Thursday, March 30, 2023

Beam me up, Scotty

I just know I'm going to have to stop following certain people on Facebook before long.  Maybe you have seen this?  I've seen it posted twice.


 How can that compare with an assault weapon like the ones the killer took to the school in Nashville this week?  NOBODY needs to own an assault rifle.



Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Let's talk turkey

Some time back, I bought a 21-pound turkey at Aldi's for $10.  What a bargain, I thought.  We love turkey anytime, and there was plenty of room in the freezer for it.  That was after Thanksgiving sometime.

Last week I decided to go ahead and cook the bird, so I had Cliff take it out to the shop, where there's a refrigerator that usually has room for a big turkey to thaw.  It took six days, but yesterday it was finally ready to cook.  I planned for Cliff and me to have a nice turkey dinner for a couple days, then I'd prepare the cooked turkey meat for casseroles, soups, sandwiches, turkey burritos and so forth.  I got out my  turkey roasting pan and then realized I didn't want to bother with all that.  I remembered learning from the Frugal Gourmet on PBS that it's perfectly fine to boil a turkey; I've done that several times in the past.  Even a huge turkey is done in less than two hours, and the meat is always moist.

But when I got the biggest pans in the house, I realized that turkey wouldn't fit in either one of them.  I could put it in either one, but unfortunately, about 1/3 of it was sticking out the top.   


Back when I was younger and canned a lot, I had huge pressure canners and a big granite ware canner like that smaller one on the left.  I knew I was done with canning a lot of things, so I gave those  away.  I realized those were the pans I used to boil a turkey, so what now?  

Just as I was about to put the turkey in the oven, I told Cliff, "You know, I think there might be an old pressure canner out in the garage."

Sure enough, there it was in a cupboard, a great big, very dirty aluminum pressure canner.  Wasps of the dirt-dauber variety had used it as a nursery, the dirt womb/tomb hanging onto the inside wall of the kettle so tight I couldn't pound it out of there; finally  I tried melting it by running water over it, which worked well.  As you can imagine, I spent quite a bit of time washing it, making sure it was clean; the turkey fit nicely in there, and all was well.

We had a great dinner:  turkey breast, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy,  Stovetop Stuffing, and green beans.  While the turkey was boiling I made some sugar cookies, too.  After dinner at noon and a short nap, I went out and tilled the garden quite a while.  I also planted onions.  I was on my feet more than usual and was limping when I finally came inside, but today I'm feeling pretty happy, knowing I have several batches of cooked turkey in the freezer anytime I need it, several quart baggies of turkey broth, and two gallon bags with broth and pieces of meat floating in it for turkey soup.

And we have leftovers for dinner today.

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Sunday Stealing

1. Working on anything exciting lately?  Well, I started planting the garden, day before yesterday.  That may not excite anybody else, but it's a highlight of spring for me.

2. What was the highlight of the day today?  My day has just begun, so how about yesterday's highlight?  A young couple with a little girl two-and-a-half years old came over, and we so enjoyed watching and listening to her.  Her name is Nellie; she sang as she played with the toys I keep around here, and actually carries a tune; there is nothing more beautiful than a child singing because she loves to sing, not because anybody prompted her.

3. What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends?  My favorite part of the weekend is going to church.

4. What are your favorite restaurants?  I like Chinese food and Mexican restaurants.  As luck would have it, those two are about the only places we can afford.  We don't eat out often, though.

5. Do you follow any sports?  I never did until 2020, when I fell in love with the Kansas City Chiefs, every last one of them and their coach.  I miss them when football season is over.

6. What is your biggest fear?  I fear for the world as a whole, not so much for myself, but for young people growing up in this mess of hatred and discontent we've made for ourselves.

7. What is your biggest regret?  That I wasn't a better mother.

8. When you were growing up, what was your dream job?  I wanted to be an Indian until I realized that wasn't something one "becomes".  Then I wanted to be a housewife and have babies.

9. Do you say ‘sherbet’ or ‘sherbert’?  Sherbet

10. Have you ever had a paranormal experience?  Not unless you count a religious experience or two, like a couple of prayers that were answered instantly.

11. What is your favorite food at a cocktail party?  I've never been to a cocktail party in my life.  All the drinkers I know drink beer, wine, or whiskey straight, and they don't call it a party.

12. Who is a book character most like you?  There are none, because any book focusing on me would be so boring, nobody would want to read it... unless I got VERY  honest, and I'd really rather not do that. 

