penn lines december 2010

D EC E M B E R 2 0 1 0

A guide to navigating Electric Choice

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 • P E N N L I N E S 3

Visit with us at Penn LinesOnline, located at:www.prea.com/Content/pennlines.asp. Penn Lines Onlineprovides an email link to PennLines editorial staff, informationon advertising rates,contributor’s guidelines, and anarchive of past issues.

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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, S. Eugene Herritt; Vice Chairman, Kevin Barrett; Secre-tary, Lanny Rodgers; Treasurer, Leroy Walls;President & CEO, Frank M. Betley

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

4 F I R S T W O R D

The more things change, themore they stay the sameAs competition comes to Pennsylvania,cooperatives stay on course

5 F E AT U R E

The Top 10 Things You Need toKnow about Electric Choice

8 E N E R GY M AT T E R SSlaying energy vampires with smart strips

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

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

10A COOPERATIVE CONNECTIONInformation and advice from your localelectric co-op

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

Evergreens are in season

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

Remember your first Buck knife?Teenage outdoorsman carried a monster of aknife on every outdoor adventure

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

Humidifiers cool air, energy billsRoom humidifiers may improve health whilelowering winter energy bills

15 C O U N T R Y K I T C H E N

Any way you slice it ...Any way you slice it, roll it, cut it or press it, asugar cookie is a perennial holiday favorite

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

18 P U N C H L I N E S

Thoughts from Earl Pitts–Uhmerikun!Earl on hunting and other adventure sports

19 R U R A L R E F L EC T I O N S

Let it snow, let it snow

15

19

DECEMBER

O N T H E C OV E RWith the expiration of ratecaps at the end of 2010,Pennsylvania enters a fullycompetitive market for electricgeneration. Here’s your guideto understanding ElectricChoice. Illustration by Tony Fitch

5

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4 P E N N L I N E S • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0

EACH NEW YEAR brings the promiseof change. In fact, many of us make res-olutions committing ourselves to mak-ing a change in our lives. Whether wewant to drop a bad habit or pick up agood one, we often use New Year’s Dayas a starting point.

This coming January 1 will bring achange to the electricity industry as weknow it in Pennsylvania. The new yearwill usher in an era of full competitionin the electric generation market. As theremaining rate caps on investor-ownedutilities expire at the end of 2010, whatPennsylvanians will pay for electric gen-eration will be based on market prices.Along with this change, all Common-wealth residents will have the ability tochoose their electric generation supplierthrough “Electric Choice.”

You’ve probably been hearing a lotabout Electric Choice lately. Whether it’sin the news, in advertisements or justfrom people talking about it, ElectricChoice has gotten a lot of attention inrecent months. Whatever you want to

call it — Electric Choice, Retail Competi-tion, Retail Choice — it all boils down tothe same thing: the ability to “shop” forthe generation portion of your electricbill. While the electric service to yourhome would be from the same company,Electric Choice allows you to choosewhere that power comes from.

Shopping for electricity is nothingnew. The initiative began in 1996 with apiece of legislation known as the Elec-tricity Generation Customer Choice andCompetition Act, which gave people theright to shop for generation. The ideabehind it — a good one at the time —was to encourage competition and, as aresult, lower prices for consumers.

Electric Choice actually kicked off inPennsylvania about 10 years ago, withmany companies entering the market toprovide electricity to consumers willingto switch generation providers. Unfortu-nately, the price of electricity skyrock-eted, and these generation supplierssoon disappeared. It was the oppositeeffect of what the legislation intended.

To save the program, the Legislaturestepped in and capped electric rates forinvestor-owned utilities at 1996 levels.Those rate caps have been coming offover the past few years, with theremaining caps for investor-owned utili-ties like Penelec, Allegheny Power andMet-Ed coming off at the end of 2010.

Across the state, most consumershave found that electric bills have goneup with generation rates now based onmarket rates. The same is expected afterthe remaining rate caps come off. All ofthis has given new life to Electric Choice.Several generation providers haveentered the market to offer consumerssome choice. However, even the bestoffers still reflect an increase in rates.

Interestingly for electric cooperatives,all of these industry changes feel a lotlike history repeating itself. Though weall have a right to choose our electricgeneration supplier in Pennsylvania,generation suppliers also get to choosewhere they market their products. Tenyears ago, Pennsylvania’s electric coop-eratives were at the forefront of efforts tobring electric competition to rural areas.Unfortunately, generation suppliers didnot find it profitable to enter into theseareas — echoing the very reasons coop-eratives were formed in the first place.

As you may recall, 75 years ago thefederal government, through the RuralElectrification Act, provided privatepower companies with low-interestloans to bring electricity to rural Amer-ica. Those companies saw no profit inthese sparsely populated, hard-to-reachareas, and didn’t take advantage of theseloans. As a result, local rural residentstook it upon themselves to form electriccooperatives and provide power forthemselves and their neighbors.

Since then, electric cooperatives havestayed true to their mission of providingtheir members with reliable electricservice at a reasonable cost, and theresults have been pretty good. In fact, aswe enter this new era of Electric Choice,cooperative generation rates will be thelowest in the state. So whether or notcompetition comes to our rural areas isnot something we are going to dwell on.We already have the lowest generationrates around — not because we’ve beenfocused on competition, but becausewe’ve remained committed to servingour members. That’s not a habit we planon changing in the new year or anyother year. Best wishes for a joyous holi-day season. l

FIRSTword b y F r a n k M . B e t l e y

FRANK M. BETLEY President & CEOPennsylvania Rural Electric Association

As competition comes toPennsylvania, cooperativesstay on course

The more thingschange, the morethey stay the same

YOU MAY HAVE been hearing a lot about “Electric Choice” inrecent months. That’s because Pennsylvania is about to enter afully competitive market for electric generation. Under ElectricChoice, generation rates will be based on market prices — andconsumers will have the right to choose their generation supplier.

