Day 3043

Today was a bit discouraging. The stock market plummeted again. Why are people getting upset about rising interest rates? I've been wanting interest rates to go up for a long time. When interest rates are high, you can earn a decent rate of return on very safe investments and don't have to worry about insane fluctuations in the market. Back in the day, high interest rates were always my friend.

Flat roofs have never been my friend. This is the second home I've owned with a flat roof, and it's driving me crazy. I went up on the roof today to sweep away leaves and discovered standing water instead. When I cleared away the water, I discovered four more tears in the elastomer coating. Two of these tears were in areas I had fixed last Summer. I really need a brand new roof. The current roof never performed as promised and it's been hell trying to get the roofer to fix the problem. The special coating that seals everything was supposed to last for a minimum of ten years. We're not even close.

I couldn't figure out why my laptop was so slow after I upgraded the system to Sierra. Today I read that whenever you update an Apple operating system, performance become very sluggish until the Spotlight app has finished indexing the entire hard drive. This process can take hours. I wish Apple told you these things. I left the laptop running all day and sure enough by the end of the day it was running much faster. I never even use the Spotlight app. I certainly had no idea it could cause so much trouble.

I spoke too soon about my fitness band repair. It's already starting to fall apart again. I got out a loupe and looked closely at the repair and it looks like I didn't clean the surface well enough. I needed to remove all traces of my previous attempts to glue the band together before applying the Sil-Poxy adhesive. It looks like there was still a little bit of Shoe-Goo on the band. It's fun to fix things when the repairs work. Failures just become irritating after a while.

Dash wouldn't take an afternoon walk today. Even Janet couldn't convince him to walk when she got home from work. This was frustrating too, because I enjoy walking. I finally decided to just take an evening walk by myself. I don't know why Dash doesn't like walking in the afternoon anymore. It's getting harder and harder to get him out the door. I don't think he was tired today because he spent most of the afternoon napping. Maybe we're down to one walk a day now.

I read an article today that said retirement can be especially difficult for people who are used to being valued for their ideas. According to the article, when you become older and are no longer part of the work force, nobody really cares what you think. You're just another geezer collecting social security. Although I didn't agree with everything, a lot of the article rang true. The transition from being a problem solver to being irrelevant can be a tough one. I think the people who just want to travel and play golf have an easier time of things.

Jeez. I wish I hadn't spent so much time on the roof today. I just learned that it is supposed to rain tomorrow. So it goes.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3042

The appliance repairman said that there was nothing wrong with the stove. He agreed that the stainless steel countertop got pretty darn hot when the burners were on high for a while, but could find nothing wrong with the wiring. He suggested that we stop boiling large pots of water on the stovetop, but I don't think Janet is going to like this idea. Sadly, the stove repair was a failure, but I was able to get the washing machine fixed.

All front loader washing machines have a thick rubber gasket that seals the door when you are doing a load of wash. Unfortunately this gasket retains water after you've finished doing a load and since it never gets dry, eventually the rubber starts to mold. Almost all front loader washing machines do this, which is why they are not as popular anymore. A YouTube video showed me how I could replace this gasket myself, but I'm glad I didn't try. The repairman had to to use a special tool to unlock the clamp that held the gasket in place. The YouTube video never mentioned this tool. He also had to remove a large and very heavy concrete counterweight that keeps the metal drum in balance while it is rotating. You basically had to take the machine apart to remove the thick rubber sleeve. I guess the effort was worth it though. I now have a brand new door gasket that probably won't begin to mold for another three years.

Dash slept through the entire two hours the repairman was here. Actually, he continued sleeping for an additional hour after the guy left. Dot would have spent the entire time barking. I don't know if Dash is really tired or he just doesn't care. Either way, repairmen just don't seem to bother him.

I was surprised to get a call about a very old invoice that I'd almost given up on. Apparently, the bookkeeper quit and nobody was aware of the invoice. The owner's wife was doing the books now and asked if I took credit cards. None of this sounded normal, but at least this February invoice might finally get paid. I wonder if I'll ever get any more work from this company? They used to keep me pretty busy, but these days they seem in worse shape than I am.

