Day 2486

A lot of life is simple repetition. We brush our teeth. We make our coffee in the morning. We load the dishwasher and make the bed. There are literally hundreds of things we do the same way everyday. When I do these familiar things, it triggers a memory of doing exactly the same thing, exactly the same way yesterday. Everything from the way I arrange my pillow at night to the way I fold my clothes when they come out of the dryer is done the same way. I have a specific place for every dirty dish in the dishwasher. I can tell when the temperature rises or falls two degrees in the house. I wear certain shoes for walking the dogs and other shoes for going to the post office. Some may find this behavior obsessive, but I find comfort in the familiar rhythm of repetition.

I have a feeling that dogs think the same way. Dot and Dash get very upset when their familiar routines are altered. They don't like their dinner to be ten minutes late and they don't like to be surprised by a thunderstorm. It must be hard on Dot to have old age and disability altering the familiar routines she has known for a lifetime. She doesn't like pooping at random times in the house and probably doesn't like seeing Dash gradually take over her position as the alpha dog. I understand these things and try to make her life as normal and regular as I can. As I gradually adapt to accommodate Dot's many disabilities, I realize that my own routines are changing as well. The repetitive elements in my life now include things like poop bags, Wee Wee Pads, and the ubiquitous Help 'Em Up Harness. I probably take this harness on and off ten times a day. Dot can't rest well while wearing it, but can't walk without it. I have finally gotten to the point where I can attach the harness quickly and efficiently in the dark without waking anyone else up.

Today was like any other day. Janet gets up early and I wake up about a half hour later when I hear the hair dryer in the bathroom. The dogs don't start to stir until they hear noises in the kitchen. I try to be fully awake and ready by the time Dot wakes up, because there is a very limited time to get her outside before she pees all over the place. I make sure the back door is open, put my shoes on, and then quickly guide her to the back yard as soon as she tries to get up. Amazingly this works about 80% of the time.

Janet eats first. Then the dogs eat. Dot and Dash get a short walk around the block and then I take Dash on a longer walk while Janet finishes getting ready for work. When the dogs have been taken care of, I make a pot of coffee, fix my fruit smoothie, and often watch an old Dr. Who episode on the BBC channel while I'm eating. Eventually, I turn the computer on and see if there is anything dreadful that I need to do that day.

Today, there were some minor website revisions that needed attention. I went to the bank and the post office while the dogs were taking their afternoon nap. That was about it. To keep the dogs peaceful, I split their dinner into two parts, feeding them the first half at 3:30 and the second half at 5:00. This may seem silly, but it prevents a lot of needless barking. If Janet gets home before sunset, we take Dot on another short walk around the block. In the evening, I write the blog. The day goes very quickly. I imagine I'll do something similar tomorrow.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day