Visiting the Dentist is Much More Pleasant Than It Used to Be

 

Relic from Dentistry Past, Found in Front of Hygienist's Office, © B. Radisavljevic

I'm old enough to remember seeing what's in the picture above while sitting in a dentist chair. A couple of weeks ago I saw it standing outside a hygienist's office as décor. Here's my personal history of how dentistry has improved since those days. Dr. Casper has now retired, and Dr. Rylie is now serving his patients. I'm glad she retained his office staff. They are the best!

And just for fun, here are some funny decorative items and buttons those who work inside a dentist office today can use to make their patients laugh while reminding them to practice good oral hygiene. 

Funny Tooth Gratitude PosterFunny Dentist Dental Hygienist Pinback ButtonDentist: Funny Vintage Dentistry PosterYou Don't Have To Brush All Your Teeth MagnetDental Hygiene Lying Through Teeth Not Flossing Magnet

 

Although my visits to my dentist aren't my favorite engagements, I don't dread them as much as I used to when I was a teenager. Kudos to my favorite dental team at Dr. Rylie's office in Paso Robles for always doing their best to make me feel as comfortable as possible. 

I love the poster I see from the dentist chair every time I visit Dr. Rylie. It's in the window, which is why the light is funny in this photo. It's a reminder to keep dental appointments even when I might prefer not to. 

Sign in Window of Dr. Rylie's Treatment Room, © B. Radisavljevic

I love the location of Dr. Rylie's office, too. Those trees comfort me. 

Dr. Riley's Office in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's to keeping all your teeth and keeping them happy. 

Note: Dr. Rylie and her staff had no idea I was going to publish this and had nothing to do with my writing it, except doing their jobs well. They have not seen it before publication. It will be a surprise to them, and, I hope, a happy one. 

Red Roses Brighten Our Neighborhood

 

Red Roses with Juniper in Neighbors Yard, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Many of my neighbors' and my own roses have stopped blooming now. But as I took my photo walk yesterday, I found these red roses still thriving. I think the green of the juniper helps to really show them off. I also thought about what a great Christmas card photo these roses would make. Does anyone still send Christmas cards? 

Now we will draw closer to the big picture. First, a single bush.

A Red Rose Bush in Neighbors Yard, © Barbara Radisavljevic

And now a single group of red roses from one of the bushes. 

A Single Group of Red Roses from the Same Bush, © Barbara Radisavljevic

All that's missing here is the fragrance. 

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." (William Shakespeare)  

Here are some ideas for bringing lasting red roses into your home to brighten it up. One of these red rose pillows would also make a great wedding, shower, or housewarming gift.

God Is My Provider Throw PillowRed Roses Design 1059 Round PillowElegant Red Roses Floral Flowers Pattern | Throw PillowNice Bunch Of Red Roses Lumbar Pillow“Tattoo Style Red Rose” Pillow

 

Have a Rosy Day!

Elderberry Is Blooming All Around Larry Moore Park

 

Elderberry at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

I finally got a chance to walk in Larry Moore Park yesterday. I discovered elderberry was blooming almost everywhere I looked. (Please click photos to enlarge photos). 

Elderberry near Beginning of Trail at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

This is near the memorial tree I discovered a year ago on another walk. Both that tree and this elderberry tree have grown larger since then. You can see the difference if you look back at that post and at this one on Medium.

Elderberry on the Other Side of Trail at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

As I've discovered on my Paso Robles property, elderberry grows like a weed. The birds eat the berries and spread the seeds. That must be how my own tree got started. 

There used to be an elderberry marking the junction of this trail and the one leading westward to the river. It was still there last time I walked the park, but it was gone yesterday. Here's where it used to be. You probably won't notice the tree below because that photo was taken in January when the branches are bare. This year they've been cutting a lot of trees from this area. The tree they removed may have been the mother of many of these other trees. 

Elderberry Removed This Year at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Below you can get a closer look at the elderberry flowers and some baby berries.                    

Close-up of Elderberry in Bloom at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Below is an expanded view of the scene in the first photo. I have shown you just some of the trees I found on limited parts of intersecting trails near the north end of Larry Moore Park. If I'd shared photos of all the elderberry trees in bloom at the park right now, this post would fill several more screens. 

