Monday, July 26, 2021

I'm down to a nub

It began the usual Monday morning. I was out watering my flowers and enjoying them as much as I can. I think they know I put off moving until September simply to enjoy them. And the phone rang. My dentist office; can I come today instead of tomorrow.

There is a wonky tooth going on. Or, it's my sinuses, complaining about a bad summer. I made an appointment with my dentist to start sorting it out. I worked around leaving for the dentist with an hour to spare, for the thirty minute trip.

Why an hour? I generally get lost and have to call my sister. She has told me over and over, take the 224 exit. I know 224 is a valid route and I drive and drive looking for it, then call maphead (you know, her) and tell her where I am and she gives me directions to go back.

The difference between my sister's driving and mine: I drive by street names and numbers. She drives by landmarks. "Turn at the second McDonalds."

Now that I have been lost the last three times, I fixated on the sign at the exit. It is route 221. I told her tonight, no matter how much you insist on 224, that number is 221. And she said "Well, I've never really looked at it. I just know it is 224. They have it wrong, you know."

The dentist and I discussed the tooth. It will crap out on me, probably sooner than later. Sadly, it's one of those three legged molars. The dentist, Dr. Nate (they're all young and go by their first names these days), leaned back on his stool and asked "Do you want to have it pulled today?" Absolutely not! I have too much else to do.

I didn't get lost coming home, which included a stop at the post office and the drug store. I had a completely new post office person who took my package, did her keyboard punching and asked "Have you shipped to this person before?" I said No, and just then just happened to see tiny letters at the top of the credit card machine that said Somewhere, IL. 

"I do know I am shipping to Missouri" I said to her. She began rubbing her inch long eyelashes even harder, blinking furiously. She voided the transaction, huffed the papers together and into a drawer and began again, directing my package straight on to Missouri.

And so I was home at three this afternoon, bone tired. I still listed the rest of my books, and then had an offer for the vintage milk glass salt and pepper shakers.


It was a decent offer and I took it. I sent a thank you note for taking them off my hands, and told him the woman who gifted me them told me they were valuable. The buyer responded they were, ten years ago, but the value was down at least 40%.  I'm sure he's right. No question, it's a new world out there.

37 comments:

  1. I am the navigator when my husband and I head anywhere. He focuses on the road. I often lead us astray. I wouldn’t want to be driving and trying to find someplace on my own.

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  2. I use the Maps app on my iPhone. I input the destination and a friendly voice gives me directions. It also tells me how long it will take. I couldn't find my way without it!

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    1. I am addicted to maps app. But I keep believing my sister on this one.

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  3. I rely on my GPS for directions. My sense of direction without GPS is horrendous. The salt and pepper shakers are lovely. Pricing is quite variable these days. At Home Depot, twice within the last month the price on the shelf was lower than the price that showed at the register. I pointed this out and paid the lower price. I'm glad you caught the error at the post office. Caveat emptor.

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  4. I'm always alone in the car and I hate it when they change my landmarks. It just puts me off when they fell a tree, or a house, and now I can't recognize where I am. Road numbers around here are basically meaningless anyway. Even gps doesn't work!

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  5. I find my way the old fashioned way- print out route and map from google maps, pull alongside the road and review every couple of miles.
    I am sorry to hear about your tooth- Maybe it can be saved if you find the right dentist.

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  6. Have a nice, quiet evening and baby that tooth!

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  7. I love my GPS as I have geographical dyslexia. People have despaired trying to show me east west, I used to have a compass always in my car but couldn't read it. (I know).

    Total sympathy from me.

    XO
    WWW

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  8. What is "in" in vintage waxes and wanes. That's why I always buy not based on perceived value, but value to ME! Lovely milk glass. Sorry about the tooth, and the battle to find the right exit. I am a very nervous driver.

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  9. I also follow landmarks. But I do use my GPS if I;m not sure or if I left home a little late.

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  10. I have a good internal compass and prefer maps. I dislike GPS.

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  11. I would always be lost if not for my Google maps. I'm thankful for them although I can still manage to miss turns or exits. Those are very cool. It doesn't seem like anything is worth what it used to be. (or how much we want them to be)

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  12. There is absolutely no moss growing on you, Joanne :) I hope your tooth holds out until you can get it dealt with. Nothing worse than a toothache or headache - impossible to get away from the pain.

