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<\/p>\nIt\u2019s a lovely November Wednesday, with temps at 70 or above.\u00a0 It seemed a good day for my farewell concert.\u00a0 At the Women\u2019s Gate, the barricades for the NYC Marathon are in place.\u00a0 Giant oaks, the last of the great trees to lose their leaves, are rusty brown.\u00a0 The roses still bloom; next to orange hips, red growing tips push skyward.\u00a0 On the wood anemone there are 4 perfect flowers.<\/p>\n
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The cowboy told me he started late due to a movie crew, so I hiked to my maple and sang out over the lake.\u00a0 The small mulberry tree in front of me was heavy with red berries.\u00a0 Where have all the birds gone?<\/p>\n
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After 30 minutes, only 1 man, who carried some kind of platform or low table, made a contribution.\u00a0 He carefully balanced his load on his shoulder, tossed a crumpled bill behind his back into my case, regained his balance and kept walking.<\/p>\n
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I went back to the fountain, where the cowboy was finishing up with \u201cSweet Caroline.\u201d\u00a0 After an hour, I\u2019d tripled my money, i.e., I\u2019d made a total of $3.\u00a0 The last contribution came from a man my own age.\u00a0 \u201cI admire your nerve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAfter the first 10,000 times, it gets easier,\u201d I told him.<\/p>\n
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UPDATE:\u00a0 Simon Woo, of ABC fame (Australian Born Chinese), sent me these pictures.<\/p>\n
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