13. Do you read reviews before you go to movies??  We don't go to movies at all these days, but I do check reviews before I watch a movie on TV.

14. How do you feel about cilantro?  Meh.

15. Have you ever cried in public?  I have, but it's been a long time.  I don't even cry at funerals.  I hate to cry.

I got this meme from the Sunday Stealing blog.

Friday, March 24, 2023

And "sow" it goes

Sowing seeds, that is.  Cliff got the tiller out for me on this windy, cloudy, 46° day so I could plant two rows of peas and one of radishes.  We've been getting rain about every  other day, but I don't think any one day has amounted to more than 1/4 inch, so I was able to till.  It wasn't ideal, but it worked.

 


I've already mentioned the fire my husband started in the dead leaves at the foot of my garden fence.  It isn't looking good for my strawberry plants.





However, there are living plants all around the edges of the patch, so at least I may have enough plants to start a new strawberry bed for next year.

I need to go somewhere and get some seed potatoes, since I like to plant them on Good Friday.  They're saying rain is likely tonight, perhaps half an inch.  I'll take it.

I finished this entry  yesterday, but I realized I didn't mention what it took to get me out on a damp, drizzly day to plant seeds in the soft, cold ground.  It was my daily Bible reading on March 22; the one-year Bible gives me something from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.  The latter half of Psalm 65 gave me garden fever that increased over the next couple of days until I could wait no longer!

FROM PSALM 65

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.

You care for the land and water it;
    you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
    to provide the people with grain,
    for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
    you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
    and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
    the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
    and the valleys are mantled with grain;
    they shout for joy and sing.

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Things I learn on the morning news

After feeding my pets, doing my daily Bible reading, and wrestling with my Wordle for the morning, I go to CNN.com to see if the world is going to end that day; I don't watch CNN on TV because it's noisy and forces things into my mind that I don't want there.  I read very little politics except for the headlines since 2020, the year people turned a virus into a political issue and then turned on one another; that made me so sad that I sought help for my depression in the form of a pill I'm still taking; true story.

I first read about how people are accessing Beethoven's DNA using his hair.  I'm wondering just how sure they are about their findings, since they can only obtain mitochondrial DNA from hair — which is passed from mother to child. At most it could tell them whether the source of one hair is related to the source of another. In order to identify a person, nuclear DNA is required.  But it was an interesting read; apparently they think Beethoven may have been a wino.

Next I reinforced my belief that the rich will always become richer, no matter who they hurt; Now they're planning to get rich on a scarcity of water in California.

My husband has always more or less followed Tom Brady when he watches football, so I'm putting this little bit of news on my blog for him to find out the real reason Tom Brady's wife got a divorce.

Apparently there's high risk of nuclear conflict now, a higher risk that there's ever been before.  Since it's a Chinese diplomat saying it, I don't know how much trust I will put in that point, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

I read something telling what to do with our money to keep it from diminishing with inflation.

And, in an article that will surprise nobody, California weather remains a disaster.

And that's the way it is in my news-gathering pursuits.

Peace.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

in the garden

I stepped outside yesterday afternoon with a coat on and in five minutes I took it off and walked over to the garden; it felt like a typical, sunny spring day and that immediately improved my mood.  

We haven't had a lot of rain around here, but the gentle rain seems to come about every third day:  just enough to keep the garden dirt too wet to use a tiller and get anything planted.   However, there were a lot of trashy dead plants, so I walked around picking those up and tossing them out of the garden.  Gabe the dog and Blue the cat were delighted to have me back in the garden with them and played tag with one another for awhile; I pulled out the metal lawn chair I used so much last year and thought about things awhile.  That garden looks awfully big, and I'm wondering if I'll be able to keep up if I plant the whole thing as I did last year.  I haven't even bought the seeds I need yet!

If and when I get seeds, I think I'll just start out as though I'm going to plant the whole garden; then we'll see what I feel like it when the workload of planting and watering and picking and tilling starts to get the best of me.  If it's too much, I will keep the tomatoes and peppers and whatever else I can manage.  

Cliff came outside later, saw dead leaves and dead weeds and grasses settled at the bottom of the garden fence, and suggested he put a match to it.  There was a brisk wind, but the ground is damp, and I told him to go ahead if he wanted to; he is such a firebug.  In spite of the damp ground, the fire traveled a little further north than we'd have liked, so he got out the hose and put an end to it. The fire went through my strawberry patch, but I'm pretty sure those plants that got burned will come back up; there are lots of green strawberry leaves amidst the ashes.  The smoke had settled into our clothes and hair, so when we came in we had to take showers.  

