FOR A BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY SMILE
ELKINSDENTAL.COM AUGUST 2018
EARLY ATTEMPTS AT GOLF
Chronicles of My Days in Nevada
on the other side. I crossed the stream and approached the waist-high fence to retrieve the ball. As I reached out to grab the fence to jump over, I felt a ZAP! It was electric! From that day on, the golf balls behind that fence were left to the cows. My dad was stationed in Nevada for several more years, and though we eventually gave up our golf endeavors, the community there treated us well. I made a lot of friends during that time in my life. Some went to the same college as I did, and I’m still in contact with a few. In fact, I’ll be visiting one of them with my son, Russell, when we go to New York. I’m looking forward to reconnecting and maybe drumming up a few more memories of my childhood in Nevada.
In fact, it worked out to be a doubly good deal for us. As we cleaned out the garbage, we collected all the aluminum cans tossed in there and turned them in for some extra pocket money.There was also a river — really a wide stream, but it felt bigger to us at that age — that ran through the golf course. It was fairly shallow — only about waist deep — and for one of the holes, your golf ball had to fly over the stream to get to the green on the other side. Many a ball would land in the stream, so my brother and I would wade into it and collect the stray balls.Then we’d sell them back to the golf course. For two kids willing to go in the river, that extra cash was well worth it. We did manage to get into a little trouble here and there.The property that bordered the golf course had cows, and the golf course allowed them to drink from the stream on their property. Well, we learned pretty quickly to let stray balls on that side of the fence stay where they were. One day, a ball went over, landing next to a cow
It seems like it was just yesterday that I played my first round of golf for the season, and now summer is almost over! Well, at least for the kids who have to get back to school — we’ll likely enjoy a couple more months of warm weather here in the Treasure Valley, and I’ll get a few more chances to shake the rust off my swing.That first game after some time off is never going to be the best, but it’s still fun. Getting out on the green took me back to my childhood and our years living in Nevada. We lived just down the road from a golf course, and my brother and I, with our young entrepreneurial minds, worked out a special deal with the owners. We would empty out the golf courses’ garbage cans and clean up the green, and in exchange, they let us golf for free. From age 9–12, I don’t think I ever paid for a golf game. It felt like a great deal to us, and it was probably better than the trouble two young restless boys without stimulation would find themselves in. For a couple summers, we did pretty well for ourselves.
–Dr. Elkins
Elkinsdental.com | 1
JOURNEY TO THE GREAT BACKYARD
and a cooler of food with snacks and dinner. Treat this like a “real” camping experience right from the beginning! FIGURE OUTTHE CAMPFIRE. Don’t have an in-ground fire pit? No worries! You can still enjoy hot dogs and s’mores with a charcoal grill or a store- bought fire pit. If you have enough room in your backyard, you could even try building a bonfire. Just make sure to check your city ordinances and get any necessary permits first. You can find advice for building the perfect campfire at REI.com/learn/expert-advice/campfire-basics.html. REMEMBER: IT’S OKAY TO CALL IT A NIGHT. For kids, the most exciting part of camping in the backyard is getting to sleep in a tent — that is, until they actually have to sleep. After stargazing, some kids will want to stay up all night whispering and giggling in the tent, and that’s great! But other kids might decide they’d rather sleep inside, and that’s okay too. Your camping trip isn’t a failure because everyone spent the night in their own beds. It’s not about where everyone sleeps; it’s about how much fun your family had together before bedtime. The best part of backyard camping? It doesn’t take a lot of planning. Just grab your gear and your family and hike out into the great backyard.
Summer is drawing to a close, but there’s still time to make some great memories. Camping trips are a summer staple. Fortunately, you don’t have to drive hours into the mountains to find the perfect campsite. Your backyard is right there waiting for you! Here are a few tips to help your family say farewell to summer with a perfect backyard camping trip. PACK FOR AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE. Your back door is literally a few yards away, which can be great in the event of an emergency. But if the kids are running in and out of the house all night long, they might end up deciding they’d rather be inside playing video games after only an hour. Be sure to pack everything you would need if you were really going into the woods for the night so no one is tempted to go back inside.This means tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, pajamas, books, binoculars, a compass, water bottles,
A Word From
Kalie and Caryn
care. Learning about your health history and having an open, honest conversation is good for everyone! As your dental team, we definitely care about your oral health, but we also care about your whole health. Your oral health can even give us clues about other issues. For example, if a patient hasn’t been diagnosed as diabetic, and we observe oral signs of diabetes, we’ll mention it to you so you can talk to your doctor about what’s going on. It’s why we want to be aware of the comprehensive health history of each of our patients. We often find that when we ask a patient if anything has changed in their health history, they’ll say, “Nothing that affects my teeth.” You may not automatically see the connection between your oral health and your overall health, but it’s there! We really do want to know about your whole health so we can tailor your treatment around it and adapt each reservation to you.
