Must've asked this before Stig, but I've forgotten the answer. Origin of the label "Group W bench"?
Arlo Guthrie's song -
Alice's Restaurant, in which he shares his experience at a draft-board office, 1960's Mass..
He is questioned about his arrest for littering, and ordered to sit on the
Group W bench with other unsuitables - to ponder whether he has rehabilitated himself and therefore can be given a moral '
Waiver', and thus be suitable for the military.
In Y.S. the Group W is a decades old long wooden bench in front of Tom's market - where those suspected of being different - and therefore celebrated in this village - congregate throughout the day. Often it is a bed for some during the night. It is on the main drag through the village. Village police pass by frequently and do not take much notice of street people sleeping on the bench - or scooter riders sitting there well before sunrise.
The village is something of a 'destination' for visitors.
On pretty much every warm, sunny, day - a score of tourists sit there, cheek by cheek. Unaware.....
In New Haven, Conn., is the
Group W Bench. A shop reputed to be "The oldest running head shop on the planet." It is located just down the street from Yale University.
Sitting on the W the other morning I was sad to read that "Baby", a parrot, has gone missing. She flew out the front door Thursday evening - last seen headed in the direction of the fire house.
I wonder -
can a parrot survive in Ohio?
Stig
