Day 1537

I used to be really good at fixing things around the house. Apparently Elvis has left the building when it comes to home improvements. I suck at fixing things now. My heart just isn't in it anymore. I measured the can lights in the bathroom and went to Home Depot to find a replacement for the blinking light that's driving me nuts. Can lights have changed a lot over the years. Not only couldn't I find anything that looked remotely like the light in my ceiling, I couldn't even figure out how to install the new lights I was looking at in the store. So much for electrical work, I thought. I'll just paint instead. I got some painting supplies and went home to repair some of the window trim that this Winter's excessive condensation had ruined.

As soon as I got home, Janet went off to run her errands. We're trying to alternate being out of the house, so someone will always be around to keep an eye on Dash. So far, Dash is being an excellent patient. Unlike some dogs, he hasn't tried to pick or scratch at his stitches at all. For the most part, he just slept while I attempted to paint. The trouble with painting trim is that you have to sand off all the old paint before you can begin. I scraped and sanded off five layers of paint before I reached raw wood. That's probably about right for a 60 year old house. It took me most of the afternoon to prep one little window. The more I sanded, the more I realized that I never liked painting in the first place. I finally primed everything, cleaned up the paint I'd spilled and put my tools away. We'll finish this job later. Perhaps in June.

It got so warm this afternoon that we had to turn the air conditioner on. Amazingly, it worked like a charm. I remember many warm Spring days like this when I flipped the switch for the first time and nothing happened. The HVAC system is one of the few reliable things left in the house these days. The furnace and the air conditioner are both relatively new and the were installed by people who actually knew what they were doing, in contrast to the idiots who put the can lights in my bathroom ceiling. These lights were part of a remodeling project and were never as good as the original lights that came with the house. The original 60 year old ceiling lights were built like a tank and every single component was replaceable. I've taken them apart many times over the years to replace aging sockets and wiring. There is absolutely nothing that is replaceable on the newer bathroom lights.

I finished yesterday's writing assignment and sent it on its way. Luckily, I can still write a lot better than I can paint. I'd never make much of a living as a house painter. By the time I got my writing done, cleaned the sheets, made the bed, and vacuumed up the mess from my home improvement efforts, it was time to give the dogs their evening walk. Dash is still taking a much shorter walk until he is off the pain medications. I have to trick him into coming home early by walking in a circle. He won't turn around and come home if he's not ready, but apparently he doesn't even realize we are returning home if I chart our course in an extended circle. Whatever works is my motto. On a good day, I can still outsmart a dog.

Unfortunately we won't be able to go to the dog park tomorrow. It might be a long time before Dash is ready to go to the dog park again. In anticipation of another housebound day, I bought a copy of "Gravity" while I was out-and-about this morning. It probably won't be as impressive on my computer as it would be in a large 3-D theater, but at least I'll finally get to see it.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day