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U.S.N.M. Wash. D.C.
27 April 1972

Dear Doris:

No letter so far this week from you. I hope all is well with you. I am sneezing, sneezing, sneezing but it is only my allergy for some pollen or such these days. It is uncomfortable though. We are having very unseasonable weather, - down to 32 nights, and I think that the apple, peach crop hereabouts will be about nil because of it. My lettuce is coming up very slowly, though weeds are growing apace. 

Yesterday I had my turn with the dentist. He spent one hour and 15 minutes cleaning my teeth and said there was nothing more to be done He is a good dentist and has given me good advice about toothbrushes -- he recommends Oral B. either 60 and 40, which I have been using the past year. Yesterday he said to brush 3 minutes at least twice a day, with emphasis on hitting the gum at the base of the teeth, so as to keep the gums firm and in good shape, so they don't bleed, and brush both inside and outside the teeth with short strokes not up and down but across. He is one of 3 brothers all of whom were dentists, and he is the only one left, he is 83 years old. I hope he outlasts me. He comes of good German stock, - Kohlmeier by name. Have you had time to get your dentist work done yet?

We are having the greatest dandelion explosion for a long time, and people here at the Museum are bringing in bags of them for the lisard and he is gorging himself and getting so heavy tha I think it isn't good for him and must get him to exercise more or put him on a diet. He is beside me gazing out the window with great interest

Elsie Foreschner and her husband are leaving tomorrow for a trip to Panama and Berro Coloredo, where Doris Cochran and I stayed a week. It is an island on Lake Catun right in the jungle and kept by the Smithsonian in its original state with all the wild animals, but those animals are so tame that they hang about the house there waiting for hand-outs. The monkeys will come down from the trees and take bananas right out of your hand.The capabaras lie on the lawn by the house for their naps, and tapirs even invade the kitchen for food. Elsie is scared of snakes but I told her the snakes would be scared of her too. I shall miss her as she has been coming down for lunch nearly every day, and poor little Dolores is growing quite jealous.

I hope you are well and getting along all right,

with love,