I got a post card from my sister thanking me for a voicemail message I'd left on her birthday. She never returned the call, but the cryptic message on the postcard was reassuring. I'm not terribly close with family, but when someone has cancer you start to worry if they disappear for a while. I guess we can go back to sending letters back and forth every few months.

I wore the silicon fitness tracker band I repaired today and it didn't immediately fall apart. In my book, that's a success. So far, there's no skin irritation either. I'm already looking for more broken silicon stuff to repair. I'm sure the Jawbone tracker will break again eventually. It might break tomorrow. For now, I am satisfied that both the tracker and the front loader washing machine will live to see another day.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3039

I'm happy to report that there are still a few good people in the world. When Janet and I were walking Dash this evening we saw an injured dog in the park. Several other people noticed the dog as well and we all tried to convince it to come to us without scaring it away. The dog was very young and needed medical attention. He appeared to be very friendly with the dogs we all were walking, but was frightened of humans. It looked like he had been dumped in the park. He was very hard to catch, so I went back home to get a slip leash and some dog treats. It took some patience, but eventually the dog started to trust us and one of the women was able to put a lead around his neck. She was going to take the dog to her vet for treatment and see if they would help her get it into a good adoption program. I have no idea who the folks we met this afternoon were, but they were all good people. The injured pup won't be eaten by coyotes tonight and hopefully his next family will appreciate him much more than the people who dumped him.

Before all this dramatic activity, it was just a normal Friday. I had a nice breakfast, picked up some groceries for the weekend, and made an appointment for the appliance repairman to come out again. It's not the refrigerator this time. The refrigerator is fine, but there's a problem with the stove. Whenever we turn on a burner, the stainless steel counter top gets really hot. I think you could fry an egg on the countertop. This definitely isn't normal. I asked for the same repairman who fixed our refrigerator, and the dispatcher laughed. "He's our MacGyver ," she told me.

I'm reasonably good at fixing things, but I'm definitely no MacGyver. I was pretty much of a klutz today when I tried to repair the silicon fitness tracker band. I was super careful with the Sil-Poxy adhesive, since the warnings on the label seemed ominous. Despite my best intentions, I still managed to get some of the evil stuff on my hands. I know I should have worn gloves, but I'm even more clumsy with gloves on. Also this stuff fuses rubber together, so I thought if I spilled the stuff on the gloves, I might have trouble getting them off again. At any rate, the repaired band is curing now and my hand seems OK. We'll see whether the fitness tracker still works in the morning.

With or without a fitness tracker, it's pretty easy to tell that I'm not getting enough sleep. Dash got me up in the middle of the night again. I don't even need a watch to know what time it is. If Jupiter is in the sky, it is still pretty early. If Saturn and Mars are in the sky, it is near morning. It's been very clear outside for the past several nights, but I can't linger and look at the sky. If I don't get back to the bedroom quickly, Dash will steal my place on the bed.

There are a lot of new Dalmatians in the rescue program, so I may go up to the boarding kennel with Janet this weekend so I can take pictures of them. I'm not as good about keeping the website current as I used to be, but then I'm not as good about anything as I used to be. As always, I'm hoping for an uneventful weekend. I still haven't heard anything from the roofers. It looks like I might have to repair the leak myself.

Wilson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3038

The tree trimmer came over today to give me an estimate. The dead limb I was worried about hangs directly over the house and it seems like it would be difficult to gently lower it down with a rope. No problem, the guy told me. I'll take his word for it. This is something I would never attempt by myself. I need to schedule this work before the roofers come over, but that shouldn't be a problem. I'll be lucky if I can get the roofers over here by June.

