A P R I L 2 0 1 0

On the right trackFrom historical excursions to modern-day commuter routes, Pennsylvania trains continue to connect people, places

A P R I L 2 0 1 0 • P E N N L I N E S 3

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Penn Lines (USPS 929-700), the newsmagazineof Pennsylvania’s electric cooperatives, is pub-lished monthly by the Pennsylvania Rural Elec-tric Association, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. Penn Lineshelps 166,400 households of co-op consumer-members understand issues that affect theelectric cooperative program, their local co-ops, and their quality of life. Electric co-opsare not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locallydirected, and taxpaying electric utilities. PennLines is not responsible for unsolicited manu-scripts. The opinions expressed in Penn Linesdo not necessarily reflect those of the editors,the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, orlocal electric distribution cooperatives.

Subscriptions: Electric co-op members, $5.42per year through their local electric distribu-tion cooperative. Preferred Periodicals postagepaid at Harrisburg, PA 17105 and additional mail-ing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changeswith mailing label to Penn Lines, 212 LocustStreet, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266.

Advertising: Display ad deadline is six weeksprior to month of issue. Ad rates upon request.Acceptance of advertising by Penn Lines doesnot imply endorsement of the product or serv-ices by the publisher or any electric cooper-ative. If you encounter a problem with anyproduct or service advertised in Penn Lines,please contact: Advertising, Penn Lines, P.O.Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Penn Linesreserves the right to refuse any advertising.

Board officers and staff, Pennsylvania RuralElectric Association: Chairman, Tim Burkett;Vice Chairman, S. Eugene Herritt; Secretary,Lanny Rodgers; Treasurer, Kevin Barrett;President & CEO, Frank M. Betley

© 2010 Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association.All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or inpart without written permission is prohibited.

4 K E E P I N G C U R R E N TNews items from across the Commonwealth

6 T I M E L I N E SYour newsmagazine through the years

8 E N E R GY M AT T E R SGadgets, gizmos, and entertaining energy drains

10 F E AT U R E

On the right trackFrom historical excursions to modern-daycommuter routes, Pennsylvania trainscontinue to connect people, places

14A COOPERATIVE CONNECTIONInformation and advice from your localelectric co-op

16 P O W E R P L A N T S

Wise to the ways of flowers

18 C O U N T R Y K I TC H E N

Hello, Sunshine!

20 O U T D O O R A DV E N T U R E S

Road workWeekend chore endures in fond memories of Dad

22 C L A S S I F I E D S

24 S M A R T C I R C U I T S

Avoid air leaks with efficientrecessed lighting designs

25 P U N C H L I N E S

Thoughts from Earl Pitts–Uhmerikun!Earl loses it, and doesn’t know where to find it

26 R U R A L R E F L E C T I O N S

The season of growth

20

26

APRIL

O N T H E C OV E RVisitors to the Railroad Museum ofPennsylvania in Strasburg can viewthis E6 Atlantic No. 460, the soleknown survivor of a fleet of 82Pennsylvania Railroad E6 Atlanticclass locomotives. The museumrecently received a $50,000 matchinggrant to restore the locomotive builtin 1914. Photo by Kathy Hackleman

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Pennsylvania highwaydeaths decline to recordlow in 2009

Fewer people died on Pennsylvaniahighways in 2009 than in any year sincethe state began keeping fatality recordsin 1928.

According to the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Transportation (PennDOT), 1,256 people died in acci-dents in 2009, a 14.4 percent declinefrom 2008. The previous low mark was1,328 in 1944, during the era when fuelwas rationed.

PennDOT officials note they cannotsay for sure what caused 2009’s declinein traffic fatalities, but they noted theybelieve it is a combination of drivers trav-eling fewer miles due to the recessionand the cumulative effect of safety pro-

grams beingoffered throughPennDOT,local and statepolice depart-ments, andschools. Offi-cial miles

driven for 2009 are not yet available.In addition to the drop in fatalities,

preliminary numbers also show adecrease in the number of deaths attrib-uted to alcohol, aggressive driving, anddrivers or passengers not using seatbelts. Unrestrained deaths dropped from567 in 2008 to 451 in 2009, alcohol-related deaths went from 531 to 442, anddeaths in which aggressive driving wasa factor dipped from 141 to 130.

However, the number of fatalities incrashes involving drivers age 65 andolder increased from 259 in 2008 to 276in 2009.

In January 2010, Pennsylvania’s high-way safety laws were rated poorly by thenonprofit group Advocates for Highwayand Auto Safety, which said the state

had enacted only 6.5 of 15 measures itrecommended involving mandates foruse of seat belts, motorcycle helmets,child booster seats, texting, cell phoneuse, and drunk driving.

EPA launches study to seeif ‘fracking’ could harm groundwater

The U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) has launched a two-year,$1.9 million study to determine thesafety of groundwater supplies fromhydraulic fracturing, the oil and gas pro-duction technique known as “fracking,”in the Marcellus Shale region of Penn-sylvania.

According to the EPA’s Office ofResearch and Development, the studywill be conducted through a transpar-ent, peer-reviewed process with signifi-cant stakeholder input.

In the fracking process, water andchemicals are injected into wells underhigh pressure to break up the rock tounlock natural gas or oil. This process,in combination with relatively new, hori-zontal-drilling technology, has trans-formed sites in the Marcellus Shale areathat would have been uneconomical topursue into lucrative sites.

However, environmentalists fear that

the frackingprocess couldcontaminategroundwater.Oil and gasindustry offi-cials respondedby saying theyhave used thefrackingprocess onhundreds ofthousands ofwells fordecades with-out causingproblems for aquifers. The EPA studyis being welcomed by spokesmen fromboth sides.

“Our industry is confident that anobjective evaluation of hydraulic frac-turing will reach the same conclusionas other studies: that it is a safe andwell-regulated process that is essentialto the development of natural gas,” theMarcellus Shale Coalition, an industrygroup, said.

Environmentalists with Earthjusticealso welcomed the study, saying,“Without a federal floor to protectdrinking water in states without suffi-cient regulations, we could end upjeopardizing water supplies for mil-lions of people.” l

KEEPINGcurrent

Do you remember when‘the lights came on?’

To mark the 75th anniversary of ruralelectrification in the United States, we wantto hear your stories about what you remem-ber of the time when “the lights came on.” Ifyou or a family member have a recollectionof when electricity first came to your resi-dence or farm, please let us know. You canwrite to us at Penn Lines, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266 or send anemail to editor@prea.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

READERrequest

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

1970 Tunkhannock resident Percy Phillips, amember of Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative,displays trout from the Sugar Hollow TroutHatchery.

1980 Penn Lines considers warnings given atthe NRECA Annual Meeting that power produc-tion and distribution costs will continue to rise,bringing rate increases.

1990 To ready a balloon for flight, cold air isblown into the balloon to inflate it, then propaneburners are used to heat the air to provideenough lift to get the balloon off the ground.

IS THERE A home power plant in your future? That question was askedin the April 2000 Penn Lines feature. The answer was, “Thanks to fuel cells,one just may be — once the bugs get worked out and prices come down.”

Fuel cells are not new — they were invented by Sir William Grove in1839. In 1959, Allis-Chalmers even demonstrated a 20-horsepower fuelcell tractor.

Like batteries, fuel cells make electricity by combining hydrogenions, drawn from a hydrocarbon fuel source, with oxygen atoms. Butwhile batteries provide the two internally — the reason they must beperiodically recharged — fuel cells use a supply of these ingredientsfrom outside the system, allowing power to be produced as long as thesupply lasts.

In 2000, fuel cells were used mostly in military and space applications.However, some people were predicting the units would be commerciallyavailable at a price that residential customers would pay by 2005, andTime magazine ranked fuel cells as one of the “Top 10 inventions thatcould transform society.”

While manufacturers have been working to create an efficient, afford-able home power plant, such a unit still isn’t available 10 years later. Thistechnology, however, is back in the news as Bloom Energy, a Sunnyvale,Calif., fuel cell company on Feb. 24, 2010, announced development of a“power plant in a box” called a “Bloom Box.” Despite a lot of hype, theproduct must still face traditional fuel-cell hurdles of cost and reliability.No timetable has been announced for when the unit is expected to beavailable to the public.

