Day 3476

We spent the afternoon getting to know some of the new arrivals in the Dalmatian Rescue program. Hank and Pongo were both handsome, friendly young males. One was a stray and the other was an owner surrender. It always amazes me that wonderful dogs like these wind up being abandoned. They should have been valued members of someone's family since they were small puppies. We'll make sure they get better homes next time.

Pongo has heartworms and Hank is still a little nervous about his new surroundings. I'm convinced that they'll both be healthy and happy in the near future. These boys are so friendly that I'm sure they'll find their forever home very soon. After we finished photographing the new dogs for the website, we spent some time playing ball with the other dogs in the program. This is a great group of Dalmatians. Janet and I enjoyed our time at the kennel just as much as the dogs did.

All the dogs preferred to stay in the air conditioned play area today. Who could blame them. It was very hot today. I guess this is to be expected for the first of July. You can tell that people are already getting ready for the Fourth of July holiday. Unfortunately this means fireworks. Our dogs never liked fireworks. I'm sure that most of the dogs at the kennel don't either. They will all be safe inside their kennel runs, but hopefully there will be no loud displays nearby. People are already shooting off fireworks at the lake in the evenings. It doesn't matter that the city doesn't allow this. People do it anyway.

It took a lot of willpower to go on my long walk after we returned from the Dalmatian kennels. I should have done this early this morning when it was cooler, but there were other chores that needed to be attended to. It's hard to skip these walks entirely now. I've become a slave to the Fitbit.

I'm apparently not a slave to anything else. I can't get motivated to do yard work in this heat and starting a new personal project seems out of the question. Every once in a while I think it's time to completely redesign my company website. Then I realize I'm retired. The old website will do just fine.

There's another launch at Kennedy Space Center early tomorrow morning and two members of our group stayed in Florida so they could see both. I don't know how they managed to get credentials for back to back launches, but the rest of us were envious. Realistically, I can probably only afford one of these trips a year. That's assuming that I even get accepted again. Hey, at least I know what to save my money for now.

Maybe I'll go up on the roof tomorrow and try to patch a few areas with the Liquid Rubber in a Can that I bought at Costco. It might not work, but what do I have to lose. On the other hand, it might be better to forget the roof and go see a movie instead. Yesterday is still playing in Dallas. The movie has gotten mixed reviews, but I still think I'd probably like it.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3427

Some workmen digging in the alley behind our house cut our fiber optic cable today. This was inconvenient because all of the sudden our phones, television, and internet were gone. AT&T told us that they buried the cables these days so they would be maintenance free. Good luck with that. I called the customer service number and waited forever to talk with a real person. An automated mechanical voice kept telling me to stay on the line while they ran some tests. I would wait and then a while later the mechanical voice would say that they were experiencing technical difficulties and to call back later. If I could have talked with a real person I could have told them immediately that the tests would never work because the line wasn't connected to anything. The workmen had cut it in half. Eventually I was able to schedule a service call by calling a different number. I certainly wasn't expecting anyone to cut through my buried fiber line, but this is why I still keep the little T-Mobile WiFi hotspot that I used to use on business trips. It's slow, but it usually works.

It's been a month to the day since Dash passed away. Since we no longer have a Dalmatian of our own, Janet and I have been visiting the rescue kennel when we have time. We went up this afternoon to play with the dogs. I was hoping to see the quiet little girl who crawled in my lap the last time we visited, but she already has a foster to adopt. I didn't think this girl would stay at the kennel long. She was adorable. We played ball with the remaining dogs who were anything but quiet. They were full of energy and loved the attention. The kennel staff told us that we were welcome to visit and play with the dogs any time we wanted. They said that they were usually too busy to spend this much individual time with the dogs and that it was good for them to get the extra attention. Over time we will learn more about each dog's personality and it might help them find a good home.

On our way back to town we stopped at Costco so I could get my membership card. Evidently I can get a card because Janet is a member. Janet likes this enormous store but I usually stick to places closer to home. It doesn't hurt to have the card though. Who knows. There might be a bargain some day that I just can't pass up.

When we got back to the house there was an AT&T technician waiting for us on the front porch. "But our service appointment isn't until Wednesday," I told the guy. "I wouldn't know about that," the technician said. Then he added "If you can give me access to your back yard, I can fix your cable today." This was a baffling, but welcome surprise. It looks like I can watch Perry Mason tonight after all.

I'm still taking long walks every day. I wonder if I can keep this up during the Summer. It was warmer today and I could definitely feel the heat. I don't think these walks will be nearly as enjoyable when the temperature is over 100 degrees. I need to make the most of this limited window of opportunity. Spring is beautiful in Texas, but it doesn't last long.

I need to quit checking the stock market on days like today. The market was a disaster. I have no control over the market whatsoever. I need to stick to photographing butterflies and petting Dalmatians and hopefully everything will be fine.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3336

Dash had no desire to get up this morning. Neither did I, but I knew I had a limited time to get him outside to pee before he wet the bed. I finally managed to get him out of bed, but as soon as he went outside and did his business, he headed straight back to the bedroom. He knew it was a rainy day and he wasn't going anywhere. Since I couldn't make the bed with Dash in it, I went to the kitchen and fixed my smoothie instead. I thought Dash would follow me to the kitchen, since he's always interested in food. He didn't budge. He has to take his morning meds on a regular schedule, so I took the pills and some sliced ham back to the bedroom with me. I rolled each pill in a small slice of ham and fed them to him one by one while he was lying in bed. The fact that he took the pills let me know that he was just being lazy. I suspect that he knew that Janet had already left for the morning and he could get away with anything with me.

Usually Dash poops right after he's taken his morning pills, so I was reluctant to leave him unattended for very long. I kept checking on him every few minutes as I was having my own breakfast and luckily I managed to catch him just as he was getting ready to poop. I quickly slid a puppy pad under him and made the save. No mess this time.

When I finished my smoothie, I went up on the roof and made sure the pumps were working before the heavy rain I saw on the radar arrived. These pumps help keep the water level on the roof from getting too high when it rains, but they are finicky and always seem to get clogged at the worst possible time. Luckily, I was able to get both pumps working today.

Dash's morning walk didn't take place until noon today, but at least he still got one. There was a light drizzle, but we didn't get too wet. After Dash's exceedingly lethargic morning, I thought that he wouldn't even want a walk. I was wrong. These slow, stumbling, and often aimless walks are the high point of his day.

Janet added me to her Costco membership last month, so we went to the store after lunch so I could get my membership card. Their card printer was broken, so I'll have to go back later. I'd never been to a Costco before. This one seemed like a giant Sam's Club with a more upscale suburban customer base. It was a little bit overwhelming. I'll probably continue going to Sam's.

Today's rain was strong enough to be a legitimate test of the roof repairs. Fingers crossed. I will be watching the ceiling very carefully for the next few days looking for signs of moisture. I've learned that the water doesn't always appear immediately. Sometimes it can take quite a while to find it's way inside.

I actually got a decent amount of sleep last night. Hey, lets go for two day in a row. There's still a lot of catching up to do. All I seem to think about these days is sleep and food. Of course I think about water on the roof and dog poop too, but you get my point. Life has become very simple. I suspect that life was always pretty simple. I just didn't realize it when I was younger.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day