I had a dental appointment early this morning. When I went for my six month cleaning a couple weeks ago they found the tiny beginning of a cavity and advised me to go ahead and fill it promptly. It was the quickest, easiest trip to the dentist I've had in years (not counting cleanings) because we caught it so early. Much to my dismay, though, the dentist is insistent that I need to have some crowns redone very soon. A few of you may have been reading here for long enough to remember when my old dentist retired and a series of awful temporary ones filled in while the practice looked for a permanent replacement. I ended up spending thousands of dollars for very badly done work. Now it's going to cost another $2000 or so out of pocket to fix everything. Since I'm not having any pain or problems I keep trying to put it off, but it's soon going to be necessary to avoid trouble in the future. Why does dental work is so damn expensive? I'm going to try to hold off a little longer, maybe until the fall.
I decided that since I've hardly missed any days of work this year and my personal paid time off keeps accruing, I would take the whole day off work even though my appointment was easy and I was done by 10am. I had tentative plans to go to the bookstore or the library or even a couple of thrift stores this afternoon. Too bad for me, though, and it's a good thing I took the rest of the day off, because Gregg's truck broke down and we're currently having to share my car. Yesterday he had to have the repair shop come tow it in and it looks like the clutch may need replacing. Sigh. There goes another $1000+ , and all the more reason to put off the next dental bill as long as possible. We just can't seem to catch a break in the money department lately! It's always something!
But it's nice to have the afternoon off even if I'm stuck at home. It's a cool, cloudy day and the porch and my garden are calling to me. I'll leave you with a few pictures of the garden progress and the kids:
Tomatoes are coming along...
oh marco, your taste buds are something else! I like sour cream & onion chips, or honey BBQ chips.
ReplyDeletespouse just planted his tomatoes this past weekend; up here, you don't plant until after 5/15 (last frost day).
have an enjoyable relaxing day on the porch with the kids!
Our last frost date is a month before yours, hence the head start. What kind of tomatoes did you plant?
DeleteWell...I guess it's good he split between health and junk food......
ReplyDeleteHe likes junk food best!
DeleteThat big pot is lovely! Your garden is looking great! I planted some chive seeds today - that is it for my vegetable garden! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the truck and teeth costs! Hope it doesn't add up to too much!!
The big pot is also HEAVY. It weighs a ton! Hey, chives are nice on baked potatoes that have been topped with sour cream. Maybe I should plant some chives myself....hmmmmm.
DeleteAnd the packaging goes so well with Marco!
ReplyDeleteHe does match!
DeleteWhy is it that so many animals like chips - or crisps as we call them in the UK? My little dog will do just about anything for them - he can barely contain himself at the mere rustle of a bag. I used to work in a crisp/chip factory - it was my first proper job, when I was also studying at university - and I don't even like them very much!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about lots of animals liking chips. It's probably the oil and salt.
DeleteBodies, cars, houses...they're always needing something in the areas of maintenance or fixing, aren't they? And they're all so expensive.
ReplyDeleteI love your pots of plants and your garden as well. It's so exciting, waiting for those first vegetables, isn't it?
Marco. You know how I feel about him. He may be a little jerk sometimes but he sure is a precious little jerk. That's a great photo.
I'm beginning to get a little resentful of all the money we've had to spend lately. The truck repair is going to be $1300!! Every bit of extra cash (and quite a bit of savings) have been spent over the past few months and I'm getting pretty tired of never having extra spending money. :( Last night at book club one friend told about her recent trip to California, another talked about her upcoming vacation to Austin, Texas, and a third is going on a three month RV road trip with her family to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and the Pacific coast....at some point someone asked me where I'm planning to go this summer and I had to say, "Nowhere. I'll be sitting at home with my broke ass!"
DeleteI feel for you needing the dental work. I have a mouthful of crowns and most of them have been redone over the years. Keep an eye on them if you are waiting a bit to have it done. The only tooth I have lost is one that was under an old crown. The tooth broke under the crown and could not be repaired. Teeth are a pain and an expense!
ReplyDeleteI hate everything about dental work, the discomfort, the expense, the never-ending (seemingly) quality of it all....
