Day 4827

Dawn got a walk this morning and she did quite well. She seemed much happier today and being able to resume some of her regular activies was probably the reason. It's hard to tell if she is actually getting better since she is still taking pain medication and her neck still feels puffy. She's started to shake her head again which is both good and bad. It's good that her neck isn't as painful anymore, but we're going to have to start wearing the No Flap Ear Wrap again. The hematoma in her ear is starting to improve and we don't want that to get bad again.

I didn't do anything exciting today, but I did stay busy. I did several chores that I've been trying to avoid like cleaning toilets and trying to remove the stains on the ceiling. Spraying bleach on the ceiling works pretty well to remove a lot of the brown stains, but it's a messy job. You have to remove everything in the area, so you don't bleach furniture or other objects by mistake. I've learned to wear a hat, glasses and white clothing while I'm doing this so I don't ruin my clothes as well. The living room looks better now but I'm not even going to bother with the stains in the office ceiling. That part of the house is still leaking.

When Janet came home from the gym I took my long walk. We make sure that one of us is always home now to keep an eye on Dawn. We're making progress and the last thing we want is for Dawn to hurt her leg again with a bad fall. It turns out to be easier to let her continue to sleeping on our bed rather than gate her in a hallway where she can't fall. Dawn is a very stubborn dog and she just won't relax if she can't do things her way. Breakfast her way now means breakfast in bed. I don't know why she won't eat her breakfast in the kitchen anymore but it's not a big deal. I bring her bowl back to the bed and she eats there lying down. Oddly, she eats her other meals just fine in the kitchen.

Our weather has been like a roller coaster lately. One day it's hot and the next day it's cold. Today it was pretty chilly. It's hard to decide what to wear because it's always colder next to the lake. At least it was sunny today. I dressed warmly and completed my route, even though my feet hurt at the end. I'm not a big fan of Daylight Savings Time. It stays dark too long in the morning now and light too long in the evening.  I guess the late sunsets don't really matter because I'm not taking a telescope out in the evening anyway. The only connection I have with astronomy these days is testing the star tracker inside the house.

I had a nice walk this morning but it bothers me that I'm getting tired more easily. Walking six miles seems like a struggle at times. I'm going to keep walking though. I'm convinced that this activity is keeping me healthy and walking in the park is a lot easier than driving to the gym. I'm already doing better than my parents. Dad had Parkinson's Disease at my age and Mom was already dead.

I hate hearing that there's going to be a run on the banks after Silicon Valley Bank failed. Jeez. The money I have in the bank is my safe money, since I've never considered investing in the stock market to be all that safe. If the banks aren't safe anymore what do you do? Personally I think the news media love to scare people because it's good for ratings. They are making a big deal out of the bank failure because they know it will scare people. They've also been making a big deal out of airline safety lately because people are traveling more. Be that way if you want. I'll just quit listening to the news.

I need to remember that I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Doctors and dentists hate it when you fail to show up. I have to go to the dermatologist now because I have a few spots of actinic keratosis on my face. Since this is sometimes a pre-cancerous condition they want to check me every six months. No problems so far. The doctor freezes the keratosis spots with liquid nitrogen and I'm on my way. Did I mention that I hate growing old.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4822

It's been a long day. Dawn's condition hasn't improved much, but we're getting a lot better at managing things. There were no falls or stumbles today because one of us was always holding her harness to make sure a fall was impossible, even if her front leg knuckled under. It takes a while to learn how to let a dog walk naturally while standing very close and holding onto the harness. The harness has a handle which I attach a short length of rope to so I can stand erect while walking instead of being stooped over to reach the handle. Since Dawn seldom walks a straight line you have to be careful not to accidently step on her. I always watch her tail for signs that she is getting ready to pee or poop. You have to loosen your grip on the harness so she can squat naturally.

Dawn is a very stubborn dog, so she still insists on going down to the park behind our house to poop, even though it would be so much easier if she would just go in the yard. It's actually less stressful to take her to the park since she just wanders around the yard forever without doing anything. In the park she does her business quickly and heads for the house again. She's even more stubborn about sleeping on the bed. We have a step at the foot of the bed that we made for Dot and if we help guide her up the step, she's fine. One of us always stays with her even though it is doubtful she would try to go anywhere. Dawn loves that bed. 

