I received some upsetting news this morning. A good friend of mine that I met a number of years ago in Tallahassee named Plumb has passed away.
Plumb was a good man, could whistle the full musical scale and played a mean game of gin rummy. His favorite meal was cheese-bread. He was once in the military, although he would never say what branch. He always smelled like women's perfume ('[his] mother's smell'). He loved a good pair of warm gloves. He collected "No U-Turn" signs. He also loved animals, especially feral cats.
The last time I saw Plumb was in late 2004. He didn't talk to me much that day, he was busy looking for logs by the interstate.
Apparently he died three years ago after making contact with downed power lines. I'd like to ask all of my readers to keep in mind how dangerous downed power lines can be. As vagrants, it's always tempting to explore, especially when things change in an area we know well. But power lines can be very dangerous, and oftentimes when they are down they are still carrying an electric charge. Apparently Plumb came across such lines and thought they were shut off, and he was trying to strip them for spare copper.
Be careful out there, please. And be sure tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. There are a lot of things I wish I could have shared with old Plumb.
Rest in peace, old friend.
In solidarity,
Train Tom
