A Crisis Comes Home One Family’S Story in a Growing Epidemic

FEBRUARY 2018

THE MAGAZINE YOU COME HOME TO A crisis comes home One family’s story in a growing epidemic

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hft_pennlines_0218_M-REG127989.indd 1 12/20/17 12:52 PM Contents February 2018 Vol. 53 • No. 2 4 FIRST WORD Editor Working hard to combat heroin/ Peter A. Fitzgerald opioid epidemic Senior Editor/Writer Katherine Hackleman 6 Keeping Current News from across Associate Editor the Commonwealth Michael T. Crawford Layout & Design 8 cover: a Crisis W. Douglas Shirk comes home 8 production coordinator One family’s story in a Michelle M. Smith growing epidemic Contributing Columnists Janette Hess 12 Energy Matters Patrick Keegan What’s hot? The way you get George Weigel most of your electricity

Penn Lines (USPS 929-700), the newsmagazine of Pennsylvania’s electric cooperatives, is published 12a Cooperative monthly by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Associa- Connection tion, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, Information and advice from PA 17108-1266. Penn Lines helps 166,000 households of co-op consumer-members understand issues your local electric cooperative that affect the electric cooperative program, their local 18 co-ops, and their quality of life. Electric co-ops are not- 14 Time Lines for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed, and tax- paying electric utilities. Penn Lines is not responsible Your newsmagazine for unsolicited manuscripts. The opinions expressed through the years in Penn Lines do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, or local electric distribution cooperatives. 15 TECH TRENDS Resurgence of interest in Subscriptions: Electric co-op members, $5.42 per year through their local electric distribution coopera- microgrids tive. Preferred Periodicals postage paid at Harrisburg, PA 17107 and additional mailing offices. POST- 17 Smart circuits MASTER: Send address changes with mailing label to Penn Lines, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box 1266, Do radiant barriers really make Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. a difference? 19 Advertising: Display ad deadline is six weeks prior to month of issue. Ad rates upon request. Acceptance 18 COUNTRY KITCHEN of advertising by Penn Lines does not imply endorse- Asian inspiration ment of the product or services by the publisher or any electric cooperative. If you encounter a problem with any product or service advertised in Penn Lines, 19 power plants please contact: Advertising, Penn Lines, P.O. Box Gardening on a dime … and 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Penn Lines reserves the right to refuse any advertising. maybe less

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22 Punch Lines Earl’s goal: to have enough money 23 to stop being ‘cheap’

Board officers and staff, Pennsylvania Rural Electric 23 Rural Reflections Association: Chairman, Leroy Walls; Vice Chairman, More favorite photos Tim Burkett; Secretary, Barbara Miller; Treasurer, Rick Shope; President & CEO, Frank M. Betley © 2018 Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association. ON THE COVER All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Prescription opioid painkillers have become Visit with us at Penn Lines Online, the new gateway drug located at: www.prea.com/Content/ to heroin, which is often pennlines.asp. Penn Lines Online provides cheaper and easier to an email link to Penn Lines editorial staff, obtain. More than 4,500 information on advertising rates, and an Pennsylvanians died from archive of past issues. drug overdoses in 2016.

| FEBRUARY 2018 3 firstword Working hard to combat heroin/opioid epidemic By State Sen. Gene Yaw

n Oct. 26, 2017, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania held its 13th public treatment and support services to those hearing to gather information on what is being done at the federal, state suffering from a substance use disorder, Oand local levels to address the state’s heroin and opioid epidemic. The goal and age-appropriate education and was to find out where we are today in combating this epidemic that continues to prevention programs. devastate our rural and urban communities. These efforts require the commitment from a wide variety of participants. Since 2014, as chairman of the Cen- Pennsylvania’s Prescription Drug Moni- While government and law enforce- ter for Rural Pennsylvania, I and the toring Program Database (PDMP) each ment are rightful partners, so are our center’s board of directors have hosted time a patient is dispensed an opioid businesses and industries — including public hearings across the state to get drug product or a benzodiazepine. the pharmaceutical industry — our information about the problem, learn Act 125 limits prescriptions desig- educational systems, the medical com- what’s working, and what needs to be nated for minors to seven days, unless munity, and the general public. expanded, improved, or put in place. a medical emergency puts the child’s In addition, the Pennsylvania Senate We heard testimony from recovering health or safety at risk. It includes some and House have jointly created the addicts, parents who have lost a child exceptions for chronic pain, cancer HOPE Caucus to target legislative to an overdose and grandparents who treatment, palliative care or hospice efforts addressing the opioid crisis. And have been thrust into the role of full- care with additional documentation. just recently, Gov. Tom Wolf declared time parents once again. We have heard Additional measures approved last heroin and opioid drug addiction to be from police, judges, EMS professionals, session would limit opioids in emer- a statewide disaster emergency, which coroners, doctors, school superin- gency rooms, and require mandatory will allow the opening of an opioid tendents, business leaders, treatment education in opioid prescribing, pain operations command center at the providers and government officials. management and addiction in Pennsyl- Pennsylvania Emergency Management These hearings created statewide vania medical schools. Agency to coordinate the efforts of state awareness, supporting and resulting in Every day, there are news reports agencies to fight the crisis. numerous legislative and administrative discussing Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis We still have a great deal of work initiatives to combat a disease that now and the need to sound the alarm about to do. Let’s be clear. People who are claims more lives each year than those the disease of addiction that is ravaging dealing with a substance use disorder lost to traffic accidents. The hearings our state and nation. Unfortunately, this do not wake up one day and decide reinforced efforts that were being con- crisis is not going away any time soon, to become an addict. The disease of sidered in the House of Representatives and there is no simple solution. addiction — and yes, it is a disease — and Senate that ultimately resulted in I understand that people hold takes over one’s ability to make rational the passage of Act 139 of 2014, which varying views about the nature of this decisions. This recognition is a critical made naloxone more widely available, substance use disorder. A 2017 public first step in understanding all that is and Act 191 of 2014, that initiated the opinion poll sponsored by the Center involved in how we, as a society, must Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. for Rural Pennsylvania showed that address this crisis. The Center for Rural During the 2015-16 legislative ses- 36 percent of respondents view heroin/ Pennsylvania is committed to continu- sion, the General Assembly approved opioid addiction as one of personal ing its work in fighting the heroin and measures aimed at curbing Pennsylva- choice. Another 31 percent see it as a opioid epidemic. l nia’s heroin and opioid epidemic. Act result of the overprescribing of addic- 124 requires prescribers and dispensers tive medications. These varying beliefs State Sen. Gene Yaw to obtain initial and continuing educa- only reinforce the need to provide (R-Lycoming) tion in pain management, identification the public with reliable, valid data for Chairman of addiction, and the use of opioids those making policy and programming Center for Rural Pennsylvania as effective treatment. It also requires decisions about this disease and those Board of Directors prescribers and dispensers to check who are affected by it; evidenced-based

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News from across the Commonwealth

