Day 3107

The yard looks nice again. I thought the guys were only going to replace a few squares of obviously dead St. Augustine sod, but they ended up replacing about half the grass in the yard. The landscapers were very nice and I felt a little bad about calling them multiple times about the bad grass. I was polite but persistent. You have to be. I've learned the hard way that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Now it's time to focus my attention on the leaky roof, the stuck sliding glass door, the faulty backyard light, the noisy toilet, and a half dozen other things that are falling apart around the house. There are lots of little things that need attention this Summer, but the big thing is still Dash. I worry about Dash every day.

I talked to two different vets today about blood thinners and internal bleeding. Both of them agreed that Janet and I did the right thing to discontinue the low dose aspirin Dash was taking when we started seeing dark stools. Evidently baby aspirin has a greater tendency to irritate the stomach and intestinal lining than Plavix. Low dose aspirin can easily cause internal bleeding in both humans and animals. We're going to stop the aspirin for now, but continue the Plavix. So far, this plan seems to be working. Dash's poop has already returned to its normal color and there are no longer any obvious signs of bleeding. We can only hope that we are still keeping the blood clot from growing.

I'm way behind on the website project I'm supposed to be doing this Summer. I've been waiting for input, but I finally decided that I could get started without it. I didn't really accomplish much today, but I did manage to recover my password and gain access to the server. I created a space for the new site to reside and now I've got a place to come back and work whenever I'm in the mood. As my deadline for completing this project approaches, I imagine that I'm going to be in the mood a lot more often.

As soon as the new grass got installed, the yard squirrels started to eat it. When the squirrels aren't eating the grass, they are digging holes to bury acorns under it. With all the critters that call this place home, it's amazing that I have a yard at all. I have a feeling that critters are responsible for the faulty security light in the back yard as well. There are thousands of spiders in the yard and they are constantly building webs. I wouldn't be surprised if there a thick spider web covering the photocell that turns the light on and off. This would certainly explain the erratic behavior of the photocell, but I'm not sure about the solution. You can't tell spiders what to do.

I'm recording the two hour season finale of The Expanse tonight. I wonder when I'll find time to watch this? Dash doesn't usually sleep this long. Whenever I watch, I'm sure I'll have to stop and start the show over and over again, so I can take Dash outside to pee. Dash will sleep for a long time if I'm sleeping with him. If I'm trying to do something else, he's constantly interrupting me. Like any Dalmatian, he thrives on attention. I probably spoil him, but why not. Dash has so many problems that he deserves all the happy moments he can get.

I can't decide whether to stay up late tonight. Saturn is at opposition and less than one degree away from the full moon tonight. It ought to be quite a sight. The only problem is that there are so many trees in our area that I won't be able to get a good view of this rare alignment until almost 1 AM. If I want to see Saturn's rings, I'll need to get the telescope out too. I wonder if I can even find the telescope? I know it's here somewhere.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3085

The landscapers work late. They're in the back yard right now installing the St. Augustine sod. It will be nice to have a decent looking yard again. I've grown accustomed to the fact that grass doesn't last long in our back yard. The extensive root network for our big Oak trees immediately sucks up all available water. I'll probably have to replace the turf again next year. That's OK. At least things will be nice for Dash this summer. Hopefully, he will start pooping in the grass, instead of venturing into the thick Asian Jasmine ground cover at the back of the yard. Dash's rear legs are so weak that he occasionally gets stuck in the ground cover and I have to go extricate him.

I never dreamed that selling art at auction would be so complicated. I got a contract from one of the big New York auction houses and it was page after page of fine print. From all appearances, it would be much easier to sell a house. I'm glad and somewhat surprised that there is interest in the things I've collected. I've never thought of art as investment. I just bought things that I could afford and made me happy. I certainly never thought of the model trains as an investment. I had every intention of building a big model railway someday and just never got around to it.

It was sad to hear about Kate Spade's suicide. I remember listening to an interview with her on NPR while I was driving to the gym a few months ago and she certainly seemed like a happy, well adjusted person. She and her husband built their business from nothing and lived to see it become an international success. Why wasn't she happy with her life? I was equally surprised when I learned of Robin William's death. It just goes to show that depression has nothing to do with success or failure. Rich or poor, famous or obscure, depression seems like an equal opportunity curse.

I wish I could find some more durable dog boots for Dash. We've tried three different brands and all of them are wearing out. Even the indestructible Ultra Paws boots we got recently are starting to wear out. If a dog scuffs their feet while they walk like Dash does, nothing is going to last that long. The ToughTek material on the Ultra Paws boots is no match for Dash. It has completely worn through to the nylon shell below. The dog booties may not last that long, but they definitely do their job. Dash's paws haven't bled since he started wearing them.

