Day 4820

Dawn had a setback today. She could hardly walk this morning and we had to help her off the bed. She was favoring her left front leg and her neck seemed puffy as well. Things didn't get better as the day progressed, so we took her to the vet. They took x-rays and gave her some pain pills, but we still don't really know what is going on. If I had to guess, I think she might have a slipped disk in her neck, but it could be anything. She was very stressed before we went to the vet, but the pain meds appear to be working and she is calm now. Hopefully we can find out what is going on soon. This is a strange set of symptoms with no apparent cause. Up till now she has been a very healthy dog.

Dawn didn't get a morning walk for obvious reasons and I didn't take my own walk until later this afternoon because I didn't want to leave Dawn alone in the house. Everything is more of less back to normal while we wait for a diagnosis, but it's going to be hard to keep her off the bed. Our bed is her favorite place, but jumping on and off is not going to be good while she has a weak front end. Her front legs aren't swollen and appear normal but she has already fallen twice. Something is definitely very wrong.

I made an appointment with the roofers to go over their bid and schedule getting the new roof installed. I'm not looking forward to this, but it has to be done. I hope I picked the right roofing company. These guys came highly recommended, but I've been disappointed by roofers before. I want this to be the last roof we have to deal with on this house. Janet and I are getting too old to be dealing with continual roof leaks. When the roof is fixed we will need to repair damaged sheetrock inside the house and then get new carpets and paint. First things first though.

It's time for a haircut again, so I made an appointment for later in the week. I also renewed some prescription that I will pick up tomorrow. I usually get a haircut before I travel, but there are no travel plans in the immediate future. There are interesting launches at Kennedy Space Center in April, but I may need to skip them. A lot depends on what is going on with Dawn. It wouldn't hurt to lay low and save some money either. I've already been to Florida four time in the past several months.

I got my steps today but didn't complete my full six miles. There was a lot going on. It's just as well that I didn't walk as far today because my feet were bothering me. I was slow on my long walk which was a shame because it was such a nice day for walking. It feels like Spring has arrived even though it's a little early. Spring flowers are already starting to appear and a lot of trees in the park are turning green. I hope we don't have a late March freeze, but it has happened many times before. Wildflowers this early in the year almost guarantees that we will have another freeze.

Tomorrow is my last day to attempt roof repairs before more rain arrives. I don't have a lot of the Armor Flex liquid silicon left, but there is enough to patch a few leaks. All I need to do now is find them.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4814

I canceled today's appliance repair appointment because the dryer seems to be working fine again. I've done several loads of laundry and the problem seems to have disappeared. I have no idea what happened, but that's not surprising. A lot of things in life are a mystery to me. The roofers were a no show again today. They said they might be able to come over this afternoon, but didn't. They did send me a PDF file with their estimate though. Yes, it's quite expensive.

It was very warm again today. The temperature got up to over eighty degrees. This was another one of those days where the furnace was on when we woke up and the air conditioner was on most of the afternoon. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still a bit hot by the time I returned home. No complaints though. I hope this is a sign of an early Spring.

I had to go up on the roof and sweep away the remaining standing water to get the leak in the office to stop. Most of the roof was dry, but there is a stubborn low spot right over the office where water lingers long after the rain has gone. The problem with this time of year is that I have to clear away this water over and over again. Sadly, there is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow and Thursday.

I had to pick up a prescription today and the pharmacy staff were all in a bad mood. Usually these guys are very friendly. I ended up paying a higher price for my pills because they said it would take an extra thirty minutes if I wanted to compare prices using GoodRx. Strange. I always do this and it doesn't take any extra time at all. There was a big sign advertising free Covid test kits, but when I asked for some they said I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork to see if I qualified. Never mind. We've got a boatload of those test kits lying around the house already. This was all very disorientating because these guys are usually very helpful.

The construction crews are almost finished paving the service road through the park. I'll miss them because it gave me something interesting to look at while I walked. Pretty soon there will be lots to look at. I noticed today that daffodils are already blooming. This means that the Spring wildflowers will start to appear soon. I hope that there isn't a late March freeze that kills everything off. So far, it looks like we are headed for an early Spring.

There's been lots of activity down at Kennedy Space Center lately. It makes me wish I was down there. I wouldn't mind being one of the regular launch photographers who seem to be out covering every single launch. It's a somewhat silly activity, but strangely satisfying. Titusville is a nice town too. It's not too big and not too small. I could easily imagine living there. We're not going anywhere though. Moving is for younger people. I've lived several places over the years and basically one place is the same as the next. It makes more sense to settle down and learn to love where you're at. I'm glad I left Seattle though. Seattle has really gone downhill.

I'm hoping that we don't get a lot of rain tomorrow. I'm really tired of climbing up on the roof to sweep away the standing water. It makes me feel like Sisyphus, pushing that boulder eternally up the hill.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4455

I didn't pay enough attention to the weather this morning. I decided to take my long walk early and didn't even get to the end of the street before it suddenly started pouring rain. I quickly turned around and headed home, but it was too late. I was soaking wet. This was a strange little downpour. It didn't last long and it seemed to have been timed specifically to get me wet. It wasn't raining earlier when we took Dawn on her morning walk. And it wasn't raining later when we took her on her Sunday outing.