It’s time to watch the eagles attendees the opportunity to witness The Pennsylvania Game Com- the miracle of birth. mission’s Eagle Cam is back online, offering viewers worldwide 24/7 access ‘Let it snow; let it snow’ to live video and audio of a bald-eagle Erie, Pa., residents may have been family in Hanover, Pa. The camera is wishing for a “White Christmas,” but provided through a partnership among they got more than they bargained for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, over the holiday weekend as 34 inches HDOnTap, Comcast Business and fell on Christmas Day, shattering the Codorus State Park. city’s previous record for snow falling The Eagle Cam is actually two HALF-TON OF BUTTER: The 2018 Pennsylvania on a single day (20 inches on Nov. 22, Farm Show butter sculpture features renderings cameras, each equipped with a micro- of a dairy cow and dairy farmer, an agronomist, a 1956). phone, 75 feet high in a tree adjacent milk processor, and a consumer with a basket of The snow didn’t stop either — an- to Codorus State Park. Eagles have Pennsylvania products. Sculptors are Jim Victor other 24.5 inches fell the following nested in the tree for more than 10 and Marie Pelton, Montgomery County. After the day, bringing the two-day total to 58.5 show, the butter, donated by Land O’Lakes in years, and have successfully fledged Carlisle, Pa., is taken to a Juniata County farm inches, the highest two-day snowfall young there multiple times. where it is converted into renewable energy in total ever recorded in Pennsylvania, Two eaglets hatched in March 2017 the farm’s methane digester. according to the National Weather Ser- and took their first flights in June. vice. And, to make it even worse, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (Pennsylvania was No. 2 in the nation storm actually began on Sunday, so the officials report as many as 1.5 million in the production of certified organics three-day total was 62.9 inches. viewers have tuned in to watch the in 2017), a new cider competition National Weather Service spokes- Eagle Cam during a single season. (Pennsylvania ranked sixth in the men said the huge snowfall was a To view the Eagle Cam, go to the nation in 2017 in the number of cider consequence of lake-effect snow, Pennsylvania Game Commission producers), and a new category of during which cold air combines with website, pgc.pa.gov, and click on the Christmas wreaths. lake water to create a narrow band of Hanover Bald Eagle Live Stream link Some new events were designed just significant snowfall. in the Quick Links section of the for fun — junior chefs were pitted home page. against each other to see who was the Pennsylvania hunter takes fastest meatball-maker in Pennsylva- record buck ‘Strength in our diversity’ nia, while “agriculture artists” created The Pennsylvania Game Commis- theme of 2018 Farm Show an unusual display (think Princess sion reports there’s a new record — a Organizers of the 2018 Pennsylva- Leia in peppercorns, Mickey Mouse in trophy whitetail rack has shattered nia Farm Show chose to focus on the mustard seeds or a polar bear made of the previous record in the “Typical different types of agriculture with the pumpkin seeds). Archery” category. theme “Strength in our diversity.” They Others focused on education — the Using a compound bow, Ron noted the 102nd show, held Jan. 6-13, Pennsylvania Department of Agri- Shaulis, West Newton, Pa., took the celebrated the state’s 58,000 farms, culture had a new booth designed to 13-point buck on Oct. 24, 2017, on 7.7 million acres devoted to agricultural boost children’s knowledge of science public land in Westmoreland County. production, and thousands upon thou- and technology as they relate to agri- The rack had a net score of 185 4/8, sands of related businesses, including culture, and a new display focused on which surpasses the previous record food-processing companies. how farmers use science in an effort to of 178 2/8 from a buck harvested in The 2018 show featured a number improve our soil, our water, our food, Allegheny County in 2004. It had 25- of new exhibits and events, including and our world. Also, the “Calving Cor- and 26-inch main beams and a more a new organic produce competition ner” made its debut this year, offering than 20-inch inside spread. l

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rom city streets to rural roads, By Michael T. Crawford “When he put his time in and came the nation’s opioid epidemic Associate Editor back to Indiana for his Reserve fulfill- Fknows no boundaries. It crosses ment, the kids that he would have been county lines and goes through neigh- tuition. The happy days, however, in college with were still here at IUP, borhoods rich and poor, reaching lives would not last. so — of course — his drinking buddies young and old. Without welcome, it “I knew he was … drinking, but I were still around,” Perkovich says. “He comes right into the home. didn’t think anything of it, because it went from job to job before I really was something I had done,” Perkovich realized that he had a problem. He was Becky Perkovich, a member of REA explains. “As a parent, you think, ‘Oh even discharged from the military with Energy Cooperative in Indiana County, they’re just letting off a little steam; he’ll a general discharge because he did not came face to face with this crisis when grow out of it.’ Well, he not only flunked fulfill his (Reserve) obligations. I just she learned that the person closest to her out once (from IUP), he flunked out thought he needed to crack down and was grappling with a hidden addiction. twice. They finally said, ‘You’re going get serious.” Perkovich could be talking about any to have to do something else, because number of children across the Com- you can’t go to school here anymore.’ Not my kid monwealth when she describes her son, The problem was his drinking — well, Eventually, Jacob took a position at Jacob — a boy who took piano lessons, I thought that’s all it was. I came to find a bar owned by a family friend. Shortly played Little League Baseball and foot- he was doing other things.” thereafter, Perkovich learned just how ball, and aspired to go to college after After talking over his options with bad things had gotten for her son. graduating from high school. his mother, Jacob decided a tour with “Jake wasn’t there probably three or Thanks to his stepfather’s service as the Navy would give him the discipline four weeks before I got a call from the a police officer at Indiana University of he was missing. When he finished his owner one night,” Perkovich recalls. Pennsylvania, Jacob was able to go to active duty service, his old troubles “That’s when he shared with me that college without having to worry about resurfaced. Jake was using heroin. I was distraught.

8 | FEBRUARY 2018 ‘No, no, no. Not my kid. He would nev- ment Administration — stamp bags “Initially, a lot of people take it for the er do that.’ It was just total disbelief.” of 95-percent-pure heroin are making high; then it’s just continued just so Jacob, like many people suffering their way into rural communities for as they don’t go into withdrawal because from addiction, didn’t wake up one little as $5. withdrawal symptoms are so bad and morning and decide to try heroin. make you feel so sick. A lot of the His battle with heroin started within Rehabilitation struggles patients we see want to stop, but just perfectly legal boundaries: prescription The struggle to rehabilitate rarely going through the withdrawal process painkillers. comes from a desire for a cheap, easy is very difficult for them, and there’s not “He had started on pain pills in the fix but from a fear of what that rehabili- enough in-patient places to do it.” Navy,” Perkovich explains. “I believe tation really means for an addict. During withdrawal, the suppressed that’s where his real addiction took “It means you’re going to stop — that pain receptors become sensitive to the hold. I didn’t know this until after he scares people, because they’re scared point that normally unnoticed sensa- had passed away, but one of his Navy to death of withdrawal,” Stern says. tions can become agonizing. Conse- buddies contacted me. He had back injuries from football — he would go to the chiropractor and get manipulated a lot.” Though prescribed for pain, opioids’ effect on the brain and nervous system often drive people to rely on the medication — or a similar substitute — to treat other problems. “Some people use these medications to self-medicate — for instance, anxiety, depression, psychiatric illness or stress,” explains Dr. Doug Stern, director of emergency services at Fulton County Medical Center and member of New Enterprise Rural Electric Cooper- ative. “Sometimes, people suffer trauma and become addicted, and that’s how it leads into heroin. Usually there’s some sort of a stressor point … usually it’s a health problem that’s led into prescription medications, and when they can’t get the prescription medications, then it goes… to heroin or black market medications.” The human body doesn’t treat heroin much differently from any other opioid. In fact, the body converts heroin into morphine once it reaches the brain, invoking physical and psychological responses similar to taking prescription medications. It’s also cheaper and easier to obtain, according to Gary Tuggle, special- agent-in-charge of the Philadelphia Division of the U. S. Drug Enforce-

