My neighbor Buck, and his wife are both 86 years of age. They’ve lived here since before there were roads. They are, in my opinion, a great couple. I hope my wife and I are as fortunate as them.

Buck still cuts his grass, trims his bushes, splits and hauls his logs for the fire, rakes his leaves, shovels the snow from his driveway, and still manages to rid the front nine of the golf course across the street of all errant golf balls. He has thousands…

My wife once said I should help him with these chores, and I told her that if I started doing that, he would die. We agree now, he’s not yet ready for help. I have offered, and was politely and sincerely turned down but that doesn’t stop us from keeping them supplied with my wife’s world-class apple, oatmeal, and raisin cookies. He said they were the best he’d ever had, and I believe him, because they are better than good. Coming from someone who is 86; that’s a hell of a compliment.

I plant a large vegetable garden every year, and they grow so many flowers their yard looks like a botanical garden. They can walk on over anytime and pick whatever they want from my garden, and they keep my house supplied with fresh-cut flowers all season long. I love the smell of fresh flowers.

Buck offered me the use of his 410 (when he learned all I had was a 12 gauge) to deal with the squirrels that were eating my garden. Most people don’t offer up their firearms to their neighbors.

They are good people.

When my wife and I travel, we leave them in charge. Buck collects our mail and any packages daily, checks the doors, and does a “walk around” of the perimeter. He also collects all the fallen sticks and limbs and deposits them in the “pile out back”.

He ENJOYS doing this, and I believe IT IS good for him.