While my clothes were drying, I thought I might as well make use of my time, so I reluctantly started working on my taxes. While I was preparing my Quickbooks files for my accountant I noticed that my expenses had gone up in almost every category. Even though I drove less in 2021 I paid more for gas. Annual utility bills were considerably higher. Company expenses were about the only thing that went down. Makes sense I guess. I didn't have any business.

I've heard that our unseasonably warm weather is about to end. It got up to 80 degrees again today but tomorrow's high is supposed to only be in the mid-fifties. Later in the week we will be taking our morning walks in freezing weather again. This is basically par for the course. Almost every year we have a late freeze that kills all the early blooming flowers. Despite the odd weather, Spring is definitely getting closer. Things are starting to turn green in the park. It won't be too long before I start seeing baby ducks.

Dawn enjoyed her Sunday outing today. Maybe I was imagining things but she even seemed calmer in the car. I must have been feeling better too, because for the first time in over a month I was able to keep up with Dawn and Janet. My feet didn't bother me much today and I was able to make another attempt at my long walk later in the day after we returned home. We all enjoyed our ice cream cones today. A walk with Dawn followed by ice cream has become a Sunday tradition.

Basically all I did today was walk and do a little work on my taxes. I've had three 20,000 step days in a row now. That's not too shabby for a guy who can barely move when he gets up in the morning. I'm still not sure why my foot pain varies so much from day to day. Based on what is actually going on with my bones, you'd think the discomfort would be more or less constant. Maybe there is something to the old adage of mind over matter. I do tend to feel a little better on days when I'm in a good mood.

I'm about as anti-war as you can get, but it still bothers me that we aren't doing more to help the Ukrainians. At the very least, these guys should have iron dome defense shields around their cities like the Israelis do and  A-10 fighters to take care of the columns of Russian tanks and armored vehicles. Why was it OK for the United States to go into Iraq when virtually none of the locals wanted us there, but it is not OK to get involved with the Ukrainians when they are begging for our help? Yeah, I know the answer is Putin's nukes, but he still needs to be stopped.

Three of the four puppy mill Dalmatians will be at the kennel when we go to visit tomorrow. I can't wait to meet them. None of the dogs are ready for adoption yet, but I will take their pictures for the website anyway. I saw a few pictures of the dogs that were taken while they were at the vet. One of them looks a lot like Dawn. There certainly seems to be a family resemblance. I wonder if she could have been one of Dawn's puppies?

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4454

My grocery list was long this morning. Prices are still going up. It's not just a few cents anymore either. Most of the items I got today were at least a dollar higher than the last time I bought them. I don't really know who to blame here. Companies are facing a host of problems they never had to deal with before. There is a shortage of workers. Supply chain problems make it harder to get components to the factories and finished goods to the consumer. It's pretty clear that Covid has messed up everything. On the other hand, I think a lot of companies are taking advantage of the situation and raising prices just because they've got a good excuse now. I want prices to stay reasonable but I also want a healthy stock market because I depend on it for a retirement income. Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to be able to have both.

It was quite warm today. We didn't even have to wear jackets on our morning walk with Dawn. I don't call this a sunrise walk anymore because the sun is rising earlier now. Lately, it's almost always been up by the time we get started on our walk. Unfortunately, this is going to change in a few weeks. Daylight Savings Time begins again on March 13. I don't think anyone likes the time change but like everything else in modern life we are divided on whether to make Standard Time permanent or Daylight Savings Time permanent. My vote would be to make Standard Time permanent. I've never liked Daylight Savings Time and am not looking forward to walking in the dark again.

For some reason my pace was a lot better on my long walk today. I completed my walk at least five minutes faster than I usually do. Not a lot has changed. I still wake up tired and I have foot pain, although it wasn't all that bad today. Maybe I walked faster because it was so warm that I wore shorts today. I don't see a lot of cold weather in the long range forecast so maybe we really will get an early Spring this year. I hope we do. I'm tired of freezing weather and wearing multiple coats in the morning.

I wonder when my seasonal allergies are going to stop. My nose feels red and raw now, but the drip is relentless. Years ago my allergies didn't start until everything started turning green in the Spring. That hasn't happened yet, so maybe the worst is yet to come. There's got to be a solution to this that doesn't involve taking Allegra-D or other powerful decongestants. I don't handle decongestants well, but lately I think I'd prefer the buzzing in the head they give me to a constantly dripping nose.

I had the best intentions to start working on my taxes today, but one thing led to another and I ended up doing nothing. I'll get this finished before the deadline, but I have no desire to deal with taxes this year. I know I'm procrastinating but procrastinating is one of the things I do best. It's almost a superpower. I tend to wait until the last possible minute on everything and somehow still manage to get things done just in the nick of time.

I think I'm making a little progress with Dawn. She comes to me in the mornings now to get her harness on for her walk. About half the time, she'll stay with me on the bed if I take a nap during the day. She's more likely to stay if I don't look at her though. If I turn away and sleep on my side, she usually stays. She's getting a lot bolder in the kitchen too. I don't think that has a lot to do with me. Dawn just loves food.