To prepare for Electric Choice, generation rates for investor-owned utilities (IOUs) have been capped for the past decade.Those caps have been coming off in recent years, allowing foralternative generation suppliers to enter the market to sell genera-tion. Rate caps for the remaining investor-owned utilities, includ-ing Allegheny Power, Met-Ed and Penelec, will be lifted at the endof 2010.

As an electric cooperative consumer-member, you may bewondering how all of this impacts you. The following is a guide tohelp you navigate the new Electric Choice landscape.

1. What is Electric Choice?Electric Choice, Retail Choice, Retail Competition, Deregula-

tion — call it what you like — it all means the same thing. ElectricChoice allows customers the ability to choose the company thatgenerates their electricity.

2. Why do we have Electric Choice?It goes back to 1996, when the Pennsylvania General Assembly

enacted the Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competi-

C o m p i l e d b y P R E A S t a f f

tion Act, which gave consumers the right to choose their genera-tion provider. The legislative goal behind the act was to lowerelectric prices for consumers. Similar legislation was going intoeffect around the country to help control the cost of electricity.

3. What happened under restructuring orderegulation?To get Electric Choice to work, the state had to first restructure

— or deregulate — the electric utility industry. This was accom-plished by separating the various components of the utility busi-ness model — namely, the distribution and generation compo-nents.

Think of distribution as what your local electric cooperativedoes — they maintain the poles, handle the billing and get powerinto your home. Generation refers to the power plants that pro-duce the electricity you use.

Because it wouldn’t have been practical to encourage competi-tion on the distribution side (think of a bunch of companies put-ting up different sets of utility poles up and down your street tocompete for your business), the state made the generation compo-nent competitive. As a result, traditional power companies nolonger could generate and distribute electricity. They sold off theirgeneration assets, thereby making generation a commodity thatcould be bought and sold on the open market. With this newstructure in place, the stage was set for competition.


10Electric Choice

TheTop

Things You

Need to

Know about

4. What exactly are we choosing with Electric Choice?The “choice” refers to the generation portion of your electric bill.

Consumers now have the right to choose the company that gener-ates their electricity — the electric generation supplier or EGS.

The distribution of electricity remains the same, meaning yourdistribution company would remain the same. The quality, relia-bility and maintenance of your electric service would still be theresponsibility of your electric distribution company or, in yourcase, your local electric cooperative.

5. If it started in 1996, why are we hearing about it now?While the legislation was passed in 1996, Electric Choice actu-

ally first took effect in 2000-01. In the beginning, a large numberof electric generation suppliers moved in to market electric gener-ation to consumers, and it appeared to be working. Unfortunately,the market price for electricity shot up dramatically, and soon allthe EGSs disappeared.

To keep Electric Choice alive, the Legislature decided to step inand cap rates at 1996 prices. This made for a more stable market,but also resulted in virtually no competition over the past 10years.

The rate caps have been coming off over the past few years,with the last of them set to expire at the end of 2010.

As the rate caps have come off, several EGSs have been mar-keting extensively in Pennsylvania, which is the main reason con-sumers are hearing about Electric Choice again.

6. What has been the impact of the rate caps coming off?As rate caps started coming off almost three years ago, cus-

tomers started having to pay market prices for electricity. After10 years of rate caps, the market rates have been higher — dra-matically so in some cases.

In Pike County, Pennsylvania, rates went up 73 percent. In cen-tral and northeastern Pennsylvania, PPL’s service territory, rateswent up over 30 percent at the beginning of 2010.

Rate increases are also expected in theAllegheny Power, Met-Ed and Penelecareas as those caps come off at the end of2010.

7. What has happened to the EGSs?With the increases in rates, some EGSs

have returned to many investor-ownedutility areas.

Though not in the great numbers theyonce were when Electric Choice began,several EGSs are actively marketing gener-ation in Pennsylvania, and more areexpected to enter the market as theremaining caps come off.

8. Why should anyone switch?The most obvious reason anyone

should switch is price. If you could

lower your electric bill, then that’sall the reason you would need toswitch.

Electric Choice, in someinstances, has also delivered thepossibility of choosing the type ofelectricity you purchase. For exam-ple, you may have the opportunityto receive generation from an EGSthat markets only renewableenergy. While that may be moreexpensive, consumers in thoseareas may be willing to pay a pre-mium for that type of generation.

Another reason consumers mightswitch has to do with special incen-tives. EGSs today are coming out

with all kinds of marketing campaigns to lure customers. Forexample, you may be offered points in a travel rewards program, ora gift card for a retail shop for switching your generation supplier.

9. What will be the impact on my cooperative whenrate caps come off?Cooperative rates have never been subject to rate caps, so

there will be virtually no impact once all the rate caps come off.Further, unlike the investor-owned utilities that sold off theirgeneration assets, Pennsylvania’s cooperatives held onto theirpower resources and are not totally dependent on the marketfor generation. In fact, close to 70 percent of your power comesfrom self-owned and long-term generation resources. As aresult, your cooperative generation rate is likely the lowestyou’ll find anywhere, which is quite remarkable in this newcompetitive environment.

