Finally, some sense

The Old Folks come from hearty human stock. They were farmers. They worked long and hard and made nearly no money. All of their children, human and otherwise, have college degrees, if not multiple degrees. They are in that "greatest generation" age group.

But, they are Old People. I find that being an old person means being insane, stubborn, and refusing to admit that perhaps some help might not be a bad idea. They are the sort of humans who would likely not tell you they were dead because they didn't want to disrupt your plans.

Today, during the weekly phone conversation with the Old Woman, she tells me that a huge, beautiful, enormous tree in a prominent place on their mountainous property was damaged in a storm last week and is going to have to be taken down.

I suggested that perhaps it might be nice if they talked to one of their children who is a landscaper or perhaps even a "tree professional" about taking it down. I half expected her to rant that she was still capable of taking care of her own yard and who was I to suggest otherwise. So, imagine my surprise when she said they'd already contracted for a professional to take it down and haul it away.

She went on to remind me that she is 86 and the Old Man is 90, after all. But, then added that she was sure that there would be excess clean up work afterwards that they would be doing themselves.

Yep, 86 and 90 year old . . . scaling the side of the mountain to pickup little shards of tree so that it doesn't make that side of the mountain ugly. I guess I should be relieved that in their Old Age, they have enough sense to not think they could take a chain saw to the tree themselves.

But, I do learn from observing them. When I get that old . . . and I will because I'm not good enough to die young . . . I'm makin' ya'll wait on me hand and paw.