2000

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ODDS ARE your home has a big-screentelevision, a satellite or cable box, a DVDor Blu-ray player — maybe two or three.Add to that an Xbox, Wii, PlayStation,or other video game console, and yourentertainment center’s ready to go.

Indeed, most of us depend on a largenumber of electronic gadgets these days— and not just for entertainment. Per-sonal computers, stereos, alarm clocks,coffee makers, battery chargers, cellphones, microwaves … the list goes onand on.

Most of the electricity used in theaverage home goes toward heating andair conditioning, water heating, andlighting, all of which are significantlymore energy efficient than even just adecade ago. Yet our demand for newelectronic devices means we continue toconsume more electricity every year —a whopping 15.6 percent rise since 2000.Younger American consumers spendmore time playing games, listening tomusic, and watching TV on cell phonesthan talking on them, according to theKaiser Family Foundation.

“Despite anticipated improvementsin energy efficiency, any energy savingsare likely to be overshadowed by risingdemand for technology,” cautionsNobuo Tanaka, executive director forthe Paris-based International EnergyAgency (IEA), an autonomous intergov-ernmental organization that acts as a

policy advisor to member countries. Tanaka estimates by 2030 consumer

electronic use will climb threefold—equivalent to the combined residentialelectricity consumption of the UnitedStates and Japan.

However, there are ways to avoid thecoming energy pile-up. For example,cell phones are now extremely energyefficient because of consumer demandfor longer battery life.

“Many mobile devices are already farmore efficient in their use of power thanother products that run solely off of amain electricity supply,” explains Tanaka.“Because extending the battery life of amobile device is a selling point, manufac-turers placed an emphasis on designingproducts that require very little power.This shows us what can be achieved.”

If consumers demand that manufac-turers reach the same level of efficiencywith other electronics like gaming con-soles, televisions and even alarm clocks,IEA believes energy use in this sectorcould be cut in half.

Oddly enough, many electronicdevices draw power while waiting to beused. Very likely, your big-screen TV,DVD player and stereo burn kilowatt-hours even when turned off. Accordingto IEA, this standby (or vampire) loadaccounts for more than 5 percent of res-idential electricity demand.

Although the amount of standbypower used by individual appliancesmay be small — often between 0.5 wattsand 10 watts — a typical home mayhave 20 appliances on standby at anygiven time. For the last decade, IEA hasencouraged appliance manufacturersaround the globe to cut this wastedpower to no more than 1 watt. TheEnergy Star program takes this meas-urement into account when certifyingmany appliances.

Computers and monitors were thefirst products to receive an energy effi-ciency rating from Energy Star, a pro-gram launched in 1992 by the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA)and the U.S. Department of Energy

ENERGYmatters

Gadgets, gizmos,and entertainingenergy drains

B y M e g a n M c K o y

Even with advances in energyefficiency, consumers continueusing more energy

Although appliances have become more efficient, American consumers are adding more electronicdevices in their homes. As a result, overall energy use rises every year.Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

A P R I L 2 0 1 0 • P E N N L I N E S 9

(DOE). Since then, more than 60 cate-gories have been added, from dishwash-ers and windows to DVD players.

Energy Star-rated products deliverthe same or better performance as com-parable models while using less energy.Although actual energy savings dependon what’s being replaced, new EnergyStar appliances save significantly moreenergy. For example, switching out aclothes washer made before 2000 with a2010 Energy Star model could save aconsumer up to $135 per year on his/herelectric bill. Replacing a refrigeratormade before 1993 could save up to $65annually. However, 44 percent of refrig-erators that could be retired and recy-cled are converted into a second fridge,given away, or sold — keeping ineffi-cient technology in American homes.

In the wake of Energy Star’s success(more than 2 billion Energy Star-ratedproducts have been purchased), theDOE has been pushing for more itemsto meet efficiency standards. In January2010, manufacturers sent energy usedata on more than 600,000 residentialappliances in 15 product categories tothe DOE.

Further, in March 2010, the EPA andDOE announced a plan to expand thetesting of Energy Star-qualified prod-ucts. The process involves testing six ofthe most common product types: freez-ers, refrigerator-freezers, clothes wash-ers, dishwashers, water heaters androom air conditioners. These product

types account for at least 25 percent of atypical homeowner’s energy bill. TheEPA and DOE are also developing anexpanded system that will require allproducts seeking the Energy Star labelto be tested in approved labs, andrequire manufacturers to participate in

an ongoing verification testing programthat will ensure continued compliance.

“The Department of Energy’s newlyenhanced enforcement efforts areimproving the quality of energy effi-ciency information available to theAmerican consumer,” reports DOE Gen-eral Counsel Scott Blake Harris. “Movingforward, we’ll aggressively pursue allmanufacturers who fail to comply withthese certification requirements orwhose products violate the country’senergy efficiency standards.”l

Source: International Energy Agency,Association of Home Appliance Manufac-turers, U.S. Department of Energy, 2010Kaiser Family Foundation Study

Megan McKoy writes on consumer andcooperative affairs for the National RuralElectric Cooperative Association, theArlington, Va.-based service arm of thenation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives. Frank Gallantalso contributed to this article.

Electronic devices at home are entertaining but also drain energy, even when turned off. Home energy userises with each new gaming console, television, digital video recorder (DVR), stereo receiver and otherelectronic device, accounting for up to 15 percent of the average monthly electric bill. Source: NRECA

TRAINS REPRESENT a big part ofAmerican history, and much of that his-tory has tracks running right through theCommonwealth. Evoking a variety of lifeexperiences — from hobos “ridin’ therails” during the Great Depression tofamilies traveling in railcars on holiday —trains have always meant different thingsto different people. Today, they still do.And those tracks are still filled with peo-

PENNlines

b y K a t h y H a c k l e m a nA s s o c i a t e E d i t o r / W r i t e r

by railcar for the dedication of the Sol-diers’ National Cemetery. On Nov. 19,1863, after delivering the dedicationspeech, which would become known asthe “Gettysburg Address,” Lincolndeparted from the station.

As the years went by, the use of railservice declined and eventually was dis-continued. The depot sat empty for sev-eral years until the Pennsylvania Abra-ham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission,the National Trust for Historic Gettys-burg and the Gettysburg Festival joinedforces to lease the building. It reopenedto the public as a museum in 2007, andan effort is under way for the NationalPark Service to acquire the building.Information panels and artifacts cur-rently interpret the history of the stationfor visitors.

According to Grim, who is a memberof Gettysburg-based Adams ElectricCooperative, more than 25,000 visitors

ple on their way to work, deliveringgoods and services, or taking a pleasantjourney into the past — with Pennsylva-nia trains making the connection.

History markersGettysburg served as an important

junction in our nation’s history, and itsrailroad station bore witness to sometimeless events. Back in the summer of1863, as the historic Battle of Gettysburgraged in the surrounding countryside, thestation depot served as a hospital.

“Thousands of people trav-eled by rail to Gettysburg toaid the nearly 21,000 woundedleft behind by both armies,”notes Tina Grim, executiveadministrator for the Pennsyl-vania Abraham LincolnBicentennial Commission andthe program manager for theCivil War Institute at Gettys-burg College.

According to the booklet,“The Gettysburg RailroadStation,” authored by histori-an Gerald Bennett, “Theyalso came to find their lovedones — both living and dead.The platform was filled withcaskets, waiting to be used. Asteady stream of nearly 15,000soldiers departed from thisstation, their gateway toescape the horror of Gettys-burg and the promise of life-restoring care.”

After the fighting wasover, the Gettysburg RailroadStation was in the nationalspotlight again as thousandsof spectators — and PresidentAbraham Lincoln — arrived

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TIOGA CENTRAL PROVIDES SCENIC LOOK: Passengerson the Tioga Central Railway get the opportunity toview the scenery and wildlife of north-centralPennsylvania from a unique perspective aboard avariety of excursion trains.

On the right trackFrom historical excursions to modern-day commuter routes, Pennsylvania trains continue to connect people, places

LINCOLN IN GETTYSBURG: Tina Grim, executive administratorfor the Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commissionand the program manager for the Civil War Institute atGettysburg College, stands amid the interpretive displays atthe Gettysburg Railroad Station.

and hundreds of thousands of photo-graphs and materials dealing with rail-roads. It also has a restoration shopwhere visitors can watch preservationefforts via closed-circuit television.

