I went to the dentist this week for a cleaning and check-up. And, of course, I did not have any cavities.

After complimenting me on my good dental care, the hygienist commented “You have a beautifully restored mouth,” which struck me as very funny. For just a moment, I felt like an antique.

I finally figured out the whole dental hygiene thing when I was in my twenties so my dental life since then has been fixing stuff that I screwed up as a kid. At this point, pretty much all the old, decrepit fillings have been replaced by crowns so my teeth actually do look better now than they did when I was 25.

My general appearance owes a lot to the fact that my parents were smart and kind enough to take me to an orthodontist. I can’t thank them enough for this. I was a normal-looking little kid, but at some point between second and fifth grades, things started to go very wrong.

The orthodontist was a little creepy and had a weird habit of absentmindedly rubbing my right thigh while discussing the slow and painful progress of my teeth. It took just about 7 years from first visit to the last, but it was well worth it to avoid looking like a woodchuck.

As a kid, I wondered about the predictive capabilities of groundhogs. Perhaps it says something about the shallowness of my nature that, unlike the groundhog, I assumed a bright sunny day to be a harbinger of spring, not the harsh sentence of 6 more weeks or winter.

This morning as I walked Cammy and contemplated the shadows we were casting on the headstones of Old Quechee Cemetery, I wondered again about the science of groundhog day. It is a bright, clear, cold day.

Naturally, I turned to Google as soon as I sat down at my desk. There is some science to the superstition.

We are having a quiet day, relaxing and contemplating the Christmas tree. The past few weeks have flown by, filled with work and activity so it is nice to have some “down” time.

It has been a long time since I last posted. I’ve been laid low by a cough that would not go away. When you cough for 22 days straight, you start to feel a little tired, and that’s where I was when I finally gave in and saw a doctor on Friday. Having been brought up in Christian Science, it always makes me feel a bit of a failure to seek medical help. I also have a general suspicion that western medicine has a tendency to cut what it could untie, but then again, sometimes a little codeine helps.

Last night was the big night at St. James. At the “midnight” mass, we sang most of Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F Major, and it was so much fun. We had string instrumentalists, David Gay at the organ, and four wonderful soloists. After the ordeal of singing “Morning Star” as part of a trio in the morning service, I was quite ready to be one of the alto pack again. There is something very satisfying and secure about being in a group of altos. Dave recorded it and we will probably be posting some of that music shortly.

In particular, I would like to mention that our tenor, Oliver, held up his section (being a section of one) beautifully, all the while singing his solos, conducting the rest of us and supporting the basses on some of their entrances. His voice just floats above it all. And I can’t not mention Bitsy’s beautiful soprano shining through, too. The other soloists are no less deserving of praise. They were Sue singing alto and my own sweet Dave singing bass.

Today we’re planning a quiet roast chicken dinner. We had the ultimate fabulous Christmas dinner on Saturday at Heidi’s. Bruce pulled out all the stops as usual and produced a meal to die for. I don’t know how he does it, but he certainly gives the rest of us something to aspire to.

I hope you’re having a lovely Christmas with good people, good food and good music, too.

Is it possible to love a government agency? I say yes, yes, yes! The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles is terrific.

First, they have a good web site where you can conduct a lot of your tedious motor vehicle related business. If you prefer to deal with real people, your town clerk can handle simple DMV tasks, such as car registration renewal. Sometimes, you need to see a real DMV person, to get a new photo on your license for example. In those cases, they have mobile van units that appear regularly at a VFW post near you.

Sometimes, a person does something truly backward, like let their car registration expire. For over a year. In this case, a trip to Montpelier is required.

I have prior experience with the DMV in three other states and none of it was what you might call positive. New York was the worst — long snaking lines, gray-faced bureaucrats. They had it all. That was a long time ago. Perhaps things have changed. I’m pretty sure they didn’t have a web site in 1979.

