Day 3891 - Janet's Birthday

Janet is two months younger than me. Neither of us can believe that the world considers us senior citizens now. It doesn't seem possible that the years have gone by so quickly. We went back to our favorite restaurant for dinner. It was the same place we went to dinner for my birthday two months ago. The place still seemed safe and the food was still delicious. I don't know how the restaurant can make money now with so few tables though. I hope the restaurant is still around when our birthday's roll around next year.

A lot of places we like just haven't been able to make it. The pandemic hasn't been kind to bars and restaurants. We wondered what we were going to do for Thanksgiving this year. For at least five years we've been going to a hotel that has an amazing Thanksgiving buffet. Buffets were one of the first casualties of the pandemic unfortunately. Nobody wants you serving your own food anymore. That was the very first thing they eliminated at the Astronomer's Lodge last March.

We keep hoping for normalcy to return, but the opposite seems to be happening. All the weirdness is just starting to seem normal. When we were walking this morning we saw an older lady and her dog that we haven't seen for quite a while. Evidently she lives in a nearby senior center and she told us that they had all been quarantined for several weeks. Today was the first day the residents could go outside again. Probably someone had gotten sick in the building. All this is going on right around us and yet on the surface everything still seems pretty normal.

I heard today that McDonald Observatory is going to start opening up again at the end of the month. They are not inviting visitors indoors yet, but they are going to have their first star party a few weeks from now. You have to make reservations well ahead of time and they will be operating at 25% of normal capacity. I doubt that the place will need any volunteers for quite a while with so few people visiting. I'm a little surprised that the observatory is opening up at all since the place is very remote and none of the staff can afford to get sick. I hope it all works out well for them. I'm still looking forward to returning to the Davis Mountains sometime in the foreseeable future.

Truthfully, I'm looking forward to doing anything in the foreseeable future. In the beginning I thought the pandemic wouldn't affect me at all since I'm a bit of a loner. You realize quickly though that everything is connected to everything else and when one thing starts to crumble, it doesn't take long for other things to fall. So many things I used to take for granted just aren't working properly anymore.

When we started on our walk this morning the temperature was in the low seventies. Dawn loved it. She had a spring in her step and we were able to complete our full five miles. It warmed up quickly later in the day, but for a while early this morning it was easy to imagine that it was already Fall. Fall is going to seem a little weird without the State Fair of Texas or the Dalmatian Rescue Golf Tournament. I'm still looking forward to the cooler weather though.

We got a late start this morning but we're going to try to do better tomorrow. I really enjoy these pre-dawn walks. I'm not so sure about the rest of the day though. Basically, the pandemic still sucks.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3830 - My Birthday

Another trip around the sun. I guess I'm doing pretty well for 72. My Dad already had Parkinson's and Macular Degeneration at this age and my Mom didn't even make it this far. Janet and I do our best to stay healthy, but when you are over seventy, every extra year is a gift. I figure that I've got a good ten years left before I start to fall apart, but you never know. Not all of us are destined to be Betty White.

We went out for a birthday dinner at our favorite restaurant this evening. With all the controversy about whether Texas has reopened too soon, I didn't know what to expect. We were both pleasantly surprised and felt completely safe. The tables were spaced far apart, the staff all wore masks, and everyone was super nice. Our waiter even recognized me and said that it was nice to see us again. I always enjoy dining at Knife and was glad we didn't decide to stay home.

The restaurant wasn't crowded. Everyone was responsible. You could tell that the entire staff was trying hard to make this work. Too bad everyone doesn't seem to be able to reopen this way. It's crazy out there. Some stores are still completely closed. Others have you order online and then they bring your merchandise out to your car. A few stores are just pretending like none of this ever happened. I find this inconsistency confusing. Clearly we can't keep the entire country quarantined forever, but it is equally obvious that the virus isn't going away. Texas is having a big spike in new cases at the same time the state is trying to reopen.

Everyone was really pretty good about staying quarantined for several months, but it feels like everyone has had enough. "We did our part," you can almost hear people saying. Now they expect the virus to go away. I'm going to continue to stay away from people. I've never liked crowds anyway. I think that as long as you avoid public transportation, bars, sporting events, concerts, weddings, church services, and other situations where people are crowded together you are probably OK. I might even go ahead and get a haircut. When Janet went to the salon last week, she said that everyone was so careful and that they only let a few customers in at a time.

