"How about tomorrow at three-fifteen?"

Yes, I was surprised. Call the vet for an appointment and maybe you'll get in that quickly.

But a doctor?

But that was part of my conversation on the phone yesterday, and today at 3:15 I saw the Doc. (Well, no, that's a lie, and we all know it. I had the same obligatory wait in his sunny waiting room that anybody has at any doctor's office.) Tried to steal youngest son's car to get into town for the appointment, to save me the hassle of having to start the stubborn old Dodge. He instead suggested he drive me in, and I could call for a ride home.

Little did I suspect that he also planned a visit to his mother at work. To hit her up for some cash, thereby treating himself and his heeler to a McD's lunch.

Clever. I'm sure the masked heeler liked the idea.

So, anyway, the doctor visit. Had a list of five items to discuss and get checked, things I'd been saving and putting off for some time (which should be an indication of how urgent or annoying these really were).

We got two items checked off. The health physical for summer camp next month, should I decide to go (I passed), and the renewal of my daily wonder drug that allows me to eat without any (rarely, anyway) acid reflux.

When he asked how it had been going, I pointed out I can't abuse my stomach as much as I used to. Will try a smorgasbord of free samples of different chemicals to see if they're better. (They all do the same thing, I found out. Block or inhibit the release of protons from the stomach lining (hence the name "proton-inhibitors"), otherwise known as a hydrogen ion, otherwise known as "acid".)

I also pointed out the side benefit of the drug that I had discovered while flying... that the vomitus is so acid-free that you can hold onto a mouthful and just swallow it back down again.

Yeah, he said that's disgusting, too.

And he thought my flight nickname was clever. (Those of you who know my last name... add "-urp" to the end.)

Two other items on my list are related, and he referred me to the appropriate specialist for that. No worries there, but the wife is eager for those to be taken care of.

Fifth item was the pain I have picked up since the elk dying event in my right big toe (at the base). My self-diagnosis is a bunion, which I wanted him to check.

We forgot.

Got onto flight nicknames, cholesterol, his kids and vacation plans, colonoscopies (I'm overdue), and daily baby aspirins (I should start), and we never got back to my list.

Remembered item number five just as soon as my feet hit the hard parking lot.

Too late to go back in and say, hey, we forgot something.

I had already decided to skip the call to youngest son, and just hike to the wife's office and bum a ride home, if I had time. And I did.

Only 20-some blocks.

Toe pretty much quit hurting after eleven or twelve of those. Which is good to know, 'cause if I go to the summer camp in the Colorado mountains, the foot will get plenty of work.

It had better know how to loosen up.