THE LAST LEAF ON THE TREE

I had an email the other day from a long-ago colleague and friend in Phoenix.

He said after 45 years in Arizona, he's moving back to California to be closer to the children and grandchildren of he and his wife.

He pointed out that the two of them were now closer to 80 than 70 and all of their family lives there.

Well, I'm nearly halfway through my 84th year on the planet and I sympathized with him as I thought of all of the friends that I've lost in recent years.

The Old Gang is getting smaller every day, it seems.

All of this came up because of news of the death of Kris Kristofferson this past weekend.

He, along with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willy Nelson once formed a group they called The Highwaymen.

Now, only Willy is still alive.

And like Old Man River he just keeps on, still playing concerts and living his song "On The Road Again".

He's got another song out now and it seems prophetic, given Kristofferson's death.

Give it a listen.

By the way, I have to thank Gwyneth in faraway Scotland, known to readers of her "OOK" blog as "gz", for letting me know about this sad and sentimental song.