June 06, 2012

A small town algorithm

El Cabrero has been a negligent blogger lately because I've been careening all over West Virginia beating the drums for creating a Future Fund from natural resources severance taxes which would derive a permanent stream of wealth from nonrenewable resources.

While doing this, and specifically when traveling to beautiful downtown Glenville, county seat of Gilmer County, I was reminded of one simple rule to know you are in a small town...

to wit: you know you're in a small town when the parking meters don't take anything bigger than a dime.

(Disclosure: my own home town doesn't even have parking meters.)

NOTE: link truck broke down.

2 comments:

Hollowdweller said...

Love Glenville.

In 1979 I won a VW Rabbit from Sears.

That enabled me to drive home on the weekends.

My friend Margaret who always rode with me told me that this girl from SC wanted a ride home.

She showed up at my car that Friday, it was Anita and the rest was history.

Many a time we sat on the weekend on the steps of the courthouse, overlooking town dreaming of the farm we'd have when we graduated and got jobs.

Anonymous said...

I was at GSC in the early 70s, then stuck around the town 'til '78. There was a meter-maid who was the talk of the town, and NOT in a good way. She was ACTUALLY in the Guinness book of World Records for the most traffic violation tickets in the smallest town. She would stand and wait 'til a meter ran out.If you pulled over just to let some one out of your car, you (literally) better be sure she was on the other side of the street! I was once married to some one who had previous paid his fine in pennies and doggie do... It is much easier for one's meter to run out if they only put in a dime, instead of a quarter. Human nature being what it is. Thanks for reminding me of a few fond memories, Rick.(-;