Today it will rain, but that 60° day yesterday gave me hope for the future.  Spring has come and will turn to summer, and I'm blessed enough to see that happen one more time... I hope.

Monday, March 20, 2023

Pancakes and gender talk

As I was walking from the Methodist Church to the Baptist Church yesterday, my phone pinged to let me know someone had messaged me; when I got to the Baptist church and was waiting for Sunday School to be over, I checked the message.  My  oldest granddaughter was going to come and visit, which she does faithfully about once a month.

We had leftover potato soup in the refrigerator, plenty for the two of us but probably not enough for more.  No worries, because Amber usually visits with the hope I'll make pancakes.  A lot of times her mom, our ex-daughter-in-law, comes with her; she likes pancakes too.  Also, when the two of them show up, grandson next door and his girlfriend often join the fun.  

Amber and her mom arrived while Cliff was picking me up at the Baptist church, and I asked if they wanted pancakes and sausage.  As always, they were ready for a noon breakfast; I got sausage out of the freezer and gave it three minutes in the microwave on the "defrost" setting, then got it cooking and mixed up the pancake batter.  While the pancakes were coming out of the pan, grandson and significant other came over; GF had made breakfast, so they didn't need any pancakes.

As it happened, though, there was some of the batter left after the others were done, so grandson decided he'd grab the last piece of sausage and have a pancake.  He ended up eating two.  Ha!  Then he and GF each had a snickerdoodle or two.

The pancakes were not the highlight of the day, though.  We got to discussing all the ins and outs of sexuality these days and had some hilarious debates going on.  Cliff and I are the old fogies; the younger ones have various thoughts about all the genders.  My point to them is that I understand "gay" and realize gays need to be accepted as people.  But I'm way too old to try and understand trans, non-binary, and gender-neutral; Cliff and I have trouble finding the way from the bedroom to the living room sometimes, and I am not going to start calling someone I know "them" or "he" if I know the person as a female with babies.  I don't need any new terms to memorize.

Nobody got mad, we just all tried to explain ourselves to one another, and it ended up being the funniest (and loudest) conversation I've heard lately.  Before it ended, the grandchildren were wanting to take Cliff to a bar to see some drag queens!  As you might imagine, he got pretty vocal about things then, but our laughter drowned him out completely.  

I hope this post doesn't offend anyone, but it was SO funny, and every single kind of gender you've ever heard about was defended by someone in the group.  I haven't had so much fun in ages.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Sunday Stealing

One song that describes my life.  Amazing Grace

Two things I wish I had more of in my life.  Stamina, and self-control when it comes to eating.

Three ways I relax:  reading, using my sleepless times in bed by praying for others, watching mindless TV like the old Perry Mason series from the 60's

Four of my best accomplishments:  Having two children who are willing to work for a living, some songs I've written that people love, always paying our bills even in hard times, and marrying the one person who was right for me.

Five things I am looking forward to:  waking up each morning, springtime, raising garden vegetables again, seeing my sister while she's still alive and kicking, and church on Sundays

Six things I am grateful for:  Still having my husband with me; my dog; all the Jersey cows I've had in past years; the last horse I bought when I was around sixty years old (the answer to a  childhood prayer); all the wonderful memories of my younger life; spring, summer, and fall... my favorite seasons.

Seven facts about me:  I don't like to dress up; I hate shoes; I like to have some alone time every day; I don't have much self-control when it comes to eating; I love to cook meals and bake cookies; I love the outdoors; I wish my knees didn't hurt so much, so I could go on long walks again. 

Eight things I can see from where I am sitting: my coffee cup; my pill holder; a Bible; a blanket that my dog is sleeping under on the couch; my husband's shoes; a camera; the iPad I read my books on; a clock on the wall telling me it's 6 A.M.

Nine words I would use to describe myself: old, tired, lazy, overweight, Christian, blogger, curly-haired, wife, mother

Ten little things that make me happy: sunny days; gentle rain when it's needed; home-grown tomatoes; animals; cooking; my husband being able to hear again; singing the song I wrote, "There's a Song in Here Somewhere", in Church and watching people react to it; real food like my mother used to make; and our new little truck (because it makes my husband happy)

Feel free to steal this meme, as I did.  You'll find it weekly on the Sunday Stealing blog.

