September 16, 2013
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Grape Faily and Other Highlights
I blogged yesterday about our anniversary on Saturday; here are the rest of the highlights from the weekend.
As many of you are aware, I have a bit of a phobia about going to the dentist. In fact, it's been about twenty years since I've had my teeth looked at. Recently, I've been having some discomfort in my lower left molars. It's not exactly pain. Sometimes it feels like I have a raspberry seed or a grain of rice stuck back there; other times it just feels kind of numb. But it doesn't hurt to eat or brush my teeth. So I finally bit the bullet, so to speak, and made an appointment. I was embarrassed to go to the same dentist my husband and daughter have been seeing for the past 2o years so I called a newer dentist in the area who advertises "Nap Dentistry." That sounds right up my alley. Unfortunately, they didn't accept our insurance there, even though it's through the largest employer in the area. I looked at all the dentists listed in the Yellow Pages and it was just too overwhelming, so I broke down and called the one my family uses. When I gave my name, the receptionist asked, "Do we see your family here?"
"Yes."
"But we haven't seen you before." (Statement, not a question.)
"Yeah, I have a thing about dentists."
"Do you have the same contact and insurance information as Brett?"
"Yes."
"Okay, we'll see you on the 18th. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"This wasn't the part that worried me."
I was psyching myself up all last week for my appointment on the 18th. Then, last Thursday as Brett and I were knee deep in boxes and dirt and flying squirrels from the attic project, the phone rang and the dentist's receptionist said, "We had a cancellation for tomorrow morning at 8:40 and thought maybe you'd like to just go ahead and get your appointment over with."
So Friday the 13th found me dragging myself out of bed much too early and going to the dentist five days ahead of schedule. They x-rayed, examined, tapped, scraped, and everything else they could think of and couldn't find anything wrong with my teeth and gums other than the need for a long overdue cleaning. In fact, my teeth are in good enough shape they couldn't believe it had been 20 years since they'd been examined and cleaned. So why the discomfort? Stress. Apparently I've been clenching my teeth more than I realized. Probably in my sleep. So when I'm awake I'm making a conscious effort to relax my jaw and not clench my teeth. I have an appointment in November for cleaning... earlier if they get a cancellation.
On Sunday I skipped church. Actually, I slept until 9:30. I'd had a little trouble getting to bed and falling asleep the night before. I ran to the store to buy sugar and pectin, and I spent some of my pie contest winnings on a canning pot I've had my eye on all summer. I went down to the basement and pulled out some jars and my big bag of rings, lids, labels and related paraphernalia. I got everything washed and prepared for jelly making. When the Colts game got to halftime, Brett and I bundled up and went out in the rain to cut grapes from our garden. We cut 5.5 pounds of tiny little grapes and spent the next 2 hours rinsing, picking, and rinsing again. The next few hours were spent running them through the blender, boiling them, and waiting for the juice to run through the jelly bag and the cheesecloth. By about 8:00, I'd had enough. It was apparent there would not be enough juice to make a batch of jelly, it was dark and still raining, and there was almost no scent to the grapes, even though they were ripe. I dumped the juice and Brett washed the dishes while I hauled all the jars and stuff back down to the basement. It was grape jelly fail. We decided the grapes make a lovely decorative backdrop to the garden and that's all. No more trying to harvest them. You may now take bets on how many summers it will be before we try again.
I'll leave you with a photo of the weekend's attic treasure.
My "Peaches and Cream" figurine and the Snow White figurine that came with the watch I got on my 9th birthday. Neither one is worth a lot of money, but they are dear to me, if for no other reason than that they survived. Most of my early childhood toys were lost when our house was destroyed by a hurricane in 1970.
Comments (6)
Good morning! All the girls in my family got a figurine with our birthstone in it when we were probably about 9 years old. These take me right there again. You are the sign I needed to make that appointment. I know I've also been clenching my jaw and it makes my teeth hurt. It's TMJ says my chiropractor. He taught me how to massage the back inside of my mouth, but I mostly do the massage on the outside just below my ears. I know I know...too much info. HUGS!
I've been going to the dentist twice a year since I found a great dentist, I clench my teeth too but what's worse is I push my tongue against my front lower teeth and they get loose =0 don't do that or the dentist will threaten to make you wear a football players mouth guard. Sorry about the grapes, they sound like the grapes you make good wine from.
I'll bet you try to make grape jelly the next time the weather allows for a good crop -- just make sure the crop is twice as good as this year's!
My husband makes wonderful black raspberry jam..it is a lot of work for sure but delicious. We can buy grape pies around here at this time of the year. Have you ever tried making one of those?
I don't like going to the dentist at all but I do manage to get there every 6 months.
In Dallas I went in for cleaning every six months because it was required for the warranty on my crowns. But any future work I'll probably have done in Colombia, where it costs a fraction as much. I don't have dental insurance but we will try to get me onto my wife's insurance in Colombia.
You are so very fortunate to not have had any major problems in your teeth! I am also a clencher and have had a mouth guard and Bowenwork on my jaws. As for your grapes, if I lived close to you, I'd beg to come over to take pictures of them hanging on the vines.
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