Broken, but Still Beautiful

The latest odd turn of events is that I broke a tooth somewhere in my recent eating adventures. I discovered it on Tuesday morning while drinking coffee on my drive to work. My tongue found the broken spot and returned to it again and again, apparently fascinated by finding something different in my mouth.

I wasn't in any pain, but it was a major chewing surface and the problem would have to be addressed. So it was that I called the dentist on Tuesday first thing, and they actually offered me an appointment for 11 am that very same day.

But I had lunch plans for pasta at Olive Garden on Tuesday with two of my girlfriends, and I hardly ever see them, so I just couldn't bear to cancel out of that. I presumed I could gum the pasta to death if I needed to, which I did, and everything was fine.

So I ended up with a dental appointment for Thursday morning. On this day, I would spend almost two hours in a dentist's chair for phase 1 of a brand new crown.

This meant that the dentist and his helper shoved all four of their hands into my mouth at once, as best they could. In between, they took turns rummaging around in their junk drawers finding yet more random stuff to shove in my mouth as well.

The visit featured an odd exchange between my dentist and his helper. He asked her to take a picture of my tooth before they began, but she was unsure of which item was which. "Is this the camera or the laser?" she asked him, pointing to two things.

I must admit that the thought of them applying the wrong implement had me worried a bit, but in the end, they figured things out. I eventually leapt out of that chair, numb as all get-out (the numbness would last till mid-afternoon) but mostly unscathed.

Phase 2 of the new crown will occur in about two weeks, as they could only put a temporary one in on this day. Needless to say, I'll be glad when the repair is fully behind me, as my eating habits may need to be restricted a bit in the meantime.

The good thing was that I had enough time before my appointment to pay a short visit to one of my favorite cemeteries in Boalsburg, the one near the Zion Lutheran Church. (Conversation at home that morning. Me: If I leave early, I'll get to spend 20 minutes in a cemetery in Boalsburg! Husband, with a sly grin: Someday you'll get to spend ALL the time you want in one!)

As I strolled around the graveyard taking pictures, it was overcast, but the light kept promising to break, and then disappearing. I found sign that deer bed down in the middle of the cemetery near some trees, and the news pleased me immensely somehow.

As I was getting ready to leave the cemetery, I nearly stumbled over this item atop one of the graves. It was a small glass container that had once been full of blue glass pieces and fake flowers. But it was broken now, the blue glass scattered all around.

What little light there was touched the blue glass and made it shine like the deep blue sea. I found it visually interesting, and even inspiring, so I photographed it several ways: this beautiful, broken thing.

The soundtrack: Annie Lennox, Walking on Broken Glass.