We're still not sure exactly what's wrong, but we have a pretty good idea. Several months ago she started shaking her head frequently for some unknown reason. It definitely wasn't an ear infection because her ears are clear and clean. The head shaking led to the hematoma on her left ear and the No Flap Ear Wrap. We're thinking that the violent head shaking eventually also led to a slipped disc in her neck. Paralysis or partial paralysis of a front leg is often associated with injury to the nerve roots in the neck or shoulder. All of this could easily have been caused by a bulging disc in her neck that pinched a nerve root leading to her leg. The x-rays that were taken several days ago seem to confirm this although we would need an MRI to make sure. We're not going to do that because she is a terrible patient and it would involve a long car ride to get her to the MRI machine. A long car ride with Dawn in her current condition would be a nightmare. If we can just keep her from falling we're pretty sure her condition will improve.

Our schedules have changed a bit since once of us always needs to be in the house to keep an eye on Dawn. She could injure herself badly if she fell while we were gone. So far it is all working well. Janet got to run her errands and go to the gym and I got to take my long walk. I can tell that Dawn isn't feeling well because she lets me sit next to her on the bed now. As stubborn as she is, I think she understands that we've here to help her.

It must have rained last night although it wasn't raining when we woke up this morning. Dawn woke me up during the night when she was barking strangely in her sleep. It sounded like she was possessed by a demon. Since I was also having a strange dream when she woke me up, it was all very disorientating. I think I heard thunder but it might have been the dream. At any rate, when we woke up there was a small leak in the kitchen that stopped about an hour later. There must have been a lot of rain because the pumps on the roof removed a lot of water.

Tomorrow the roofers come over and I guess I'll need to formally approved their bid. I've got a few questions, but I'm willing to go ahead and do this. Hopefully we can schedule something that doesn't involve rain during the process. The last thing I want is a big blue tarp over an exposed roof during a rain storm. I'm also getting a haircut tomorrow. It will be a busy day, but I think we've got everything scheduled. 

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4817

There was very little evidence that we'd had a huge storm last night. The sky was clear this morning and the ground was even relatively dry. We noticed a few downed trees in the park when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk this morning and a new leak appeared in the office, but that was about it.

We're getting better at putting on Dawn's head wrap in the morning after we get up, but so far it doesn't seem to be helping much. The hematoma on her left ear actually seems to be getting larger. Hopefully the No Flap Ear Wrap will help over time because the only other option is surgery. The hematoma doesn't appear to be liquid enough to just drain it.

My morning routine now includes turning on the roof pumps before I start breakfast. I thought I had cleared most of the water away before I went to bed last night, but there was lots more this morning. Did it start raining again during the early morning hours or was standing water on the roof just migrating to the low spots where the pumps are located? It didn't really matter. I knew that I was going to have to crawl up on the roof again and sweep away the remaining standing water if I wanted the leaks to stop.

Construction is finished on the service road through the park and I've gone back to my old walking route. Even though this walk has become monotonous and a little too familiar, I still find it enjoyable. I always do great on the first two miles, start to slow down a little on the third mile, and am really starting to drag by the time I've finished my fourth mile. I guess I could make my walk a little shorter, but I've gotten used to this. I see the same ducks and geese every day along with a lot of familiar people walking their dogs or cycling. It's too bad that Dawn doesn't feel comfortable walking with me. She could use the exercise.

After lunch I went up on the roof and removed the rest of the standing water. The weather looks nice for the rest of the week, so I won't have to worry about leaks for a little while. I had really hoped to end these frequent trips up on the roof, but necessity prevails. It always rains a lot during the Spring and I'm going to have to continue sweeping away the standing water until we get a new roof installed. I'll try to be careful. I've investigated getting landscapers and yard crews to do this job for me, but nobody seems interested. It's probably best that I continue doing this myself. The Armor Flex coating is fragile and if you don't know what you are doing you could easily make the situation worse. I've resigned myself to paying for a new roof, but I'm going to be really mad if these leaks continue after it is installed.

