It's all Jimmy Carter's fault!
As a kid, I hated drinking water. To make me drink a glass of water at supper was viewed as punishment for some form of misdeed I had done earlier in the day. My mom would stand over me, shaking her finger saying, “You didn’t clean your room today, so no SunKist for you”.
SunKist was my favorite childhood beverage (before they changed the formula). My dad had started this backhoe business with a friend, and we used the business discount to buy cases and cases of soft drinks. I remember having the cases stacked outside higher than myself. We’d go out back and pick a bottle up, pop the top and pour it over a large glass of ice, and drink up. Having 8 to 10 bottles of SunKist a day really hurts the body after a while. Not only will your pee turn a rich dark orange color, but it also burns. Wasn’t much fun.
Over time, the soft drinks became an exception, rather than the rule. During the recession of the 70s, we had to cut back on a lot of expenses. Gas prices brought out the worse in the neighborhood kids. There was more than one occasion when we’d wake up the next morning with an empty tank of gas. Cash strapped teenagers siphoned it overnight. Soon we had to buy locking gas caps for all the family cars.
Our drink of choice then became iced tea. We’d take a large gallon pickle jar and fill it with a cup of sugar; several Lipton iced tea bags, and lots of water. Seal it with a lid and leave it in the backyard for the day. Results, sun tea!
I’ve been a sweet tea drinker for decades. It was never strong tea, almost colored water. I’d drink it for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner. I’d take glasses of it with me as I did yard work. Cutting the grass, picking up limbs, making huge piles of leaves and setting them ablaze with liberal doses of gasoline. Nothing was more exciting than soaking a pile of leaves with gas, throwing a match on top, and watching the gas explode… sending leaves flying everywhere. Kaboom! It would always bring the neighbors out of their houses to see what exploded. We’d then hear our phone start ringing as Mr. Grinch, next door, would call and complain about us heathen kids. We’d get chewed out for putting too much gasoline on the pile and to be more careful next time.
One thing they didn’t tell us kids then, is that tea stains your teeth. Coming from a family where dental visits were unknowns, the years have not been kind. It’s the one thing I am most sensitive about and equally embarrassed.
I have thought about dental whitening, and have consulted my last dentist on my options. He sold me on crest whitening strips that only affect the very front teeth. Completely worthless results. So I’m not sure which direction to go. I would rather a one-time procedure than a series of applications. Laser whitening? Will it damage the sparse enamel I have left? So many questions I’m afraid to ask.
I need to go ahead and just do it. I would feel so much better about myself after its done. Mizike, just stop thinking of it and make an appointment.
Mizike
SunKist was my favorite childhood beverage (before they changed the formula). My dad had started this backhoe business with a friend, and we used the business discount to buy cases and cases of soft drinks. I remember having the cases stacked outside higher than myself. We’d go out back and pick a bottle up, pop the top and pour it over a large glass of ice, and drink up. Having 8 to 10 bottles of SunKist a day really hurts the body after a while. Not only will your pee turn a rich dark orange color, but it also burns. Wasn’t much fun.
Over time, the soft drinks became an exception, rather than the rule. During the recession of the 70s, we had to cut back on a lot of expenses. Gas prices brought out the worse in the neighborhood kids. There was more than one occasion when we’d wake up the next morning with an empty tank of gas. Cash strapped teenagers siphoned it overnight. Soon we had to buy locking gas caps for all the family cars.
Our drink of choice then became iced tea. We’d take a large gallon pickle jar and fill it with a cup of sugar; several Lipton iced tea bags, and lots of water. Seal it with a lid and leave it in the backyard for the day. Results, sun tea!
I’ve been a sweet tea drinker for decades. It was never strong tea, almost colored water. I’d drink it for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner. I’d take glasses of it with me as I did yard work. Cutting the grass, picking up limbs, making huge piles of leaves and setting them ablaze with liberal doses of gasoline. Nothing was more exciting than soaking a pile of leaves with gas, throwing a match on top, and watching the gas explode… sending leaves flying everywhere. Kaboom! It would always bring the neighbors out of their houses to see what exploded. We’d then hear our phone start ringing as Mr. Grinch, next door, would call and complain about us heathen kids. We’d get chewed out for putting too much gasoline on the pile and to be more careful next time.
One thing they didn’t tell us kids then, is that tea stains your teeth. Coming from a family where dental visits were unknowns, the years have not been kind. It’s the one thing I am most sensitive about and equally embarrassed.
I have thought about dental whitening, and have consulted my last dentist on my options. He sold me on crest whitening strips that only affect the very front teeth. Completely worthless results. So I’m not sure which direction to go. I would rather a one-time procedure than a series of applications. Laser whitening? Will it damage the sparse enamel I have left? So many questions I’m afraid to ask.
I need to go ahead and just do it. I would feel so much better about myself after its done. Mizike, just stop thinking of it and make an appointment.
Mizike
posted by Mizike at 7:40 AM
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