When we came home from the restaurant the skies were clear and now we are under a severe weather warning. Texas weather is always full of surprises. I hope we don't lose power. The wind is blowing pretty hard outside. It is always a pain when we lose power right in the middle of a blog post. I've got to get all the emergency power devices working and then start over again using the laptop.  Hopefully that won't happen. I don't have that much more to say anyway.

Thanks for all the birthday greetings. Checking to see who sent you a birthday message on Facebook has become a ritual part of almost everyone's birthday these days. Did Facebook always send out birthday notices? I can't even remember when this started. Nobody sends birthday cards anymore except my sister who refuses to use the Internet. I wonder if people have started having birthday parties again? During the lockdown, people in our neighborhood would put up birthday signs in their front yards and drivers would honk when they drove by.

It is a little weird to be 72. Most of my NASA and astronomy friends are half my age. I don't feel old at all. Hopefully I'll feel as healthy when I turn 73 as I do now. I'm not doing anything special, but I can tell you for a fact that lots of exercise and a healthy diet work wonders.

Inky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3662

What day is it? Ever since Christmas, it's been hard to tell. I don't think anybody has gone back to work yet. There are more people in the park than usual, but the roads are surprisingly empty. I went back to the hotel for breakfast this morning and for a while, I was the only one there. I guess the holiday travelers have gone home and the business travelers haven't arrived yet. I had the same experience at the grocery store a few hours later. Oddly. I had to go out again this afternoon and this time there was a ton of traffic. I'll be glad when the world becomes predictable again.

The hotel has one of those open kitchens where you can watch the chef cook. While I was waiting for someone to take my order, I heard the head chef say "who made this batter?" He looked disgusted and threw it away. I was glad he intervened because I was going to have French Toast again and that batter was for me. The French Toast was delicious again, but I can't eat as much as I used to. Once again, I wish I could order a child's portion.

I had to take a few things to the storage warehouse today and while I was there I tried to see if there was a way to rearrange things to create more space. Nope. I think the place is pretty full. I need to find more space because I don't think the keyboards I have on consignment are going to sell. It's been a year and they haven't gotten much attention. Apparently people don't get as excited about vintage keyboards as they do about vintage guitars. At least this storage warehouse is heated, so if the keyboards have to come back they won't get ruined again.

It was a good day for a walk. It was a little chilly, but the sky was clear and the air was dry. I saw an older guy pointing a camera with a long telephoto lens at some nearby trees. "Are you looking for the owls," I asked. He was, but told me that he hadn't seen any in months. I hadn't either. I asked him if he had photographed the pelicans yet, and he said he was already bored with them. "Are you a birder too" he asked me. Nope. I do see a lot of birds though. Now, I'm wondering where the owls went as well. A few years ago the city even rerouted a bike path around where the owls used to live because it was considered a well known habitat. Now, all the owls are gone. There are plenty of pelicans though. I've never seen this many before.

The Quadrantids meteor shower peaks tonight. As someone with an interest in these things, I should set my alarm clock for 4 AM and get up to take a look. I probably won't though. I've done this before any usually see nothing. There is just too much light pollution in the Dallas area. Even in the middle of the night the sky isn't black. It is kind of a light gray color with a few bright stars poking through. The only time I've actually seen meteors is when I used to walk Dot and Dash before daylight on days when Janet had to go to work early. If I wake up to go to the bathroom at the right time, I might go outside for a while. Otherwise, I'm going to sleep as long as I can. When I have to choose between astronomy and sleep, sleep usually wins.

Although it has seemed like Saturday all week, tomorrow actually is Saturday. I will fill the car with gas, get more fresh fruit for my smoothies, and do all my other Saturday errands. I could have done all this stuff today, but I'm a creature of habit. Saturday errands need to be done on Saturday.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3607

Road Trip. We went to Palestine, Texas today to see Union Pacific's Big Boy 4014 arrive on it's journey through the Southwest. It was definitely worth the four hour trip to see this historic train traveling under its own power. The Big Boy was the largest steam locomotive ever built and the 4014 is the last one running. Union Pacific spent over four years restoring this train. It was pretty impressive. I was amazed at how close we could get to the tracks. As I was taking pictures I realized that if I had tripped I might have fallen into the train. Closer to the depot the police had the tracks pretty well blocked off, but we went to the outskirts of town to get better pictures. We had a good clear view and I could put my camera anywhere I wanted.