It looks like we'll have a nice Sunday outing tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. There's a slight chance of rain but the temperature will certainly be nice. Here's hoping for sunshine and ice cream for all.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4452

I started working on my taxes today. I didn't get very far but at least I've got a folder to put my information in. I haven't done my own taxes for many years but there is still a lot of information to pull together for my accountant. Why do retired people even have to pay taxes? It's called an income tax and I don't have an income anymore. It wouldn't be so bad if people could choose what their taxes were used for. If I had a choice I would send mine to help the people in Ukraine this year. I'm fairly certain that the money will be wasted or spent on some government program I hate. At least I live in Texas. We don't have a state income tax.

I've finally seen pictures of the four new Dalmatians that the rescue program is picking up. They all come from a puppy mill in Marshal, Texas that hopefully is finally shut down for good. The dogs are all in bad shape, but they are at our vet now and will receive the care they've been needing for a long time. One of the females is pregnant and will have puppies soon. Dawn was rescued from this same puppy mill so I know how bad the conditions are there. All of Dawn's fear and nervousness came from this place. If you would like to help these dogs, a fundraiser has been created to provide for their care. If you are reading the real blog on my blogspot page, you can click on this link to donate. If you are looking at my JPEG images on Facebook, just look for the Dalmatian Rescue of North Texas page. 

I wonder how long this warm weather is going to last? The temperature topped 80 degrees today. It felt more like Summer than Spring. I'm happy for the warmer temperatures. They certainly beat the snow we had in March a few years ago. It's weird to have your furnace and your air conditioner both working on the same day. When we wake up in the morning the furnace is running. By mid afternoon, the air conditioner kicks in. I think that Dawn likes this warmer weather. There's a sunny spot in the bedroom that's become her new favorite place.

My allergies are worse than ever this year. I wonder why? Are pollen levels higher or is my resistance lower? It's hard to tell. It is irritating to blow you nose all day long though. It's definitely not as much fun to walk when your nose is dripping and you are constantly sneezing. I've had seasonal allergies for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately antihistamines make the problem even worse for me. I can't remember exactly when this is over for the year, but I hope it's soon.

I can't believe that Russia just bombed Europe's largest nuclear power plant. The place is on fire now. This is insane. Didn't these guys learn anything from Chernobyl? The fact that the rest of the world seems paralyzed by the fact that Putin has nuclear weapons seems as good a case for banning all nuclear weapons worldwide as I've ever seen. Who would enforce this though? It would probably be impossible unless space aliens stepped in. Humans have been fighting each other since the dawn of time. I don't have a lot of faith that this sad episode is going to bring us to our senses.

This week has sure gone quickly. I've already taken this week's trash to the curb and am ready to start all over again. Every Friday I toy with the idea of resuming my Friday morning restaurant breakfasts. I doubt that I'll go out for breakfast tomorrow, but one of these days I will. It's long past time to start having fun again.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3744

Hey, I'm doing my part. My car hasn't left the driveway all week. With the exception of a short trip to the vet yesterday, Janet's car hasn't moved much either. I can't say that my behavior has changed. I've been living this way for years. Janet is the only person I talk to regularly and I frequently drive less than ten miles a week. Isolation isn't all that bad. For many, many years I made a good income writing and designing websites from a computer in our spare bedroom.

It seems strange and somewhat disorienting to see people turning to things I've been doing for decades. Videoconferencing, working from home, ordering supplies online, maintaining a home network, and learning to tolerate long periods of silence and isolation are all skills I mastered years ago. I wonder how many people are going to decide that this is actually a better way to live when the pandemic is over?

I think people are already discovering the benefits of being outdoors. I see more people in the park than I've seen in years. I see them doing yoga, practicing kickboxing, and lifting weights, as well as the usually walking and cycling. Parents are taking their kids on long walks. I suspect that most of them are trying to wear the kids out so they will take a long nap and let the parents get some work done when they get home. Seems like a good plan to me. We all keep our distance in the park and hope nobody tries to force us indoors. There aren't a lot of things you can do proactively to stay healthy. I'm convinced that exercise and getting some good outdoor air into your lungs is a good place to start.

Local grocery stores are starting to limit the number of people inside the stores. In theory this is a good idea, but all it really does is cause people to bunch together at the store entrance waiting to get in. I wonder when the panic buying will stop? Eventually everyone is bound to have enough rice, bread, beans, and toilet paper.

I'm already starting to see used gloves and masks littering parking lots. This is insanity, but I'm really not surprised. For years I've seen people in the park pick up their dog poop in poop bags and then just throw the bags in the woods. What does this prove? There are plenty of trash cans in the park. Leaving a sealed poop bag in the hot sun is worse than doing nothing at all. Dog poop is biodegradable. Poop sealed in a bag and not disposed of properly probably becomes radioactive or something.

I wonder where all these people throwing away used masks and gloves in grocery store parking lots are getting them? You certainly can't find these items in stores yet. We still have lots of purple surgical gloves left over from Dash's chemo treatments. No masks though. When I administered Dash's meds every day, I couldn't touch the Palladia pills. They were very toxic and I had a complicated cleanup procedure to follow. Even Dash's poop was toxic and had to be disposed of properly. Washing my hands frequently seems simple by comparison.

