Day 1209

It's time to start mowing the grass again. Once again, when I got the mower out of the greenhouse, it refused to start. This has happened to me every Spring for almost as long as I can remember. I had high hopes that the mower would start without incident this year. First of all, I'm using an electric lawn mower now, which has considerable fewer parts that can break. Secondly, I completely replaced the 24-volt battery pack with a brand new set of batteries last Fall. Apparently the expensive batteries only last a single season, because they no longer hold a charge.

I didn't even try to start the old Yazoo gas mower that was also in the greenhouse. The distinctive looking high wheel mowers were produced in Mississippi for many years and built like a tank. That doesn't help me much now, because there hasn't been a Yazoo dealer in town since 1995. The mower's big bicycle tires are both flat now, and I threw away the old gas can at the hazardous waste disposal site, along with a bunch of dried up paint cans, about three years ago.

Since I was unable to cut the grass, I went up on the roof and tried again to find the source of the latest leak. After pulling up a poorly applied asphalt strip from an old repair, I found a suspicious looking damp spot underneath. I cut away the faulty material with a big pair of sheet metal shears and dried everything out with some old dog towels I was about to throw away anyway. As I was working, the wind picked up and I began to feel a few drops of rain. I didn't think I was going to get done in time. Luckily, the skies cleared again, and I was able to carefully re-patch the entire area. I think I did a good job, but unfortunately I ruined a pair of my favorite jeans in the process.

A word to the wise. Don't lose your meds before you finish taking them. Your insurance won't buy you a spare bottle. I discovered this after I lost the prescription I got at the pharmacy yesterday. I couldn't find the pills anywhere and called my pharmacist to see if he would fill the prescription again. Apparently health insurance companies frown on this sort of thing. The $40 bottle of pills that I thought were too expensive anyway, would now cost me over a $100 to replace at full retail cost. Not surprisingly, this added expanse caused me to redouble my efforts to find the lost meds. I eventually did find them. They were outside in the trash can at the very bottom of a plastic grocery sack filled with other trash. Apparently we didn't notice that the pills were still in the bag when we were cleaning up after dinner last night.

Dot and Dash had a great time at the dog park today. The weather was nice and the other dogs were friendly. We even saw another Dalmatian. Unfortunately, I think Dot was a bit too active. Right after dinner, she had another episode where she was shaky on her feet and had trouble getting up. Janet thinks she might have had a seizure, but the way she is acting is unlike other seizures I have seen. I don't think either of us really have a clue about what is going on. Dot is scheduled for a visit with her vet tomorrow anyway and doesn't appear to be in any immanent danger.  Hopefully, I can find out more about what is causing these episodes tomorrow.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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