NATIONAL DENTIST DAY 2021

Today is National Dentist Day. It is a holiday that I wrote about here on Blogger in 2017 when I was undergoing a painful procedure with someone who ultimately did a lot of faulty dental work on me and who is no longer my dentist. Moreover, within that entry, I refernced my Spilanthes, also known as The Toothache Plant which can be seen in the images directly below.

These images are also featured in my  June 28th, 2011 entry along with cool facts re this plant (herb) which I used to grow in my rooftop garden here in NYC. 

NATIONAL DENTIST DAY 2017

The image atop this blog entry, is of a Spilanthes, also known as The Toothache Plant. 

This is a picture which I included in a prior post that I published here on Blogger on June 28th, 2011. If you'd like to refer to this particular entry, please click here; and you  will find cool facts re this herb/plant, which I used to grow in my rooftop garden here in NYC. 

I am thinking of the Spilanthes (which can also be seen in the image directly below)...

...because I have had a toothache for the past few days, and have not heard back from my dentist who, last Monday, performed a procedure on the pained area. And unlike the Tooth-Fairy...

...who gives money for one's tooth; my dentist took a lot of money to remove and replace a crown this past Monday! I am in a tremendous amount of pain as a result with constant throbbing!

Therefore, my mind is on the Spilanthes, which I have just stated, is an herb/plant that I used to grow here.

And, today, I once again ask the question I had posed in 2011: Where is my Spilanthes oleracea when I need him?

AND Where is my dentist when I need her?

I'm a bit apprehensive to confront her re why she hadn't returned my emergency call, but after all the money I've paid her, thousands upon thousands, why am I anxious to approach her?

Indeed, it seems one's teeth are not their own, they belong to The Tooth Fairy and/or the dentist. The Tooth Fairy is more economical, but, the dentist, is a "necessary evil."

Moreover, Holiday Insights (HI) claims that their is a holiday dedicated to dentists. HI states that the holiday is known by the name of Dentist's Day, which is always honored on March 6th, and that happens to be today! Perhaps, it's serendipitous that my need for my dentist to resolve this is occurring at this time?

New Arrivals: The Coccinellidae novemnotatas aka THE LADYBUGS

Last week, at this very time, I was preparing for a hurricane who has ben named Hurricane Irene, which I discussed in this past Saturday's post, and in the conclusion of that entry, I reported that, in regards to Irene, I'd return to blogging with "hopefully little damage to report."

Thankfully, that was the case, as I've already indicated earlier this week. I am very grateful to God — though I don't express it nearly as much as I should. In fact, since I sleep on a foam pad — which is directly atop of my floor, I often don't kneel when I say prayers before going to sleep, although I did (as is the standard) kneel at mass yesterday, with thanksgiving that, in terms of Irene, I was unscathed; especially given the damage which Hurricane Irene did cause for many people, including those who live  on or near the Jersey Shore, a place, where I took the photograph (posted above) in late July, of a shore town's resident's garden fence with the affirmation, God Answers Knee-Mail. 

Since the place where I took this photograph is very near the ocean, I hope the folks who own the property as well as their surrounding neighbors did not sustain too much damage, but, whatever the case turned out to be, I am fairly certain they relied on their knee-mail to God to see them through the situation.

And speaking of God; are you, dear reader, familiar with the adage, If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans" ?

Well, what has happened, dear reader, is that I've recently discovered this very same  thing that happens with a muse. If you want to amuse your muse, tell him/her what you intend to write about. 

For as you may recall, dear reader, last Saturday I confessed that I had planed to write about my "journey towards elegant garden lighting", but my preparation for Irene took precedence. I did promise to return to my garden lighting epiphany today, but I admit that (because I have now been writing this entry in my head for over a week) my insights do not seem as poignant as they did last week, and I am tempted to renege on my promise; not out of an unwillingness to fulfill a task — but out of a bit of pride — that I may not sound as prolific in cyberspace as I do in my head, when it comes to the insights which I thought the new lighting system in my urban garden had taught me.

Where is my Spilanthes oleracea when I need him?

The unusual looking plant in the photograph which  posted above is a Spilanthes oleracea plant. Its flowers resemble pimento olives and it is somewhat of a funky plant to have in one's garden. (I can just imagine the Spilanthes oleracea plant saying 'what do you mean by funky?' — if he is anything like my Physocarpus opulifolius aka Coppertina Tree, who took homage at being called Copper-Tone — not by yours truly by the way — and took it upon himself to express these thoughts in a blog post which you may refer to by clicking here.)

Whether you perceive the Spilanthes oleracea plant to be funky or not, it does provide a unique purpose to one's garden as it is a documented fact that when one chews on the leaves, one experiences a numbing effect on the mouth. 

According to an herb guide (source can be found by clicking here), "a decoction or infusion of the leaves is recommended for stammering, toothache, stomatitis, and throat complaints," and that eating a whole flower bud results in an extremely strong tingling sensation accompanied by excessive saliva production."

In 2006, I had a Spilanthes oleracea plant in my terrace garden as pictured below:

I was not taking many pictures or blogging during that time, but I can assure you that he can be seen in the far right hand corner where the purple arrow is pointing (on a direct diagonal from the SODAS sign which I only recently removed from my urban terrace garden, a gesture that I wrote about in a previous blog entry that you may refer to by clicking here).

The normally perennial Spilanthes oleracea plant, in the zone where I live and have my terrace garden is an annual. Therefore, I am not always able to find them in any of  the green-makets when growing season arrives; hence, I have not had one in my garden for a number of years. However, the Spilanthes oleracea plant is on my mind today, as I am scheduled to have a tooth extraction this afternoon —an unfortunate necessity precipitated by its being fractured.