Deep Tooth Cleaning Today

I reserve the right to ask them to stop the work.  One tooth.  I have suffered from Dental Phobia for most of my life due to the propensity of the "Family Dentist" to forgo any pain relief, or at best, refuse to wait long enough for it to take hold.  These are nightmares from my childhood, before the age of 12.  Later, in high school, I visited, on my own, a dentist who would let me sit for however long it took for the novacaine to work.  A long time.  My present dental group is long past the tension and anxiety of my first visits when the normal tooth cleaning had to be done over a 2 or 3 month time span.  Now, they are so cavalier as to schedule deep cleaning and expect it to go smoothly.  I am checking for escape routes.

The light powdery snow of yesterday was the perfect accident waiting to happen.  I didn't go out to walk the dog because one careless step on the smooth slippery snow covered ice and I would have fallen.  The YakTrax DO NOT work on smooth, slick ice.  Riley was disappointed.  I read my book and he snored peacefully on his sun soaked dog bed. I am hoping that by the time I return home after my dental visit, the sun will have melted more snow I will be able to tell where the safest path lies.

I made the Garden Chowder for dinner, using up the broccoli in the fridge, a few carrots, a potato, onion and some canned corn and tomatoes.  I don't think it's G's favorite as it has "vegetables" so I will be eating the remains even with the cream and grated cheese I added to make it seem less vegetable to G. I'll make chicken for him tonight.  That man could happily eat chicken every night of the week.

I have a new item to add to my "To Do" list.  Checking the dates on canned items in the pantry cupboard.  I have a very small cupboard of canned goods and try and use them up and then replace the items.  Now I see a few cans that have been repeatedly shoved to the back.  That happened once before in the deep dark recesses of the top shelf in this cupboard.  To canned cherries.  The cans had actually been there long enough to leak.  What a mess.  I may move the canned goods to the vacuum closet.  Cooler, darker and smaller so I can't accumulate too many canned goods.  Usually, only bean varieties, corn and tomatoes.  I did notice some artichokes and one can of pineapple chunks.

 I am not a survivalist with cartons of canned goods stuffed under the beds.  I would prefer to stockpile rice, dried beans, sugar, salt and some grains with which to make bread or dumplings (and my box of vegetable seeds for a garden).  Live like cowboys on the range.  Beans and biscuits.  Or like the Mexican immigrants; beans and tortillas in times of no money or no job.  I wonder what the Chinese poverty meal is?  Or the African? The British? Any ideas?  I think the Egyptians fall back on lentils and rice with deeply fried onions on top if available.  My grandmother would have served vegetables from the garden in a stew over dumplings made from flour and potatoes.  Which is why I am pear shaped.  Or dumpling shaped.

Time for breakfast followed by tooth brushing and flossing.  11.30 appointment.  Ugh!