My neighbor, Mr. Carden, was born February 17, 1911. He was a lifelong resident of Hillsbough, NC,a US Army veteran of World War II, where he received the Purple Heart. He worked for years at White Furniture and Craftique in Mebane. Charlie (97 years young) came to visit me nearly every day or night.  He would walk to my house and sit and talk for an hour or so, sitting on the front porch, weather permitting.  I will miss him dearly  We watched TV baseball games (Atlanta Braves was his team), boxing ,wrestling and car racing (Jeff Gordon was his man.) . Charlie did not like basketball or football.

He was very entertaining.  The way he was raised and how wild  he had been in his early years.  How he once quit his job and how he got it back.  He said his wife nagged him so much to go back to work.;  He told his boss if he didn't give him his job back that he would "whip the tar outta him then and there".It was Christmas and his son did not have any presents.  Needless to say Charlie got his job back.  Stories went on and on.  He was a likable man.

Last summer he came to my house and asked me to take him to Home Depot (across town) to get a lawn mower advertised in the morning paper for ninety nine dollars.  On the way over there, I told him it wasn't far over there and ask him why he didn't drive over himself.  He said it cost him too much gas for him to do that.  It was much cheaper if he got me to take him.  

By the way, he put only two gallons of gas at a time in his car.  He said gas was too expensive to put in any more.  He dipped snuff and would only buy one small bale at a time.  His reasoning was that he might get sick and if he bought more it would be wasted.   He did not waste anything.  He once bought a used couch for his living room and saved his old one because his deceased wife had bought the old one years ago.  He didn't believe in oweing anyone money.  There's more and more to write about him but not enough space.   Charlie was my friend and I'm gonna miss him.