Friday, March 17, 2023

Hallelujah!

I have suspected for a long time that my dog's awful smell was caused by his anal glands, although I thought the groomers were expressing them every two months when he got his haircut.  If so, they haven't been doing something right.  Cliff and I would bathe him (because two bath-people are better than one), but the next day he would be smelly again.  Finally I called the vet's office and told his wife about the problem; she agreed that he probably needed to have his anal glands expressed.

Today was the day.  The vet's helper took my leashed dog back where nobody would have to smell it, and five minutes later I was paying my $20 and walking out the door with Gabe.  The guy asked whether the groomers had been doing this; I told him I thought they were supposed to, and he said, "Next time you might remind them about it, because he had a LOT."

Just a note:  Please don't tell me I should learn to express the glands myself.  Yuck.

Once we got home, we could hardly wait to bathe the dog.  Cliff had been refusing to let him lay on his lap or even next to him, because he didn't want the stink on his clothes.  But now...


 I guess Gabe is making up now for all the lost time with my husband.  By the way, it's no accident that I cut Cliff's head off in this picture.  He's sound asleep, and his mouth is wide open, which isn't his best look; so I spared him the embarrassment.  

You're welcome, dear husband.

Thursday, March 16, 2023

My conversion with Artificial Intelligence

I thought perhaps someone would like to see my latest visit with Artificial Intelligence on ChatGPT.  I messed it up a little by trying to arrange things better, and then couldn't do anything about it.  But I think you wll

Hello! How can I help you today?
Why wouldn't the House of Representatives pass the law to stop daylight savings?
There could be a variety of reasons why the House of Representatives did not pass the law to stop daylight savings. One possible reason is that there may not have been enough support or consensus among the representatives to pass the legislation. Another possibility is that there may have been other, more pressing legislative priorities that the House was focused on. Additionally, there may have been concerns about the potential impact that stopping daylight savings could have on certain industries or sectors of the economy. Ultimately, the decision not to pass a particular piece of legislation can be influenced by a wide range of factors, both political and practical.
Have there been any trustworthy presidents?
Throughout history, there have been many presidents of various countries who are considered trustworthy by many people. However, it is important to note that trust is subjective and can vary from person to person. Some examples of presidents who are widely regarded as trustworthy include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela. These leaders exhibited qualities such as integrity, honesty, and a commitment to serving the people they represent. They were also able to inspire trust and confidence in their actions and decisions.
Franklin D. Roosevelt didn't believe Hitler was killing the Jews
There is no historical evidence to suggest that Franklin D. Roosevelt did not believe that Hitler was killing Jews. In fact, Roosevelt publicly spoke out against Nazi persecution of Jews and other minority groups. In 1942, Roosevelt stated in a radio address, "There can be no doubt that the bestiality of the Nazis has profoundly shocked humanity itself, and their barbarous policy of persecuting and exterminating the Jews has been universally condemned." Additionally, under Roosevelt's leadership, the US played a key role in the Allies' efforts to defeat Nazi Germany and end the Holocaust.
But he didn't listen to Jan Karski
Jan Karski was a Polish resistance fighter and courier during World War II who provided intelligence and eyewitness testimony regarding the Holocaust to the Polish government-in-exile and Allied leaders, including Franklin D. Roosevelt. While Roosevelt did meet with Karski and acknowledge the atrocities that were being committed against Jews and other minority groups, it is true that he did not take immediate or decisive action to stop the Holocaust. It is important to remember that the United States was not yet a belligerent in the war when Karski initially met with Roosevelt, and taking action against Nazi Germany was not yet a major priority for the Roosevelt administration.
Why did people vote for Donald Trump?
There were a variety of reasons why people voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 United States Presidential election. Some people voted for him because they believed that he could bring about positive change and shake up the political establishment, others voted for him because they agreed with his stance on issues such as immigration and national security, and some voted for him simply because they were tired of traditional politicians and wanted someone who was outside of the political establishment. Additionally, Trump appealed to a base of voters who felt disillusioned or left behind by the changes brought about by globalization, and saw him as a candidate who would protect their interests.
Are you male or female?
As an AI language model, I do not have a gender as I am a machine.  
Was Trump a good president?
As an AI language model, I cannot express opinions or biases. The perception of Donald Trump's performance as president of the United States is subjective, and this view will vary depending on one's political beliefs and values. Some people may believe he was a good president because of his policies and actions, while others may disagree and consider him a bad president.

