Minnesota day 1

September 6

I had a hard time sleeping. I awoke in the darkened van to agitated thoughts of how I was going to resolve my dental problems, now that I had resolved to take action instead of waiting any longer for healing to occur. In the pre-dawn darkness in our van I surfed the web for dentists in the area. One of them appealed to me because the ad included walk-in emergency treatment. I waited for Wendy to open her garage door to drive herself to the airport. I stopped her as she was backing out and asked if we could stay at her place a little longer while she was away so I could seek treatment for my tooth problem. She readily agreed, provided I feed her goldfish while she is away. I was overcome with gratitude. This dental issue had finally gotten to me emotionally. Wendy's benevolent assent helped me regain my composure.

I called the Shamblott Family Dentistry clinic in nearby Hopkins, MN at 7:30 AM to leave a message, but a receptionist actually answered. I explained my problem and was given a 10:30 AM appointment. I drove the van to the historic center of Hopkins and parked on the street in a 3-hour parking spot by the building. After filling in medical forms, I was taken through several different diagnostic tests, each more futuristic than the last. I dreaded what all these tests were going to cost. I hoped against hope that these tests and whatever was discovered weren't going to cost us our life savings. The dentist told me that I didn't have signs of an infection (for example, I never developed a fever), but just the same he agreed to give me a prescription for the antibiotics I requested. He informed me that I needed extensive dental work on the teeth on either side of the extracted tooth; work that would cost $4500 (for root canal on one tooth and replacement of a filling on the other). I insisted that I would wait until I returned to my own dentist in Beer Sheva before having those done. I asked how much I already owed for all the diagnostic tests. He told me there would be no charge for the tests or for the prescription. I was too stunned by this to move from where I stood. This was too good to be true. But it was true.

I walked in a partial daze through the streets of the historic district of Hopkins to find a pharmacy. I found one and went in. The pharmacist saw my personal details on the prescription and remarked that he has a relative in Kiryat Malachi, Israel, not far from Beer Sheva.

I drove myself back to Wendy's. Razelle was happy to see me. She didn't like being alone in Wendy's house while I was gone. She was also amazed that my visit to the dental clinic cost nothing. She also had been prepared for the worst, financially. That scenario may eventually play out once I get home, but for now, our resources to continue this trip are still intact.

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing my blog. We had considered doing some sightseeing, but neither of us had the stamina for that. The Mall of America will have to wait for our next visit, if that ever happens. By evening we decided to go looking for a place to eat. We found one that appealed to us in the nearby community of Coon Rapids, MN. After finishing our meal, and with some daylight still left, we pulled into the Springbrook Nature Center. Razelle stayed in the van reading a book while I took a short walk down the nature trail deep into the park.

I so very much enjoyed seeing these woods that looked very much like woods I knew from Ohio. Many familiar plants greeted me here. Dappled light from a low sun played across the treetops and onto the fallen leaves strewn across the hard-packed dirt trail I followed below a canopy of silent forest foliage. I, too, moved silently through this sylvan setting until I froze in my tracks at the sight of a dappled deer ahead of me, nibbling on grasses at the base of a tree beside the trail. Its back was to me. It slowly raised and turned its head to suddenly notice me motionlessly standing there. It twitched its tail and took a tentative step in my direction. It raised one foreleg, then another, in an inquisitive pose, then advanced a few steps closer, stopped, and posed on three legs again. It sniffed the air and stared at me, but I still remained motionless and it still wasn't sure what to make of me. It advanced a few more steps then hesitated and thought better of it. Effortlessly, it now vaulted gracefully over the undergrowth and, raising its white tail, was gone from sight in three bounds. I remained transfixed where I stood for a while longer before returning to Razelle in the van. That moment, this nature center, the time of day and the satiation from a good meal, all came together to seal this day with a serenity I will not forget ... and badly needed.

We returned to Wendy's place and I called her at the far-off location she had flown to, to thank her for allowing us to stay in her home while she was away. I also called Arny again to let him know how my visit to the dental clinic went. He was surprised that I wasn't charged for the diagnostics, but pleased that I had followed through on having these tests done. I took my first antibiotic pill this morning, but so far there has been no change in my condition (not a surprise; antibiotics don't work THAT fast).

I continued to write more entries for my blog, but before much got written I fell asleep on Wendy's floor where I had stretched out with my laptop to work on it. Razelle woke me and told me it was time to retire to the van.

I fed the goldfish as promised, locked the house up and joined Razelle in the van.