The call came from Iowa.

We'd been expecting it for several days now. I recognized his voice, of course. Have known him for over twenty-five years. But every time I hear his voice on the phone, I think back to that October night, many years ago, when he called me around 11 o'clock.

Asking me if I would please speak to his wife.

And let her know that, yes, I knew he was out hunting deer with my wife all day long.

He hands the phone to her, and I quickly explain that yes, I knew they were out hunting together. In fact, I was still loading up for work when her husband came by to pick up my wife, and I sent them off together.

His wife was pacified, if not content.

He has been ever grateful to me ever since.

So now, when they no longer needed some of their property back here in the high country, he had called to see if we wanted to buy it.

At cost.

So we checked it out. Not exactly where we wanted to buy, but close enough. Wife sent the check out today.

He made me promise not to use it any time soon.

It's not bad land. Quiet neighbors.

It's got plenty of deer on it. I've hunted moose on this land, and shot a bear not 50 meters away.

Spending eternity in a place where bear and moose occasionally wander by, and where deer poop over your head on a regular basis.

Kinda hard to beat, you know?