One of the most enjoyable things about Spring is that there are new wildflowers to enjoy every single week. The Prairie Verbena arrived this week. These little purple flowers have always been one of my favorites.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3718

Maybe we're going to have an early Spring. Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow this year. Just saying. There are other signs as well. The Dogwood trees are already starting to bloom. I'm starting to see small flowers like Crow Poison and Blue Eyed Grass as well. These are all good omens. I'm tired of winter, even though it had been quite mild this year.

It was quite warm this morning, so I thought it would be a good day to apply more silicon to the roof. I called the roofing supply store and they had two buckets of the coating in stock. I told them to save one for me and got in the car to go pick it up. The stuff is expensive and it was a long drive to get it, but I'm convinced that this leak isn't going to stop on its own.

While the roofing supply folks were processing my order, I asked if they knew any good roofers. Truthfully, I don't believe they exist, buy I always ask. "Why don't you talk to Ellis over here," the lady at the front desk told me. This roofer was buying supplies as well and he certainly talked a good game. I asked him to come over and give me a bid.

I applied about a gallon of the stuff this afternoon and hoped for the best. The roofer I talked with this morning told me he never uses silicon because it doesn't breathe and allow moisture and humidity from inside the house to escape. Could this be true? I thought the whole point of a roof was to keep moisture from outside the house from getting in.

When I finished working on the roof, I tried to take Dawn on a walk. Janet had a doctor's appointment, so she couldn't go with us today. The walk started fine, but after about 500 yards, Dawn had a panic attack and refused to move forward. She just sat in the grass and looked at me with pitiful eyes. "Do you want to go back home," I said? She immediately turned around and started walking briskly toward the house. This was the first time she had been outside the yard without Janet. Dawn obviously trusts Janet more than me. Toward the end of the day, we both walked her together again and she did just fine.

I went back to the hotel for breakfast this morning. There were a lot of travelers dining this morning. You couldn't hear what they were talking about, but every now and then I heard the word coronavirus rise about the background noise. Clearly people are thinking about this. I wonder why the unknown scares us much more than the known? Cancer kills far more than this virus probably will. Probably many things do. I'm not immune from irrational fears though. Please don't cough if I'm nearby.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3692 - Superbowl Sunday

It looks like the Ground Hog was right. Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early Spring this year and I think it started today. The temperature was near 80 degrees this afternoon. This was enough to get the air conditioner running again. It was also a perfect day for shorts and a t-shirt. It's still hard to believe that there is still a chance of snow by Wednesday. Texas weather never fails to amaze.

Today was a great day for a walk, but I also took advantage of the nice weather to wash the car and go up on the roof. I thought this would be an ideal day to make some more repairs, but much to my surprise there was still water on the roof. Where did this come from? I don't even think it rained recently. I swept away the water and left the bucket of silicon up on the roof. I'll try again to make the repairs tomorrow.

21,000 steps today. The gym wasn't very crowded, but the park was packed. Everybody was out today. You just don't ignore an eighty degree day in February. Lots of people were walking their dogs this afternoon. I see hundreds of dogs in the park, but I've only seen one Dalmatian on a walk since Dash died. I forget how rare these dogs are since I see quite a few every Monday. They must be hard to find though, since most of the people who adopt our rescue dogs are from out of town. Quite a few even come from out of state. I enjoyed seeing all the happy dogs this afternoon, but I think I'll enjoy seeing my favorite Dalmatians even more tomorrow.

I reluctantly added another day to my Florida trip. I hope these are the last reservation changes I'll need to make. I think I've already set a new record for schedule changes. The closer it gets to the launch, the harder it is to make changes. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer. When I changed my flight this morning there was only one seat left. Things were pretty tight at the hotel as well. Please, no more changes guys. This is wearing me out.

I enjoyed the game this evening. I thought Kansas CIty was going to lose, but with only 8 minutes remaining, Patrick Mahomes managed to turn a double digit loss into a double digit win. Mahomes seems to specialize in turning things around at the last minute. It certainly makes for an exciting game.

The commercials with a few notable exceptions weren't exciting at all. I loved the Jeep commercial with Bill Murray reprising his role in Ground Hog Day. Very clever, expecially since today was Ground Hog Day. I also liked the Quicken Loans commercial where Jason Momoa pokes fun at himself by revealing that he is really a skinny balding man. Most of the other commercials were either far too serious or just totally incomprehensible. I'm not wild about today's half time shows either. Pole dancing is just no substitute for real musicianship. I don't think anyone's going to top Prince singing Purple Rain in a driving rainstorm.

It was a good day. Blue sky. An early Spring. An exciting game. Burgers and beer. And 21,000 steps. It's hard to complain about that.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

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 2651

It's hard to believe that it's still snowing in some parts of the country. The temperatures reached the high 80's here in Dallas. Unfortunately, this is already too warm for Dot. I'm dreading this Summer. Dot never liked hot weather even when she was young and healthy. Now, high temperatures are punishing. Even though there was a nice breeze, Dot had trouble on her afternoon walk. She seemed exhausted. We had to stop and rest several times, even though all we did was walk to the end of the block and back. We probably should have just stayed home, or waited until dusk when the temperature started to drop.

It looks like working on weekends is going to be a regular occurrence. I don't really mind. It just seems odd. Years ago when I was busy all the time, I never worked on weekends. Now, when virtually nothing happens at all, weekend gigs are common. It's not so much that my clients have changed. The entire workplace has changed.

