We Found (or lost) Wisdom in Japan's Dental Services

Christine has been having a toothache for the past week or so and she finally braved going to the dentist to find out what the problem was. It turned out that one of her wisdom teeth was rotten and she needed it pulled. So they numbed her up and did it right there. They didn't tell her to make a second appointment in a week or something, just right there on the spot, which was good because if she had time to think about it she would have chickened out. She is feeling OK just a little sore, she is taking a refreshing bath right now with bath salts she got from a Christmas gift exchange.

She got x-rays (by a machine that played music), the tooth pulled, pain medication and antibiotics handed to her by the dentist (no run to the pharmacy) all for 40 bucks. They have some good dental insurance here. She asked to keep the tooth and you can see that she is still taking good care of it. (my appointment is next week, wish me luck).

It's just a little chilly.

This is just to give you an idea about how cold it has gotten in our house. Don, the human furnace, is under there somewhere. And yes, we really like blue plaid.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Or Antarctica! It's too bad the snow isn't really piling up. That's
probably because 40 mph winds aren't letting it land. Oh yeah, and I
can see my breath in the bathroom. Who wants to place bets on when
the toilet water freezes?

Holiday Time

I love the smell of pine around the holidays, and there's no better
way to experience it than by getting sap all over your hands. I went
hiking with a forest group here and collected some fallen branches and
flowers to make this. Let's see how long it withstands the wind!

Grocery Store!

I snapped some shots at the grocery store tonight. My favorite is the octopus tentacle. If you're wondering what product is on the bottom, maybe you should guess. . .?