I should have taken the dentist's advice regarding not getting four teeth drilled and filled at one time. I was in the chair almost two hours, hadn't had much breakfast, so when I slowly got up, there was no vertigo, but I felt shakey and spacey. I could barely talk or think straight. Writing the check was confusing, and I guess I looked as bad as I felt because the dentist asked if I wanted him to call my daughter. I said no, I think I just need food fast.

I walked down the stairs, thinking I'd get a smoothie at Dunkin' Donuts, but I had no cash. I remembered I finally had gotten two checks from the IRS, plus a total refund of fees I paid H&R Block since I took our taxes to them last year and mistakes were made. A branch of our bank was a short distance from my car, so I headed over there, still feeling odd. I handed the checks which had gotten crumpled in my purse, underneath my hairbrush and camera. The young man behind the counter smoothed them out and asked me how I wanted the cash, as if he was gauging whether or not I was the person who signed the checks on the back.

I said fifties and a few smaller bills, then explained I'd just been at the dentist for two hours and felt like my blood sugar was out of kilter. A woman behind me offered me cookies, another woman handed me a glucose tablet, then the bank manager said they had cider in the back and gave me a cup. I went back to my car and sat, counted the cash, drank the cider. I felt somewhat better so I drove home carefully, passing two almost identical car accidents, first car okay, car behind it front smashed in, no ambulances.

Came home and made a high protein drink in the blender, sat by the woodstove, and slowly felt better. My husband sat with me, talking about his fish tanks and how he kept calling the wrong number to make an appointment for the lung cancer trial he is in. The poor guy my husband kept calling told him his wife was in the hospital, but his number wasn't the hospital and could he please stop calling. My husband didn't remember he had called the guy yesterday too. Probably a total of ten times. He also didn't remember telling me about it at 3am, when I said I'd make the call after the dentist.

Both of my sons were out, but when they returned they asked for the short version of how it went at the dentist. They asked if I needed hugs and I said yes. My younger son said he waited to tell me that he'd had a vivid dream last night in which I was hit by a truck and "flew spectacularly", but was unharmed. In the dream, he was mad at me because I wouldn't tell him how I had managed to do that. I asked him whether he meant the flying or the not getting killed by the truck. Both, of course.