I was reading the instructions for the special glue I bought to repair my fitness band and I noticed something in the fine print that said "Do not let this product come in contact with skin." WTF? How can I repair a wrist band if the repair can't come in contact with my skin? I need to contact the manufacturer about this. Silicon is used in all sorts of medical products. Silicon masks are also common in film and the theater. Why would anyone make a repair product that couldn't be used in these situations? Maybe the glue just can't come near skin until it has fully cured. I'll be real disappointed if I can't use this glue. Basically, if I can't glue the fitness tracker back together, it goes in the trash.

Dash seems to be slowly inching back to a more regular schedule. He got me up at midnight and again just before sunrise. While this may seem inconvenient, it is much better than getting up at 3 AM. I was hoping that Dash would sleep through the night like he did yesterday, but no such luck. At least he is eating normally again.

It was a nice day to be outside, so I tried to repair some of the roof panels on the greenhouse. It's been really windy this Spring and these panels keep coming loose. I definitely should have worn a long sleeve shirt. The translucent panels are made of fiberglass and my arms were itching for the rest of the day. Fiberglass is terrible stuff. It looks solid but there are always sharp little fibers that come off when you touch it. It's ironic that I was worried about the silicon glue today when I really should have been worried about the fiberglass.

I'm dreading going over to the storage warehouse and taking an inventory of my collection before my friend from Kentucky arrives in town to pick it up. This is going to take a long time and I'm sure I'll have misgivings about liquidating a bunch of stuff it took me so many years to accumulate. If I could go back in time, the first thing I'd do is tell my younger self not to bother with collecting things. The older you get, the less collections matter. In the long run, it is a lot better to have the cash than a bunch of dusty stuff in a storage warehouse.

This week has gone quickly. It is already time to take the trash to the curb again. On Thursday evenings I often read Yelp reviews about restaurants I'm thinking about visiting the next morning. Usually I just end up confused. There will almost always be great reviews right next to terrible reviews. It must be hard to run a restaurant. It's probably just about impossible to please everybody.

Marley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3037

I'm losing track of the days again. The main thing that make one day different from the next is how Dash is acting. He is totally unpredictable. Last night he slept all night, although I woke up several times in anticipation of his usual need to go outside. He seemed disoriented when he woke up this morning, but returned to normal after about thirty minutes. He seemed in good spirits on our morning walk and then slept most of the day after we returned. When it was time for dinner, he turned his nose up at everything. I couldn't tell if he was feeling nauseous or just being stubborn. I tried all his favorites and he wouldn't eat anything. I left some food in his bowl and went about my business.  About an hour later I noticed that he'd changed his mind and decided the food was OK after all. He wouldn't take an afternoon walk with me, but when Janet came home from work he decided that walking was OK again. I wonder what causes these mood swings? Dogs are supposed to be predictable.

I'm having trouble getting people to return my calls. I'm ready to clean up the back yard and get new St. Augustine grass put in, but the landscaper hasn't called me back. I haven't heard from the roofer either. He sent me an e-mail about a month ago saying he'd take care of things, but that was the last I've heard from him. I did finally get a call from the tree guy, but he just told me that he was in the middle of something and to call him again tomorrow. Eventually, I'll get all these things taken care of,  but nobody seems very excited about my little projects.

I was slightly excited when I the UPS guy delivered the special silicon glue I ordered. I had to order two tubes of this exotic adhesive to meet the company's minimum order requirements and shipping cost $10. I could have found a replacement UP3 fitness band for about the same price. I wonder why I'm so obsessed with fixing things? Oddly, I'm really curious to see whether this glue works.

We encountered a bunch of Great Egrets along the shoreline this morning. I wanted to get closer so I could take a good picture, but Dash wasn't interested. Dash is not interested in birds at all. I always carry a small pocket camera with a 30x zoom but the pictures often leave a lot to be desired. I never take a good camera while I'm walking Dash. Dash is a great companion, but he's a terrible photo assistant. It's easier to just concentrate on walking.

I watched another Space X launch on my computer this afternoon. These guys are really getting good at this stuff. Today's payload was a telescope that will look for planets orbiting other nearby stars. I wonder whether humans will eventually reach the stars or just become extinct after we ruin our own planet. It's a toss up.

