March 22, 1984 - Unlocking Nature's SecretsPage 16
The Suffolk Times
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
WINDBLOWN FEATHER -- Feathers, like old clothes and shoes, wear out
only to be replaced each year by new.
March 22, 1984
Unlocking Nature's Secrets
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
It's a dreary, drizzly Monday morning.
Yet as I look out across the pasture I see
the chickens in their ever -busy
scratching. Secrets we'll never know
have been locked up for months in
winter's freeze. What is it they are
eating? Is it tiny seeds that were hidden
away until the magic hour of warmth and
moisture would trigger them into life? Is
it insects that curled up under a leaf to
await spring's warmth? Perhaps it's a
bit of greenery bold enough to reach for
the sky at this early time of the year.
Whatever the chickens find, it must be
rewarding for they keep busy all day long
in their pursuit. Signs of upturned leaves
and scratched raw earth show where
their activity took place.
The surge of energy derived from these
newly -found nutrients combined with the
longer days have triggered a new spurt
of egg laying. How rewarding it is to
utilize these freshly laid eggs. When I go
to collect them occasionally I find a trace
of blood on the shells of some. These are
new layers. Their first gallant effort.
These visible signs make me cringe and
appreciate motherhood all the more.
Tuesday, March 27th:
Wednesday, March 28th:
Hear Merrill Lynch tell
how to manage your money in
today's chap in economy.
changing
Phone for reservations to the Merrill Lynch Seminar: "How to Manage Your Money in Today's
Changing Economy" It's free, but seating is limited, so act today.
Not just another lecture
This Seminar is your chance to learn better ways to invest your money from professionals.
Absolutely free.
Some topics we'll cover: What to do with money you want to keep safe. How to get high
interest without tying up your money. An investment you should avoid if you're in a high tax
bracket. And more.
You'll also receive a free copy of Investments For a Changing Economy —a 16 -page booklet
with facts and figures to help you decide which investments you should choose and avoid —
right now.
Change brings opportunities
The past year can be summed up in one word change. The way to go might be stocks one
day. Treasury Bills the next. Or an investment tactic you've never heard of before.
But this flurry of change has also brought new opportunities. For high interest. Growth. Steady
income. And for small investors to participate in markets that had never before been available
to them.
Here's how to be sure you can attend this important seminar: Phone 516- 727438M Alice Duran
for reserved seats. Do it now and be sure there's a place for you.
Time: 7:30 P.M. Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Tolendal Inn Place: Soundview Restaurant
Main Rd., Mattituck North Rd., Greenport
Date: Tuesday, March 27th Date: Wednesday, March 28th
'Come hear Merrill Lynch Name—._
tell how your money
'could work harder in Address —
1984.
Mall t0' 806 E. Mdo St. . City — Sta1c- —Lip
Merrill Lynch N.Y.
'
Telephone -- —
' ❑ Please reserve Merrill Lynch customers, please give name and office address of
seat(s) for your
' Account Executive.
seminar on -- '
❑ No, 1 cannot attend. Merrill L nch
but please send attend, informa-
tion on this subject. .Merrill I .inch Pierce Fenner &Smith lnc.
`Mmm� - ommA J
O Copyright 1981 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith. Incorporated Member SIPC
�n,n�dpC�
Along the hedgerow to the north there's
a line of pines that were planted years
ago to cut out the cold wind from the
north. Atop one rides a newly- arrived
triumphant red - winged blackbird. For
weeks these blackbirds have been back
staking out their territory in anticipation
of the arrival of the females. Hopefully
this sentinel atop the pine will be able to
lure his lady fair into agreeing that the
territory he has claimed will meet with
her approval.
Of course, there will have to be much
courting and displaying. And who hasn't
heard the red -wing call from his high
perch and seen his spreading tail and
flashing red - orange epaulettes as he
performs for a seemingly unconcerned
female below. Never will the red in the
wing ever be so brilliant as now, for as
the season drags on the role of being the
family provider takes the place of
courtship and his colors will diminish.
The bright colorful coating will actually
be worn away. All bird feathers wear just
as our shoes and clothing become worn
after long use. And so birds molt each
year; old feathers are discarded, and
new feathers replace them.
Tiny Flowers Hardly Seen
When I go up back to put out hay for the
cows, the tiny white flowers of draba can
barely be seen on the mat below. These
tiny, eighth -inch flowers are seldom
noticed for their stems are but one to two
inches high and the leaves are so small
and uncolorful it appears as if there is
nothing there but the flower. Thoreau
once said, "Objects are concealed from
our view, not so much because they are
out of the course of visual ray as because
we do not bring our minds and eyes to
bear on them."
I truly believe that's why many of us
miss so much in the world around us.
Unknowingly we've been taken away
from it by today's busy world and
therefore when we venture out we seem
to be in a strange and unfamiliar world.
In days gone by, our grandmothers and
grandfathers were much more closely
associated with the world around them.
Their eyes and minds were better
attuned to the land. It is my belief we are
missing much in life, for we are too
preoccupied with our "man- made"
world which in the long run does not
satisfy the soul the way the natural world
does.
Veteran's Benefits
Employers interested in being re-
imbursed up to 50 percent of the starting
wages for a maximum of $10,000 per
employee should hasten to investigate
the requirements for participating in the
Emergency Veterans' Job Training Act,
according to Sal Sartorio, State Veteran
Counselor.
Vietnam era veterans throughout the
state are eager to receive the job training
available through the medium of this
recently enacted legislation. For an
employer to receive reimbursement, the
employer must hire a veteran and begin
training no later than Dec. 31, 1984. The
program provides for payments to
employers to partially defray the cost of
training new employees.
For additional information contact the
New York State Division of Veterans'
Affairs, County Center, Riverhead,
11901, or call 548 -3080.