It is safer than being black

In a sinister development here – Cate has been checking the kitty litter to make sure I do it properly. She accused me the other day of not cleaning it. I explained that this is a matter of timing and I had no authority to prevent the cats from using the litter whenever they wanted to – even just after I had cleaned it.  

I am nor sure I convinced her so expect my work to be scrutinized closely in future.

In the meantime my head doctors said that one of the few possibilities for my abscess was that it came from a tooth infection. So yesterday I went to have an examination and my dentist found almost as many problems as I have teeth.

She said one extraction was urgent and said she would refer me to an oral surgeon. An oral surgeon? Apparently dentists don’t do extractions – this requires special skills. Last time I had an extraction – about 40 years ago – my dentist used a pair of pliers and ear plugs. The ear plugs for him.

But I got in to see the oral surgeon on the same day and the extraction was a doddle.

My dentist has prepared an action plan for me for the next few months as I need fillings and crowns. I am not surprised because my teeth are almost as l as I am – which is very old indeed.

She made a long list of what she needed to do and what it will cost me. Fortunately we have a very good dental health insurance plan.  I cannot do anything else until January because this is the busiest time of the year. I have thought about it but don’t know why. I had the same problem with shoe repairers a few weeks ago.

Last night on TV there was a story about how the federal Department of Justice has conducted a review of the Cleveland Police Department. This was prompted by many things but the one that takes the cake for me was that the police started pursuing a speeding car in which there were two young black people.

At the end of the chase there were 62 – yes 62  - police cars in the chase. When the speeding car stopped the police opened fire. The occupants were unarmed. 11 police fired 137 – yes 137 -  bullets into the car. Each occupant was hit at least 20 times.

A smaller version of this type of horrendous activity is an almost daily occurrence here. Being a policeman in the USA would be a terrifying activity – but is still safer than being black.