“Old Joe” is gone

(Photo by the so-called “old guy” with the dreaded and utterly reprehensible Nikon D100.)

He had to be removed yesterday (Saturday, August 16, 2008) —See photo above.
“Old Joe” is a red maple our recently deceased 94-year-old nosy neighbor planted years ago in front of his house.
It grew to a fairly large size.
Vern and I had a good time with Old Joe.
“If I find any purple leaves in our yard, they’re goin’ into your mailbox,” I’d say.
I stuffed his mailbox with purple leaves a few times.
“I’m glad ya found ‘em,” he’d say. “I got plenty more. I can blow ‘em across the street with my leaf-blower. Maybe the wind’ll do it for me!”
But with Vern gone, Old Joe was dying.
He only put out half his leaves this year, and they were shriveled.
He probably woulda died even with Vern still alive.
But to me the removal of Old Joe is a symbol of Vern’s death.
A couple guys showed up yesterday and chainsawed Old Joe into firewood. The leaves go on Billy’s mulch pile.
The stump will become a bear sculpture.
The moving finger having writ moves on........

RE: “‘Old guy’ with the dreaded and utterly reprehensible Nikon D100.......” —My macho, blowhard brother-from-Boston, who is 13 years younger than me, calls me “the old guy” as a put-down (I also am the oldest). I also am loudly excoriated by all my siblings for preferring a professional camera (like the Nikon D100) instead of a point-and-shoot. This is because I long ago sold photos to nationally published magazines.

The “94-year-old nosy neighbor” was “LaVerne (‘Vern’) W. Habecker,” our neighbor across the street from where we live. We called him that because he was always watching us — and enjoyed our picking on him.

“Billy” is Vern’s only child. He’s in his 70s, and lives alone in Vern’s old house. His wife died last year.