All hail the lowly lousewort
BUG GUTS & BEAUTY
Have you kissed your favorite Furbish Lousewort? Pucker up and smooch the green leaves of a plant more powerful than a United States Senator and stronger than 100,000 Massachusetts electricity users.
When Aroostook County gets around to redesigning the county seal this plant should be part of the new design. Those who remember the battles for the Allagash well remember the modest little plant that did more to keep the Allagash Waterway in its pristine quality than any environmentalist.
Discovered in a small area of the Allagash/St. John Valley area, the diminutive plant held foolhardy industrialists at bay from building the largest bathtub for out-of-staters the State of Maine would have ever known. Had this construction project been approved with caveats than one of the busiest workers in the community would have been the construction inspector.
In a recent moment of humor and wit, one of our local inspectors wrote a book about the experience. Acting as a guide Douglas Emery details the world of the construction inspector. Those who have not had the pleasure of herding cats, fleas, and ants, may not realize that yes, people building things is common but for every knowledgeable builder there are plenty who know more. The construction inspector keeps the various characters honest.
“Dope Deals and Donnybrooks” by Douglas Emery is a treat for anyone who has tried to get a project off the drawing board and into a home. As the City gets ready for one of the largest construction projects in its history – a bypass highway on the east side of Presque Isle – it’s a good bet that the characters of this book will take life and provide lots of entertainment for the blokes enjoying extra bacon at the diner.
One brief, but fitting character in this book about the humorous side of construction permits and blueprints, the Furbish Lousewort earned the respect of inspectors everywhere. Those tender green leaves and delicate flowers proved stronger than the dozers, pile drivers, rollers, and concrete haulers assembled together. One delicate flutter and $10 million disappears. Even mosquitos and blackflies tip their hats to this plant.
Douglas Emery highlights all the characters who must obey the plant. Worth reading for the laughs this guidebook can be found through Amazon and at the library. Read it and laugh.
Orpheus Allison is a photojournalist living in The County who graduated from UMPI and earned a master of liberal arts degree from the University of North Carolina. He began his journalism career at WAGM television later working in many different areas of the US. After 20 years of television he changed careers and taught in China and Korea.
