Day 3384

I went to get some beer on the way to the gym this morning and when I got to the register, the clerk said "We can't sell you that yet." I must have had a puzzled look on my face because he quickly added "It's Sunday and we can't sell beer and wine until noon." The time was 11:50 AM. Jeez. I'd totally forgotten about Blue Laws. Do these things still exist? I guess they do. This little encounter in the grocery store is a perfect example of how government works. Laws get created. Over time, people forget why the laws were passed in the first place, but they are still enforced. It's all very arbitrary. If I'd had the patience to wait ten more minutes, everything would have been fine.

I felt tired and overweight at the gym today. I must not have been that tired because I completed my workout in one hour and four minutes, just like I always do. I probably wasn't overweight either. This was just a day when I would have preferred to sleep until noon. Sleeping until noon, or even until 8 AM isn't an option anymore. I need to walk Dash when he is awake and active. This is usually right after he's taken his morning meds. I've learned that if I miss this opportunity, it can be very difficult to get him moving again.

Dash has a good walk this morning, but he seems to be dragging his right rear leg more. He's been going through the disposable rubber boots at a rapid clip this week. Sometimes he tears a hole in the cotton sock as well. So far, the base layer bandage has remained unharmed. I think the reason the boots are getting torn up is that we are walking on pavement more. Dash likes variety and seems to get bored easily. We are always changing our route as we make our way through the park. I'd like a little more consistency, but it's Dash's walk, not mine. If I can keep him happy and engaged, he's going to keep moving. Muscle atrophy is real. I'm trying to keep those muscles from deteriorating even further.

When I went back to Kroger to get the peaches I forgot yesterday there was only one peach left. I bought the peach along with a few nectarines, wondering why peaches are so hard to find at this time of year. The produce aisles at Whole Foods and Central Market are overflowing with fruit from all over the world, but there are no peaches. There are plenty of pears, plums, oranges, mangoes, and kiwis, along with an enormous variety of apples, but no peaches. One of life's mysteries, I guess.

It's hard to believe it's going to be April tomorrow. This year is really going fast. It's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between real stories and April Fool's jokes on social media. Modern life has become so bizarre that real life often appears to be an April Fool's joke. Last year it was Easter on April 1. That was real. I think it was cold last year too.

It's almost time to start mowing the grass again. I wonder if I'll have the strength to push the mower this year. It seems to get harder and harder with each passing year.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3383

Go home Texas weather, you're drunk. I had just about convinced myself that Spring was here and then I wake up this morning to hear the furnace running again. Winter has returned. It was cold and windy when I walked Dash, which was fine with him. He was still slow and forgetful, but the cold seemed to invigorate him and he was determined to explore new paths. We followed a coyote trail this morning which is never a good idea. It wasn't raining, but the ground was damp. By the time we returned, Dash was dirty and his protective boots were wet. So were mine.

Dash didn't want to take his pills this morning. He kept rejecting all the usual treats we use as pill pockets. He didn't like ham. He didn't like cheese. He didn't like turkey. Eventually, he took the pills in some leftover Jimmy Dean sausage. I could always pill Dot by placing pills directly down her throat when it became necessary. This doesn't work with Dash. He tries to bite you and if you do manage to get the pill down, he gags and tries to throw it up. As always, all's well that ends well. Once Dash decided to take his meds, the rest of the day went smoothly.

I had to get a bunch of things at Sam's Club today. They completely rearranged the store this week. Every single aisle had been moved and nobody could find anything. All the customers kept asking employees where things were, buy nobody seemed to know. It was as if somebody had come in during the middle of the night and reinvented the store. Even the brands on the shelves had changed. To make matters worse, the app I use to bypass the checkout line had been discontinued and I was forced to download the replacement app in the store. Of course I couldn't remember my passwords and I had to start over from scratch. The old app was simple and just recorded your transactions. The new app was complicated, played ads while I was shopping, and tried to get me to buy things I didn't want. Jeez. Who thought this was a good idea? I was so disgusted by this display of corporate hubris that I completely forgot to go to Kroger and finish my shopping on the way home. I'll have to go back and get peaches tomorrow.

I'd forgotten over the years that Blogger and Google+ have always shared a lot of functionality since the are both owned by Google. I've been getting warnings for several weeks that I need to remove any shared profiles and widgets from the blog before April 2 or they would just disappear. I clicked the "return to Blogger profile" button this morning without realizing that I never had a Blogger profile in the first place. Suddenly my blog description was blank and there was no way to return to the Google+ profile to see what I had written. I had to write a new profile from scratch. I briefly wondered why I was even doing this. Very few people read the blog anymore. Blogging has become passé. I think the cool people have moved on to podcasts now. The popularity of blogging peaked quite a few years ago.

When I was walking Dash this afternoon, one of his rubber boots and a sock came off. This is the equivalent of having a flat tire in your car. I needed to replace the boot so Dash's paw wouldn't bleed, but Dash wasn't being very cooperative. I couldn't hold him up and replace the boot and sock at the same time, so I had to get him to lie down in the grass. The grass was wet and Dash wasn't pleased. I eventually got the boot back on, but when I got home I noticed that it was inside out. I'm glad this doesn't happen very often.

I hope it is warmer tomorrow. Flowers are blooming. Trees are turning green. It is supposed to be Spring.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3382

A year ago today I was wondering whether the pizza I ate for dinner would give me heartburn and worrying about Dash's poor appetite and tendency to fall. The only difference seemed to be that Easter was earlier last year. I was also thinking about an Easter ham. It's remarkable how little actually changes. Day after day I repeat the same routines and deal with the same problems. Some days are identical, year after year.