DeleteI'm no diagnostician, but if the previous crowns are poorly done, like flat, for example, I'd let them be and fix the truck. If the work on the tooth they cover is bad, then I'd let the dentist decide how long they can go.
ReplyDeleteMarco the chip head. Does he like donuts?
Marco likes all junk foods!
DeleteMy dentist used to look in my mouth and repeat "crown, crown, crown, bridge, crown." None of it was ever done. My teeth are fine. I decided to let him go somewhere else for the payment on his Mercedes. I'm so jealous! Tomatos!
ReplyDeleteLots and lots of tomatoes! They're setting fruit like mad at the moment.
DeleteWOW ! your garden looks so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI love the small patio outside of your screened in porch with all the plants on it. They would be burned by noon in Tucson, except for the lovely Pomegranate. So lucky with that beautiful pot.
Marco is a hoot !
Your summer heat in Tucson is an awesome thing to consider. Such a dramatic environment!
DeleteI just planted my tomatoes the other day and it will be a while before I see a green tomato. I am glad I planted some Early Girls. Your’s look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWe have a much longer growing season this far south, which is why mine are so far along. Thank you!
DeleteMarco smiling as he eats the chip!!
ReplyDeleteWe have a few tomatoes coming in, too. I cannot wait for them to ripen!
The first tomatoes will be cause for celebration, won't they?!
DeleteYou ask why dental work is so expensive; it's because the dentists award themselves HUGE salaries! You seem to have won the race to the first Tomato, I have flowers, but no Toms as yet.
ReplyDeleteDentist are really overpaid! And I don't for a minute think they won't exaggerate the need for procedures to line their pockets.
DeleteThat's a great photo of Marco eating his chips. Lockdown has meant no visits to the dentist so I'm just dreading my next appointment in August.
ReplyDeleteMy best advice is to take very good care of your teeth while you wait for the appointment. A few months can make a big difference if you get careless.
DeleteO.K. had to fork out thousands of euros last year for dental work, too. It is like you say, there is always something! Good job we have hardly been spending any money during the pandemic, what with us not going away or eating out as much as we usually do.
ReplyDeleteMarco could easily advertise those chips - like someone else here said, he matches the packaging perfectly, and looks so happy to have that chip! You should send his picture in to the chips people, who knows, they might give you a little reward for it. I'm serious!
Maybe the company will give Marco an acting gig and he can be our ticket to riches and fame! Heck, I'd even settle for just the riches... :)
DeleteI'm always shocked at the cost of medical treatment in the States. My NHS dentist does a check-up for about £10 and a filling for maybe twice that. I hope Joe Biden can make some more progress towards a universal tax-funded healthcare system. Barack Obama tried hard but was up against it.
ReplyDeleteYou don't know the half of it, Nick! Medical costs are a national disgrace and bankrupt lots of people every every year. And when I think of all the people who suffer and die because they can't pay for services, I get pretty damn angry.
DeleteThe trick is getting in to register with and see an NHS dentist. In a place like London it's almost impossible. They're all booked up or not accepting new NHS patients. I wind up having to pay for my dental care privately, and it is NOT cheap.
Deletewhat lovely toms! I am mad-jealous.
ReplyDeleteThey are BLOWING UP right now! I counted almost 40 tiny tomatoes this afternoon and so far the plants seem super healthy. I'm not bragging, though. It could all go away in a flash (disease, pests, hail, etc).
Deletevegetable gardens are ephemeral
DeleteI hope you loose none.
That planter is nice. I have what is supposed to be good dental insurance. I still have 2 wisdom teeth and the oral surgeon recommended I have 1 removed. The cost? $1,000. I'll keep both, thank you.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Yes, I have "good" dental insurance, and did when I had all the original work done, too. It never makes all that much difference in the horrendous out of pocket costs.
DeleteWhen an orthodontist looked at my daughter's teeth, dollar signs rolled around in his eyes. He'd hit the jackpot.
DeleteCoochie coochie coo! Hello Marco! Who's a pretty boy? How kind of you to let Gregg and Jennifer and George live with you! By the way Jennifer, no need to worry about money because when I win the jackpot on the British National Lottery (Lotto) I will be sending you a bundle of the stuff.
ReplyDelete