Dental Work Complete For Now

Yesterday was D day, that is Dentist day. We had a nine o;clock appointment so had to rise at four o'clock and travel the three and a half hours it takes to get there. We were there at ten minutes before nine but we came to a locked door. They got there sort of on time but I did have to smile about that. I got to be in the chair first. I thought most of my work was already complete. Think again. Two and a half hours later, I finally got to shut my mouth and get out of that chair, Even then, I had one more crown to be put on but we had to wait for the lab to make it. Life is sooo different just two blocks over the border. Ken also had lab work to be done as his upper plate needed relining. First a bicycle courrier came to the door and handed the office girl a see through plastic bag containing an upper set of teeth...they were Ken's. After Ken's work was all complete we found ourselves waiting and waiting for that last crown. Finally, at three oc'lock, a gal walked through the door with several plastic bags. At least one couldn't see what was inside since they were wrapped. Then I sat down once more and got the last crown cemented in.

A few things struck me as I experienced this dental work. One, the doctor was not in a hurry. When something had to set up, he patiently sat holding whatever it was in my mouth until it set up. He also mopped up my face several times in a most gentle way. After some time, I couldn't be afraid of this kind and genteel face over my head. Another thing that made an impression is that even the sounds in a Mexican dentist chair are unfamiliar. The music was like one may hear at a fancy Mexican restaurant in the States. Kind of that Mexican guitar thing they have going. As I lay in the chair listening to the staff chat together in a language very unfamiliar to me, I thought of some children.

Many years ago I volunteered for a group called Heal the Children. Children whose families couldn't find or afford medical care for them were brought from foreign countries, housed in US homes, given medical care and then sent back to their homes. I thought of the fear that must have been in their little hearts as they were sent to a foreign country with a strange person and then endured sometimes painful procedures at the hands of people who looked different and certainly spoke something they didn't understand. The work was good and well intentioned but I understand something more of the enormity of those experiences for the little kids. I recently spoke with the gal who ran the arm of that organization. She has since started her own called Hearts In Motion....she said she'd like me to get involved again. I an supposed to have lunch with her sometime in August. I don't know where I would fit in but I'll check it out and see if God has something for me to do there.

The upshot of the whole dental experience is that Ken has a mouth full of beautiful white teeth. He said it is the first time in his memorable life that he hasn't had any fillings. My top teeth are generally restored and look a ton better but when I look at the bottoms, I see I have more work to have done. In time.

On our way back through Phoenix, we looked up an address that advertised an Airstream. Peggy Sue is an Avion and though we love her, we still have a hankering for an Airstream. The one we were going to see in Mesa sold the day we called to go to see it. I'm kind of sorry we missed that one because I think the price was very good and the condition was even better. But....too late. Anymore, when those things happen, I say, Okay Lord...for whatever reason, you didn't want us to have that one. We saw another ad and eventually found the address. This one was bigger, perhaps 27 or 31 feet long. While is was very clean inside, there were important parts missing. The skin was also damaged heavily and would require some serious body work. While Ken feels pretty confident about his ability to restore these little gems now, we decided nada. Nope, too much work and would require too much investment. So the first thing Ken did when we returned home to Sherri and Don's house was to get his nose into Craig's List to see how many others he could find to look at. Since Sherri and Don are interested as well, I have a feeling we will have our eyes open for Airstreams today when we travel north for a little holiday. We will see several sights including Jerome. Jerome is a ghost town now but was a big mining town in its day. It is built along the steep side of a mountain. Interesting place and something eleven and twelve year old boys would like to explore.