I wonder who will eat all those berries when they get ripe? Do you think the birds will be able to handle it? Or do you think the homeless who camp in the riverbed below will have a handy medicinal food source if they can can cook the berries. They are toxic if eaten raw.

Elderberries in Bloom at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Learn more about elderberries here. 

Finally I Can Eat My Power Breakfast Again after Oral Surgery

 

Barb's Power Breakfast, author photo

Back to My Normal Power Breakfast

I had an infected tooth extracted 13 days ago, and it wrecked my usual diet. Liquids and soft foods can get boring fast. For the past few days my breakfast consisted of mashed bananas mixed with smooth peanut butter and an Orgain Clean Protein Shake, my favorite. 

I like the Orgain chocolate protein shake because it tastes better than other brands I've tried. The milk comes from New Zealand cows that feast on grass. If I decide to have scrambled eggs for breakfast for variety, I save the protein shakes for later in the day when I want a quick nutritional boost. 

I usually buy the shakes at Costco, but I see that Amazon also has them on the subscribe and save plan for those who enjoy them as much as I do. The price is almost as good getting them at Costco and I won't need to worry about running out. Costco is thirty miles away. 

My power breakfast is super easy to fix. Just combine about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of your favorite brand of uncooked oats (I use Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats), with about 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts, half a small apple chopped, and about 1/3 cup fresh blueberries. Today I used bananas to sweeten because I'm not allowed to eat apples yet. The goat milk I add at the end also adds a bit of sweetness. 

Up until yesterday I wasn't cleared to eat oats or blueberries, either. Normally I sweeten with chopped dates or a combination of cinnamon and Xylitol. (See my review of Xylitol here.) I'm not too fussy about the amounts of each ingredient I use. 

You can also substitute other fruits or nuts, unless you are still on a soft diet like I am. I'm just gradually working back to normal food. I still have to be careful. I can have Brussels Sprouts, but not broccoli. I'm also allowed to add seedless grapes to my diet, but not anything citrus.

I still crave crunch and usually live on nuts for snacking. Now I may now eat cashews and walnuts, but not almonds or peanuts, unless in butters. 

Other Soft Foods I Enjoyed Eating

Staples of my diet have been eggs, cheese, yogurt, pudding, applesauce, avocados, and  yellow cling diced peaches in 100% fruit juice with no added sugar. This made a delicious lunch about three days after my tooth was pulled.

Eggs scrambled with plain yogurt, feta and cheddar cheeses; diced peaches;
and salted mashed avocado sprinkled with lemon juice. Author photo.

 I usually eat my evening meal while watching TV, which is why this isn't on a plate at the table. I used a lap desk on my reclining chair. This lap desk was also a lifesaver after I had foot surgery and needed to do all my computer work with my feet up. Not only will a laptop fit securely here, but I can also write letters and pay bills the old-fashioned way in comfort.

Looking Forward to Eating Crunchy Foods Again

I'm glad I can eat mashed avocado from the shell with lemon juice and salt, but I like it better on toasted sourdough or a tortilla chip than on a spoon. I crave almonds in my dark  dark chocolate. I crave trail mix. 

Favorite crunchy snacks from Costco. Author photo.

What are your favorite soft food diet foods? What crunchy foods would you miss most?

My First Decluttering Project for This New Year

 

My First Decluttering Project of the New Year Awaits

Yes, I have to deal with all that paper and a couple more stacks of it. Somewhere in this room sits the envelope with my husband's 2021 Medical ID card. I asked him to put it in his wallet when it first came a month ago, but he didn't want to do that. So he asked me to keep it until now. 

Now is here and I can't remember if I filed it or if it's in one of my to-to-be-filed stacks. I need to start sorting for filing 2020 taxes anyway, so I guess I'd better stop procrastinating and start sorting. 

I'm a bit bummed out that my favorite tax receipt organizer seems to be unavailable this year. The substitute I bought last year because it was cheaper didn't meet my needs very well. I found the one I liked on another site last week but I had to order a dozen at once to get them. So I did. I figured it was as cheap as buying three of the other options I've seen. This week the company notified me they were refunding my money. Guess even that package of a dozen was gone. 