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  13. when we watch the redone Antique Roadshow shows we have a contest on whether the value has gone up or down... amazing how much has gone DOWN !!

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  14. I would have had the tooth pulled right away since I was already in the chair, I can't put up with toothache while I wait for the next appointment. I'm a sissy about tooth pain. I have never seen milk glass S&P shakers. They're not as popular these days with so many people not adding salt to their food.

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  15. My, but that dentist was a bit eager to get his hands on that tooth of yours!! And I so commiserate with you about getting lost going places. I think that's why Robert insists on going with me when I go to Bakersfield. His sense of direction is far better than mine.

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  16. I have a very poor sense of direction so I relate to you getting lost. Collectibles often lose value. I inherited a few things which I wanted because they have family meaning to me, but the value has dropped. Who cares, I like them.

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  17. I so hope your tooth can be sorted.
    I am the navigator here - though himself will sometimes argue the toss (and then back down).

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  18. I'm like your sister as I go by landmarks when finding a place. I'm good at reading maps but not when I'm driving. I once unexpectedly had a tooth pulled on a dental visit. I figured I'd better do it then or I would chicken out! I love those milk glass salt and pepper shakers!

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  19. Commiserations re the tooth...at least you had a choice.
    And congratulations on the sales!
    I have a couple of post offices I keep to because of mistakes done at others..good spotting.
    I love real paper maps, but use Google maps...and follow a route on street view so that I know what I will see when I get to it. We have been given a satnav, but it has been 100% fail to set it up!!

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  20. I am a paper map person and then write my route out in big letters with felt tip pen and keep paper beside me on passengers seat. It works.

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    1. I used to do that. Turn by turn written instructions.

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    2. I need a second list to get home again. Can't just mentally reverse the instructions.

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  21. I look at a map before I set off (I have to do that today) then I have Google satnav to hand, pre-set, which I try not to switch on until I really think I am lost. Then it usually directs me down tiny roads which really loses me. He is right - antique glass has dropped in price horribly.

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  22. Somewhere in the depths of Frustrationville there is a mould for postal clerks, and they spit out the same model the world over.

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  23. Surely you have a cell phone that has a map app>? Or maybe not.

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  24. I'm a loss at navigation. Forget it. Can't do it. And it's getting worse as I age.
    You had a very full day. I hope you rest today.

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  25. Hope your tooth doesn't give you too much trouble. It can start hurting once they have mentioned it!
    Glad you are having success with your selling.

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  26. whenever Marc and I traveled I would be the navigator (this was before cell phones and map apps) but he would always get impatient waiting for me to orient myself or find where we were and where we wanted to go so he would just take off making turns and making it that much more difficult for me to navigate. we always ended up yelling. also before map apps I was very good at writing down directions for other people to follow.

    I kept my wiggly tooth as long as possible. finally had it removed (I won't say pulled because it just slid right out, not connected to any bone at all) when I became fearful that I was going to swallow it while eating.

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  27. I still admire the special treatment you give to the plants in your garden.

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  28. Dear Joanne, it's too bad about the tooth. Once I hit 80, my teeth started to go and now I wear a partial. I so know what you mean about being tired when you go out and about. If I have to leave the house--someone always gives me a ride--to a doctor's appointment or whatever, I always come back pooped and have to take a long nap and then just wile away the rest of the day! Peace.

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  29. Quite a busy Monday, Joanne. Hope you get the tooth squared away with minimal problems. I have to my version of Dr. Nate next week. He goes by Dr. Rob and I always get nervous that they are going to find something because my brushing habits have been bad since I started working from home. Have a good rest of your week.

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  30. I am the navigator. When we started out, we had maps for every state we would RV through. Then we had a Garmin gps, which was ok, but not great. I don't know how we lived without cell phones. I still call out directions to Jim, mainly to get him in the correct lane with time to spare.

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  31. Try Costa Rican directions...turn left at the convenience store - it closed years ago.

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  33. I watch "Antiques Roadshow" and am appalled at how the values on everything have gone down. Grandma and Gimpa's furniture is now worth so little, but I still love it.

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