The park was full today since the weather was so nice. There were hammocks everywhere. I still don't understand the popularity of hammocks. To me, enjoying the outdoors means taking a hike or paddling a kayak. Apparently, an entire generation thinks that enjoying the outdoors means lying in a hammock while looking at Snapchat on your phone. Older people still hike and bike, but the young ones are all lying in hammocks.

I'm surprised at how predictable Texas wildflowers are. Often if I look at a previous years blog post, I'll find a picture of exactly the same flowers I'm seeing now. Today, the Blue-eyed Grass emerged. The little blue flowers were everywhere. I don't know who named these things. They aren't in the grass family at all and the eye in the center is yellow instead of blue. Next week there will be a whole new batch of wildflowers to photograph. Things are starting to get colorful.

It was overcast this morning, but the sky cleared completely by sunset. This was a pretty good evening to look at the stars. Tonight there was a conjunction of Mercury and Venus that was visible right after sunset. After dinner, I took my binoculars to a nearby hill to look for the planets. I found them both, although if I'd waited another ten minutes they would have been lost in the haze near the horizon. Venus was a thin crescent and Mercury just looked like a bright star. I need to start looking for Saturn now.

It just occurred to me that I hadn't seen any White Pelicans this Winter. These large migratory birds are a common site at the lake and usually arrive in late Fall. I didn't see any this year. It's probably too late for them now. They usually continue their migration and move somewhere else in late Spring. I wonder where they went? I haven't seen the green Monk Parakeets this year either. It's probably a sign of the apocalypse.

It's time to go to the gym again. I should be developing some serious upper body strength, since I'm having to support more of Dot's weight as her legs become weaker. I used to just guide and steady her as she walked. Now, I need to lift the rear part of the harness a bit to keep her rear legs from crumbling under her. I need to take weight off her legs while still letting her feet touch the ground to provide tactile support and encourage her to move her legs. It takes a while to learn to do this so she can still walk naturally, but we're getting there. We'll do a lot better tomorrow if we get some sleep tonight.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2634

I rescheduled my dental appointment so I could go early in the morning. I need to remember to schedule everything for early in the morning. There are a few hours between 9 AM and noon that it's still safe to assume that Dot will be sleeping. Any other time of day and all bets are off. I used my discretionary time today to go to the bank. That was about it. The rest of the day I just stayed around the house.

I've learned that the dogs are quieter when I stay in the office, but when work is slow that's hard to do. If I make the mistake of going to the kitchen, Dash is instantly right there with me. He can be sound asleep and some kind of infallible internal radar always tells him when I'm headed for the kitchen. When Dash starts barking for food, it usually wakes up Dot, who starts barking too. Dot can't follow me anywhere, but when I lift her up, she follows Dash and I follow her, holding up her rear legs.

I'm glad that Dot has learned to depend on me, but it sure keeps me busy. Half the time I don't think she knows what she wants to do, but maybe walking around aimlessly is good exercise. I wish Dot's vets could come up with a solution that would reduce the signs of senility I've been seeing. We've tried several supplements that are supposed to improve cognitive function in dogs, but they seem to do nothing. Several people have told me that SAM-e can be beneficial for dogs with cognitive issues. I took SAM-e for a while myself after friends told me how wonderful it was. I couldn't tell that it did anything though, and quit using it after a few months. Maybe it works better for dogs.

When I took Dot out to pee before I went to bed last night it was warm and very muggy outside. This morning the clouds and humidity were gone and it was 30 degrees colder. I really can't keep up with the weather this year. Every day is a surprise. As soon as I'm reasonably sure that there won't be another freeze, I need to call the landscaper. It would be nice to have grass in the back yard again. I've just about destroyed all the ground cover by trampling on it as I walk Dot around in the yard. The same thing happened when our first Dalmatian got old and had trouble walking. It took two or three years for the Asian Jasmine to grow back again.

I went out with binoculars this evening to look for Uranus. It's located right below Mars now and should be easy to find. Unfortunately the 6th magnitude planet is very dim. I've always had trouble finding it with the light pollution we have in Dallas. At any rate, I think I saw something below Mars tonight, but I'm not sure it was Uranus.

I wonder how long this stock market rally is going to last. Today's 300 point gain was pretty impressive. I've made some nice gains during this rally, but they could evaporate overnight if the tax cuts everyone is excited about don't materialize. It's always hard to tell when to enter and exit the market. I think the rally will last a while, so I'm not going to sell yet. I could be wrong. I've definitely been wrong before.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2633

I tried to get organized today. I contacted the roofer and urged him to come out as soon as possible. There is a stain in the kitchen ceiling that looks like a slow leak might already be developing. Next, I called the tree guy and urged him to come out as soon as possible too. Every time I look skyward, I see another dead limb that looks like it could fall at any time. I need to call the landscaper and ask him to come out and plant new grass in the back yard. We do this every year. The yard can probably wait until late March though. It's hard to feel a sense of urgency about the yard when I know that the grass is just going to die again anyway.

