Support Group is open to the public, serving patients, family members, and those caring for someone with a heart failure diagnosis. Meetings are held at HealthSouth on the fourth Monday of every month at 4:00 p.m. Contact Traci Curto-

rillo, CRRN®, Nurse Manager, at (800) 842-6026.

February is American Heart Month. For more information about HealthSouth’s Heart Failure Program, call 1-800 842-6026 or visit www.nittanyvalleyrehab.com a

Proud Recipient of the President’s Circle Award

for the Second conSecutive Year HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital’s Higher Level of Care® This distinction is awarded to 10 out of 103 HealthSouth hospitals for outstanding performance in clinical programs, patient care, employee retention and overall operational excellence. Thank you to our physicians*, rehabilitation teams, staff and volunteers who make excellence in patient care our number one priority. * HealthSouth provides access to independent private practice physicians, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

550 West College Avenue • Pleasant Gap, PA 16823 814 359-3421 • Fax 814 359-5898 • NittanyValleyRehab.com ©2013:HealthSouth Corporation:635933

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41

The Valley, February 2014

Progress in our Youth By Clarissa Goss

Winter is dragging on it seems, but things are getting started here in the 4-H program.

Monthly meetings have started for all of the clubs and I know the rabbit club is especially eager to get things started this year!

I unfortunately had to miss the Bunnies ‘R Us meeting in January due to my job, but I was told by several people the meeting went well and things are coming along nicely. It’s sometimes hard juggling everything these days, but we 4-H volunteers always give it our best.

I had someone ask me what it takes to be a 4-H leader/volunteer. I told them it only takes a person that is willing to give some of their spare time to a group of youth that are eager to learn new things. We volunteers are required to go through criminal background checks and interviews and such, just like applying for

a job position, but it’s merely for the safety of the children.

Anyone can fill out an application to be a volunteer, but it takes someone special to do this kind of ‘work’ for free. As a 4-Her, we are taught the pledge: “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country, and my world.” Being a volunteer is just fulfilling the ‘Hands to Larger Service’ part.

I’ve also had people say that we should get paid to do what we do, but I disagree. I do get paid, just not with money. I get something back every time a youth laughs or enjoys their projects, and especially when I have helped coach some very bright youth that get grand champion ribbons. I receive joy from the children having a joyous time. It is something that you can’t put a price on. We are only human though, and sometimes can’t attend certain events

because of work or family, or even getting sick. We hate missing something, but it happens and the parents understand. I know I got a few phone calls asking where I was, and I simply told them I had to work and apologized, and they understood. It’s

sometimes hard juggling a job and kids and the 4-H, but many of us 4-H volunteers do it and we love helping the youth. So if any of you are interested in being a volunteer for the Mifflin County 4-H,

www.thevalleynewspaper.com

please call the Extension Office 717-248-9618 or go online to our Facebook page Mifflin County 4-H. We are always looking for people to lend a helping hand! a

The Valley, February 2014

42

Common Crop Pesticides Kill Honeybee Larvae In The Hive

by Sara Lajeunesse

From Penn State Public Information.

Four pesticides commonly used on crops to kill insects and fungi also kill honeybee larvae within their hives, according to Penn State and University of Florida researchers. The team also found that N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) -- an inert, or inactive, chemical commonly used as a pesticide additive -- is highly toxic to honeybee larvae.

“We found that four of the pesticides most commonly found in beehives kill bee larvae,” said Jim Frazier, professor of entomology, Penn State. “We also found that the negative effects of these pesticides are sometimes greater when the pesticides occur in combinations within the hive. Since pesticide safety is judged almost entirely on adult honeybee sensitivity to individual pesticides and also does not consider mixtures of pesticides, the risk assessment process that the Environmental

Protection Agency uses should be changed.”

According to Frazier, the team’s previous research demonstrated that forager bees bring back to the hive an average of six different pesticides on the pollen they collect. Nurse bees use this pollen to make beebread, which they then feed to honeybee larvae.

