The Weather Coconut *or stump...

I'm not going to lie and say this is an original idea... because it's not. I visited Camp Yaguuuuuuuuu (?) which is the oldest scout camp in the country and saw this incredibly wonderful item.

There was a stump dangling from a rope on a tripod. The structure was about 4 feet tall and very eye catching, although surrounded by trees and other such nature-related colors. Leaning on the leg of the tripod was a wooden sign that read "Weather Stump" and followed with instructions on how to operate the tool.

I cannot remember all of the instructions, but a simple and clear one was "If the stump is wet, it's raining." Awesome. I always wanted a weather telling device that was accurate - and as far as I can tell this stump was the most accurate thing I had ever seen. "If you cannot see the stump, it's foggy;" "If the stump is on fire, run!"

And etc.

Upon returning to my own camp, I decided to build my very own Weather Stump. The structure was a huge hit, although I thought we could do one better.

All meteorologists know the special weather-predicting abilities of the coconut, but this important information rarely reaches the public. After consulting with many in the weather-field and attending a secret meteorological ceremony in the heart of a volcano (they don't mess around), I was told about the mysteriously wonderful properties of the coconut. The following summer, I rebuilt the weather station, this time substituting a coconut for the stump.

The experiment was a complete success. Not only was the coconut more accurate, but I could tell from the amount of attention it received that everyone could tell how superior a coconut is in predicting forecasts than a stump.

Now, I haven't included the list of "Weather Coconut" instructions, because the abilities will greatly vary depending on type of coconut and location... but if you need a little help, don't hesitate to drop me a line at vigeant@gmail.com.

**EDIT**
I have gotten several requests for the instructions, so here are a few that I can remember. I'll do a complete write-up when I locate a good picture...

"If the coconut is wet, it's raining"
"If you cannot see the coconut, it's foggy"
"If the coconut is floating, there's a flood"
"If the coconut is on fire, run!"
"If the coconut is flying through the air at tremendous speed, run for the cellar, Dorothy!"
"If the coconut is missing, someone stole it (call 911)"
"If the coconut has a bite out of it, call animal control"
"If the coconut is frozen, then it's cold out (and keep your hands off of the coconut!)"
"If the coconut is covered in snow, it's ANYONES guess"
"If there are molten rocks falling onto the coconut... well... good luck"
"If the coconut tastes funny, stop licking it!"

BTW - that's Bryan demonstrating how to use the "Weather Coconut"