The museum also provides specialevents like Trains and Troops, the Gar-den Railways Tour, Pennsylvania Rail-

road Days, Polar Express Parties, andBarons and Builders summer day campsfor children, along with gallery exhibits.

In Hamburg, the Reading RailroadHeritage Museum pays tribute to Penn-sylvania’s most famous railroad — theReading Railroad, familiar worldwide tohundreds of millions of “Monopoly” fans.

The museum, which opened in 2008with the goal of preserving the history ofthe railroad, is continuing to expand andis currently open only on weekends. Itfeatures vintage railroad cars and loco-motives, photographs, documents andartifacts from the railroad, along with anoperating scaled layout replicating sec-tions of the Reading line.

Excursions into the past For people who are more interested

in an active train experience, Pennsylva-nia has a number of excursion railroadswith regular runs and seasonal events.As it happens, one of the most popularexcursion railroads — and the oldest,operating short-line railroad in the Unit-ed States — is located near the RailroadMuseum of Pennsylvania.

Chartered in 1832, Strasburg RailRoad served as a way to haul passengersand freight from Lancaster County toPhiladelphia, where connections couldbe made to any major city. Today, theline operates as a family attraction andboasts museum-quality, turn-of-the-cen-

A P R I L 2 0 1 0 • P E N N L I N E S 11

from around the world have visited thesite since it reopened.

Changing a nationThe Railroad Museum of Pennsylva-

nia in Strasburg offers an even broaderview of history. Administered by thePennsylvania Historical and MuseumCommission, the museum houses morethan 100 historic locomotives and vin-tage railroad cars, along with an interac-tive education center and a large cross-section of railroad artifacts that tell thestory of how railroads provided a trans-portation and delivery system thatspanned the United States.

“The Railroad Museum of Pennsyl-vania is rated a ‘gem,’ or a must-seeattraction, by AAA,” reports CharlesFox, museum director. “Here at themuseum, visitors can explore SteinmanStation, an early 20th-century passengerdepot, take the throttle in an authenticNorfolk Southern freight locomotivecab, sit in an engineer’s seat or climbaboard a caboose.”

The museum includes a researchlibrary and archives where scholars canaccess thousands of historic volumes

HEADED FOR PARADISE: Staff members of the Strasburg Rail Road prepare to board an excursion train headedfrom the Strasburg train station on a nine-mile trip to Paradise through the Amish farms of Lancaster County.

tury steam locomotives, freight cars,dining cars, private cars, and one of theworld’s largest fleets of historic woodenpassenger cars.

Passengers are treated to an unob-structed view of the Lancaster Countyfarmland as they travel the 9-mile, 45-minute roundtrip to Paradise, and theyoften get a first-hand view of Amishfarmers working in their fields. On-board narrators describe the history ofthe railroad and the area.

“Strasburg Rail Road is rich with his-tory and boasts one of the most scenicviews Lancaster County has to offer,”notes Linn Moedinger, president ofStrasburg Rail Road. “The StrasburgRail Road caters to families and couples,as well as train enthusiasts. Throughoutthe year, we have a number of specialevents geared toward children, includingrides with Peter Cottontail, Day OutWith Thomas and Santa’s ParadiseExpress. And our Wine and CheeseTrain is a big draw for adults looking tounwind along the rails.”

Visitors also are invited to ride the

miniature Cagney steam train at the sta-tion and take a behind-the-scenes tourof the mechanical shop where steamengines are built and restored.

The Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad(OCTR) combines a look at the historyof the oil-rich region of northwesternPennsylvania and the sightseeing excite-ment of a short-line railroad for a fami-ly-friendly, 27-mile-long ride that beginsat Perry Street Station in Titusville.

According to Betty Squire, vice presi-dent for marketing and membership forthe Oil Region Alliance of Business,Industry and Tourism, the train parallels— and five times crosses — Oil Creek as

it heads south from Titusville. A stop atthe Drake Well Museum shows passen-gers the oil well drilled by Edwin L.Drake that launched the modern-daypetroleum industry 150 years ago.

The OCTR train then meandersthrough the valley of Oil Creek StatePark, where remnants of old pipelinesand oil equipment are still visible.

“Interpretive tour guides and tapesdescribe the history of the valley, focus-ing on the 1859 to 1860 oil boom erathrough today’s regeneration of the val-ley,” reports Squire, a former member ofCambridge Springs-based NorthwesternRural Electric Cooperative.

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PRESIDENT LINCOLN WAS HERE: PresidentAbraham Lincoln arrived by train at theGettysburg Railroad Station in 1863 on his wayto deliver what became known as the“Gettysburg Address.” The historic building,which holds interpretive displays and artifactsfrom the Civil War era, is open to the public.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECKOUT THESE FAVORITE STOPS:

Historic Gettysburg Railroad Station,Gettysburg717/337-8233www.palincoln.org

Reading Railroad Heritage Museum,Hamburg610/562-5513 www.readingrailroad.org

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania,Strasburg717/687-8628www.rrmuseumpa.org

Strasburg Rail Road, Strasburg717/687-7522www.strasburgrailroad.com

Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad,Titusville814/676-1733www.octrr.org

Tioga Central Railroad, Wellsboro570/724-0990www.tiogacentral.com

OCTR boasts the only operating rail-way post office car in the United States.The mail car that was first used in theearly 1900s can take mail on any day thetrain operates, including Sundays, andhas its own cancellation stamp, “OilCreek Railway Historical Society, OilCity, Pa.”

OCTR also offers riders the uniqueoption of bicycling or canoeing part ofthe route with transportation availablefor the bicycles and canoes on theremaining part of the route.

In addition, the OCTR also has spe-cialty runs, beginning with a Peter Cot-tontail Express in the spring, fall mur-der mystery and foliage tours, and end-ing with Santa Train Excursions. Theregular season runs from June throughOctober.

In north-central Pennsylvania, TiogaCentral Railroad provides 24-mile excur-sion rides from Wellsboro north to Ham-mond Lake in Ives Run State Park. Itoperates on weekends from May throughOctober, with a seasonal Santa Express.

Highlights of the Tioga Central Rail-road trip include the opportunity to seemany different types of scenery, includ-ing wetlands, marsh areas, mountainsand lakes, and wildlife from deer andbear to blue herons and eagles.

According to Mike Keefe,sales manager, passengershave a variety of choiceswhen booking a ride. There isthe most common choice, the

Lakeshore Express, as well as dinnerrides on the Broadway Limited (mealscorrelate to the season), seasonal rides

featuring ice cream, fireworks, trick-or-treating and fall foliage, a monthly Hap-py Hour Express for adults, and theSanta Express (the train stops at Santa’sVillage where the jolly fellow in the redsuit boards the train).

On down the lineFor thousands of Pennsylvania com-

muters today, trains are still the way togo. Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor —between Harrisburg and Philadelphia(and on to New York City) — is one ofthe most popular commuter routes inthe northeast. More than a dozen trainstravel each way between Harrisburg andPhiladelphia Monday through Friday,with eight per day on weekends. TheKeystone is Amtrak’s fifth-busiest route,carrying 1.2 million passengers in 2009.

Cross-country travelers can climbaboard at Amtrak stations spread acrossPennsylvania, and head out to any ofAmtrak’s 500 destinations in 46 states.Connections can be made in Philadel-phia and Pittsburgh to travel to any-where Amtrak’s rails go. Recently

A P R I L 2 0 1 0 • P E N N L I N E S 13

FASCINATED BY TRAINS: Phil Tate,above, a 39-year-veteran line service-man at Adams Electric Cooperative,worked part time from 1977 to 1995 forthe short-line excursion railroad, left,that operated out of Gettysburg.

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approved grants will fund high-speedservice improvements between Philadel-phia and Harrisburg, as well as a plan-ning study for extension of the service toPittsburgh.

