Gary (Next-door-Gary as opposed to Cemetery Gary) lost his wife six months ago and has been struggling with the loss. My gtf, Nadine has a friend who has a friend, a retired nurse, not needy, but amenable to an association and is meeting her for lunch today. She asked me for a photo of Gary, so I toddled over yesterday and snapped him through his patio screen as he was talking on his cell phone. He has long conversations so I didn’t stick around to explain myself.

I loaded the photo into the computer and managed, with some techie missteps, to print it out on non-photo paper. Nadine said E mail it to her but, hey, one thing at a time.

Gary and I were both outside this morning – he was trimming bushes and putting down weed killer and I was cleaning the outdoor kitty pan that Max doesn’t use because it has been getting wet from the storms. It has a roof that, apparently, leaks so I am putting a bag over it to see if that keeps it dry. Meanwhile, Gary called out to me why did I take his photo. I told him Nadine and I were going to show his photo to a likely date and that we would bring him a photo of her as well if he was amenable. He said, “Full frontal nudity, yes?” Of course, I said. What’s she like he asked. Retired nurse, early 50s (Gary is early 60s) I said. I didn’t mention that she has been described as “sweet” because I think that’s the kiss of death. I don’t think men mind “sweet” but that they’d rather start with “foxy” and segue into sweet.

Of course, I said, if you are looking for 21 arm candy, this isn’t it. He said, “I can’t afford 21 year old arm candy.” I detected a note of wistful. Gary is not poor but I think the economy has eaten into him as well as all of us. Tammy, his late wife, was high maintenance, although he loved giving her things like cars. So that’s where we left it and I can’t wait to hear Nadine’s report on the candidate whom she is meeting for the first time today.

I had dragged an unopened 50-lb. canister of kitty litter out to the pool deck from the garage and I leaned on Gary to help me pour it into the prepared pan, which he did. He also fussed over our stone liner around the pool cage that keeps getting weeds in it. He said He cleaned all our weeds out two weeks ago and “now look at it.” He’s a good guy. And we don’t even mind if we have to sometimes clean his dog’s poop off our lawn. Pebble is a chocolate lab, dear as can be. When she was younger, she would rush up to me and knock me down. I don’t mind that she is older now.

xx, Teal