rbwalton

Surprise ! (or not)- Now

I am not sure how the hat fits into my growing suspicion that there is a surprise party planned for my next birthday. Maybe it is just a classic use of misdirection on her part. Or maybe it is a poltergeist. Maybe I am just crazy. And it could be a combination of the three.Continue reading “Surprise ! (or not)- Now”

Birthdays- Now

Most people who know me, even my friends, have no idea what day my birthday is. It is not like I have not told them before. They just have other things on their minds when I tell them. Or other things on their minds on the day. To be fair, I rarely do much, if anything, forContinue reading “Birthdays- Now”

11/22/63- Now and Then

11/22/1963 I can’t believe we are coming up on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. Well, maybe I believe that much. I just find it difficult to believe that I am old enough to remember this date. As a class, we had all gathered with everyone else in front of our school’sContinue reading “11/22/63- Now and Then”

Goodbye old friends- Now

You were right. The chain saws have not stopped yet. I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you. They are taking down the pecan now. At least you are not here to see it go, but you will no doubt see the end of it. It was the poplar they destroyedContinue reading “Goodbye old friends- Now”

Back to Kindergarten and later to High School- Then

One day while in Kindergarten in Santa Venetia, during show-and-tell time, Jan, the girl who sat across from me at my table, brought in a souvenir from Disneyland- one of those caps with the huge feather that stuck out of it. She loved that thing and was happy to share it with us. She hadContinue reading “Back to Kindergarten and later to High School- Then”

Walking to school with bullies- Then

For my first through 12th-grade school career we lived in a fairly nice area of San Rafael, on the edge of the Dominican area, but not really in it. The Dominican area refers to the neighborhoods roughly surrounding the Dominican Convent, back then anyway. I am not sure the convent is still active, but thereContinue reading “Walking to school with bullies- Then”

A dream of a deceased friend- Then

Cecilia was one of the first friends I made on my own when I moved here. I met her at a local bagel shop where she worked. After a few days, I got up the nerve to ask her out. She already had plans to marry. This news was a bit of a disappointment, butContinue reading “A dream of a deceased friend- Then”

First parking ticket, and a new car- Now

A few weeks ago I got my first ever parking ticket. It was actually the first ticket of any kind I have gotten the entire time I have been driving. This was traumatic to some extent. My perfect record was gone. This includes a couple of years when I was driving professionally, first as aContinue reading “First parking ticket, and a new car- Now”

One summer later, and the end of my forestry career- Then

I was divorced, no job, and living on fumes of my new bank account. One more forestry job was in my future. This one was in Placerville. Scott would be my crew chief again. I was not really into any of this anymore. But, I had to work. I had to do something to getContinue reading “One summer later, and the end of my forestry career- Then”

The end of my first forestry job, the end of summer and the end of my marriage- Then

As my summer job as a forest pathologist neared its end, one of our sites required us to go down a loosely packed mix of dirt and rocks on the way to our designated dead tree. It was the sort of place you cannot really walk down. You just get down on one leg, andContinue reading “The end of my first forestry job, the end of summer and the end of my marriage- Then”