The kind of care we provide often depends on your health history. Medications, medical issues, certain conditions, and even surgeries can determine the type of treatment that’s best for you. The safest dental treatment starts
with an updated medical history. During your very first appointment, our team helps establish this by talking through your health history, including past surgeries, artificial joints, medications, and antibiotics you’re taking. You’ll be actively involved in this process because it’s all about you! We start your dental treatment with all the necessary information in the same way that scientists make decisions based on the data they collect. Your history will act as something of a road map for your dental treatment. At every reservation, you’ll hear us ask, “What’s changed?” as it relates to your medical history. Having all the information about your health helps us find the best treatment plan for you. We ask because we
–Kalie and Caryn
2 | Elkins Dental
Ingredients
GREEN BEAN & SESAME SALAD
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped • Small bunch of fresh mint • Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley • Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 cups green beans, ends trimmed • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
MOUNTAIN RANGES Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, we don’t have to go far to find mountaintop winter activities. If skiing or tubing is your idea of winter fun, Bogus Basin is just a short drive away, and heading to McCall makes a fun weekend getaway. ... AND RIVERS Not only are we surrounded by the Payette and Boise rivers, Idaho is also home to the deepest gorge in North America: Hells Canyon. Take that, Arizona! Instructions • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
GOOD CHEER Beer lovers, rejoice! Idaho is the world’s largest hop producer, and more and more people are taking advantage of our agricultural bounty by opening breweries in the Treasure Valley. Share a few of these treasures with visiting family members and their only question will be “How did we not come here sooner?” 1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil; cook green beans for 4–5 minutes; drain well. 2. In a blender, mix finely chopped mint and parsley with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Blend until combined. 3. A d dressing, onion, and sesame seeds to beans. Toss together. Cool dish, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Out-of-town relatives who are visiting for the holidays might wonder what makes Emmett so special. But we already know the Treasure Valley is full of gems — and we don’t just mean the rocks. Here are some additional reasons Emmett and The Gem State are great. WE’VE GOT SUNSHINE On average, we have 210 sunny days per year. Compare that to 144 rainy days in Portland and we can feel pretty happy about all our free vitamin D.
Inspired by Delicious magazine.
GEM STATE? WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE
Bug Day Where: Idaho Botanical Garden When: Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018
Kids’ Splash & Dash Where: Emmett City Park When: Friday, Aug. 10, 2018
CAN CATS TELL THE FUTURE?
Every four years, the World Cup captures international attention as countries’ top players compete on the soccer field. And since the 2010 World Cup, animals with fortune-telling abilities have been chosen to predict the games. So how have they done? PAULTHE OCTOPUS The tradition of animals predicting World Cup games began with Paul the octopus, who had an 85 percent success rate, CNN reported, with eight correct predictions, including the winner of the final game when he They remember everything, but they also seem to know everything. Nelly the elephant, whose method of prediction involved kicking a soccer ball into one of two nets each marked with a team’s flag, had a 90 percent success rate during her stint as World Cup oracle. ACHILLES THE CAT The 2018 Cup, which ended last month, designated Achilles, a snow-white, deaf cat who resides in the Hermitage Museum in Russia, as the official (he even got a World Cup fan ID) animal oracle. Achilles predicted Russia’s win over Saudi Arabia by choosing a bowl of food with Russia’s flag in it over another bowl that had Saudi Arabia’s. He also predicted Brazil’s victory over Costa Rica. But his perfect streak was ruined when Achilles chose Nigeria over Argentina. He did redeem himself when he correctly predicted that Belgium would beat England in the third-place playoff, and he also correctly chose France to be the winner of the final game. correctly chose Spain in 2010. NELLY THE ELEPHANT
We are giving away an all-inclusive, 7-night MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE!
Leave us a Google or Facebook review for two bonus tickets to win!
Call our office to learn about more chances to win.
Elkinsdental.com | 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. Golf and Gumption 2. The Best End-of-Summer Activity Kalie and Caryn
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
3. Green Bean and Sesame Salad Psychic Cats?
4. Sleep Better
and Feel Great
1110 S. Washington Ave. Emmett, ID 83617
HAPPY AUGUST! From Elkins Dental
208-369-4532 Elkinsdental.com
HOW TO ACHIEVE
A More Restful Night’s Sleep
— before bed is detrimental to sleep quality. Light from these devices is disruptive to your brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which helps regulate your circadian rhythm, and screen time before bed can throw off normal SCN function. Put your excuses for staying up too late to bed. Say no to “one more episode.” And all those emails? They can wait until tomorrow. Not getting enough quality sleep is harmful to your mental and physical health. When you get into the habit of following these three tips, you’ll find yourself feeling rested and refreshed in no time.
to bed then.The more consistent you are, the better your sleep will be. Wake up naturally. Jolting yourself awake with an alarm or radio isn’t doing your brain and body any favors (it can be stressful on the body and even elevate blood pressure, which is not good first thing in the morning). If you do need an alarm, consider a wake-up light. Wake-up lights mimic the sunrise, slowly brightening the room, waking your body in a natural, gentle way. Kick the screen habit. You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again: Looking at an electronic screen — a TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone
A good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your mind and body. One study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that the quality of your sleep is much more important than the quantity — that is, if you want to feel rested. And we all want to feel rested. So, what can you do to improve the quality of your sleep and get the rest you need? Listen to your body. This, above all else, is crucial to a good night’s sleep. Your body knows when it’s time for bed. Generally, you want to go to bed when you feel tired, whether that’s at 8 p.m. or 1 a.m. Whenever your body tells you it needs rest, you should make a habit of going
4 | Elkins Dental
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs