Summer Zen

June 21, 2024June 20, 2024 / roughwighting / 68 Comments

My Summer Zen story began as a prompt to my creative writing students: “Write a story that includes the line: ‘I wish I could stay here forever.’ Each writer sunk into the memory of a ‘perfect’ day. But as I wrote my story, I realized that we all could find a perfect moment in every day.

Oh, and the header photo happened this past week – eight little turkey babies (poults) on our deck railing. I think Turkey Mama was having a perfect moment.

As lavender dusk approaches, walk me into the house, put a little music on– Rosemary Clooney, Enya, Vivaldi, the Beatles Rubber Soul– and let the fresh early-summer air meander through the open window. Yes, I’m beginning to get there. Continue reading →

I flew in a bathtub last night …

June 7, 2024June 6, 2024 / roughwighting / 101 Comments

I’d never flown by tub before. Usually, I take off on my own. Well, almost on my own.

The first time I realized I had this capability was when I was 3 years old. I woke up in the middle of a full-moon night and saw a flickering being fluttering above me. Immediately I knew her – my little angel.

I called her Sweetie. Continue reading →

Fifteen Minutes

May 17, 2024May 16, 2024 / roughwighting / 108 Comments

Why I turned on the TV at 9:30 this morning I don’t know. I never watch daytime shows, but the rain is coming down in a Biblical way. The sound of it beating on top of my roof and against the windows makes me lonely. And not a little frightened. Continue reading →

The Treasure

April 26, 2024 / roughwighting / 94 Comments

My grandmother, Nanny, died when I was 5, but I loved her with all my young heart. Even as a kindergartener, I could tell she was a gentle, kind, sweet, loving soul.

Since she died, I’ve talked to her in my head every so often, but she’s never visited me in my dreams. So, imagine my surprise when I wake up from a dream at four this morning with Nanny speaking urgently to me: “It’s behind the backyard at 525 Cramston. Go!” Continue reading →

Clearing the Cobwebs

April 12, 2024April 11, 2024 / roughwighting / 98 Comments

“What do you think it is?” my brother Jack asks. He’s in the middle of a 4-mile run even though he’s 68, his knees ache, and he biked 20 miles the day before with friends a decade younger.

I shrug, then take his question seriously. After all, I drove seven hours to visit my brother and his wife, and after perfunctory hellos, Jack takes off for a run and I begin a three-mile walk. Jack and I bump into each other a mile from his home; he pants while he asks the question. Continue reading →