Jed Clampet & Co.

Why do I get mushy and emotional when I think of or run into members of the family from our old izzy days? (note: 'the family' = people who hung around, received goods, love, realness, etc during izzy's heyday. I still refer to them as the family).

On yet another late morning stroll with Agent Offspring, this time in a city park, I run into Jed Clampet. Jed, his 2 sisters, Sissy and Missy (all in their 40's-50's) and Mama (in her 70's) were the most unique homeless family I've known about 3 years ago. Unique as in...not a mental Viet Nam vet with a backpack and an addiction.

Legend has it that the Clampets (Mama, Daddy, and the 3 kids) grew up on a farm outside Winters, TX. Then in the great decade of the 1970's Daddy somehow mismanaged his money and lost the farm. Then they loaded up the truck and moved to Bev-er-ly...Seguin, TX that is. Trailer homes, near San An-tone, and a lumber yard to work at. Then in '87 Daddy dies. Then in 2001 Jed loses his job due to a back injury and something 'bout company insurance not covering him anymore. They always dreamed about getting the farm back even though they lost it some 30 years ago. So they spent their last dime renting a u-haul and headed for Abilene. No plan. Just closer to Winters, TX and maybe an opportunity will drop out of the sky. Once in the mother city, they drive around this u-haul, towing a broken down pickup that Daddy gave Jed in '73, for like...a month. And you're supposed to return those things after 3 days or so. Out of desperation they rent 2 storage units (unknowingly, the most expensive ones in town) for their stuff...all of which needs to be donated to a landfill...but that's easy for me to say as I have no emotional attachment to 40 year old mattresses.

So now the 4-some's only income is Mama's SS check and a smaller check for her late husband being a war hero or something. They're paying high rent on a bunch of crap (sentimental value = slavery...another post for another day) and afterwards there might be like $200-$300 left monthly. Not enough for an apartment and utilities, etc. They get bogged down in life, depressed, worthless-feeling, etc. The 4 live and sleep in their green '77 Chevy Nova, which was on it's last leg. And they live like this for a year and a half. With 73 year old Mama.

I had lots of relations with the Clampets during their Chevy Nova days. They couldn't see themselves doing any better than where they were. They were defeated. They wouldn't even try to get on their feet. Thankfully they now have an apartment, and the younger sister, Missy, got married to some guy in a wheelchair she met at a nursing home. They're not on the farm in Winters but I think they're much happier now than a few years ago. It beats a Nova.

It was good talking to Jed. I have great memories with him despite the misery he was in.