It seems to me that it’s been pretty soggy and wet in Sanpete lately.   That’s just my personal observation.  Your individual results may vary.

   I’m only judging by the  mud on my shoes, splashes from puddles as cars zoom through them in the street in front of my house, and my rain gutters overflowing.  (I wonder if I should have paid attention to autumn leaves above my roof.)

   I have one of those “Indian Weather Stations,” but it’s not been deployed out into the weather.  It’s more of a conversation piece which  I purchased to give as a gift for someone.  But it’s still in a box somewhere waiting.

   I bought it years ago at a souvenir shop.  It might have been at the Cameron Trading Post down south of Page, AZ.  We like to stop there for a break when driving Highway 89 down that way.  You won’t find a better Navajo taco anywhere than at the restaurant there.

   These days it may not be considered kosher to use the name “Indian” in lots of situations.  I think you just have to know your audience.  I certainly don’t mean any denigration of Native Americans when I use the term.

   I attended school in Richfield with fellow students who came up for the school year from the reservation.   They lived in what was called the “Indian Dorm.”  It was started in 1954 and still exists.  It  is now officially called “Richfield Residential Hall.”

   Back to the weather station thing.  I guess in some places these are called Hillbilly Weather Stations or Cajun Weather Stations, etc.  If you don’t know or haven’t remembered, this “weather station” is just a rock hanging from a string or rope from a tripod.

   The humor factor for this “meteorological equipment” is in the signage.  Some of the instructional signs are short and simple.  Some are extensive and long.  I’ll give you a good sampling of some of the “readings” which the weather station is able to report.

   If the rock is wet, it’s raining.  If the rock is swinging, the wind is blowing.  If the rock is hard to see, it’s foggy.  If the rock is white, it’s snowing.  If the rock is bouncing, there is an earthquake.

   If the rock is warm, it is sunny.  If the rock can be felt, but not seen, it is night time.  If the rock is underwater, there is a flood.  If the rock has white  splats on it, watch out for birds.  If there are two rocks, you’re drunk.

   These kinds of weather rocks are all over the world.  I guess some are semi-famous and are regularly maintained.  I’ll give you a few of the locations which I thought were interesting.

   Whippi Dip ice cream store – Spring Lake, Michigan.  The Donner’s Pass Historic Site – near Lake Tahoe, California.  Fort Drum – US military site in New York.  Kiseki Museum of World Stones – Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.  Brazen Head Pub, Dublin, Ireland.

   When I think about it, having a camera trained on one of these weather rocks would be a good idea for the Utah Department of Transportation.  The existing UDOT cameras, which I’m grateful for, on the mountain pass roads might not be giving us as much information as the hanging rock would give.

   I guess you’ve heard that we might be in for a great and terrible winter – great if you’re a skier/snowboarder kind of person and terrible if you’re snow shoveler kind of person.  Yep – this is a “Super El Nino” year.  El Nino is Spanish for “Little Boy.”  It describes the warm phase of the cycle of changes in temperature for the Pacific Ocean.

   Long story short, this situation indicates a probability for some very active weather in our part of the country.  I asked AI, “Is El Nino a real thing for Sanpete County, Utah?”  The answer:  “Yes, El Nino is very much a real thing for Sanpete County, and it is actively driving unusual weather across Utah.”

   More:  “Weak El Ninos rarely impact central and northern Utah, but “Super” El Nino events are different.  The strongest El Nino winters on record, such as 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 blanketed the mountains of central Utah with massive, historic snowpacks.”

   My crystal ball is hazy.  I don’t know what to expect.  There is an old quote, “There are only two kinds of people who predict the weather: newcomers and damn fools.”  There are lots of variations on that quote which was first documented with a version in Galveston in 1910, “Only fools and newcomers predict the weather in Texas (insert Utah, or anywhere else).

   Mark Twain is reported to have said, “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.”

   “Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” – John Ruskin

   So, if we believe that we’re in for an intense winter season, what are we to do?  Wring our hands and worry?  Board up the house and head for San Diego?   Both might be good options.  But I don’t think that’s necessary.

   I think most Sanpeters know that we can rely on each other for whatever is coming.  We’ll make sure our furnaces are working properly.  We’ll be  prepared with warm socks and warm hearts.

   We’ll continue to check on our neighbors, like we always have.  It’s the Sanpete way.  A new’ish neighbor of ours asked me the other day if we were doing okay.

   She’s a younger married woman.  Without saying it directly,  I sensed that she was being sensitive to the fact that we recently “said goodbye” to Archer, the wonder Sheltie.

   She really liked the dog.  Her last words in our little conversation were, “If you ever need anything, let us know.”  She seemed sincere.

   That’s the  type of attitude needed by all of us  when and if our Indian Weather Stations get overwhelmed this winter.  Let’s all be ready, willing and able to help if needed.   Bring it on El Nino! I’ll sip hot chocolate and watch the reservoirs fill up.

Wouldn’t it be phenomenal if Lake Powell got a boost?  — Merrill