A MOM REMEMBERS: Becky Perkovich, a member of REA Energy Cooperative, holds a picture of her son, Jacob, who struggled with opioid addiction for more than six years before his death. Jacob, a U.S. Navy veteran, began taking prescription painkillers during his military service.

| FEBRUARY 2018 9 2014, her husband, Jeff, turned on the TV; actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his bathroom, a syringe of heroin still in his arm and prescription medication at his apartment. “I can’t sit here anymore,” Perkovich recalls saying. “I had to do something. I got involved in the local drug and alco- hol commission. I started taking a lot of classes: certified recovery specialist … went through recovery coach classes. I needed to understand what it was that consumed (Jacob).” For nearly four years now, Perkov- STATE INTERVENTION: State Sen. Gene Yaw, chairman of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board ich has shared her story with parents of Directors, right, delivers opening remarks in Williamsport during the State of Addiction public and children through the Reality Tour hearing on the opioid crisis in October. Dr. Timothy Kelsey, left, and Dr. Michael Driscoll were among program, designed to show families the other Center for Rural Pennsylvania board members to hear testimony from representatives from law enforcement, medical practitioners, and addiction recovery specialists. Steve Brame, vice president – perils of addiction and how to prevent public affairs & member services of the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association and Allegheny Electric it from escalating before it’s too late. Cooperative, Inc., is also a member of the center’s board. “Being able to impact a mom and dad sitting there watching this with a quently, various centers of the brain loss. You’re so worn out.” young kid, explaining this whole story become overloaded, such as those The tough-love talk appeared to have and then saying, ‘He died,’” she says. that process emotion or regulate body the desired effect. “They’re hoping to hear everything’s temperature. “He went to rehab, and he went to a roses and everything’s fine today. And “It’d be like the worst flu you ever three-quarter-way house after that in it’s not.” had,” Stern explains. “You get nausea, the Wilkes-Barre area,” Perkovich says. For information about treatment vomiting, muscle aches, feeling that “He ended up meeting a young man in resources, call 1-800-662-HELP your skin is on fire, feeling that you’re that house and they decided to leave (4357). l going to crawl out of your skin, and early and move in with the friend’s girl- that usually goes on for 48 hours. If friend. He worked at Planet Fitness for Statewide disaster you can treat the symptoms through about a year, full time, and decided to In recognition of the worsening crisis, that first episode, then you can get bet- try to go back to school, and he’s doing Gov. Tom Wolf in January declared heroin ter and get past it, but that whole time all of this on his own. He went back and opioid addiction a statewide disaster, to school … online on a probationary the first public health emergency of its you have the craving for the opioid or kind for Pennsylvania. In making the dec- the street drugs.” level. They gave him another chance.” laration, which allows for enhanced state For six years, Jacob volleyed back But like many people suffering from response and increased access to treat- and forth from job to job, rehab clinic addiction, Jacob hid his disease well. ment, the governor noted that more than to rehab clinic, struggling to make “On Thursday (after Labor Day in 4,600 Pennsylvanians died from a drug 2012), he got his financial aid check overdose in 2016, a 37 percent increase progress. from 2015. Pennsylvania’s rate of drug “At the time, I thought, ‘Oh, he’s in the mail,” Perkovich says. “Friday overdose in 2016 was 36.5 per 100,000, going to go to rehab, and he’ll be all night is when he used and passed away. more than double the national average of fixed and I can go to work now.’ I had Having watched, thinking that he was 16.3 per 100,000. no clue,” Perkovich says. “He was in doing so well … the coroner said he Rural communities in the state find had probably relapsed prior to that and themselves hit especially hard by the and out of three different rehabs. Jobs epidemic. Fulton, Cambria and Beaver here, jobs there, relapses. One month was using a little bit because they found counties had the highest rates of over- was good, one month wasn’t. Before needle marks between his toes. He dose deaths per 100,000 people in 2016. Jake went to his last rehab facility, I can certainly hid it well.” Philadelphia County and Allegheny County, remember him lying on the couch in home to Pittsburgh, ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. the living room and I said to him, ‘You Getting involved Although final numbers from 2017 are can’t come home anymore. I’m drained; Feeling entirely unable to perform not yet available, they are expected to I’ve had enough. I don’t know what else her duties, Perkovich quit her job. For increase as the number of emergency visits to do.’ I was so torn because it’s like rip- nearly a year and a half, she struggled related to an opioid overdose was up by 82 ping your heart out to say that to your to cope with the loss of her son. Sitting percent in the third quarter of 2017 com- pared to the same time period in 2016. child, but on the other hand you’re at a on the couch one night in February

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EVEN THREE IS A CROWD.

e depend on electricity 24/7, used to turn liquid into the steam in to spin a turbine and generator. Heat but have you ever wondered a furnace/boiler that spins the steam from a nuclear reactor heats the liquid Whow it’s made, or where it turbine/generator producing electricity. into steam. The basic fuel for a nuclear comes from? To understand the basics Large transformers at the plant boost power plant is uranium, which is of something so important to modern the voltage of the electricity for shipment mined from the ground. It is then for- life, think about steam from a teakettle across the country through tall transmis- mulated into expensive and complex and those refrigerator magnets. sion lines. As it gets closer to where it fuel components for utility use. will be used, a substation of transformers A little uranium can last a long time, Magnetic metals in nature attract reduces the voltage to a level that can be making it a promising, incredibly cheap each other because parts of the atoms safely delivered to a smaller transformer power source. And it produces none that make up those metals want to on the utility pole or pad-mounted of the pollution or greenhouse gas that match up with others. In the early transformer in your yard, decreasing the comes from burning coal or natural 1800s, a scientist in England named voltage further for use in your home. gas. But the concentrated radioactivity Michael Faraday noticed that when he Coal plants produce about a third of in the reactor is potentially dangerous, rotated a metal disk through the mid- the nation’s electricity. so complex, expensive safety measures dle of a horseshoe-shaped magnet, he need to be part of any nuclear plant. could get electrons to flow together in Natural gas Nuclear power generates about one- an electric current. Like coal, natural gas comes from fifth of the nation’s electricity, but Engineers soon took over and made the ground, and it can burn in a way about 60 percent of the electricity for Faraday’s process really complicated. that can drive a steam turbine or a Pennsylvania’s cooperatives. Today, nearly all our electricity comes natural gas-fired combustion turbine. Coal and nuclear power plants are from turbines that spin a magnet Unlike coal, you can’t hold it in your often referred to as “base load,” mean- inside a coil of wires. hand — it’s a colorless gas, like air, ing that since we want electricity to be One way to turn those turbines is by and has to be transported by pipeline. available all the time, those plants are heating liquid into steam that forces In a natural gas power plant, com- well suited to run all the time. Natural the turbine to spin, using the same bustion turbines burn the gas to make gas has long been considered a fuel principle that makes a teakettle sing. them spin, generating electricity. for “peak load,” meaning it is used When you boil water on your stove, Natural gas electric generation has for times of especially high electric- that liquid expands more than 1,000 advantages over coal: plants are sim- ity use. But with the drop in natural times as it vaporizes. If you’ve ever pler, cheaper to build, require less staff gas prices, it has become a base-load had your hand burned near boiling and can be shut down and powered up resource for the nation’s electric grid. water, you’ve felt the power of steam. more quickly. Natural gas doesn’t con- Heat produced by coal, natural gas tain as many pollutants as coal. In the and nuclear power generates about Coal past, natural gas was more expensive 80 percent of the country’s electricity. Ancient plants and animals that died than coal but natural gas prices have The rest comes mainly from hydro- NEVER OVERLOAD OUTLETS. long ago turned into coal, oil and nat- dropped and many utilities are using it electricity, solar and wind. l ural gas (fossil fuels). to replace coal generation. Paul Wesslund writes on cooperative Helping members use electricity safely, that’s the power of your co-op membership. Coal is dug from the ground, either Natural gas plants now produce issues for the National Rural Electric Learn more from the experts themselves at TogetherWeSave.com. near the surface, or from deep under- about a third of the nation’s electricity. Cooperative Association, the Arlington, ground mines, then is shipped to Va.-based service arm of the nation’s power plants, where it is burned. Nuclear 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit The heat from that combustion is A nuclear power plant makes steam electric cooperatives.