Mattie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3035

It's amazing how long it takes to do nothing. Maybe I accomplished something today, but it would be hard to prove. I found a place that sells the weird silicon glue I've been looking for in a smaller more affordable size. I was just about ready to order the glue online when I discovered that the seller wanted to charge $18 to ship the small 1/2 ounce tube. Jeez. The glue itself only costs $11. This seemed ridiculous, especially since you could easily put the small tube of glue in a bubble pack envelope and mail it with two first class stamps. I canceled the order and did some more looking until I eventually found a place in town that stocked the glue. Do I want to drive 20 miles on a busy freeway to pick this stuff up, or pay way too much for shipping? It's a tough choice.

I heard on TV that the supreme court is hearing a case tomorrow that could end up forcing online retailers to charge sales tax. That would really suck. I have purchased computers, cameras, and electronic equipment online for years specifically to avoid paying sales tax. Sales taxes, gasoline taxes, property taxes, cigarette taxes, and much, much more never seem to be enough. The government always wants more. We'll see what happens, but I'm going to be real disappointed if I have to pay sales tax when I order something from Sweetwater or B&H Camera.

I made an appointment to take Dash tomorrow morning for his rabies booster. He's so old now that I don't think he needs the shot, but it's the law. At least the city doesn't require the vaccine every year like they used to. You only need a booster shot once every three years now and many vets think that the vaccine is actually effective for up to seven years. Dash has had a bad reaction to some immunizations in the past, so I never look forward to these shots as he becomes old and frail. I wish these decisions could just be between the vet and the pet's owner. Why does the government need to get involved?

Our neighbors are having to replace their sewer line. What a mess. Since our houses are about the same age, I've started to wonder about the condition of our own sewer line. We've already had problems with our water lines, so it's something to think about. When our house was built in the mid-1950's, they used copper pipes inside the house and heavy cast iron pipes outside. These pipes were pretty durable, but everything rusts or corrodes eventually. I wonder how the PVC pipes they use today will look fifty years from now? The plastic pipes will probably be fine, but I can't imagine that the purple glue they use to join these pipes together will last that long.

I have only a single outstanding invoice now. When even the slow and delinquent payers are current on all their accounts, do I even have a business left? Probably not. I'm a pretty good dog nurse, but I'm really going to have to find something to do with myself when the business officially dies.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3034

I looked up at the sky when I took Dash out to pee last night and I couldn't find Jupiter. How could a planet disappear? I guess I'd forgotten how long it's been cloudy when I take Dash out in the middle of the night. Saturn, Mars and Jupiter were no longer in their familiar positions. It seemed like yesterday when the three planets were neatly arranged in a straight line stretched across the Eastern sky. Of course it seems like Christmas was yesterday too. The older you get, the faster time flies.

It's just about impossible to get Dash to do his business at a reasonable hour. I take him out several times every night now. Dash ought to be glad that I'm a light sleeper. He seems supremely confident that I will always be there to open the door for him. Strangely, I don't really feel sleep deprived like I did when Dot was sick. I take naps now. Dash's behavior is not going to change. He's certainly not losing much sleep since he spends most of the day snoozing. I figure if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em. I'm going to sleep during the day too.

I tried to find the special adhesive that can glue silicon to silicon, but nobody carries it. I struck out trying to find a replacement band for Janet's Fitbit too. I'm beginning to think that it isn't even worth the trouble to shop at retail stores anymore. Both of these hard to find items are readily available on Amazon. All I have to do is click on the "add to cart" button" and they'll be here next week.

There seems to be fewer and fewer people at the gym each time I go. Maybe this is seasonal, or maybe there's a better gym out there. I hope enough people keep attending this gym to keep it open. I'd hate to see the place close. I've grown fond of the place and it would be difficult for me to go anywhere else. If I had to go to a trendy gym full of young people, I'd probably stop going entirely.

