Really, now...

...going for your regular teeth cleaning at the dentist is not that bad. There are worse things...like, maybe you're walking down the street and are suddenly and vigorously assaulted with a hedge trimmer wielded by a lowland gorilla in a fit of catamitic fury. That would probably be worse.

It wouldn't be quite so bad except for that little scrapey deal that manages to find EVERY. SINGLE. sensitive spot and whose main use is to make holes in your gums. Ouch. (You know, it's probably not merely a coincidence that Don Herbert came up with the name "gom-jabbar". He probably had a very bad experience with a hygenist and her gum jabber.)

Anyway, aside from a broken filling, I was in good shape, and Cat was in even better shape. Still has a wiggly lower front tooth that she refuses to let anyone pull, but aside from that she has a mouth like a piranha. They did her work first while I waited in the room next door, which meant that she was on the loose as I was upside down in the chair. I opened my eyes once to see my hygenist to one side, and the manically grinning visage of my child inches from my face right above my eyebrows..."OOOohhh, what's THAT!?!" Blah, blah, blah BLOOD blah blah fillings blah. "Does he need MORE HOLES!?" No, dear, Daddy doesn't need more holes. She continued to pester the hygenist, who actually encouraged such behavior, and even got Cat to hand her the Mr. Sucky device and long pieces of razor wire floss. I believe my child actually enjoyed having Daddy indisposed while she contributed to his discomfort! Hard to imagine.

By the time we got out, the next round of flooding had started. Tuesday afternoon at 5 on the nose, it came a deluge that lasted for several hours, and reflooded all the low areas around Pinchgut Creek again--not quite so bad as before, but bad enough when you own a business down there and still haven't finished cleaning up from the last time. Then, like clockwork yesterday, it all started up again. Both times, huge downpours that go on and on. It finally gave up around 7 last night.

Makes for interesting visitors, though. Got back from church last night and Reba told me that she had seen a frog out on the back porch sometime earlier, so she went out there and sure enough, he was up in one of Jonathan's pots of tomato plants. He hopped off into the hosta beside the kitchen window, probably to go find Mrs. Frog and fill up the planter bed with a billion peeping offspring. Hard to believe something so small can be so loud, but then I look at my kids...

I came out after her and looked around a bit--it was dark, but I was able to make out the outline of Kelly the Bunny out by the bird feeder. She's gotten to be a regular--I called Catherine to come down and take a look.

"Kelly's my FRIEND, Daddy!" Shhh. We stood there and watched and would take a step or two after a moment. Finally got to about 15 feet away before Kelly the Bunny turned and sort of half-hopped into the darkness over by the swing set--"Time to tell Kelly night-night, sugar." Which someone did not want to do at all. But she finally did, although only after being assured that Kelly would come back and visit and tell her all about her little rabbity house and her shoes and her toothbrush and her bird friends and Mr. Crow and Mr. Frog.

Should be interesting.

Anyway, I have more workly crap to get done this morning to make up for being out yesterday, so I will see you all in a bit.
posted by Terry at 8:59:00 AM