Maybe this isn't so bad. I feel like I'm treading water, but I'm definitely not sinking. Life is not getting worse. In many ways Dash is a huge success story. His heart condition has actually improved. Few people thought Dash would still be with us this year. He's still got huge problems, but he's really not a whole lot worse than he was last year. I think we've done a good job. One thing I've learned about aging is that you can't turn back time. Maybe the best you can do is just slow it down a little.

Sometimes I'm surprised when people find my posts sad on Facebook. This is really a happy story. We're all still here. There will be a day when it's me that's pooping in bed. It happened with Dot and Spot. It even happened with my Dad. Until then, you just keep moving. Dash fell down on his evening walk and appeared confused for a while this morning. Despite these problems, he still loves getting outside. This is his link to better times. It's my job to keep this link active as long as possible.

We got off to a late start this morning, so I had to go back to the trendy restaurant. It's the only place that still serves a good breakfast at 10:30 AM. The food is delicious at this place, but it still makes me uneasy. Call me old fashioned, but there shouldn't be so many adults eating breakfast at 10:30 AM. Why aren't these people at work? I have a feeling that my 9 to 5 idea of work is outdated. It probably doesn't even exist anymore.

The breakfast Reuben sandwich I ordered this morning was excellent, but it looked pretty nasty, so I'll show you some flowers from my accountant's office instead. I had a few questions and needed to go back there this afternoon. Other than that, it was an uneventful day. Janet and I felt like pizza for dinner, but I discovered that my favorite pizza place had moved. When did this happen? Their rent probably went up when the strip mall where they used to be located remodeled. I found the new location, but it isn't as convenient. We'll see if this place remains a favorite.

It was supposed to rain tomorrow, but now the forecast appears to have changed. We'll see. Every time I look at a weather report I'm worried that the roof leak will reappear. So far, so good, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3381

The vet called me back and said that the warnings I'd read about Clindamycin were mainly intended for people and that dogs tolerated the drug well. That's good to know. Dash is still going to need some sort of an antibiotic for his mouth. A friend suggested feeding Dash a cod and sweet potato recipe her vet recommended to cure his diarrhea problem. That's good to know too. She even gave us a sample for Dash to try. The meal she fixed looked delicious. We'll see how our picky eater responds.

There were no accidents in the house last night. I had to take Dash outside around 2 AM to pee, but he slept pretty good for the rest of the night. I actually got some sleep as well. I wish I could count on nights like these, but I've learned you really can't. Every day is different. If there was a formula that worked, I'd have it memorized by now. I'm happy when Dash has a good walk and eats his food. I'm worried when he stumbles a lot and wakes up during the night with a bad cough. Often I'm pleased and worried at the same time.

One of Dash's vets called to ask if we had any recommendations for dog boots. I guess we've inadvertently become the dog boot experts. I was kind of amazed at the detailed knowledge I had about just about every brand of dog boot and sock. I recommended a few brands and told him about the benefits of multiple layers and how to repair boots when they became worn. I hope the information was useful. I think we've done a pretty good job of protecting Dash's feet. He definitely wouldn't be able to walk far without the boots.

My taxes are done. I signed an amended return today and shifted some money around so I'll be able to pay the IRS. I'm curious what makes electronic signatures official. They certainly don't look very official, but that's what everyone is using these days. I haven't signed a paper document in a long time. Forms for just about everything are completed online now. If you didn't have a computer in today's world, you would be at a serious disadvantage.

Just about everyone on Google+ is saying goodbye now. In less than a week the platform will be gone. It's remarkable how many things I like disappear. It doesn't matter if it is a furniture store, a brand of clothing, or an Internet platform; if I'm fond of something, it's a pretty good bet that the general public won't be. Maybe I'll go back to Usenet. Amazingly, Usenet is still around after all these years. For a writer, text based forums are just fine. I never missed not being able to share pictures anyway. Usenet worked just fine on a 300 baud dial up connection. Try that with Facebook.

I'm going to have to go out this weekend and take pictures of wildflowers. They're starting to bloom. It's become just about impossible to take pictures while I'm walking Dash. I've got a leash in each hand. There's one for the front part of the Help 'Em Up Harness, and another for the rear. It's a full time job to keep Dash upright. I couldn't even get my phone out of my pocket today. When worse comes to worse, there are always houseplants. There are definitely no orchids growing in the park.

The trash has been taken to the curb, Dash has taken his evening meds, and I'm ready for bed. I've got to think about what I want for breakfast tomorrow.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3380

The smallest change in Dash's routine can cause havoc. We definitely shouldn't have changed his diet. He had another bad case of diarrhea last night. I think the canned food we fed him was too rich, because the last time we tried this brand the same thing happened. Our options are getting smaller. Dash is getting extremely picky about food again and we've got to keep him eating.

Things are better today, but I feel like I've gotten no sleep for the past 48 hours. Life is beginning to seem like a perpetual boot camp. We were initially happy when Dash chose to sleep on the floor last night but it turned out to be a bad choice. He slipped off his dog bed which was protected and ended up pooping all over the carpet. It's a lot harder to clean the carpet than small things you can take outside and hose down. One of the things we hosed down last night was Dash. He was covered with poop.

