New pottery

Another hand painted geranium pot.
Here it is in an earlier stage...

What would it be good for?

I sold a cookie jar (my identification of it) Saturday to a woman who wanted to serve a bean dish in it that night for supper.  It certainly would work for that.

That's the joy of pottery, it can be used for so many things.

And here's my good friend making a sculpted angel.  She has some new techniques, including cutting the hair by hand.

Today's Quote:

Risk itself is a process of constant unfolding. And taking risks is the process of peeling back the layers of what you are and who you want to be.  Phoebe Eng

Those teeth

Dental gratitude.

Here's my before shot...
and before the shot of novocaine (or whatever wonder drugs are used to numb half my head).

There's one amalgam filling left, the silver one on the bottom.  It was about 50% mercury.  Glad to get it out of there.  I must have had it about 25 years.

Stick of local anesthetic, prior to the big needle of the strong stuff.

The view that I had while all the work happened in my mouth.  Of course this was the sitting up view. When I lay back, and had to hold my poor jaw open and push with my neck against the pressures of the dentist pushing this and that...I only saw the ceiling and the bright light.

And after...

Of course I couldn't feel much about the time the last pic was taken, at least on my right side.

I share this mundane episode in my senior life, because it is a big affair for me.

I, and all other Medicare seniors, have no dental insurance.  We could purchase private plans, but the cost is about as much as this procedure cost.  We are up the creek without a paddle, so to speak.

I may not have sterling teeth, because when I was a teen my parents didn't invest in braces for me.  In the 50's it was still an optional thing to do for kids, and my parents said getting a good education was worth more than a pretty smile (and nobody knew about dental health which went along with braces).  I now don't worry about that attitude, because I went on to become a stewardess who made her living with her smile, crooked teeth and all.

But I do worry that many elders haven't got a way to save up for 4 months to have a procedure done, like I have.  And I worry about how my catching up on dental care finally has really cost me.  I doubt that I'll be able to save that fifteen hundred dollars or so and put it back into savings.  This year I have had three costly visits, and changed dentists after the first one gave me an estimate of a minimum of three thousand dollars.

In case you still haven't retired, or are considering living with Medicare insurance, there is no dental care, there is no eye glass coverage, and there is nothing for you if you need a hearing aid.

So I'm grateful that my teeth can again chomp.  I hope I can continue to see, though I will be given an exam through Medicare, I have to pay for the glasses themselves.  And I hope I can continue to hear what people say, and what music and birds sound like.

I'm truly grateful for what I have today.

Quote for today:

The little things? The little moments? They aren't little. 

Jon Kabat-Zinn

 

Serenity

Find it where you can, these days.

I turn off the news, the computer and Facebook, or at least "hide" the postings which are political or screaming at me in some way or another.  If you're my friend on Facebook, you may notice I share mainly pretty things and animals. I admit to having decided who I plan to vote for in November, and have published a few things about her, but I refrain from any of the criticism of the opponents, aka mud slinging.
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Food.  I start by thinking of how food is a source of serenity.  If I just cut back on caffeine, which I have been able to, I do have lower sense of stress. If I listen to my knowledge of nutrition rather than my tongue which loves sweets and salty things, I can merge the two in a balanced eating pattern.  Then when I step on the scale I am within my expected range, which sure makes me feel pretty good about myself...a bit of serene acceptance.

Activities. I can do things that make me feel good, or things that make me feel pretty bad.  Hanging out with people that I enjoy, who give as much as they take, and with whom I can truly be myself...oh yes!  A bad activity is like an addiction.  I leave it feeling worse than when I started it.  And I might keep doing it, but know that the outcome isn't really going to change if it's an addictive behavior.  And on the same note, the action of not doing a thing and being lazy is a choice which also gives the result of my not feeling particularly good when I do it.

Creativity.  If I can make something (usually in clay, or at least glazing some pottery) then I feel a sense of fulfillment.  When I don't, I know I'm not being the person I am capable of being.

Meditation? So far this is a good activity that I haven't quite gotten the habit of doing.  I have in the past, much as I have been a vegetarian in the past.  Perhaps it will come along again in my life.  In the meantime, I do spend time thinking about the Source of everything, and affirming my beliefs in my daily life.  One thing I remind myself of frequently is that

"Only Love can Defeat Hate."

Scenery.  Since I look out my windows at mountains and trees, I tend to look at beautiful views all the time.  I am terrifically grateful for these views.  And I can drive or walk to other wonderful places which take my breath away.  Nature is surely the mother of us all, offering so much beauty that soothes the soul, and gives me a breath that is deep and cleansing.  I also look for beauty in small things.

Health. It all comes down to this, since I've reached elderhood.  I kind of like that term.  And having good health depends a lot on what I do and how I think, my own serenity level, as well as the genetic foundation I inherited from my parents and theirs.  I have to give my body a break every once in a while, where 10 years ago I would have pushed myself to continue activities when I didn't really feel like it.  Now I also have to pay attention to health professionals more often than I used to.  They are my health team.

Time management. When I worked, I had my hours pretty well mapped out, including what I did when I wasn't getting paid.  Now that I'm retired, I've gotten pretty loose about things, and don't want to have every hour committed to something every day.  So for me to feel "serene," I have maybe 2 things scheduled a day.  If there are 3, I make sure to have some alone time as a break between them.

This is what works for me. Is there anything important you'd like me to remember?

Oh rabbit, rabbit, for the first of the month!

Quote for today:

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”