Day 3287

Since there is still rain in the forecast for Christmas, I thought I'd get the roof as ready as I could. I went to the hardware store and got a new hose for the pump to replace the current hose that had developed a kink. I thought the container the roofers left on the porch was some silicon material I could use to make emergency repairs. Unfortunately, it was just an empty container that they didn't bother to throw away. I thought there might be just enough elastomer material in the bottom of the bucket to fill the one remaining hole the roofers forgot. Jeez. I shouldn't be allowed near this stuff. I always make a mess. Even though I was very careful, I got some of the sticky silicon on my hands. I managed to fill the hole, but then later in the day I accidentally stepped in the still wet patch while I was changing the hose on the sump pump. I ruined a pair of cheap shoes and messed up my patch. Fortunately, there was just enough elastomer material left in the bucket to repair the hole again. I don't think I accomplished much, but at least I made an effort.

Dash had me worried today. For a while we wasn't putting weight on one of his rear legs. Did he tear an ACL? Has the neurological damage in his legs gotten worse? It was hard to tell. We got a treat he likes to see if he would follow us to get it. When we was distracted by the treat, he started walking normally again. We shortened his walk this evening and watched carefully to see if started limping. Dash did fine. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether we're pushing Dash too hard, or whether the exercise he's getting is beneficial. His condition is definitely getting worse, but he's going down hill slowly. We were dealing with a lot of the same problems last Christmas.

Last Christmas Dash was already having trembling spasms where he would start shivering violently for about ten minutes. The odd shivering spasms continue, but they haven't gotten much worse. His legs have gotten weaker, but he still does pretty well when he's moving forward. Dash has no reverse gear anymore. When he tries to back up, he falls over. The only thing that has dramatically changed during the past year is the incontinence. Dash is pooping all over the place these days. It's not all bad news though. We think the blood clot in his heart has actually gotten smaller or might have even disappeared this year. We have one more echocardiogram planned for January, just to make sure.

One benefit of my broken desk chair is that I have to sit up straight now. I have a tendency to lean back and slouch as I type, which is probably what broke the Aeron chair's tensioning spring in the first place. This new state of affairs may be great for my posture, but I'm definitely going to have to get this chair fixed. I'm a sloucher and my favorite chair just isn't comfortable anymore.

My financial condition doesn't feel very comfortable either. The stock market took another tumble today. It was a pretty dramatic sell off, considering that the market wasn't even open all day. I hope this downturn isn't as bad as 2007, but it's hard to tell at this point. There's certainly a lot of uncertainty in the world. I hope sanity returns in 2019, but I have my doubts. I spend so much time worrying about Dash and the roof that I might not even notice the apocalypse anyway.

Rain or shine, we're looking forward to a pleasant Christmas. Presents aren't a big deal anymore, but I'm still hoping that the roofers left me a gift. A roof that doesn't leak when it rains would be great. A dog that didn't poop in the bed on Christmas morning would be pretty nice too.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1289

Dot gave me a scare this morning. As we were returning home from our morning walk, her rear leg gave out. I managed to catch her before she fell over, but I was worried that she had torn her ACL. A torn anterior cruciate ligament is a common injury with older Dalmatians and just about anything can trigger a tear. As I reached under Dot's belly to keep her from falling, I noticed that the leg that had buckled was stretched out behind her. This was unusual, since a dog usually holds their leg up when they have a limp. We sat and rested for about five minutes and then Dot just got up and started walking normally again.

Since today was Dot's acupuncture therapy day, I had the vet examine her leg when we went for our appointment. There seems to be no damage whatsoever.  Dot had definitely not suffered from an ACL tear. This was very good news, but I still wondered what had happened. The vet suspected that Dot had experienced a sudden leg cramp, which she said was not uncommon in older dogs. Although Dot seems fine now, I feel like there is now one more thing to worry about.

It was a slow day compared to yesterday. I still had some website revisions to complete, but I spent most of the day doing routine bookkeeping and organizing records. Since today's bookkeeping efforts had more to do with investments than with the business, there wasn't much to cheer about. The market sucks this year. Usually, when stocks go down, bonds, gold, or commodities go up. This year, there appears to be no safe haven. There are days when absolutely everything goes down together. Life was much simpler when you could just buy a six month CD and earn 8% while waiting for the market to turn around. Now, even real estate is a fickle investment. I don't think I will ever buy real estate as an investment again.

Janet had to work late tonight, so we didn't go to dog training class. Since it was another 100 degree day, I don't think the dogs minded skipping class. I guess I could take one dog to class when Janet is late, but I never do because the dog that gets left behind seems so disappointed. Even when I take one of the dogs to the vet, the other seems disappointed, and they don't even like going to the vet. I guess they're just like people. You always end up wanting what you can't have.