There were several other photographers with the same idea. One of them had been following the train for several days, carefully picking different locations to get the best shots. A few of the older photographers were walking encyclopedias about old steam trains. I was definitely an amateur in this group. The train was moving faster than I would have thought. It was all over in a matter of minutes. I managed to get a few decent pictures though. I don't think looking through a viewfinder is as enjoyable as watching the same event without a camera. You always concentrate on getting the shot and in the process you miss a lot of the whole experience.

There were so many railfans watching the train arrive in Palestine that I kept wondering why Union Pacific didn't sell tickets and carry passengers on this historic run. The big steam engine was pulling a long line of restored passenger cars and they were all empty. Union Pacific definitely missed a marketing opportunity here. Anyone dedicated enough to follow this trains journey in a car would almost certainly prefer going along for the ride. The passenger cars were the very best from the railroad's glory days too. It would have been quite an adventure.

It's weird that I'm so apprehensive about traveling. Once I'm underway I always have a good time. Janet is a good traveling companion too. She's always up for going somewhere. Last night I was thinking that it wouldn't be worth making this trip. It was just an old train and my arm still hurt from yesterday's pneumonia shot. Luckily, I woke up in a better mood. It was a beautiful Fall day. Too bad the weather wasn't this nice when we went to McDonald Observatory.

The car did well on the trip. It probably would have made it to Fort Davis or even Kennedy Space Center. My gas mileage certainly leaves something to be desired. It's terrible actually. You just can't expect good mileage from a 500 horse power supercharged V-8. My bad shoulder leaves even more to be desired. It can be very tiring driving long distances with a bad shoulder. These were minor issues though. All in all it was a very enjoyable trip.

We thought about stopping in Corsicana on the way home and picking up a fruitcake from The Collin Street Bakery. Neither of us like fruitcake though, so we kept driving. We arrived back in Dallas around dinnertime and stopped at Knife for burgers. The place was crowded since it was a football weekend at SMU. We had to sit at the bar where you can watch the chefs cook. It was much more interesting than I thought, although sitting here for very long would drive a vegan insane. We watched lots of beef being cooked tonight. I was amazed at how thick the uncooked steaks were. They shrink to about half their size as the fat in the heavily marbled meat melts. Our burgers were delicious, but I don't think I'll be eating much tomorrow. I might have to spend some extra time at the gym as well.

I really need to overcome my fear of traveling. I've enjoyed every journey I've taken this year and there's definitely nothing compelling keeping us in Dallas.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3361

It's hard to get used to Texas weather. It was eighty degrees this afternoon and I had the air conditioner running in both the house and the car. It was such a warm day that we were even able to give Dash a much needed bath. We used to regularly take the dogs to neighborhood dog washing facilities, but Dash has difficulty standing up in the tubs now. There's not enough room to bathe him at home in the shower, so we have to wait for a warm day and go outside. It takes two of us to clean him and everybody gets wet, but the effort is worth it when he starts to smell like pee.

Dash didn't enjoy his bath, but he sure smelled good afterwards. He did enjoy two leisurely walks on a beautiful, warm day. Maybe Spring isn't quite here yet, but it's definitely on the way. It felt like Spring today.

I went back to the hotel for breakfast, because I felt like relaxing. The dining room is always quiet and sedate and the waiters know me by name. Even the chef looked up and smiled when I arrived this morning. I'd eat at this place all the time if the menu wasn't so small. Everything is delicious, but you'd think they could come up with more than four items. The trendy restaurant seems to have hundreds of items on their breakfast menu.

I knew when we gave Dash a bath that there would be other cleaning as well. A clean dog doesn't last long in a dirty house. Both of us spent most of the afternoon vacuuming, dusting, and doing laundry. All this activity didn't stop Dash from peeing on the living room floor, but the house is reasonably clean now. I expect that this will last about two days.