Maybe I got a little sleep last night. It's hard to tell. There was lots of laundry to do and a liberal amount of Nature's Miracle was used to sanitize the carpet. Dash got another bath this afternoon and the carpet is drying out. Dash is eating the food he rejected a few days ago and we had a nice walk. Basically, all is well. I'm still tired though. Very tired.

One of Dash's vets recommended clindamycin as an antibiotic to treat his gum infection. I guess I failed to tell him about Dash's diarrhea problems. Clindamycin has an FDA black box warning saying that it can cause severe diarrhea and even colon damage. Hmm. Might not be the best drug to take at this time. There's got to be another alternative without all the side effects. For the time being we'll continue the oral rinse we use every evening. I'm not sure it works, but it's better than nothing.

I went up on the roof today and was pleased to discover that the warmer weather is causing the standing water to evaporate faster. It was fairly easy to clear away the remaining standing water from our recent rains. The only problem with Spring is that pollen from the trees mixes with the water and creates an ugly brown mess. The sticky brown water stains the elastomer coating, making it harder to find potential tears that could cause a leak. Nothing is easy these days.

I've got another auction coming up in early April. I was all excited about the first series of auctions in New York last year, but now I just wish the whole process was over. I can't decide whether to put a reserve on this lot. I don't want this stuff to sell for nothing, but I don't want it back either. The auction house has been encouraging me to tell my friends about the auction. Not very likely. It's been years since I've had any art buyer friends.

Dash has been sleeping like a baby all evening. This probably means he'll be awake later tonight when I'm trying to sleep. I'll be happy to take you outside to pee little buddy, but I'm not looking forward to cleaning up diarrhea again.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3379

I learn something new everyday. I've been getting letters from my insurance provider urging me to switch to one of their 'preferred pharmacies' so I could save more on my prescription co-pays. I've been reluctant to switch, since I've been going to this pharmacy forever and I like the people there. Today I decided to see how much I would save if I switched. Would you believe nothing. Absolutely nothing. Insurance hasn't even been paying for my prescriptions since the retail price for these generic drugs is less than the co-pay. Evidently, if the retail price is less than the co-pay, you just pay the retail price and insurance pays nothing. All this time I've been thinking that my prescriptions were a lot more expensive than they actually were. I thought I was getting a bargain, but I was just paying retail.

So why do I even have Part-D coverage if the insurance is paying nothing? I guess the answer is pretty simple. It's insurance. When I was being treated for Hepatitis C, one of the drugs I was taking was horrendously expensive. A lot of cancer drugs are extremely expensive as well. As I was told today, you don't have Part-D coverage to pay for common Tier-1 medications. You have it so you don't get wiped out if your doctor prescribes some life saving but hugely expensive drug. Fair enough. I just never realized that I'd been paying retail for my pills. I guess I could save a little by switching to a mail order pharmacy, but it isn't worth the trouble. I'll just leave things alone.

My taxes are ready to submit. I was still confused why I owed more than I did during my peak earning years, so I called my accountant again. I'd glad he's a patient guy. To make a long story short, social security payments, plus required IRA distributions, plus the art sales and the fact that I had nothing withheld this year put me in a higher bracket than I was before. "You're doing OK," the accountant told me. "Then why do I feel so poor," I asked?

Dash continues to seem a little stronger on his walks while simultaneously appearing a little weaker around the house. I would think he'd be stronger around the house but tire quickly on walks, but the opposite is happening. I'm just glad that he's still interested in something. Dash still seems to love his daily walks. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to love the special food we've been cooking for him anymore. Why? This special stew is so good that I could eat it myself. Dash has gone back to preferring dog food though. Go figure.

My dentist called today to remind me of an upcoming appointment. I need to remember to ask him if I need a new Essix retainer. My old retainer broke in half a few months ago, so it is basically worthless. I'm hoping that the dentist will say I don't need the retainer anymore, but I imagine he'll recommend fitting me for a new one. Dentists never recommend less dental care. Maybe I do need the retainer. My teeth seem to be shifting a little. I wonder if old people ever need orthodontia? I'd feel weird wearing braces at my age.

I'm hoping that Dash will let me sleep tonight. We didn't do so well last night. I'm probably doomed to feeling perpetually tired.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3378

We got some severe weather last night. I'm usually well prepared for bad weather, but this storm caught me by surprise. I knew there was severe weather north of us because I kept seeing pictures of hail damage on Facebook. It looked like we were in the clear on the weather radar, so I went to sleep without taking the usual precautions. Some time after midnight I woke up to the smell of poop and started hearing thunder as I was replacing Dash's puppy pad. When I went outside to clean the harness that I had forgotten to take off before I went to bed, I noticed the wind was picking up. I checked the radar on my phone and we were directly in the patch of a swiftly moving storm front.

Where did this come from? I quickly moved some furniture, put buckets in strategic locations and started the pumps on the roof. The storm didn't last long, but it dumped a tremendous amount of water. Dash never even woke up. I went back to bed, thinking that the next time Dash pooped in the bed, I would go turn the pumps off again. That's exactly how it worked out. There were no water leaks in the morning, so maybe my diligence paid off. I wish I could turn the pumps on and off from inside the house, but the circuit breaker that controls the outlet the pumps are attached to is on the same zone as the furnace. You really don't want to disconnect the furnace just to avoid going outside in the rain.

Dash seemed to have more energy today. We took a surprisingly long walk this morning. We moved very slowly, but I could tell he wanted to keep going. Since the weather was cool and clear and we were in no hurry, Dash didn't overexert himself. He even ate his breakfast when we got home. My own breakfast was pretty late today but I'm getting used to these weird schedules. It really doesn't matter when I eat anymore. It's not like I've got anywhere I need to go.