10. Can I switch as a cooperative consumer?Everyone has the right to choose an alternative electric gen-

eration supplier under Electric Choice. But “choice” goes bothways: You have the right to choose, butan EGS may choose to not serve yourarea. Electric Choice, as it’s been madeclear by the Pennsylvania Public UtilityCommission and other entities, is notavailable in all areas.

Predictably, most of these companiesmake money based on volume sales. Asour cooperative history has shown, privatepower companies have not found oursparsely populated rural areas profitable.It’s the very reason cooperatives wereformed in the first place.

So while you may have the right tochoose, you might not have generationoptions to choose from. But the good newsis that if an EGS would want to serve acooperative area, it would have to beat thelowest generation rate around. l

PENNlines


For further information on Electric Choice, please visit the

following sites.

PA Power Switch:www.papowerswitch.com

Utility Choice:www.puc.state.pa.us/utilitychoice

Office of Consumer Advocate:www.oca.state.pa.us

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AS CHILDREN, most of us were told toturn off the TV when no one was in theroom to keep from wasting energy. Butwith today’s televisions, turning off the setdoesn’t save as much energy as you think.“Off” doesn’t really mean off anymore.

Several devices found inside yourhome are commonly referred to as “para-sitic loads,” “phantom loads,” or “energyvampires” — consuming electricity evenwhen switched off. Phantom loads can befound in almost every room, but a favorite“coffin” is your entertainment center.

Most TVs today slowly sip electricitywhile waiting patiently for someone topress the “on” button. They also useenergy to remember channel lineups, lan-guage preferences and the time. VCRs,DVD players, DVRs, and cable or satelliteboxes also use energy when we thinkthey’re turned off.

Studies show that in an average home,5 to 8 percent of electricity consumptionstems from phantom loads. To put that inperspective, the average North Americanhousehold consumes roughly 10,800 kilo-watt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year. Ifyou estimate that 6.5 percent of your totalelectricity consumption comes from phan-tom loads, the amount drained by thesevampires equals about 700 kWh annually.

So how can you tell which devices areOK to leave plugged in and which need tohave a wooden stake driven through theirhearts?

Identify plug parasitesMicrowave ovens and alarm clocks,

which use relatively small amounts ofstandby power, are acceptable to leaveplugged in. A digital video recorder (DVR)

uses a fairly significant amount of powerwhen turned off, but if you record pro-grams frequently, you will want to leave itplugged in.

You don’t have to worry about unplug-ging items with mechanical on/off switches,such as lamps, hair dryers, or small kitchenappliances like toasters or mixers — theydon’t draw any power when turned off.

How do you slay other energy vam-pires? Try plugging household electron-ics like personal computers, monitors,printers, speakers, stereos, DVD andvideo game players, and cell phonechargers into power strips. Not only dopower strips protect sensitive electroniccomponents from power surges, you canquickly turn off several items at once.(Routers and modems also can beplugged into power strips, although theytake longer to reactivate.)

Smart strips = easy savingsPower strips, however, are often hid-

den behind entertainment centers orunder desks and forgotten. A better solu-tion may be found in “smart strips.”

Most smart strips feature three outletcolors, each with a unique task. The blueoutlet serves as a control plug, and is idealfor a heavily used device like a TV or

computer. Anything plugged into red out-lets stays on — electricity to these recepta-cles never cuts off — making them perfectfor satellite boxes or other appliances thatneed constant power.

The remaining outlets, generally neu-tral or green in color, are sensitive to cur-rent flowing through the blue outlet, soturning off the TV or computer cuts powerto them as well. Some smart power stripscan be made even smarter with timers oroccupancy sensors that determine when tocut power to various devices.

Smart strips are available online or atspecialty electronic retailers and generallycost $20 or more depending on their size.Payback generally can be achieved in lessthan one year, depending on the type ofequipment the strips control and howoften they are used.

Maybe our parents asked us to turnthe TV off because vampires, phantomsand parasites haunted their electric bills.These days, smart strips can chase theseload monsters away from your home —and your pocketbook. l

Brian Sloboda is a program manager spe-cializing in energy efficiency for the Coopera-tive Research Network, a service of theArlington, Va.-based National Rural ElectricCooperative Association.

ENERGYmatters

Slaying energyvampires withsmart stripsB y B r i a n S l o b o d a

ALWAYS ON: A constant hot device remains on even after the control and automatic devices are turned off.

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Want to know how much yourdeer weighs, how old it is?

Hunters always want to know howmuch their deer weighs and how old itis. Now they can do more than justguess. The Pennsylvania Game Com-mission has some free tools to guidehunters in finding the answers to theirquestions.

The commission has posted a link onits website, www.pgc.state.pa.us, that

demonstrates thetechnique used tocategorize deerinto different agegroups. To viewthe video, go to thewebsite, click onthe white-taileddeer icon in thecenter of thehomepage andselect “Deer

Aging” in the “Deer Hunting” section.The aging method involves checking thedeer’s teeth.

The Pennsylvania Game Commis-sion, in conjunction with the Pennsylva-nia State University Department ofDairy and Animal Science, has alsoposted a deer weight-estimating chart inits “White-Tailed Deer” section underthe “Deer Weight Chart” in the “DeerHunting” section. This method uses thegirth of the deer’s chest to help huntersestimate a deer’s live weight and field-dressed weight, as well as the weight ofedible boneless meat.

St. Francis University offers free wind reports

The St. Francis University RenewableEnergy Center, which was featured inthe February 2010 Penn Lines article,“Educating Generation Green,” wasrecently awarded a grant from the U.S.Department of Agriculture and Commu-nity Foundation for the Alleghenies to

provide reports on wind resources toPennsylvania landowners.

