Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Day 2424

I watered the lawn this morning and two hours later it was bone dry again. I guess I should be glad that we're having a dry spell, since it will ensure that the roof repairs will cure properly. The yard is definitely taking a beating though. We don't have an automatic sprinkler system, so my watering efforts depend on remembering to turn the sprinklers on early enough to avoid the water restriction rules. It's probably all a wasted effort anyway, since I'm starting to see Armadillos again. Every August the Armadillos return to tear up the neighborhood lawns. I think they're looking for grubs, but maybe they're vegetarians. At any rate, I've seen several large Armadillos roaming around the neighborhood on our morning walks. They haven't found our yard yet, but they will.

I got the bills for my car insurance and storage warehouse rental fee today. Both had gone up. In theory, what I pay for car insurance should go down, since my car keeps getting older. That's not the way it works though. The bill always goes up. The storage warehouse is the same way. I pay more for my storage space now than I did for my first apartment. Health insurance rates go up every year. My gas and electric bills are twice what they were when I first moved to the neighborhood. I can't think of a single recurring bill that has gone down over time. No wonder people are mad. When you combine rising costs with stagnating income, it's not a good situation.

I've seen this new store in the neighborhood that advertises "plant based meals to go," Curiosity finally got the better of me and I went inside today to see what was going on. The place features a variety of pre-prepared vegan meals that you just heat and serve when you get home. Maybe this is the missing link in my healthy lifestyle plan. I don't like to cook, but I'd definitely like to eat healthier. There were lots of interesting curries and Thai dishes to choose from, as well as salads, soups, and sandwiches. I think I'll give this place a try. I'm not a huge fan of steamed vegetables, but a spicy vegetarian curry can be delicious. The meals aren't too expensive either.

Facebook has started including "memories" posts in my timeline with entries from this day in a previous year. They always ask if I would like to share the memory, but I never do. What I did one year ago is so similar to what I'm doing today that it would be confusing. I prefer a linear timeline with one entry per day, always moving forward. I do read these old posts though. It's hard to believe that Dot has been incontinent and pooping in the house for over a year. It's been well over two years since she initially had her cancer surgery. What a long journey it's been. I've probably cleaned up my own weight in dog poop during the past year.

I have no idea what I'm going to do tomorrow. I've more or less stopped planning ahead. Maybe there will be websites to update. Maybe I'll discover a new flower to photograph. I'll watch TV news during breakfast and wonder how the world became so crazy. I'll try to make sure Dot poops outside, but I'll probably fail. Tomorrow will be a lot like today, which apparently was very similar to what happened one year ago today.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day
Watch of the Day