It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 

My cottage is now cozy with softChristmas lights. Jordan has done an amazing job of decorating with all my favoritethings—the tree (okay it’s fake, and I don’t love that, but I bow toconvenience). The fake tree is redeemed by Scottish ornaments sent by dear friendsin Omaha. And Santa Mac—a very Scottish Santa complete with bagpipes, gift fromJeannie Chaffee—dominates the coffee table. On the bookcase is a lighted glassblock given to me years ago by a friend of Christian. It sits next to the JimShores Kris Kringle I bought myself as a treat when my friend Linda carried JimShores works in her store in Granbury. Like the cottage as a whole, each piecehas a meaningful story. Santa Mac

What I love most is theoverall effect—the sometimes-harsh ceiling lights stay off, and the Christmaslights, including the electric candles Jean gave me, give a soft glow to thewhole living area. It’s a cozy cottage look. And on my desk is the small fauxfireplace Jamie gave me. For safety’s sake, we have it turned so that it givesalmost no heat, but the flames inspire warmth.

I am all set for the season.

Jim Shores Santa

I didn’t feel so Christmas-ythis morning, however. I usually get up about seven, feed Sophie her firstbreakfast and let her out. By now, she knows I have a piece of cheese waitingfor her, so she doesn’t stay long. Once she’s safely back in the cottage, I goback to bed for my second sleep. Well, this morning I totally missed my secondsleep because I had to get ready for a nine o’clock dental appointment.

I won’t say I’m a dentalphobic—although my dentist might say that. But as a young teen, around twelve,I had to have extensive dental work, and back then, in the Dark Ages, it wasnot as smooth, fast, and painless as it is today. The drill was clumsy andslow, the noise in my ears horrible. Our dentist was a non-relative uncle, aman I greatly appreciated when I was grown but who terrified me as a kid. Tosay he was taciturn is an understatement. So I had a bad introduction to dentistry.My desktop fireplace
not on my desktop here but you get the idea

I have been with the samedentist now for fifteen years, and what I have learned about caring for myteeth is amazing. I wish I’d known all this years ago. Even in fifteen years,it’s been interesting to watch the developments in dentistry—tiny cameras thatget way back in your mouth, video screens that display an x-ray as soon as it’staken, a computer program so complicated I couldn’t begin to master it. I dohave a standing deal with my hygienist that if I continue to take such goodcare of my teeth, she will not use the hydroelectric thing to clean off stains.It wakens every old memory I have.

So cheers to Dr. Peter Ku andto my hygienist, Stephanie.  Got a cleanbill of health along with some cautions about being proactive. And that’s overbut only for another three months!

Going to the dentist pretty muchshoots the day for me—it’s not so much the time it takes (maybe two hours outof the cottage) as the disruption in routine. But tonight Mary came for happyhour and brought some cranberry relish she’d made—we put it over cream cheese,and it was delicious. Then I fixed Mongolian hamburger and snow peas for dinner—Jordangot busy on a work call, so Christian and I had dinner and a lovely discussionthat covered everything from Hunter Biden and Donald trump to Dante’s TheInferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost. I am really delighted to havesomeone to have such discussions with. Besides, he washed the dishes.

Life is really good.