One more tooth gone

One non quilt related picture below.

Yesterday's dentist adventure was a wild time. Let me tell you what happened. I managed to get an appointment with the dentist at the clinic at 12:30. I explain that I need to be pre medicated. Can they phone in a prescription so I can pick it up before my appointment? No, the doctor must talk with me before getting a prescription.

I knew there would be paperwork to complete and a prescription to get; so I arrive at 11:45. I get to the window where the receptionist says "sorry, we're going to lunch, come back at 12:30." I ask if I could at least start with the paper work? Is it done here or downstairs with the bookkeeping office? She replies its done here and can't be done until she comes back from lunch. So I sit and wait....

At 12:45 she returns. I go to sign in. The receptionist tells me I have to go to bookkeeping to fill out the paperwork. Huh? I asked about this before she left for lunch. I go downstairs where I find a note on the door "at lunch, return at 1:15." So I sit and wait...

In the meantime my jaw has started to swell more. It's not hurting at the tooth anymore.... it hurts in the swelling underneath my jaw.

The bookkeeper returns from lunch. I fill out paperwork. I tell her how I could have done all this while the receptionist upstairs was at lunch. The bookkeeper sympathizes and tells me to fill out a complaint form and put it in the comments box. Evidently there have been a lot of complaints lately. I decided not to add another one. Complaints evidently don't work because the receptionist is still there.

I go back up stairs to the dentist office and sit to wait again....

Finally at 2:00 I get taken back to the dentist where I get x rayed and told to take a seat.... the dentist will be with me shortly.... there is a repairman there fixing some of the equipment and the dentist is talking with him. So I wait again.... My jaw is swelling more.

At 2:30 the dentist comes in and starts looking at my mouth to see which tooth is the problem. I explain... I need to be pre medicated. She says quite calmly.... we don't pre medicate anymore. Huh? I've been told my whole life by every doctor and dentist I've ever seen... to never.... ever.... get any dental work done without pre medication because of my heart condition. Even simple cleaning is enough to cause my death without the medicine.

The dentist explains that the medical community has decided the risks of death are not as important as the resistance of germs to penicillin. In other words... my risk of death is not important enough anymore. The new strains of infection fighting germs win the battle of whether or not to pre medicate. My jaw hurts so I have to trust her judgment... plus reading the medical journal for myself.

The dentist looks at the x rays then at my jaw.... finally.... By now it looks like I have a golf ball in my mouth.... and it hurts! She tells me I must go to oral surgery at the hospital.... right now! It can't wait... who came with me? how did I get there? do I have a car? I explain that I got there by bus and was alone. She runs to the receptionist to get a taxi voucher for me to get to the hospital right away. As I pass the receptionist she wants me to stop and pay for today's visit.... Huh? What did they do that I must pay???? I just look at her with a grin and say.... I'm going to lunch right now... I'll pay when I get back.

The taxi is waiting for me by the time I get down the stairs. He rushes me to the hospital. I'm in a panic now... I rush to the oral surgery. The receptionist there asks... do you have an appointment? I explain I'm sent there from the clinic. Again she asks... do you have an appointment? I reply again... I'm sent there from the clinic.... she says one more time.... do you have an appointment.... I just hand her the x rays and the papers from the first dentist. She looks at them and walks back to where the surgeons are. When she comes back she tells me they will see me so take a seat....

The waiting room is full. Not one empty seat. So I stand and wait.... and wait.... and wait... Finally a couple of seats are empty. I sit and wait.... and wait... by now it looks like a bright red golf ball on my jaw. And it hurts!

Along about 7:30 the waiting room is completely empty except for me. I finally hear my name called. I go back to the oral surgeon who looks at the x rays. He asks for the stuff that is used to numb the mouth. I can't remember what its called. I get the shots. While I wait the 30 seconds dentists usually wait for it to take effect I ask about the pre medication. Yes, its true, they don't pre medicate anymore. He pulls my tooth. I'm not completely numb yet.

He writes a prescription for penicillin and tells me to return on Monday. Penicillin? The same medication they wouldn't give me before I had a tooth pulled? What's wrong with this picture?

I call for a taxi to take me to the drug store and home. It cost me $34 to go 18 blocks, with a stop at the drug store along the way. I get home, I call my daughter to tell her what happened, and immediately go to bed. I feel awful.

This morning, the knot on my jaw is still there and still painful. You guessed it! I believe the surgeon pulled the wrong tooth. Maybe the knot will go away later.... if not.... I guess another tooth will be pulled on Monday when I return to the hospital.

I've been reading about the "don't care attitude" written about by several members of the blog ring. Members are writing about everyone from sales clerks to doctors who have "don't care attitudes" these days. I have added one to read too.

Oh well, my work must get done anyway. I'm headed to the studio to do what work I can. I don't want to read a blog somewhere accusing me of having a "don't care attitude."

Just so you know..... see how it goes below my jaw and is red color? Uh, don't look at all the wrinkles.

Why is that?

Why is it that toothaches always happen on the weekend when you can't get to a dentist..... but on Monday morning..... when you can get there..... the tooth doesn't hurt anymore? Hopefully I can get to the dentist today instead of Monday.