To examine the effects of four common pesticides -- fluvalinate, coumaphos, chlorothalonil and chlorpyrifos -- on bee larvae, the researchers reared honeybee larvae in their laboratory. They then applied the pesticides alone and in all combinations to the beebread to determine whether these insecticides and fungicides act alone or in concert to create a toxic environment for honeybee growth and development.

The researchers also investigated the effects of NMP on honeybee larvae by adding seven concentrations of the chemical to a pollen-derived, royal jelly diet.

NMP is used to dissolve pesticides into formulations that then allow

the active ingredients to spread and penetrate the plant or animal surfaces onto which they are applied. The team fed their treated diet, containing various types and concentrations of chemicals, to the laboratory-raised bee larvae. green and blue multiwell plate

The team’s results are reported in the current issue of PLoS ONE.

“We found that mixtures of pesticides can have greater consequences for larval toxicity than one would expect from individual pesticides,” Frazier said.

Among the four pesticides, honeybee larvae were most sensitive to chlorothalonil. They also were negatively affected by a mixture of chlorothalonil with fluvalinate. In addition, the larvae were sensitive to the combination of chlorothalonil with the miticide coumaphos. In contrast, the addition of coumaphos significantly reduced the toxicity of the fluvalinate and chlorothalonil mixture.

According to Chris Mullin, professor of entomology, Penn State, these pesticides may directly poison honeybee larvae or they may indirectly kill them by disrupting the beneficial fungi that are essential for nurse bees to process pollen into beebread.

“Chronic exposure to pesticides during the early life stage of honeybees may contribute to their inadequate nutrition or direct poisoning with a resulting impact on the survival and development of the entire bee brood,” he said.

The researchers note that fluvalinate and coumaphos are commonly used by beekeepers on crops to control Varroa mites, and are found to persist within beehives for about five years. Chlo-

rothalonil is a broadspectrum agricultural fungicide that is often applied to crops in bloom when honeybees are present for pollination because it is currently deemed safe to bees.

Chlorpyrifos is a widely Bee feeding larva in the hive used Image: Maryann Frazier/Penn State organophosphate these inactive ingredients overin crop management. whelm the total chemical burden

“Our findings suggest that from the active pesticide, drug the common pesticides chloroand personal-care ingredients thalonil, fluvalinate, coumaphos with which they are formulated. and chloropyrifos, individually Among these co-formulants are or in mixtures, have statistically surfactants and solvents of known significant impacts on honeybee high toxicity to fish, amphibians, larval survivorship,” Mullin said. honey bees and other non-target “This is the first study to report organisms. While we have found serious toxic effects on developthat NMP contributes to honeybee ing honeybee larvae of dietary larvae mortality, the overall role pesticides at concentrations that of these inactive ingredients in currently occur in hives.” pollinator decline remains to be

The team also found that determined.” increasing amounts of NMP

Other authors on the paper corresponded to increased larval include Wanyi Zhu, graduate mortality, even at the lowest conresearch assistant in entomology, centration tested.

Penn State, and Daniel Schmehl,

“There is a growing body of postdoctoral associate in entomolresearch that has reported a wide ogy and nematology, University range of adverse effects of inacof Florida. tive ingredients to human health,

The National Honey Board, including enhancing pesticide the U.S. Department of Agricultoxicities across the nervous, ture-National Institute of Food cardiovascular, respiratory and and Agriculture-Agriculture and hormone systems,” Mullin said.

Food Research Initiative-Coor“The bulk of synthetic organic dinated Agricultural Projects and chemicals used and released into the Foundational Award programs U.S. environments are formulafunded this research. a tion ingredients like NMP, which are generally recognized as safe.

They have no mandated limits on their use and their residues remain unmonitored.

“Multi-billion pounds of

Caving Mifflin County from page 37 place. The cave was broken into many times and formations were broken off and stolen. Shame on you!!

The cave is now owned by an Amish family and tours are given every once in a while. It is managed by Bald Eagle Grotto from Williamsport, PA. In the late 80s, Joseph Kaffi of the Northeast Sump Exploration Team (NEST), dove the sumps looking for more passage and more passages were found. It

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was also discovered that Laurel Run that disappears into the large mouth of Goss Cave enters Alexander’s along with Havice Creek that either sinks in its bed or overflows into Limesinks Cave, and Treaster Run that sinks in its bed near Aitkins Cave. All of them wind up in Alexander’s along with groundwater.