The center will prepare windresource assessment reports for specificsites. Owners of sites with sufficientwind resource will be provided informa-tion on how to choose a reputable windinstaller. Owners of sites without suffi-cient wind resource will be advisedabout other possible renewable energysources they could utilize.

Due to the grant, this service is freeto all landowners throughout Pennsyl-vania. More information is available atwww.francis.edu/communitywind-home.htm or by email [email protected].

Case made for practical, cost-effective cleanup of bay

Pennsylvania Department of Envi-ronmental Protection Secretary JohnHanger, noting the state is committed tohelping to restore the Chesapeake Bay,says his department has developed aworkable, cost-effective plan to restoreboth the waters of Pennsylvania and thebay. The plan was presented at a seriesof recent meetings hostedby the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA).

Pennsylvania encom-passes 35.2 percent of thebay watershed with nearly14.4 million acres.

Federal models showthat Pennsylvania con-tributes 106.4 millionpounds of nitrogen and3.96 million pounds ofphosphorous to the baywatershed each year.

The state’s plan, calledthe Pennsylvania Chesa-peake Bay WatershedImplementation Plan,focuses on three key ele-ments:

k Milestone implementation and track-ing. The report notes the ChesapeakeBay Model reflects only what isentered, and suggests that the stateverify those figures.

k Advanced technologies and nutrienttrading. The report notes Pennsylva-nia’s nutrient trading program is amodel program that has generatedinterest across the country. At thesame time, advanced technology usingdigesters could reduce nitrogen levelssubstantially.

k Enhancing compliance efforts. Thereport calls for development of anagricultural water quality initiative,revisions to stormwater managementplans and increased technical assis-tance for staff, elected officials and thepublic to assist in identifying opportu-nities for retrofitting or trading/offset-ting to address existing stormwaterproblems.

Following a series of public meetingsto address the preliminary watershedimprovement plan, the state will sub-mit a final draft of the updated plan tothe EPA. l

KEEPINGcurrent


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 New PREA officers are: President JamesG. Marshall, center, Warren Electric Cooperative;Secretary-Treasurer V. Kyle Trout, left, AdamsElectric Cooperative; and Vice President ClairButerbaugh, Southwest Central Rural ElectricCorporation (now REA Energy Cooperative).

1980 Penn Lines focuses on the benefits andcosts of environmental regulation, and on the chal-lenge to attain a balance between protecting theenvironment and promoting an economic climatethat will encourage a switch to coal in this secondin a series of articles about relying more on coal.

1990 Staff members of Penn Lines send a“Christmas card” cover to all of the magazine’sreaders to remind them that during the hustle andbustle of the holiday season it is important to taketime and reflect on the many blessings that resi-dents of Pennsylvania and visitors to the state enjoy.

THIS limited edition print, “REA At Last,” by artist Pamela Renfroedemonstrates the changes that have taken place in rural electric cooper-atives through the years. One thing that has not changed, however, isthe strong concern for rural communities that the cooperatives have.

The rural electric cooperative bucket truck you see rumbling downthe road this month might not be headed out to repair an electric line.Instead, the line crew inside could be on a mission to help a nearbytown string its holiday lights or hang decorations.

In addition to the cooperative itself being a good corporate citizen,many employees who work at rural electric cooperatives will donatepart of their Christmas bonuses and/or time in assisting local charities.While activities like these are often magnified during this time of year —when everyone is in the “holiday spirit,” they are really nothing out ofthe ordinary for local electric cooperatives. It’s simply part of their “com-mitment to community,” a guiding cooperative principle.

Cooperative employees understand that what is good for the commu-nity is usually good for the cooperative, and they are willing to work toimprove the quality of life for residents in their rural areas. However,they aren’t the only ones pitching in to help make those rural areas abetter place to live. Consumer-members are also involved.

Through programs such as Operation Round-Up, volunteer coopera-tive members regularly pay a little bit extra in their monthly electricbills in order to assist fellow cooperative members who are in need.

2000


I ONCE thought all ever-greens were pines and recog-nized only three deciduoustrees: helicopter (maple),acorn (oak) and bee-laden(pink flowers).

To be honest, I resistedstudying trees in favor of flow-ers and herbs, and the occa-sional vegetable. But when Ilearned more about trees, I fellin love! A trained eye enrichesour experience and, in thisregard, trees are no exception.For a gardener, getting toknow trees on a more intimatelevel is like meeting a wholenew group of friends.

Winter is a great season todiscover trees, beginning withevergreens. Tidbit: evergreensdo not hold the same leavesforever, they actually dropsome every year. That’s howthe carpet of needles developsunder a pine grove.

Evergreen trees includebroad-leafed types such as thetraditional English holly, aswell as the decorator’sbeloved southern magnoliawith its oversized, thick,glossy, elliptical leaves.

Needled ever-greens can be toughto identify because atfirst glance they allsort of look the same.A quick basic distinc-tion is to notice if thetree produces cones.

Pine trees areconifers you mightalready recognize bytheir typical “pinecones” and foliageshaped like slendersewing needles.There are differentkinds of pine; one ofthe ways to tell them apart isby their needles. Notice thelength of the needles, thenumber of needles bundledtogether, and notice how longthey stay on the tree beforedropping off. For example,the native Eastern white pine(Pinus strobus) has two- tofour-inch long needles bun-dled together in groups of fivethat stay on the tree abouttwo years.

Another needled evergreenyou might be familiar with isour Pennsylvania state tree,the native hemlock. TheCanadian or Eastern hemlock(Tsuga canadensis) has verysmall cones — an inch or less— and the needles are shortand flattened.

