May 26, 2017
Dear Everyone:
I have a reached a kind of détente with the squirrels and
doves as
regards the river rocks and pebbles at the base of the
birdfeeder stand
out on the patio. A few
weeks ago, I came out to find that the rocks, etc., had been rearranged
yet again. So I went back to
the Big Orange Hardware Warehouse Store in search of possibly even
bigger rocks that would be harder for them to move.
Alas, the only rocks for sale were the same size as what I already had.
Rocks which the squirrels, etc., had proved they could easily
handle. But I noticed that
the garden-nursery section also featured something they called “stone
pavers”. These were
rough-cut blocks of stone in various sizes meant to be used as a border,
or to provide “steps” across a part of the yard.
I was looking at some “generic gray” blocks about ten inches, by seven
inches, by three. If it took
both hands for me to lift one into the shopping cart, I was pretty
darned sure that one little squirrel wouldn’t be able to shift it.
Even two squirrels, working together, probably couldn’t manage
it.
And the pavers were less than $3 each.
I loaded four into the cart.
At about 10-15 pounds each, that would be 40-60 pounds holding
the base down and that really was the whole point, wasn’t it?
Now it was just a matter of paying for them.
There was a display label on the shelf, announcing the price, but
it’s kind of hard to slap a
barcode on a stone
paver. So I pulled my
cell phone out
of my purse and took a picture of the label.
When I got to the cashier, I simply pulled up the photo and
handed her the phone.
That made it easy for her to key in the product code and a few minutes
later, I was on my way to the car.
I’ve used this trick with the cell phone a number of times now.
For instance, when I park at the
BART station, I have to “remember” the stall number in order to pay
for parking once inside the system.
No problem, just snap a picture to refer to when I need it.
It’s also useful when I get back to the parking garage and need
to know where I parked.
Meanwhile, back at the patio, I swept all the little rocks and pebbles
out of the way and placed the stone pavers over the circular base of the
stand. Then I piled the
pebbles and such around and over the pavers and the rest of the stand.
Now the birds and squirrels are free to move the rocks around, to get to
the particularly appealing
sunflower seed,
any way they please. The
stand is secure.
In other news…
I went back to the Kindly
Oral Surgeon last Wednesday and he pronounced the
implant
operation to be a complete success.
He told me to stop using the prescription-strength mouth wash,
while continuing to eat “soft foods only” for another week.
He also told me to use a cotton swap to clean the
abutment that sits
over the implant with
hydrogen
peroxide at least once per day for the next three months.
Then the Very Capable Assistant removed the sutures.
So, to recap: I don’t have
to keep track of how many times I’ve already “rinsed” my mouth with
saltwater each day. And I no
longer have to use a mouth wash that tastes like
turpentine.
To be honest, I don’t really know what turpentine tastes like.
I’ve never actually tasted it, at least not on purpose.
But that stuff is truly awful.
I still have to “wash” the abutment each time I brush all the other
teeth. And wait another
three months before we can move onto the next step, which is to have my
regular dentist mount a
crown onto
the implant. I’m also
supposed to pay attention that the abutment doesn’t develop a tendency
to work its way loose.
On the Plus Side: I can go
back to using the gym any time I’m ready.
I figure next week is soon enough.
Everyone enjoy the
Memorial Day Weekend, the officially Unofficial Beginning of Summer.
Love, as always,
Pete
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