Day 1194

I picked up the Defender at the Land Rover dealer this morning and paid another large repair bill. It's discouraging to own a car this old. You begin to realize that a motor vehicle consists of hundreds and hundreds of separate components, each with a very finite lifespan. Nothing on the car will last forever, and unless I've replaced a part already, there a good chance that it will break in the near future. I always want the repair folks to tell me that I'm good to go for another 10,000 miles, but they never will. They know as well as I do that no matter what they just fixed, something else could break before I even get the car home again. You can avoid all these problems of course, by trading your car in the minute the extended warranty runs out. I didn't do that and I'm beginning to regret it.

It was another gray, rainy day. I managed to get the dogs walked during a few brief dry spells, but for the most part, it was just wet and drizzly. After a mandatory trip up to the roof to sweep the water off, I drove up to the the Dalmatian Rescue kennels to photograph one of our new dogs for the website. This guy's name was Rascal and he was exceptionally affectionate and friendly. I couldn't imagine why someone would have dumped this happy boy. He seemed like the perfect family pet.

After I got the pictures I needed, I completed my grocery shopping and errands. The entire time I was on the road, I kept expecting the Defender to die again. I just don't have faith in the car anymore. The engine still seems to run a little rough, but maybe it's just my imagination. I talked to my mechanic while I was at the dealership and he said everything checked out perfectly. Oh, well. We'll see how long it stays on the road this time.

I wonder what happened to my roofing bids. I contacted two different roofing companies before I contacted the landscaper. Now, the landscaping is completely finished and the roofing companies still haven't even given me a bid. Typical! Things like this always seems to happen to me with roofers. These two guys came highly recommended too. I think roofers prefer to deal with insurance jobs where they can overcharge and get away with it. Probably nobody really wants to do a flat roof, because even the roofers know that flat roofs are worthless.

The odds of going to the dog park tomorrow are looking pretty slim. It rained a lot in our part of town, but our rain was nothing compared to the downpours that drenched Far North Dallas today. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire dog park was under water.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day