With all the new discoveries, it is now the third longest cave in Pennsylvania. Pretty amazing huh? Who knows, more could be found.

—Till next time...Cave safe...Todd K. a

43

The Valley, February 2014

HOP TO THE FINISH LINE!

There is a new sport developing in the world of rabbits. This sport requires skill of both the handler, and rabbit. They have spent months, training, preparing, for the big event. When the big day comes, their excitement builds, as their name is called to start the course. Their rabbit jumps over each hurdle beautifly! As they reach the end of the course, they pick up their prized rabbit, and head back to the waiting area to wait for the results.

This sport is called rabbit hopping! This is a relatively new sport in the United States, but has existed in Europe for many years.

It requires rabbits to navigate either a straight line course, crooked

Mon—Friday 9—6 Saturday 10—2

course, high jump, or long jump.

These classes are judged on the rabbits speed, and skills.

Almost any rabbit can learn how to hop, some will be better than others, but with enough training, most of them will learn how. The smaller breeds like Holland lops, Britannia Petites, English Spots, and Mini Rexes are usually better, because they have a smaller amount of weight to have to get up and over the hurdles.

Even though the smaller rabbits usually dominate, I have also seen a Flemish Giant do very well. So no matter what kind of rabbit you have, do not be afraid to give it a shot!

Before a rabbit can compete in rabbit hopping events, a lot of training is done to teach the rabbit

how to hop, and to build up the muscles to jump higher, and faster. This training starts out with getting the rabbit used to wearing the harness.

Rabbits competing in rabbit hopping use what is called an H harness. They are commonly used for cats, and have a loop around the rabbit’s neck, another loop around the rabbit’s stomach, and then a connecting piece between the two loops on the rabbit’s back.

This is a safe way to restrain the rabbit, while still giving it the room to move freely over the jumps.

When the rabbit has gotten accustomed to wearing the leash, the handler starts working them over low jumps. These jumps are just poles laying on a floor that the rabbit can easily maneuver on.

Avoid wooden floors at all times during training—foam or rubber mats, or carpet works best. By gently coaxing the rabbit over the pole, they are training them that when they go over the pole they will get petted, and praised.

After the jump, they make a big deal over them, scratching them,

and giving them attention, and then have the rabbit go over the jump again, and again, making a big fuss over them each time. They do this for 5 to 10 minutes before they put the rabbit away. Rabbits have very short Pine Grove’s Pippa learning how to hop. attention spans, so a few short training able sport. At the ARBA national sessions a day is better than one convention in October, the rabbit long one. hopping contestants were visited Once the rabbit is willingly by the cast of “Good Morning going over the pole, the handler raises the pole to about two inches America” and they were even able to hop one of the contestants off of the ground. They then work rabbits with them! Then, in Januwith the rabbit going over that for a while, and then they slowly raise ary, the celebrity rabbit hopping competition, with six local celebthe bar, a little more every time, as the rabbit builds up the muscles rities from tv, radio, and politics, was covered by the news channel to jump.

“PCN” along with numerous local As the weeks and months pass, newspapers. the handler has turned an already

Rabbit hopping is a fast adorable rabbit, into a seasoned growing sport filled with adhopper, and as they compete in ventures!

There is now a ARBA rabbit hopping events, their rabbit sanctioned club devoted to rabbit gets better and better, until they hopping, and more and more find themselves competing on the people start hopping their rabbits national level of competition. everyday.

I am excited to see what

Already, rabbit hopping has the future of this wonderful sport gotten media coverage, from peohas in store! a ple fascinated by this new, ador-

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10th Amendment to the US Constitution

The Valley, February 2014

44

R. O. F. F.

Dairy Connection

by Halee Wasson

Rescue Our Furry Friends

Centre Count y Dair y Princess

February has long been celebrated as the month of romance; with it comes cupid and his arrow for Valentine’s Day on the 14th.

