Switching to summer clothes

We had some warm weather last week and I guess I got excited. I took my white LL Bean 100% cotton jeans out of storage, and found a huge black stain on one leg. Not sure where it came from--maybe from hanging in the car. So I tried about 4 things to get it out, finally resorting to Clorox right out of the bottle when there was just a faint blue 2" spot. That did it. But they've been washed so many times now I can barely get them zipped. I'm breathing, almost. . .

It would not be a big sacrifice if I had to give them up.  I think they cost me $1.00 at Volunteers of America.  Very nice quality.

Stuff I like--Sensodyne pronamel toothpaste

One day at the dentist's for a check up and cleaning, I told the hygenist (Dr. Walton's wife) that my teeth were becoming increasingly sensitive. She recommended Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste, and gave me a sample. I love this stuff--and I use the gentle whitener variety. I drink a lot of coffee and tea, and that really messes up your tooth color--just look at the inside of a ceramic cup after you've reheated your coffee in the microwave. My teeth aren't sensitive anymore (and now that I've seen a few commercials I understand it better) and I think I'm making a little progress in the whitening department. It costs a little more than Crest, but it's worth it.

When I talk to people my age, I really notice their teeth more than their wrinkles or sun damage. Although regular dental care was coming in when we were children, there was no floridation of water, and my generation (including me) was careless about flossing, and it really wasn't emphasized. I had a very early case of periodontal disease (1977) that was caught by Dr. Heinzerling who sent me to a surgeon to have it removed. I am 70 years old and have all my teeth, even my wisdom teeth. Most people lose their teeth from poor care--especially gum disease. After a frenulectomy (removal of the muscle between my front teeth) at the same time as the gum surgery--I don't recommend having this double whammy--my teeth naturally shifted and there was room for all of them.

Stain solutions

Here's a handy, dandy website from my alma mater, the University of Illinois. Or rather the Extension. Stain Solutions which is set to "grease" since "cat snot" didn't work. I'll have to browse a bit and see if it lists my favorite carpet spot remover, glass cleaner. Works like a charm (Windex or a knock-off from Meier's).

Speaking of colleges, I was going through a box of memorabilia the other day and found a clipping of my college graduation announcement from my hometown paper. Turns out I'd taken a class at Butler University and I didn't even remember! But last night I think everyone west and north of North Carolina was from Butler. Wasn't that a game! They had nothing to be ashamed of.

This ad is ubiquitous

It's at every blog, news source, and on-line product I see. "My Teeth are Finally White." Not once did I bite--so I have no idea what would come up if I clicked.

I drink a lot of coffee and tea, and my teeth are definitely not white. I notice it in most people my age. Think about it. If you expose anything to the chemical make-up of food and saliva for many decades, you'll have staining, whether it's your brick walkway, a ceramic sink or your own teeth. I think I've found a solution. I've started wearing lipstick again. Had only used it occasionally for probably 30 years. Sure, it's an optical illusion, but it works.

And so, it is Christmas Eve Day. The temperature here in Columbus is 39 degrees, it rained during the night, so I'm hoping the ice build up is gone. I haven't left for the coffee shop yet, hoping a few more early travelers will clear the roads for me.

We'll have a casual dinner here with the children tonight--soup and sandwiches--then church, and tomorrow we'll go to Canal Winchester to our son's home. His handsome face and mellifluous voice were on TV yesterday, as he was interviewed about an unhappy event. For the second time in 6 weeks someone has died in front of his place of work in an auto accident. He and some fellow workers rushed out to help, but it was too late. Then a nurse stopped to help. God bless the Good Samaritans of this modern age. Two elderly women, one dead, one in critical condition according to the news. You almost pray that she expires without waking up--they were 81 year old twins, we heard. They've probably spent their lives together, sharing and caring, and so it was perhaps at the end.