Category: Rich’s Rambles

Call yourself a Hobo, Traveler, Adventurer, or Rubber Tramp, we are all technically doing the same things.  We traveling around the country trying to have an adventure, working when we have to. We depend upon the generosity of people by them allowing us to camp in there barns, sheds, porches, and property. We all know this typically will come with a free meal as well. But many travelers will abuse this and spoil it for everyone who follows. Making an unsafe fire or leaving trash all over the place is NOT going to get the next guy a place to stay. It’s called common courtesy, get up clean up after yourself and offer to perform a little work for the shelter. Again most of us know it’s going to be turned down but typically you’ll get a breakfast out of the offer. When you leave you should feel comfortable in knowing if you’re ever traveling that way again you could have shelter (and possibly food). Even if you’re NOT maybe the next guy coming along will be more accepted.

Don’t be an ass!

Hey here are a few things that I, CyberHobo, try to live by everyday!

1. Pick up all the trash in an area in your hometown; be its guardian. Tell others about it.
2. Be friendly to everyone at all times; experiment outrageously.
3. Buy local when possible, if not by “Made in USA”.
4. Always speak up for justice, no matter how much it costs.
5. Go once a week on a “house call” to a nursing home to cheer people up as a friend.
6. Go for a walk, angels speak to you when you walk.
7. Consider being silly in public. Sing out loud. Wear funny stuff.
8. Find ways to need a whole lot less money; share beyond belief.
9. Have potlucks frequently, with neighbors, co-workers, and strangers. Work toward living in extended families.
10. Take your vacations in your own hometown and spend the money working on projects there that help build community.
11. Protect those smaller and weaker than yourself
12. When you see someone who needs help…HELP
13. Stop caring about what others think of you

When did it become shameful to ask for something? I mean if I see an orange tree on someone’s property full of oranges dropping on the ground what is wrong with me asking, can I pick some oranges? Or if somebody has something for sale to ask, is the the lowest you can go?  Even if you have something to trade or some work you can perform in exchange for something, there is no shame in that.  The concept of “Will Work for Food” was just that, I’ll do some work for you for a free meal. That was an honest trade, but now it has become a sign for the bums who don’t wish to work and only want the food or money without doing anything in exchange for it. Those guys are tramps and bum. Homeless gets thrown into the mix as well. Yet you can have a job and car and still be without a home temporarily… hence homeless (without home). Tramp, Bums, and even Hobos are without any permanent dwellings by choice. A homeless guy just may have been caught with another woman and his wife gave him the boot.

I stopped at this corn field and worked a couple of hours picking corn and helping this farmer do a couple of things in exchange for a couple bushels of corn. I then took one bushel and traded this guy some corn for green beans.   I wasn’t doing anything anyways and made a couple of friend plus we ate corn and green beans for days… actually till we were sick of them. lol

The next time you see something for sale or something seating outside, stop and ask if it’s something you’re interested in. The worst that could happen is the person says, NO.

Also, when you have a few extra minutes sometimes, stop and ask a Hobo, Tramp, Bum, or even homeless person what their story is and you may be very surprise and it’s not what you would have guessed.

When you’re on the road most travelers / Hoboes eat less than $5 per day. I’ve seen days where I eat a McMuffin for $1.00 for breakfast, $1.50 hotdog with everything on it for Circle K, and 2 – $1.00 chicken Sandwiches for dinner, with a packet of $.25 ramen noodles.  That’s totals$4.75 and that is traveling. That is only drinking water from my water bottom that a keep refilling though.

At home I typically do 2 – packets of instant oatmeal $.45 (I want till they are buy 1 get 1 free for a box of 10 and then stock up on them), a weight watcher smart one for lunch $2.00, Beans and Cornbread $1.75 = total $4.20. Even if I bought a box of buy 1, get 1 free tea bags for 3.99 + sugar 2.79 = $6.78  (1lb of sugar is 16 cups, and 7 teabags x 16 = 112, so $6.78 ÷ 16 = $.43 per gallon of tea, + I still have 88 tea bags left)

(How I calculated dinner: Black-eyed Peas $.99 + ham hock $1.50 + $1.00 for cornbread = $3.49 (that feeds two or it’s two nights of dinner) so 3.49 / 2 = $1.75)

So eating good and a gallon of tea for the day = $4.63 for my day of food. Now I typically only eat 1 bag of oatmeal, and I probably won’t drink a gallon of tea in 1 day so that is over estimating. Now I don’t eat a lot of steak, boar’s head lunch meat, or eat at restaurants,  because I can’t afford it.  But I’ve been reading where a log of American people are complaining because $5 per day in food stamps is not enough for them. Why should my tax dollars feed them steaks when I can’t afford them myself. I would think ANYTHING the government gave them would be awesome and they’d appreciate everything. Even if it’s only feeding them 1/2 the month and they paid for the other 1/2. Why is it my responsibility to make sure you eat for FREE? Why is it the government responsibility to make sure YOUR kids can eat Capt. Crunch?