Back in Gettysburg, Phil Tate, a 39-year-veteran line serviceman with AdamsElectric Cooperative, fondly recalls hisrailroad days. Tate spent many of hisweekends between 1977 and 1995 work-ing part time, first as a fireman and lateras an engineer, for the short-line excur-sion railroad that used to run betweenGettysburg and Biglerville, with occa-sional longer runs to Mount HollySprings. Only freight is now transportedon that line.

Tate was 4 years old when railroadssparked his interest, and he still main-tains a lifetime collection of railroadmemorabilia that includes a lantern onceowned by his grandfather. Tate, who alsospent his days off while he was in the

military working as a railroad fireman,explains that his attraction to the equip-ment — especially the powerful steamlocomotives — is nearly equaled with hisfascination for the people he met.

“People would come from all over theworld to see the Gettysburg Battlefield,and then decide to ride on the Gettys-

burg train,” Tate reports. “Their storieswere so interesting.”

Tate says it’s highly possible thatsomeday he’ll be back in his engineer’suniform. In the meantime, he sometimesrides the rails as a passenger, clickingover tracks that run through our nation-al memory.l

PENNlines

Enjoy the journeyTrains can provide your vacationtransportation or be the focalpoint of your trip

By Chelsey Simpson

In the less-populous regions of Ameri-ca, west of the Eastern seaboard, traintravel occupies a place in many people’shearts — but not in their daily lives. Pas-senger trains are the stuff of folk songs,Western legends and bandit tales; carsand planes are the way we get around.When it comes to vacation planning, how-ever, trains shouldn’t be overlooked. Theycan be a cheaper, faster and less-stressfulway to get from point A to point B, butmost train enthusiasts will tell you it’s thejourney in between that really matters.

WHY TRAINS?“I think every reason you would be

going down the interstate highway is areason you would be riding Amtrak,”says Marc Magliari, a media-relationsmanager for Amtrak. “In a lot of placesand a lot of ways, we make more sensethan driving.” He notes that some peo-ple ride the trains because it’s cheaper;but others are traveling upscale.

Amtrak, the nation’s primary passen-ger-rail provider, operates 21,000 route

miles in 46 states. For many riders,reaching one of Amtrak’s 500 destina-tions is the main goal, while others aresimply along for the ride and the scenery.

Michael Gleason owns and editsTrainTraveling.com, which offers a wealthof information about excursion trainsand Amtrak. He also sees good reasonsto take to the rails.

“Some people will go anywhere justto ride a train,” he says. “Some peoplehave never liked flying, and some feelflying is just getting worse and worse.There are destinations that you can getto faster on a train, by the time you waitat the airport, get your luggage andmake your way into the city.”

Planes allow you to cross the conti-

nent in a matter of hours, but if yourtrip isn’t that far or you aren’t in a hurry,taking a train could be a good alterna-tive and a focal point for your next vaca-tion. Here are some things to consider:

TIMEWhen you weigh the duration of a train

journey against a comparable flight, makesure you consider how early you will haveto arrive at the airport, as well as its loca-tion. While you don’t want to invite thekind of cinematic drama that comes witharriving at the last minute and running tocatch your train, it also isn’t necessary toarrive more than 30 minutes early forAmtrak service in most situations.

TRAIN RIDE FOCUSES ON HISTORY OF OIL: Passengers on the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad take the opportunityto stop at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville to see the well that launched the modern petroleum industry.

(continues on page 17)

16 P E N N L I N E S • A P R I L 2 0 1 0

BY SPRING, we gardenersare pathetically eager for flow-ers. In our enthusiasm foranything floral, we’ll fill ourgardens with fleetingbloomers such as pansies andprimroses. Come July, we’llwish we had made wiserchoices.

There is a semi-secret ruleof thumb with flowers: thereare “cool season” performers(such as violas, pansies andprimroses) and then there are“main season” annuals (suchas marigolds). The latter maybegin blooming a bit later, butthey thrive on heat and con-tinue blooming until killed byfall frost. Cool season flowers,lovely but heat-sensitive, poopout as soon as summerarrives.

Flowers are also catego-rized as annuals and perenni-als. Annuals grow, bloom anddie in one season. Perennialsare longer-lived plants, typi-cally three to five years orlonger; these die back duringwinter but survive to re-groweach spring.

Our most familiar annualflowers are marigolds and

sunflowers. These are easy togrow in a sunny garden. Plantthe seeds in the ground perpackage directions, and flow-ers appear in summer.

Many kinds of annuals aresold as transplants. Trans-plants have an advantage overseeds: quicker blooms.

Some gardeners enjoy rais-ing their own transplants bystarting seeds. If you needhundreds of plants every year,this option might be more eco-nomical. You also havebroader plant choices throughmultiple seed catalogs. On theother hand, it takes dailytending for up to 16 weeks —and skill — to raise healthyseedlings.

Back at the plant store, youwill find “premium” annualsincluding geraniums, fancycoleus, ornamental peppersand so on. These command ahigher price due to longer leadtimes and specialized care.

A well-stocked plant nurs-ery also sells perennial flowerplants in assorted size potswith prices to match.

Each kind of perennial hasa distinct bloom period, typi-cally a few short weeks. For aseason-long perennial display,you must orchestrate theassorted blooming sequencesand coordinate across theircolors, heights and growingneeds. Needless to say, all ofthis “special this,” “specialthat” nonsense can be a chal-lenge. This is why manyflower gardeners opt fordependable annuals as theseason-long backbone withperennials for highlights.

Many old-fashioned, non-hybrid perennials will self-seed in the garden, or you can

sow the seed indoors or out-doors. You can develop a seedstrain by saving seed fromyour best open-pollinatedplants. Some perennial seedsrequire a chilling periodbefore they will germinate,and some will only germinateat certain soil temperatures, sostarting them can be finicky.

Many perennials are cus-tomarily propagated vegeta-tively, either by division (liter-ally cutting the plant into sec-tions, each section consistingof a piece of root and corre-sponding stem) or tip cutting(a process whereby a simplepiece of stem grows roots andbecomes a stand-alone plant)or exponentially by tissue cul-ture in a laboratory. Notably,many recent introductionsfrom extensive commercialbreeding programs are pro-tected by patent and propaga-tion is prohibited.

Labeling flowers perennial,

annual, hardy or whateverbrings up gray areas. Someflowers are potentially peren-nial, but are usually sold asannuals (fall mums) or tend tobe biennial (hollyhocks andfoxgloves) or are just totallyconfusing (rhizomes, bulbs,tubers and offsets), or howabout exasperating (think howin botany-speak, our “annual”geranium is a Pelargoniumand Geranium is the name forthe hardy garden perennialcalled cranesbill). And, whilewe’re at it, are roses flowers orbushes?

By any name and in everyway, shape, form and type,right now we desperatelycrave our flowers. Bring on thepansies and primroses! l

POWERplants

BARBARA MARTIN ,who says she begangardening as a hobby“too many years ago tocount,” currently worksfor the National Garden-

ing Association as a horticulturist. A formermember of Gettysburg-based Adams Elect-ric Cooperative, her articles appear in mag-azines and on the internet.

b y B a r b a r a M a r t i n

Wise to theways offlowers

BRING ON THE BLOOMS: Decidewhat kind of flowers you want inyour garden, and then make a long-term plan that will make your gar-den dreams come true.

A P R I L 2 0 1 0 • P E N N L I N E S 17

Amtrak is an especially good alterna-tive for flights with an in-air time of onehour or less, which means train travelmight be a real time-saver if you plan tovisit multiple cities within a region. Forexample, New York, Boston, Philadelphiaand Washington, D.C., are all served byfrequent rail service, and trips betweeneach city take only two to four hours.

MONEYTraveling on Amtrak doesn’t always

come out cheaper than driving or flying,and there are often far fewer schedulingoptions. The real bargain aspect of railtravel is that long-haul trips can serve asyour transportation, entertainment andlodging all in one. If you decided to drivethe same route, you would have to figurein gas prices and hotel stays, the viewmight not be as scenic, and you wouldhave to do the driving.

Sleeping cars are an especially gooddeal for couples and families, becauseAmtrak charges by the room for sleepers,not by the person. And speaking of fami-lies, traveling Amtrak with kids can beanother dime saver: Children through theage of 15 receive half-price fare.