On Wednesday I took a friend up to Montpelier to renew his car registration. We got a late start and were pleased to discover they are open late on Wednesdays. The drive took about an hour and we arrived after dark. I wasn’t sure where the office was located, but I figured State Street had to be near the big domed state house and, sure enough, the DMV was right across the street. Bonus — we got movie star parking right at the foot of the stairs.

Once inside the building, we realized we had left my friend’s wallet (and identification) at home. The clerk who greeted us ascertained the nature of our business, gave us the appropriate form to fill out and assured us we didn’t need the ID. We did have the expired registration and were able to complete the paperwork quickly. I got a numbered ticket from the clerk (A75), turned around and saw A75 was being called to Window 8. If I had to complain, I could say it would have saved time if she had just told us to go to Window 8.

At Window 8 another pleasant DMV employee quickly processed the paperwork, printed the registration and handed it over. It took less than 3 minutes. In fact, we were walking out through the beautiful Vermont marble lobby (built in 1949) less than 10 minutes after arriving. I had put a couple of quarters in the parking meter thinking I could always come back out and put in more if necessary. Ha.

All in all, it was much more rewarding than your average administrative chore. Now I’m trying to think of a reason to go back.

I am not in Charleston today.

Today is a brilliant fall day. The leaves have all pretty much come off the trees, but the sky is bright blue. I can see the river across the street again; in summer, the foliage blocks the view. The frosty nights have not yet completely decimated the garden. Sure, the morning glories and zinnias are gone but the roses are thriving and the calendula are having one last mad fling. I love to sit on the front steps in the autumn sun and enjoy these last glorious moments.

“Everything dies, baby, that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies will some day come back.”

This weekend will be given over to house cleaning and getting my life back under control, but for now I’m going to soak up the sun.

Is it just me or are there more Monarch butterflies out and about this year than ever before? I noticed them when we were in Quebec City, and after we came home there seemed to be a lot of them flitting around everywhere I went.

Yesterday we were sitting outside at a friend’s house, enjoying the end of a perfect summer day when a butterfly alighted on Dave three times.

Dave was wearing a red shirt and cap so in the twilight, the butterfly could be excused for thinking he had found one honking huge flower, but it was very odd when he landed on Dave’s mustache and perched there for a couple of minutes. Kind of creepy, don’t you think?

I have been tracking the Monarch butterfly migratory progress on the Journey North web site. As of this morning, it looks like they are about a third of the way back to their home in Mexico. I’m afraid the one we saw last night might not make it.

Jed and Dave worked overtime on the deck this Saturday and now it is done. Wow!

The holiday weekend is over. Here we go, headlong into September. I know it officially started on Friday, but it really starts tomorrow when we go back to work. I’m not sure I’m ready for it, but at least it will be a short week.

PS – I posted new music in the Music section. Enjoy!

I’ve been an on-again, off-again runner for 20 years. Scary.

Anyway, this week I stumbled on a podcast of a “Couch to 5K” running program and started up again. The guy who created the podcast is doing the program himself and recording his progress here. If you are interested in trying the program, you can subscribe on iTunes — it’s free.

It’s raining here this morning. We’ve been loafing around, drinking coffee. I’m catching up on my New York Times crossword puzzles; Dave is playing guitar, of course. We are ecstatic that not only do we have today to relax, but tomorrow is a holiday. It doesn’t mean we don’t work, but it’s nice to not have the phone to answer.

Just an update to those who are interested in David’s progress. Today was THE day.

I took David home at around 6 PM. Jed and Dave were there already working on the railings of the deck. Barbara was also there and helped David get settled. Dave, Jed and Geoff are still with David right now, probably inaugurating the deck with music.

I’ll be back to see him tomorrow at noon to bring him lunch. We need coverage for the evening visit tomorrow, ‘though I’ll bring him food enough for a couple of meals.

Thanks to everyone who has supported David and, by extension, Dave and me over the past month. It has been so heartwarming to realize we live in such a loving community.

Our good friend, David, broke his leg last month on his deck.

In revenge, a group of his friends banded together and destroyed the old deck, replacing it with a new one this past Saturday.