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

The Poisonwood Bible

I would never have chosen to read The Poisonwood Bible if I hadn't recently read Barbara Kingsolver's recent best-seller Demon Copperhead, loosely patterned on David Copperfield.  It was not only interesting, but it's a book that put me in the position of understanding people who weren't raised the same way I was, with an extended family that cared what I became and tried to steer me the right way... although I disappointed some of them, I'm sure.

That book wasn't an easy read, but I wanted more from that author; so, thinking I might have heard of the Poisonwood Bible before, I checked it out.  It's been banned at some time and place, although I really don't understand why, unless you think you're so insecure in your faith that reading about one mad preacher, or hearing about the beliefs of other people, will send you to hell.  This wasn't an easy read either, by any means.

It was written in 1998, but set in the 60's.  Thanks to some of the characters in the book, I learned a lot about the history of Africa.  It wasn't really such a terrible place until the whole world found out there were slaves for the taking and what seemed like endless gold to be had.  I finished the book this morning and did some googling to make sure the author had things right. 

I was raised on the Bible and knew about Egypt, but never realized until a few years ago that it was part of Africa.  Egyptians invented mathematics, geometry, surveying, metallurgy, astronomy, accounting, writing, paper, medicine, the ramp, the lever, the plough, mills for grinding grain and all the paraphernalia that goes with large organised societies.  

In the New Testament, I grew up reading and hearing about how one of the disciples, Phillip, was going on a mission:  On his way, he met an Ethiopian, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”).  He was reading the writings of Isaiah as he traveled in his chariot.  

Those people were not unlearned, even 2,000 years ago.

And now I'm off to find a nice, normal who-done-it that won't make me think so much.  My brain needs something easier.  

Monday, March 13, 2023

My dental journey

I know a lot of folks are wondering why I have had so many issues with my teeth; I've been told what I should and should not do about my few remaining teeth.  The advice I get would be perfect for people with a normal history of parents who made them brush their teeth as children, or growing up having good-paying jobs or dental insurance, and so forth.

My parents never even suggested I brush my teeth when I was a child, and I remember once in about the fifth or sixth grade bragging to someone, "I don't have to brush my teeth."  My dad had false teeth before I was born, and my mom got hers when she was around 40, I'm guessing.  I wasn't worried about it.

By the time I was 13, I had plenty of bad teeth.  We had moved to Kansas City, and both parents were working and making a little extra money.  Mother decided to have all my teeth fixed.  After school I would walk to the dentist, he'd work on my teeth, and my mother would pick me up when she got off work.  Believe me, there were a lot of appointments!  From then on, I brushed my teeth once or twice a day, although not very vigorously.  I was a teenager by that time and realized people might like me better if I didn't have bad breath.  Ha!

So, I still had cavities every once in awhile.  However, once I was on my own I certainly didn't have the money to get the least little thing done to my teeth.  When I started working at National Bellas Hess, a mail order firm, I was bringing home $35 a week, barely above the minimum wage at that time; I was paying for my apartment and buying food out of that amount.

When Cliff and I were married, we had no health insurance.  We were young and bullet-proof, it seemed.  We even had two babies, and paid our doctor and hospital bills off slowly but surely.  Once in awhile we had to visit a doctor, especially with the children.  If we didn't have the money at the time, I borrowed it from my parents and paid them back a little at a time (yes, we really did pay them back).  Meanwhile, by the way, we were living a wonderful life on the farm.

Cliff worked at a family-owned butcher shop in the late 60's and 70's.  His boss was, and still is, a wonderful person.  At some point he decided he should pay for his employees' dental bills; I'm sure he was thinking of the cost of teeth-cleaning and mild decay, which would apply to most people, I imagine.

Well, by this time my teeth had a lot of problems again and I was going to need some root canals and even some teeth pulled.  That would have been enough for Cliff's boss to realize he'd made a horrible mistake, but this dentist decided to do things up even bigger!  He decided to do three bridges in addition to the other work that was needed.  

When the boss got that bill, he decided not to pay everybody's dental work any more, and I didn't blame him.

The dentist impressed on me the fact that I must floss my teeth, and from then on, I did.

Bridges don't last forever.  One of the teeth holding one end of a bridge broke off, so that bridge was gone.  There was a similar problem with another bridge later on.  Also, I've been told bridgework isn't supposed to last forever, and I had mine done almost forty years ago.  The bridgework on the bottom teeth is gone, and several years ago, I got a partial in order to be able to chew anything.  I will be 79 in July, so I cannot see the reason I should go in debt to have implanted teeth.  