12 | FEBRUARY 2018

Safety_Outlet_Mag_FullPg.indd 1 1/19/15 12:56 PM EVEN THREE IS A CROWD.

NEVER OVERLOAD OUTLETS. Helping members use electricity safely, that’s the power of your co-op membership. Learn more from the experts themselves at TogetherWeSave.com.

Safety_Outlet_Mag_FullPg.indd 1 1/19/15 12:56 PM cooperativeconnection REA Energy From the President & CEO Cooperative, Inc.

REA ENERGY Our future rests

One of 14 electric cooperatives in your hands serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey By Chad Carrick

For folks new to REA Energy (and sion-making. Our directors must take a for those members who might need series of courses and receive their Cre- reminding), let me introduce you dentialed Cooperative Director certifi- to the second cooperative principle, cation and Board Leadership Certificate “Democratic Member Control,” which to serve on the board. Chad Carrick is one of seven guidelines that govern But the learning doesn’t end there. President & CEO cooperative operations. That means Numerous other classes and seminars REA Energy Cooperative, Inc. you, as a member of REA Energy, cover topics that must be part of each 75 Airport Road • P.O. Box 70 ultimately selects who represents you director’s pool of knowledge. And after Indiana, PA 15701-0070 on the co-op’s board of directors and all of that education, sorting through 724-349-4800 • 800-211-5667 determines the strategic direction of difficult choices remains. Ebensburg District Office 127 Municipal Road our local, not-for-profit business. Like any successful democracy, Ebensburg, PA 15931 One of the main duties of directors this decision-making process does 814-472-8570 involves hiring a CEO. Since being not operate in the dark. We keep you Website: www.reaenergy.com Email: [email protected] hired for this position in 2016, I’ve informed about the financial condition been responsible for overseeing the of the co-op, tell you when situations Staff Barry Baker day-to-day affairs of running REA arise that could affect your bill or ser- Indiana Operations Manager Energy and ensuring that you receive a vice, and educate you about the issues Erin Bauer safe, reliable, and affordable supply of involved. We do this through these ACRE Coordinator Shane Cribbs power. pages in Penn Lines, in letters or other Network & Systems Manager But my hiring is not where the communication included with your Dave Daugherty directors’ duties end — by no means. bills, and, most importantly, during Safety & Right of Way Manager Jeff Dishong Your directors must constantly con- face-to-face conversations, whether at Ebensburg Operations Supervisor sider policies affecting the co-op. For our annual meeting or other events, Lisa Gardill example, how much must we spend on or even just a conversation in the local Accounting & Finance Supervisor Stacy Patterson-Hilliard, CCC maintenance? If we need a new sub- supermarket. Communications & Marketing Supervisor station, how will we build it? How will In a democracy, member participa- Local Pages Editor we finance it? How often do we update tion is crucial. That’s why it is import- Chris Masterson Reliability Supervisor our technologies and facilities to stay ant for you, if you care about how your Patrick McAndrew efficient? co-op operates, to attend our various Manager of Engineering It’s not an easy task. Responsibilities meetings and let us know when issues Bryon Roland Purchasing & Facilities Supervisor stack up, and time commitments are arise that need our attention. Consider Brendan Short considerable. Besides attending hours giving your time, whether in service on Right-of-Way/Forestry Supervisor of meetings every month, each director the board or on various committees. Renee Spalla Supervisor of Consumer Services must continuously educate himself or Co-ops are different than other forms Chris Weller herself about the complex business of of businesses because of you, our mem- Load Management Supervisor electricity production and distribution. bers, and because of the way decisions Outages & Emergencies Directors also spend lots of their free are made. We welcome and encourage 1-800-332-7273 724-463-7273 time learning about the intricacies of your involvement. After all, it’s YOUR Office Hours strategic planning and financial deci- co-op. l Indiana Office: 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Ebensburg Office: 7 - 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Monday - Friday | FEBRUARY 2018 12a rea energy cooperative, inc

Director Michael Bertolino obtains certification District 3 Director and board Chairman Michael Bertolino was recently recognized for obtaining his Director Gold credential for coursework completed through the Nation- al Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The Director Gold credential recognizes directors who have earned their Creden- tialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and Board Leadership Certificate (BLC) credentials and are committed to continuing their education throughout their service on the board. Upon obtaining the CCD and BLC, directors must earn a minimum of three additional credits to obtain the Director Gold status. To maintain Director Gold status, directors must earn three credits from NRECA within a two-year (24-month) period from the time their last Director Gold credential was awarded. RECOGNITION: District 3 Director Michael Bertolino, left, is congratulated by Chad Congratulations, Michael, on a job well Carrick, president & CEO of REA Energy, for completing the coursework necessary to done! l obtain Director Gold status.

Have you signed up for REA Energy’s member portal? Members can now download a mobile app to make payments for FREE on the go! To sign up for the member portal, members must initially sign up on a desktop computer. Upon signing up, members are offered many exciting features! To sign up today, visit www.reaenergy.com. In- side the website, there is a green, square button reading “Member Portal.” Click here. After signing up, members can simply log in each month on their desktop computer or visit the Google Play or App Store to download the mobile app.

12b | FEBRUARY 2018 rea energy cooperative, inc

Are you saving with your Co-op Connections Card?

