I'll start with the crown on my tooth since I just read about that in my previous entry. My dentist had both hands and maybe a foot in my mouth for an hour Tuesday and used a jackhammer and chainsaw to smooth the temporary. I came home, not in tortuous pain (somehow I always still manage to eat), but with sore jaws and an irritated cheek and tongue. But, a temporary crown in place and a new one in the works. But Friday, when I was out for the day, it came off. I reseated it. It came off again. I reseated it. I should have just put it in my pocket, I guess. A third time. And when I tried reseating it, I broke it!! I'm hoping it doesn't cost another $1000+ to get it back together. I go in at 1 pm today.

While I was at the dentist I was surprised when a friend came out of the dentists office into the reception area. Considering how few people I know in this huge Metroplex, a big surprise! It was the husband of a friend of mine from Austin. They live up here now, too, maybe an hour away. Of course, the dentist IS his daughter so I guess the odds were with us there. It was great to see him and now I'm going to see his wife for brunch Wednesday morning. Judith is one of the dearest, most positive, wise people I've ever known.

I love to reread the diary from the week before and see that I actually DID accomplish what I set out to do. I put the lawn furniture on our Buy Nothing group and had a woman and her son immediately come and get it. She sent me a picture later of it all set up on her patio and it looks so nice. I'm happy for them. I know how happy that furniture made me when I had it. I also cleaned out the shed and got things put away more neatly in it. I do still have the junk that was in it out on the lawn. Today I am off work and I plan on dragging it to the front because tomorrow is big pickup day for the trash folks and they can haul away the junk.

I was off regular work Friday to do radio work. I had a fun day. I went to my boss's house first and watched him work and finish the morning show and was on the air with him for a minute. Then we drove up to the town where we were having a contest with a car dealership. We gave away money for Easter and it was a very easy remote (because he does ALL the work, I'm just friendly with the contestants). After, we went to a local restaurant that is a very nice old-school small town restaurant. They have great German food but I didn't have it this time.

After that town we came back to GVL and went to their zoo! For a town of only 30,000 they have an amazing little zoo. Lots of animals that were fascinating to watch. I hope they are happy. One giant giraffe.... those are the strangest creatures. Did you know in Africa other animals cluster around with giraffes because they know the giraffes can see danger coming and can warn them all early. They have a huge cheetah and several different monkeys or baboons or the like. Camels, alpaca, tortoises. Not all the zoo animals that Dallas or Fort Worth have, but a very good selection and I wish I could take my nieces there!

We came on back and that was a very full day for me. Did nothing after except work sudokus and puzzles.... I have become my mother. As a matter of fact, Mother's death was one year ago on that day, Good Friday, so she was on my mind all day long.

Oh! I had a "hello" from Mom maybe? I'm always looking for signs, but seldom find them. But Friday morning I set my alarm early because there was so much to be done. It went off at 7 and at 7:30 I was still in bed. Not really tired and sleeping, just thinking, but I may have dozed off, not sure. But then I heard KNOCK KNOCK. So loud!! It sounded like someone knocking on the bedroom door ten feet from my head! I jumped up and said, "Who is it?" although I knew if someone was at the front door they likely wouldn't hear me. But this did not sound like the front door. My first real thought was that my sister was there on one of her "wellness checks" when she can't get in touch with me and maybe this time I didn't even answer the front door and she'd come all the way back to my bedroom and knocked on my bedroom door (which was open). To knock on the front door you have to open a squeaky storm door and knocks there usually don't have that much force because the visitor is still partially hampered by the storm door (it opens in a goofy direction). And this knock sounded much more like a knock on the hollow interior doors and not the solid front door. I jumped up and crept toward the front of the house so I could see if someone was on the porch without them seeing me. No one was there. I got closer to see if there was a package. No package and no UPS truck pulling away. Nothing. I could have been an auditory hallucination, but I don't know that I've ever really had that. Visual hallucinations I have a long history with, but not something like this. So, if it was Mom, even if it wasn't, it made me happy.

For the weekend, I went to Tyler to see the "old folks." It was a lovely weekend. They are the kindest people. She is 80 and has Alzheimer's now and he said she is getting more disoriented, asking "When are we going home?" when they are at home, etc. He was in amazing condition at 93 and hopped up easily and made lunch and dinner. He did let me drive for a change. He's a good driver and I'll ride with him, but I was glad he let me drive this time. We went driving around Tyler to see the amazing azaleas that they are known for. Gorgeous banks of red and pink and white. Then he wanted to stop at "Pyron Garden." I had no idea what we were going to see. It was a (now deceased) man's huge backyard and sideyard and spilling over into the neighbors backyards and sideyards, so a very large area. He had paths and nooks and crannies and a bridge over a canal and benches and steps and just an amazing "park" with azaleas everywhere, but also dahlias and ferns and hostas and trees and so many other things. I used an app to identify some of the beautiful plants and they were always one of those, like azaleas, that don't grow where I live. So I just had to enjoy the beauty while I was there. And I don't want to work to maintain a garden that lovely. Apparently he worked on it all day, every day. The amount of money that went into it, too, had to be outrageous. But it was worth it and generous they let people walk all through it. It was full and lots of families were there for Easter.

We had a nice hamburger dinner Saturday night with my (former) brother-in-law with us, too. Then Sunday we had a noodle casserole with the b-i-l and a friend. We visited into the afternoon and when the men left, I left, too, and got home by six.

So now it is Monday. I'm glad I took the day off to "recover" from the weekend. I don't HAVE to have an extra day, but it makes me enjoy the weekend more. I've slept late, done my radio show, had a muffin, updated the diary, and called the dentist. The plan for the rest of the day is to get the junk out of the backyard for trash day and go to the dentist at 1 p.m. If I can find some extra time I am considering taking my car to the "big" carwash where they will clean it inside, too. It really needs it. But that also involves me having to clean it out before I do that.

After all that, I may go to a nursery and buy a few plants. I did get inspired. I don't want to go overboard, but I could at least get some soil amendments and mulch to improve what I have.