Mountain Dew Mouth has struck again

What every parent likely worries about is what will be the result of his/her child's dental check-up. Well, what I thought was going to be a simple event in my 19-year-old daughter's life has become a time of taking out a $2K loan to afford the damage done by her soda-pop sipping habit (I don't have dental insurance...and boy do I regret that!). (Picture at right from: http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1836189&nav=168XMnyS)

She had not told the dentist about her consumption rate of Mountain Dew...but he described it to her with accurate illustrations as he reviewed her teeth x-rays with us. She has Mountain Dew Mouth, which dentists' have named the syndrome that results in numerous cavities in the teeth of sodapop drinkers - specifically those addicted to "The Dew". How many did he find in my daughter's mouth? 14....and possibly a few more in her front teeth that were not initially x-rayed! Luckily...(or maybe not) these were not extremely advanced. (This is likely because she was taught to brush her teeth daily - sometimes more than once - because of dental work she had before her permanent teeth came in. Thank goodness she was committed in carrying out daily brushing!) However, the damage was done and no treatment would mean more problems and expenses later. It was the pay now or pay later dilemma.

If you don't believe that this is a "real thing", here are some websites that discuss this problem that is becoming chronic for teens and 20 somethings:

* Watch What You Dew:
http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20010904hsoda0904p4.asp
*Dental News (this one has pictures....ick):
http://www.ms-flossy.com/softdrinks.html
*Moutain Dew Mouth Make-over: http://www.bocaratoncosmeticdentist.com/enlarge_mountaindew_makeover.html

Since my daughter is headed off to college in a week or so, she did a marathon dental treatment plan. Three days of long dental appointments to fix 14 cavities. She also has sworn off "The Dew" as a habit. It will be a big adjustment.

As a past teacher, I've watched lots and lots of teenagers depend on "the breakfast of highschoolers" which many parents may not realize is a can of sodapop and a candy bar and/or bag of chips. A teen will buy a can of sodapop, open it, and keep it in his/her locker where it is sipped on inbetween classes. I once tried offering free alternatives in my classroom...note the word FREE...and had no takers. I remember one day when a teen couldn't panhandle change from friends and only because of being hungry and penniless, he partook on the fruit I had available.

So...today was the last day of the series of dental appointments. I guess my money is now all spent. I wonder if my daughter spent as much money on all the Mountain Dew she consumed in the past several years as I spent on her mouth this week?

Wild Westie World

Our home is filled with Westies (West Highland White Terriers). We have 2 full blood, and 1 mixed breed. These are terrific dogs to have, and certainly bring a lot of joy into our lives.

These two are Maggie and Mac. These are "rescue dogs", meaning that we got them thru Westie Rescue of Missouri as they were abandoned and then found in the Sioux City Humane Society. Mac and Maggie have lived with us since October 2004, and they are an interesting pair. As older dogs, they are pretty well trained. We have nicknames for each. Maggie is our Westie Alarm Clock...she will get up and bark at us when SHE thinks it is time to get up in the morning. Mac reminds us of Pumba from the Lion King because of his waddling swagger of a walk, and the deliberate way he will seek to be patted or scratched.

Our half Westie is my dog, Zeek. Although he is black - well, salt and pepper these days - his mom Katie was a full blood Westie. It was his dad - a min pin - that gave him the unique coloring. He's a terrific dog, very smart, very loyal, the abosolute best unless he gets out the gate and beyond the fence. Then he forgets his name and plays keep-away.

I was thinking about the dogs just now as I started my blog because it is Mac's bath day. Mac has a common skin allergy condition that requires ongoing medications and frequent baths. He is so good about being bathed. When he is all finished, we can place a towel on the floor and he will immediately go to it and use it to dry himself. Its easy to see that this dog really knows what the routine is, and he follows it with very little guidance. John just finished Mac's bath...and now he's getting dry.

Dogs....we know our house has gone to the Westies. They are great dogs, however, to have as 4-legged companions. I'd recommend them to anyone wanting a smaller dog.

More from the Garden

My garden is planted in a different manner from many. The most common garden configuration is one of rows and paths...lots of room for weeds to grow and a gardener to cuss the amount of work required.

Years ago, when I first met my exhusband Frank, I had a garden grown in rows. Well, it was actually growing an enormous weed patch by mid-summer, but the point is it was a garden of rows of veggies. It was the only way I knew to garden. Along came Frank, who took one glance at my garden and said, "you'll never want to garden like this again once I teach you how to grow a garden in beds." He was absolutely right. The one thing I constantly honor him for teaching me is how to garden using a style of raised beds and square-foot and/or scatter planting, as well as strategic placements of mulch. It is amazing at how the garden becomes an easy plat to manage when planted this way. The weeding is mostly an early garden necessity. Once the plants are large enough to create shade beneath, as well as to have mulch scattered around the base, then the chance of weeds becomes less. The walking paths are also mulched and as the summer progresses, the garden becomes an easy place to go to harvest the desired food items.