If traveling light is not your style, you willbe comforted to know that Amtrak allowsas many as three checked and two carry-onbags on some of its routes, and three addi-tional pieces can be checked for just $10each. Unusual items, like ski equipment andbicycles, can also be checked on manytrains without an extra charge. Food andeven alcohol are also allowed as carry-ons.

THE INTANGIBLESTrains are an experience. Many Amtrak

routes offer a real departure from the bill-board-lined interstate, charting a courseinstead through the backyards, smalltowns and wild spaces of America.

Comfort is another plus of train travel. “Our coach seating is comparable to

most airline’s first class, and our businessseating exceeds that,” Magliari says.

Food and restroom breaks, and gener-al leg stretching, are also easier andmore entertaining on a train than in anairplane or car.

TIPSWhen it comes to planning a trip,

Amtrak.com and TrainTraveling.com areboth great resources. Amtrak offers aninteractive route atlas and a space toorder free planning publications. The site

helps new travelers visualize their experi-ence with helpful information about sta-tions and services, and offers a virtualtour of each sleeping-cabin option.

Information about deals and discountsis also available at Amtrak.com. Militarypersonnel, veterans and AAA membersare just a few of the groups eligible fordiscounts. Booking well in advance of yourtrip is a good way to snag the best fares.

TrainTraveling.com has informationabout Amtrak, excursion trains andregional commuter trains. You canbrowse routes by region or state, andeach listing includes a short descriptionand a link for more information.

If you’re taking a longer trip, researchpublic transportation options in your des-tination city or make plans to rent a car.Amtrak recommends Washington, D.C.,New York City, Orlando, Seattle, Boston,Chicago, Portland and San Diego as thecities with the most attractions easilyaccessed by foot.

Or instead of one big destination,chart a path that includes several stops.Start in Chicago and stop in Memphis,Tenn., for some barbeque and Elvis; head

on to Jackson, Miss., for culture and civilrights history; then stay a few days inNew Orleans before heading back. Don’toverlook the value of small towns, likeDodge City, Kan., which has a lot of WildWest history, and Ardmore, Okla., whereyou’ll find a toy and action-figure muse-um that kids of all sizes will love.

Be aware, however, that there isn’tregular service in many smaller commu-nities, and you might have to get on oroff the train at inconvenient times insome places. The westbound train intoDodge City, for example, arrives justbefore 6 a.m., and the eastbound trainrolls in after midnight.

Traveling by rail certainly isn’t foreveryone. But that could also be said oftraveling in general. Long train trips arefull of quiet moments when the soft humand sway of the cars is the only thing ofinterest. But if you don’t mind gettinglost in scenery and you have a compan-ion or two worth keeping, climb aboard,settle in, and enjoy the journey.l

Chelsey Simpson has traveled by trainin seven countries. When not riding therails, she edits Oklahoma Living magazine.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY(continued from page 14)

b y J a n e t t e H e s s

5 medium-sized carrots

1 head cauliflower

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Peel carrots and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch thick ovals

. Trim cauliflower

and divide into florets; cutlarge florets in half. Combin

e olive oil and all

seasonings except salt. Pour into a zip-lock bag. Add v

egetables and seal

bag; shake to coat. Arrangevegetables in a 9- x 13-inch

pan and sprinkle

with coarse salt. Roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes

, or until vegeta-

bles are tender.

WHEN COOKS are looking for recipes to brighten theirdays as well as their tables, carrots stand out as a perfectmain ingredient. The cheeriest of all root vegetables, car-rots lend themselves to savory side dishes, nutty quickbreads and satisfying desserts.

Oven-roasted carrots are a great addition to any meal,especially when paired with cauliflower. This side dishrelies on mustard and dill to amp up the flavor. The recipefor Carrot Pecan Bread proves the versatility of carrots.Obviously, there’s no need to avoid quick breads whenzucchini and pumpkin are out of season! Available year-round, carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A, whichis known to support eye health.

Carrots are a natural for cakes, too. Exquisitely moistSunny Carrot Cake skips the expected spices and nuts,allowing the pure color and flavor of the carrots to shinethrough. The citrusy frosting adds the perfect touch ofsweetness and light.

This month’s carrot-packed recipes might just have youand your family reaching for your sunglasses! lA trained journalist, JANETTE HESS focuses her writing on interesting people and

interesting foods. She is a Master Food Volunteer with her local extension service and

enjoys collecting, testing and sharing recipes.

OVEN-ROASTED CARROTS AND CAULIFLOWER

SUNNY CARROT CAKE

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups raw, grated carrots

Mix dry ingredients.Add eggs, oil and va

nilla extract and beat well.

Add carrots. Spreadinto a prepared 9- by

13-inch sheet cake pan.

Bake at 350 degreesfor 30 to 35 minutes

or until a toothpick

inserted into the center of the cake come

s out clean. When cool,

frost with a thin layer of Orange Buttercr

eam Frosting. Note: This

recipe makes a generous cake, so be sur

e to use a pan witha lip to

avoid a spill in the oven.

ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon orange juice

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of one orange

Blend butter and powdered sugar. Add liqu

ids and beat until smooth.

Stir in orange zest.

1 cup cooked, pureed carrots1 cup sugar1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted2 eggs1 tablespoon milk2 cups flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon allspice1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine carrots, sugar, butter, eggs andmilk. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredi-ents to the carrot mixture and beat well. Stir in pecans. Spoon bat-ter into a prepared loaf pan. Combine the topping ingredients andsprinkle over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 65 minutes,or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes outclean. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Note: If the top of theloaf begins to brown too rapidly during baking, cover loosely with apiece of aluminum foil.TOPPING:2 tablespoons brown sugar2 tablespoons chopped pecans1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

CARROT PECAN BREAD

18 P E N N L I N E S • A P R I L 2 0 1 0

Hello, Sunshine!

COUNTRYkitchen

20 P E N N L I N E S • A P R I L 2 0 1 0

OUTDOORadventures b y M a r c u s S c h n e c k

IT FELT like maybe we had lefta tiny mark on the landscape.

Ashes from the old coal-burning furnace in the base-ment of my boyhood homewere still down there, on thebottom of the broad mud pud-dle across the haul road alongthe top of Broad Mountain.Some of those ashes likely hadcome to that spot in some of thehundreds of ash cans my fatherand I had hauled with the oldChevy short-bed pick-up anddumped there decades earlier.

How I hated that near-weekly chore! Every weekend,except during the worst ofwinter when access to the dirtroad was blocked by snow, welugged those huge cans ofashes out of the basement andinto the back of the pick-up.Then we drove the 20 miles orso up onto the mountain andback along the old track, untilwe found a likely pothole thatcould use some filling.

That road was used mostlyby coal-hauling and timber-hauling trucks, but every

Monday after Thanksgiving italso became a highway forlocal deer hunters wanting todrive “back in” to deer standsthat had been “in the family”for years. Our stands weresome of the most remote. Werose well before sunrise tomake the long drive to thevery end of that old road — towithin a few feet of the spotwhere the road had beenerased by a landslide — andthen hike up over the remain-der of the mountainside to thefamiliar, weather-worn pinetree that marked our spot.

To a lesser extent, that roadwas our route to turkey,grouse and squirrel hunting,when the local populations ofthose species seemed to war-rant our time there. And,sometimes we drove that roadto abandoned strip mines forplinking with our .22s or tothe head of some familiar trailfor a Sunday afternoon hike.

My father felt a certainownership in that road, whichwe referred to as “going backof Lincoln.” Although everybit of it crossed lands ownedby large coal-mining compa-nies or the receiverships left inthe wake of defunct compa-nies, my father saw it as ourroute to some of the limitedleisure time he allowed him-self. He also hoped to main-tain the usability of the roadfor our pick-up by keeping themud holes from getting toodeep for us to pass.

How I now wish to havebetter enjoyed those timeswith my late father! I didn’tfeel that same ownership. Theashes were a weekly chore,eating into time I could other-wise be enjoying with my

young friends, riding bikes,playing war or some similar,more critical task to a kid’sway of thinking. I didn’t placenearly a high enough value onthe one-on-one time I wasbeing awarded from a hard,workingman’s schedule. Onlyin later years have I realizedthe knowledge I picked upfrom our discussions as wedrove that old, dirt road.