We ordered Dash some indoor boots that he can wear around the house. He's really starting to slip on the bricks now. Hopefully, the lightweight rubberized boots will provide the traction he needs. I'd hate to bring all those ugly rugs  home from the storage warehouse again. The three rugs we've strategically placed in the kitchen to help him eat are bad enough. I suspect that it's only a matter of time before the rest of the rugs return as well.

I've started watching a show called Detectorists on BBC. The show is supposed to be a comedy, but it is bleak and a bit melancholy. Maybe that's why I like it. The main characters have dead end jobs, or no jobs at all, and spend their time searching the English countryside for hidden gold with metal detectors. They find nothing but old buttons and pull tabs from beer cans, but never seem to give up. The awkwardness and futility of these characters seems so real that each episode becomes a sad metaphor for life in general. I think there still another season of this show that I haven't seen yet. Maybe I've finally got something to watch on Netflix.

Can you believe it's the middle of April already?  Maybe by the end of the month Winter will be over.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3033

I took Dash outside several times last night and each time it was ten degrees cooler than the time before. The temperature was in the seventies when we went to bed and in the forties the next morning. I don't think Winter is ready to relinquish it's grip on us. I'm glad I haven't put away my Winter clothes yet. I still wear them several times a week. It felt like we experienced all four seasons today. The clear skies looked like Summer. The cold temperatures felt like Winter. The blooming flowers reminded me that it was actually Spring. And the blustery wind felt like Fall. It isn't usually this cold in mid-April, but then there is nothing "usual" about Texas weather at any time of the year.

Janet went to pick up a dog for Dalmatian Rescue this morning, but we got Dash to take his regular morning walk by pretending that she was just going to work again. On weekends Dash typically insists that we all walk together. I wanted to stay home with Dash because he was so shaky yesterday. He was still very wobbly when I took him out to pee during the night, but he began to improve as the day progressed. By the end of the day he was walking normally again. This kind of confirmed my suspicion that the gabapentin was causing his problems. It's a shame that there are so few pain pills without serious side effects. Cortisone and other steroids can weaken your immune system. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Rimadyl can damage the liver and kidneys. Gabapentin tends to cause sedation and weakness. Tramadol and other opioids have their own serious problems. There is not really a good solution. You use these drugs when the pain becomes worse than the side effects.

I got tired of looking at the rust colored stain in the living room ceiling, so I got out a ladder and cleaned the area with a bleach soaked rag. The sheet rock is still damaged, but it looks much better now. I was pleased to discover that the sheet rock felt pretty dry. This means that the leak we experienced recently wasn't very bad. After the cosmetic improvements I made to the living room, I decided to tackle the bathroom. Mildew is a continual problem in the shower. I took the handles off the faucets and scrubbed them inside and out. Then I did the same thing to the shower nozzle. I'm not sure if the shower nozzle works better after I took it apart and cleaned it, but it certainly looks better.

I couldn't figure out why I've been unable to repair the silicon band on my fitness tracker. I finally did some research today and discovered that it is almost impossible to glue two pieces of silicon together. The stuff just doesn't stick to anything. I learned that there is a special industrial adhesive specifically designed to attach silicon to silicon, but it costs $30 for a small 3 oz. tube. Jeez. I could just buy a new fitness band for about the same price. I still like these UP3 bands, despite their many problems. The company is bankrupt but you can still find the trackers at companies that specialize in selling discontinued merchandise. I should buy a few spares before they're all gone.

I listened to another piano lesson on my computer this afternoon and realized that my fingers are going to be a problem. I have trouble playing the guitar for any length of time because of the arthritis in my hands. I thought that the piano wouldn't be a problem, but I'm having trouble with the correct fingering on chords. My fingers just don't move the way they used to. The pain isn't bad, but it's a nuisance. Maybe this is why Dash and I do so well on our long, slow walks. We're both falling apart at just about the same rate. I don't know how Janet puts up with us. We're both grumpy old men.

Flash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day