I still turn on the computer right after breakfast like I've done for decades. There are no appointments  on my calendar though. There are no deadlines to meet. I've even forgotten the passwords to most of the websites I used to manage. I wonder why the computer even matters anymore. I seldom need it. The only thing I did today was defragment a hard drive.

Dash got another bath this afternoon because I didn't do a great job of cleaning him up last night. Sometimes we get lucky and the poop never touches anything but the puppy pad. Things can get messy though if Dash has a dog dream and starts moving his tail around before I wake up and can remove the mess. There are so many variables involved in these night poops that I'm surprised we do as well as we do. When I attempt to remove the mess without it touching anything I sometimes think that this would be good training for being on the bomb squad. If you do everything right, you can be back in bed in three minutes. If you slip, you have to change all the bedding.

I probably need to go up on the roof and remove the remaining water tomorrow. I forgot to pick up some prescriptions at the pharmacy as well. Since my morning routine with Dash seems to last until noon, that's probably enough for one day

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3377

I've never seen someone go from hero to goat so quickly. Just a few days ago Robert Mueller was the knight in shining armor who was going to deliver Trump's head on a platter. Today, he did the unthinkable to some on the left: he didn't follow their game plan. Why were these guys so convinced that Mueller was going to bring the president down? If this was the honest investigation that they claimed they wanted, the outcome was never predetermined. Hey, it's time to move on guys. It didn't turn out the way you wanted. If you want to win the next election you need to start telling people what you like. We already know what you hate.

I find politics humorous and sad. It seldom works when people allow it to become their religion. The Democrats could probably win in 2020 with a ticket of Biden and Beto. People like these guys. The progressives will never nominate an old white guy though. How could they? They've boxed themselves into a corner on that one. I predict that they'll pick someone ideologically pure, culturally diverse, and too weird for the country. They'll end up losing again. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I don't think about politics at the gym. I wonder about the other people on the floor. Everybody at my gym is pretty old, but some are amazingly fit. I'm impressed at what they are able to do. I like to think that these people have more discipline than the others. They were probably the ones who always came to work early and left late. The fat people on the floor are probably nicer human beings, but I'm still impressed by the folks with the most determination.

Dash is certainly determined. Even though he has taken a turn for the worse, he still wants his daily walks. I've tried to cut the distance we walk in half to prevent him from becoming too exhausted. So far, this seems to be working. It takes forever to go even a short distance these days, but that's OK. I certainly don't have anything better to do. I'm a little worried that if something happened while we were out in the park, I wouldn't be able to get him to a vet in time. A walk is a simple thing, but occasionally I feel like I'm balancing on a tightrope without a safety net.

Now that Dash is sleeping more, his schedules have changed. We were worried for a while that he was losing interest in eating again, and then we realized that he wanted to eat his dinner at midnight. Often we have to get out of bed to feed him. It works though. Once he's had his midnight snack, he sleeps like a baby. We've gone several days without Dash pooping in the bed. He's been waking up and going outside. This is probably just a happy accident, but it is appreciated. I have no idea what will happen tonight. Life has become very unpredictable.

Spring has definitely arrived because the insects are back. I see long lines of small sweet ants climbing up the exterior bricks, looking for a way inside. They always find a way inside. Next month I'll see them in the bathroom. The Crane Flies are the worst. They congregate by the back door at night and every time I let Dash out, a dozen of them get in the house. Crane Flies are slow and easy to catch, but they are still irritating. I see one flying around the office now.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3376

It has become so obvious Dash is old and tired that people are stopping me on our walks to tell me stories about their old dogs. Every week I hear about dogs that have recently passed away or are having difficulty walking. Despite all the stories, we see very few other older dogs on our walks. When the weather is bad, Dash is often the only dog walking at all. I feel sorry for the old dogs who just get a towel under their belly occasionally to help them go out in the yard and pee. With a little help, a lot of these dogs could still lead a relatively normal life.

I don't think Dash even realizes that I am helping him walk. He can still move his legs. He just isn't strong enough to fully support his own weight. I can feel his legs moving through the leash. I provide just enough support to keep him from sinking, while letting his legs move naturally. It took three dogs to perfect the technique, but I think I've gotten pretty good at walking disabled dogs.

One thing I can't do is give Dash more energy or help him think clearly. He's starting to become senile and sometimes appears lost or confused on our walks. You wonder when senility becomes dementia and if dementia can turn into Alzheimer's? When Dash's mind goes blank, you've just got to be patient. Eventually he clicks into gear again and off we go. I think being outside helps. Dogs have such an amazing sense of smell that the abundant smells in the park reconnect him to the world. I think he could take his walks blindfolded because he's really just moving from one smell to the next. The smells are a trail of breadcrumbs that take him away and then bring him back home.

My accountant called today to let me know that he had some preliminary results on my taxes. I was really disappointed to learn that despite my paltry earnings this year, I still owed money to the IRS. I think old people get screwed. Your social security gets taxed as income. Required distributions from your IRA account are taxed as income. If you planned ahead and managed to save something, your dividends and interest are taxed as well. It's ironic that when my business was booming I paid less in taxes than I do now. When you have lots of clients, there are lots of business expenses you can deduct. It goes without saying that without clients or business activity, there are very few expenses  either.

