Day 2298

Maybe I ought to complain more often. After mentioning the dearth of writing assignments yesterday, I opened my mail this morning and discovered that I have four new articles to write. I wrote one of the articles today and will save the other three for later. I need to figure out how to get more writing clients, because it's the perfect activity while taking care of sick dogs. I've had difficulty going to meetings and have avoided taking jobs that involve travel since Dot has gotten sick, but writing doesn't disrupt anything. I just sit at the computer with the dogs at my side and if they need anything, I'm right here. I'm glad there is still something I can do that doesn't involve meetings and supervision. When I started my company, I was more of a traditional ad agency. I did pretty well for quite a few years, but eventually burn out set in. Now, I prefer solitude. I look for clients who appreciate what I do, but basically leave me alone. They're out there, but they're definitely getting harder to find.

Dot is becoming more dependent as she grows weaker. She barks when she wants me to help her up and whines when she's not getting enough attention. This isn't a good thing. I'd like her to feel independent as long as she can. I can't ignore her though. She has difficulty walking without assistance now. Her rear legs often get stuck in an awkward position while she's sleeping, and when she's restless, it's often a sign that she needs to pee or poop. I've made the transition to full time dog butler so smoothly that Dot still leads a happy, relatively normal life. I can't say the same for myself. I'm not sure I even know what normal is anymore.

It looks like it's going to be a good year for wildflowers. I see new blooms every day and pretty soon the meadows and open fields in the park are going to be an explosion of color. Since the same flowers appear year after year, I've gradually learned their names. Learning about your surroundings can make almost anything interesting. I can identify at least a dozen species of birds by their song and can name the constellations in the pre-dawn sky on our morning walks. My powers of observations are still very selective, unfortunately. After all these years, I still don't know the names of most of my neighbors.

I didn't mow the grass today, but I did charge up the heavy 24 volt lawn mower battery. After charging the thing for about eight hours, a green light came on and the battery appears to be OK. Tomorrow, I'll install it in the lawn mower again and see if I have the energy to mow the front yard. When I moved to the neighborhood, everybody mowed their own yard. Now, I'm the last one left. Everyone else has a lawn crew that comes once a week during the Summer. I used to think this was a big waste of money, but every time I push the mower up a hill, having someone else take care of the lawn starts to make a lot of sense.

I have no idea what I'm going to do for breakfast tomorrow. I feel like I don't have a home anymore. My favorite restaurant has changed and I need something new. Maybe I'll just drive around aimlessly until I see something that looks appealing. There are lots of restaurants in the vicinity. I just haven't been to most of them for quite a while.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day