I often watch the old Andy Griffith shows. They first ran on television some 65 years ago. It's an amazing thing that a show that old still has a following enough to keep being part of the programming schedule. 

Most of you know enough about the show to recall some of the famous characters. Andy Griffith as the small-town sheriff, Barney Fife as his trusty deputy, their girlfriends Helen Crump and Thelma Lou, the musical Darlin family, Aunt Bea, Opie, Otis and Floyd, and Ernest T. Bass. 

I think Ernest T. was one of my favorites of the entire series. He played a local hillbilly who often came to town. He would throw rocks through windows to get attention for some need he had. 

One such show, after many windows were shattered, Andy finally surmised that all Ernest T. Bass wanted was an education to woo his girlfriend back in the hills. 

So, he springs on a plan to send Ernest T. to Elementary School and what ensues is hilarious. After many disruptions in class, Miss Crump finally loses her temper and smacks his hand with a ruler. 

And instantly, Ernest T. is in love with her. Andy finally can convince the wild mountain man that his mother used to hit him and so he has made Miss Crump his “mother figure.” To make a long story short they give him a diploma and send him off to his sweet Romena in the hills. 

Watching this episode last week, I laughed that the teacher would hit a student's hand with a ruler. If that happened today, parents would be up in arms, the school board taken to task and the teacher fired for certain. 

Looking back, I don't think it hurt any of us that got a paddling or two. Most of us were thankful to get it as it usually ended there with our parents never knowing. And the reason we were thankful is if our dad and mom knew what we did at school the punishment at home would be far worse. 

Most of you cannot believe that Ol’ Dutch would ever misbehave and get a spanking, but I was led astray at an early age by the other kids in that jail. I mean, “school.”  

One such distraction was my dear friend Sally. She was the cutest girl I had ever seen and we got in so much trouble talking to one another in the fourth grade that they soon learned to put us in separate classrooms for the rest of our sojourn in the elementary school.  

Middle school would probably have been just a repeat of our yakking renewed but fate intervened.  Sally ended up attending one Junior High and me the other, so we finally learned to shut up. Well, at least to one another.  

I guess we both turned out okay no matter the distractions as she is a highly respected RN and still cute as a bug's ear. And, well Ol’ Dutch has Miss Trixie. That's about the only accomplishment of late that I can think of other than my kids and grandkids so maybe I was just a late bloomer. 

One thing I do know is Sally and I had great mothers, and they did a good job bringing us up and for that I am thankful. 

And having said all that, you all are forewarned about the coming weekend and if your mother is still on this Earth, please take the time to call her. 

And if you don't have a mother anymore that you can call, you can just do what Ol’ Dutch is going to do. Appoint some poor unsuspecting woman as his mother figure. Who knows? Maybe I will even get my knuckles slapped thereby coming full circle in life. 

Kevin Kirkpatrick spends his days fishing, hunting, ATVing, hiking or making people laugh. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com.