LULU WAS NEEDED LAST WEEK

When I listened to the weather forecast Tuesday night, I thought to myself, "this is a situation made for Lulu."

There was a forecast of bad winter weather Wednesday, and that could pose a problem for the schools.  The most difficult call for the schools is when nothing is happening at 6 a.m. but bad weather is forecast later in the day.  Do you go to school and get hit with a snowstorm, or do you call off classes early, and perhaps have nothing happen?  That's when we need Lulu.

Lulu was a white goat who lived on a farm in Snow Campo in the late 1980's.  She belonged to my sister-in-law Peggy, and my brother, Earl.

Lulu, to put it simply, predicted snow.  And the school superintendent consulted her, through Earl, to decide about school on snowy days.

Nine times through the years he consulted Lulu, and she was on the money every time.

When snow threatened, Superintendent Joe Sinclair would call my brother and ask about Lulu.

When snow was coming, Lulu would leave her little sleeping area on the porch of an old house on the farm and go into the barn and make a warm bed there.  She would do this four hours or so before snow began.  If Lulu went to the barn, Joe would call off school. 

On one occasion, there was a threat of  snow up in the day, just as on this past Wednesday.  At 6 a.m., however, when Joe had to make a decision, not a flake was falling.  But he checked with Lulu.  At 4 a.m. she had gone to the barn.

Joe cancelled classes.  Many thought he had made a poor decision.  But by 7 a.m., snow was falling, and 8 inches fell during the day.

Lulu became quite famous.  Stories we wrote about her went all over the nation on the Associated Press wire -- and to England as well -- and she became something of a folk legend.

Every television station in the area visited Snow Camp for film and interviews.  National Public Radio did a piece on her, and Star Magazine, one of the supermarket tabloids, sent a reporter.  There was a photo of Lulu on the front of that publication.

When snow was forecast locally, residents would listen to the weathermen make their predictions, but then would ask, "Has Lulu gone to the barn yet?"

There were Lulu sweaters, caps, golf towels and such, and the proceeds were used to finance scholarships for local students.

Lulu met an untimely death just when her fame was about to grow even more.  A pack of wild dogs attacked and killed her on the farm one night, just when she had been invited to California to appear on a television program entitled "That's Incredible."

With all the snow this winter, Lulu would have really been in her element.  But on the other hand, this winter might have worked her to death.