The Rain on the Plain is Mainly Insane
Rain? Again? Does it have to rain every day?
Yeah, yeah, I know. Three things you can’t do anything about: death, taxes and the weather. But it has rained almost constantly since March and shows no signs of letting up.
This morning, they sent out ominous flood warnings. As much as three inches an hour could fall from the skies. Rain. Monsoon. Flood. Last time this much rain fell, Noah went out and built himself a boat.
Don’t mind me. Rain causes my joints to ache. Too much rambunctous activity in my youth has led to too many aching bones and joints in later life.
Oh The Horror
I’ve been writing for publication for more than 40 years yet have never had either the nerve or desire to get up in front of a bunch of people and read something I’ve written.
Until last night. As the newest inductee into the Floyd Writers Circle, a group of writers who live and write in the county, my initiation including standing on stage at Oddfellas Sunday night and reading two selections from the D.C. DarkSide web site.
Domination
This seems to be the year of domination in some sports.
Earlier today, Michael Schumacher tied his own record for most wins in a Formula 1 auto racing season (11) and will almost certainly break it, considering he’s won 11 out of 12 races this year (and most likely would have won that one had not another competitor wrecked him).
Did You Know…
There are 17 registered sex offenders living in Floyd County?
That’s the number listing on the Virginia State Police’s Sex Offender Database on the ‘Net.
When a person is convicted of a violent crime involving sexual offenses, they are required to register with the state and the state then posts the list for all to see.
Parents of young children should check it out. It pays to know your neighbors.
Riding That Train
Caught a feature on The Grateful Dead on the tube the other night. Yes, the Dead, the ones who vowed to never again tour at The Grateful Dead after the death of Jerry Garcia, are still on the road and deadheads still flock to their concerts.
Of course, they got around their promise to never again tour as The Grateful Dead by just calling themselves “The Dead” but it is, more or less, the same band without Garcia.
Driving Too Slow
A comment back on my earlier rant about why is it so important that someone be “from here” noted that people who move to Floyd County often criticise the locals for driving too slow.
Valid complaint. I often top a hill and come up on someone cruising along at a sedate 35 mph, not because their car or truck won’t go any faster but simply because they refuse to drive at a more rapid clip.
Interstates have minimum speeds. Not so country roads and if they did at least a third of the locals would be under it.
Road Kill
Dead deer along side U.S. 221 just south of West End Market, the third I saw on the drive in from the farm.
The number of vehicle accidents involving deer is on the rise throughout Virginia as the population increases and the animals venture closer to civilization in search of food.
It’s often dark when I head home at night and I can count on seeing anywhere from two to five deer just on Rte. 758 (Buffalo Mountain Road).
Snail’s Pace
Sat cooling my heels the other day while the Virginia Department of Transportation painted lines along the side of new pavement on U.S. 221 south of Willis.
They managed to let cars back up for a full 15 minutes before letting them through. An even-longer line waited at the other end in the northbound lane.
Follow The Money…
An old rule of journalism says that when things seem fishy, follow the money and find out who’s getting rich at who’s expense.
Which brings me to that 50,000 square-foot boil on the the county’s future — that “shell building” on Christiansburg Pike, the one the county will have to buy when the company that built it can’t fill it with tenants by 2007.
I suspect somebody’s getting rich and it ain’t the county or the taxpayers. It may take time, but I will find out who and report it here.
ATM-deprived?
I spend a lot of time on the road, which means I also depend a lot on automatic teller machines when traveling.
Yet Floyd County seems to be an ATM-deprived community. The Bank of Floyd has a drive-through ATM in Floyd, but not one in Willis. Blue Ridge Bank doesn’t offer ATMs (and brags about it from what I understand). You can find ATMs at some of the food markets and gas stations but not at Food Lion.
Is there a feeling that ATMs are part of some grand government conspiracy to spy on us?