Hello, friends! It's been a few weeks since my last newsletter. Sometimes you get what you pay for. :-)
Over the weekend, my former neighbor passed away. He was in his mid-90s if I remember correctly. I didn't know him well, but I recall him fondly. He was always friendly, although I think he was a little irritated that my failure to control some invasive weeds lead to their spread into his yard. Well into his 80s, it was common to see him up on a ladder cleaning his gutters or pushing a lawm mower in 90-degree heat. He seemed to always know when I was planning to mow my lawn and would do it a day before.
He took a lot of pride in keeping his yard and garden well-tended, and loved to chat about gardening with me. When my zucchini plants would over-produce, he was often the recipient. And one year, my ex and the kids made dandelion jam and brought him a jar. He was touched and shared how his mother used to make that when he was a kid.
He lived in Lafayette his whole life, as far as I know. He was a firefighter and his kids and grandkids are well known in the area. I feel for his family, who have to mourn his loss in the time of COVID, which robs them of the usual ways we console each other.
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