[RNajarian]

Yes, you are right Racerbvd.

I do have a sweet anecdote . . .

My dad passed away in 2023 after 93 years. He was an orthopedic surgeon. When I was a kid (10-13 ish) he would take me on rounds with him at the hospital when he would see and treat patients. I remember his favorite gag was when he was setting someone’s arm. The process involved smoothing out the plaster with his hands to form the cast. As he was finishing up the process he sternly asked me to remove the plaster off the patient’s nose.

I looked and there was no plaster. “Dad there isn’t any.”

He raised his voice and said, “You can’t see it? It’s right there!”

“Dad, I can’t see it.”

He raised his voice a little more and said, “Are you blind? It’s RIGHT THERE!” Using his finger covered with plaster touched the nose of the patient and said “See it now?”

Fast forward 50 years, dad health was beginning to fail and I needed to take an impression of his teeth. My 12 year old son was helping.

“Son, wipe that alginate (impression material) off grandpa’s nose.”

“Dad, I don’t see any.”

“Are you blind, it’s right there, wipe it off.”

“Dad, Where?”

. . . and with my gloved hand coated with alginate I touched dad’s nose and said “Right there.”

Despite having a mouth full of alginate dad managed smile and a twinkle in his eye as I pulled his gag. That twinkle quickly developed into tears for both of us.

He died two months later.