Dental issues, still raining, business, Mama’s lamentation

Lately, tooth pain has been a recurring issue across our family. I have been dealing with general pain in my mouth for months now. Earlier this week, Mama started mentioning that she had some severe pain in one of her teeth and this morning after we had prayed, Mama told me that Maggie has a tooth causing her significant enough pain that she was seeking out a dentist within their insurance network. My pain is constant but not severe – letting me know that there is something wrong in multiple places in my mouth. Mama has not mentioned her pain for several days. I just thought it was interesting that the three of us fell victim to the same dental crisis at the same time. I am not going to deal with my issues until we sell our second house. My current insurance – which I will not be on for long – covers almost nothing related to actual dental needs. All of my charges will be out of pocket. My best guess is that we are looking at $20,000 for the work I need to have done. Sad thought.

We are looking at another rainy weekend. Mama and I have a lot of little things that need to get done at the farm this weekend. Not the least of which is to clean out the coop building. It has been a full two weeks since we have done that, and it shows. Chickens are messy birds. Forty of them produce a pretty good-sized mess. We typically get a full wheelbarrow of waste out of each side of the coop. It is good fertilizer for the garden but at some point that need will be exceeded, and I will have to find another place to put the refuse. Keeping the birds is fun. Every evening, when I go out to collect eggs and check feeder levels, the chickens gather to see what I have brought them. Generally, Mama will let them out to roam and catch bugs in the late afternoon. I do not have to call to them. When they see me, they immediately start clucking the alert to their flock mates and huddle up. By the time I am at the gate in the back yard I am having to shoo them out of my way. They will eat virtually anything, but they really like bread – in any form. Leftover pizza, moldy bread or biscuits, pie crusts, etc. One night this week, I took out some leftover beans and they devoured them. Very little goes to waste on the farm.

Last night I completed and sent the document I have been working on for my additional side business. I expect to hear back from my perspective partner by early next week. He is a very busy person. I told Mama as I sent the document that I do not know how he will judge the work I have done. I am working in a vacuum at the moment, but I am hoping that the feedback I get from the work already done can help set the direction for me. My dad told me years ago that a shrewd entrepreneur once told him that the mantra he used in starting a business was “Ready. Fire. Aim.” I prepared and fired. Now I hope to get some aim added to the mix.

Mama is already dreading her Tuesday appoint with the doctor at the hospital. I think we are better prepared than we were the first time – especially with the brace Mama is using. The MUA (manipulation under anesthesia) is not invasive so there is no risk of infection from the procedure. However, the doctor is going to aspirate and test any accumulated fluids in the knee to see if there is an unseen infection Mama is dealing with. He plans to use a local anesthetic in the knee – another injection - that should last more than a day. He also plans to apply the brace to the leg to keep the knee retracted after the procedure. Mama was hoping on going to physical therapy after her release from the hospital, but the procedure is not scheduled until 2:30 pm. The PT clinic closes at 4 pm. We will not be out of recovery until after they close.

We ate lunch together at the church yesterday and Mama was lamenting her late appointment. Bro. Zach said, “Someone has to be scheduled for those late appointments.” I smiled and said, “Thank you brother. I could not say that.” Mama hit me with the fly swatter she was holding. He did not necessarily mean for it to come out that way, but it was funny to me that it did. Even Mama laughed.

Last night Mama read to me a comic post from Facebook. A husband had been sent a picture by his wife of her in a new dress. She asked, “Does this dress make me look too big?” to which he replied. “Noo” He hit send before he realized auto correct had changed his response to “Moo”.

An electronic Freudian slip? Perhaps.