In May 2012, members received their Co-op Connections Card, allowing them to save money locally, nationally and online. Great discounts are also available on prescription drugs at over 60,000 pharmacy stores nationwide; in the time since receiving the cards, REA Energy members have saved over $42,000 on prescriptions! Shop local and save One of the ways your REA Energy supports small businesses is through the Co-op Connections Card program. Currently, there are over 120 local discounts that members can take advantage of when shopping throughout the area. We hope local businesses participating in the program benefit from increased traffic from REA Energy members. With the card, you can save on many different products and services, including dining out and home décor, and just about everything in between. What is even better, the Co-op Connections Card is accepted at nearly 23,000 businesses nationwide. But that’s not all; there are many more opportunities to save online as well. To search for discounts or to find out more about your card, visit www.reaenergy.com and click on the Co-op Connections Card link or call us at 724-349-4800. Save on everyday prescriptions Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of the Co-op Connections Card is the prescription discounts you can receive on your next trip to the pharmacy. That’s because with your card, you’ll be able to get anywhere from 10 percent to 85 percent off your prescription drugs at over 60,000 locations, including national and region- al pharmacy chains. Many local independent pharmacies also accept the card. In the past year alone, REA Energy members have saved nearly $2,800 at the pharmacy just by showing their card. More ways to save in 2018 Who doesn’t like to save money? In 2018, the newest addition to the Co-op Connections Card program helps you save more money while shopping. Co-op Connections is teaming up with iBennie, an exclusive membership that gives you access to incredible savings on travel, groceries, restaurants, events, insurance and more. Teaming up with iBennie will give a new web platform (still www. Connections.coop), a state-of-the-art smartphone app, hotel savings, event ticket offers, new dining and event options and 400,000 new discounts in all. Stay tuned for additional information in an upcoming edition of Penn Lines. For more information or to locate a list of providers in your area, visit www.reaenergy.com and click on the Co-op Connections Card link or call our office at 724-349-4800.

Statement of non-discrimination This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr. usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call 866-632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax to 202-690-7442 or email at [email protected].

| FEBRUARY 2018 | FEBRUARY 2018 12c rea energy cooperative, inc

REA’s safety internship program Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) student Gavin Ewing started in the position of safety intern on Jan. 8. Some of his duties will include: re- viewing/auditing REA Energy’s safety programs and implementing necessary revisions, assisting with hazard identification, evaluation and control, incident investigation, safety train- ing and education, and compliance with applicable regulations, as well as assisting with facility and crew audit/ inspections. Gavin, a graduate of Purchase Line High school, is currently a senior at IUP. In his free time Gavin enjoys hunting, fishing, lifting weights and play- INTERNSHIP PROGRAM: Gavin Ewing is REA Energy’s safety intern. ing basketball.

Right-of-way management and facility construction news Don’t forget to stop by REA Energy’s REA Energy contractors will be completing tree-trim- booth at the Indiana-Armstrong Home ming work in the following areas in February: k Contractor crews from Asplundh Tree Expert Co. Builder’s Show at the S & T Arena will be trimming the rights-of-way of the Kenwood March 16-18. Members who visit the substation area, in addition to emergency maintenance areas. Crews from Penn Line Service will be booth will receive a free gift. trimming the right-of-way of the Uniontown Substa- tion area. Notification of work will be made to members in the areas affected. Contractors will perform all right-of-way work per REA Energy specifications. All contractor employees will carry employee identification cards and their vehicles will display their company name. If you have any questions, call 724-349-4800, or view the specifications at: www.reaenergy.com. Your Board of Directors

Michael J. Bertolino Wayne Farabaugh Robert P. Neese Herman Blakley Sam Eckenrod Anthony Enciso Vacant John R. Learn J.R. “Rick” Shope Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary/Treasurer District 9 District 1 District 7 District 4 District 6 District 2 District 3 District 8 District 5

12d | FEBRUARY 2018 timelines Your Newsmagazine Through the Years

2008

1998 Cooperative territories encompass some of the richest wildlife areas in the nation with large expanses of wetlands, river- beds, ridges, forests and meadows.

1988 Penn Lines examines the electric transmission system, and how transmission access can be a key to lower rates.

he Pennsylvania Game Commission is facing the issue of declining hunting license sales head on. In the early 1978 T1990s, the commission launched the Youth Field Day Penn Lines focuses programs, which offer participating youth hands-on opportuni- on the sights and ties to use a bow and arrow, shotgun, muzzleloader, and rifle, as sounds of the 62nd annual Pennsylvania well as learn about trapping, predator hunting, wildlife identifi- Farm Show. Held cation, conservation, and management. annually, it is the The commission also created a number of youth-only hunting largest indoor seasons for waterfowl, pheasant, squirrel, and spring gobbler, agricultural event in and added special antlerless deer harvesting opportunities while the United States. exempting youth from the higher antler restrictions. In 2006, the commission created the Mentored Youth Hunt- ing Program for youth under 12 years old. Under the program, the mentor-to-mentored youth ratio cannot exceed one-to-one, 1968 and the pair may possess only one sporting arm when hunting. Clyde T. Ellis, While moving, the sporting arm must be carried by the mentor. longtime general The Game Commission remains committed to doing what it manager of the takes to manage all wild birds and mammals for current and fu- National Rural Electric Cooperative ture generations, and to do their best to preserve the Common- Association, receives wealth’s rich and valuable hunting and trapping heritage. a gift from a Penn- sylvania cooperative representative.

14 | FEBRUARY 2018 techtrends

Resurgence of interest in microgrids By Kaley Lockwood

he energy landscape is currently undergoing a dramatic trans- Tformation. Developments in electric vehicles, energy management technologies and battery storage are all evidence of the shift in how we interact with energy. As a society, we’re becom- ing increasingly reliant on electricity as we continue to incorporate electronic gadgets and gizmos into our lives. Furthermore, the transformation of the industry has led to a major transformation of our electric grid.

The American power grid is often hailed as one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. It’s also widely apparent that our current energy infrastructure is not equipped to handle all of the new technologies we’re throwing its way. Electric cooperatives are utilizing new energy technologies in new and innovative ways to maximize the value of ALASKAN MICROGRID: Alaska Village Electric Cooperative serves 58 small communities with current infrastructure and keep up with 50 microgrids collectively capable of supplying six times the average load needed by the 33,000 the transformation. Cue the resurgence Alaskans it serves. of interest in microgrids, a development that has the ability to bridge the gap ered microgrid. These systems may be explosion of solar and wind energy, between these newer technologies and customized to keep critical loads, like future microgrids will be more reliant an aging grid infrastructure. hospitals or water treatment facilities, on renewable forms of energy. These small-scale energy networks energized while giving affected com- A microgrid’s ability to operate are best described as mini versions of munities the ability to quickly recover independently is often through use of our utility power systems. In times of after a storm. local generation (renewables or gen- extreme weather or other emergency According to greentechmedia.com, erators) as well as through the use of situations when blackouts occur, these Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was a catalyst energy storage systems. This is why the local networks can island off, or dis- for the construction of 35 microgrids advancements in renewables and battery connect from the main power system that currently make up 33 percent of storage have increased the potential of and operate entirely on their own. the 2,045 total megawatt capacity of all microgrid technologies. The hurricanes and tropical storms microgrids in the United States. When Although they’ve been around for of 2017 demonstrated just how seri- 8.5 million people were left without quite some time, cheaper, localized gen- ous extreme weather events can be. In power in the storm’s aftermath, offi- eration is driving resurgence in microg- Hurricane Harvey’s instance, flooding cials realized the need and importance rid interest. l caused catastrophic damage to Hous- for a grid with greater resiliency, or Kaley Lockwood writes on cooperative ton’s energy infrastructure. While hun- an increased ability to bounce back issues for the National Rural Electric dreds of thousands were left without after an outage. These grids operate Cooperative Association, the Arlington, power, a number of supermarkets were primarily using fossil fuels or thermal Va.-based service arm of the nation’s able to stay up and running because of energy generators, known as combined 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit their connection to a natural gas-pow- heat and power systems, but with the electric cooperatives.