This month has gone really quickly. When I was scheduling Dot's next acupuncture at the vet's office today, I realized that next Thursday was the Fourth of July. I think we're invited to some sort of dog parade on the Fourth of July. Or maybe it's just a regular parade. I can't remember. Personally, I'd rather just go out for breakfast.

Derrick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1183

Dot received a much more encouraging prognosis at the vet than I was expecting. She doesn't have an ACL tear, which is very good news. She doesn't have severe Spondylosis either, which is equally encouraging. Even the muscle atrophy in her rear legs seems commensurate with her age. There is still something wrong of course. Today's visit was more to rule out life threatening immediate dangers than to get to the bottom of things. That will take time. While Dot and I were at the clinic, my vet showed me her first book, which had just been published. It is a sweet, beautifully illustrated children's book about a girl and an injured Dalmatian. The book gets its title from the fact that Dalmatians can smile. Dot and Dash frequently give me a big smile whenever I return home. I was really impressed with the book, and it isn't just because I love Dalmatians. The book is a heartwarming story that would make a great gift for any child who likes animals. I'm sure Dr. Barton would be extremely happy if a few of you would go to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble and buy a copy of Smile for a friend, or for yourself.

I was surprised to get the Defender 90 back from the shop today. Based on previous experience, I was convinced that it would take months to get the repairs done. Probably the dealer was in a hurry to get the cool little Evoque they loaned me back before I put a dent in it. This car was brand new and had less than 200 miles on it. I definitely wouldn't have minded driving the futuristic little Evoque for a few more days. I've never driven a car that didn't need an ignition key before. It was also cool to have a video view of what was behind you appear on the dash every time you put the car in reverse. Electronically, the Evoque seems as sophisticated as the space shuttle. I wonder how long it will last though. Probably not nearly as long as my Defender. The Defender may not have many bells and whistles, but it's built like a tank.

The day was full of surprises. In addition to the good news about Dot and the surprising early return of my car, there was also the reappearance of my missing client. Some of you may remember me telling you about a client that I was convinced had forgotten about me. It turns out that they hadn't forgotten me at all. They had just forgotten to check and see if their e-mail account was working. For over a month, these guys had been sending e-mails out and never questioning the fact that they never, ever got a reply to their messages. Eventually, they figured out that their e-mail account wasn't working and started calling people on the phone. I don't know about you, but I don't think it would take me a month to figure out that my e-mail account wasn't working. I bet within five minutes, someone would be calling me to complain that they hadn't received their files yet.

Some of you probably think I already spend too much time walking the dogs. I think it's going to take me even longer in the weeks to come. I have to walk Dot and Dash separately for a while to keep Dot from overexerting herself trying to keep up with Dash. There just aren't enough hours in the day. I don't think switching to Daylight Saving Time saved anything at all.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1181

The day started well, but ended with a mishap. Dot's rear legs gave out on her evening walk and she couldn't get up again. I've been afraid this was going to happen for a long time now. Dot is getting old. I knew she could never make it home, so I called Janet to come pick us up in the car. Dot is resting comfortably now at home, but she'll need to go to the vet tomorrow. Hopefully, she just overexerted herself today and maybe sprained something. There's a good chance she tore her anterior cruciate ligament though. ACL injuries are very common with older Dalmatians. Usually when an ACL injury happens, the dog isn't doing anything strenuous. Today, Dot was just walking slowly on level ground. That's the way it happens though. The ligament tears unexpectedly, just like an old rubber band breaking. I'm going to hope for the best and not even think about surgery at this point. We've done the TPLO surgery with other dogs, and it's pretty major. We'll know more tomorrow.

I never would have dreamed that this would end up being a traumatic day. The morning was uneventful, and so was the trip to the dog park a little later. Dot even seemed playful at the dog park. Maybe she was a bit too playful.

I started getting my tax records organized to take to my accountant this afternoon. It's always disappointing to see how much money just evaporates in a normal year with very little to show for it. The gas and electric bills looked pretty normal, but the cost of phone, cable, WiFi, and Internet services has grown exponentially. Health care is even worse. You don't even want to know what I have to pay for health insurance these days. Oh, I sold a house in 2012 too. Uncle Sam is already waiting for his share of that sale. When I look at the numbers, it's hard to feel like I'm doing well. It's hard to feel like the whole country is doing well. I think we are all just treading water.

I'm doing my best to keep the economy alive though. The Land Rover folks should be doing well after they get finished taking my engine apart. Whoever wins the bid to put on my new roof should be doing pretty well to. I certainly haven't gotten any low bids on the roof yet. I've got to hire a landscaper later this Spring as well. I could always do things myself again, but that would just be throwing good money after bad. Everything I've planted in the past three years has died.

Send your prayers to Dot. She's going to need all the help she can get.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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