I suppose the environmen-tal impact of what we did withthose cans upon cans of coalashes can be questioned today.Proponents of ash as environ-mental fill on wastelands leftin the wake of coal miningmight say we were ahead ofour time. Opponents couldnote that those ashes likelycarried heavy metals andmaybe even a bit of radioactiv-ity. Gardening experts seem torecommend against the appli-cation of coal ashes in the gar-den because they carry verylimited nutrients.

For my part, while at thetime it may have seemed like Iwas helping to haul tons ofashes up onto the mountain, Idoubt that anything in whatwas really a very smallamount of ashes had a signifi-cant impact on an alreadyheavily disturbed landscape.And, because some of thoseashes are still there, I claim asmall amount of ownershipfor that old road’s continuedusability.

My moves to other partsof the state, where I discov-ered new outdoor haunts,have eliminated the need toreturn to “back of Lincoln”on any sort of regular sched-ule. However, it might betime for my son to have alook at some of those ashes inthe bottom of those mudpuddles. l

MARCUS SCHNECK,outdoors editor at ThePatriot-News (Harris-burg) and outdoor blogger atwww.pennlive.com, isthe author of morethan two dozen out-

doors books and a contributor to many stateand national publications. You can reach himat mschneck@comcast.net

Road workWeekend choreendures in fondmemories of Dad

COUNTRY ROADS: Some of the bestoutdoor experiences are found atthe end of a country road.

22 P E N N L I N E S • A P R I L 2 0 1 0

PENNLINESclassified

AROUND THE HOUSE

“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from menand women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and NewJersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association,P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention:Cookbooks. Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.

OUTSIDE WOOD HEATER - $1,595. Forced air system. Rated100K BTU. Heats up to 2,400 square feet. Houses, mobiles orshops. Low-cost shipping. Easy install. 417-581-7755 Missouri.www.heatbywood.com.

CLOCK REPAIR: If you have an antique grandfather clock,mantel clock or old pocket watch that needs restored, we canfix any timepiece. Macks Clock Repair: 814-749-6116.

SALES AND SERVICE — Specializing in above average runningantique pocket watches. Call for free watch list. All includesix-month guarantee. World-wide mail order watch repairsince 1971. Coyote Ricotta. PA 814-342-3709, 9:30-5.

REMOVAL and EXCLUSION of bats, their unhealthy droppings,also removal of squirrels, snakes, groundhogs and mostnuisance animals. Licensed and insured. Prompt andcourteous service. Darrin Fillman 717-436-9391.

BUILDING SUPPLIES

STEEL ROOFING AND SIDING. Discount Prices. Corrugatedsheets (cut to length) 52¢ per square foot. Also seconds,heavy gauges, odd lots, etc. Located in northwesternPennsylvania. 814-398-4052.

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

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

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

PIANO TUNING PAYS — Learn at home with American Schoolof Piano Tuning home-study course in piano tuning and repair.Tools included. Diploma granted. Call for free brochure 800-497-9793.

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

Start your own business. Home/Internet based. MIA BELLA’SCANDLES & GIFTS. The best candles on the market –wonderful income potential! Enter to win a free candle – visitwww.naturesbest.scent-team.com.

Gettysburg Pond View Farm Bed and BreakfastSCRAPBOOKING WITH FRIENDS. A great weekend get-away.877-888-1957. Gettysburgpondviewfarm@yahoo.com.

CHARTER BOAT FISHING

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

CHURCH LIFT SYSTEMS

Make your church, business or home wheelchair accessible.We offer platform lifting systems, stair lifts, porch lifts andramps. References. Free estimates. Get Up & Go Mobility Inc.724-348-7414 or 814-926-3622.

CONSULTING FORESTRY SERVICES

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

CENTRE FOREST RESOURCES. Maximizing present and futuretimber values, Forest Management Services, ManagingTimber Taxation, Timber Sales, Quality Deer Management.FREE Timber Consultation. College educated, professional,ethical. 814-867-7052.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

RECESSION PROOF BUSINESS — Our top appraisers earn over$100,000/year appraising livestock and equipment.Agricultural background required. Classroom or Home Studycourses available. 800-488-7570. www.amagappraisers.com.

FENCING

FREE Fence Guide/Catalog – High-tensile fence, horse fence,rotational grazing, twine, wire, electric netting – cattle, deer,garden, poultry. Kencove Farm Fence Supplies: 800-536-2683. www.kencove.com.

GIFT AND CRAFT IDEAS

“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from menand women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and NewJersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association,P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention:Cookbooks. Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.

TURKEY HUNTERS — Build your own box or slate. Kits, $21including S&H. Also finished calls, box or slate, $29. To ordercall Joe Spicer 410-734-6628. Trace Creek Calls.

HANDCRAFTED FURNITURE

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

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Tired of all those medicines — Still not feeling better? Do youwant to feel better, have more energy, better digestion, lessjoint stiffness, healthier heart/circulation and cholesterollevels? Find out how to empower your own immune system— start IMMUNE-26 today! It’s safe, affordable, and it works.Call 800-557-8477: ID#528390. 90-day money back on firsttime orders. When ordering from Web, use Option #3.www.mylegacyforlife.net/believeit.

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

! I am an electric co-op member. Attached is my Penn Lines mailing label from the front of this magazine.I enclose $20 per month for 30 words or less, plus 50¢ for each additional word. The total paymentenclosed is $_________________________.Please run my ad during the months of ______________________________________________________.

! I am NOT a member of an electric cooperative. I enclose $70 per month for 30 words or less, plus $1.50for each additional word. The total payment enclosed is $_____________________.Please run my ad during the months of ______________________________________________________.

_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________1 2 3 4 5 6

_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________7 8 9 10 11 12

_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________13 14 15 16 17 18

_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________19 20 21 22 23 24

_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________25 26 27 28 29 30

Additional words: _____________________________________________________ (use separate sheet if needed)NOTE: You must pay for special heading requests, even if the heading is currently appearing in Penn Lines.Only the following qualify as free headings. Please check your selection: ! Around the House ! BusinessOpportunities ! Employment Opportunities ! Gift and Craft Ideas ! Livestock and Pets

! Miscellaneous ! Motor Vehicles and Boats ! Nursery and Garden ! Real Estate ! Recipesand Food ! Tools and Equipment ! Vacations and Campsites ! Wanted to Buy.FOR SPECIAL HEADINGS NOT LISTED: Indicate special heading you would like, and add $5 for co-op mem-bers, $10 for non-members. Insertion of classified ad in Penn Lines serves as proof of publication; no proofsare furnished.

SEND THIS FORM (or a sheet containing the above information) to Penn Lines Classifieds, P.O. Box 1266,Harrisburg, PA 17108.FOR INFORMATION ONLY Telephone: 717/233-5704. NO classified ads will be accepted by phone.

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

ATTACH ADDRESS LABEL HERE(OR WRITE IN COMPLETE LABEL INFORMATION)

CLASSIFIED AD" DEADLINEMONTH DEADLINE

June 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . April 19July 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 17August 2010 . . . . . . . . . June 17

All ads must be received by thespecified dates to be included in thecorresponding month’s issue. Adsreceived beyond the deadline dateswill automatically be included in thenext available issue. Written noticeof changes or cancellations must bereceived prior to the first of themonth preceding the month of issue.For information about display rates,continuous ads, or specializedheadings, contact Vonnie Klossat 717/233-5704, the PennsylvaniaRural Electric Association.

A P R I L 2 0 1 0 • P E N N L I N E S 23

PENNLINESclassified

HEALTH INSURANCE

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

INFRARED SAUNAS

Removes toxins, burns calories, relieves joint pain, relaxesmuscles, increases flexibility, strengthens immune system.Many more HEALTH BENEFITS with infrared radiant heatsaunas. Economical to operate. Barron’s Furniture, Somerset,PA. 814-443-3115.

LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT

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

LIVESTOCK AND PETS

GERMAN SHEPHERD puppies $900-$1,500. Young Adult $800and Adult dogs $500 from imported blood lines. 814-967-2159.Email:rick@petrusohaus.com Web: www.petrusohaus.com.