Cupid is represented as a child with wings, to indicate how love happens suddenly. Cupid is the son of Venus, who is the goddess of love and beauty. Valentine’s Day has brought many traditions throughout the years. In the 20th century, it has become a tradition to buy your loved ones a dozen roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box.

This causes a huge impact on the economy. More than 36 million boxes of heart-shaped chocolates are sold each year. Worldwide, 50 million roses are given away on Valentine’s Day, and eight billion candy hearts are produced.

The number one thing associated with Valentine’s Day is hearts. Why shouldn’t it be? Our

hearts have many functions in life. The heart is a receptacle of love, but its main function is to pump the life through our bodies.

This is why we must take good care of our hearts, by maintaining a healthy diet. When consuming dairy, it is important to know the many different choices the dairy aisle has to offer. Low fat and fat free varieties help keep the heart healthy. Not only does Valentine’s Day speak to the hearts of many, but this month carries awareness as American Heart month.

February is not only the month for us to open our hearts to love, but to start developing a healthy, nutritious lifestyle so we can keep our hearts beating for many years to come.

Here are a few healthy recipes to try. Enjoy!

Smart Smoothie 3/4 cup low-fat plain YOGURT

by Patricia Lawson

1/2 cup skim MILK 1 banana 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries Whirl all smoothie ingredients together in blender.

Fettuccine Alfredo 18 ounces fresh FETTUCCINE 2 1/2 cups HEAVY CREAM 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 12 tablespoons unsalted BUTTER 2 cups grated PARMESAN 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest Pinch freshly grated nutmeg Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.

Drain. Stir 2 cups of the CREAM and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend.

Add the BUTTER and cook over medium heat just until the BUTTER melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of CREAM, and PARMESAN to the CREAM sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper.

Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Add FETTUCCINE when served. a

litter of puppies and one of them

This year, ROFF celebrates was presented to President Kenits 10th anniversary! Let’s keep the momentum going! nedy’s daughter, Caroline.

One way to help out and

Oh, and, who have we got satisfy yourself at the same time, here? Why, it’s Pansy. Poor is to order and help promote our Pansy was abandoned in a house next very popular fundraiserwhen her owners moved out and PRETZEL ROLL SANDWICHleft her behind. Can you imagine?

ES! A form can be emailed to She’s only about 2-3 years old and you by contacting rescueourfuris just the sweetest thing. She is ryfriends@yahoo.com. There spayed, neg FIV/feluke and litter are 10 choices from Italian to trained. She likes to cuddle and Tuna Salad, plus the sandwiches just loves any attention that you are only $4. Orders and money are willing to give her. Plus, she are due on the 25th of February gets along well with other cats. If and the delivery is on the 6th of you would like to meet our Pansy, March. Please drop off your form please go to our website www. and money at ROFF “Headquarroff.cc and fill out an online apters”: 133 North Walnut Street in Burnham. Thank you in advance for your support!

Let’s hear it for the “Pup of the Month”! It’s Bailey! Bailey is a 3 year old male beagle. He has been dewormed and started on vectra, and he gets along with other dogs and cats. Bailey also enjoys the company of children.

Won’t you please consider giving Bailey a FUR-ever home? If you Pansy would like to meet our boy please go to our website www.roff.cc and plication or call 1-877-933-ROFF fill out an online application or (7633).

And, speaking of adopting call 1-877-933-ROFF (7633).

a pet, please visit our

web-site: www.roff.cc for pictures and facts

about our furry friends

that are looking for you.

If you’re not ready to

adopt, please consider providing a foster home

or donating your time

and/or money by call ing 877-933-7633. As Bailey always, your contributions are greatly needed

and appreciated, so

Here’s a little tidbit about please make checks payable to 2 special dogs: In 1960, two ROFF, and mail them to ROFF, 133 North Walnut Street, BurnRussian dogs named Belka and ham, PA 17009. Thank you!

Strelka safely returned from Earth’s orbit in Sputnik 5. They were the first animals to survive

Until they all have homes… orbit. In retirement, Strelka had a www.roff.cc a

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45

The Valley, February 2014

Dave Wilson

Coins, Precious Metal and a Little of this and That

What If?

