.....go get Danny!

Yogis,
Only six weeks ago I wrote about the passing of my next door neighbor’s wife, Margaret. Today I write again with a heavy heart about Danny, her husband, leaving us too. Danny’s broken heart began breaking down his body in only days. He was 95 and still did his daily squats but his best friend was gone.

After a short stint in the hospital he went to rehab to regain strength and after some initial progress he took a turn for the worse. He was brought home on hospice a week ago Friday. Like deja vu, we all sat by his side, offering comfort, stories, foot rubs and the coke that he managed to express he wanted. His WWII vet cap sitting nearby.

I met Danny when moving onto our street in 1987. I was 25 years old with a 3 year old and Danny became the fixture that I could measure the passing of time by. He was dependable, kind and always knew how to fix things, whether they be objects or situations.

What I soon discovered was that whenever there was trouble my instinct was to yell ‘Go get Danny!’

Once our Christmas tree has been set up with the lights strung and I decided to fiddle with them, pulling the entire Christmas tree over trapping me underneath. It was only me and my now 5 year old home and as I struggled to hold the tree off my head I yelled ‘Go get Danny!’. Five minutes later the tree was back up and I was pulling needles out of my hair.

The discovery of the first bat in the house caused running, shrieking, and locking of doors (as if bats can open a door). But now what? Go get Danny! He instructs us to wait for daylight to scoop it up like a little bird with a towel and set it outside. Soon it flies off unhurt.

A call at work from the nanny screaming that a snake is in the house. Go get Danny!..... I tell her. He arrives with hoe in hand and handles the situation. I was surprised she returned the next day.

It’s snowing and we need a sled……Danny has five to choose from. I need a bedside table in a pinch……he takes me through his sheds and we find the perfect one. Salt shakers, Christmas ornaments, garden fencing……yep! Clogged drain….go get Danny!

Danny was a gardener extraordinaire and gave me the courage to grow from seed. The times I sat with him in his driveway he showed me how to gain the trust of chipmunks and birds while they climbed his pant leg and landed on his hat. He told me when to plant and how to harvest. He was my teacher of how to be a good steward to this earth we all share.

As his spirit left his body on Monday night, a deer passed by soundlessly and the owls hooted in chorus behind his house, late into the night. Jupiter and Saturn sat in the western sky while Mars shined down on us from the east. Nature was wrapping her arms around him and us, to aid in our grieving.

Our street has lost our honorary mayor and I have lost a friend. The passing of Danny and Margaret has left a large hole in our community.  We have big shoes to fill…….

We love you Danny,
SARAH