Now that I've gone to the right dentist, I don't have to worry about that.  The two teeth he will be pulling were root canals that have failed over time, so there's no "doing a root canal" now.  The dentist will send my partial off, add teeth where they are needed, and I will be able to chew again.

I hope this explains what's going on to my readers.  I really do accept the fact that these problems are the result of my wrong choices... not brushing my teeth as often or as diligently as I should have.

George Jones said it best.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Lots of funerals lately

One of the sad things about growing older is realizing most of your relatives and friends have died.  Last June, the wife of one of Cliff's cousins died.  A few days ago, her husband, Cliff's cousin, was gone.  In there somewhere, his cousin Edna, died; also a first cousin once removed, not to mention the wife of Edna's son.  

My husband and I have been known to tell one another, "We're dying like flies!"

But it isn't so sad when the person has lived past 70 and has had a happy, interesting life.  As I watch their spirits shuffle off this earth, I realize that's the natural order of things, and I am no more afraid of death than I would be of the common cold.  The only worry I have about my dying is I would hate to leave my husband alone; I can't even picture him on his own.  But then, I don't really want to be the one left behind, either.  Those two things are my only worry about our dying, and when I begin to worry, I just tell Jesus I trust him to take care of us, as He always has; that's how I deal with worrying about things I can't change.

I know not all the readers of my blog are believers, and I want to say from the bottom of my heart I am not trying to change you.  But sometimes I want you to know how I really feel, just as some of you have been genuine about your beliefs; as long as you express them without anger, I respect what you have to say.  I would never try to cram my beliefs down your throat. 

Anyhow.  Archie, Cliff's cousin, didn't want a funeral, but there will be a short visitation and a graveside service, and we intend to go, although rain is forecast for the entire day and we may skip the graveside service.  It seems rather silly to go for a two-hour drive when we may only spend a few minutes at the visitation, but Archie was part of Cliff's childhood.  Cliff didn't always have a happy home life, but when they went to Versailles, he had a blast with his cousins, aunts, and uncles; Versailles was his happy place.  Oh, the stories he can tell about those times!  

So I think it's only fitting we give Art Hansen a proper goodbye.  

Thursday, March 09, 2023

I'm happy

First of all, I'll share my friend Anita's message about how the pancake recipe and video went down.  As soon as she received the recipe and video, she thanked me.  "Wonderful wonderful I thank you so much. It’s very nice to hear you guys' voices. That’s really good." (She meant the video, I assume).

The next day, I got this: "I made the pancakes last night for Donnie when he came home from work. He said they were perfect. He actually ate 4, so thank you for helping me make good pancakes."

If you missed that entry, you'll find it HERE.

Now for the main reason I'm happy. I've had trouble getting a dentist to do anything about my teeth that wouldn't put us in debt for years. Oh, there was that one place, a chain group of dentists all across the country. It was staffed by very young people who were perfectly willing to pull all my teeth, which I really felt was necessary anyhow. However, because of the way they did things, something didn't feel right about the whole place, and I fled without losing any money. When I got home and looked them up, I saw a lot of people complaining about their services. That was two years ago. A young dentist at a reputable place had fixed the teeth he could a year before that, but there were a couple of bad teeth that were too far gone for him to do anything affordable for me.

Cliff has a dentist he absolutely swears by just eight miles from us in Odessa; he is on our Medicare Advantage program. We can have our teeth checked twice a year, plus they gave us each a debit card for $1,000 we can use for dental, glasses, or hearing aids. I was just certain that dentist would insist on doing implants or something, but I was wrong.

I knew there were two bottom molars that would have to come out, on the right side. I have a partial plate for my bottom teeth, and was pretty sure that with those two teeth gone, I wouldn't be able to use the partial plate any more, but one has to do what's necessary.

Bless that dentist's heart, he came in telling me those teeth would have to be pulled, but that he's pretty sure he can send the partial away to be fixed so it would still work for me! Oh, we'll owe some money, but there's still $750 on that debit card from our insurance; that will help greatly. And now I know how stupid I was not to go to Cliff's dentist!

I received an email from his office asking me to provide feedback for him, so I gave him all five stars, plus leaving these few words, now featured at the top of all their reviews:

FEATURED REVIEW