GYPSY VANNER YEARLING FILLY $9,000. Black blagdon.Approximate 15.1 hands at maturity. Very calm. Greattemperament. Jennerstown area. 814-629-5652 daytime.Email aprilt@floodcity.net.

LOG CABIN RESTORATIONS

VILLAGE RESTORATIONS & CONSULTING specializes in 17th and18th century log, stone and timber structures. We dismantle,move, re-erect, restore, construct and consult all over thecountry. Period building materials available. Chestnut boards,hardware, etc. Thirty years experience, fully insured. Call 814-696-1379. www.villagerestorations.com.

MAPLE SYRUP

STEVEN’S PURE Maple Syrup, Liberty, Pa. Plastic from 3.4ounces to gallons. Glass containers for gifts and collectors.Maple Sugar, Maple Cream, Maple Candy, Maple Bar-B-QueSauce, Maple Salad Dressing, and Gift Baskets for anyoccasion made to order. Wholesale or retail prices. NEWNumber: 570-324-2014 or email: buymaple@epix.net.

MISCELLANEOUS

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

MOTORCYCLE-SNOWMOBILE INSURANCE

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

NEED TO KNOW

Where is it? Who does it? 37-page Family CommunicationsWorkbook helps organize critical information for families incase of accident, extended illness or death. $25 plus $5 S&H.Fundraising rates and group presentation speakers available.Contact Fleischer Mayer Enterprises at 814-839-4227. Email:FME15901@AOL.COM.

NURSERY AND GARDEN

TREE-SHRUB SEEDLINGS — Wholesale Prices. BeautifyProperty. Make Money Growing Christmas Trees, Ornamentals,Nut Trees, Timber. Plants for Landscaping. Windbreaks, NoiseBarriers, Wildlife Food-Cover. Easy Instructions Guaranteed.FREE Color Catalog. Carino Nurseries, P. O. Box 538PL,Indiana, PA 15701. 800-223-7075. www.carinonurseries.com.

ARBORVITAES — 3-4’ - $18. Quantity discounts available. W. W.Nurseries, Stable Road between Clymer and Indiana. Also over370 varieties of Rhododendrons and Azaleas. 724-349-5653.www.wwnurseries.com.

Abnormal neighbors? The tree planting specialists at ZEKEWILSON’S Landscaping and Nursery can help with installationof privacy screens, commercial buffers, wind breaks, entrances,etc. Beautiful evergreens to meet every budget. 724-388-9897.

OUTDOOR WOOD FURNACE

HAWKEN ENERGY Outdoor Wood Furnace. 20-Year Warranty.Total Heating Solution — Home, Business, Hot Water,Workshops, Pools, Greenhouse. Time Tested — Proven FurnaceDesign. Financing Available. Contact: Natcher Drilling, Inc. 814-472-6636.

P2000 INSULATION SYSTEM

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

REAL ESTATE

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

HUNTING PARADISE! 81 Acres includes: 30 tillable acres, 51wooded acres, a 16 x 24 hunting cabin, frontage on two roadsand adjoins hundreds of gameland acres. Lease income, OGMrights and gorgeous view included. Canadohta Lake area,Crawford County. $249,900. Call 814-881-2751.

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

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

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

FOR SALE: Cabin in Casselman, PA close to Seven Springsalong Casselman River. Three rooms, furnished. Contact BlairHogan, phone 301-829-2007.

INDIAN LAKE – SOMERSET CO., PA — Two bedroom summercottage, 760 square feet with partial basement, completelyfurnished. Includes 20 foot pontoon boat with boat dock.$229,900. 717-737-6947. jwhart2@verizon.net.

RECIPES AND FOOD

“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from menand women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and NewJersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention: Cookbooks.Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.

SAWMILLS

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

SHAKLEE

FREE SAMPLE Shaklee’s Energy Tea. Combination red, greenand white teas that are natural, delicious, refreshing, safe. Forsample or more information on tea or other ShakleeNutrition/Weight Loss Products: 800-403-3381 orwww.shaklee.net/sbarton.

TIMBER FRAME HOMES

SETTLEMENT POST & BEAM BUILDING COMPANY uses time-honored mortise, tenon and peg construction paired withmodern engineering standards. Master Craftsman and owner,Greg Sickler, brings over two decades of timber-framingexperience to helping you create your dream. We use high-quality timbers harvested from sustainable forests for all of ourprojects. Visit our model home, located on Historic Route 6,Sylvania, in North Central Pennsylvania. For more informationphone 570-297-0164 or go to www.settlementpostbeam.com orcontact us at cggksick@epix.net.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

SHARPENING. Carbide saw blades, scissors, knives, woodchisels and tools. Arius Eickert Certified to sharpen beautyshears. Scissor sales and service. Call 814-267-5061 or see usat www.theScissorGuy.net.

1949 8N FORD TRACTOR — Very good condition, 3-point hitch,7-foot blade, front bucket, operation manuals, chains, newtires. $3,400. 814-643-3746.

GOWELL VERTICAL Milling Machine Bridgeport type 8 x 24inch, colletts, light, vice, $850. Three OBI punch presses 10-60 ton. Small horizontal mill, others. 814-224-4962.

TRACTOR

1949 FARMALL H. Phone 814-938-4719.

TRACTOR PARTS – REPAIR/RESTORATION

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

TREE TRIMMING/REMOVAL

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

TROUT STOCKING

STOCK YOUR POND OR STREAM — Our specialty — Kids’ FishingDerbies. Pickup or Delivered. Brook, Rainbow, Palominos. Callfor Price List. Tunkhannock, PA 570-836-3100. LivingstonManor, NY 845-439-4947.

VACATIONS AND CAMPSITES

VACATION PROPERTY — For rent ocean front condo, MyrtleBeach, SC. Excellent condition. Close to major attractions.Booking for 2010. Please call 814-425-2425 or visitwww.oceanfrontmyrtlebcondo.com.

FLORIDA VILLAGES — Two bedroom, two bath, two bikes. Fullyfurnished. One hour from Disney World. Rent two weekminimum or monthly, $2,000 (April-May). Call 716-536-0104.Great entertainment. Dancing nightly.

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

BEAUTIFUL LAKE ERIE COTTAGE — Enjoy swimming, fishing andsunsets at their finest. Sleeps eight, 20 miles west of Erie.Available May to November. Call 814-333-9669. Visit ourwebsite at www.curleycottage.com.

CAMP TIONESTA, PA — Very good shape 14’ x 70’ trailer onlarge lot borders National Forest, near snow mobile trail, goodfishing, lots of recreation, well and phone. Call 814-823-4238or 814-796-3316.

WORK CLOTHES

GOOD CLEAN RENTAL-type work clothes, 6 pants & 6 shirtsto match, $44.95. Men’s jeans – 5 pairs, $25. Lined workjackets, $10.95. Walt's Wholesale 800-233-1853 orwww.usedworkclothing.com.

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RECESSED LIGHTS have been popularfor decades, and remain the lighting fix-ture of choice for overhead lighting. Aswith any other product in the home, somerecessed light fixtures are more energyefficient than others. Efficient options canuse 80 percent less electricity than ineffi-cient versions, which provide the sameamount of light output with practically thesame appearance.

Recessed light fixtures are uniquebecause they penetrate and are mountedin the ceiling of a room. From an energyconservation standpoint, this is not anissue when installed in the first-floor ceil-ing of a two-story house. However, if fix-tures are installed in the second-story ceil-ing or the first-floor ceiling of a one-storyhouse, a hole is created between a condi-tioned living area and the open, uncondi-tioned attic area.

Without an efficient design and properinstallation, a recessed lighting fixtureallows conditioned air to leak out of thehouse. This is particularly true duringwinter when the warmer air inside ahome naturally rises to the ceiling. Thisnot only wastes energy, but may create achilly draft in rooms where cold outdoorair leaks indoors.

There are new, energy-efficient recessedlight fixture designs that meet Energy Starstandards. All of these fixtures use fluores-cent light sources instead of inefficientincandescent bulbs. This fact alonereduces electricity consumption by 75 per-cent. The inside surface of the new fixturesis also more reflective than older inefficientversions. Better reflectivity reduces theamount of light trapped and dissipatedinside a fixture before ever getting into aroom.

