Bruxism and my Nighttime Dental Guard + Japanese Magnolia Blossoms

Strange feelings... had nasty neck pain while driving down to Florida after Christmas.

Thought I'd slept wrong on my pillow but it didn't go away...

Then I felt my FIRST EVER toothache, thought that one of my upper right molars needed maybe a filling.

So I did tough it out as there were way too many things going on and I made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon on February 2.

My dentist checked the x-ray that his assistent had made, but there was no infection or anything wrong with my teeth.

BUT he discovered that my lower molars got loosened already and that I probably needed a Nighttime Dental Guard due to teeth clenching.

So I went to Walmart to get my Oral–B Nighttime Dental Guard...

Paid some $ 20.00 and after supper did start the molding procedure as shown on this video: Oral–B Nighttime Dental Guard – Instructional Video ←click it.

Of course I did not win that battle and went to sleep without wearing my Nighttime Dental Guard!

After two nights trying in vain to remove my molded dental guard from the green impression tray

—even after placing it for 10 minutes inside the freezer (as suggested) I was not able to release it.

Pieter tried the next day to wrestle it out. So finally I was able to wear it on February 2nd.

I must say that I slept like a ROSE so it must help a lot.

My pain also is gone!

Have any of you ever used such a Nighttime Dental Guard?

Never knew that those symptoms of neck pain for instance came from teeth clenching...

Info found under: Mayo Clinic Bruxism (teeth grinding)

Hah, hyperactive... that does ring a bell!

My sleep quality has greatly improved I must say and I sleep a lot deeper now and feel much more rested.

This morning around 10:00 AM with the sun shining brightly...

This is the Japanese magnolia tree that is recovering over time as a big tree fell in it and broke off a main stem.

Tornado weather can be treacherous. 

Our other Japanese magnolia tree is now free since the huge oak tree on its right got cut down.

More light, space and food!

Our vinyl picket fence marks our border. Sturdy placed by Pieter on top of concrete blocks that serve as a water barrier from water running down to our lower area near creek.

Still beautiful even with lots of petals already on the ground from days of rain and wind before these sunny days.

Nature's Poetry...

At 10:00 AM it was 17°C or 62.6°F.

Today it will be 24°C or 75°F and 7°C or 44.6°F at night.

Tomorrow looks great for biking at 26°C or 87.8°F

BUT on Saturday it will go as low as 0°C or 32°F... during the night!

This is typical Georgia—going up and down and spring starts about 7 times... 😏

And Another Birthday with Pearls

 On Monday, January 9, I would make my rounds to Atlanta and to Marietta also for having my Rado watch's battery replaced.

BUT on Sunday evening when brushing my hair and removing the Chanel barrette I noticed that its spring got half broken away...

So, we made another stop at Neiman Marcus at their Chanel Boutique for having it repaired.

Will be so happy when it will be ready with a new spring.

It was right there at the store on the counter, that I noticed some earrings, longer model and with a pearl...

SO... Pieter bought those for me as an early Birthday gift—and I did NOT object 😉

They got nicely gift wrapped with the famous white Chanel Camélia...

Our white hyacinths from Trader Joe's were blooming nicely in our bay window area.

Lovely white Camélia and ribbon...

A card with embossed white camélia and gift box...

Inside the gift box...

Tada...! 

Nice Strass Crystals and the CC logo with pearls.

Photo taken outside in bright sunlight on Sunday, February 5.

Metal & Strass

Gold, Pink & Iridescent Crystals and Pearl

I'm very happy with those earrings as a gift from my Pieter—even though they're not of gold...

Chanel manages to make very elegant costume jewelry as well!

Wearing my Escada silk and cashmere twinset and when looking back, this is what I wore to Mom & Dad's 55th Wedding Anniversary 19 years ago...

Now you also can see my Escada jeans and our Japanese magnolias that are almost open.

Pieter's shade as the sun was really strong with a temperature of 19°C or 66°F.

Both of us are grateful that the –2°C or 28°F last week did not make them turn brown!

Usually these would bloom on Mom's Birthday—February 12, but now she's in heaven, they seem to bloom earlier on my Birthday. 

You can see the white vinyl picket fence in the background...

And the green tree on the left is the Southern Magnolia.

