childhood hero

don knotts died yesterday. this makes me extremely sad. watching deputy barney fife blunder his way through the streets of mayberry was an integral part of my childhood. i understand what it means to be a standby cymbalist when there isn't a regular one, can give a detailed account of how he got himself locked in the jail cell numerous times, and know why he had to keep his bullet in his pocket. i remember checkpoint chickie, his stint as a real estate agent, and his inability to commit to thelma lou. and did count des vandeleki really exist?

"Dogs, the whole lot of them, dogs. Fly a quail through here and every one of 'em would point."

"Man gets his best suit spotted and pressed, spends two hours polishing his hat, and for what? Heartaches!"

"Now here at the Rock we have two rules. Memorize them until you can say them in your sleep. Rule number one: obey all rules. Rule number two: no writing on the walls."

"It's a mark of us Fifes. Everything we eat goes to muscle."

"Nip it in the bud."

"Now Andy, if you give 'em thirty, they'll take thirty-five. If you give 'em thirty-five, they'll take forty. If you give 'em forty, they'll take forty-five. If you..."

"If there's anything that upsets me, it's having people say I'm sensitive."

"I'm gonna' go home, have me a little nap, and then go over to Thelma Lou's and watch a little TV."



sigh...another american icon gone.