You guys are really getting to me today,,,, makes me sad to think of the "Friends" that are no longer here. Sometime tough to get old...

And books--loaned my copy of "Fishing Texas, An Angler's Guide" by Russell Tinsley. Haven't seen the book or the "friend" in over 20 years.

You found a way to teach a man to fish. You're a really good friend.

If you borrow somebody else's stuff, you take care of it better than you would if it was your own. And you should strive to return it in better condition than you received it.

My brother is CEO of a decent sized llc. I am fully convinced that his current position came to start about 20 years ago when he borrowed a Jeep from one of the other members of our hunting lease. Before he returned that Jeep he fixed a tire that was already leaking when he got it, filled the gas tank and washed it cleaner than it had been since the guy got it. It was just a few months later that my brother went to work for the guy. Of course a lot more went into the promotions, but I don't believe he ever would have gone to work for that guy if he hadn't cleaned up that Jeep.

Seems I have a new "Best" friend about every 10 years. Nothing major between us occurred that split any of these friendships. Just drifted in different directions.

I find it much easier to set your expectations really low when it comes to friends . Most likely , they will never treat you or your equipment the same as you would . Setting that bar low keeps you from being disappointed .

My dad wasn't much for advice but he did advise me this.

Never do business with friends, relatives, and preachers. Never go in partners on tractors, and racecars. Never loan money, boats, or guns.

I like this quote. After hurricane Ida last year, I decided to purchase a second and larger stihl chainsaw. I went to school with the owner of the shop where I got it, and I was casually asking about how long should I expect this saw to perform for me, and he asked if I was going to be the only person operating it, or would there be any more folks using it. I told him just me, and he said it should last longer than I will be able to use it. He said that if more people use it the life expectancy goes down. Nobody takes care of things if they don’t have to fix it or replace it.
Some folks won’t even take care of their own stuff. My grandson’s dad is a diesel mechanic for a transport company and the grandson was helping me work on a tractor of mine and when we got through and were putting my tools up, I wiped them off prior to storing and he asked why I was wiping them off. I told him why, and said that I bet your dad took care of his expensive tools, and he said, no everything that he has is full of grease.