Here I wear the very same Escada twinset on February 15, 2004 when I am happy to see and greet my 2nd brother Piet at the restaurant where we all met for Mom & Dad's 55th Wedding Anniversary.

Wearing also the same Escada jeans...

Piet's kids and wife in the background.

Of course having phone calls on my Birthday and then late breakfast while observing our birds from our bay window.

Here the Eastern Phoebe on the bird bath.

Pieter just added meal worms inside the feeder for them and the Carolina wrens to snack on...

Temperature in the SUN!

40°C or 104°F...

We got this 6" Conant Custom Brass Thermometer from Monticello but now Amazon still has it.

You can see our vinyl picket fence in the back with the blooming magnolias.

Nothing more enjoyable than having breakfast in the sun!

We selected our lot for having our kitchen facing east—for that purpose.

Ending this post with some REAL white camellias that Pieter brought me for breakfast...

Using one of my creamware cachepot, as a vase for them.

Related links:

Meaning of my name — Pearl and Desired Child | previous post by me

Eastern Phoebe Reside in Front Porch with Babies | previous post by me

Those who feel Happy with the HAPPINESS of OTHERS | previous post by me showing creamware cachepot

Our Kitchen Bay Window Before and After Renewal by Andersen

 On October 12, we both went ahead and arranged to have new windows installed by Renewal by Andersen®.

A sales representative came to our home and about a week later another person came to take exact measures of the thermopane glass that needed to be replaced.

Those specks are actually in–between the double glass...

To the left bottom my iPhone is visible.

We moved into our home in November of 1990, after it got newly built.

Sure, all windows were shiny and perfect but not forever!

We'd asked a local company if they could replace them but got told that it was impossible with that type of windows...

It got really ugly and in the beginning I thought that I lost it when cleaning windows...

Going back and forth from inside to outside and rubbing really hard—in vain!

So we contacted Renewal by Andersen and ordered new ones.

This sun glare was perfect for actually showing how ugly they became—embarrassing.

The wait for new ones has been quite long—three months but there they are... on January 17, 2023

The evening before I took this photo from outside.

Pieter had already removed the Flower Framers of Cincinnati window boxes a week ago.

The center window from outside and our white picket fence is reflecting in it...

Woke up early and checked the weather—perfect with rain later in the day!

7°C or 44.6°F and high 22°C or 71.6°F

At 10:20 AM the crew of 3 had arrived from Fayetteville, Georgia a good two hour drive.

Loved this logo on the t–shirt:

The Better Way to

a Better Window®

With a huge suction devise from outside and work from inside this was at 11:08 AM

At 11:10 the first of 3 was out... Pieter is looking on in the back.

At 11:36 the new one was in and I took a picture of how it looked so far...

At 11:41 getting the center window out...

At 11:42 the other side window was in.

They meticulously used drop cloths inside and outside on the patio.

We opted for the FibrexⓇ Energy–Efficient Glass.

At 12:27 a detail of the new window...

At 14:29 after they'd already left... All DONE!

The new windows face more outward.

To the left is the BEFORE and to the right is the AFTER and you notice that the entire window is more outward. 

Both of us can't get over the CLEAR view of our garden with birds!

Very pleased with them and they were excellent workers.

The special glass quality we chose is also keeping the heat out and the cold—Saving Energy on cooling and heating.

This also comes with a great Limited Warranty

20.10.10 Years

Glass & Fibrex, Installation, Hardware

Fully Transferable

Our Bird Feeder with Dried Mealworms atop Umbrella Pole

 Keeping such a vast estate up to date in every area, is quite an upkeep.

But it is oh so rewarding to see HAPPY BIRDS around.

Bird Feeder with plexiglass front and back so we can see how much they ate...

Dried Mealworms with some sunflower seeds and other bird feed mixed in.

Pieter did start purchasing these dried mealworms for the baby birds from our Eastern Phoebe end of May, that had a nest in our front porch. See post below.

The Carolina Wrens go in there often, pick out one worm and hack it to pieces somewhere on a tree trunk.

We left the thick slice of the oak tree's stump on the ground—for that purpose.

Also the perfectly sawn off oak tree trunk serves as a feeding table for lots of birds—and squirrels of course.

But they too have to live... We saw one with a severe bot fly warbles under its skin—the dreaded Cuterebra emasculator Fitch.

Pieter leaves peanuts in the shell for the squirrels and sunflower seeds.

