How NOT to Ski in One Easy Lesson

December 12, 2014December 1, 2014 / roughwighting / 57 Comments

Halfway down a mountain overlooking Lake Tahoe, I think grimly: I will eviscerate him first. And then…then I’ll look for a den of bears. Bears must be hiding here in this bone-chilling Sierra mountain – and I’ll show them the way to my boyfriend’s (make that ex-boyfriend’s) body.

This occurs back in the time when my guy was a new guy in my life. Upon reading this memory, you may wind up amazed that he’s still my guy and not long gone.

You may think me cold and heartless to harbor such thoughts, but after reading about his insistence during our early romance to drive to Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe where “I’ll teach you to ski – it’s easy. You’ll have it down in one easy lesson” – you’ll come away believing my hope to torture him with an electric prod rather tame. Continue reading →

HERE COMES THE SUN (PUDDLE)

December 5, 2014December 10, 2014 / roughwighting / 47 Comments

Do you have a “first” moment – the moment you first remember as a child?

Most of us can’t recall the first few years of our life – the babyhood of crying or teething or ruining our parents’ sleep. We can only believe our moms when they tell us that if they didn’t give us enough attention we emptied the flower pot, then played with the dirt on the rug, or how we crawled out of our crib at nighttime and slid under the card table during bridge night, refusing to come out.

Fortunately, my first moment is not of getting spanked or being denied a second cookie. Continue reading →

Meeting the Boyfriend’s…Spinach

November 28, 2014November 28, 2014 / roughwighting / 55 Comments

We’ve seen all sorts of movies and stories about the horror of a boyfriend meeting the parents.

But what about a viewpoint from the other side?

I vividly recall when my man and I met our daughter’s boyfriend for the first time. She was so particular throughout most of her 20’s that a guy never made it to the stage of meeting us. But now, she’s invited us to meet someone over drinks and pasta.

My guy is inordinately nervous and drives into the city too fast and too distracted as he asks “what if we don’t like him?” Continue reading →

Climbing into Thanksgiving Skin

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 / roughwighting / 56 Comments

Around the Thanksgiving table one year, my guy, our two teenaged children, and my visiting father stared at me with wide eyes as I insisted that we take turns listing what we were thankful for.

My man, uncomfortable with such a request, began to clear the table while still seated.

Our daughter bubbled forth, like champagne from a shaken bottle, describing the blessings in her life: the Science lab (what can I say? she ended up teaching 6^th grade Science!), her bedroom (she had an amazing view of the SF Bay), her plans to attend the Nutcracker ballet in two weeks.

Our son, usually the stoic of the family and non-emotional like his dad, peered solemnly around the table, breathed in deeply, and proclaimed, “Family.”

All grew quiet when it was my father’s turn. “You know what I have to say,” he claimed quietly. Continue reading →

My Grandmother’s Legs

November 12, 2014November 13, 2014 / roughwighting / 46 Comments

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about genes. Yes, genes, not jeans, although denims get into the picture too.

For instance, my mom (not allowed to say her age or she’ll never talk to me again – let’s just say the first number starts with a ‘9’), wears the cutest jeans. I hope I have her genes, but so far I haven’t found one genome we share. She’s tiny and cute and flirty. I’m tall and not-as-cute and serious. See? Continue reading →