Back in the Saddle...Sort Of

We are almost one week into the new year, and I am just now feeling like I've arrived. Over the last few days, I've had about a dozen blog posts bob to the the surface of my muddy brain, but they've all submerged too quickly to get them up here. I did manage to pull together a new skin.
I survived Illinois. I considered titling this post "Ill in Illinois" but that wouldn't have really been accurate when considering the entire Eight Hearts crew. They did not come down with the stomach virus until we were all crammed in the 15-passenger for the return trip. For them, I would need to name it, "Miserable in Missouri and All Points South." I on the other hand, developed a tremendous tooth ache our first night out. By the wee morning hours, I was moaning out in pain and my mouth was so swollen I couldn't talk. The next morning, the master began calling every dentist in town (for the teeny, tiny, farming community, that was 2). The first--and the only one recommended to us--was not seeing new, out-of-state patients on the eve of New Year's Eve. Go figure. The second dentist agreed to take me. Praise the Lord! It was either that, or the master was going to take me to the local veterinarian and have me put down. I'm not sure but that the local vet would have been a step up from the crude setting of my dental deliverance. Had I not been in such agony, I would never have sat down in the chair. The dentist's "office" was an old Mexican food restaurant. Five minutes later, the dentist came in told me I had a severely infected/impacted wisdom tooth. He cut it out, and sent me on my way. It still aches, but I think I'm going to make it. Since then, I too, have had the stomach virus, so I haven't had a fair shot on a full recovery.
Tomorrow I am starting a diet/detox program. I'll be blogging all about it--stay tuned!