It rained again today. I'm glad that Dash still got to take his walks. I'm not so glad about going up on the roof again. I'll wait until the forecast clears, but the key to keeping the leaks at bay is getting the standing water removed as soon as possible. The pumps help, but I've always got to go up on the roof and finish the job. I'm surprised that I still haven't gotten any bids to replace the roof.  Apparently I'm not a priority. The same thing happened the first time I put a new roof on the house. Since the house is small, roofers are always more interested in larger and more lucrative projects.

I should go to the gym tomorrow since I missed my workout last week. I'm not getting much exercise walking Dash. I guess my arms are getting stronger but the walks certainly don't provide much of a cardio workout. We move at a snail's pace these days. I doubt that my heart rate changes at all.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3375

I dread Dash's periodic bouts with diarrhea. They don't happen often, but when they do, it makes a horrible mess. We'll probably never know why he had diarrhea last night. We had to change what he was eating this week because he has lost interest in the chicken and rice stew Janet has been making for him. Maybe the new food upset his stomach. Maybe he's under more stress since he's having difficulty standing. Maybe he ate something bad in the yard or got a stomach virus. We'll probably never know. We certainly never found out what caused the diarrhea in the past.

Needless to say, there was quite a mess to clean up. I've been doing laundry most of the day. We had to give Dash a bath as well. A wet rag simply didn't remove the stains. Giving Dash a bath is problematic since he can't stand up without assistance. He can't have his harness on either. One of us has to support him so he won't fall while the other one does the cleaning. Everybody gets wet. Dash is clean now. All the bed linen is clean. The smell is finally gone. It's been a long day though and everybody is tired.

I went back to the hotel for breakfast because it is quiet and peaceful. I wasn't even that hungry, but it was nice to take a break from the cleaning brigade. Janet stayed home to watch Dash while I was away and then I stayed home for the rest of the day. The diarrhea seems to be over, but Dash still seems weaker than usual.

I didn't think that Dash would want a walk this evening, but I thought we'd give it a try when he headed for the back gate at the appointed time. We probably should have stayed home. Dash seemed confused and would stop for long periods of time and just stare off into space. I tried to get him to turn around and go home, but he kept moving forward. He is very stubborn. Dash would walk for about twenty yards and then stop for a while. Then he would walk for another twenty yards. I thought I'd have to call Janet to come pick us up in the car for a while, but eventually we made it home.

I was disappointed to see the stock market drop over 450 points today. It was the worst day since January. Things have been going well lately and I always hate to see a big sell off. If you weren't watching the business channels, you would nave never noticed the steep decline. Everyone else was talking about the Mueller Report. Of course nobody actually knows what is in the report yet, but people are already second guessing the results. A lot of folks seem really disappointed that Trump wasn't immediately indicted as a Russian spy. I'll be glad when we move on to other things. I wonder how bad the floods really are in Nebraska. I wonder if the 737 is actually a safe plane. Hey, I flew in one last week. I wonder if Britain will stay in the European Union after all. I wonder about a lot of things, but I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the Russia Probe.

I hope that Dash feels better tomorrow. He had us worried today. I think we all need a good night's sleep. Dash already seems a little perkier than he did this morning. I don't think I've been perky all day.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3374

My goal is to accomplish at least one thing every day. It doesn't really matter what that thing is as long as it doesn't involve cleaning up dog poop. Today I defrosted the little refrigerator. I bought the little refrigerator when we were having problems with the big refrigerator. It was only meant to be temporary. Somehow, it has always remained full even though the big refrigerator was repaired months ago. I think these little refrigerators are meant for dorm rooms or vacation cabins. Very few of them have an automatic defrost cycle. You have to defrost them manually. At any rate, I should have put defrosting this thing on my to-do list several months ago. There was a massive amount of ice inside. I'm surprised the refrigerator still worked.

Mindless little tasks like this eat up my entire day. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just live in a hotel. You could eat in the hotel restaurant and the maid would clean up your room every day. The refrigerator is good to go for another several months, but of course the dog poop problem remains. I forgot to put a puppy pad under Dash while he was taking a nap on the bed this morning and he pooped while he was trying to get up. I had to clean Dash, clean his harness, and clean the blankets he soiled. We have a spare Help 'Em Up Harness for occasions like these. We have lots of spare dog blankets too. I never realized that a washing machine with a super hot sanitize setting would be so useful. I use this setting almost every day.

I wasted a lot of time last night trying to share yesterday's blog post to Facebook. Usually Facebook includes a preview picture with the link, but the preview picture refused to load. You know how I am about consistency. I wanted the link to look exactly like all the other links. It wasn't going to happen. The preview function was broken. I tried to approximate the look of the link manually, but it didn't look the same. Why did this even bother me? Probably for the same reason that the demise of Google+ bothers me. Writing the blog has become a part of my daily routine and I hate surprises. I missed Perry Mason last night because I kept trying to change the way I was sharing the link. Nothing worked. I should have known that it is futile to try to outwit Facebook.

I'm having trouble figuring out why Dash appears weaker too. He's still eating well. There have been no vestibular incidents in a long time. There are no obvious injuries. His last medical exam was actually very encouraging. Dash should be getting stronger, but he's not. That's the sad thing about aging. It's a one way street.

This week went quickly. Nothing really happened, but I was always busy. It takes so long to get small things done these days that I wonder how I used to get big things done. Where did I ever find the time to create ad campaigns, write lengthy annual reports, and design complex websites? These days making the bed can be a challenge.