They say 47% of the American people look to the government for assistance. Could it be that Hobos are more productive citizens that 47% of Americans. They work for their food (but, don’t turn down a free meal) . Even if they beg “Will Work for Food” and people voluntarily give them money they are still better than people who expect it from their government and don’t even say, “Thank You” … they bitch it isn’t enough?

So the next time you see a Hobo, tramp, bum, or homeless person, don’t look at them as being on the bottom of society … they’re better than 47% of society correct? Did I miss something? – you should “Thank” them for not costing the american tax payers a free home, welfare check and food stamps. So throw them a couple of bucks and say, THANKS!

 

Be bold and take an Adventures. After a while, this spontaneity and energy will become a life force of its own and you’ll have adventurous ideas appear un-willed. However, while you’re still learning to make adventure the rule of your life, here are some random ways to kick start your awesome adventurousness?

1. Build a fire, invite friends; talk and laugh (best if done with a case of beer of 5th of Jose of cold night)
2. Plant a vegetable garden in a spare corner of your land or in a container on your balcony.
3. Walk somewhere instead of driving. It will give you a new perspective, and talk to random people on the way.
4. Hang out in a public library and compose a poem and leave it in a library book
5. Run through a lawn sprinkler like when you were a kid.
6. Take a painting or photography class, whatever grabs your interest.
7. Write a blog about your weekly adventures.
8. Find some chalk and make a design on the sidewalk or driveway
9. Start Geocaching…  Geocaching.com (treasure hunting)
10. Go somewhere you’ve never been in your town like a store, a shop, a restaurant, a cafe, a park.

Everyone cracks on Hobo’s when 47% of Americans are in worse shape that we are. A Hobo or CyberHobo “will work for food”. We’ll do odd jobs such as cutting lawns, raking, chopping firewood, etc. A true Hobo does ask for FREE handouts, we don’t turn them down either. But in the election process it was brought out the 47% of Americans are dependent upon the government. Does that mean 47% of Americans are “Bums?”

A Hobo is a person that travels to work
A tramp is a person that travels and won’t work
A bum is a person that will neither travel or work!

I was in the store buying some lunch meat, cheese, and bread. While at the counter I made small talk with this older man. I was noticing this other drunk looking guy getting some subs made up. Boar’s Head meat and cheese, and had extra meat put on two of the sandwiches. They looked great too! We both finished at the same time, him getting his sandwiches and me my store brand lunch meat, cheese, and I splurged on Bunny Bread. (life is good)

Coincidentally I got behind him in the checkout line. His totally with a large soda was $33.22. As he was complaining to the cashier on how much cigarettes were, he pulls out his EBT (food stamp) card. WTF… my family is eating store lunch meat because after working all week I can’t afford “Boar’s Head”. How is this possible? I work every day, don’t smoke, can only have a few drinks a month, I eat soup and a PB&J everyday for my lunch (or leftovers), and buy a lot of my cloths from the Goodwill.  I was so discouraged I almost laid my stuff down and walked out. As I walked out the door I noticed he went into the liquor store next to the grocery. I had to walk past and look in to see what he was getting… yep, a carton of ciggs, and a 12 pack of Natures Best.

My total came to $12.70 and all I could think of is,  “WOW, I really need to quit my job and go on welfare and let the government take care of me..”

So the next time you see a Hobo asking to do odd jobs and their wearing ragged clothes, maybe a little dirty, remember he is not asking anything for free… and that puts him in the other 53%

I hear a lot of people saying and asking, “what is my fate”. They are looking for some greatness or something earth shattering to happen to them. When in fact nothing probably ever will. Maybe I was put on the earth to give birth to my son who’s great great great grandchild is going to do something “Spectacular”. That means my only purpose on earth was to have a child? Maybe in my travels I’ve helped someone or saved their life (right place at the right time) and their future offspring are going to achieve greatness. But if it wasn’t for me it would have never happened.

Yes we all have a Destiny and Fate but it may not be exactly what we think it’s going to be.

This is the Celtic “Knot of Fate”, you actually see it symbolized quite a bit. It’s the symbol for love and marriage. Like love and marriage it’s all tangled together but connected it many many ways. Not always beautiful but with ups and downs it only gets stronger.

“Live Long and Prosper”
Spock, Star Trek

I never thought that life with a wife and kids would be so fantastic. They truly are the reason that makes life worth living.  I know other parents who will say, “I’ll be so happy when they move out”. It will be a very sad day in the life of CyberHobo and his wife the day one of the kids move out. My oldest son is 17 and youngest is 14, so I don’t have that long really until it is possible. I truly pray that don’t move out as soon as they turn 18, but I understand they do need to eventually move out and start their lives out of the nest. I can cry thinking about it… they’re my babies. I can’t imagine going days at a time without seeing them.

But on the bright side we are taking a 6 month and a 7 year old girl in. The 7 year old has been with us for 9 months and the baby since she was born… we’ll we took her when she was 3 days old, but was there from the time she was  born.