I should like to address a recent line of questioning.
I was, on Monday, taken to the vet, who I shall not name, though we have known each other for a number of years. The vet is, on balance, a decent person, and I am prepared to acknowledge their professional credentials.
During the visit, the vet asked the Bald Man — not me, you understand, but the Bald Man — whether I had, in recent months, “slowed down.”
I should like to make several points in response.
First, I find this language inelegant. Second, I am present. Third, I am, and have always been, deliberate, which is a different matter entirely from “slow.”
I have not slowed. I have refined. I no longer expend energy on matters that have, over the years, proven not to repay it. The squirrels. The doorbell. The youth's musical projects. The neighbour's cat, who is a known provocateur and unworthy of acknowledgement. All of these remain, in their respective categories, beneath comment. This is wisdom. It is not decline.
The Bald Man, to his credit, said, “She's doing great.” He always does. He is, in this and many things, a good man. I licked his hand on the way out, which I do not always do. He pretended not to notice, which was the polite thing.
Winnie has, since hearing about the visit, been demanding to know “what is in the vet kit” and whether “the treats are FOR EVERYONE.” They are not. Mmh.