A large tree on the Old Town Parkway / Rock Creek (Twin Falls) is shedding fruit like never before. I believe it is a Mulberry tree. On one of my many rides past the tree today I stopped to taste the fruit. Shortly after stopping, Lazarus rolled up on a bike of his own going the opposite direction:
We chatted. He reported moving from Bulgaria 20+ (perhaps he said 25) years ago to escape socialism. He said the Russians socialized his family’s dairy/farm. He said he was also worried that socialism might be forthcoming, to some degree, here.
He taught me the name of the Mulberry tree in Bulgarian, which I now cannot recall, and told me the tree was a fond memory for him. He also pointed out a nearby bush that would, later in the summer, be yielding fruit.
I asked him if he was happy and he essentially said, in his broken English, that happiness had been elusive both in Bulgaria and here.
“Life’s hard”.
master bias leaning 