We see so-called bluespruces in many yards, possi-bly because this conifer is apopular living Christmas tree.Usually, it is a named varietyof Colorado spruce (Piceapungens — the pungensreflects its pungent fragrance)such as “Fat Albert” or

“Hoopsii,” selections madespecifically for their unifor-mity of size, shape and color.The “Dwarf Alberta” spruceis a compact, slow-growingvariety of Picea glauca, thewhite spruce.

Spruce needles are prickly,short and curved. On P. pun-gens, the 3/4- to 1 1/4-inch nee-dles have four distinct sidesand grow all around the stem;P. glauca needles are shorterand cluster primarily on theupper side of the stem.

Junipers are common inPennsylvania, too. Our native“Eastern Redcedar” is botani-cally a juniper. We grow abewildering array of bothshrub and tree forms in ourlandscapes. Juniper foliage inthe juvenile stage is needle-like, and when in its maturestage sometimes changes to ascale-type form. The foliagecolor may be green or blue-green or gray-green, but alljunipers develop distinctivefleshy cones or fruits.

I’ve mentioned only a few

of the many evergreen trees.For most purposes, it is suffi-cient to know the genus,meaning for example, if it is aspruce or juniper or pine. Ifyou are unsure, you could lookat a tree guide or consult witha master gardener, or visit aplant nursery and comparethe trees there with a sampleof foliage from your tree.

Being familiar with thetrees on your property meansyou can scout problemsbefore they become severe orlife-threatening. Unfortu-nately, even the best trees areoccasionally beset by a pest ordisease or subject to environ-mental or other stress. Shouldyou ever need to seek help,it’s important to know thetype of tree and carefullyobserve the symptoms.

Here’s wishing you (and allyour trees) a happy andhealthy 2011! l

POWERplants

BARBARA MARTIN ,who says she began gar-dening as a hobby “toomany 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

Evergreensare in season

A FOREST OF CHRISTMAS TREES: A littlebit of research will lead you to a newappreciation for all types of evergreens.


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

IF IT CAME your way simi-larly to the route followed bymy first one — and there’s anexcellent chance that it did —you received it for Christmasor a birthday as a replace-ment for that old, hand-me-down, no-name blade youhad been carrying into yourearly teens.

My first Buck, which hastaken and held edge afteredge over the decades, was amonster of a knife, weighingin at nearly a pound in itssheath and sporting six fullinches of blade. Despite theheft and bulk of that thing, Icarried it everywhere on myoutdoor travels.

A miniature Leathermanthat weighs in at a mere twoounces and carries easilywhen folded down to twoinches is my current day-to-day knife. And I don’t carryanything as big as my originalBuck, even on a bear hunt.

Today I realize that all

that weight and bulk is atleast double anything I want,or need, to carry.

But that old Buck stilloccupies a place of honor ona shelf in the gun cabinet, asshiny and razor-sharp as itwas in the days when I car-ried it regularly. Although theblade is as clean and brightas the day I unwrapped it asa present under the Christ-mas tree, I can still rememberthe first deer body cavity itsliced opened, the firstmuskrat it skinned and thefirst flint-struck fire it started.

I can only imagine howmany other 20- and 30- and40-year-old Buck knives

carry similar memories fortheir owners-for-life.

In 2010 alone, Idaho-based Buck Knives producedmore than a million knives.The millionth knife of theyear rolled off the line on Fri-day, Oct. 29, 2010, the datethat was engraved on theblade. It was a Model 100Folding Hunter, which foldsdown to just under fiveinches for carrying and wasfirst produced in 1962.

It also was the predeces-sor to the Model 110, which in1964 offered a new lock-bladedesign that allowed the com-pany launched in 1902 byHoyt Buck, a Kansas black-

smith apprentice producingthe first Buck knives fromworn-out file blades, to againrevolutionize the knifeindustry.

The company today pro-duces more than 60 standardmodels of knives plus anarray of custom models. And,despite my day-to-dayreliance on that little Leather-man, I’ll admit to havingabout a half-dozen of thosemodels and every now andthen spotting another one I’dlove to add to the arsenal. l

SCHNECK , is outdooreditor for The (Harris-burg, Pa.) Patriot-News,a contributor to manyoutdoor publicationsand websites, andauthor of more thantwo dozen books.

VERSATILE KNIFE: Memories of firstBuck knife include the first flint-struck fire it started.

Rememberyour firstBuck knife?Teenage outdoorsmancarried a monster of aknife on every outdooradventure

See what a difference it makes…

Advertise in Penn Lines Classifieds

}

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MOST PEOPLE suffer during winter fromoverly dry air in their homes. Since theindoor humidity level drops or increasesgradually as seasons change, the variationof indoor humidity levels may not benoticed. These changes are a function of theregion of the country, so always check withlocal experts for specific advice.

Properly humidified indoor air is notonly comfortable and healthy, it canreduce your winter heating bills. Roomhumidifiers typically use less energy thana 100-watt lightbulb. Many models havebuilt-in humidistats that automaticallyswitch the unit on and off, so they con-sume even less electricity than listed onthe unit’s nameplate.

There is a cooling effect when the waterfrom the humidifier evaporates, so runningthe humidifier will cool a room’s air slightly.This is the same evaporation process (per-spiration) of moisture from your skin thatmakes you feel cool as water changes statefrom liquid to vapor (gas). However, theheat generated from the humidifier’s elec-tricity use offsets the slight cooling effect.