If you are at all interested in MONEY, the world of investments, or financial planning, then you likely have an understanding about the US Dollar’s role as the accepted “World’s Reserve Currency.” To offer a very simple explanation as to how the dollar attained this (very lofty) position, we start with Richard Nixon CLOSING the Gold window in August of 1971. Many nations (particularly France) were trading their “dollars,” earned through trade with the United States, for gold. Our national gold supply was being drained, and the Nixon administration was forced to put a stop to it. Without gold backing, the dollar would be of no interest to foreign governments, UNLESS it could be MADE to be vital to their national well-being. The US made a security pact with Saudi Arabia, promising to protect their kingdom from outside attack, in exchange for their commitment to accept ONLY U.S. Dollars in exchange for their oil. It was a brilliant arrangement. If a country wanted to purchase Saudi oil (and most did), they had to first convert their currency into U.S. Dollars, and then buy the oil they needed.

Stockpiling Dollars became very important to every oil importing country.

Fast forward to now, and we see many countries, with heavy Dollar reserves, becoming most unhappy about the TRILLIONS of new dollars that have been created from nothing over the past 20+ years, especially since 2008 when a financial meltdown nearly collapsed our entire economy.

The Chinese, one of the

largest foreign holders of U.S. Dollars (more than two trillion), have recognized that the U.S. has been taking advantage of its reserve currency status, by printing HUGE sums of new dollars, to keep Europe afloat, to buy toxic assets from needy US banks, and to purchase more than 90% of all US Treasury bonds, needed to finance our GIGANTIC annual budget deficits.

“Official” yearly inflation numbers are touted as being “around” 2%. Those who live in the real world know much better, and so do the Chinese, and all other holders of U.S. foreign debt.

They are NOT happy to see their large Dollar holdings depreciating in value, and many are initiating plans to depose the Dollar as the single World Reserve Currency unit.

So what happens if they are successful in eventually stripping the Dollar of this prestigious and ultra-powerful position?

GUARANTEED, for the United States and it’s citizens, NOTHING GOOD.

Because of all the disadvantageous trade agreements the U.S. has signed in the past 20 years, millions of manufacturing jobs have been shipped out of the country. The products that used to be made here, now must be imported, and that is where the real trouble begins if the Dollar falls from International grace.

Clothing, shoes, electronics, furniture, fabric, vehicles, building supplies, household products, tools, optical supplies, medical supplies, and many, many more items are shipped to the U.S.

that this is all just a silly theory, don’t. This scenario is nearly 100% likely by the end of this decade, if not before. We are already seeing SOME (foreign made) products in short supply, and that number will begin to expand.

Those of us that are a bit older, very well remember glasses cupboards that contained all shapes and sizes of drinking glasses. (Peanut butter jars and Jelly Jars were especially popular.) With almost all glassware

now coming from foreign makers, the younger generation might soon find out just exactly what I’m talking about.

If there are specific, foreign made products that you use regularly, and would miss terribly, if they became unavailable, you might be wise to stock up a supply of those items now, while they are still available, just in case. a

every year. Hundreds of billions of dollars worth. If we have to convert our Dollars to any new reserve currency unit (or basket of units), then prices will explode, and merchandise availability will become a serious problem. How does $12.00-a-gallon gasoline sound? That 6-oz. container of blueberries, imported from Chile, now costing about $2.59, could end up costing you $9.00 or more.

Consider, also, that since there might not be enough people who could afford such prices, importing any types of fresh fruit might be financially impossible and these types of products would simply disappear from supermarket shelves forever. The same can be said for many other products, too. Stores that now rely heavily on foreign imports will be crushed, or, at best, have to reinvent their business plan.

Yard Sales and Flea Markets will become major centers of sales activity, as even used products will be seen as being better than no products at all.

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The Valley, February 2014

46

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee!

From my kitchen table to yours, let’s talk about coffee as we sit down and enjoy a fresh cup.

Did you know there are 450 million cups of coffee served in the United States per day? Many of those people are concerned about the amounts of coffee they are drinking, as they should be, if they are drinking your run of the mill coffees.

