Day 2175

I was walking by a puddle today and I saw an image of Dash's face in a pile of submerged leaves. It wasn't exactly like seeing an image of Elvis on a piece of burned toast or the face of Jesus in a rusty screen door, but it did look a bit like Dash. I could see his nose, a few spots on his muzzle, a bit of an ear, and a sparkle in his eye, all on a yellowing Oak leaf. Can you see the dog in the center of the picture? Maybe it's a sign. I suspect it's just a sign that we've had a lot of rain this weekend.

It continued to rain today, so much of the day was spent keeping dry. We all got wet on our morning walk. The dog's harnesses and most of our clothes went in the dryer as soon as we got home. We didn't see anyone else walking their dogs in the rain, but ours just won't do their business without a proper walk. Rain or shine, they still need their walks. Even though Dash hates to get wet, he'd still rather walk in the rain than poop in the yard.

The rugs get even dirtier than usual during wet weather. I try to wipe the dogs paws before they come in the house, but it doesn't seem to do much good. There are outdoor shoes and indoor shoes because we don't have a mud room. All homes should have a mud room. I vacuumed the rugs and washed dog blankets. I changed the sheets. And I did my best to keep condensation off the windows. At the end of the day it was still a wet, rainy mess.

Our Christmas Photo shoots begin next weekend, so Janet and I have started gathering together the things we'll need. There are boxes of Christmas hats and scarves for the dogs to wear. There are several large 20x10 painted muslin backdrops. There are large tripods and poles to hang the backdrops and umbrellas and soft boxes for the strobe lights. I'm going to wait for a dry day to get some of the stuff from the storage warehouse, but it's better to start early than to forget something important when there's a long line of people and dogs waiting for their portrait with Santa.

I can't wait for the new dehumidifier to arrive. The moisture level in the house is still much better than it was before the remediation company sucked all the moisture out with their big machines. I can tell the house is slowly returning to its natural state though. It's inevitable. With porous solid brick walls, the moisture from the wet exterior side of the bricks eventually is absorbed and then radiates into the air on the interior side of the bricks. The walls are sturdy and solid, but it's kind of like living in an above ground basement.

If I was still going to that Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft launch at Cape Canaveral, I would probably be leaving tomorrow. It's a good thing I canceled the trip because there is no way I could even consider being out of town most of next week. I would have loved being NASA's guest again, but it just wasn't in the cards. Maybe I'll have another opportunity when life isn't so chaotic. I feel like I've been treading water recently. The days are extremely busy, but nothing of any significance is ever accomplished. At least treading water is better than sinking. Dot may never get any better, but her condition is stable and she doesn't appear to be getting any worse. Most importantly, she still seems very happy. When you consider the alternatives, maybe treading water isn't so bad.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day