Let’s cut to the chase. Every old tooth in my mouth has to exit stage left and I will soon be sporting dentures.
Arrrrgh.
I’m seeing Dr. Gerardo Reyes Acevedo, trained at TUFTS in Boston, and an oral surgeon who also does cosmetic dentistry here in San Miguel. For my money (and it costs a third of what it would cost in the U.S.), besides being knowledgeable and bilingual, Dr. Reye’s greatest asset is the mild vanity he displays in his own person. The man is an esthete, so I do not fear “apple mouth.”
In fact, I understand that the ultimate test of dentures is the ability to bite into an apple.
No, I am not looking forward to this. But, if I’m forced back to the States you can be damned sure I’ll need a part-time job, and apparently nothing is so winsome as good dentition.
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The winter chills have departed. Spring brings its lovely mornings – and afternoon wind. Dry as a bone, the surrounding countryside blows into San Miguel
and wafts up the streets, which is why merchants throw buckets of water on the sidewalk in front of their shops first thing in the morning and sweep them to a glossy, wet sheen.
For some unknown reason there’s more uber-dry dirt in my part of town. The morning sidewalk watering ritual is made more difficult, but shop owners are not deterred. Perhaps they will throw three buckets of water in front of the store, frequently rendering a thin red mud which I can slop through or circumnavigate by stepping on to the cobblestones in the street. I don’t like to do this though because the stones are irregular and I am not a bird. (Trying to flat foot it on the cobbles is begging for a twisted ankle.)
Ha! We ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. They may not call the wind here Moria, but last June I was turned back from intersections in Centro when I saw dust storms up ahead. Soon I will ask Dr. Reyes where I can buy those surgical masks you see people wearing in Japan.
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My adorable and much loved foster dog Mia has a new playmate.
Raffi, a no-nonsense beagle boy, wrestles her to the ground and revels in her gruffy-mouth-I’ll-get-you!-stuff until they both drink a pail of water.
Oddly, it’s only when I’m watching dogs play that I’m truly in the moment. Their faux-fierceness is so entertaining, their athleticism so mind-boggling, and their dedication to being in the present so inspiring, that I submit to being their cheerleader and just urge them on.
Recent photo of Bobby/LINCOLN and forever Mom Bella:
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I’ve been meeting some new people, lunching with (now) old friends, and teaching the kids next door English twice a week. Nothing earth-shattering since now I’ve been here long enough to do same-old-same-old.
Hoping your life is just as tranquil, at least for the moment.