I'm looking forward to going out for breakfast tomorrow morning. It's not that I'm all that hungry. I just need to get out of the house for a while.

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3373 - Vernal Equinox

I'm always happy to see the first day of Spring. There may be a few more cold days ahead of us, but Winter is essentially over. If it weren't for the inevitable seasonal allergies, this would be the nicest time of the year. There is supposed to be Super Moon tonight which apparently makes the equinox special. I looked outside and the moon looks the same to me. When something is ten percent larger than usual, I don't think I can perceive the difference. If the moon was 50% bigger, I'd probably notice. As it is, it's just a bright full moon.

Dash wouldn't take his pills again this morning. Some of the pills aren't critical, but the phenobarbital is. We just don't want to risk another seizure. I was hoping I could get Dash to take his meds as soon as we returned from our morning walk, but he was too tired and immediately went to sleep. He wasn't interested in anything until he woke up again a few hours later. I guess all is well that ends well, but life would be easier if we could keep Dash on a regular schedule.

I spent most of the day trying to catch up on sleep. Dash got me up way too often last night. He made it outside each time and there was no mess to clean up, but once again life would be easier if Dash would just pee and poop before he went to bed at night. He used to do this every single evening, but those days are gone. I was glad there was no mess in the bed last night, but a little more sleep would be nice.

There were more bills to pay today. March turned out to be an expensive month. My web hosting plan auto-renewed for another three years, my doctor's concierge medicine retainer was due, and there were airfare and travel expenses from my recent trip to Houston. I think we're done for March though. I won't have to pay for those Sequential Circuits synthesizers until April or May.

Tomorrow, I need to figure out how to get Janet's iTunes account to show up on the flat screen TV. She rented some movies I'd like to watch, but I don't want to watch them on her iPad. I've added her account to the TV before, but I ended up erasing my own account in the process. I'm sure that Apple has a way to share multiple accounts on the same TV, but they could make the process of switching from one to another a little easier. Oh, well. I don't have much else to do tomorrow. Little things like this count as a challenge these days.

I wish that Dash would regain his strength. He still seems weaker and more lethargic than he did last month. His decline has been so slow that it's easy to convince myself that nothing has changed. There are still good days and bad days but at the end of the day we're definitely headed downhill. I don't think there's anything I can do to stop the process.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3372

I finished getting my tax files organized today and took them over to my accountant. For the past several years this has been a somewhat depressing experience. I've known the accountant for decades. We are about the same age. His business is still very successful and mine is practically nonexistent. It's embarrassing to show him how little money I've made. The accountant just laughs and says that old accountants are in more demand than old creative people. While this is probably true, it is not reassuring.

There's a shoe store I like near the accountant's office. I usually stop and buy a pair of shoes after I finish my meeting. I didn't stop today. After moving my storage warehouse last November, it finally dawned on me that I don't need anything. Pick almost any category and I have enough. I certainly have enough shoes. Buying things was like comfort food for me for a long. long time. Not anymore. When I look around the office, I just see lots of obsolete stuff I no longer need.

My waist and shoe size haven't changed, so I'll eventually wear all the clothes. I might be out of fashion, but who cares. When you dress like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, fashion is irrelevant. T-shirts, jeans, and comfortable shoes are timeless.

Cleaning up Dash's poop at night usually goes like clockwork, but last night something went wrong. I always slide out the soiled puppy pad, roll it up and seal it in a plastic bag. I was unfolding a fresh puppy pad to slide under Dash's butt when he decided to poop again. No protection always equals a big mess. We had to wake Dash up, get him of the bed without stepping in the mess, and then replace the soiled blankets. By the time I re-made the bed, took the blankets outside to clean with a hose, and then placed them in the washing machine on the sanitize cycle, I was wide awake.

I hate reading articles about how sleep deprivation can take years off your life. There's not much I can do about the situation right now. I think parents with small children go through something similar, but most of them are quite a bit younger than me. At any rate, if you're changing diapers or trying to get your kid back to sleep in the middle of the night, I can relate.

All this week Dash has seemed exhausted after his walks. We walk really slowly, but he doesn't have as much energy anymore. I've tried to get him to take shorter walks, but Dash is very stubborn. I can't get him to turn around. It is only after we return home that he realizes that we went too far. Hopefully, the long naps Dash takes during the day are beneficial. I'd hate to have to discontinue the walks. They're one of the few things he still looks forward to.

Now that my taxes are out of the way, there are a tons of things around the house than need my attention. My toilet repair didn't work very good.  I'll have to repeat the process. There's a new pothole in the driveway that I need to fill with river rocks. The little refrigerator needs to be defrosted as well. The little refrigerator was only meant to be temporary, but like most things around here, it has become permanent.

Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight. It's all up to Dash at this point.

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3371

I hate it when I fail to notice that there are no more refills available on a prescription. You call in the refill and the pharmacist tells you that you'll need to get your doctor to renew the prescription. You call the doctor and he's always out of the office or busy with something else. Little things like these can eat up your entire day. I eventually got Dash's Plavix prescription renewed before he took his last pill, but I really need to remember to look at these pill bottles more carefully.

I finally got around to getting my faulty power supply fixed today. I'm methodical to a fault, so I keep doing the same things over and over again. The last time I needed to get these batteries replaced, they cost $60. That was two years ago. Today the same batteries cost $100. It's irritating how the price of ordinary things keeps going up and up. Sure, big screen TV's are cheaper than they used to be, but most things aren't. It would cost quite a bit more to replace my car with the same model I'm currently driving. Airfares are higher. Movies cost more. It would even cost more to replace my Apple Watch and Apple isn't known for raising prices.

