New again

Even kind of mature-ish bones and muscles can respond. A newer climbing friend had her freshman college nephew visiting, and we got him to the climbing gym for what was evidently a planned activity. He told us he'd gotten a merit badge in climbing during his stint in the Boy Scouts, but it wasn't clear to me he was relishing the session as much as we did. He certainly gets a badge for being a good sport.
Decided to trot down to Trader Joe's for a change in hunting and gathering. On a window ledge outside the neighboring storefront, just before the Trader Joe's entrance, lodged a hunched over male form, parka drawn down over his face; he wasn't panhandling, but just slumped there. He had no socks, and down one leg and into his shoe ran a stream of excrement. It was very cold, starting to rain, and there could not have been a much more vivid image of misery. On the walk home, I thought about the lack of social services even in supposedly progressive Seattle.