I’m sure not many trash collectors ever find themselves written about in a newspaper.

So, today I am tipping my hat to the man who picks up our trash each week.

Gary is without a doubt one of the nicest guys you will ever want to meet. He is kind, careful and very dedicated. At our house, we are convinced his only concern in the world is taking care of our trash.

Many times, when he comes to collect, Russell is either working in the garage or outside in the yard. If Russell is around when the Gary comes, they always have a good conversation and I think they both enjoy the early-morning contact.

Not long ago, Gary talked briefly about the fact that his company would soon be out of business in Neosho. And do you know what Gary’s greatest concern is about that? His customers. He is trying to figure out a way to let all his customers know how much he appreciates them and how much he will miss taking their trash away in a thoughtful and proper manner.

Knowing that we are in the newspaper business, he was asking Russell about the best way to get a message to all the people he serves.

Although I cannot speak for Gary, I just want those of you who are served by this young man to know that he has considered it an honor to work for you. And furthermore, he will miss coming down your street each week when he rolls out of town for the last time.

Many of you may not know anything about your trash collector. Many of you probably do not have Gary as your trash collector. Even if you do, you may not know him personally or even know his name. In the end, it does not matter who your trash collector is, I hope you respect him as much as I know Gary respects his customers.

I know one thing for sure. The Hivelys are going to miss Gary when someone else takes his job. He has gone out of his way on many occasions for us, and that fact has not gone unnoticed.

So, don’t wait until it’s too late. If you are up and about some morning when the trash collector comes to work at your house, why not wave and tell him you appreciate what he does for you? He’ll probably be surprised—and I’m sure he’ll be pleased.

Speaking of trash collecting. We continue to pick up limbs and branches in our yard.

The ice storms in the recent past have left many souvenirs that come raining down when the wind blows or a heavy rain comes. Hardly a day goes by without the sound of a branch of two and, on occasion, a nice big limb hitting the ground.

While there is much surplus wood around because of storm damage, I am pleased to see it put to good use. More and more, people are turning to wood burning stoves and furnaces. This is a great way to use those branches that would otherwise not be used as fuel. While every branch and limb that falls serves in the natural world by feeding insects and eventually returning nutrients to the soil, using it as firewood somewhere in the middle part of the cycle is a wise choice.

Mother Nature has a lot of experience taking care of the earth, and if we work with her, we are much better off than if we try to dictate to her. She seems to know when it’s time to thin out the woodlands to make room for future growth.

She’s one smart gal!