GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS

A Rememberamble for Friday, September 12, 2025

"Won't y'all get down and come in? Let's have a little visit, shall we? That reminds me of my favorite Stringbean song he played on the banjo and sung, "Hot Corn, Cold Corn." In it he says, "come along boys, make less noise while the old folks is sleepin', let's go down to the barnyard and have us a little banjo pickin." If you are not familiar with Stringbean, and never heard the song, I will post it here on the group. "Ole Strang," was a heck of a banjo player and a great showman on the Opry, on Hee Haw, as well as stages across this land.

He was a gentle soul as was his dear wife. He and Grandpa Jones were pals, and worked together at the Opry. String Bean (David Akeman) had bought a piece of land from Grandpa Jones and built a modest home there. He and Grandpa Jones loved being neighbors and were quite close as friends. One night in 1973, when Stringbean and his dear Estelle, returned from performing on the Opry, two evil brothers were lying in wait at their home. It was rumored that String Bean had money hidden in his home.

They brutalized String and Estelle trying make them tell where his money was hidden, they tortured and killed them both, and found no money. It was a sickening crime. It was a savage blow to Grandpa Jones, finding them tied up, beaten mercilessly, and killed. One of the Brown brothers who killed them died in prison in 2003, and the other was paroled after serving forty-one years in prison. Both in my opinion should have died there.

Almost twenty years later, after the home was bought by a new owner, they found a significant stash of money hidden in the chimney. It was so deteriorated and damaged by mice that it was unusable. Let's talk a bit more about Saturday. We hope to convene the Gathering at one o'clock, then commence to eating. It is fine and actually best if you can come a bit earlier if you are bringing food so it can al be set up. So please, do try to come early.

We will be there, and the guys in the program will carry anything you need help with, and help with parking if needed. The address is 113 Augusta Road, Garfield. It is easy to find, turn at the caution light, and go the direction that takes you between the convenience store and the Methodist Church on Monroe Street. Proceed through Garfield, past the post office, and on up the hill on the other side of town. When you come to the three way stop, turn left and all of those building are the NBIC campus.

The dinner is inside the sanctuary and dining hall. So many who planned to come, have been sending me their regrets at no longer being able to. I am getting a bit nervous about it, and the possible low turnout. We will find out Saturday. Of course, it is this way every year, many back out from coming, and I get nervous about it being an embarrassing flop, but we have maybe one hundred to one hundred and fifty attendees. Please, if you are a good story teller, let us know ahead of time if you want to tell a funny or poignant story.

Oh, can someone pick up a couple of hundred stick-on name tags? I have the registration book, and will bring it. Lil Merle told me to tell you that he will be there, and will eat a bite or two of shicken if you slip it to him. Yeah, babee Conway has him calling it shicken also. We are gonna have a &$^@-ton of door prizes. You will find that all of the men of New Beginnings are friendly, and helpful. Make it a point to talk to some of them. Our military jets were training hard last night in the skies over us Garfield folks.

They made many of those tight turns that rumble so, that you can feel it in your bones. I will let y'all go now, and thank you for your faithfulness here. Numbers 6: 24-26 KJV

..... we boyz three, babee conway, lil mere, & me