Strolling in Color

On a still, cloudy, somewhat humid summer's day, the backyard is full of life. Everything is in bloom, seasonally adjusted. The pumpkins and peppers and herbs are growing wildly; the apples weigh down the branches of the tree, jasmine clings to the house and fence.

The kids start back in school on Monday.

A good, old friend is very ill. I have been worrying about him the past few weeks. I do not know what his prognosis is.

Today, I researched some of his history to help nominate him for a well-deserved award. It brought back the '70s, such a different time in the Bay Area. We all had long hair, mustaches, bell-bottom pants, colorful shirts -- and smiles of youth.

How fast the decades flew past. I was reading something I published about my friend 36 years ago, back when we both looked the part.

Now, in our mid-sixties, time has caught up with us as it always does. None of us escape time.

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