Day 2110

Today was filled with familiar routines. As the days get shorter, it gradually gets darker and darker when we begin our morning walk. Orion was high in the sky and I could see all three morning planets as we left the house. Venus was highest in the sky, followed by Mars, and finally Jupiter, low on the Eastern horizon. It takes us about 45 minutes to complete the walk, and by the time we return, it is almost daylight. I make the bed when we get home and make sure to put a couple of packets of Stevia in my pockets before I leave for breakfast. I like it that everybody knows me at the restaurant. The barista knows my coffee order. The cook has my breakfast cooking on the grill before I even get up to the counter to pay for it. I rarely talk to people, but I feel like I know the other customers too. Most of the regulars have been here as long as I have. Everyone has their favorite table, and most people seem to order the same thing every week too. Maybe I'm not so strange after all.

When I go to the grocery store after breakfast, the butcher knows which cuts of meat I'm going to select for dinner. The guys at the Sushi counter usually know what I'm going to want as well. There a Chef Prepared section in the store where I usually pick up pre-cooked side dishes. With only one or two people eating dinner during the week, it's hard to keep fresh vegetables from going bad. You just can't buy things in small enough quantities to cook for one.

The dogs always get a rice cake for lunch. They both love to eat and this is one way to let them enjoy the pleasure of eating without gaining weight. There are practically no calories in a rice cake and the dogs seem to love them. Going outside after lunch is part of the daily ritual as well. Dot still likes to go outside, but she often forgets why she's there. Sometimes she'll stand in the same place for minutes at a time and other times she'll just wander around aimlessly. You have to be patient with her. I know Dot is getting senile, but that's OK. She still seems very happy with her life.

The dogs sleep enough during the day that I've never had any problem getting my work done. I give the dogs my undivided attention when they're active and then I work while they're asleep. Lately, there hasn't been enough work to fill the dog's sleepy periods and I've been getting bored. I used to try to make new business contacts or learn how to use a new software application when work was slow. Now, I mostly just read a book or watch something on Hulu. Life is definitely slowing down. The Pope is ten years older than I am and he seems to have the energy of a forty year old. It's almost embarrassing how much energy he has compared to me. How does he do it? Maybe if you have something important to do, you rise to the occasion.

My career as an ad man may be on the back burner, but the dogs still think I'm important. They both depend on me and I try not to let them down. For the time being, this means watching the sun rise every morning, serving as Dot's rear legs, and doing lots and lots of laundry. If you'd asked me ten years ago what I'd be doing when I was sixty seven, I wouldn't have imagined this. It's OK though. I just wish Dot were healthier.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day