Dash was super slow today. I couldn't tell whether he was having trouble walking, or if he just wanted to spend extra time smelling things. This should have been a good day for him, since the weather was perfect. Eventually we made it home this morning and then Dash was equally slow eating his breakfast. Every time I started my own breakfast, Dash would come out to his bowl and just stare at it. I finally realized that he wanted me to hand feed him. After Dash finished eating and pooping on the floor, he took a nap. I felt like taking a nap too, but I had my own breakfast to finish.

I spent a few hours this afternoon getting my taxes organized. I think I found everything my accountant needs, but I'll take another look tomorrow. Why do old people even need to pay taxes? You should be exempt after you reach the age of 70, just like you are exempt from jury duty. I still don't think it's fair that I'm forced to take a distribution from my IRA account now. I'd just as soon leave the money untouched until I really need it. These distributions are classified as ordinary income too. That sucks.

With any luck I can finish my tax preparation tomorrow and get that chore out of the way. Then I'll turn my attention to more important matters, like buying more rocks for the potholes in the driveway. I'm glad I never called the plumber to come out and search for a sewer leak. The puddle in the back yard has dried up. I'll probably never know what caused the puddle. Who knows. I might have just left a hose on for a week.

After seeing Apollo 11, I've discovered that there were other documentaries about the Apollo program. I started watching one called For All Mankind that was made in 1989 using some of the same NASA footage. Again, the things that really caught my attention were the details. The astronauts shaved in space using a Gillette razor and shaving cream. They brought bread with them and made sandwiches. They took a Sony walkman along for the ride with cassettes of their favorite music. Did I forget this stuff, or was I never even aware of it?

I forget a lot these days. Hopefully I won't forget to finish my taxes. I need to remember not to let my prescription expire either. Dash is resting with Janet now. I hope he gets a good night's sleep so he has lots of energy tomorrow for his walks. This nice weather won't last forever. We need to make the most of it.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3370

I'm glad I saw Apollo 11. The film got mixed reviews, but I think that anyone who is old enough to remember the event will agree with me. This wasn't just a movie, it was a time machine. The 65mm footage of the launch itself was spectacular, but what struck me the most were all the little details that brought the sixties back to life. Everybody smoked back then. It was amazing to see how many of the engineers and technicians at mission control were smoking cigarettes and pipes. Each of the flight controllers had a black rotary dial land line phone next to their console. Reporters were calling in their stories using pay phones. Some were typing on small portable manual typewriters. The men had crew cuts and a surprising number of women had beehive hairdos. This is exactly the way it was. It's funny how modern I thought the world was when I was in college. Back then I couldn't have imagined the world we live in today.

You can forget a lot in fifty years. As I was exiting the theater, a couple of older looking guys were commenting on the film. "How old were you when we went to the moon," one guy asked. "I was 8," his friend replied. "I was 6," the other guy said. Good grief. I must be really old. I was in college when the launch happened. The guys ahead of me at the theater looked old enough to be retired and I was at least ten years older than them. I not only remember Alan Shepard and John Glenn's first flights, I remember Ham the monkey. I was pretty young at the time, but I even remember Sputnik 1 in 1957.

When I went to the theater this afternoon I realized I was totally out of the loop. The guy at the ticket counter asked me to pick a seat on a touch screen. "I can't just go inside and sit where I want," I said. "No," said the attendant. "You have to pick a seat first." I guess even going to the movies is done on your phone now. You can get your ticket and pick a seat in advance. That explained why some of the best seats were already taken, even though the theater was almost empty when I went inside. I was so confused that I ended up sitting in the wrong row. "But it says Row G right on my ticket," I said to the guy next to me. "No, this is a G-Rated film," he explained to me. "Your seat is over there."

Later today, I watched another short film on my computer called Seattle is Dying. What a contrast. Apollo 11 was an incredibly optimistic story about one of the greatest achievements in human history.    Seattle is Dying is basically a cautionary tale about how civilization is literally crumbling under our feet. I guess that's the difference between 1969 and 2019. I used to live in Seattle. It was a great place in the early 70's. Seattle used to be called the Emerald City because it was so beautiful. The city now has one of the highest crime rates in the country. Drug abuse and homelessness are out of control. Parts of the city look like a third world country. Citizens don't feel safe anymore. You wonder how things deteriorated so quickly. It's sad. No wonder I would prefer to live in 1969.

It was nice to have a break from the usual Sunday chores today. I didn't really miss going to the gym. I'll catch up on chores tomorrow. The only useful thing I did today was make some temporary repairs to the balky French toilet. I've discovered that there's a weird little rubber piston in the flush mechanism that causes the toilet to run if it gets dirty. Periodically, I take the piston assembly apart and clean all the parts with alcohol. This usually fixes things for a few months.

Dash had a good day. He was still as slow as molasses, but he really enjoyed his outings in the park. The weather was beautiful and there were lots of things to smell. I wish I could do a better job of keeping him from stumbling. I do the best I can and we're still walking, so I guess that's all that counts. I evidently didn't do a great job of cleaning him up last night when he pooped either. He still had a brown tail when I woke up this morning.

