Dowser

I met Susan as I was walking home from the beach. She recognized me from the neighborhood and stopped to ask if I wanted a ride. This was the beginning of a four or five month date. She was quite a bit younger than me but old for her years. She was pretty soured on life at her young age. It took me a little time to try and understand why. As summer came to an end she was off to college and we would not see much of one another. She was off to UVM and the study of art.

Octoberfest is celebrated during the second week of October in Burlington and is quite a festival in town proper as well as on campus. Sue’s father was headed up to see her for the weekend and asked if I would like to drive up with him. I had nothing special going on and said sure.

He was a retired doctor and quite an interesting man so the ride was not the least uncomfortable. We arrived at the school after several hours of driving and found our way to her dorm. Wow!, was all I could think of. What a Mecca for liberalism! It had almost that feel of the late sixties and the Vietnam protesters. Posters for stop this, banners for stop that, tables set up here and there collecting signatures,  petitions for this cause and that. We gathered her up and headed to downtown for a bite of lunch.

The center of Burlington is bounded by Lake Champlain, a massive lake that also borders New York and Canada. It was the most amazing sight I had ever seen! Millions of Monarch butterflies ! Apparently this is their summer home and they were getting ready for the migration back to Mexico for the winter. I was amazed that they migrated and especially that distance. I always thought they just expired at the end of a season. We had a walk about , some lunch and returned her to school. We bid her goodbye and good luck and were on our way. Doc said , “Do you mind  if we stop and see a relative?”. Was I going to say no?

We drove some forty five minutes out of the way through the narrow,  curving mountainous roads of backwoods Vermont . With each mile it seemed we went further back in time , not simply in miles. I was waiting to see a mongaloid boy playing a banjo on an overhead bridge. Fortunately I did not.

This story is not about Sue but rather about the relative. We finally ended up at the home we had been searching for and were welcomed by a man and his wife. They were probably in their seventies.  It is so long ago now I do not remember their names nor is it really important. The house was situated half way up a mountain on seemingly one of the flat spots around. There were introductions, coffee, cookies and general chat.

Mid way through the visit, Doc asked of this man’s work? It seems that other than being a farmer he was also a dowser. I want to tell you I was skeptical. He spoke of water flow under a house and the direction of your bed in such a certain direction to either promote sleep and health or in the opposite case of the ills that would come about. It was fascinating but I took as folklore.

He could see the doubt in my eyes and bid me to come with him. On the way out the door he grabbed his divining rod . He told me to pick out a piece of property and we then went there. This rod of his was made of fiberglass and sure nothing like the divining rods I had heard of. I asked about this and he told me they could be made of anything, it did not matter. He held the rod with both hands at shoulder height and thumbs to his chest. He began to walk and within twenty yards the rod took a big dive to the ground. Knowing that I was suspicious and doubtful, he showed me how to hold this rod and bade me to start back at where we  were  and then walk the same path. I did this to keep the old man humored. It was virtually at the same spot this rod was almost  pulled from my hands . I was amazed ! I have since not doubted the tales and knowledge of my elders. I believe it was that same year at my mother’s house I had the priviledge of meeting an old man that had actually taken a buckboard ride with his father and Annie Oakley. They may be old but they have invaluable stories and experience to teach us all as one day so will we.