Today is Janet's grocery day and Dawn spent over an hour before she arrived barking at the front door. Grocery day seems very exciting for Dawn. My own grocery day is tomorrow and Dawn could care less. I guess the things I buy aren't as interesting for a dog. Janet and I have both gotten tired of grocery shopping because the stores and roads are so crowded now. I don't know where all these extra people came from but the city doesn't feel the same as it did several years ago. It would be nice to live in a small town.

The leaks have stopped and I need to put all the buckets away. I've made my grocery list and I guess I'm ready for the weekend. We will have a big breakfast tomorrow instead of my usual shredded wheat and fruit. Everything else will be the same. It's no surprise that I need a trip to Florida every once and a while. This routine can become pretty monotonous. 

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4810

Another cold, cloudy day. No rain though, so that's good. Lately I've been having trouble thinking of something to write about. Time passes quickly, but every day is almost exactly the same. I reluctantly get out of bed when Janet tells me that we'll be walking in twenty minutes. The one mile walk wakes me up. Dawn loves to smell things and always enjoys herself no matter what the weather is like. I usually overdress for this walk because I'd rather be too warm than too cold. When we get back home I change back into my indoor clothes and make the bed.

When I go out to the kitchen to fix my breakfast, Dawn is usually waiting for her shredded wheat. She knows she gets two shredded wheat squares every morning now. As soon as she's had her treat, she goes back to the bedroom to nap. I fix some coffee, take my morning meds and eat my breakfast while watching one of the business channels on TV. I find the business channels less annoying than watching the news. I use half and half with my cereal instead of regular milk and Janet usually leaves me a small bowl of cut up strawberries to put on top. Even though we have a perfectly good dishwasher, I always wash and dry my breakfast dishes by hand and put them away before going back to the office and turning on the computer for the day. Rituals are important.

I always have tons of spam in my inbox. Even more spam is caught by my hosting company before it ever gets to me. Why are there so many spammers? Are people really stupid enough to respond to these messages? People send you fake invoices and shipping notices, hoping that you will reply and say you never ordered anything. They are just trying to extract personal information from you. I've thought about canceling my land line phone because the calls are all spam now. Most even show up as "suspected spam" on the caller ID. Why does the phone company even put these calls through if they know they are spam? Sadly, I think I know the answer. The spammers are probably their best customers.

Modern life is just one small irritation after another. Nothing works smoothly anymore. It's almost impossible to talk with a real person if you need technical help with something. If you do reach a real person they're usually in a call center in Indonesia and you can't understand what they're saying. Grocery shelves are frequently out of whatever you went to the store to get. I couldn't find real whipping cream this week. City traffic is impossible now. Where did all these people come from? I'd like to live in a small town except I'd also like to have easy access to the best doctors and veterinarians. I've got no complaints about health care and veterinarians. Pretty much everything else sucks.

The construction crews are making good progress on the access road they are replacing in the park. These guys start their day early. They were already hard at work when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk this morning. Parts of the road are already finished but I'm hesitant to walk on it yet. I don't want to get tar on my Hoka shoes. The new route I'm taking now to avoid the construction is about a half mile shorter than my regular route. Even something as minor as this throws me off. I like consistency and continuity. 

Dawn seems to be getting tired of wearing the No Flap Ear Wrap. I can't say that I blame her. I usually take it off when she's in the house, but you never know when she's going to vigorously shake her head. So far the hematoma on her left ear hasn't gotten any smaller. Hopefully by this time next month we'll be able to see some improvement. 

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4807

I'm tired. I did a lot of chores today that I've been trying to avoid. I knew that bulky trash pickup was this week, so I raked leaves right after breakfast. It's a good thing I started early because the trash trucks came today. I thought they were coming tomorrow. I hadn't finished by the time the trucks arrived but at least three big bags of leaves got hauled away. I guess I'll get the rest of the leaves next month.

Dawn wore her No Flap Ear Wrap on our early walk this morning. We hope this helps the hematoma on her ear to heal. I wasn't aware of how often she shakes her head. She does this a lot when she's outside. The device really does a good job of keeping her ears in place and Dawn doesn't seem to mind wearing it. Lets hope it works.