Just like sweating outdoors on a low-humidity day makes you feel cool, the sameprocess occurs indoors in dry air. Theamount of moisture evaporation from yourskin is greater when the indoor air is exces-sively dry, so you may actually feel chillywhen the indoor air temperature is highenough for comfort. The evaporation ofyour skin’s moisture can also dry yourskin, make you itch and irritate sinuses.

Running a humidifier helps you saveenergy by reducing the chilling effect of theevaporation of skin moisture. By properly

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

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.

humidifying the air, you can feel comfort-able at a lower room temperature. Thisallows you to set the furnace thermostatlower and you should end up saving moreenergy than the humidifier uses. Depend-ing upon your climate, you should be ableto save 1 to 2 percent on your heating billsfor each degree you lower your furnacethermostat setting.

The proper type of room humidifierdepends on your family’s needs and thesize and room layout of your house. Oneor two room humidifiers are generallyenough for a reasonably airtight, energy-efficient home. Older, leaky houses mayneed more or larger-capacity models.Humidity in the indoor air tends to natu-rally migrate throughout the house. Cook-ing, bathing, and washing clothes anddishes also add a significant amount ofmoisture to the room air.

For daytime use, an evaporative typeof humidifier is effective and the leastexpensive to buy. These humidifiers usea wick material that has one end sub-merged in a water reservoir. It naturallydraws up water from the reservoir.There is a fan inside the humidifier thatdraws room air through the wick where

it evaporates into the air stream.Evaporative humidifiers are easy to

keep clean, and some of the wicks aretreated with an antimicrobial substance.Evaporative models usually have a three-speed fan. The high-speed can be noisy, butthe low-speed setting on some models isquiet enough not to interrupt sleep.

If your children tend to get colds, awarm mist humidifier would be a goodbedroom choice. These models boil waterto create water vapor. The steam is mixedwith room air before it comes out so it isnot too hot. Germfree models include anultraviolet light purifier chamber to furthersanitize the air flowing through it. Theseuse about 260 watts of electricity.

Another design uses ultrasonic wavesto create water vapor mist. These are themost energy efficient, using about 50watts of electricity. A very quiet fan blowsthe mist into the room. l

Room humidifiers may improvehealth while lowering winterenergy bills

Humidifiers cool air, energy bills

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

Any way you slice it ...

COUNTRYkitchen

ANY WAY YOU slice it, roll it, cut it or press it, a sugarcookie is a perennial holiday favorite.

Sugar cookies sliced from rolls of frozen dough obvi-ously take less prep time than sugar cookies involvingrolling pins, cutters and frosting. But both deserve a placein holiday cookie assortments, as do sugar cookies that arepressed into shape right on the baking sheet.

The dough for sliced sugar cookies can be stored in thefreezer and then baked whenever fresh cookies are neededin a hurry. Rolled sugar cookies also may be made inadvance. Simply bake them and freeze them unfrosted.When serving time approaches, remove them from thefreezer and give them a coating of rich buttercream frost-ing. No one will ever guess that they weren’t baked andfrosted on the same day! 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.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened1 cup shortening1 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup brown sugar3 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon almond extract3 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoonsflour

1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt

OPTIONAL STIR-IN INGREDIENTS:1/2 cup chopped pecans30 Maraschino cherries, chopped, drained and patted very dryCombine butter, shortening, sugars, eggs and extracts. Beat well. Add dryingredients. Mix thoroughly and divide between two large pieces of waxedpaper. Press and mold into two, smooth rolls 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter.Freeze wrapped rolls until firm. With a thin, sharp knife, cut into slices.Place slices on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 6 to8 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 5 dozen.If a more festive cookie is desired, carefully work pecans and cherriesinto dough before forming into rolls.

PRESSED SUGAR COOKIES1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup powdered sugar1/2 cup vegetable oil1/2 cup (1 stick) butter,slightly softened1 egg1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon almond extract1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise2 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar1/2 teaspoon baking sodaDash of salt (1/8 teaspoon)

Combine sugars, oil and butter in mixing bowl. Add egg, extracts andseeds that have been scraped from the interior of the vanilla bean. Beat

well. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet,

taking care not to crowd. Using a flat-bottom glass that has been dipped in

granulated sugar, press to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Bake at 350 degrees for

approximately 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Carefully

transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen melt-in-your-mouth cookies.

SLICED SUGAR COOKIES

3 cups flour1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Dash of salt (1/8 teaspoon)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Using pastry blender or fork,

cut butter into dry ingredients. Mixture should resemble fine crumbs. Com-

bine eggs and vanilla extract. Add to crumb mixture and toss with a fork. Do

not over-blend. Using hands, press dough into a ball. Divide into two portions

and place on waxed paper or plastic wrap. Flatten to a 3/4-inch thick circle.

Wrap and chill. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 3/16-inch thickness.

Use cookie cutters to create desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet

at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Frost when cool.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

3 cups powdered sugar

5 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Several drops of food coloring, if desired

Combine powdered sugar and softened butter. Add milk and vanilla extract

and beat until smooth. Tint with food coloring.

ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES



PENNLINESclassified

AMMUNITION

SABOT 12 GAUGE SHOTGUN SLUGS only 85 cents each. Nowyou can See How at www.slugsrus.com.

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. *HOLIDAYSPECIAL — BOTH COOKBOOKS FOR $15.*

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.