We need to educate ourselves and be sure the coffee we are

drinking is safe, toxin and chemical free, and is harvested and roasted properly. If you are drinking a burnt coffee bean, it may be very toxic for the body, but on the other hand, a coffee that is harvested and roasted properly is actually very healthy for the body.

Studies are showing that two good, healthy cups of coffee a day decrease the risk of heart disease, help to fight Alzheimers disease and have many other health benefits. So, how do we know the coffee we are drinking is healthy?

Now let’s talk about Tom Mower, Sisel and Sisel Kaffe.

Tom owns the largest manufacturing facility in the world. They manufacture for over 100 other companies and now his mission is to create products for Sisel that are toxin and chemical free.

He has 16 scientists there at the facility researching and finding ingredients that actually work, and people can get the results that they have been looking for, based on science. And now Tom saw the need for people to be drinking a healthy coffee versus a toxic coffee, and the results are amazing.

He has purchased his own coffee plantation in Panama and has people hand-pick the ripe coffee bean and then process it in a way that we can benefit from the natural ingredient of the coffee bean! And not only that, he has added chaga, which is one hundred times more effective than even Ganoderma! (a mushroom widely known to fight cancer).

Could you imagine if those 450 million cups of coffee a day had the Bacopa to support the

adrenal system and would help with mental alertness and Alzheimers, just to name a few. And then there’s the Guta Kola that can work with the thermogenics to boost the metabolism to provide

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energy.

Now thats a good cup of coffee! And you can rest assured that if it’s Sisel, it’s safe! No toxins, no chemicals and a healthier you! a

47

The Valley, February 2014

The Hawk Watch On Jack’s Mountain

by Ronald Singer

I have been watching and counting the spring and fall migration of raptors on Jacks Mountain since the fall of 1973. This year was my 40th year sitting on top of the pile of rocks on Jacks Mountain Road between Belleville, and McVeytown. In the beginning I sat alone. Over the years others have come and enjoyed the migration. We average about 100 visitors a year. Some are from other countries. Some are from other states. They usually have the same goals in mind, to see as many migrating hawks and eagles as they can see in one day. Our hawk watch doesn’t get as many birds as some other sites, but we get a nice flight. The counts are usually higher on days when the prevailing wind is from the South East. On days with S/E wind we can get some of the best counts in the state. And since the mountain is very narrow on top we get a lot of days when the birds are very close and you get some great looks.

The fall hawk watch starts the Monday after Labor Day and usually runs until the day before Thanksgiving. I invite everyone to bring a lawn chair and a lunch and spend next Fall with us. We try to have a trained observer on site every day. I recommend you try to stay at least from 10am until 2pm. But the birds can fly over all day and we are usually there from 9am until 4pm. We stay later in September because birds will fly until dark. We are actively looking for more volunteers to help with the count. We will have someone available to train you if you are not familiar with identifying birds of prey.

During the fall of 2013 we had the 2nd highest official count in our history. We had 6,338 total raptors. October and November did not provide favorable winds or we might have had a lot more birds. Our highest species count this fall was for Broad-winged Hawks. We counted 4,720 B/W

up from 4,236 last year. Our Bald Eagle count was 74, up from 73 last year. Golden Eagles were down to 46 from 69 last year but last year was a high count for this species.

Jacks Mountain is a member of The Hawk Migration Association of North America. We have many watches in North America and Central America. The season counts for all sites can be found on the web at HMANA.org. You can also see just our counts from this year compared to last year on our website: https://sites.google. com/site/jacksmountainhawkwatch/home .

September started out great.

Darrell Smith had some of the best days when he was the there when we had the biggest Broadwing Hawk flight. These are Darrell’s comments.

September 18th, 2013 started out like any other day for me during the fall migration as that day’s official observer and counter for the Jacks Mountain Hawk Watch. I checked on the Weather Channel using my computer for the predicted wind direction and miles per hour both of which were very good. I got everything ready for the day, jumped in my car and made my usual one hour, 50 mile drive from rural Martinsburg in Blair County to Jacks Mountain in Mifflin County.