It was really warm today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still hot. By mid-afternoon it got up to over 80 degrees. This isn't like February at all. Even though the weather was nice, I was fairly slow this morning. This was probably because I had already been raking leaves for over an hour. I just don't have as much energy as I used to. I still managed to walk six miles. It just took me a little longer. I always try to convince myself that it's better to go slow than to quit, even though on many days I'd much rather just take a long nap.

With 80 degree weather I knew the roof would be dry, so I managed to lug the big bucket of Armor Flex silicon up on the roof and used it to patch the holes where the coating had torn. There was only about one gallon of liquid silicon left in the bucket, but it was enough to fill most of the bare areas. This stuff is so old now that I'm not even sure if it is good anymore. It's got to help though. I'll try to go up on the roof again tomorrow and see if the coating I applied dried properly. I hope this works because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow. The roofing company still hasn't called me with their bid, but I'm not in any particular hurry to get started. I know the job is going to be expensive and the rainy season isn't over yet. I guess I can keep setting buckets under the leaks until Spring.

The Crew-6 launch got postponed until Monday. I doubt that this matters much to me, since I still haven't heard whether I've been credentialed or not. It's odd that I haven't been either accepted or rejected yet with the launch so close. Usually I would have heard something by now. Maybe this is a sign that I should just plan to skip this launch. There's a good chance that it's going to rain this weekend anyway and I don't want to leave Janet with a bunch of leak buckets to manage.

It's weird to have the air conditioner running in February, but at least the air conditioner is working fine. I've just about given up trying to predict this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if we're freezing again soon. I know we've still got a lot more rain to look forward to, but I hope it stays dry long enough for the silicon patches I applied today to dry. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I probably didn't fix the roof, but at least I got rid of some leaves today.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4806

Dawn had her annual exam today. The lab results haven't come back yet, but it looks like she is in good shape. Dawn, like many Dalmatians, has had problems with crystals in her urine, but hopefully changes in her diet have helped eliminate that problem. The only other problem was her ear. About a month ago we noticed that she had developed a hematoma on her left ear. She shakes her head a lot, which either caused or aggravated the problem. 

The vet recommended a special pet headwrap called the No Flap Ear Wrap that will help the hematoma heal without the need for surgery. The device actually seems to work, although she looks like a little babushka now. Dawn is still shaking her head, but her ears don't flap around any more. Hopefully this will help. I'm not sure how long she will have to wear this contraption, but she seems to tolerate it well. We're not sure why she shakes her head so much. Dash did this too and developed a hematoma as well. It's definitely not an ear infection. Her ears look good..

It took me a while to realize that today was a holiday. I kept wondering why we didn't get any mail and why the park was so full of people. President's Day is kind of a weird holiday, but if you're working and get the day off, I guess you'll take what you can get. Other than Dawn's vet appointment, the day was exactly the same for me. We took Dawn on a sunrise walk, I had my shredded wheat for breakfast, and then I took my long walk.

There was a pretty sunrise and sunset today. I should have taken more pictures. I've spent so many years documenting things in the park a that I'm not very interested anymore. I didn't even take a picture of Dawn at the vet today. I used to do that with Dot and Dash a lot. There's always a phone in my pocket, but I rarely carry a camera with me these days. I used to always carry a little Lumix DMC ZS40 with me. It was about the size of a pack of cigarettes and had a long Leica telephoto lens that collapsed flat when the camera was off. This was the perfect camera to carry while taking long walks in the woods but I can't be bothered anymore. I just spend my walking time daydreaming these days.

I was expecting to hear from the roofer today and was hoping to learn whether I'd been credentialed for the Crew-6 launch as well. I guess nothing happens on holidays. We'll see if anything happens tomorrow. I won't be that disappointed if I don't get credentialed for this launch. Life will be simpler without having to arrange a last minute trip to Florida. Life would be simpler if the roof didn't leak too, but you can't have everything.

I need to remember that it's time for bulky trash pickup this week. There are still leaves that need to be raked in the side yard. Raking leaves is not my favorite activity, but these leaves don't seem to be going anywhere on their own. There have been several really windy days and I was hoping that they would just blow away. No luck there. If anything, more leaves seems to be blowing into the side yard.

It was unseasonably warm today and almost got up to 80 degrees. I think it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. That's fine by me. As long as it doesn't rain, the weather can do what it wants.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day