PIANO TUNING & REPAIR — Kevin Luke’s Piano Service offeringpiano tuning, repairs, regulation, restoration and rebuilding.Serving all of Central Pennsylvania. 814-944-6031.www.lukepiano.vpweb.com

BUILDING SUPPLIES

STEEL ROOFING AND SIDING. Discount Prices. “Fall Sale” —Residential roofing $1.95/lineal foot. Also seconds, heavygauges, odd lots, etc. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania.814-398-4052.

METAL BUILDINGS — 24 x 40 x 8, $9,900 installed. 30 x 40 x 8,$11,900 installed. Includes one walk door and one garage door. 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.

Be your own Boss! Part or full-time. $500/day. State ofthe art recession-proof service. FREE 16-page report.Promo code CL33306. Call 800-507-7222.www.WagerCarpetCleaningCareers.com.

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.724-746-0992 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, Managing TimberTaxation, Timber Sales, Quality Deer Management. FREETimber Consultation. College educated, professional, ethical.814-867-7052.

CORN PELLET STOVES

BIXBY CORN or PELLET Stoves — Save with tax credit. Will heat2,200 square feet. No chimney needed. Burn shelled corn andsave over pellets. 717-776-5237. Email: [email protected].

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


New business now open. Visit our online store for all of yourHoliday shopping needs from decorating your house to findingthat perfect gift. We also have a great fund-raising program.WWW.DLGIFTSGALORE.COM.

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.

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.

HELP WANTED

We have appraisers earning over $80,000/year part time. Ifyou have an agricultural background, you may be qualified tobecome a certified livestock or farm equipment appraiser.Classroom or home study courses available. For information,call the American Society of Agricultural Appraisers 800-488-7570 or visit www.amagappraisers.com.

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.)

o 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 ______________________________________________________.

o 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: o Around the House o BusinessOpportunities o Employment Opportunities o Gift and Craft Ideas o Livestock and Pets

o Miscellaneous o Motor Vehicles and Boats o Nursery and Garden o Real Estate o Recipesand Food o Tools and Equipment o Vacations and Campsites o 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

February 2011 . . . . . . . . . Dec. 16

March 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . Jan. 18

April 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feb. 15

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.


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.

LADYBUG/CLUSTER FLY SOLUTIONS

Ladybug Problems? Cluster Fly Problems? We have the answer!Pesticide-free powder traps. Over 200,000 satisfied customers.To order call 814-494-4122 or visit www.4pestsolutions.com.

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:[email protected] Web: www.petrusohaus.com.

PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI Puppies — AKC, adorable, intelligent,highly trainable. Excellent family choice. Reputable licensedbreeder guaranteed “Last breed you’ll ever own.” 814-587-3449.

AKC GERMAN SHEPHERD puppies — Black/silver, Black/red, Ultrawhites. 570-924-3650. www.thesecondwindgermanshepherds.com.

NATURAL HOOF TRIMMING. Achieve real impact balance.Experienced in hoof problems (founder, navicular). Bootfitting. Over 20 years as Farrier, 814-662-4296. Healthy hoof— healthy horse.

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: [email protected].

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.

ANTIQUE COOPER KETTLE with original stand. 24” diameter.Best offer. 814-484-1681.

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).

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. [email protected] visit www.P2000insulation.com.

REAL ESTATE

RAYSTOWN LAKE — $275,000, 35 acres, build-ready,mountaintop vista, close to boat launch. Call 814-599-0790.

BRADFORD COUNTY — $87,500, 3.25 acres, deep well, A-frame, two bedroom and loft, new roof, approximate 920’meadow, septic system designed/approved. 910-322-1856.

Nice wooded BUILDING LOTS in N.E. Florida from $7,900 withowner financing. With new home from $98,000. Have use oflarge lake and State Forest. Owner 717-532-4882.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY — West Mifflin Borough, one mile fromcounty airport, 10 wooded acres, possible gas lease, allutilities including sewers, no structures, potential fordevelopment. $42,500. Call 301-831-3781.

28.8 ACRE Raised Ranch Home. Secluded with gorgeous viewsof the mountains, 2 ponds, with cathedral ceilings and openfloor plan. Two-car garage, three bedrooms, three baths,updated home. Food plots for wildlife. Blairsville, IndianaCounty. $335,000. Call 267-772-0835.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, PA — Custom Chalet cabin for sale or rent.Six acres, incredible view, like new, spacious interior. Shunk$225,000. Robin Real Estate 570-525-3929, Tina Richlin.www.robinrealestate.com.

RECIPES AND FOOD


SAWMILLS

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

SEA HAG SOAPS & ART MERCANTILE

Three-story HAY BARN. Local, regional artwork and fine craft.Gourmet foods. Handmade soaps made on premise. Openyear round! Bring this ad to receive 10% Sea Hag Products.570-663-2297. www.seahagsoaps.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 [email protected].

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

PROFESSIONAL SHARPENING. Clipper blades. Scissors forfabric, groomers and stylists. Knives, chisels and small tools.Aires Eickert factory trained to sharpen beauty shears. Scissorsales and service. 814-267-5061 or www.theScissorGuy.net.

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.

VACATIONS AND CAMPSITES

VACATION PROPERTY — For rent ocean front condo, MyrtleBeach, SC. Excellent condition. Close to major attractions.Booking for 2011. 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, $1,700 (October to December). Call 716-536-0104. Great entertainment. Dancing nightly.

NAPLES, FLORIDA — Two bedroom, two bath condo, fullkitchen. Quiet with lake view, heated pools, near beaches.Available March 2011, $2,300 or March 2-15 or March 18-31 at$1,200 each. 717-872-7930.

