The Early Appointment

July 15, 2022July 14, 2022 / roughwighting / 180 Comments

I asked for an early appointment, but not too early. I wanted the doctor to be fresh, but not still yawning from his night’s sleep. I wanted the nurse to still be enthusiastic about the patient, not looking at her watch to see how long before lunch, or before she got to escape home, take off her scrubs, and pull on her shorts and t-shirt.

“9:30,” the scheduler suggested, and I grabbed it like a life preserver in the ocean. Everything will be easy because I got the perfect time. Continue reading →

A Donut Vacation

June 17, 2022June 17, 2022 / roughwighting / 149 Comments

I remember the trip to the mountain more than the mountain itself.

Once a year, my brother and I are awakened at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. We stumble in the back seat of the 4-door Pontiac with pillows and blanket and sleep off and on for the next two and a half hours. But I only doze. The excitement of what is ahead is too stimulating for sleep. Continue reading →

The Rewards of a Simple Life

May 6, 2022May 4, 2022 / roughwighting / 158 Comments

We are quite inconvenienced by a bird.

And we’re learning to let her have her way with us. Continue reading →

Baking Ruminations

December 17, 2021December 16, 2021 / roughwighting / 130 Comments

As we begin to mix the batter for peanut butter kiss cookies (my grandson’s -GS’s – choice), I hum to the Christmas music in the background. GS has refused to wear my “Christmas apron” that I bring out every December for cookie-baking.

GS is all-boy, immature for his age in some ways while being wise beyond his years. Last year as we mixed the sugar and flour, he confessed to me that he was 158 years old. Continue reading →

The Miracle Dog …. and His Teeth

November 19, 2021November 18, 2021 / roughwighting / 155 Comments

Photo, “Keeping Time,” by Susan Licht, https://www.instagram.com/susanlicht/

Yes, I still have my dog’s puppy teeth. I’ve never admitted this to anyone until two weeks ago, when our son’s dog, Jax, got hit by a car.

Jax is an 80-pound, 4-year-old silver lab, although more dark gray than silvery. He boasted large paws and a strong body even as an 8-week-old, picked up at a CA breeder’s ranch in the middle of a wildfire. In some ways, Sonny claims, Jax is a “rescue” dog.
Continue reading →