Thursday, December 29, 2022

Day 4753

Dawn seemed sad today. I could hear her crying in the bedroom ocassionally. We are getting along fine, but I've never seen a dog so dependent on one person. Dawn is just not the same dog when Janet is not around. It all makes sense if you know Dawn's history. Dawn was attacked by another dog at the rescue kennel and Janet took her home and nursed her back to health. 

I was out of town at the time and Dawn didn't know I was a part of the household until later. I don't think Dawn has ever trusted men. She was born at the puppy mill where she was later used as a breeding dog and was mistreated by the two men who ran the place for her entire life. It is all she has ever known. Dawn could probably put her past behind her if she was a young dog, but she is older and has seen a lot.

We do the best we can. I don't think that Dawn and I will ever be best buddies, but she does depend on me.  I do the best I can to make sure she has nothing to worry about. We do everything very consistently and try to avoid surprises. I have always been very consistent with Dawn and think that it helps to build trust. We eat and go outside at the same times every day. It's probably not great that she wants to spend her day sitting on the bed, but she's peaceful and relaxed there. She will go down to the park with me every morning to smell things and do her business. Hey, it's a start. Given enough time, I might eventually be able to convince her to take a walk. I know she loves to walk when Janet is around.

I continue to take my long walk every day. I just don't feel like going anywhere else. I don't think there will be any year end purchases this year. I just don't feel like buying things this year. The walk has become a placeholder to fill a very long day. If my feet didn't hurt so much, I might walk even longer. Walking is great exercise and it doesn't prevent you from day dreaming. I daydream a lot. I think about future trips I'm planning and cars I'd like to buy. Sometimes I think about articles I'd like to pitch to various magazines. Occasionally I worry about my health, but I still think I'm pretty healthy. I rarely think about doing anything with friends. I'm happy enough by myself.

All the leaves are off the trees now and the grass has turned yellow and dry. The park is actually looking pretty bleak, but there are still plenty of birds to watch. Another female Muscovy duck turned up today, so now there are four of these strange birds. Maybe there will be ducklings this Spring. I have no idea where the eagles went. They don't even seem to be in the area anymore. Maybe that's why all the white pelicans have returned. I saw a ton of white pelicans today. I don't know where the monk parakeets went either. These loud birds were everywhere this summer, but I haven't heard a peep out of them for months.

It's hard to believe what is happening with Southwest Airlines. I almost always fly Southwest and have liked the airline for a long time. It's sad to see them implode like this. All things considered it wasn't even that bad of a storm. It makes you wonder how many other companies are living on the edge of disaster. I don't think our economy is nearly as robust as we'd like to think it is. Look what happened when a little bad weather almost brought down the entire Texas power grid a few years ago. This ongoing uncertainty doesn't bring me any comfort. Much of my future is tied up in the stock market and there has never been anything safe about the stock market. In some ways I'm glad I'm old. The world is doomed, but I think it will probably last another twenty years.

I've taken this weeks's trash out to the curb. There wasn't much trash this week. I guess I don't consume much. I imagine that tomorrow will be very much like today. It's been a very quiet week.

Petey & Greta are the Dalmatians of the Day


Watch of the Day