I'm having trouble telling whether Dot is getting better or worse. She's been more active lately, but I don't know what it means. Sometimes I'm convinced that she has more energy and is getting better. Other times, I feel like the activity is just agitation caused by pain. I don't want her to feel painful and I don't want to sedate her with too many drugs. It would be so much easier if Dot could talk.

I've got a dental appointment next week that I think I'm going to have to reschedule. For years I've scheduled all my appointments for early in the afternoon to allow plenty of time for breakfast and avoid rush hour traffic. I can't do that anymore. Dot still likes to sleep after her morning walk but she needs a lot of attention in the afternoon. She usually wakes up around 1 PM and then wants me to walk her around for the rest of the afternoon. If I'm not nearby to help her up, she becomes very frustrated. Sometimes when she struggles to get up by herself she overexerts herself and starts panting rapidly. I hate to leave her alone at times like these, because she could easily injure herself. It's looks like I'm going to have to schedule my appointments for right after breakfast now. It's funny. I thought that Dot was a high maintenance dog last year, but I really had no idea what was coming.

We never got any rain today at all. I don't know what I was so worried about last night. I continue to see Spring flowers blooming way before they are due. At this rate I'm going to have to start mowing the grass soon. Is this global warming at work, or just quirky Texas weather? I do remember a lot more snow and ice when I first moved here. I actually like the warmer weather with one major exception. The bugs are going to be terrible this Summer.

A quick glance at my Facebook feed reveals that the president's address to congress this evening changed nothing. Conservative pundits are calling this one of the best presidential speeches in recent history. MSNBC and CNN are still ridiculing Trump and calling him a racist. Most of my Facebook friends have moved on and are posting cat pictures again, but the haters are still full of vitriol. I don't think anything is going to change.

Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight. So far, both dogs are quiet and content. I don't have any plans for tomorrow, but this usually means that a last minute website update request will catch me by surprise.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2631

When I got up at 5 AM this morning I thought about waking Dot up and taking her outside to pee. Everybody was sleeping so peacefully that I decided not to disrupt things and went back to bed myself. It was a mistake. Three hours later Dot woke up in a puddle of pee. Dot's bladder can no longer cope with a weekend schedule. I got her up and took her outside while she leaked all the way to the back door. I think we set a new record for number of rugs washed in a single day.

I didn't sleep well last night at all. Just before I went to bed around midnight, I discovered that the furnace wasn't working. I knew it was going to be a cold night, so I was determined to fix the thing before I went to sleep. Easier said than done. Several years ago my HVAC guy taught me how to fix several common furnace problems myself. I think he took pity on me since I was calling them so often. The repair didn't get off to a great start. I couldn't find the special tool I use to get the cover off the furnace. I couldn't find any fine grit sandpaper either.

The flame sensor on our furnace gets dirty a lot. This is always the first thing I look for. When the sensor is dirty it can't detect the pilot light flame and shuts the gas off. It's basically a safety device. There is an enormous amount of dust in the utility room, since we are constantly doing laundry. A normal flame sensor will stay clean for years at a time. Ours goes bad every six months. The fix is easy enough. You carefully remove the flame sensor and clean it with an emery board or a piece of fine grit sandpaper. Too bad the sensor is located in such an awkward place or this repair would be a piece of cake. Eventually, I got the balky cover off the furnace and removed the flame sensor. I didn't have any sandpaper last night, but figured that one of those abrasive kitchen sponges would do. I cut a small piece off the sponge and carefully scraped the dirty coating off the sensor. An hour later, I turned the furnace back on and fired it up. It worked.

I must be a glutton for punishment, because this morning I decided to remove all the accumulated soap scum from the shower stall. For some reason soap scum becomes hard as a rock on the glass shower doors. It's almost impossible to remove. Janet bought some sort of motorized scrub brush that she saw on TV recently and I thought I'd give it a try. Even though the commercial said that this thing could clean dirty tiles in seconds, it wasn't up to the task. I had to use the same abrasive sponge I used to clean the flame sensor and a lot of elbow grease. The shower stall still isn't sparkling clean, but it looks a lot better.

By the time I finished my housecleaning chores I was too tired to go to the gym. I went anyway because it was Sunday. I always go to the gym on Sunday. The hour I spent cleaning the soap scum off the shower doors was much more strenuous than the hour I spent at the gym, but I'm sure my workout did me some good anyway. I've become a believer in going to the gym on Sunday. Hey, it's not like I have anything important to do on Sunday anyway and it's always relaxing to shoot the basketball.

I hope we don't have another hard freeze before Winter is officially over. Everything is growing so nicely now that it would be a shame if freezing weather caused all the wildflowers to die. The redbud and dogwood trees are in full bloom and I've already seen several wildflowers that don't usually appear until late March. So far, this is the earliest Spring I can remember. 

I didn't even watch the Oscars tonight. Janet usually likes to watch these awards shows, but she didn't watch either. I used to love the world of movies and movie making. Janet and I would go see a new film almost every weekend. I don't know if movies have changed or if we have changed. I do know I'll never see La La Land. No interest whatsoever. I still enjoy science and science fiction, so I'd probably enjoy Arrival and Hidden Figures. I'll never see these films in a theater. Someday when things are exceptionally slow, I'll probably rent them on iTunes and watch them on my computer. The big screen has lost its magic.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2630

We're definitely having an early Spring. It's not surprising, since temperatures have already topped 80 degrees several times this month. It's weird to see trees turning green and wildflowers starting to bloom in February, but that's what's happening. It's a shame that Texas weather is so unpredictable. Probably just as soon as everything is in full bloom, there will be a big ice storm and all the flowers will freeze. It has happened before. Actually, this happens just about every Winter. Texas plants must be pretty resilient.

