A couple of months ago while dancing in my morning Zumba class, my head kept tilting to the left as if I had a clump of garden clay embedded in my ear, maybe from all the tilling Cliff did.  The Zumba instructor suggested I make an appointment with her husband who's an ENT & Facial Plastics doctor.  On the way home from the gym, I made the appointment.  At my visit, tiny ear forceps were used to extract dead skin tissue (gross), wax vacuumed out, and  the doctor gave me a DIY recipe to keep the ears clear and comfortable.  He did a quick hearing test which I passed and asked if I need to discuss anything else.  I knew he meant baggy under-eyes and loose vulture-neck skin, but I've chosen to keep what I've earned in my 70 years.  What a relief to be free of garden dirt. This past week I made Cliff an appointment to have his ears cleaned and checked.  I needed to know if he had a selective hearing loss.  During the exam and wax removal, the doctor told Cliff how to keep his ears free of wax build-up and to faithfully use the Rx to avoid contact dermatitis and itchy ears. He told us many patients don't listen to their doctors or follow through with the instructions so they repeatedly return with the same ailments which allows doctors to by big boats and take expensive vacations.  Then the audiologist put Cliff in a sound-proof booth for his hearing exam.  For part of the test, he had to repeat one and two-syllable words which she said to him.  I was seated outside the booth with her and when I heard her North Carolinian drawl, I knew he'd be able to repeat everything.  Due to the local firefighters he runs with, he had no trouble with her strong southern drawl.  Actually, for his age, he has minimal hearing loss and doesn't need an aid.  To his advantage, his slight loss is at the range of a woman's voice!  How convenient!