Saturday, April 12, 2008



I have always disliked going to the dentist and to the barbershop, because invariably you become a captive audience to one who talks unceasingly. Half of that problem has been solved and I won't tell you which. Since the advent of no cavities (I guess I now brush my teeth regularly) quite a few years ago the issue of the talking dentist has been replaced by the problem of my dental hygenist, Shannon, who hums to all the soft rock that is piped into the room.

Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,...

But Shannon compensates with an excellent system of cleaning (scraping) my teeth. This is something I don't like but she makes it seem quicker because she uses a random approach. I don't have to think, "She's done the upper outside so now I have to suffer the... She scrapes here and there, has me all confused and before I know it she is through and the humming stops.

I was thinking about Shannon today as I worked in the garden. I moved a Mahonia from this bed to that bed. I put sand (to smother it) on moss in that bed. I fertilized the roses with liquid fertilizer. I pushed back the Choisya 'Aztec Pearl' so it will give room to Rhododendron schlippenbachii to grow. During all this work I realized I was not going at it methodically but using Shannon's method. Before I know it the garden will be "done".

For lunch today I made strawberry slush with strawberries, lemon juice, sugar and plenty of ice. Rebecca said, "Um, so good. I can't wait until summer so we can drink this in the garden.