Day 1931

Nothing was in sync today. The landscapers were supposed to come out early this morning to fix up the back yard. They didn't arrive until 4:30 PM. Janet was worried that having strangers in the yard all day would aggravate Dot, so I agreed to give her a doggie Xanax before they came. This was a big mistake, because the drug had worn off completely by the time the landscape crew actually arrived. To make matters worse, the Xanax didn't seem to calm Dot at all. She and Dash got in a barking match and wouldn't shut up until I fed them part of their dinner around 2:30 PM. Dot was more agitated than usual for most of the day. All the drug seemed to do was make Dot's legs weak again. Everything is more or less back to normal now, but I won't be using Xanax again.

The landscapers must have been trying to cram two jobs into a single day, because when they finally did arrive, they stayed until well after dark. It was almost impossible to take the dogs out to pee and Dot ended up pooping in the kitchen because she couldn't wait any longer. I hope the yard looks amazing tomorrow, because right now the whole effort hardly seems worth it.

Tomorrow will be weird as well. The landscapers are returning in the morning to put in some new St. Augustine turf and I've got to wait for a signature required Fedex delivery as well. I usually just redirect FedEx and UPS packages to the nearest service center these days, but since this is FedEx Ground instead of regular overnight Fedex, the service center is almost an hour away. I can't really leave anyway, so I'll just have to wait and wait while the dogs are barking at the landscapers in the back yard. Maybe I ought to take Dot's Xanax instead. If the FedEx guy takes my package to the neighbor's house, I'm going to need something stronger than Xanax.

Waiting for the yard guys today made me realize that I've almost totally lost my ability to roll with the punches. I'm still able to put in an enormous about of effort when required, but I expect things to go right. It irritates me when people are late or a store isn't stocked with what I drove halfway across town to buy. I want everything to be consistent and predictable and it seldom is. I wish that I knew years in advance when appliances were going to break or clients were going to send me work. Disruptive events like landscaping should always begin and end on time. Maybe this is why I like dogs so much. Dogs are extremely predictable. Just don't try to surprise me. It usually doesn't end well.

Predictably, I'll get up early tomorrow and walk Dash before Janet goes to work. I'll have cereal for breakfast because I don't want the milk in the refrigerator to go bad. I can have eggs later when the milk is gone. Since I'm done with my taxes and caught up on work, I'm not sure what I'll spend the day doing. Hopefully, the landscapers can finish their remaining work quickly, because I don't want to spend tomorrow doing what I did today. Oddly, I would welcome rain tomorrow. The roof is fixed, and if it rains, I won't have to water the new grass.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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