Yesterday morning, really early, well before dawn, we drove through heavy winds and torrential rains – ferry cancelling weather – to an appointment in Nanaimo on the operating table at the oral surgery clinic. Talk about adding stress to stress. This day had been a long time coming – since that time back in September when I bit down on a seed in a piece of multigrain bread and shattered 1-4 below the gum line. The fix – no less than extraction and implant.

As I read the post-op instructions, it seems there’s a list of don’t’s – no smoking (check), no alcohol (oh), only food no harder than the consistency of scrambled eggs for the next week, no chewing on the right side of the mouth for 3 months (a little problematic as I have chronic jaw pain on the left side). The timing is also problematic – after all t’is the season with neighborhood parties to attend beginning Friday and Number 2 Son arriving on Saturday on his way back from his 3 month sojourn in the Arctic. Not for me the treats and delights this year. (Shall I switch gears and consider it a silver lining? That would be too much to ask.)

So here I am, ensconced on the couch, swallowing antibiotics and pain killers, sipping smoothies, surfing and planning the Christmas menu. Mashed potatoes and gravy…