Tishomingo Blues: A Centennial for Tishomingo, MS

Tishomingo, MS celebrated its centennial last week. It is the town next door to my home town and I have many good friends from there.

The town was named for a Chickasaw Indian Chief (his image is on the flag and Great Seal of the Chickasaw Nation), was commissioned by George Washington.

It is known for the State Park, Tishomingo State Park and the annual Dulcimer Festival. It has a rich heritage of hard working folks and living through many different hard times to survive 100 years. Good for you.

The thing that Tishomingo is associated with (even if you didn’t know it) is the theme song for Garrison Keillor’s ‘Prairie Hom Companion’ is Tishomingo Blues performed below by The Harlem Ramblers Dixieland Jazzband (who are actually from Zurich, but who’s keeping score?).

I have partied hard in Tishomingo (a one square mile town of about 400). And many times at Tishomingo State Park (a very cool place that has been dated for inhabitation back to around 6 or 7,000BC). Its hiking trails were recently voted the best in Mississippi.

I have spent countless hours as a youth canoing (very mild, but fun canoe trip down Bear Creek… which eventually ends up in the Tn River).

When we were around 16 or 17, several of us (Wade, Parsons, Bubba, Chuckles and myself) went down to canoe the creek and get on one. There was two to a canoe and one with the cooler (the rule is to NEVER turn over the cooler canoe… this could get your ass whipped). This was just as we were graduating (late spring) and it wasn’t quite hot and most mornings were still cool, so no one really wanted to go under. We, as Southern Gentlemen, had a truce that as long as there was beer in the cooler AND it was still cool, no hanky-panky.

But Chuckles lied to us. He had the cooler, but drank the last beer without telling anyone, acting as if there was more, so he started the shit. But he was out-numbered and as we figured out his ploy, we ganged up and flipped him into the ‘freezing’ water.

Eventually everyone ended in, but for some reason Chuckles was the only wearing a jock (we found this out as he climbed up onto the swinging rope wearing only a jock and commenced to prepare his Tarzan move).

The knot grabbed his cods as he went out and ripped his jock off (and we all thought his nuts went with it).

Needless to say, we just let him float away.

Congrats, Tishomingo. You made to B’Man’s Hometown Update (oh, and you are 100 years old… that’s nice).

Hey, Man! It’s Super!

B’Man: I wrote this in June of 1998 and was the first thing actually ever published in a newspaper (accidentally, at that). I was thinking about Super today and thought this little dedication to him would be a good way to introduce this crazy bastard to the Blog.

Hey, Man!

How many times did Super say hello this way? Countless times- almost never failed. Over the years all the “Tree Gang” picked up the salutation and have used it many times ourselves. To this day, it is a common ‘hello’ from me.

You could alway count on Super coming up with some “off the wall” comment or nickname. You could always count on Super coming out to see you at the “Tree”. He would walk over and say, “Hey, Man!” and then it would begin- some story about the lake; or, the latest gossip spread around town (darn, if he didn’t know everything before it became ‘public’); or, Lord knows what he might dazzle you with next.

You could count on things from Super that would amaze many people. Super would do anything he could for you when you needed help. Super suffered many trials and tribulations in life, but always had a kind word for you, no matter how tough life had been for him that day. During some of the toughest times of my life, Super was there for me.

A mutual friend told me last night, Super was one of the few people that ask about his children, every time he saw him. He genuinely cared about his friends and their families.

As a teen (Super was 6 years older than I), I used to wonder what made this guy “Super”. I thought he was “trying to be cool”. Over the years, the “Tree Gang” began and I was welcomed as a member. Although I had been an acquaintance of Super’s for a while, I never truly knew him. Over time, Super had “Hey, Man’d” me enough to warm up to me. This is when I became his friend and started understanding him.

You see, “Trying to be cool” was not the issue. Super was being Super! Anybody that knows Super (and there are many that knew Super better than I) knows that Super was himself- there will and can never be another one like him. This is what Super taught me: Cool is just being yourself. No airs are necessary, no lies, and no misunderstandings. If you like someone, enjoy his or her company, if you don’t, don’t associate with them.

Super opened his home to friends. Super opened his grand old oak tree to the “Tree Gang”, furnishing a meeting place; a place to get a good laugh; and a place to ‘rest’ from the gruel of cruising “The Strip” (back then the Strip went all the way to the Spur station). You could always find folks to socialize with at the “Tree”. If you were down and out, you could find solace at the “Tree”.

Many of the “Tree Gang” met under the “Tree” the night Super died- we were all sort of drawn to it. Several members were not there physically, but we felt them there nonetheless. We talked about Super washing a car, us pulling up and Super walking over and saying “Hey, Man!”. We remembered when Super put the picnic table underneath the “Tree” so Dog, Elmo, L.P., and all the rest of the “Tree Gang” would have a place to sit and eat lunch. We sat there and told story after story of the “Tree” and the Spur parking lot happenings late at night.

