Day 3484

I spent my day thinking about small things. I noticed that a group of about twelve Great Egrets have taken over the small corner of the lake where the wayward Pelican resides. When the new birds arrived, the Pelican disappeared. I wonder why? Are birds this territorial? Did the two camps refuse to share fish? Where did all these Egrets come from anyway? I thought the Pelican was gone for good and then today it reappeared after being gone for a week. All my theories are out the window now.

I also wonder why almost all the fishermen at the lake use bank poles. It's very rare to see anyone spincasting. The people with bank poles usually just sit in a lawn chair and watch their poles. Is there method to this madness or are these fishermen just lazy. Why would anyone even want to eat the fish in this lake anyway? The water is polluted. Who am I to judge though? I bet a lot of the fresh fish you see in the seafood section at your local supermarket have spent time in polluted water. I don't trust farm raised fish at all after what I've read about Tilapia.

I'm starting to see a lot of Onewheel boards and electric scooters at the park. Why did these things catch on and Segways didn't? Maybe it was the price. Maybe nobody thought Segways were cool. I never see these things anymore. I don't understand this need for speed at all. When I walk through the park there is plenty of time to wonder where the Pelican went or why the Passionflower vines I see along the path bloom so infrequently. If I was speeding around on a Onewheel or even a bicycle, I'd never see anything. I'd just be worrying about killing myself.

I heard that Ross Perot died today. Electronic Data Systems was one of my first clients when I started my company. Ross is still the reason that there are a lot of suits in my closet. He ran a tight ship in the early days. Even creative people like me had to wear a suit when you called on the company. I never dressed better. Male employees had to wear a tie just to eat in the company cafeteria. I enjoyed working for EDS and later Siemens in Germany though. These conservative companies made me feel like a wild and crazy guy.

I enjoyed watching the first segment of Chasing the Moon on PBS last night. I'm going to watch the next segment tonight even though it will keep me up past my bedtime. I guess it doesn't matter how late I stay up. The blog will still get posted before midnight and there are no real plans for tomorrow. I did manage to find somebody who will give me a bid on replacing the greenhouse today. It might be months before any work begins but at least I'm making progress. I've set a pretty low bar for myself. As long as I do something every day, I'm good.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3300

Dash seemed a little more lucid today. He didn't stumble around as much and his eyes seemed brighter. I have no idea what determines whether Dash has a good of bad day. Everything in his life is fairly consistent, but some days are definitely better than others. I'm always happy to see a good day. They are few and far between.

The roof is finally drying out. The weather is still nice and warm but the leak did not return during the midday sun. I'm at the mercy of the roofers now. If they return tomorrow or Tuesday we may be able to fix this leak. The rain is supposed to return on Thursday though, so the window of opportunity is small. I'd love to hear the guys up on the roof tomorrow morning but I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch. I was the squeaky wheel for a while, but I may not be any longer.

On my way to the gym this morning I thought I'd pick up another pair of cheap rubber rain shoes for walking Dash. These slip on shoes don't last very long but I can put them on in seconds and they keep my feet dry. Somehow, instead of these cheap shoes, I came home with a pair of steel toe Doc Martens. Why did I buy these things? I already have some heavy work boots. These felt comfortable though and seemed like they would last forever.

 My shoulders and elbows still hurt from working on the roof last week, but I did my full workout anyway. I'm afraid if I vary my routine, I may just quit going to the gym altogether. I'm pretty much on automatic pilot when I go to the gym, but my Fitbit indicates that I'm doing something right. If I could just bring myself to endure this kind of punishment three times a week I'd be in great shape.

The park behind our house has become so popular in recent years that it is stressful to walk Dash on a nice weekend. There were bicycles everywhere today. None of them slow down for Dash. The number of loose dogs increases dramatically on warm weekends too. You really have to be aware of your surroundings. These things called Onewheel are becoming popular too. They look like a skateboard with a single big motorized wheel in the center and can travel up to twenty miles per hour. We saw six of these contraptions today. They're fairly expensive but that doesn't seem to stop people from buying them. Onewheel travel seems even more dangerous than those ride sharing scooters that are popping up all over the place. What do I know though? I still prefer walking.

If things go well tomorrow the roofers will discover what is causing my roof leak and the Herman Miller technicians will fix my office chair. Unfortunately, it's a Monday tomorrow and people aren't always at the top of their game on a Monday. I'll hope for the best but nothing will really surprise me.

I'm getting sleepy so it's probably time to call it a day. Dash has been sleeping for quite a while, so he'll probably be wide awake at 3 AM. We'll see what happens.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day