I have this one on the machine. It's a me quilt from way, way, way back. I think sometime in the 60's from the tag on the bag it came in. The kit cost $3 back then. Two side pieces with the scallop edges were lost long ago. It will have two sides scalloped and two sides straight.

I'm following the original pre marked quilting design lines. I don't believe the markings will wash out of the top. I'll give it a try though. Had I thought of it before I started.... I could have used blue thread to match the marking lines. At least they wouldn't have been so visible.

I'm using wool batting in this one. I've not used wool before.... I like it! It costs more but gives a really nice look to the quilting designs.

This is the remains of the bag and kit it came from. The binding is 1 inch folded bias tape. It finishes at 1/4 inch. Should be interesting to try putting it on. I haven't used narrow binding or done hand binding in years.


This one will be the next one on the machine. I finally got it all stitched together. I made several discoveries while doing this one. Now I can hardly wait to start another pictorial quilt.


I made some phone calls yesterday to those on my waiting list. Then a customer came over so I didn't get finished calling people. She stayed a long time.

Ok, this tooth is really hurting now.... time for pain meds.

I'm so proud!!

Why am I so proud? Because people are actually reading my blog and following my organizing progress. I don't claim to be the guru of organizing but I do love putting things into some type of order. Maybe that's one of my problems.... I love organizing so much that I'm constantly sabotaging my own efforts to give myself an excuse to organize again.

I'm totally against throwing away good fabric because someone tells me to get rid of as much as I can then organize what's left. It's like throwing money into a trash can. I do; however, tell myself 'no buying anything else' until I've gotten what I have under control. I don't always follow this rule. But at least I try to follow it.

Before I go further.... let me explain I have thrown good fabrics away. Not something I have bought though. I often get truck loads of donated fabrics. Sometimes four or five truck loads at a time. Imagine this.... four or five people have decided to quit sewing.... they want to give everything from their over stuffed sewing rooms to you.... what do you do with it? Could you fit all the stuff from their sewing rooms into your already over filled sewing room? Neither can I. I pass along as much of it as I can to charity groups or the thrift stores. When I absolutely can't find a new home for it... the trash is where it must go.

So on with my organizing thoughts.... The idea behind my no buy rule is this.... absolutely everything I bring into this house requires something from me. I must feed it, dust it, store it, oil it, wash it, organize it, cook it, sew it, or something. Before I buy anything else I'm asking myself if I'm ready to make a commitment to care for what I buy.

Yes, yes, of course I can buy organizing bins, boxes, sorters, drawers, cabinets and so forth.... but do I really need to buy more? Before I buy any type of organizer items I want to be sure I need it. Almost all organizing professionals.... even Mission Organization professionals.... say get rid of as much as you can.... then buy items to organize what's left.

I think just the opposite. First I see what I have; then find something to keep it in order. I may have piles and piles of stuff.... but I can keep the piles organized... right?

Here is an example of how far back some of my stash goes....


I probably have some older than that but not dated. And here is how my fabrics tend to accumulate....


So why do things get out of order.... other than sabotaging my own effort? I get busy! Too busy to put things away. Let's face it.... creating is much more fun than cleaning anytime. The same way cooking is much more fun than washing dishes. Or grocery shopping is much more fun that putting the groceries away.

Back when I worked in an office the last half hour of everyday was strictly for cleaning off my desk. I filed things or stacked things. I thought of it as setting myself up for the next day's work. So this year I've made myself a new commitment along the same idea... I'm spending the last half hour of my work day to set up for the next day. I will spend 30 minutes cleaning and putting items away ready to start a new project. Heck, if I can follow Judy's idea of an hour a day for sewing a quilt top.... why not a half hour a day for setting things up for a new day of quilting?

It's the same idea behind cleaning off the cutting table before starting to cut fabrics for a new quilt top. My cutting table is my current desk. If I don't clean anything else, the cutting table will be cleaned and ready for a new day.

I was too sick over the holiday break to actually sort and organize everything.... so it will be done a little at a time through this year. (smile) It will give me something to post every few days.

First quilt of 2008

Finished the first quilt of the new year. This was from a Quiltmaker magazine and very difficult to make. Quiltmaker does not give very good directions.


I quilted crosshatching on the wide border.


LE lace on the inside border and loops on the sashing. Diana Phillips' flower power on alternate squares.


Freehand feather design on alternate squares.


I have another loaded on the machine ready to start. I'll be making phone calls today to the people on the January list. I also need to get back into the organizing. I was off my feet so much over the vacation time that I didn't get much done.

Back to work

Yesterday I had a nice day out with my daughter - then dinner with her and finance and his son. It was a really nice birthday even with the snow causing road problems. Yes, I am another year older. Funny..... I don't feel older.

I was reading some of the blogs around the ring when I read Ronda's.... I added my words of comfort to all those already offered. It's a small gesture but really heart felt. As a mother who has lost more than one child....I do know the pain she suffers right now and wish with all my heart I could help her though it. Today.... I will keep her in my thoughts.... and be a silent friend. I will share her sorrow.