I finally got the telephone bill. In an effort to pressure me to go paperless, they keep sending me my bill later and later. If I don't pay it on the same day it arrives, I'll get hit with a late fee. A week before this bill arrives, I get an e-mail saying that my paper bill will arrive in seven to ten days and asking me if I wouldn't prefer to just pay it electronically. So far, I have resisted. What's so bad about writing checks and taking bills to the post office? I like the leisurely pace of paper. The electronic world seems hectic and rude.

Even the airlines have done away with paper. I was wondering when I was going to get my boarding pass for my trip to Houston and then I got a message saying that I should download the airline's app and an electronic boarding pass would show up on my phone. It's a brave new world we live in. I find it ironic that everybody is worried about hacking, but still feel compelled to live their lives online. People didn't tend to steal your information when you put it in a letter.

I was hoping for a good night's sleep last night, but Dash had other ideas. He pooped in the bed three times. Everything landed squarely on the puppy pads and it only took me a minute or two to roll the pad up, seal it in a plastic bag, and take it outside. I've even gotten better at quickly getting back to sleep after these episodes, but it's not the same as an uninterrupted night of sleep. Eight hours of continuous sleep is still the holy grail. Oh, well. Three blocks of two hour sleep, followed by a one hour nap are still better than nothing.

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3249

It's been quite a challenge getting Dash's paws to heal while still continuing to walk him. The least little scrape causes them to bleed again. Even walking around the house is starting to cause problems. I found some extra soft socks and we are only using new boots now. Mostly the bleeding has stopped, but I still see little drops of blood on the floor from time to time. The cuts are minor and will definitely heal over time, but cuts like these are much more problematic when you are taking blood thinners.

Even though Dash doesn't stay still at night, I'm going to try placing a puppy training pad under his butt before I go to sleep. It couldn't hurt to try. It's really getting old cleaning blankets and bedding every day. Dash didn't even wake up when he pooped in the bed last night. This is actually a good thing. If he starts staying asleep when he poops, I can put a puppy pad under him and cleanup will be easy.

It was a little warmer this morning, which made our morning walk chilly but pleasant. I'm enjoying this weather. For the second day in a row there wasn't a cloud in the sky. After checking to make sure Dash's paws were OK after our walk, I left for breakfast. Even though I almost always order the same thing, I'm still enjoying going to the hotel. It's pleasant there. The staff knows me by name now. Since most customers are travelers, I'm one of the few regulars.

A trip to the bank was on my to-do list today. I had to clear up a snafu that I probably caused myself by not listening carefully when I opened a new account several months ago. I thought I had one kind of account, but I actually had another. I could have sworn that I opened an account that had no fees associated with it. Nope. I've started noticing fees and charges I wasn't expecting. Eventually I managed to get the fees removed but they shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Getting my bank account straightened out was easy compared to getting a new TV remote from AT&T. I don't know why you can't get a TV remote at an AT&T store. That would be too easy. I had to talk with an offshore customer service representative who couldn't speak English very well. At first he tried to change my U-verse plan. Then he tried to sell me a TV remote. It took forever to explain the my remote was broken and he needed to send me a replacement for free. Who knows if I will get a new remote in the mail. I'm not counting on it. I could barely understand this guy.

I wrote a letter to my sister this afternoon and watched another episode of Mars. I was hoping that this series would be like The Martian. The script isn't nearly as good as Andy Weir's novel. This is definitely not something i could binge watch. After a single episode, I was ready to start repairing dog boots again.

I'm still tired a lot, but I'm sleeping better now. I don't know what has changed. Dash continues to wake me up every night. I'm just getting back to sleep a lot quicker.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3228

There wasn't a cloud in the sky this morning. Dash did get me up during the night, but I managed to get back to sleep. When I woke up this morning I felt surprisingly rested. Dash was eager to walk. He was slow, but I wasn't in a hurry. It was a beautiful Fall day.

After walking Dash, I decided to go back to the hotel for breakfast. I kind of wanted the pleasant mood to continue. The place is quiet and the food is excellent. It's too bad they don't have a larger breakfast menu, but it probably doesn't matter. Most of their guests are just passing through. Dining among travelers makes me feel like I'm on a trip myself. The house is such a mess that living in a hotel doesn't sound half bad. I could learn to live with restaurant meals and having someone to make your bed every day.