I wish I'd remembered to ask my doctor about my irritating cough when I had my exam last week. It feels like I've got cracker crumbs caught in my throat. Maybe I do have cracker crumbs in my throat, but this feels more like when I used to take Zestril for high blood pressure. When I switched to Benicar, the coughing stopped. When a generic equivalent for Benicar was approved, I started taking that instead. I didn't have a choice. I've always wondered if generic and brand name drugs were the same. Maybe there is a difference that's causing this cough. It probably doesn't matter anyway, since my insurance won't pay for brand name medications when there is a generic available.

I'll read the contract from the auction house tomorrow. If I'm lucky, maybe Janet will just read it for me. Trying to understand legal documents makes my head spin.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3082

I was expecting the landscapers on Monday, but they decided to come today. There was lots of work to do. Most people use a lawn service on a weekly or monthly basis. I use one once a year. Today, the guys pulled weeds and hauled away a year's worth of dead leaves. I think they're coming back tomorrow to install the new St. Augustine grass. It's a shame that grass never lasts more than a single season in the back yard, but that's just the way it is. The large Oak trees have such an extensive root system that they suck up all available water. The grass never has a chance to develop deep roots of its own. Even though the new grass isn't in yet, the yard already looks better. A year's worth of Oak leaves can really make a yard look messy.

I got my first check from the friend who is selling my train collection. Not bad for one month. Seven items have sold already. My friend says it might take two years to sell the entire collection. That's OK. It took me way more than two years to accumulate this stuff. I wonder what has caused me to have such a change of heart? As recently as five years ago I wouldn't have even considered selling my collections. Now, getting back to basics would be a blessing.

Dash was real interested in what the landscapers were doing. He watched at the window for hours. I couldn't let him outside because the gates were open, but he definitely knew that something was going on in his yard. I hope I cleaned up all the dog poop before the guys arrived. Stepping in dog poop is no fun for anyone. At least it will be easier to clean up after Dash now. During the Winter, the poop just disappeared under a mountain of leaves.

I went to my safe deposit box on the way to the grocery store to look for documents and records about my artwork. The galleries and auction houses want a lot of documentation. I found a few receipts, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. Actually, there was very little of value or usefulness in the box. I wonder why I even have this thing. It's kind of like the storage warehouse. Twenty years ago it all made a lot of sense. Now, not so much.

Maybe now that the yard is clean, I won't get so many bug bites. I've got so many bites that I'm starting to look like I've got chicken pox. Each bug leaves their own distinct signature. Ant bites are small raised welts. Mosquito bites are wide pink blotches. Chigger bites are smaller and redder than the mosquitoes. All of them itch. I just hope I don't get any spider bites. Spider bites are the worst.

I watched a show about eating healthy on PBS this afternoon. It looks like Janet has already adopted the perfect diet. I still have a ways to go. I still consume too much wheat and it's pretty tough to totally avoid sugar. Neither of us drink soft drinks, but I still enjoy a piece of pie for dessert. Janet just has a slice of cantaloupe or watermelon. It will be a long time before I learn to substitute cantaloupe for pie.

We had to shorten Dash's walk today. It's getting too hot. Our cool, wet Spring is just a distant memory now. The temperature was over one hundred degrees this afternoon. This is not only dangerous for Dash, it's too hot for me as well. Let's hope the air conditioner keeps working.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2847

I was surprised at how cold it was this morning. The furnace was running when we woke up and I needed to wear long pants and a jacket on our morning walk. Typically, these nice October mornings don't last very long. As soon as the sun comes up, the temperature is quickly above ninety again. Today was different. I don't think it got above seventy degrees all day long.

Since the weather was nice and cool, I thought it would be a good day to fix the big gash in the front yard. I measured the bare spot where the runaway car had ripped away the grass and went to buy some St. Augustine sod. I'd forgotten how messy is is to carry grass around in your car. I used to haul sod in the Defender quite a bit, but I don't think I've ever done it in this car. I had quite a bit of cleanup to do when I got home.

I can't say that I did a super job on the yard, but at least the dirt is covered up now. With this chore marked off my list, I went looking for a cheap orthotic insert for my dog walking shoes. I found something at CVS that looked identical to the expensive REI inserts for 1/3 the price. If I was willing to go to Walmart, I might have found something for even less.

Now that we're feeding Dash what he wants, he's eating quite well. I hope the loss of appetite scare wasn't just an elaborate ploy to get us to change his diet. Dash can be pretty clever when it comes to getting what he wants. I feel confident that what we're feeding him now is healthy and nutritious. The only thing I don't like is that his poop is softer and harder to clean up. He may be getting too much protein as well. We don't want to deal with crystals in his urine again.

I've noticed that the refrigerator is starting to get a little warmer again. If the replacement part doesn't arrive in the next day or so, I'll have to manually defrost the evaporator coil again. It's easy enough to melt the ice with a hair dryer, but it takes a while to remove all the food from the freezer and unscrew the back wall plate so the coil is exposed. I wonder why this coil freezes up so quickly? I remember having an old fashioned refrigerator without the frost-free feature in one of my first apartments and I think I could go six months without having to defrost the thing.