On the heels of a day (September 17, 2013) where we saw only five broad-wings and one coopers hawk, I arrived at the Jacks Mountain Hawk Watch at around 8:30am eastern standard time with high hopes since the winds had changed to S/E

which is the favorite for our hawk watch. The broad-wings were already flying when I alighted from my car. Jeff and Roberta Kirkland from State College, some first timers to Jacks Mountain Hawk Watch greeted me upon my arrival. I was counting as I took my camp chair, binoculars, lunch, counting papers and a host of other stuff to my normal place behind the altar facing north.

About 15 minutes later Ken Tucker, my best spotter and observer for the day climbed out of his car and joined us. We all kept our eyes moving left to right and overhead, scanning the skies for broad-wings and any other raptor that presented itself. Things got hot and heavy that next hour with one kettle of over 400 broadwings and an hour total of 887 broad-wings and one sharpie. The next hour brought 467 broadwings and one Cooper’s.

Over the next several hours we were joined by Bill Deitz, Jen Lee, Gloria Bickel and Cindy Harvey who helped us spot and observe for most of the balance of the day. The more eyes that we have observing on a day like this is a great help to the official counter. And what a day it was. We had kettle after kettle of broadwings the rest of the day. We ended the day with 1,848 Broadwings, 4 Bald Eagles, 4 Sharpshins, 2 Cooper’s, 1 Osprey, 2 Red-tails, 1 Golden Eagle and 1 American kestrel for a total of 1,863 raptors. It was the second best day ever recorded on Jacks Mountain Hawk Watch. It is the kind of day you dream of when you are a hawk watcher.

Linda Whitesel is another regular hawk watcher at our site.

These are some of her comments. Sometimes you get such a

good look at the raptors that the images remain burned in your memory. Northern goshawks, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, golden eagles, and ospreys are just some of the birds that seemed to fly low over us, the hawk watchers, to get a better look. And, then there was the day the monarch butterflies were Jack’s Mountain Hawk Watch site. so profuse. Every time I raised up in a blanket behind the altar, my binoculars there were at least if I was a statue. This is a very ten in my view. That day we had special place. over six hundred on their way to

Yes, Jacks Mountain is Mexico. This year, the northern indeed a special place. The narfence lizard was a welcome visitor row top of the mountain brings as he came out several days to up drafting winds and thermals bask in the sun. He must have that are enjoyed by birds of prey, been male because he had the bril- hand gliders and sail plane pilots. liant blue on his flanks. As I sat Many people stop to see the there watching for the raptors, the amazing views from the sumlate summer and fall seasons were mit. People also come in the passing. Oxeye daisies stayed fall to watch the leaves change. for a very long time. Witch hazel Unfortunately the future of Jacks bloomed and withered. And, the Mountain is at risk. Two German leaves turned their varied colors. wind turbine companies want to Last, but definitely not least, are destroy the top of the mountain. the wonderful people we meet.

They will have to remove 100 or They usually stop to see the specmore feet from the mountain top tacular views of Ferguson Valley to create a flat surface to install and Big Valley. They see us over 70 wind mills. This will sitting there with our binoculars forever alter the water runoff and raised, become curious, and ask the migratory passage for birds, us lots of questions. Most of them bats and raptors. This is a horrible seem to have a local connection. idea that Friends of Jacks MounI’ve met people there from Engtain oppose. Pennsylvania ridges land, France, Canada, Peru, and do not have enough wind to make Costa Rica. People from all over wind mills efficient. They only the United States have visited us. operate at about 15% efficiency Some of them have read or heard but the habitat destruction and the of this stop on Jack’s Mountain, deaths of untold migrants will be and others just happened on irreplaceable. it. One man and his wife from Additional information Ohio were doing a tour of eastern about the wind turbines is availHarley-Davidson manufacturing able on facebook.com at “Friends and store sites. A lady from New of Jacks Mountain” York was making a video of her On the web at: http://www. husband flying over the treetops savejacksmountain.org/ in his sailplane. And, on a cold Ronald Singer, Jacks Mountain windy day a little girl wondered, Hawkwatch. a as I sat very still and all wrapped

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The Valley, February 2014

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