I had to go back to the dentist yesterday to get a little polish applied to my million-dollar smile.

Well, it wasn't exactly polish, but it will be shiny when the work is done. I had to have one of my lower rear teeth ground down in preparation for a crown. The molar had several old fillings in it and at least two of them had 'leaked,' allowing decay to start inside the tooth. Luckily, the problem was fixed before I had permanent damage to the tooth's center. However, it didn't get fixed before causing permanent damage to my finances, again.

In fact, I have come to determine that my teeth are likely one of my top five assets, along with my land, my guitar collection, my firearms, my tools and a collection of dust bunnies.

I really don't have a collection of dust bunnies, unless you count the ones under the bed, but I ran out of valuable possessions to list and opted to make something up rather than put it in print. I guess I should have included my three paid-for vehicles, but they aren't exactly Cadillacs (the newest one is neigh on nine years old).

I suppose I have more dollar value in tools than anything else, but I'd not part with them easily. Most of the other things I could do without. I've always figured that I could make a living with my tools if things were to go that way, but I'm no longer fool enough to believe I might make a living with a guitar or a gun and the dust bunnies only pay if you're cleaning them up for someone else. Besides soldiers of fortune and roving minstrels aren't doing so well these days.

At least I have a savings account now, even if it is all stored inside my mouth. Maybe I can bequeath and grant each of my heirs one golden tooth in my will. It might sound more valuable if the attorney uses a British accent and carries a feather pen.

Come to think of it, I hope to still have teeth when I pass from this world, but if I'm not better to them the second half of my life than I was the first half, I might have to die pretty soon. Well, that's an exaggeration, but I didn't act all that wisely in the past, especially when I was in my teens and early 20s. At that time, I developed a love affair with Mountain Dew that could easily cost most anyone a mouthful of problems. It wasn't enough to drink one of those sugary drinks a day. I was slurping down three or four.

Now I seldom partake of soft drinks, and never Mountain Dew—it's like kryptonite for teeth.

Having all that sugar on one's teeth all the time leads to problems, especially for the lower molars. Now, here I am 20-some years later paying for past dental sins with great expense and personal discomfort.

A visit to the dentist for such a procedure causes one to expend several hours being drilled, scoured, prodded, poked and cemented, all the while holding the mouth as widely open as possible. Even though I thoroughly hate most of that, the worst of it for me is the anesthesia, otherwise known as 'numbing.' I try not to take it if there isn't much drilling to be done, but with a major operation like a crown, there's little choice.

After getting my temporary crown put in place some two-and-a-half hours after my initial stop-off at the dentist's office, I stopped by the coffee shop. Hot drinks are supposed to help 'the feeling' return to the mouth after numbing. However, after having been poked, prodded and drilled for several hours, one might be better off not feeling for a while.

Besides, I had to contend with the concern that only half my face was working. I hope to never suffer a stroke, but I know I don't want to try it if it's anything like having your face numb.

It's difficult to drink coffee while only half of one's face is mobile, since you can't really tell if the coffee is staying in your mouth until you feel it dripping on your shirt. Of course, it's also hard to tell how hot the coffee is, as well. Although I did test it with a finger—figuring that being able to withdraw my finger without a blister was a good indication that the coffee was cool enough to drink— one's tongue is much more sensitive that one's finger.

When I awoke the following morning, I had a burned place on the side of my tongue that took place either from the coffee that I drank so clumsily or from the microwaved hot tea I drank an hour or so later.

As it turned out, only time truly seems to make the feeling return, but the coffee and tea at least made me feel like I was doing something. And, of course, I love coffee and tea.

On the construction front, I finished up the Sheetrock and the new closet in the bedroom this past weekend. Now I just need to put up the doors and get the rod in place, which I should be able to do one evening this week. I also did one more wall of vinyl siding, leaving only the wall where the new electrical service is being installed to go before I need to leave the ground to do a little work on the eaves and soffit.

The electric company ran the service wire underground to my house, removing the overhead line that was completely shrouded by the pine trees behind the house. Two years ago the line came down in an ice storm and I had to have the pole replaced. Changing over to an underground line will definitely solve that problem, although it required hiring an electrician to get the stuff changed over.

While he was there, he went ahead and replaced the electric panel in the bedroom I've been working on. He asked if he could have the old one, which featured push-button breakers. He said he hoped to have a display of some of the antique electrical equipment he's replaced over the years. At any rate, the electrical sideline is just one more example of how a project that starts off small can turn into a real beast.

Thank goodness for the home equity loan at the bank, that's all I can say.

Now that the bedroom walls are done, we can get them painted and hopefully get the children moved back in. Finally the furniture, toys and clothes will be out of the way that are clogging up the dining room, the living room and the other two bedrooms. I'm tired of climbing over things to get to other things.

In thinking about it, it seems like this job's been going on forever, although I only started working on the house in mid June. I probably should be more pleased with the accomplishments that have been made. Working only evenings and weekends for a month and a half, along with a few days I've taken off, I've managed to replace most of the siding on my house and to completely renovate a bedroom with all new insulation and wallboard and a larger, redesigned closet. And that's not even counting the other projects I've taken on for others. However, it's still easier for my eyes to see all the work that still remains undone than the progress that has been made. That's probably a good thing, since it's hard to move forward if you're always looking back.
 

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