Let’s face it, the only kind of crown one needs in the desert is the kind that fit snuggly over aging teeth. There are no sparkling balls full of blushing debutantes. Nope. Best you have a pair of cowboy boots and a Stetson around here. Two-stepn’ and line dancen’ are about as fancy as we get. I might have gotten a better deal on one of the crowns shown above than the two custom made for my teeth.
Monday was a day for medical visits. Dentist and Optometrist.
My optometrist is a cool guy. He has a house in the biggest little city just to the west of me. During the week, he resides in a motorhome right off Main Street. Quiet and reserved, on Monday morning he was bemoaning the fact that he himself needs new glasses. He hasn’t had time. Reminds me of the mechanic with the broken cars. Fixing everything for everyone else, professionals leave themselves for last.
We had a good discussion about the horrific winds that have plagued us recently. His fence blew over and he can’t find a repair person to come fix it. That’s a huge problem in our area. No handyman available to fix things. Explaining that he might need to have his son-in-law come over to help fix the fence, I smiled. No matter your profession, problems are the same. Fences of the wealthy blow over just as quickly as fences of the poor. In the end, sometimes we all just need to call The Guy. In this case, there isn’t a GUY to call.
I’m so happy to report that at the age of 66, I have youthful eyeballs. Thank Goodness. No retinal tears or macular degeneration. Finally, something that isn’t sagging or out of whack. Just healthy eyeballs with the prettiest of arteries and veins running this way and that. As with a lot of older people, I just need a little vision correction with the help of contacts and glasses.
I bought my first pair of glasses from this office last year. Being the best frame and lenses of my life, I wear them all the time. Light, cute, and the perfect prescription, I was hoping I could just change out the old lenses with new. Someone near and dear assured me that would never be possible. Ever. Well, I had to prove that wrong. At least I had to give it a try.
After talking with Lady of the Frames, it turns out that they COULD and WOULD use my one year old frames and simply replace the lenses. Happy, Happy, Happy Day!!!! Qualifying for a 20% discount, I was just about dancing in my seat! But, I wasn’t done yet.
Could they put prescription lenses in my regular Costco Sunglass frames, I asked? My very cute “$34.00 for 2” Costco “Read at the Beach” Sunglasses? Those?
Well, yes they COULD and WOULD! Prescription Sunglasse hack!!! OOOHHHH LaLa!!! And, because they were a second pair, 30% off those lenses!!! I wanted to shout “Glory! Hallelujah!” right then and there. I’d hit the eyeglass lottery and it wasn’t even 10AM yet.
I knew that because 10AM would find me sitting in the dental chair being prepped for two new crowns. You know the kind I already mentioned. I’d gone back and forth about replacing both crowns or just one. I was there and the dentist was there. Might as well just go through one long visit rather than two shorter ones.
As it turns out, it was a good call on his part. After removing the old crowns, a digital photograph showed the obvious decay that had been growing under both old jackets. Root canal averted! With everything clean and tidy, temporary crowns were created and glued on. After only three hours in the chair and a 20% local discount, I was on my way back home.
Monday was a day for spending $$$ on self-care. Yes, a vacation to Tahiti would have been more enjoyable, but might have resulted in the root canal I averted by going to the dentist on Monday. Besides, I wouldn’t be set for beach reading with my amazing new prescription sun glasses. Things always work out the way they’re supposed to.
If you’ve been putting off appointments with the dentist or eye doctor, don’t delay. Be sure to ask for any and all discounts that might apply.
More tomorrow.