MONTPELIER – Vermonters were thrust into emergency mode late Friday afternoon. It was as unexpected as it was frightening.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was out spreading manure,\u201d said Barnard farmer Dustin Peevely. \u201cI noticed the stuff coming out of the spreader seemed a bit more liquid than usual, but I didn\u2019t really pay it no mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed the pavement seemed to be wiggling,\u201d said heavy machine operator Lynn Farnham of Hubbardton, speaking to The Winooski\u2019s<\/em> Farm, Garden & Compost reporter Dark Memers. \u201cI\u2019ve seen this before and seen my rig leave imprints on the road. I\u2019ve always thought it was kind of cool.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘Cool\u2019 it was not. Peevely, Farnham and many other Vermonters were informed \u2013 suddenly, with little or no warning \u2013 by the State of Vermont Emergency Management that a potentially deadly heat wave was about to blanket our state. Jake Smithers, sitting outside the Westford General Store, responded to the warning with characteristic old Vermonter calm. \u201cIt\u2019s hot, a-yuh. Tends to get that way in summer,\u201d he noted. When pushed as to the steps he was going to take to fend off the heat, Smithers replied: \u201cI\u2019m gonna set here for a while, finish the cold beverage I\u2019ve got in the can in this bag, then I figure I\u2019ll mosey on home, feed the cat, open a can of beans and watch Jeopardy re-runs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve always had a spell or two of good heat,\u201d said Maddie Waresom of Tinmouth. \u201cNobody ever had to tell us to take it easy until recently. Don\u2019t need no government official to tell me it\u2019s hot! I can sort of figure that out for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n The heat wave is expected to last through the week, and the hope of many is that it will feel like summer at least until August 15th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"