I live on a lovely old dirt road and often walk up and down it to check out the birds, wildflowers, etc. in my neighborhood. In my older entries I referred to my neighbors by name because the names reminded me of where I was when I heard or saw something. But my neighbors’ names have changed as old ones have moved out and new ones have moved in, so when the Emergency 911 system assigned all the houses numbers that would tell rescue vehicles how many miles or fractions of miles a caller’s house was up the road, I began using the new numbers, which would be permanent and also indicate where exactly I was on the road.
Here’s how the system works: my own number is #884, which means I’m .884 miles up my road. The Birds of Vermont Museum, which is in my side yard is #900, or .9 miles up the road. Here’s how it works combined with some of my current neighbors’ names. My next door neighbors, currently the Baileys, are #982. Then come the Saxtons at #1093, John Aruzzas’ old house at #1159, Ed at #1220, the Charlands at #1256, Wendall at #1278, Lisa at #1350, the senior Enmans at #1361, Buffy at #1406, Archie Place’s grand nieces who now live in two modern houses where his old farmhouse used to be at #1561 and #1562, Paula at #1776, and the young Enmans at #1803. Then come the chain of beaver ponds and associated wetlands that begin just after the new house at #1925 and continue to another new house at #1984 and stretch almost up to the Town Line.