SMARTcircuits b y J a m e s D u l l e y

Avoid air leakswith efficientrecessedlighting designs

JAMES DULLEY is a nationally syndi-cated energy management expert. Youcan reach him at James Dulley, c/o PennLines, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati,OH 45244.

For fixtures in ceilings where indoor airleakage seems likely, select a new airtightdesign with a sealed canister. The sealed,airtight, recessed fixture canister, wheninstalled properly, forms an airtight sealbetween the ceiling and the fixture. Thesetypes of fixtures are most often used inceilings beneath an unconditioned attic,but they are also effective for unheatedbasement ceilings, minimizing draftsbetween floors.

As a safety note, if you already haverecessed lighting fixtures in your home, donot go up into the attic and wrap themwith insulation to try to save energy.Wrapping older fixtures with insulationcan hold in too much heat, particularlywhen standard incandescent bulbs areused. These fixtures are not designed to beairtight and the excess heat buildup canbecome a electrical or fire hazard.

If a recessed light fixture will beinstalled in a ceiling under an insulatedattic floor, select an insulation contact-rated (IC) design. These fixtures aredesigned to touch insulation without over-heating the fixture. When installing newnon-IC fixtures, the insulation must bekept away from the canister. This insula-tion void increases heat loss from the roombelow even if the installation is airtight.

When installing recessed light fixturesyourself, first determine your lighting goals.To brighten an entire room, downlightingcan be quite effective. In a normal-height

ceiling, a four-foot spacing of recessed lightfixtures provides an even lighting pattern atfloor level. Typical six-inch-diameter, fluo-rescent, fixed, vertical fixtures work wellfor downlighting. If you’d like to dim someof the lights, consider installing a secondcircuit and dimmer switch with incandes-cent bulbs in those fixtures.

For task lighting, a single, fixed, verti-cal fixture directly over the work areaseems effective. Wall-wash recessed light-ing can be used to accent a painting orother wall hangings. An eyeball recessedlight is best for this application becausethe light path can be adjusted. For asloped cathedral ceiling, install an angu-lar recessed fixture — preferably an ICmodel since it will be in contact with ceil-ing insulation.

It’s not difficult to install recessed lightfixtures by yourself. For an attractive, effi-cient installation, cut the mounting holesthe exact size recommended by the manu-facturer. This makes it much easier to cre-ate a good seal between the fixture and theceiling. Before drilling and cutting holes,make sure your fixture layout clears all thefloor joists.l

Thoughts from Earl Pitts,UHMERIKUN!

PUNCHlines

Earl loses it, anddoesn’t know where tofind it

I heard an interestin’ thing on the radioa few months ago. It was “National CleanOff Your Desk Day” an’ they had a statisticclaimin’ your average person spends 150hours a year lookin’ for items he can’t find.

If that’s the case, I’m way above aver-age. I spent 150 hours lookin’ for stuff Icouldn’t find last week! Indeed, manytimes over the years I’ve torn up the houselookin’ for stuff for two or three hours at apop. An’ that doesn’t mean I find it. Usu-ally, I just forget what I was lookin’ for.

Now, I don’t lose things. I alwaysremember to put stuff where I willremember where it is when I want itagain. But then I forget where I remem-bered to put it so I would rememberwhere it was when I wanted it.

Now, if your wife is like mine, she’llknow where everything is — but thatdoesn’t mean she’s tellin.’ She wants tohumiliate you a bit first, like “Why didn’tyou put it where it belongs, Earl? Whydon’t you put things away where you’llremember where you put ‘em, Earl?”

A couple a’ years ago, Pearl finally gottired a’ me huntin’ for stuff all the time. Soshe got organized an’ made me a masterlist a’ where the bills go, the tax papers,pencils an’ paper, envelopes, paper clips,address book, glue, staples, etc. Yeah, youguessed it. I lost the master list.

Wake up, America! I know I put itsomewhere where I would rememberwhere I put it.

The other day my wife, Pearl, toldme I was takin’ her to some fancy-pantsdiner where they serve brunch. Brunch?Do I look like somebody that eats brunch?

Brunch is eatin’ breakfast an’ lunch atthe same time. Any right-minded Ameri-can eats different food at different timesa’ the day. It’s the way the Good Lord cre-ated us.

First, you have breakfast food — basi-cally anythin’ in the doughnut, cereal,bacon an’ egg family. Then there’s yourlunch food — burgers, blow-knee, an’ mosta’ the stuff outta your vendin’ machines.An’ finally there’s supper food — meat an’

Social commentary from Earl Pitts —— a.k.a.GARY BURBANK , a nationally syndicatedradio personality —— can be heard on thefollowing radio stations that cover electriccooperative service territories in Pennsylvania:WANB-FM 103.1 Pittsburgh; WARM-AM 590Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; WIOO-AM 1000 Carlisle;WEEO-AM 1480 Shippensburg; WMTZ-FM 96.5Johnstown; WQBR-FM 99.9/92.7 McElhattan;WLMI-FM 103.9 Kane; and WVNW-FM 96.7 Burnham-Lewistown.

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potatoes (an’ crescent rolls if you wannastop at the store on the way home) if you’rea real honest-to-goodness red-bloodedpatriotic citizen a’ the good ol U.S. a’ A.

I don’t make up these rules, ladies an’gentlemen! It’s the natural order a’ things.An’ let’s face it, for most a’ us our stomachhas been trained. If you start mixin’ yourmeals together, you might just explode!

Wake up, America! Anytime you canorder a doughnut with a side a’ fries,somethin’ is messed up. What’s next,“Dunch?” That don’t even sound appe-tizin.’ Sure, some truck stops will fry youup a steak with your eggs at breakfast.But those are professional eaters. The resta’ us should just follow what MotherNature has set forth.

Have you heard ‘bout this scientificalgarbage that says mid-life crises are amyth. Yeah, some four-eyed geek lab ratsays they don’t actually happen, that folksin their 40s an’ 50s are happier, healthieran’ more content than young people.

Now, I would like to rebut this fallacy.First off, if it’s really true, it stinks! I waslookin’ forward to my mid-life crisis.That’s the one time in your whole adultlife where people expect you to act stupid.Now, it’s not the only time you’ll act stu-pid, but it’s the only time people expect it.

I figgered folks would look at mesportin’ a ponytail, wearin’ an earring,toolin’ around town in a new Corvettewith a 22-year-old blonde co-ed, an’ fishin’in a fancy bass boat an’ say, “Earl’s goin’through a mid-life crisis.” Then they’dshake their heads an’ add, “It’ll pass.”

See, from the time you get your firstjob an’ have your first kid until the daythey lay you in the ground, life is hardwork. Your mid-life crisis is kinda’ likerecess — a couple years off from reality.You need that.

Wake up, America! Hey, I’m definitelygoin’ middle-age crazy at some point, an’I don’t care if I’ve got to reinvent it. I’vemade it this far in life — I deserve it.

I’m Earl Pitts, Uhmerikan. l

The season of growth

Lana BoscoClaverack REC

RURALreflections

Linda PreviteREA Energy

SOMETIMES it’s difficult to believe that spring willever arrive, but April always brings warmer days withmore sunshine, and nothing says spring like bloomingflowers, budding trees, the birth of baby animals andgrowing children.

And, not only is it time to get out and enjoy the sea-son, it’s time to get your camera out and take some pho-tos to send to the “Rural Reflections” contest. At the endof the year, five lucky winners will receive a $75 prize.Categories include: artistic, landscape, people, animaland editor’s choice.

Send your snapshots (no digital files, please) to: PennLinesPhotos, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg PA 17108-1266.On the back of each photo, include your name, address,phone number and the name of the electric cooperativethat serves your home, business or seasonal residence.(The best way to include this information is by affixingan address label to the back of the photo. Please do notuse ink gel or roller pens to write on the photo.)

Remember, our publication deadlines require thatwe work ahead, so send your seasonal photos in early.We need summer photos before mid-April; fall photosbefore mid-July and winter photos before mid-Septem-ber. Please note: photos postmarked after Jan. 1, 2010,will not be returned unless a self-addressed, self-stamped envelope is included.l

Jan GrimBedford REC

Kim TemplinNorthwestern REC

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