Ermine of Bluster

I didn't sleep well last night, so I was cranky when I woke up. It was cloudy this morning, but strangely warm--in the 50s. Last night the sky was partly clear as I was going to bed, and I looked out and saw a beautiful full moon, so bright it lit up the clouds. Today I survived part 1 of my dental adventure. I got the left side of my mouth anointed with topical anesthetic and then had numbing shots so the hygienist could do deep cleaning. It didn't really hurt--she is always very careful--but it was uncomfortable and scary and took nearly an hour. I think I've mentioned before that I once had this dream where God was a gay man who lived in a beach house with his two mothers and ran an animal shelter. When I have to go to the dentist, I do a little guided meditation fantasy trip where I revisit the beach house. Today I rode my bicycle up the dirt road and went up the porch steps into the sunny, spacious house with its panoramic view of the lake below. Everyone there was very busy because they're getting ready for Easter, but they let me go out in the yard and play with the rabbits. And then the Easter Fox made a surprise appearance! It is very delightful to play with bunnies and foxes, especially when you know the fox is not going to eat anybody--because this is the earthly paradise, after all--and he's just jumping out at them in fun. It was a lovely reverie, but I'm afraid all the whirring and scraping going on in my mouth was quite a distraction!

When I got home I was not up for doing anything for the rest of the day. I was still numb to the point of not being able to talk very well. I just sat around and slurped not-too-hot tea out of the side of my mouth. Now it's raining steadily, a sound that I feel I have not heard for too long.