My 68 year old widowed neighbor is in luvvvvv. I tell you, this is worse than when my teenagers were going gaa gaa over their latest crush!

I read emails about Wayne. I engage in one-sided conversations about dear sweet Wayne. I sit across a card table playing Skip Bo while she sighs, swoons and drools over Wayne. At least, I am winning the latest games, due to her preoccupation over Wayne.

If Wayne calls, I get a play-by-play description. If he doesn't call, I hear the laments. If I let my answering machine pick up, she fills it up telling me the latest. She won't let her son or daughter-in-law meet this guy. She is afraid they will ruin everything for her, and well they might. They are rather bossy, or so she says.

I did have the opportunity to meet him and I guess if I were 68, I might think he was kinda cute. I know she is lonely and wishes to have a special someone in her life again. He does return her affection.

She deserves to have the love of a good man, if that is what she wants. She is sweet, nurturing, outgoing, friendly. She's a good cook, seamstress and does a good deal of writing -- more so lately. She just sent me a love poem about Wayne!

As parents age, their children do tend to take on parenting roles. They worry about their parents becoming incapacitated, taking their medications, making dumb decisions, or someone taking advantage of them. And this can be a good thing.

My question is this: Am I aiding and abetting a Senior? I really don't think so, but then her son might disagree with me.

I'll admit this all seems a "tad" excessive, but if she doesn't come back to earth in a few weeks, or if I see a ladder outside her bedroom window, I will call the love police.