Day 3002

We managed to get Dash's nails trimmed this morning. It's hard to believe that this used to be an easy task, Now, it is next to impossible. These days if you touch his feet, Dash thinks you are trying to kill him. I don't think we would have had a chance if we weren't going to see his favorite vet. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Dash still trusts Molly. Even with expert help it wasn't an easy job. I held Dash and Janet fed him treats to distract him while the vet clipped. Each time we do this, it gets a little harder. I wish his nails would just quit growing.

Ever since Dash ripped out a dewclaw, I've been worried about his nails. The risk of bleeding is very real. It took several weeks and three trips to the vet before the bleeding completely stopped when he tore the dewclaw. This was before he was on blood thinners too. Today, the consequences would be far worse. The rubber boots he wears on walks are primarily to reduce the risk of cuts and bleeding. We do the best we can, but this is going to be continual problem.

The nail trim wasn't today's only dog problem. Dash peed in the bed while he was asleep last night. I spent most of the morning cleaning all the bedding. I hope this isn't the start of incontinence. Dash still seems to have bladder control, so maybe last night was just a fluke. I hope so. An incontinent dog who insists on sleeping in the bed with you is a major problem. Dot was incontinent during the last years of her life, but she was too weak to jump in the bed anymore, so it was easier to create a safe space for her. Dash is stubborn. Even if I brought home all the rubberized mats we sewed for Dot, he might refuse to use them.

I didn't get much done today. Our trip to the vet put me several hours behind on our daily routine. By the time I gave Dash his morning walk and fixed my breakfast, it was well past noon. Even with such a late start, I wasn't really behind on anything. Other than fixing a never ending assortment of broken things around the house, there is very little to do.

Maybe if I get organized tomorrow, I'll take my computer to the repair shop. I don't know why it is important to me to have a working CD burner. Nobody asks me to make them a CD anymore. Probably the best reason to repair the computer is that parts might not be available in the near future. I got the computer in 2010. Apple doesn't even put CD/DVD burners in newer computers, so OEM Superdrives won't be available forever.

The weather continues to be beautiful. No Spring allergies yet either. I don't think the rainy season is over yet, but I doubt that we have to worry about snow. It's hard to believe that large sections of the country are still dealing with snow when it is 70 degrees outside. It was so nice today that I was even able to convince Dash to take two walks. Hey, when your dog takes two walks, eats all his food, and has nicely trimmed nails, it's a pretty good day.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1402

Today was an odd assortment of obscure tasks. Since the skies finally turned blue again, I went up on the roof and swept away a slurry of decaying leaves, pecan shells, and brownish water. I keep thinking that if I can keep the Fall leaves from turning into a big compost pile, the new roof will last longer. I could be wrong though.

Later in the day I found myself taking all the spots off of a vector art illustration of a Dalmatian. I needed to create a large image of a Dalmatian without any spots, so children at a Fall carnival could add the spots back one at a time and create their own Dalmatian. I sent the outline of the dog off to be printed on a 36" square sheet of plastic. Small kids should have fun putting the spots on a Dalmatian, shouldn't they? Hey, maybe it's a silly game, but it was all I could think of for our booth at this event.

Since work was unusually slow today, I found time to go back to the gym again. Three visits in one week is pretty good for me. I am still baffled by people who love to exercise. I don't find my workouts any different than vacuuming the floors, or mowing the grass. There's no endorphin rush for me. It's just another kind of work. I will admit that I enjoy shooting baskets on the gym's basketball court. Who would have thought? My Dad would have been pleased to see me pick up a basketball. It was his favorite game.

I just remembered that I left six of my favorite CDs in the Defender 90's CD changer when I sold the car. If the car is still up at the dealership, I should go up and get the discs while I can. You may wonder why it took me three weeks to remember that I'd misplaced my favorite CDs. I guess I don't listen to music much anymore. I certainly don't play CDs very often. Music is just files on an iPhone now.

I have to take Dot to the imaging center for her MRI first thing tomorrow morning. She's not going to be a happy camper when she discovers that she can't eat breakfast. Dogs live to eat and missing a meal is a big deal to them. She has to fast though, since they will be giving her anesthesia for her brain scan. I'll be glad when this is over with. I don't like to be anesthetized myself, but at least I know what's happening. The dogs have no idea what is going to happen to them, but I'm sure they blame me when they wake up again. They always give me one of those "how could you" looks when I pick them up after the procedure. This needs to be done though, so I hope Dot will be safe.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day