I promised myself that I'll get started on my taxes tomorrow. I don't always keep my promises though.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3369

When I was walking Dash today, a couple stopped us and asked me if I knew the area. "Kind of," I said. We're lost, the guy said and we can't find our car. This seemed strange to me. There aren't very many parking lots in the park and they are all clearly defined. I asked the couple if there were any buildings they could describe near where they parked. They mentioned a few that I recognized. They were on the opposite side of the lake. "You guys are at least eight miles away from your car," I said. "It's over there," I told them, pointing at something near the horizon. The couple seemed discouraged. How could somebody walk so far without having any idea where they were going? I have a pretty good sense of direction, so getting lost this way seemed almost incomprehensible to me. I wished the couple luck and continued my very slow walk with Dash. It was questionable who was going to get home first.

The World War II bombers flew overhead again today. At one point a B-17 made a low pass right over our heads. It would be tempting to go see these planes again, but I'm sure they would look exactly the same as they did last year. Maybe I'll go and see Apollo 11 tomorrow instead. It's playing now at several theaters in Dallas. I've heard a lot about this new documentary. It was made using 177 reels of pristine and previously unseen wide screen 65 and 70 mm Panavision footage recently discovered at the National Archives. Who knew that NASA even made these films. There is nothing new about the story of Apollo 11. I think this is a movie you see primarily for the cinematography. I typically just download movies on iTunes and watch them on my computer. This is something that would definitely look better on the big screen.

Janet had an all-day Dalmatian Rescue event to attend, so I spent most of the day babysitting Dash. You just can't leave him alone for long periods of time anymore. Sometimes he can get up on his own, and other times he can't. If he panics and starts struggling to get up, he can hurt himself. Everything got done today, but sometimes it took a while. It took a handful of treats to just lure Dash to the park this morning. I could tell he wanted to walk, but he also wanted Janet to lead the way. Dash can be very stubborn at times.

I accomplished virtually nothing today. I was able to go out and get groceries after I was convinced that Dash was sleeping soundly. There wasn't much on my list today, so I was able to get back home fairly quickly. Dash was still asleep in exactly the same place when I returned. There were all sorts of things I should have done today but I just didn't feel like it. The house is relatively clean, most of the March bills are paid, and the roof is dry. I'm not quite ready to deal with my taxes yet.

I guess the big decision tomorrow is whether to go to the gym or the movies. It would take too much time to do both. I don't really have strong feelings about either alternative. We'll see how the day goes. Since I fell asleep for about thirty minutes while writing tonight's post, it might be a better idea to just take a long nap.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3368

Breakfast almost turned into lunch today. Dash stumbled a lot on his morning walk. He peed in the house twice. He wouldn't eat his breakfast. And then he kept trying to get on the bed as I was trying to leave. We can't leave Dash unattended on the bed anymore. He has trouble getting up on his own and there's a risk that he will fall off and hurt himself. It made Dash mad to go to his safe place. I knew he was tired, so I stayed with him until he calmed down and went to sleep. I don't blame Dash for being frustrated. I'm sure he just wants to be a young dog again. Don't we all.

Needless to say, I was a little late in getting started today. Why was the restaurant full at this time of day? I was amazed that so many people were eating breakfast at 11 AM. This was a work day too. I'm amazed at a lot these days. So much has changed in the world and most of the changes make no sense to me. I was curious why all these people were eating so late. They couldn't all have a sick dog at home. As usual, I was probably the only one out of sync. As I was leaving, I noticed that I was the only person in the entire place that was eating alone.

There were more bills to pay today. It seems like there were always bills to pay. I guess I could set up auto-pay so I wouldn't have to keep making constant trips to the post office but I'm afraid that I could easily lose track of things. When I'm paying bills manually, at least I'm aware when companies raise their prices and start charging me more. Everybody follows the same formula. They offer an attractive introductory rate to get your business and hope you forget that the offer is temporary. As soon as the introductory period runs out, rates jump dramatically.

Although it was cold this morning, the day turned out nicely. By the time we took our afternoon walk, the weather was beautiful. I'm starting to see early wildflowers, but it's hard to photograph them while I'm walking Dash. He stumbled even more on his afternoon walk than he did this morning. I did a good job of keeping him from falling, but it can be difficult walking a dog with two leashes. I feel like a puppeteer sometimes. There is a leash at the neck and another at his tail. I keep each leash taunt while still allowing Dash to walk as naturally as he can. When I feel him start to stumble, I pull up on the appropriate leash to keep him upright. The special Help 'Em Up Harness make this all possible. Walking is a team effort now, but it's worth it. If you have a dog with mobility problems, it makes a huge difference if you can find a way to let them move around normally.

Google+ is going away very soon. I get daily messages urging me to back up my data before everything disappears. I wonder why I still post every day if everything is going away. It's kind of sad. Google+ was the only social network I actually liked. I never really understood Twitter. Hashtags and 140 character messages were never my cup of tea. My Facebook timeline is mostly just a bunch of dog pictures. There's nothing wrong with dog pictures, but I actually learned lots of new stuff reading Google+ in the early days. All I'm learning now is that Google is terrible at keeping promises.

One of my back up UPS boxes has a bad battery again. This is an older Uninterrupted Power Supply and I think I've already replaced the batteries before. I'll drop it off at the repair shop tomorrow when I go grocery shopping. I feel sorry for people who have bought an electric car. They haven't owned these cars long enough to realize how evil batteries can be. They always go bad and usually at the worst possible time. I think I'd much rather replace a fuel pump or a head gasket than to replace all the batteries in a Tesla. I really wish everything just worked perfectly forever, but that's not going to happen.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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