A Drooling Day...

I had set the alarm Friday night for the usual time. Not that I wanted to. On the other hand, I usually wake up then, anyway. But, it just seems wrong to set an alarm on the weekend.

Why did I set it? Because I had an 8:00 a.m. appointment to get two of my back teeth capped. This all came up at my last dental checkup last year. They said that two of my nice silver fillings in my back upper molars (from some dentist when I was a kid) were getting loose. So, they dug them out and went to refill them. But (of course) the dentist said it was way too much to fill in and I needed caps. So, he filled them in and I agreed to get caps at a later date.

Today was that date. Please note: The “temporary” fillings have not fallen out, caused me pain or even a moment’s worry. I am still wondering why these weren’t good enough until they broke or fell off or something? I’m just sayin’.

I made a serious mistake. Since I not only had to take my regular pills, but four amoxicillin (I have to pre-medicate before dentist visits) I ate the last of the sausage gravy and biscuit so my stomach wasn’t upset. That worked (sort of) but I spent the next two hours trying desperately not to burp or fart!

Never having had “caps” before, I had no idea what to expect. To recap (there’s a pun in there, I swear) once they numb your gum (and there’s a rhyme in there) it’s not painful. It just takes a long time getting the impressions made after they grind down your tooth or, in my case, teeth.

And then there’s the breathing problem. I don’t know if it’s just me (maybe some kind of latent gene) or what, but I have a lot of difficulty breathing reclined all the way back while one person grinds on my teeth and another sprays water in my mouth and (supposedly) suctions it out.

Sidebar: It’s not throwback Thursday, but let me explain how it worked, back in the day (when I was a kid). You sat upright in the chair (like a barber’s chair) and the dentist bent over you. Nobody sprayed water in your mouth (nor did the drill the dentist used) and occasionally, you got a short glass of water to spit into a little ceramic sink next to the dentist chair where water continually swirled. When did we move to this water-board torture thing??? Who decided the dentist’s back was more important than my breathing passages???

Anyway, I digress (and apparently regress). It took over two hours, but I left there with two temporary crowns and an appointment to get the real ones installed.

I also left there $1,055.00 US poorer (which was better than the $1,200.00 they initially quoted me). Goodbye tax refund. Goodbye extensive work on restoring the Triumph this year. Goodbye planer for the workshop… Sigh…

Sidebar: Can somebody explain why I pay out each paycheck for dental insurance?

Anyway… As I probably mentioned, there is a Kroger’s on Ford Road, just down from the dentist office. So, I stopped in there (drooling like the hunchback of Notre Dame) and picked up some radishes, green onions, bakery-made hot dog buns, Johnsonville Brats and a T-bone steak on sale. Oh, and some Cheez-wiz. Today sucks (windy and cold) but it’s supposed to be sunny and 55 degrees tomorrow.

It’s been five or six month and I think its way past time for a barbeque!

I got home at 11:00 p.m. (still drooling – God, that was embarrassing), unloaded the truck and treated Caley.

I changed clothes and unloaded the dishwasher. I searched the silverware drawer for an expendable knife and couldn’t find one.

To explain, I originally baited the rat traps with Kraft singles. It dawned on me yesterday (in the rain) that I needed something more pungent and pliable. Hence, the Cheez-whiz. But I needed something to dig out the old cheese singles with and then spread the Cheez-whiz. But, I couldn’t find a thin knife I was really ready to sacrifice.

So, I went out to the garage. I couldn’t find anything close to what I needed. So, I took off the hacksaw blade and replaced it. I put a little of the Cheez-whiz into a paper cup and headed out back.

Sure enough, one of the traps were tripped, but no body. I’m thinking they have learned to hit the trap to spring it and then eat the cheese. Are rats that smart? Anyway, I used the hacksaw blade to clean out all the old cheese and then used it to spread Cheez-whiz on the trigger. We’ll see…

Note: I do have a back-up plan. You always gotta have a backup plan…

Since I was out in the wind anyway, I refilled the squirrel feeder and the suet cage. I didn’t bother with the bird feeder as I have yet to see a bird go into the cage to eat.

I started the weekend wash and heated up some homemade split pea with ham soup I’d thawed. I ate that watching a DIY show.

I decided that, before stripping the bed, I’d use it to take a nap. When I woke up I checked the channels and TCM was showing “High Sierra.” It’s not one of my favorite Bogart movies, but its okay. So, I watched it.

When it finished, I started to prep for tomorrow’s potato salad. I hard-boiled five eggs and then let them cool. I cut up all the baby redskin potatoes I had into similar-sized chunks. I didn’t have quite enough, so I used a couple of Yukon gold potatoes as well. Since I didn’t peel them, it should look interesting…

After the potatoes were boiled to fork-tender, I drained them, let them cool and stuck them in the fridge as well.

Update on this morning’s dental visit: While the numbing shots were still working, I only noticed my jaws hurt, probably from opening my mouth so wide for so long. But since they have worn off, my gums hurt, too.

I decided I wanted some dinner, so I used a couple of green onions and lettuce to make a simple side salad. I topped that with bottled bleu cheese dressing. I warmed up some of the beef tips and noodles and ate that for my main course.

I watched the Red Wings get their butts kicked. I turned the TV off in disgust and read a magazine until I got sleepy. Then I went to bed.