Super truly gave us a home away from home with that “Tree”. It will always be a source of comfort, laughs and stories of the Good Ole Days. There have been several generations of the “Tree Gang”, a few frequent it today. That night was a gathering of representatives from all these genrations and the common thread is that we all loved Super and his “Tree”. He was a good friend and I will miss him dearly. All the “Tree Gang” will.

Hey, Man! We love you!

B’Man: Super was 45 years old when he died. I knew him at least 20 years and became pretty close the last two after a mutual friend died of cancer (Dog, in my memorial: I intend to write about him, too… I great friend and human being).

We lived in a small town close to Pickwick Lake (TN) and on this lake is a waterfall that we had grown up jumping and, if brave enough, diving from. It was multi-leveled (approximately 20′, 28′ & 35′ with the bravest climbing trees and diving from the very top (50′, maybe). We had grown up diving from the lower levels, but “Super” thought he was still Super Man at 45, dove off from 35′ and wasn’t seen again, until divers found him a few hours later.

The Waterfalls are located in a cove that is over run with boats during the summer. Hundreds of boats tied together having a blast… one huge party.

That day there was the usual party and Dog’s wife was with Supe’ (that’s what I called him) and Lessie (Supe’s wife). When he dove and didn’t come up, there were many friends and onlookers freaking out and kept diving for him for 2 hours, but couldn’t find him. None of us could believe it. I swear he had gone off that same place 100’s of times.

He had a rep in town, which, if you knew him, you knew it was a joke. I’ll share some stories about Super some day. He was a crazy character. I miss him.

B’Man’s Hometown Update: One For The Little Guy (Almost)

From the Tishomingo County News:

The Tishomingo County Sherrif’s Department has recovered copper wire from a scrap yard in the county with an approximate value of $13,000.

The copper wire was taken from AT&T phone lines in the county, causing some AT&T customers to loose service due to the theft, said Jamie Reynolds, Chief Deputy. The scrap yard operator cooperated with investigators, and had been watching for stolen material.

The amount taken from the lines was about 2,600 feet and the valur of copper wire is about $5 a foot.

AT&T is repairing the damaged lines, replacing about 550 feet to restore phone service…

B’Man: OK, I don’t agree with theft and if people lost phone service, that could have been a dangerous action (in case of emergency or whatever). But the fact that people are cutting down phone lines (I assume it was suspended instead of buried???) for the money is telling. Different scrap yards and recycling centers are busier than ever before. People are selling all sorts of metal stuff… junk… whatever, just to make ends meet.

This isn’t simply “criminality”, it is just as many (or more) people simply trying to eat and survive. This is “poor” country, folks. Really poor.

So, kudos to the ones who give the scandalous bastards at AT&T, the ones who have spied on me and you and made money from it. The ones who profits mean more than the citizen’s rights to privacy.

More importantly (to me, anyway), it was graduation ceremonies for the 2008 grads from Tish County on Thursday night (I couldn’t make it because of my back, unfortunately). Camillia (my beautiful niece) graduated and plans to continue her education via scholarships and grants. Your Mom has done well.

“Nanny” is retiring. Virginia Wallace (mom of one of my good friends from highschool and college and my hair stylist for many years) is giving up the shop to her daughter (Gail). I have spent many nights in her house and know her to be a tremendously kind and loving person (now if I could say the same thing about Billy… j/k). Good luck, Nanny.

Town and Country furniture rising from the ashes. The store burned about 18 months ago. This business has been around for quite some time and now is reopened with the Grand Opening all weekend. Good Luck, Jeff. The coffee shop may be a culture shock for many of your customers. LOL

Local water associations post the water cleanliness levels. I must admit, the water is excellent in my home town and if this report is any indication, it appears clean as a whistle.

Till next time…

B’Man’s Hometown Update

Reading this week’s weekly subscription to my hometown paper from Iuka, MS (The Tishomingo County Vidette) I find that The Tish County Braves are heading to the state baseball playoffs (ranked 11th in the state). The coach is a highschool classmate (about 3 years older). He always has an awesome team.

Secondly, A.T. Marlar, Jr (Burnsville Alderman) was arrested and arraigned last week after being indicted for prescription fraud. Hypocrite.

Also, a buddy of mine had his house broken in to by a nephew of his third wife’s (boy’s a crack head). Old Wallinski was a crazy man in high school. He got tore up on ludes one night, left a party and was found a couple miles down the street (by the cops) just sitting there on the side of the road… UPSIDE DOWN, strapped into the driver’s seat. He had lost control, flipped her and simply sat there and slept for a bit.

When he realized the cops were knocking on the window, he started frantically turning the key so he could drive away. Hot pursuit, as it were.

Swear to God that’s true. He is a Nice ‘Un, as we say.