You probably haven’t noticed so it will be my absolute duty to tell you: Time passes quickly. There! I have said it and it cannot be taken back. Most of you have not been totally aware of that, and I know you will not tell me otherwise at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , so now you know. A reminder came to me very recently as I now have a (very well) used bicycle and I tried to get on it and ride off. Wellsir, part of that happened but some strange events occurred. Day before yesterday I was riding all over town at a speed I did not obtain on my most recent try. Doing tricks whilst in motion became a challenge as there were some smart alecs who said the tricks could not be done. Yessir, I did them and had the scars to show I ... (hmmm?) to show I wasn’t going to be the first Evel Knievel years ahead of the canyon jumper.
Another thing that is wrong and I know some of you have experienced this. A full box of almost any modern product is a great deal heavier than when it was a new product years ago. Of course you remember I “work” at the nearby Salvation Army to organize and display their books.  Lately I have noticed the books being sent from the warehouse are not of the same quality as they were when I started eight years ago. The boxes rip apart more easily and are much heavier. Quiet often I have to ask one of the men to lift a box from the cart and place it where I can get it. Oh, there are other strange, unexplained events associated with this.
Sometimes the guys are quite busy and I do not want to bother them. Telling myself I can do that, I lift the box up, up and, when successful, over the side of the tall cart. That is when another natural event sometimes occurs. The entire building sometimes slightly spins and the lights dim for a minute or two. I quit asking people if they noticed this phenomenon as they give me strange looks. It is like they do not know what I am speaking of and that bothers me. No, I do not think they are dangerous but one would think they would notice something that dramatic.
There was one crew that had two young men in it that were very special. If they happen to be walking by, or even in the vicinity, when I had a box to move, they would say, “here, let me do that.” Both of them had this trick of making the box look as if it were not even heavy. As I try to be nice I quit saying, “Oh, I can get that,” as by the time I started to say that, the box was moved. The new crew and I are just getting acquainted but I have noticed more than a couple of them looking at me and the boxes full of books.
Oh, and speaking of that, there are two young men on this crew who are science fiction fans. Having read scifi most of my life, we have lots to talk about. Both of them were somewhat surprised at my depth of knowledge when they asked me about a particular author or “Do you have any Star Wars?” Learning to not go into a long narrative or resume, I let them discover not to be embarrassed by asking for that genre. That is not all I read but it has made up a great deal of my history. Yessir, I just wish I could write it as well as I can read it.
But this all started with a bike. It has been many years since I last rode a bicycle for fun or for paper delivery. As I attempted to mount my brand new 20 (?) year old bike, I noticed it was quite a bit taller than bikes used to be. Also, it was very unbalanced and caused me to wobble like a beginner and that was certainly different. The ex-boy who could stand up on the seat and once stood on the seat with one foot with the other foot on the handle bars was not happy with this new bike. I suspect the communist or somebody has invaded the bike industry or, perhaps, the bikes are built in some other country. That would explain a lot.
However, I did get that beast under control and rode around the neighborhood. It was late and I didn’t go far but I noticed something that will be meaningful each morning. At an early time, there is almost no automobile traffic on certain streets. Good to know.