| FEBRUARY 2018 15 Attention High School Seniors At least five $1,000 Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarships in Memory of William F. Matson are available for the 2018-19 college year. fill out and mail this coupon Who is eligible? The Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Mem- Please send me an application for the 2018-19 Pennsylvania ory of William F. Matson is offering scholarships to sons and daughters of members Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory and employees of electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey who belong of William F. Matson. I am a high school senior and the son to the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association. Applicants must currently be high or daughter of a member or employee of an electric cooperative in school seniors and be able to furnish necessary aptitude test scores and financial need Pennsylvania and New Jersey who belongs to the Pennsylvania information. At least five $1,000, one-time scholarships will be awarded. Rural Electric Association. Important dates to remember ______All applications and required information must be received no later than Name May 7, 2018. Finalists will be sent a follow-up questionnaire that must be returned by June 15, 2018. Scholarship awards will be announced at the ______Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Summer Meeting in July 2018. Address How to apply ______To receive an application, simply fill out and mail the accompanying coupon Town or City or contact your local electric cooperative office. If you would like to receive the application via email, please include your email address or visit our website, ______www.prea.com, for more information. State Zip Applicant: ______To request a scholarship application, mail coupon to: Email address The Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of William F. Matson ______P. O. Box 1266 Name of Electric Cooperative Harrisburg, Pa. 17108-1266 Or visit www.prea.com/content/scholarship-opportunities.asp

Attention Past Rural Electric Youth Tour Students At least two $1,000 scholarships in memory of Jody Loudenslager are available through the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of William F. Matson for the 2018-19 college year.

fill out and mail this coupon Who is eligible? The scholarship is available to any college-bound or college student who partici- pated in the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association (PREA) Youth Tour. Applicants ______need to furnish necessary aptitude test scores, GPA and financial need information. Name Dates to remember All applications and required information must be received no later than May 7, 2018. ______Finalists will be sent a follow-up questionnaire that must be returned by June 15, 2018. Address Scholarship awards will be announced at the PREA Summer Meeting in July 2018.

______How to apply NewScholarshipAds.inddCity 2 To receive an application, simply fill out and mail the accompanying coupon12/7/17 to: 11:04 AM Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. Or visit www.prea.com/content/scholarship-opportunities.asp. If you would like to ______receive the application via email, please include your email address or visit our website, State Zip www.prea.com, for more information.

______Jody Loudenslager, a 1995 Pennsylvania Rural Email address Electric Association Youth Tour student from Trout Run, Pa., was among the 230 passengers ______killed July 17, 1996, when TWA Flight 800 Name of your electric cooperative exploded shortly after take-off from New York. Since Jody was committed to higher education, ______the scholarship was created to honor her and help Year on Youth Tour Youth Tour participants with college costs.

NewScholarshipAds.indd 4 12/7/17 11:05 AM smartcircuits

Do radiant barriers really make a difference? By Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen

ear Pat: I’ve heard that installing a radiant barrier in my Dattic could save me a lot of money on my energy bill. What exactly is a radiant barrier, and does it really make a difference? — Don

Dear Don: A radiant barrier reflects radiant heat and can be used to keep heat in a home during the winter and to keep heat out in the summer. In order to understand the value of a radiant barrier, we need to consider the three different ways heat travels. k Convection is air movement from hot to cold. This happens through openings in your home, like doors, windows, vents and air leaks. The radiant barrier is only effec- So, is a radiant barrier in your attic k Conduction is heat traveling through tive in reflecting radiant heat, not as a good investment? Sometimes. You a solid material, such as the sheet- insulation or as a wrap to block air need to do a little research, as sav- rock and framing of your home. This loss, but it can be very effective at its ings vary in each situation and there can be minimized by insulation. intended purpose. Even something as are many inaccurate claims made k Radiant heat loss is a transfer thin as a sheet of aluminum foil can about the cost savings they bring. In a of heat from the sun, or when a reflect 95 percent of the radiated heat warmer climate, a home with a large warmer material transmits infrared back through the roof if it’s installed cooling load and a roof that is fully radiation to a colder material. Radi- properly, with an air gap between exposed to the sun, an attic radiant ant barriers are designed to reflect itself and the roof. While other solu- barrier could be a cost-effective mea- this type of heat loss. tions such as an attic fan try to remove sure, and it could make your home Radiant barriers often look like the heat once it has accumulated, the more comfortable. aluminum foil. Sometimes the foil radiant barrier stops the heat from It’s a good idea to compare an is fastened to oriented strand board building up in the first place. investment in an attic radiant barrier or foam board, but the foil will only The net impact of a radiant barrier to other energy efficiency investments, reflect radiant heat toward an air space depends on whether you live in a hot such as improving your attic insula- of at least 1 inch. If the foil is in con- or cold-weather climate. For example, tion or sealing air leaks around doors tact with a solid material, it conducts homes that were retrofitted with attic and windows. Of course, the best way excess heat into that material. radiant barrier systems in Florida were to compare your energy efficiency A common location for application able to reduce air conditioning energy opportunities is to schedule an energy of radiant barriers is the attic; radi- use by about 9 percent. In colder cli- audit of your home. Start by talking to ant energy from the sun is sent back mates, the radiant barrier that reflects your friendly energy advisers at your out of the roof before it can heat the unwanted heat outside of the house local electric cooperative. l air and insulation in your home. It in the summer will also be reflecting This column was co-written by Pat is commonly sold as a roll of shiny, heat away from the house in the win- Keegan and Brad Thiessen of Collabo- aluminum material and is usually ter. In other words, the cooling bill rative Efficiency. For more information mounted on the underside of the fram- may decrease but the heating bill may on radiant barriers, please visit: www. ing that supports the roof. increase. collaborativeefficiency.com/energytips.

| FEBRUARY 2018 17 countrykitchen

Asian inspiration By Janette Hess

avvy cooks know that soy sauce packs a super-salty flavor punch. So what happens when a marinade recipe combines soy sauce with fresh ginger, minced A trained journalist, Janette Hess garlic and other intensely flavored ingredients? The Asian flavor punch be- focuses her writing on interest- S ing people and interesting foods. comes a mealtime knock-out. She is a Master Food Volunteer This month’s Basic Marinade may be used alone to enhance a variety of meats, with her local extension service and enjoys collecting, testing or it may be used as the seasoning foundation for more complex recipes. Just and sharing recipes. beware! The chili sesame oil and the fresh ginger are fairly spicy. If a milder marinade is desired, simply decrease the amount of chili sesame oil or substitute regular sesame oil. In the recipe for Soy-Sauced Chicken with Roasted Peanuts, peanut butter adds a hint of nuttiness to the basic marinade. Dry-roasted peanuts then confirm the tasty suspicion. The recipe for Sesame Shrimp Noodles also makes delicious use of the basic marinade. The resulting dish — some would call it a “noodle bowl” — truly is Asian-inspired. l

