October 29, 2025 would be Leslie’s 68th birthday. I’m writing this on the 28th, one day before. Ruth and I will be headed to Kingston, NM for the Desert Nights Acoustic Music Mandolin Camp tomorrow morning. I can’t think of the mandolin without thinking of Leslie. In truth, I can’t think of or do very many things without thinking of Leslie. She would enjoy this camp, the instructors, and the other participants. After nearly eleven years without her, I’m reminded of how true what I’d been told shorty after losing her has proven to be: One does not recover from the grief, one adjusts to it and learns to live with it. Continuing to do the things we enjoyed together is a way to keep honoring her life. I’ll be glad to be traveling with Ruth, who accepts that I continue to carry Leslie’s memory in my heart, a memory that I will carry through my remaining years.