I wonder how many coyotes we have in the neighborhood. Just about every morning I'll run into someone walking their dog who asks me if I've seen the coyotes. We've all seen the coyotes by now. One neighbor told me that his dog ran out the front door last week and went to play with the coyotes. "I thought Daisy was a goner," he told me. I was expecting to hear a sad story, but fifteen minutes later, his dog came home unharmed. There are also bobcats in the neighborhood. I'd be more worried about the bobcats than the coyotes.

Dash continues to improve. He seems just about back to normal now, which if you knew Dash, isn't very normal at all. Now comes the hard part. We've got to convince him to start eating dry dog food again. He loves the canned food we've been feeding him while he recovers and he's pretty stubborn to begin with. It's going to be hell convincing him to eat kibble again. Dash has a tendency to get crystals in his urine, so we put a lot of research into finding a diet that was healthy and would prevent crystals and kidney stones. The diet works, so one way or another, we've got to get him eating it again.

I stopped by the bank again on the way to the grocery store to try and resolve my safe deposit box issue. This time there were even more people waiting in the lobby than there were yesterday. Why do all these people need to talk with a banker? I didn't have the patience to join the queue, so once again I'll have to come back later. Maybe all the people in the lobby got the same letter I did. It's always a possibility. If I was smart I would wait a month or two before returning to this bank. Eventually, all these other people will get their problems solved.

The app that allows me to bypass the checkout line at the grocery store was working again this week. All my purchases from last week were still there though. I had to manually erase each of them before I could start putting groceries in my cart. I love bypassing the checkout line, but this experience is a reminder that technology is only a time-saver when it works.

Dot's new pain pills seem to be keeping her more comfortable. Unfortunately, they aren't making her any stronger. What this means is that she wants to be more active, but still stumbles around and falls over without my assistance. I spent most of the afternoon holding up her rear legs while she walked around the house and smelled things in the back yard. I always try to encourage her to move around when she feels like it. It takes a lot of time, but I probably need the exercise too.

I had some website updates to complete this morning. There isn't a lot of difference between weekdays and weekends anymore. We sleep a little later in the morning on weekends, but that's about it. This client was very nice and just told me to make the updates when I had some extra time. Even though there was no rush, I still felt compelled to do the job right away. I guess I'll always be this way.

I"m going to try and go to the gym early tomorrow. Maybe this way I can complete my workout while Dot is still asleep. I keep trying to construct a predictable world, but it just isn't going to happen.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2623

I'm not so sure about the Gabapentin. Dot slept soundly last night after her first dose, but within an hour after receiving her second dose this morning, her entire body seemed to go limp and she could hardly stand up. Later in the day when the drug started to wear off she started to return to normal. There is no room for error with Dot. If the side effect of a drug is to make a dog sleepy, it will probably knock Dot out cold. The doctor did say that the Gabapentin might make Dot a bit lethargic. She didn't say it would turn her into a wet washrag. I don't want Dot to be in an pain, but she does need to be able to walk. Maybe we'll just give Dot the Gabapentin before bedtime. I'll call the oncologist on Monday, but I suspect that she'll just say that Dot needs time to get used to the drug. That's what doctors always say.

The app that lets me bypass the checkout line at the grocery store crashed while I was shopping today. So much for technology. I had to check out the old fashioned way and I'm still wondering whether the purchases I made before the app crashed are floating around in the cloud somewhere. Before the app crashed I noticed that there had recently been a software update. Why do people keep "improving" things that already work perfectly. This happens again and again with software and apps on my phone. I'll have an app that I really like and then an automatic software upgrade will ruin it.

I think we're having an early Spring. It's only the middle of February and the temperature is getting close to 80 degrees. Judging from the number of people in the park today, this unusually warm Winter is pretty popular. I'm not sure the dogs agree. They both like the cold weather and days like this make them uncomfortable. I had to run the air conditioner today to keep Dot from panting. The sweet spot for Dot is very small. The weather has to be just right. She can't overexert herself, but she still needs to keep moving to prevent further muscle atrophy. Too many drugs knock her out and too few leave her painful. It's a delicate balance.

My new WiFi scale that measures everything indicates that my stress levels are continuing to rise. I don't know what to do. I feel responsible for the dogs and almost every day there is a new surprise. My diet is deteriorating too. That doesn't help. When everything is going well it's easy to eat Quinoa and Kale. When I'm under stress I gravitate toward comfort foods like ice cream and waffles.

I definitely need to go to the gym tomorrow, but the weather forecast says there are going to be thunderstorms. If it rains, I seldom go anywhere. I don't like to drive in the rain and I worry that my two storm phobic dogs are going to freak out. I suspect that my sweet spot is even smaller than Dot's. I can function well in almost any circumstance, but everything needs to be perfect before I'm happy.

