The most common, most beautiful flowers at Paradise Village are the Birds of Paradise.  They are now bursting with color all around the campus.  The second picture should be the symbol of the village.  It shows the plant at the end of its season, and the village is home to more than 300 beautiful people at the end of their lives.  I can say this without feeling anything but joy.  One of the advantage of living in a retirement community is a growing awareness that the last phase of being alive on this amazing planet is not a sad experience.

I go in the morning to Parkview to take my friend Jim Fudge for a cruise around a beautiful park.  Some mornings I find him sitting fast asleep in his chair at breakfast. The cool, peaceful mornings at Paradise Village are perfect for a walk.  My friend, like the flowers, is beautiful even in his older age.

We go around to see my small garden with the tomato plant (which is blooming, but probably too late in the season to bear fruit) and the cabbages, developing nicely... more appropriate for autumn. Life here is good.