Preliminary Greetings with Notes on Hiking & Yesterday's Game
Greetings, dear reader, on a seasonably warm and clear Sunday afternoon. I started writing this article yesterday.
Yesterday, in the early afternoon, as I began to write, the crisp, blue autumn sky was calling me into the woods for another hike! The light breeze would have been natural air conditioning. It's doing so again today. Yesterday, I set aside the call to hike for a couple of days to tend to household chores, watch college football, and start writing this article. Today, the article is finished and published.
Georgia was off yesterday. Yesterday, I wrote, “Will Tennessee (#17 AP) beat Alabama (#11 AP) in Tuscaloosa? Writing this introduction, before the 3:30 PM kickoff, I predict, sadly, Tennessee 17, Alabama 24. Go Vols! Beat Bama!” Unfortunately, the loss was 20-34.
Yesterday, at halftime, the Vols were ahead, 20-7. I told Mrs. Appalachian Irishman that, if Tennessee wins, I'll put on an orange Vols tee-shirt and walk around the subdivision. She could video record me interacting with neighbors. I wish that I would have had to do that! In the second half, the Vols were scoreless, but Alabama awakened and scored 27 points. In the third quarter, Coach Heupel chose to go for fourth and a yard on the Vols' 47-yard line. They could not get one yard. The turnover on downs led to an Alabama touchdown. Midway into the fourth quarter, the Tennessee quarterback fumbled while being sacked. Alabama recovered and ran 24 yards for a touchdown. That was the nail in the Vols' coffin! Without mistakes by the head coach and the quarterback, the score would have been 20-20.
Alas, this is not the 14th article in the Sports topic section. Let's move on to Ratman!
Introduction
Welcome to the 108th article under the Humor topic section! The most recent article and podcast, from 10/18/2023, about my Bigfoot story, recalled a few memories from my senior year in high school. Returning to high school memories, this is the story of Ratman. He was created, as far as I know, in 1978, during my senior year in high school. Ratman returned sometime in the late 1980s. He reappeared on 4/11/2023. Ratman still lives!
Ratman's Creation in 1978
My senior year was from the fall of 1977 to the spring of 1978, graduating that year. About 25 or 30 classmates and I were in Mrs. Minor's Advanced Math class. I believe it was the spring of 1978. Mrs. Minor was a dear soul. We students, however, got away with several shenanigans.
For example, once during class, we seniors wove thin lines of clear fishing line around our desk and chair legs. Mrs. Minor didn't notice our stealth mischief. At the end of class, while leaving, we stepped carefully over the web that we had set to trap the next class of juniors. As those juniors started entering the classroom, we saw and heard quite a bit of tripping and carrying on as the line that they were stumbling into kept pulling desks around them! That was fun!
Student desks were set up in rows that ran horizontally before Mrs. Minor's desk. The row that I was in was next to the farthest from Mrs. Minor. My desk was at the front of the row, near the door. Behind me sat Larry. Behind him sat Phillip. The three of us involved ourselves in a good bit of non-mathematical mischief. I had overcome my grade school shyness.
Ratman was created, as far as I know, in Mrs. Minor's advanced math class at the Rogersville High School in the spring of 1978. Phillip and Larry were artists. One of them invented Ratman. They drew his image several times, often like cartoon strips. They shared their Ratman drawings with me. I did my best to copy Ratman.
A few of us seniors had started an underground newspaper, which we distributed at the high school. We wrote under pseudonyms. Mine was I.M. Pitts. Ratman was in almost every edition, as drawn by Larry or Phillip.
Ratman became a legend. He, however, went on a prolonged sabbatical for about a decade.
The Return of Ratman in the Late 1980s!
Skipping forward about a decade, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I were living in Charleston, Missouri. (See the 8/5/2023 short story for more details.) Sam (short for Samantha) was a lady barber whose shop was on Main Street. She cut my hair. Sam, a few years older than me, and I shared a similar sense of humor. One conversation brought Ratman back to the forefront of my memories.
Ratman returned! One day, probably in the late 1980s, I drew the following image of him.
The caption by I.M. Pitts, my high school pseudonym, reads, “Revived from Mrs. Minor's Advanced Math class, Rogersville High School, 1978 -- RATMAN® lives!”
Ratman himself stated simply and profoundly, “I have returned!” I was glad to have brought him back from his long sabbatical.
Back in late 1982 or early 1983, I bought a new Bible, the King James Version. It is The Open Bible by Thomas Nelson, publishers. I still have that Bible, along with newer ones. Back then, I had placed my Ratman drawing in between two front pages of that Bible for safekeeping.
Ratman Reappeared on 4/11/2023!
I still have that Bible. It has been with me and used in Tennessee, Missouri, India, and Russia. Page edges are somewhat worn. I have written many notes along the edges of pages and on blank pages. That Bible has been an excellent tool for study, evangelism, ministry, teaching, and preaching. I have used silver duct tape to strengthen the worn binder. My Ratman drawing was secured in that Bible wherever it was with me. Ratman, thus, became an international traveler!
On 4/11/2023, I noticed my late 1980s drawing of Ratman, still in between two front pages, in my old Bible. I had been using that Bible while studying and interacting online in the context of my then upcoming article that debunked the binitarian doctrine (4/18/2023 article). I scanned my Ratman drawing, in the above image, to preserve it electronically.
Ratman Lives!
Early yesterday afternoon, when I started writing this article, I took the photograph below of my late 1980s drawing of Ratman. It was resting on the Bible that I bought in 1982 or 1983. Unlike me, Ratman still looks the same as he did in the late 1980s.
Yes, Ratman still lives! He is resting as usual between two front pages of my old Bible. That Bible, along with newer ones, is readily available in my home office.
Conclusion
I see that a reader has asked, “Who is Ratman?” The creator(s) of Ratman back in 1978 explained to me that Ratman is a benevolent and good superhero. He uses his superpowers to do good and stop evil. As I recall, his creator(s) drew several cartoon strip episodes in which Ratman, in his witty manner, took down various super villains.
Yesterday, my youngest brother reached the milestone age of fifty. He had to work doing inventory on his birthday. I called him late in the afternoon when I knew that he'd be home from work. His wife and two teenage daughters were preparing his regular (pardon the pun) birthday cake. He likes prune cake for his birthday. The tradition started when Mom, at his request, started making him prune cakes for his birthday. It became a regular tradition. (Again, pardon the pun.)
Brother, I had planned to publish this article yesterday on your birthday. Here's your birthday present, a day late!
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