In the original “Rambling Thoughts” column I noted that theme might be revisited. Carroll Pitts posted a nice comment suggesting it become a regular series. No one has objected, so I’m considering that a mandate. 

Apparently I’ve misunderstood the term mandate as used in politics for a long time. Thinking it indicated an overwhelming victory, I found it amusing when Presidents of both parties proclaimed mandates even with slim margins. I recently learned it may refer to the authority of a simple majority, so a one-vote mandate led to this second round of rambling thoughts.

Kilts – Ronnie and Sandra Cape went to Scotland in June. He announced in our men’s Sunday School class he bought a kilt for me. Ronnie believes it would help on high attendance Sunday. He may be right. Shannon Akin says I could have done the album cover for “Skinny Legs and All.”

Why a man would willingly don a kilt I do not understand. I saw King Charles on TV wearing one. It was the first time I noticed how much he favors his mother. 

Bagpipe players add a tender note to funerals, but I believe they could come up with a better outfit. A skirt by any other name is still a skirt.

Rumble Strips – They have multiple names, including waker-uppers and drunk bumps, but we’ll go with rumble strips. I appreciate being alerted when a stop sign is near. Those carved in the middle of the road and on the sides, however, seem of questionable value.

I sometimes drive GA 230 from Unadilla to where it dead ends into the Pinehurst-Hawkinsville Highway. The centerline has been scored so heavily the grass needs mowing. And the gouged edges serve little purpose. A few more inches and the shoulder of the road should wake you up.

Online reports are conflicting as to how effective rumble strips are. Some places have paved over them due to noise that wakes sleeping babies or spooks the mules pulling Amish buggies. I’d love to see a comparison of wrecks on GA 230 before and after the notches were made. I’ll wager 1,000 Joiner’s Corner Points there’s no significant difference. If I’m wrong, could we at least not make them so deep?

Art – Dr. Jim Denison offers a daily email in which he gives a Christian perspective on current events. He often covers topics that don’t make headlines. On May 14th he mentioned a painting which sold at a Christies’ auction for $37.8 million dollars. It had a black rectangular bottom half with a similarly-shaped dark-red top.

It looked like a preschooler had not stayed within the lines. The deceased artist was famous so maybe it was an investment, but it reminded me of two art sales that are beyond baffling.

In 2019 a banana, held in place with duct tape, sold for $120,000. That seemed steep until November 2024 when Sotheby’s auctioned a duct-taped banana for $6.2 million. I have two theories. Perhaps it’s a game played by megarich gamblers where the winner loses. Or maybe it’s a way to shift funds to an untaxed affiliate plus get a tax deduction when the banana rots. I know nothing about art, but I know old bananas don’t rise in value. They lose a peel.

That’s enough rambling thoughts for today, but I’ll probably share some more later. I never realized how empowering a mandate can be. I’m just hoping Carroll doesn’t ask for a recount.