Day 4310

I spent the day trying to stay ahead of the rain which still hasn't arrived. They say it's supposed to rain later this evening. I don't know why I put so much faith in weather forecasts because they are seldom right. At least getting an early start allowed me to get some things done today. I wasn't really trying to get things done, but I had so much time on my hands that boredom set in and I actually did some vacuuming and house cleaning.

I'm not going to be able to wear shorts much longer. It was a little chilly on our morning walks. Dawn reverted to her short one mile loop and I took my regular long walk high after I finished breakfast. There was a light mist in the air, but I didn't really get wet. This was a far cry from the hundred degree walks I was taking earlier this summer. It's pleasant to walk without getting hot and sweaty, but my feet are starting to hurt again. Probably my special running shoes are starting to wear out and it's time to break in a new pair. I keep thinking that I just got these shoes but the soles tell another story. I've put a lot of miles on these puppies.

Tuesday is cleaning day at our house. Personally, I don't mind a little dust. It's easy to convince myself that dust protects things. Janet sees things differently. I'm sure she'd rather I'd just get out of the way, but I'd already taken my walk and I thought it was going to rain. I did the vacuuming today. I'm no better at vacuuming than anybody else but I am better at cleaning the vacuum cleaner. I don't know why we got a Dyson. Our old vacuum was so much easier to use. All the dust just went in a bag that you threw away when it got full. The Dyson has no bag and you practically have to take the thing apart to get it clean. I have to take the canister outside and use the leaf blower to get the leftover dust out of the canister after I have emptied it. You shouldn't have to use a leaf blower to clean your vacuum. This is typical of me. I'm more worried about dust in the vacuum cleaner than dust in the house.

I got a letter from Medicare today detailing the charges for my hospital visit. Some things were more expensive than I thought they'd be and other things were less. I was a little surprised that the anesthesiologist seem to make more money than the surgeon. A lot of labs test seemed relatively cheap. Medical billing is a complete mystery to me. The initial charges are always quite high. Medicare seems to pay surprisingly little. Always at the end of the day the whole thing just goes away. Maybe my supplemental insurance picks up the rest. Maybe all these numbers are just imaginary. Hospitals seem to know how it all works. Most patients don't.

I wish dogs had health insurance. The only time I get a true picture of what things actually cost is when one of our dogs has become seriously ill. Our dogs have had MRI's, CAT scans, ultrasound imaging, neurosurgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and much more, all using the same machinery and medications that humans use. It can get expensive.

There is a crew behind the house tearing up the alley again. They are destroying the work they did just a few weeks ago. These guys dig a big hole with a backhoe, no pipes of leaks seem to be uncovered, then they fill the hole in again. Today they ripped out the concrete they poured  earlier, dug an even bigger hole, and then filled it in with new concrete. They seem to make a lot of phone calls to their supervisor. I may be wrong, but I don't think these guys know what they are doing. Luckily we don't use this alley for anything. Our neighbors who use it as a driveway are probably pretty mad.

The weather app on my phone says we will have all day rain tomorrow. I don't know whether to believe this or not.

Kuuipo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day