On my way home I picked up something for dinner. I couldn't find anything interesting at Central Market, so I went across the street to Tom Thumb and got some more of those flash frozen meals from Cadence Kitchen. These things are delicious. I tried Shrimp and Grits this time. It's only a matter of time before I try everything.

My pleasant day came to an abrupt end when I went to the storage warehouse. When you pay by the year they have always given me an extra month free. The manager informed me that they discontinued this program. Then she mentioned that they would be raising my rent next year as well. It's looks like I'll be moving to a different facility.  I can get a much better deal a few miles away, but it is so much trouble to move everything. Guess what I'll be doing in November.

I need to decide what to throw away, what to donate to charity, and what to keep. Today I continued throwing away empty boxes. This was easy. When I found a box with nothing inside, I tossed it in the car. If I'd never saved these boxes in the first place I could have rented a smaller unit. The only boxes I'm glad I saved were the boxes for the model trains. Almost all collectibles are more valuable if you have the original box. Boxes for old and obsolete electronic gear don't improve the value of anything. Nobody wants a fifteen year old computer whether it's in the box or not.

I'll probably have to go up on the roof this weekend. Now that it's cooler, the water doesn't evaporate. It will stay up there all Winter if I don't remove it. At least we're looking at some nice weather ahead. Maybe clearing away all the standing water will be worth the effort.

I hope Dash realizes that we can sleep in late tomorrow. If I have to get up during the middle of the night, the least he can do is let me sleep in late on Saturday morning.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3193

I was so tired this morning. Dash got me up three or four times last night. As soon as I got him outside, he seemed to forget why he was out there and just wandered around aimlessly. As soon as I brought him in again, he would remember he needed to do something and head for the back door again. We did this over and over. Eventually he pooped and we went back to bed. About thirty minutes later, we woke me up again. This time he needed to pee. He wouldn't pee right away though. We had to leave the house three more times before he got the urge. This has to be some form of dementia. Sometimes he goes outside and has no idea why he's out there. This is one of the reasons why he frequently poops in the house. When Dash's brain finally kicks into gear and gets the message that it's time to go, it's often too late.

By the time I got back to sleep again, it was already time for Dash's morning walk. Janet got me up and we got Dash ready. I thought it was early, but I obviously wasn't thinking clearly. By the time we returned home it was almost too late to go out for breakfast. I was hungry though, so I drove to the hotel anyway. I made it a few minutes before they closed the kitchen.

I've been thinking that I'd found my new favorite place, but service was slow this morning and the place was crowded. The food was still good though, so I'll give Knife the benefit of the doubt. It was British Month at Central Market so I stopped by on the way home from breakfast and picked up some Steak and Stout pies, Celeriac Slaw, and Cumberland Sauce for dinner. Maybe next time I'll try a Scotch Egg and some Tikka Masala. When life is dull, something interesting to eat always does the trick.

I found myself falling asleep during the day. I really didn't get much sleep last night. I guess it didn't really matter if I wasn't very productive today. It's hard to get behind when there's nothing to do. I eventually made the bed, did some laundry, and repaired a pair of Dash's protective boots. I switched on the TV several times, but quickly turned it off again. I'm sick of politics.

It's nice that the market is at an all time high again. I think the last time was back in January. Why is it that every time the market is at a high point, my own stocks are actually lower than they were at the last market top? This happens frequently. I'd complain to my broker if it weren't for the fact that I've agreed with every trade we've made this year. You just can't predict the future.

I wish Dash was stronger, but I think he's doing the best he can. Getting old is a bitch. His overall weakness is caused by his heart disease and the shaky stance and vertigo are caused by the Vestibular Disease. There is no cure for either. I try my best to keep Dash as comfortable as possible. I know this is my own fate someday. I often wonder who will take care of me.

Rowe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3186

Today had its ups and downs. Dash pooped in a neighbor's driveway this morning and then a little later he lost one of his shoes. I cleaned up the poop the best I could, but losing the shoe was a big deal. As soon as I noticed the missing boot, I tried to get Dash to turn around and go looking for it, but he he can be very stubborn and wanted to continue going forward. Even though it was in his best interest, Dash wouldn't turn around at all. Luckily, we weren't that far from home. His exposed rear paw was dirty and scuffed up a bit, but there was no bleeding.

