When I was in kindergarten, there were over 85 kids in our class, and it took two teachers and some aids to keep us all corralled and in line. The room was extremely large to hold all of us and even had a full-size playhouse in the middle of the classroom. The bathrooms were on…
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When the calendar on my phone alerts me that it’s time to schedule a teeth cleaning and exam, I can’t believe how fast six months has flown by. In the past when I had dental insurance, I used to be more aware because I had to get in before the end of the year so…
Read MoreMany years ago, I attended a dental meeting where representatives of the dental organization spoke about the unmet needs of nursing home residents. I was moved by compassion and felt an unavoidable desire to do something about it. I found a dentist (Peter) in the Seattle area that had been treating those who had often…
Read MoreMy Father was a consummate learner and as such was a great teacher. During his lunch hours, siting outside on the sidewalk on Amador, he once watched as masons built a brick fence for a new business across the street. He would go over and ask questions about how to set brick and how to…
Read MoreSometime after my father returned from WWII with his two purple hearts, he was helping his father to split eucalyptus for firewood. A couple of things to understand about eucalyptus wood: The hydraulic log splitter had yet to be developed Eucalyptus wood is nearly impossible to split due to the fibrous nature of the grain…
Read MoreMy paternal grandmother became blind before I was born. She had gone through all the emotional stages when one has a disability thrown at them. So, my first childhood memories are filled with a productive, coping, loving blind grandmother. On one occasion she turned to me with a cookie in her hand projecting in my…
Read MoreThe following excerpt is my personal philosophy based on my own life experiences. As I point out, this is a highly charged subject and I will not solve the world’s problems in regards to education and development of handicapped children. Few things are as emotionally charged as bringing forth a child that has a physical…
Read MoreReflecting on (now) 70 years of life, I realize that I have been witness to the building of many things. Over a period of several years as a child, I helped my grandfather build houses for 2,600 mating pairs of pigeon’s. Later, I got to feed them and to dig out the manure from underneath…
Read MoreMany years ago, I was leading a group of Boy Scouts out of the back country near Lillian Lake when we came upon another group of Scouts hiking in. They were resting, so we decided to rest also. After dropping off my back pack, I went over to talk with the “other” Scoutmaster. He had…
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Karen was very anxious about her decision of what dental plan to sign up for. Which plan is best? What are the monthly costs? Which services will be covered? Which one’s will not? What does “yearly maximum” mean? Traditional, PPO’s, Company plans, Individual plans are just a few of her choices. Little did Karen know…
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