Dash wouldn't eat his breakfast this morning, but then took a long, energetic walk. This evening he enthusiastically ate the same food he refused this morning, but refused to leave the back yard when it was time for his evening walk. I don't know what is going on. I keep thinking that the doctors might have missed something important when he was sick, but than again this odd behavior might just be Dash's normal personality.

Maybe the weather forecast is wrong. I'm hoping that it doesn't rain. The roof is clean and dry and the dogs are happy. Rain will spoil everything.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2266

It was a normal Sunday. The dogs got a more leisurely walk than they do on weekdays. We had bacon and eggs with biscuits for breakfast, which is a weekend only treat. Janet went to the gym and I vacuumed the house. I updated another website while trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day. With the remnants of a stubbornly persistent cold, I really didn't feel like doing much.

I used to watch the Oscars religiously, but I haven't bothered for the past several years. Tonight I had no interest in the award show whatsoever. The only event I made an effort to watch was the Space X SES-9 launch, but the mission was aborted for the third time in less than a week due to a boat that had wandered into a restricted area downrange. It must be really expensive to scrub a launch just because a boat wandered off course.

When I was out in the yard this afternoon, I saw a squirrel that looked like it was wearing a collar. On closer examination, it appeared that the squirrel had stuck his head through some rope netting and gotten stuck. It had managed to chew itself free from the net, but still had a piece of the mesh stuck around his neck. I tried to think of how I could free the squirrel but came up with nothing. It certainly wasn't letting me get close enough to catch it. The only plan that made any sense was to set out a live trap and trap the squirrel so I could take it to a vet to remove the rope. Since there are dozens of squirrels in the yard along with assorted rats, possums, and racoons, it would be pure random chance if I managed to catch the right critter. I would probably end up trapping lots and lots of rats before a single squirrel entered the trap. I'll ask Dot's vet what to do if I ever see the squirrel again. It's probably miles away by now.

I hope the weather stays warm, because everything is already starting to bloom. The Redbud and Dogwood trees are in full bloom and I'm starting to see lots of Daffodils and even a few Wild Iris blooms. What typically happens in Texas is that all the flowers start to bloom and then there is one final hard freeze that kills everything. It is amazing how frequently we have a hard freeze sometime in March.

If I ever make it back to the gym, I'm going to have to start over. I've been feeling under the weather for so long now, that I just shuffle through the day, making as little effort as possible. Even the mild stretching exercises I do to keep my shoulder from freezing up, require more effort than I want to give. Sure, I actually did do some chores this weekend, but I pushed the Dyson very slowly and going up on the roof was a mistake. I'm still coughing a lot and still feel tired.

I inadvertently took my evening meds this morning. So, do I take my morning meds before I go to bed, or do I just skip a day?  These are the problems you have as you get older. I fell asleep after dinner, thinking that the Oscars were just about over. When I woke up again, the show was still going on. Some things never change, I guess. You could watch the entire Superbowl and still have time to catch up on several episodes of Dr. Who before Hollywood could finish handing out those gold statues. I don't have the patience to watch a show this long.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2264

When I went to breakfast this morning, something seemed missing. The place was half empty and when I entered the building, the coffee roasters where I always got my morning coffee were gone. I was confused at first, but it didn't take long to figure out what was going on. Directly across the street there was a brand new competitive restaurant. The little coffee company that shared space with my restaurant, along with half the customers seemed to have jumped ship. I even noticed a number of familiar cars parked at the restaurant across the street. I found this all a little unsettling. Where did these people's loyalty go? Like me, most of these customers had been coming here for years. Jeez, I skip one week because of the flu, and when I return, everything had changed. You know how I feel about change. Now, every time I go for breakfast I'm going to feel torn between a sense of loyalty for my familiar meal and a sense of curiosity about what's just across the street. I would have preferred that this didn't happen.

After breakfast, I went to the nearest early voting location and voted. I still can't figure out why the early voting locations have modern touch screen ballots and the regular voting locations still use paper ballots where you select your candidate by making a black dot in front of the name with a pencil. I'm still a little suspicious of the electronic ballots, but I suppose my vote gets counted. Like I expected, there were several pages of judges to vote for. I had no idea who most of them were. Unless a judge has gotten involved in a scandal and been on the local news, I'll probably never recognize their name. I vote for judges the same way I bet on horses. I just pick a nice sounding name and go for it.

Dot did not want to go to the vet today. I had a hard time getting her in the car and when we arrived, I had an even harder time getting her inside the building. Usually, she is fine about going to the cancer center, but not today. I could tell she was nervous when we were sitting in the lobby, but I couldn't figure out why. There were no scans today or anything that might be remotely frightening. I felt bad. Dot struggled while the vet tech tried to draw blood and ended up getting a hematoma in her neck. The oncologist wants to continue her chemotherapy for another three weeks and then do another scan to measure the growth of the tumor in her liver. We'll decide at that point whether this has all been worth it.

Although voting and Dot's vet appointment ate up a big chunk of the day, I still managed to get quite a bit of work done. I completed a big website update, balanced my checkbook, and picked up something for dinner at the grocery store. That seems plenty for one day. Although it was still quite cold this morning, there's already a feeling of Spring in the air. The trees are starting to bud and I'm already starting to see some early Spring flowers. Spring flowers are always a good thing.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day