When I made sure that Dash has finished his breakfast and was ready for his nap, I retraced my steps and went looking for the shoe. These boots are way too expensive to be disposable, so I need to make an effort to find them when they fall off. I wish he'd been wearing the green or red boots today. They would have been a lot easier to find. The missing black rubber boot blended in with the ground and was much more difficult to locate than I expected. Eventually I found both the boot and its companion sock. Strangely, the sock and boot weren't together. I don't know how he managed to lose the sock before the shoe, but that's the way it happened.

I went back to Knife for breakfast this morning. They stop serving at 10 AM, and I barely made it. Hey, it can take a long time to find a missing dog boot in the park. The Brioche French Toast I ordered this morning was delicious. Knife is really a high-end steak house, but they serve a limited breakfast menu since they are located in a hotel. I'm glad I discovered this place. It's exactly what I was looking for. It's odd. I've been looking for a nice place to eat in the neighborhood for years and what I really wanted was a chance to pretend that I wasn't in Dallas at all.

On the way home I discovered that my favorite Macintosh repair shop had gone out of business. Damn. Just about every one of my computers has been serviced at this store at one time of another. The place was close to home, the service was great, and the technicians could fix anything. The whole experience was a huge improvement over going to the Apple Store. I shouldn't have been surprised that the place went out of business. If I like a place, it is almost certain that it will go out of business. My favorite furniture stores, hobby shops, camera shops, art galleries, and restaurants have all gone out of business. It's so inevitable that businesses I like will fail that I've thought about hiring myself out as a consultant. If I like your concept, just forget about it. Why throw your money away. Just invest in something I hate instead.

It's still raining here, but I need to remind myself not to complain about the weather. There are no downed trees. There are no high winds. And there is no flooding. I'm sure there is water on the roof, but it is just rain. I feel sorry for all those people on the Carolina coast, but I still don't understand why they are living on the coast in the first place. Don't they know that when sea levels rise, all their property is going to be underwater anyway.

Janet and I will try again to take pictures of the rescue Dalmatian tomorrow. It's hard to tell at this point if we will be successful. So far, the weather looks almost identical to what we were dealing with last week.

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3179

I enjoyed breakfast this morning. There was real china, heavy flatware, and waiters in white coats. The place was quiet and relaxing. Although the menu was limited, my egg sandwich was delicious. Eating in a nice hotel wasn't a bad idea. I'll probably go back.

I was surprised to see how high the lake levels were this morning because we didn't get any rain yesterday. It must have rained heavily to the north of us. Whenever there are heavy rains, huge amounts of trash and litter flow into the lake from the creeks that feed it. The water definitely looked ugly this morning. When the water recedes, this litter will be left on the shoreline. Eventually, people from the Parks and Recreation Department will pick it up. It's a shame that nobody in Dallas seems to be able to throw their trash in a can, but I'm sure other cities are even worse.

I'm glad there was time to take Dash on a nice walk this morning because it was our turn to get rained on today. As the day progressed, the sky got darker and darker. It's raining right now and that means there will be no evening walk. People always say we need the rain, but I don't know why. It hasn't been a particularly dry year. I don't like rain, but I'm slowly learning to respect it. Whenever I see all the forest fires out West and the hurricanes and floods to the East, I realize that Dallas is in kind of a sweet spot. We've managed to avoid weather extremes for quite a while.

I feel sorry for Elon Musk. He's getting crucified for making a casual comment about taking his company private and then smoking pot on TV. Musk is the Thomas Edison of our generation. I think people ought to cut him some slack. Steve Jobs got treated the same way for quite a while. It's weird. If you're a businessman or a politician, you're expected to follow conventional rules. If you're a musician, anything goes.

We've discontinued the probiotic Dash was taking and his poop is slowly becoming firmer. This is counterintuitive but what do I know. The disappointing thing about veterinary and human medicine is that everything is so compartmentalized. Nobody seems all that good at evaluating the big picture. It seems obvious that health is a combination of lifestyle, diet, heredity, and medications. Doctors always focus on the pills though. Somehow, I feel that Dash would be doing better if he were eating exactly the right thing. I'd probably being doing better if I were eating exactly the right thing as well. I don't have any answers, but I do think that nutrition should be just as important as pharmacology in medical school.

