Weather or Not

I started going to town meetings about 22 years ago, and consider it a point of pride that I haven't missed one yet. This includes a meeting during a terrific ice storm that left almost a half-inch thick shell on all the cars, trees, roads and power lines. There were only about 12 of us in the gym that year, compared to twoo or three-hundred. I moved to a new town about five years ago and haven't had a spring storm like that 'big one' back in Monkton ... um ... it might've been '95 or thereabouts - can't really remember.

Anyway, we've got snow, rain, sleet, ice and high wind in the forecast for tomorrow (Town Meeting Day). Another winter storm, and the spring storm season is just getting off to a great start. I'm hoping for low turnout this year. It makes the meeting move faster and get a little more interesting because only the die-hards and the opinionated show up. Of course that may also impact the Obama/Clinton ratio, but we won't know in what way although you can be sure we'll hear about it on Wednesday when everybody will say they know what Tuesday's weather caused.

I've got four 25lb bags of rock salt betting on the ice storm. I can't lose.

I've got to teach a class in the morning at The Academy in the first period, but I'll be out in time to get to the Danville Town Meeting. I'm also on the board of The Northeast Kingdom Astronomy Foundation which is putting up an observatory in Peacham, so the plan is to rush down to Peacham for lunch and be there for when an article we're warning comes up for a vote. (We're asking the town to give the school board the authority to negotiate use of school land for this private observatory which will be used as a resource for the school.)

All this excitement and ice and wind ... it's going to be a great day.