Basic Marinade Whisk together all ingredients and use as marinade for chicken, shrimp, pork or salmon. 3 tablespoons lower 1 tablespoon rice vinegar sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons freshly 2 tablespoons brown grated ginger sugar 2 teaspoons freshly 1 tablespoon chili minced garlic sesame oil

Soy-Sauced Chicken with Lightly warm peanut butter in microwave; whisk into marinade. Trim chicken breasts, cut in half and place in Roasted Peanuts slow cooker. Cover with marinade. Cook on low for ap- 1 recipe Basic Marinade Generous 1/2 cup proximately 2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. 2 tablespoons creamy unsalted, dry-roasted Transfer chicken from slow cooker to cutting board. peanut butter peanuts Whisk 2 teaspoons corn starch into cooking sauce. 1 pound boneless, 1/4 cup chopped, fresh Cut or pull chicken into large chunks. Return to slow skinless chicken cilantro OR 2 sliced green onions cooker and add peanuts. Gently toss chicken chunks breasts (approximately and peanuts with sauce. Serve over rice. Garnish with 2) Steamed rice for serving cilantro or green onions. Makes 3 or 4 servings. 2 teaspoons corn starch

Spicy Sesame Shrimp and Heat large, non-stick frying pan or wok over medium low heat. Add sesame seeds to dry pan. Cook and Noodles stir for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just starting to brown. 2 tablespoons sesame 1/2 cup regular or Remove seeds from pan and set aside. Heat oil in same seeds lower sodium chicken pan over medium heat. Add shrimp. Stir and toss every 1 pound raw, medium- broth 15 seconds until shrimp turn pink and opaque. Remove sized shrimp, peeled 2 teaspoons cornstarch shrimp from pan and set aside. Add eggs to pan; scram- and deveined* 8 ounces rice noodles, ble until set. Remove from pan and set aside. Pour mar- 1 tablespoon peanut oil cooked according to inade into pan. Whisk in broth and cornstarch. Cook package directions 1 recipe Basic Marinade and stir until thickened. Add noodles, shrimp, eggs and 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3 or 4 sliced green onions 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Toss to combine. To serve, garnish with sliced green onions and remaining sesame seeds. Makes 4 generous servings. *If using frozen shrimp, thaw and drain.

18 | FEBRUARY 2018 powerplants Gardening on a dime … and maybe less By George Weigel

ou could rack up a hefty credit top houseplant soil with a half-inch card bill if you lean toward chic of coarse sand to keep those annoying Ypots and cutting-edge, new gar- little fungus gnats from breeding; stop dening tools. borers from killing squash plants by wrapping the base of plants with foil, But gardening also can be one of the and make your own fungicide by mix- least-expensive hobbies if you’re thrifty. ing 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 Lots of cheap and recycled items can be tablespoon of horticultural oil or canola put to good use around the yard. oil in 1 gallon of water. Here are some ideas: Cheap animal-proofing. Vertically

Start with seeds. Plants are way l slit plastic soda bottles or milk jugs ge cheaper that way. Use kitchen throw- i to wrap them around the trunks of aways for seed pots (yogurt cups, but- young trees, shrubs and vines to guard ter tubs, foam meat trays, etc.) and rig against rodent chewing. Protect young up your own plant stand out of scrap transplants by making a cage out of

lumber, cheap plywood, and ordinary georgeo by w e cheesecloth wrapped around branches t shop lights. o or bamboo stakes. ph Bargain plants. Cut your plant EASY AND INEXPENSIVE: This three-level, Free mulch. Check with local budget by scoping out plant sales by homemade seed-starting station is made out of tree-trimming companies to see if garden clubs and Master Gardener pro- scrap lumber, scrap plywood, and inexpensive they’re willing to drop off wood chips fluorescent shop lights. grams. You’ll often find excellent vari- that you can spread in paths and land- eties that members have started or dug Freebie pots. Just about anything scape beds. Many municipalities collect up from their own yards for pennies that holds soil and lets water drain out and process leaves and/or tree-trim- on the dollar. the bottom is fair game as a plant con- mings that they offer as free mulch. Also visit yard sales. Some sellers tainer. Possibilities include old cracked Three more: 1.) Recycled wooden offer divisions of dug-up perennial crocks, painted 5-gallon buckets with pallets are perfect for wiring together plants for as little as $1 a pop. Some holes drilled in the bottom, old back into compost bins. 2.) An old mailbox may even dig up a division on request. packs and purses, even antique sinks. mounted in the garden is an ideal repos- Plants from cuttings. Lots of trees, Freebie products. Look to house- itory for markers, labels, string, and all shrubs and roses are easier to start hold rejects that can serve new life in of those other little things you forget than you think by taking 6-inch cut- the garden. Examples: cut-up vinyl from the garage. 3.) Make your own tings from the branch tips, pinching off blinds make excellent plant markers; watering wand for watering hanging bas- all but the top set or two of leaves, and holey pantyhose make stretchy plant kets and window boxes by using metal sticking them into damp potting mix. ties; egg cartons are perfect for storing hose clamps to secure a broomstick or When they root, you have an identical dug-up gladioli bulbs over winter, and PVC pole to your garden hose. l — and free — baby plant. old carpet can be used to stifle weeds Yard-sale repurposing. Second-hand between garden rows. George Weigel is a Pennsyl- sales are great for bargain benches, Bug/disease-fighting on the cheap. vania Certified Horticulturist, pots and tools, but lots of cheap yard- Gardeners made their own pest con- author of two books geared to gardening in Pennsylvania, and sale finds can be put to other creative trols before commercial pesticides came garden columnist for The Patri- use in the garden, such as old ladders along. Homemade ideas that still work ot-News/Pennlive.com in Har- that become bean supports, and bowls well: coat yellow-painted boards with risburg. His website is http:// georgeweigel.net. that become birdbaths. petroleum jelly to capture flying bugs;

| FEBRUARY 2018 19 CClassifiedlassified A Advertisementsdvertisements Classified Advertisements