I saw the auction catalog for one of the Fall auctions today. It was weird to see my picture right up there with some pretty well known art. I'm no art historian, but I recognized some of the other images up for auction immediately. I'm hoping that this might be is my Antiques Roadshow moment. I don't want to get my hopes up though. Auctions are weird and unpredictable. Nobody might bid at all. I have art in two different auctions and both are in October. Lets hope they do well.

Janet wants to take pictures of some new rescue dogs this weekend. If the weather improves, that's what we'll do. I still am unwilling to leave Dash alone in a storm, but I'm actually looking forward to taking photos again. Life is so slow, that I look forward to doing almost anything.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3160 - Janet's Birthday

It's hard to believe that we're both 70 now. Where has the time gone? Birthdays are pretty subdued these days. At this point, we're just glad to be alive. Janet and I went out for dinner at Knife and had a small celebration with cupcakes when we got home. For the most part, it was just a normal Sunday. Janet cleaned the floors. I changed the sheets on the bed. And we both made sure that Dash took all his pills.

When I went to the gym this morning, the place was flooded. The scene was reminiscent of the time when a pipe burst under the slab at our house. A restoration crew was vacuuming up the water and placing large dehumidifiers everywhere. Water can sure do a lot of damage. It looked like water had gotten under the wood floor of the basketball court, because they were already starting to rip up the floor. All this water made me remember that I forgot to turn off the pump on the roof before I left for the gym. Damn. If the pump runs dry, it's real easy to burn out the motor.

By the time I returned home, I'd forgotten about the pump again. It was on for most of the day, or more likely until it burned out. Sadly, I've wrecked several pumps this way. The pump wasn't the only thing I forgot today. When I went to Sprinkles to pick up cupcakes, I forgot the gift certificate I always use. It never occurred to me to check and see if the certificate was actually in the envelope.

Dash got me up in the middle of the night again. His stools were a little firmer, but still pretty soft. A lot of people have suggested that we add pumpkin to his diet. We'll give it a try again, but the last time we fed Dash pumpkin, it actually made his poop softer. We've tried pumpkin bread too in the past, but it was so tasty that I ate most of it myself. I don't think Dash's problem is simply an upset stomach. The most obvious thing is that we have to keep changing his diet too often just to keep him eating at all. In the best of circumstances, a dog should always eat a very consistent diet. These aren't the best of circumstances unfortunately. The vets think that Dash's vestibular disease is probably contributing to his loss of appetite. We might never know for sure, but we'll do whatever it takes to keep him eating.

I seem to be losing my appetite as well. Janet thinks that I'm not eating enough, but I think I just ate too much in the past. To me, it's natural that you would eat less if you weren't getting as much activity. I walked at least six miles a day for years and years when Dot and Dash were young. Not anymore. Luckily, there were no problems with my appetite this evening. Knife has a well deserved reputation as one of the best steakhouses in Dallas and Janet and I both really enjoyed our dinner.

Now that all the birthdays are in the rear view mirror, it seems like we're racing toward Christmas. Time moves far too quickly now. Even though I don't have that much to do, I can never seem to get caught up. Maybe catching up doesn't even matter. I think the point now for Dash, Janet and I is just to keep moving.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2566

Janet and I decided to go out for an early Christmas dinner before she leaves for the holidays. We went to Knife to try their burgers. Knife is basically a steakhouse, but after a well known food critic wrote that Knife's hamburgers were in his opinion the best in the entire world, I've been curious to try them. I'll have to say that I wasn't disappointed. These burgers were amazing.

I've learned not to check the pet cam when we are trying to do something enjoyable away from home. It always spoils everything. We had a relaxing and very enjoyable dinner, but I wasn't surprised to see that the house was a disaster when we returned. Dot is completely unpredictable now. When she poops, it might be ten hours before she goes again or ten minutes. I thought we had a chance this time, because she'd pooped about an hour before we left the house. It wasn't meant to be. My poop forensics abilities were able to determine that she'd heard a noise outside and pooped while she was struggling to get up and investigate. It's so much easier when Dot poops while she's asleep. This time she stepped in the stuff and tracked the mess all over her penned in area in the hallway. Three blankets and a large waterproof floor protector all needed to be hosed off and thrown in the washing machine. Dot needed quite a bit of cleanup herself.

