GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS

A REMEMBERAMBLE FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2025

We have just about stomped a mudhole in this week's bee-hind, hind-end, hiney-butt, t-hiney, bottom, or any of the other euphemisms for well, uhm, you know, the "a" word. Several off you were so sure I was about say it, now were you not? But you know I won't do that, because there are twelve or ten sweet ole lady members who would swoon into a dead faint, and when they came to, they would hit the "care" emoji, then pray fervently for me. I will not make light of that too much, because I do need prayers, we all do.

I am on a rough road right now, not able to work and not able to draw my Social Security for a couple of months at least when we can get the glitches ironed out. "Getting the glitches ironed out," reminds me of one of my favorite running gags/skits in Mad magazine when I was a boy, was, "Horrifying Cliches." If you were a Mad fan you remember them, I am sure. The cliche that was the subject of the rendering would be perpetrated upon a monsterous critter that was the namesake of the cliche.

If you never saw them, Google "Mad Horrifying Cliches," and then click on images at the top and you will be able to splurge upon a limitless supply. ooh, there might even be one depicting, "splurging upon a limitless supply!" My brothers and I loved Mad Magazine, our sisters and mama and daddy, not narry'a bit. The central unit here in the house, ceased cooling yesterday morning, and the man came to fix it but has to come back this morning with the new fan motor and finish it.

It got pretty warm before the day was over, and three boyz just laid around, each hogging the small fan that I had directed toward the couch. Usually the boyz demand that we go outside, then go outside again, then play ball or lil Merle demands equal time since he does not play ball. But yesterday, they...we...napped almost the entire day, not wanting to do anything. I might begin setting the thermostat on 75, so I can be lazy, hot, but lazy. Nah, God did not create those lil boyz for me to ignore in my sorry laziness.

No matter how bad I feel, I make time for them, and they sure do make time for me. We do enjoy life together. I was thinking back at a few things that we were privileged to have experienced that would not be allowed to exist now. Not earth shattering things, but glimpses into a lost world where people could go their own way, live life their way, unique and set apart, not always respected, but allowed to.

We are hide-bound in red tape, regulations, laws, limitations, rules, statutes, rulings, enforcements galore, and hinderances to see that we are played like a sad game of whack-a-mole, to make us tow the line. It is not even our line. A great example of that lost era, is the Goatman, Ches McCartney, now I will not say he was a saint, nor a great and wonderful man, he was a troubled man, one with many great faults, but he was allowed to live life as he pleased.

Think about it, most of us met him, many knew him, we loved to see him and his old cobbled together, junk laden, wagon pulled by his goats. He traversed this great land, over and over for decades, holding up traffic, causing traffic jams, a rough bearded man with a simple smile and kind words. Millions I guess, it had to be millions, flocked to see him in every state for generations. He may have been troubled now and then by police officers or state troopers, but if so, we never knew it, he went unfettered about his way.

No one ever said, "you must stop this." He was encouraged wherever he went. Not today, if thugs did not kill him, law enforcement would have come down on him like the last judgement. The universal thought about the Goatman, Ches McCartney, was to let him be, he is the only one, never was there another like him. That was honored across this land. Another fragment of history on the move were the gypsy caravans, a people much unlike us, often disliked, not trusted, but they lived life their way.

I remember seeing one of the last of them, south of Atlanta, a long line of gaudy, colorful homes on wheels, a people set apart, set apart for their own liking. Not interested in life as the rest of the world lived it. They were admired and feared, to a certain extent, they committed infractions of the law, were always suspect if they passed through. If they did the things they were said to do, many misdemeanors, and petty crimes.

It was not catastrophic, as they spread those activities in the dust behind them, never doing too much in any one location to bring hell fire and damnation on them. Mostly the law said, "just keep moving." If you arrested a gypsy, until that individual was released, and free to go, you had the entire tribe on your hands for the duration. So, yes, they might have to repay some money now and then to a farmer or merchant for things gone missing.

The town or county officials did not want to have them locked down, and setting up camp on the edge of town waiting for their kinfolk to be free. The day came when the gypsies were told they could no longer live as they had. Their ancient trucks would be pulled of off the road if they did not meet all government regulations, had to have permits to stop and camp, etc.. It was only when the gypsies had to give up living life on the move, that they pretty much, "messed in their nest," so to speak.

An example being those Irish gypsies we know so well. Once they had to live as gypsies tied to a single place, did they become reviled by many. to the point they are today. I am not here to glorify, but illustrate how much freedom we have lost. Most folks are glad, even eager to trade freedom for security. Sadly, security becomes a trap, and when we are trapped, we have not one iota of freedom. Please, please do not trade your birthright, nor my birthright for a bowl of stew. When you give up yours, mine goes with it.

Just a few serious thoughts here this morning, tomorrow I will be sure to make us laugh. I promise, I will think on it all day, and share some happiness with you, on the morrow. God bless and thank you. NUMBERS 6: 24-26 KJV

we boyz three, babee conway, lil merle, & me