ISSUE month ad DEADLINE Penn Lines classified advertisements reach nearly 166,000 rural Pennsylvania households! Please note April 2018 February 16 ads must be received by the due date to be included in the requested issue month. Ads received beyond the due date will run in the next available issue. Written notice of changes and cancellations must be re- May 2018 march 20 ceived 30 days prior to the issue month. Classified ads will not be accepted by phone, fax or email. For June 2018 april 20 more information please contact Michelle M. Smith at 717-233-5704. Please submit a clearly written or typed CLASSIFIED AD SUBMISSION/RATES sheet with the following required information: Electric co-op members: o Cooperative members should please submit the mailing $20 per month for 30 words or less, plus 50¢ for each additional word. label from Penn Lines as proof of membership. Non-members: o Non-members should submit name, address, phone number, $70 per month for 30 words or less, plus $1.50 for each additional word. and email address, if applicable. Ad in all CAPITAL letters: o Month(s) in which the ad is to run. Add 20 percent to total cost. o Ad copy as it is to appear in the publication. SPECIAL Headings: o $5 for co-op members, $10 for non-members. Fee applies to any heading not Heading ad should appear under, or name of special heading listed under “FREE Headings”, even if the heading is already appearing in Penn (additional fee). See below for FREE heading options. Lines. For ads running a special heading in consecutive months, the fee is a one- FREE Headings: • Motor Vehicles & Boats time fee of either $5 or $10 for all consecutive insertions. • Around the House • Nursery & Garden PAYMENT: • Business Opportunities • Real Estate Please make CHECK/MONEY ORDER payable to: PREA/Penn Lines. • Employment Opportunities • Recipes & Food Insertion of classified ad serves as proof of publication; no proofs supplied. • Gift & Craft Ideas • Tools & Equipment • Livestock & Pets • Vacations & Campsites SEND COMPLETED AD COPY AND PAYMENT TO: • Miscellaneous • Wanted to Buy Penn Lines Classifieds • P.O. Box 1266 • Harrisburg, PA 17108

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20 | FEBRUARY 2018 Classified ACdvertisementslassified Advertisements

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RECIPES AND FOOD cooperative. SPECIAL OFFER – BOTH COOKBOOKS FOR $12. “Country Cooking” – $5, including postage. “Recipes Remembered” – $7, including postage. Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men and women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention: Cookbooks.

| FEBRUARY 2018 21 punchlines

Earl’s goal: to have enough money to stop being ‘cheap’ By Earl Pitts, American

just wanna get rich with one of ghetti. I love spaghetti. But it ain’t And the caveman with the egg goes, those hipster online computer foolin’ me. We eat it ‘cause it’s cheap. “We’re gonna put it in the fire, and Iideas. The idea I’m workin’ on right Goin’ to the movies durin’ the then we’re goin’ eat it.” now is makin’ pants for bears. I’m still afternoon matinee with a popped bag Now, usin’ common sense, what do just in the concept stage. of Orville Reddenbacher snuck in in you think them cavemen did with that Pearl’s purse. Yeah, that’s cheap. egg? You know, I was drivin’ home last If you hit a big scratcher, I bet you Did they make an omelet? Probably night, doin’ what I do every night drivin’ don’t do that no more. I bet you buy not. I’m guessin’ omelets were still home. Spendin’ the lottery money I your popcorn at the movie theater. thousands of years into the future. Did haven’t won yet — in my brain. Maybe even buy a soda. they make eggs Benedict? I’m thinkin’ And that’s when I realized some- Wake up, America! We’re not rich. not. What does a Neanderthal know thing. The fact is, I do not want to win And we’re not poor. We’re just cheap. about holiday sauce? No, they proba- the lottery to get rich. Naw sir, I do I’m Earl Pitts, American. bly just scrambled it. And it was good. not want to be rich. Most of your rich Now, let’s come forward a few years people are a bunch of stuck-up, nose- couple of weeks ago, me and to the brave cowboys and pioneers in-the-air arrogant fools. I just don’t Pearl went down to the Sun- that settled this great land. Cookie, the want to be cheap no more. Ashine Cafe for breakfast. It was bunkhouse cook, is ringin’ that big ol’ Pearl has reminded me on more than kind of a lazy morning, just spendin’ metal triangle thing. And them sod- one occasion that we are not poor peo- some time with my loved ones. busters and sidewinders are wakin’ up ple. I ain’t braggin’, but we do not live Anyways, Margaret down there takes to the smell of fresh coffee, flap-jacks paycheck to paycheck. The fact is that our order, and she goes, “By the way, and sizzlin’ bacon. if I lost my job tomorrow, we could Earl, how do you want them eggs?” And Cookie goes, “Boys, I made you probably get by for several weeks. Of I look at Pearl, and then I look at a quiche.” Or, “I hope you like fritta- course, we might have to pawn Pearl’s Margaret, and I go, “I been comin’ in tas.” I don’t think so. Star Trek collector plates to do it, but here for breakfast more than 20 years. He goes, “I scrambled you some eggs.” the point is, we could do it. And you’re askin’ how do I want my And it was good. But the truth be told, me and Pearl eggs, Margaret?” Wake up, America. If scrambled both grew up poor. And when we She scribbles on her pad, “Scrambled eggs was good enough for history, first got married, we were poor. And eggs for Earl.” they’re good enough for Earl Pitts. we developed cheap habits. And once Then she goes, “I was just thinking With a little ketchup. I’m Earl Pitts, you get to our age, bein’ cheap may be that it’s a new year, so maybe it’s a a man who knows what he likes, so tirin’, but it’s just what you do. new Earl, too.”’ don’t mess with perfection. l Like when Pearl starts to whinin’ And I look at her and go, “What’s she wants a new car, we both know wrong with scrambled eggs?” Social commentary from Earl she don’t mean a “new” car. She So that’s how come I figured that Pitts — a.k.a. Gary Burbank, means a “used” car that’s newer than today we could honor and celebrate the a nationally syndicated radio personality — can be heard on the used car she’s currently drivin’. On scrambled egg. the following radio stations that account of, we’re cheap. Let me take you back thousands of cover electric cooperative ser- And maybe just a couple times, I’d years to the caveman days. And the vice territories in Pennsylvania: WANB-FM 103.1 Pittsburgh; like to know what it feels like to take caveman has just invented fire. And WARM-AM 590 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; her out to eat someplace where they another caveman steals a giant egg out WIOO-AM 1000 Carlisle; WEEO-AM 1480 got really good food instead of some of a Pterydactle nest. And he lugs that Shippensburg; WMTZ-FM 96.5 Johnstown; WQBR-FM 99.9/92.7 McElhattan; WLMI-FM place where we got a coupon from. bad boy back home to the cave. 103.9 Kane; and WVNW-FM 96.7 Burnham- And I’d like to live through one And caveman No. 1 goes, “What are Lewistown. You can also find him at earlpittsa- week where we don’t got to eat spa- we gonna do with that?” merican.com.

22 | FEBRUARY 2018 ruralreflections

More favorite photos We featured winners of the 2017 Rural Reflec- tions contest in January and awarded each of the photographers $75. This month, we present the 2017 runners-up, each of whom wins $25. Amateur photographers are encouraged to send photos to Penn Lines Photos, P.O. Box 1266, Harris- burg, PA 17108-1266. Include name, address, phone number and the name of your electric cooperative. Winners will be named in five categories: artistic, landscape, human, animal and editor’s choice. Please send spring photos by March; summer photos by May; fall photos by July and winter photos by September. 2018 photos will be returned in early 2019 if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. l

Thomas Cagle Northwestern REC

Eric & Stacey Bowser Valley REC

Fay Serbian REA Energy

Paul Fedornak REA Energy

| FEBRUARY 2018 23