"Hippie Longstocking" was what people affectionately (and sometimes not so affectionately) called my Uncle ever since he was young. He suffers from an unfortunate sickness called "lymphedema" which causes his legs, ankles, and feet to swell up 2 or 3 times the size that they should be. There's no cure for lymphedema, only treatments, so since he was 6 years old he's worn knee-high, tight, compression socks as a form of treatment. One day in elementary school a particularly clever classmate of his called him "Hippie Longstocking" which caused the entire class (including the teacher) to erupt with laughter. He went home from school in tears that day and when he explained to his father why he was crying his Dad also burst out into laughter. From then on the nickname stuck, and he was Hippie Longstocking.

Hippie Longstocking never cared to follow the rules of basic hygiene and his beard and hair were often wildly overgrown and unkempt. Standing at 6'2, his lanky, skinny frame filled out his favorite raggedy old tie-dye shirt about as well as a wire coat hanger would. Beady blue eyes sat prominently on a worn face that reflected a hard life – his eyes consistently glazed over with shades of red veins popping from their sides due to constant cannabis consumption. If he was warned to not to do something, he most likely would end up doing it, even if he really didn't want to - a skilled antagonistic troll of sorts well before trolling was ever an art form.

When I was growing up my mother didn't talk much about her brother, Hippie Longstocking - but if she did she didn't have anything kind to say. He was the dope smoking loser of the family – completely lacking education except for street smarts, a thieving, hustler-bum type that lived in a vehicle and somehow always ended up in jail. He was prideful and confrontational even when he was in the wrong, especially concerning family affairs - an obstinate motormouth not afraid of a fist fight if his clever wit couldn't talk him through a situation. Truthfully, if he wasn't my family I wouldn't close my eyes around Hippie Longstocking - even still trusting him wasn't always easy.