Too much to do

It was the usual morning routine until after breakfast. As I was about to take a bath, I discovered my mother standing by the bar. She was going to sit in the car. I told her Dad wasn't ready yet and suggested other possible activities. She chose to go outside to see her plants. I quickly dressed, and we toured her plants, and the garden and the blueberry bushes. The little yappy dogs next door made an appearance. But they left us alone when Mom sat on the porch swing. I sat on the ground not knowing if the swing would hold two people. She swung herself back and forth for some time, first with the left leg, then with the right leg. We went in when she was ready. Dad was checking out the car, so I could not leave her. So I worked on a quilt top that she started last year. It has a lot of squares on point cut out of graduated fabrics, so it is really hard to keep straight. She bought it as a kit, but the fabrics that came are not as nice as the ones in the picture. I was tempted to write them a nasty note. When Dad was finished, I took a sponge bath. By then it was time to start lunch. I made several cups of veggie juice, enough for lunch and supper. I barely had time to eat lunch and clean the juicer before I had to leave for the dentist's office. I was REALLY nervous. I hate needles and having my teeth drilled. So they offered me nitrous oxide. Silly me thought that was an alternative to the needles of lidocaine. They said it was $70 more, but I thought my loving husband would want me to have it. Turns out that it is just for relaxing the patient. They also gave me a radio with headphones, and dark sunglasses. Then the dentist joked that they ought to take my picture like that. The dentist said a prayer while they both held my hands. Then he injected both sides of my mouth with lidocaine, several times. It took quite a bit to deaden those nerves. Then he put a rubber dam in my mouth that covered everything but the tooth he was working on. He removed the mercury amalgam filling and replaced it. He replaced three fillings. My father says dental chairs are the most relaxing ones, but I was NOT relaxed during any part of the procedure. Just when I started to relax, they turned down the gas. It might have been just my imagination, but it seemed like the DDS and the nurse were exchanging glances, as if to say "Do you see that? Yes, it is worse than we thought". They kept checking the mercury detector to see if it had all been removed from my teeth. I was so glad when it was over, but I could hardly talk. The nurse gave me some ointment to put on my lips but I needed a mirror to find them. I paid by credit card, and the receptionist gave me a greeting card in which she had written a nice message. They wanted to see my insurance card, but I couldn't find it, even though I had it yesterday when I did the paperwork. Finally I left. I just drove home feeling numb. I did not want the numbness to wear off, and it didn't for quite a while. I thought my parents would have gone grocery shopping by the time I got back, but 'till my Dad was ready, it was 6pm. They drank the rest of the veggie juice, ate a muffin and left. I finished the inner part of Mom's quilt top. And the dentist called to see how I was doing. When they got back, Dad started on supper and I had Mom sit with me in the dining room while I put the inner borders on the quilt. My teeth back teeth were hurting by then and I had no desire to eat. I helped Mom eat and then called Faye to find out what her plans were for tomorrow. She told me I need to do the laundry so I could pack for Mom tomorrow. It was 10:30. Mom wanted to take what she was wearing on vacation, so I had to dress her for bed so I could wash it. Dad said it was ok to do all the wash in one load so I wouldn't be up all night. It is in the dryer now, and it is 1am.
* The backyard and wheelchair-friendly deck *