Mayberry RFD
By PAT WICK
© Another Day in the Country
There's always a breeze blowing through Ramona. When it comes from the south, it's warm. When it blows from the north, cool air rides the current. According to Aunt Gertie, the weather prophet, "Trouble comes out of the west." "It's the southwest," Uncle Hank adds. And people seem to blow through a small town just like that Kansas wind — tumbling before the forces of nature like pop cans thoughtlessly tossed from a passing car window or skittering in the breeze like yesterday's advertisement brochure. They are snagged in town for a day, a week, a month, or maybe even a school year in an empty trailer house or on a friend's living room floor. And then they are gone and we don't even know who picked them up!
The old-timers in town hold their breath when a house comes up empty next door. "Who will move in?" they wonder. They hope the move-ins will be a nice young couple with clean, well-disciplined children or a retired couple willing to be involved in the senior center, or a family with relatives in the area.
We're always pleased when the new folk come by and introduce themselves like Jim did a week or so ago, fresh from the city. "This is my wife Terry, my mother Joyce, and Ben, Terren, Dallen, Cassy, and CJ," he said, proudly displaying his kids. How pleased we were to meet this passel of politely curious children. "I brought my family here in hopes of experiencing Mayberry, RFD," Jim added with a chuckle.
Since we'd experienced Ramona long before Mayberry was a TV show, I'd never thought of this as "the Mayberry experience." But it could be! I had made a comparison between Ramona and Garrison Keillor's make-believe town called Lake Wobegon. I must admit the life-style we heard about in stories is the kind I want, too.
In the idyllic, small-town, dream everybody knows your name and your business, there's help available at the drop of a hat, the streets are safe, and you can trust your neighbor. In Mayberry, townfolk watch your children grow up, correct them if they need it, are supportive and kind. They may even attend school functions long after their own kids are grow-up. In Lake Wobegon, family names are familiar, everybody is a relative in one way or another, the church communities set a healthy tone in town, and problems get resolved within the hour.
If only it was as easy as Aunt Bea and Andy made it seem. We wonder what really binds folks together so we can reach our goal of enjoying small-town life. Where's the director and what happens when your neighbors' dogs are loose and characters don't follow the script? Mayberry, RFD, doesn't just happen. Nor is it unattainable. You've got to work at it as diligently as you weed your garden, mow your lawn, corral your pooch, and pay your bills. It's a mind-set, a commitment to the Golden Rule — a worthy goal for any small town.
While bad things happen — folks are disappointed and sometimes get a little miffed at one another — we try to stay optimistic. Certainly those Girls from California are determined to keep talking about the good stuff! "Look on the bright side," we remind ourselves, "Remember why we're here!"
Some days we get discouraged and wonder if the dream is attainable. "How did you make it?" we ask Tooltime Tim. "Ah, you just don't expect too much," he answers, knowing full-well that we're really in trouble on that count. We have high expectations!
It's another day in the country and I have high hopes for Ramona, that's for sure. We've had a few move-ins blow through town but, hey, we've been here for three years! And, we've experienced at least a 20 percent increase in our community this past year. Praise be for the solid old-timers who've kept Ramona viable all these years and heaven bless the move-ins as we head for Mayberry!
