Occasionally I simply enjoy writing about every day life.

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Howdy neighbor, spring is here
By Jon Buzby

How many of us lose touch with our neighbors during the cold winter months only to be reunited as that first tease of spring appears?
 
In the '90s there was a television show called "Home Improvement." One of the classic scenes every week was when Tim "the Tool Man" went to the backyard to talk to his neighbor, Wilson, over the hedges. Wilson greeted him the same way every show, "Howdy Neighbor!"
 
You never saw neighbor Wilson's full face because it was always hidden behind the hedges or some other prop. You just heard his advice. The Tool Man was in his 30s with a wife and three kids. Wilson was a generation older and single. The two traveled in completely different circles beyond the backyard.
 
We all should have a neighbor like Wilson - someone who has lived through it all (or at least more than most) with a lifetime of experience and advice on the tip of his tongue if asked, but kept to himself otherwise. I have a neighbor like Wilson for the first time in my life (I'll call him Jim).
 
He's a hunter. I've never touched a gun in my life - and don't plan to.
 
He repairs bikes on the side. I have to pay someone to change a flat tire on mine.
 
He drives a four-wheel drive Jeep Wrangler (my dream vehicle). I own a minivan (he probably laughed at it even before I put the infant seat in it).
 
He listens to the local jazz station. I'm a loyal sports talk radio fan.
 
His son is out of high school. My wife and I have two toddlers.
 
He's having his knee replaced. The only thing I've had replaced is the oil in my car.

He's five years from retirement. I'm five years from taking my youngest son to kindergarten.
 
You get the point.
 
For the first time in my life I find myself talking over the hedges with a Wilson. Almost two decades separate us in age and yet it's amazing how small that gap really is in life, from a backyard perspective that is.
 
Whenever our vision fields cross and draw our physical paths closer in the yard we end up in conversation about everything from the other neighbors to what's aggravating us at work to what the next backyard project will be (and most likely not get done).
 
We once spent 30 minutes deciding how we'd split the cost and replace the fence that separates our yards. That was eight months ago. The fence hasn't been touched since, other than when we lean on it during a neighborly chat.
 
I've never set foot in his house and he's only been in my house once - to checkout the newborn. But we've been in each other's sheds dozens of times.
 
I've never once sat on his front stoop with him and his wife and he's never cracked open a beer on our deck with mine.
 
Whether it's at dawn fetching our morning newspapers, midday revving our lawnmowers up, or putting the trash out at dusk, it's comforting to know that when I'm outside for any reason at all, there's always a neighbor to chat with and seek advice or just share stories about the ups and downs of everyday life.
 
I've decided it doesn't matter where you live, how old or young you are, or what stage of life you are in, if you're lucky enough to have a neighbor Jim, count your blessings.
 
And now that the spring thaw is upon us, it's time to reunite with your neighbors.
 
Good neighbors are hard to find. Count yourself lucky if you have one. I sure do.