"Hey Neighbor. Fran here. Fran L.......
Just wanted to know if you wanted some T N T?"
I had to stop and think.
T N T?
Dynamite? No...
I laughed the first time I got that call and had to ask what he meant.
Trout and Tomatoes.
Duh! Of course!
Fran was a fixture in our neighborhood. He gave away so many tomatoes I wondered if he and his wife Pat ever had enough for themselves. At his funeral last week the stories were all the same. Fran took them trout fishing, guaranteeing they would catch fish. Fran bringing tomatoes and other vegetables from his garden to share.
We often shared back with Fran and Pat. Polish sausage we brought back from Wisconsin. BBQ ribs from our smoker. But every time my husband took something over to them, be brought something back. Because as Fran explained, "We're Norwegian. If you give us something, we have to give you something back."
Greg and I and our neighbors said goodbye to Fran this week. Our summer will be a lonesome and our salads a little less tasty.
I'm sure many memories and stories were shared at Fran's funeral. Sorry for the loss of a dear friend. You will be reminded of him each time you get a tomato or some fresh trout.
ReplyDeleteTomatoes and trout sound yummy, and I so wanted this to be a slice about something other than loss. I suppose in some ways it is given all Fan gave his friends, given all those who knew Fran gained from his generosity. My condolences to you and all who loved Fran.
ReplyDelete