Strong oak
Beside fair aspen grew
Till down she went
And soon he too.

This riddle is about the phenomenon where elderly spouses often follow each other closely in death.   Their roots can be so entwined that the upending of one soon brings the demise of the other.   My 88 year-old mom had been lithe and healthy, yet we lost her after a brief illness on the day before Christmas.   Then, four months later to the day, my 93 year-old dad followed.  Life is full of riddles like this.   And for all the quirky, light-hearted riddles we solve, it's good to ponder one that helps us peer into the deeper things now and then.

NEW RIDDLE:
Many the delicate bones in my wings
I rise up against the foul weather.
(answer:  see 5/15/10 piece)

Strong oak
Beside fair aspen grew
Till down she went
And soon he too.

This riddle is about the phenomenon where elderly spouses often follow each other closely in death.   Their roots can be so entwined that the upending of one soon brings the demise of the other.   My 88 year-old mom had been lithe and healthy, yet we lost her after a brief illness on the day before Christmas.   Then, four months later to the day, my 93 year-old dad followed.  Life is full of riddles like this.   And for all the quirky, light-hearted riddles we solve, it's good to ponder one that helps us peer into the deeper things now and then.

NEW RIDDLE:
Many the delicate bones in my wings
I rise up against the foul weather.
(answer:  see 5/15/10 piece)