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All about weather, signs, and other things |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
By NICK BURDICK
Express Correspondent
ORLEANS— Glen McAllister is a well-known, and well-liked local semi-retired carpenter. He was born in Lowell, has lived in Coventry, and now lives in Orleans.
When he and his wife Joyce are not at their Water Street home, which
was built many years ago by Allen Leach, another well-known Orleans
carpenter when he was alive, they travel. And, like many other
Vermonters, they own a house in Florida, and they go there during the
cold winter months.
Now Glen likes to help out whenever he can, and Water Street has lots
of traffic during the day. Maple Lane Nursing Home is at the top of the
hill, along with the Folsum Farm, and, if you travel far enough, Barton
Village.
He decided that these travelers needed to know what they were getting
into for weather, so he built the very first Orleans Weather Station.
It sits proudly on the front left-hand corner of his lot, in plain
sight of the traffic.
The sign is about six feet high (the post, that is), and is made of
wood. It looks strikingly like a holder for a mailbox. The sign itself
hangs from it, and is about three feet by three feet. The station is
all handmade and hand lettered.
On the right side of the sign hangs a four foot rope. Lettered up and
down the sign are lines that say: Wet rope, rain; dry rope, fair;
white rope, snow; swinging rope, wind; invisible rope, fog. He thought
that would be all the instructions needed, but he was wrong. Someone
stole the rope!
He took the sign down and added: "Rope Gone — Thief in Town.” Adding another rope, he re-hung the sign. All was well with the weather in Orleans.
They say history repeats itself, and it must be true. Last Saturday evening, someone stole the rope again! Glen has decided to install a motion light this time, so the thief can see what he, or she, is doing!
Now, just one word of caution to the thief. As soon as the elections are over, it will be just a matter of time before the big three, ABC, CBS, and NBC negotiate with Glen to buy the only weather station in Orleans.
It would be highly unlikely that you would go to jail if you were prosecuted in the Vermont courts, but when one of the big three takes over, it will be a federal offense. Of course, if you really like Pennsylvania you are all set.
Also, Glen likes to take coffee at the Brown Cow, on East Main Street, in Newport, and once that morning crowd finds out who the thief is, there is no telling what they might do to protect one of their own!
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 September 2008 )
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