Janet had a vacation day today, but it still seemed like a normal Friday to me. I checked to make sure the trash had been picked up, went out for my regular Friday morning breakfast, and then returned home to finish writing my last article before the Christmas holidays. I wrote the article quickly enough, but then I discovered that my client hadn't been receiving my mail all week because their IT department was blocking me again. This happens every couple of months and it is infuriating. Guys, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a spammer. I'm sure that there are a few spammers using Bluehost servers, but you don't have to block the entire hosting company to catch them. To make a long story short, it took more time to successfully send the article than it took to write it.

This has got to be the worst weather for fighting a cold. It's cold and damp outside and warm and dry inside. I'm constantly taking Dot out without adequate clothing, because there isn't time to bundle up. At least I've got a bunch of cough drops now. I'm surprised that the dogs haven't caught colds too. It's really nasty out. If Dot didn't need me, I'd probably spend the entire holiday weekend sleeping. It's almost certain that she's going to wake up at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning though, just like she always does. If I don't get her outside by 5:31, there will be pee on the floor.

I hope it dries out and warms up a bit tomorrow. There are too many wet leaves on the floor and too many wet paws on the bedspread. It would be nice if I quit coughing too. At least I didn't cough during dinner tonight. Dinner was definitely the high point of the day.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2442

Janet's birthday dinner was a few days late, but it was still very nice. We went to Knife, a new steakhouse in the neighborhood that has received national attention recently. The place was started by John Tesar, who was once a Top Chef contestant, and according to D Magazine, it is this year's Best Steakhouse in Texas. I prefer to think of the place as the hotel restaurant in the pet friendly hotel where we always stay when the power goes out or a water leak floods the house. We didn't have the nerve or the money to try the signature 240 day dry aged rib-eye, but our meal was very good.

It's a good thing I went to the gym today, because I definitely ate more than I usually do on a Sunday evening. I noticed this afternoon that my workout is remarkably consistent. I'm usually done after about 62 minutes and seem to burn roughly the same number of calories every week. The only thing that seems to vary is how long it takes me to sink five baskets from the free throw line. Sometimes I do this almost immediately and other times it seems to take forever.

I came closer to meeting my sleep goal last night than I have for a long time. We didn't get up until almost 8 AM, which is almost unheard of in this house. It certainly helped that Dot and Dash didn't wake us up like they usually do. Dot made it all the way through the night again without pooping in her bed and Dash didn't make a loud, noisy spectacle out of changing position during the night like he usually does. We need more days like this. Getting enough sleep really makes a difference.

The rain appears to be over for a while. It was somewhat surprising to see blue sky for a change. I'm amazed at how crowded the park has become on a nice day. When we first moved to the neighborhood, we practically had the place to ourselves. It's like a amusement park on weekends now. Dash likes to crisscross from one side of the paths to the other, depending on which side smells the best. I have to really watch out for cyclists now. They appear out of nowhere going very fast, and they never slow down. Bicycles are fine, but I'm not a big fan of cyclists. Why do they all act like the roads and trails were created expressly for them? Today, when I was driving home from the gym, I encountered three cyclists riding side-by-side so they took up the entire road. This made it almost impossible to pass them and traffic was backing up. Did these guys care? Not in the least.

I got another two month free trial offer from SiriusXM radio. I wonder why they sent me this offer, because I didn't bother to sign up when they sent me the same offer last year. I'll probably take advantage of the free offer again, just like I did before. Two months is plenty of time to discover that the service isn't actually worth paying for.

Next week is going to be busy. Dot has three vet appointments scheduled, each at a different vet. The first is her annual wellness exam, the second is her physical therapy session, and the third is a cancer re-check. I don't know how I screwed up and scheduled these so close together. In my defense, the appointments were all made at different times. It's not easy to transport Dot anymore, so one appointment a week is plenty. We'll make it work though. I certainly don't have anything better to do.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day