Best Plumbers To Call

Before Henry Ford began to mass produce the farm tractor there was a reign of natural horse power that was a breakthrough in breeding. You have to go back to a visionary horse breeder who realized that the industrialization of Europe would require stronger horses to pull much larger machinery. The breeder's name was Remi Vander Schueren from a tiny village in Belgium name Vollezele. Schureren started to experiment with interbreeding 3 types of draft horses that already existed in Belgium. The end results was one breed that he called the Belgian draft horse. This breed was very powerfully built at 16 to 17 hands at maturity.  They were able to pull up to 4,000 lbs.  The most amazing paradox of this beast bred for strength was it's very gentle nature.   They had no issues being attached to wagons or machinery. This magical combination of traits enabled them to be highly sought after in industries that required heavy pulling tasks critical to their success. Ex...

Nothing inspires the soul more than spring. Enjoy these favorites to ignite your passion for a new beginning this spring! You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming. Pablo Neruda The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. Harriet Ann Jacobs I am going to try to pay attention to the spring. I am going to look around at all the flowers, and look up at the hectic trees. I am going to close my eyes and listen. Anne Lamott The little windflower, whose just opened eye is blue as the spring heaven it gazes at. William C. Bryant No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Hal Borland In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. Mark Twain Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' Robin Williams I had always planned to make a large painting of the...

"Amish society emphasizes informal learning- through doing, a life of goodness, rather than a life of intellect; wisdom, rather than technical knowledge; community welfare, rather than competition; and separation, rather than integration with contemporary worldly society."  -Chief Justice Warren Burger. It's hard to believe this astute observation came from the highest court in the land. In 1972 they ruled that the Amish and related groups could limit formal education to the 8th grade. How could the dominating  society the Amish lived under emphasizing high technology have any chance to survive? Well, 45 years later pretty well thank you very much. Spurning the obsession American farmer have with the latest technology at any cost Amish farms still make money. This is even more amazing considering they don't participate in any government subsidies other than the market prices that are sometimes supported overall. The reason?  The Amish refuse to receive and ...

Being a Pennsylvania native I never thought twice about safety concerns crossing the Maryland-PA border.  Go back to colonial times and it was a very different story. In the 1730's a major boundary dispute broke out.  Land grants were dispensed by the King of England, King George II, to the wealthy ruling class of the day.  These land grants became the colonies that eventually grew into the states we know of today. For Maryland they believed their grant went to the 40th parallel.  That's a line that is just below Lancaster and above Philadelphia.  That meant Philadelphia, Maryland was a distinct part of the Maryland  colony founder's vision. As new settlers began to settle in this southern border region of PA they had to cross the Susquehanna River.  Wright's Ferry was established (present day Columbia).  The head of Maryland was Lord Baltimore. He wanted income from his lands he believed was part of his grant.  The situation...

Animals, birds and insects have amazing coping mechanisms hard wired to survive long harsh winters. Consider hibernation where some mammals almost completely shut down their internal systems.  How about birds that migrate huge distances that rival today's long service jets? Besides restoring their physical reserves through ravenous appetites for the spring menu board nature richly provides them. While a majority of larger mammals tend to mate in the fall and deliver their young in the spring there are a select number that run on a different cycle. Let's take a closer look at these atypical creatures who have an extra incentive for the long winter to end. One of my personal favorites was the sighting of the red breasted robin when I was a kid. You just KNEW it meant spring was finally here.  What kid didn't get excited when mother robin decided to make a nest in your favorite climbing tree or bush?   I remember  checking daily on those beautiful sky ...

The outside world's view of the Amish is one of separation from the modern ways and "The English". In a wonderful tradition that started in the 1960's the Amish and The English come together  with a series of mostly spring time auction sales that support local volunteer firehouses that benefit both communities. Where did the name "Mud Sale" come from?  For anyone who has lived in the northeast there's a hopeful sign of earth's warming when the snow cover melts under the sun's rays. There's a several week period where there seems to be nothing but mud everywhere. This isn't just a slogan. If you want to participate in these local Lancaster PA area sales held on farms and empty lots  you better bring your boots. Throw in several thousand people in attendance throughout the day and you can imagine one giant muddy mess that people of all walks of life are drawn to. So what is exactly available at a Mud Sale that helps create su...

Spring is such an inspirational time of year.  Have you wondered what all the astronomical fuss is about? The first day of spring, the vernal equinox, has 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The term vernal is Latin for “spring” and equinox is Latin for “equal night“. Turns out Spring starts with all about your location on this magical spinning globe. At this moment of Spring , Earth's axis is tilted neither away from nor towards the Sun, but is rather perpendicular to the Sun's rays, The reason the equinoxes and solstices don’t always come on the same day is that Earth doesn’t circle the sun in exactly 365 days. The first day of spring, the vernal equinox, has 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.  The term vernal is Latin for “spring” and equinox is Latin for “equal night“. In spring, the Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun, inc...