Are you feeding birds and using dried mealworms as well?

{Umbrella Pole Recycled into Bird Feeder Post} | previous post by me

Eastern Phoebe Reside in Front Porch with Babies | previous post by me

AMAZING recovery of Japanese Magnolia—after getting LIGHT and FOOD!

 With our HUGE oak tree now gone, there is more LIGHT + FOOD available for this beauty.

On the side, where once that HUGE oak tree took away all the light, and no doubt most of the food and moisture available, now some healthy NEW branches did sprout off!

Our Japanese Magnolia or  Magnolia x soulangeana is next to the vinyl picket fence.

A bird house (a Carolina wren residence) and also a hummingbird feeder make it into a favorite tree for birds.

From our breakfast area, we did notice another NEW shoot off branch right in the middle—look at the size of its leaves!

Vinyl picket fence is visible below...

It was rather hard to capture but here you see its enormous size leaves!

Happy and Healthy...

And, already on September 8, I noticed that all the BUDS for next spring were formed already!

Soft, hairy buds—waiting for the spring and here they bloom as early as February 12; often on my Mom's Birthday...

As I've always said, give a tree about 5 years to restore its shape and health after removing another big tree that stole light, food and moisture.

Looking forward to seeing it in the spring!

Have you seen some trees or shrubs recovering that way after creating more room/space for them?

Related links:

{MORE BLOSSOMS IN OUR BOTANICAL GARDEN} | previous post by me

{Our Japanese Magnolia against Vinyl Picket Fence} | previous post by me

Big Trees Down and others Trimmed  | Previous post by me

Pieter Captured our Estate + Progress for me to View While in Limburg

 After doing the usual watering in the morning for keeping plants and shrubs alive, using the electric pump and water from our pond, Pieter made another round for me to SEE how our Estate looked like.

June 7, our Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno',

A near perfect bud

Looking inside

Our Fiberglass Window Boxes alongside veranda and bay window area of kitchen on June 8.

These are our double greenish white flowering petunias; Blanket® Double Chardonnay Petunia Plants ←click link

Our Moonflower, a night blooming Ipomoea

Near our Vinyl Picket Fence Hibiscus syriacus 'Diana' - Rose-of-Sharon 'Diana' 

Our double blooming Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc

Fiberglass Window Boxes on retainer wall near driveway on June 9 with Golden Lantana that trail down.

Detail and you see an empty can of wood preservative for Pieter's Wood Trail Mega Task...

He spent quite a lot on that trail, going back and forth to Home Depot.

These photos are all from June 9, around 8:40 after breakfast time.

Looking all so lush!

Our Palm trees.

Palm Trees with the tall Italian Cypress.

And all Pot Plants around...

Happy and well cared for Pot Plants and Palm Trees!

Our Home seen from the back, taken from the gazebo area.

We both love the sight of the house without that humongous live oak there.

The bare spot still needs to fill in with grass but in a couple of years, that too will be done!

The progress of the Wood Trail on June 11

Detail with the axe to the right for attacking roots that were in the way...

Pieter's shadow is visible with his iPadPro.

Another short 1:55 minute update on Pieter's progress, captured on June 11.Oh, I KNEW that he was aiming for having it all DONE when I would come home!

Photo taken on June 14, around 8:15 after breakfast.

Showing all the cut up 22 inch boards, that Pieter got at Home Depot.

By having several rotten boards he was short of several in the end.

We used to buy those 22 x 22 inch squares with boards from Lowes in 1993 through 1996 but they are no longer available. Only 3 seconds, video taken by me on June 21 and to the right you see the blue tarp that went over those 

cut up 22 inch boards from Home Depot, to protect them from heavy rain.

The FINAL part seems always to be hard. 

Photo from June 21 shows clearly the elevated way of this newly laid wood trail.

The rotten boards and beams that were buried in the ground still needed to be gathered up along the trail.

We also need to get rid of the black bottomless trash can, left on our property by some workers...

Related links:

Our Agapanthus and Wood Trail | showing our first Wood Trail laid out

Pieter's NEW Love—While I was in Limburg | previous post by mePieter Capturing his Progress on the Wood Trail while I was in Limburg | previous post by me{Our Hibiscus syriacus 'Diana' - Rose-of-Sharon 'Diana'} | previous post by me{Our Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc & Our Life in Italy} | previous post by me