FOR SALE BY OWNER — Wyndham Vacation Timeshare –770,000 points yearly – deeded at Ocean Boulevard, N. MyrtleBeach, S.C. Vacation and rental opportunity. 814-793-3879.

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Thoughts from Earl Pitts,UHMERIKUN!

PUNCHlines

Earl on hunting andother adventure sports

You know what makes me so mad Ijust wanna chew the antlers off a 12-pointbuck?

I heard this story the other day aboutwhat happens when the economy stinks.They said the number of people huntin’has gone through the roof. Everybody an’their brother is grabbin’ a gun an’ tryin’to shoot dinner.

The huntin’ industry says people areusin’ huntin’ to lower their grocery bills.Yeah — good luck with that. If my familylived off stuff I shot, they’d be stuffedwith mail boxes an’ No Trespassin’ signs.

Don’t get me wrong. I love huntin’. Ibeen huntin’ for years. I ain’t no ElmerFudd come lately when it comes tohuntin’. I support huntin’. I believe inhuntin’. But this ain’t good news. Whenyou get a couple million more wet-behind-the-ears huntin’ rookies outsidewith guns, that there ain’t huntin’ season.That’s a Saturday night in Baghdad.

I mean, take up huntin’ an’ provide foryour family. That’s the manly, patrioticthing to do — that’s fine. But I’m gonnabe out there with y’all. Forget the huntin’vest. I’m gonna need more body armorthan that dude in The Hurt Locker.

Same thing happened this summer —millions a’ new fishermen was out theretryin’ to catch dinner. Lemme tell yousomethin’ — when you buy a bandanna,that don’t make you Willie Nelson. An’you buy a fishin’ pole, that don’t makeyou Bill Dance.

I mean — they just come out on thatlake like they owned the place. Took overmy secret spot and pulled fish outta thatlake that was meant for me. But here’sthe difference between new hunters an’new fishermen — nobody’s gonna killyou with a hook an’ a bobber. An’ this iscomin’ from a guy that had a spinner luresnagged in my neck! For two days!!

So for all you Daniel Boone-wannabesout there, take a few tips from Earl Pitts.First, you might want to go out the firstcouple times with somebody whoknows what they’re doin’. An’ second,don’t shoot me.

Wake up, America. Millions a’ new

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.

hunters are out there and you know whatthis means. Emergency rooms — an’PETA — are gonna be very busy.

I seen the dumbest thing on the com-puter the other day. An’ I think we all canagree that there’s a lot of dumb things onthe computer so this must be really stupid.

They had a list on there — the top 10adventure sports for men to keep healthy.Well, you know me — I’m a health nut —so I looked at this story. The No. 1 adven-ture sport for men’s health is surfin’.

That’s wonderful news ’cept for thedownside — you need a ocean. Sorry, butwe don’t get 10-footers on Mudd Lake. SoI went down to the next sport. The No. 2adventure sport for men’s health ismountain bikin’.

That’s wonderful news, too, ’cept forthe downside — you gotta be a idiot. Youget on a bicycle an’ ride down a moun-tain. Then you smack into a tree andshoot out over a cliff. That sounds greatfor your health, don’t it? So I went to thenext sport — the No. 3 adventure sportfor men’s health, rock climbin’.

So I’m thinkin’ — are these sports thatare good for your health or sports thatcan kill you? You ever seen them rockclimbin’ people on the TV? They’re dan-glin’ off a cliff by their fingers. I got newsfor these bone-heads that come up withthis list — you can’t plunge 200 feet toyour death at a bowlin’ alley.

An’ I know what you’re thinkin’. You’rethinkin’, “Earl, bowlin’ ain’t a’ adventuresport.” Obviously you people neverbowled with Dub Meeker. It’s like a differ-ent adventure every Thursday night. So Iwent down the list to the No. 4 adventuresport for men’s health. Bungee jumpin’.

That ain’t a sport. That’s a death wish.That certainly can’t be healthy. Bungeejumpin’ is just fallin’ without hittin’.

Wake up, America! Lemme give you ahint on adventure sports. If you ever seeEarl Pitts halfways up a rock wall hangin’by my fingers, there’s gonna be a beardown at the bottom. An’ I hope when Ifall that I kill ‘im.

I’m Earl Pitts, Uhmerikun. l

Courtney OswaldValley REC

Fay SerbianREA Energy

DECEMBER is the month that brings the official beginning ofwinter, although many of us already have experienced fallingtemperatures and snow. The changing weather brings with itnew activities and new outdoor scenes, along with the oppor-tunity to shoot some great photos.

Our 2010 “Rural Reflections” photo contest has ended andthe winning photos in the categories of most artistic, bestlandscape, best human subject, best animal and editor’s choicewill be printed in next month’s issue of Penn Lines. Winnerswill receive a $75 prize.

It’s time to submit your photos for the 2011 “Rural Reflec-tions” contest. To be eligible, send photos (no digital files) to:Penn Lines Photos, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266.On the back of each photo, include your name, address, phonenumber and the name of the electric cooperative that servesyour home, business or seasonal residence. The best way toinclude that information is by affixing an address label to theback of the photo (do not use ink gel or roller pens to write onthe photo). Please include a self-addressed, self-stamped enve-lope if you want the photo returned to you.

Remember, our publication deadlines require that we workahead, so send your seasonal photos in early. We need springphotos before mid-January, summer photos before mid-April,fall photos before mid-July and winter photos before mid-Sep-tember. Photos that do not reflect any specific season may besent at any time. l

Edith BoleyREA Energy

Let it snow, let it snow


Mary VincentTri-County REC

RURALreflections

penn lines december 2010

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