Although this picture (left) does not do my garden justice, what you are looking at is a tomato patch (closest to the fence) that is 3'x5' and holds 6 plants. Growing with the tomatoes are carrots and radishes. To the left of the tomatoes is a patch of tomatillos that are actually overgrowing the path and thus creating a big green clump of leafy stuff. The 4 plants of tomatillos are also in a 3'x5' bed, along with a section of 6 sweet banana pepper plants. Interspersed with the peppers are two varieties of basil. With all those plants, it is one green mass of food, with very few weeds having a chance to take over.


This picture shows more of the garden, looking at the beds that are just beyond the tomatoes and tomatillos. Here you see beds of potatoes and onions. The squash are growing in the rear on the far left, and rhubarb and raspberries are at the rear center and right. This picture was taken at the end of July, and you can see that my garden is well along into harvest. I've cleared one bed of pea vines and used them for mulch in the potato bed that is in the front right portion of this picture. I am currently eyeing that open space for a fall crop of something...Possibly lettuce, since we've eaten up nearly all I've grown thus far.

I have become a real fan of the magazines Mother Earth News, and this year I took a tip that may seem strange, but sure has been helpful. That tip? Carpeting my garden. Yes, my garden is carpeted this year. What I've done is taken old, beat-up, salvaged living room carpeting and cut it into strips the width of my walking paths. Each path is "carpeted". The carpet is my weed barrier. It is working marvelously, and I actually think a bit better than when I use weed barrier fabric and wood chip mulch. At first the garden did look a bit strange with gold carpet paths, but now that they are all taken on the color of dirt, the garden looks natural.

The harvest this year is really looking promising. I plan to give a portion of my produce to the local foodbank. One bed of potatoes was planted with them in mind.

The Harvest is Coming

I enjoy gardening! This year's garden is a product of a labor of love that began in late January/early February. I decided to try out starting many of my plants myself. I set up a "plant nursery" in my home office window, and also in my livingroom window. I also decided to buy some heirloom seeds from Seedsavers, as suggested by my bro-in-law, Mike. I planted 2 varieties of tomatoes (Purple Russians, & Bloody Butchers), and then watched them sprout. I was so excited that I then started several more plants - brocolli, cabbage, several flowers, etc. Some sprouted, some didn't.

As the Spring unfolded, my little window nursery outgrew its location. I was not daunted, and teased my husband that I was hoping that the plants would take over the house, if only for a little while. In March I put a greenhouse on my front porch. When I put up the greenhouse, I also was finally able to pull the Christmas plastic candycanes out of the ground, although one was still firmly frozen and would not budge!



This greenhouse is actully a conversion of a Menard's ATV "garage" made from tubing and tarps. Instead of using the white tarp covering, I used clear plastic. The frame was literally a "snap" to put together, and each end/doorway has a zipper door - excellent for my use. The best part was this thing was on clearance for $129. All the "instant greenhouses" of any size were far more pricey. After I set this up on my front porch, I starting hearing that my greenhouse was the talk of the neighborhood.

My garden "babies" spent the daytime in the greenhouse and the nighttime in my livingroom for several weeks until the night temperatures started staying in the low 40's. I had a small heater in the greenhouse just in case. I used plastic "under the bed" storage containers that had wheels on them to hold my plants. It made it easy to move them inside and outside. I did have a few nights of worry. When we took a trip, we had to find someone who would not only feed the cat, but also could care for the plants!

By early May, my "babies" were certainly becoming adolesents. This picture was taken May 8th, and the tomato plants were about 12 to 18 inches tall. (The paper in the middle is a "Flat Stanley" that visited my greenhouse as part of a class project).

I started my vegetable garden "early" on Wisconsin standards. Some of my neighbors cautioned me to not be so eager. I planted onions first, and then potatoes. I also put in some rhubarb. It was really hard to not plant the tomatoes...but I held back until around May 20th.

My garden this year includes a "tomato hedge"....that I put in along my fence. I also decided to use the chainlink to support climbing beans. The "edge of the fence" garden actually grew into a larger area as I realized I needed more garden space. The main garden is mostly potatoes and onions, although I have one bed of tomatoes, and one bed or peppers and tomatillos, and I had one bed of sugar snap peas that has made its production cycle. I decided to plant squash in the back of my garden near a compost heap and the raspberry patch.

The news today is that everything is starting to produce. The peas are done (the best crop ever) and now used for mulch. The Bloody Butcher tomato variety was a good investment. Known for being an early tomato (although small), they have been producing ripe fruit since mid July. The onions are the largest I've EVER grown! I'm now harvesting lots of yellow beans, and we've eaten just about all the lettuce that I planted...we need more.

My gardening style is one of "raised beds", and as I read various books, I guess it is a French Style of raised beds. Mine are mounds of dirt that are 3 feet wide by what ever length I decide. I also use "square foot gardening" techniques, meaning everything is planted close together (as much as feasibly possible). I also tried companion planting this year. One surprising result has been the planting of tomatos in the asparagas patch. Both are doing extremely well! In fact, it has been the first tomato patch to produce ripe fruit and is more steadily doing so then the other tomato hedge areas in my yard.

Gardening....I do enjoy it. This year it has been a long term commitment. As the end of this growing season comes closer, I am now thinking of how I can extend it. I do have this portable greenhouse......