Day 1 - January 1, 2010

Today is the first day of my 2010 blog. It's a new day, a new year and a new beginning. I hope I can blog every day, but if not, I will blog about every day. So, here goes with Day 1 - Today, I am thankful for toothpaste. Now, this might seem a bit silly, but wait until I explain. First I want to give you a little history of toothpaste. Toothpaste dates back a long way, but it didn't really get into public use until the 19th century (that's the 1800's for those who get confused with that sort of thing). It was a powder then and probably tasted pretty awful. I remember tooth powder. I think my grandma used it. We always had toothpaste, probably Pepsodent ("Hey Ma, look, no cavities!" remember that commercial?) It was minty and gritty, but it did the job. Dale and I like Aim, as it is very cheap (less than a dollar a tube) and has a minty taste.

Now, why am I thankful for it? Well, I have a saliva problem - I make very little. My mouth is always dry (that's why you'll see me with gum or a water bottle). During the night it really gets bad. So, first thing in the morning, I go and brush my teeth and BINGO, my mouth isn't dry and it tastes fresh and my eyes are even open! For those of you who aren't morning persons, you won't understand how hard it is to get going in the morning. I usually brush my teeth with my eyes closed (this helps produce tears, as my eyes get very dry at night, too) and by the time I'm finished, VOILA!, I can see and feel much more awake! If I didn't have toothpaste and just tried to get started with say, a cup of coffee or some such, it wouldn't be the same. So thank you all those people who came up with the idea for tooth powder and for the companies that made it into toothpaste! I'm sure there are friends and family out there who are thankful, too, as otherwise, I think we'd all have very bad breath!

My first picture of 2010 may seem strange to you, but it shows me the start of the new year. Every year when I was growing up, my mom and I would watch the Rose Bowl Parade on TV on New Year's Day. She would start taking down the tree and the decorations while we watched. Then everything would be put back where it belonged and that's how we started the new year. So, I chose a picture of the Rose Parade from Pasadena, California and the corner where the tree sat for my first + picture.