Last September, 2022, Carolyn asked if I could take Chloe to the dentist.  I love doing stuff like that – it makes me feel like a grandpa!  As you can see from the smile on Chloe’s face, she loved it too.

But then I got to thinking… I don’t recall smiling at my dentist visits when I was Chloe’s age in 1966.  In fact – my dentist was an old guy and hadn’t yet adapted to this new-fangled painless dentistry thing.  I remember getting cavities filled without any numbing of any kind.  The memory of the sound, feel, smell, and pain still makes me cringe and that was way back in 1966!

Of course, that’s not as bad as the stories from my mom.  Growing up in rural Iowa, she tells me her dentist didn’t even have a power drill, instead a foot-treadle power, and every minute or two, the drill would burn out and he’d have to stop and replace the drill bit.  She also recounts tales of not having central heat or indoor plumbing.  And if you’ve ever drank the water in northwest Iowa… it’s so hard that you want to start chewing as you bring the cup to your lips.

I think of it as a cross between “Little House on the Prairie” and “The Flintstones”.  Didn’t Loren Gulker grow up on a farm?  I wonder if he has any similar tales?…