good bye, john

I lost a dear friend + neighbor last week, John Hackett.  He was up in our tree in the backyard, trimming branches, doing what he loved, when he fell.  He died a few days later.  In the short time that I knew him we became close friends.  He was a blessing + a joy to me in so many ways.

John was a retired arborist and taught me all sorts of things about trees: he knew all of their Latin names by heart: sophora japonica, franklinia and acer saccharum were among his favorites. 

He cooked us pots of home-made soup on a regular basis; potato-leek, sausage-kale and his signature ham and bean.  He was a fabulous cook.

Our favorite thing to do together was drive out to Lancaster County, stopping at produce stands, enjoying the views and looking for treasures at the Morgantown Reuzit Shop. 

Goodbye, John.   I will miss you like there's no tomorrow.