 I want something I can keep on my desk organizer I bought last year. I put the folder with the open end up in the top of the organizer so I can just slip papers in as I sort them. You can see my organizer, along with some of the paper I need to file, below.

My Loaded Desk Organizer in Use, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Here's how  it looked just after I assembled it and  before I filled it up. Even I managed to assemble it without calling Hubby for help. Now it's one of the most useful items I own.

My Newly-Assembled Desk Organizer, © Barbara Radisavljevic

I knew you'd want one, too, but I'm not sure if my exact model is still available. I got it at Costco in September of 2019. I don't see it on the Costco website now. I didn't see this  exact model with the drawers anywhere on line. But you can find something very close at Amazon.  

Click here to find this product on Amazon with photos of all its component parts.

               

I can't find a tax deduction organizer that I like anywhere this year, either. Amazon is totally out of stock on anything similar. So I'm doing what I should have done in the first place. I just emptied out my Dome Tax Deductions File from 1998. That's well past the seven years I need to keep receipts. It's still sturdy and will do the job. I don't need anything but the pockets with categories. 

Meanwhile I'd better finish this and post it. I still haven't looked for the ID Card as I'd planned and it's almost time for our family Zoom meeting. I'll have to look for the medical ID card after that. The Zoom meeting is one good thing that's come out of the pandemic. I wouldn't miss seeing how much my eight-month-old grandniece has grown since last week for anything. 

Hope your new year is off to a more exciting start than mine. Hope you stay happy and healthy in 2021.        

aa

Best Photo of 2020 That Reflects the past as It Looks to the Future

Circle of Life Sculpture, Charolais Corridor Trail, © Barbara Radisavljevic, 2020

 Is this the best photo I took in 2020? It's the best one to show the contrast between past and the future I hope for in 2021. It features Robert Roemisch's metal sculpture, "Circle of Life" which you can find at the beginning of the Charolais Corridor Trail in Paso Robles. That trail happens to be behind the tract where I live, so I walk it often, usually in the late afternoon or as the sun is setting. 

You can see in the sculpture that life goes on. The dark cloud of 2020 with all its storms seems to be disappearing into the horizon and leaving the sky above it clear and blue. I hope this will be the case. I hope some of the conflict and death that marked 2020 will be replaced with seeing what we have in common, the end of the pandemic, and a return to normal life. 

That being said, those things aren't under our control. We control only our own thoughts and the  actions that spring from them. Whatever is ahead, I will trust God to bring good out of it. I will pray my leaders will be wise in their decisions and seek divine wisdom. I will try to do what's right with what I have and in the way I treat people. All that God requires of me and others is to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. (Micah 6:8) And that's what I want to do. 

Let's all walk courageously into 2021 and see what awaits us. 

In case you're wondering, the most popular post on this blog in 2020 of the six I wrote was this one: Spring Begins with Wet Sidewalks and Gray Clouds. 

This blog is part of the City Daily Photo Blogger Network. See what other members considered their best photo of 2020, the theme for this January. 

The Old Cottonwood, Like 2020, Is Almost Gone

Dead Cottonwood Tree on December 30, 2020,© Barbara Radisavljevic

This cottonwood tree In Larry Moore Park was showing signs of ill health when I moved here and first photographed it in December 2004. At the time most of the green part of it was mistletoe hanging from the branches. It did still have a few branches with leaves, but not many. You can see the tree's history from 2004 to 2017 here. Now even the mistletoe has given up on it. 

Soon this tree will be history, just as 2020 will be. The sun is setting on this year in a few hours. 

Sunset from Charolais RiverTrail on December 28, 2020,© Barbara Radisavljevic

Let's hope 2021 will be happier than this one has been, but that is in God's hands. I hope the pandemic will be over and we will have more, not less, freedom to move and do business again as usual. 

Is This the Last Photo of This Tree I Will Be Able to Take? © Barbara Radisavljevic, 12/30/2020

Happy New Year!