I guess I'll just watch the new Blade Runner movie on my computer. It's going to be available on iTunes soon and I don't feel like dealing with theaters or driving at night. I can really understand the appeal of Hello Fresh, Netflix, Amazon, and all the other things that bring the world to your doorstep. When you look at what the world has become, there's a lot to be said for just staying at home.

Neo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2844

Dash tried to get us out of bed this morning. This is a good sign. Lately, Dash has been so lethargic that he'd sleep all day if we didn't make a real effort to get him outside to pee in the morning. We won't really know what's going on until we go back for another echocardiogram next week, but it appears like Dash's condition is improving. For the first time in over a month, he wanted to walk down by the shoreline this morning. Even though this route usually results in Dash getting covered with sticky pollen and burrs, it was nice to see him enjoying himself. When we returned and cleaned him up, he ate a good breakfast. Things are looking up.

When I went to the grocery store this morning I saw several people who looked a lot like Stephen Paddock. It's disconcerting to think that almost any of the hundreds of ordinary looking people we see everyday could be consumed by hidden demons. How would you know? "See something, say something" wouldn't have worked in his case. Every time I turn on the TV, someone is speculating about this guy's motive. Maybe he didn't even have a motive. They say Paddock mostly played video poker when he was in Vegas. People who play the slots a lot seem really detached. They are completely different than the animated, shouting people gathered around the craps table. Being too detached isn't good. Detachment leads to neighborhoods where nobody knows their neighbors. Video games replace board games and texting replaces conversation. Maybe when you become too detached, people don't even seem real anymore. Of course anger is not much better than detachment. Anger leads to road rage and needless political arguments. I don't have any answers. How do you become a productive member of society when the society itself is crumbling around you?

I stay sane by walking my dog. I watch clouds and try to identify flowers and plants I see. I count ducks and listen to bird songs. I never wear ear buds or use my phone on these walks. What would be the point? When the dogs were young and strong, I used to walk for hours. Dash is much weaker now, but I think he still enjoys his time in the park. As long as we don't encounter aggressive loose dogs or bicycles, we're good.

Once again, I postponed doing any serious household chores. I filled the car with gas, ran my usual Saturday errands and came home. I was pleased that Dash ate well today. I'm really curious to see what next week's echocardiogram reveals. I wouldn't think that the Plavix would work this quickly, but maybe it does. Dash is still sleepier than usual, but that's OK. I was feeling sleepy as well. Dash and I took a nap together this afternoon. It certainly seemed like a better idea than vacuuming.

I need to see if it's too late in the season to buy St. Augustine Grass. I still need to repair the big gash the car that crashed through our front yard made. I need to start pestering the roofer again too. It's important to get the repairs finished before the rainy season starts. None of this will happen tomorrow. If tomorrow is like today, I'll be lucky to make it to the gym.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2785

I didn't accomplish much today. At least Dash ate well. He finished both his breakfast and dinner with no hesitation at all. Will he throw up tonight? I've learned that anything can happen with Dash. Everything seems normal now, so that's a good sign. I did call his vet to ask if there is anything we might have overlooked, but haven't received an answer yet. Something is wrong, but I'm not sure if there is anything more we can check. Once every week or so, he just throws up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. On the days he throws up, there is usually no prior sign of an upset stomach. We watch him carefully now when he goes outside, so I don't think he's eating bugs either. It's frustrating.

I don't know why the grass is dying in the back yard either. There are no signs of grubs and the new grass has received plenty of water. I mowed today and now the grass looks even worse. There are lots of reason why we have to replace this grass frequently, but it should last at least a month or two. I'll call the landscaper, but somehow I feel that this problem will be as difficult to resolve as getting a refund on the fraudulent gift card.

When my client told me that he has put a check in the mail on Monday, I kind of expected to receive it on Tuesday. We're in the same zip code. I mean, how long could it take? Well, I didn't get the check today either. Maybe the guy was just thinking about putting the check in the mail. I'll wait until next Monday before I complain again. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt, but there is no reason to be this late with a payment.

I'm trying to think of something that didn't frustrate me today, but I'm coming up blank. I still can't get old Windows video files to play on my computer. The software that used to convert them isn't being updated anymore and probably won't be in the future. Nobody cares about old Windows video anymore. I don't even think Microsoft supports these files now. The price of progress is having to  abandon old habits and old routines. Upgrading to Sierra allowed me to continue using the important software I use in my business, but I lost a lot in the process. This happens every time I do a major upgrade. Eventually, I'll just forget about the old, obsolete stuff.

I made an appointment to get my hair cut tomorrow. At least this is one thing I won't be disappointed with. My hair is such a mess now that it couldn't possible look any worse. I probably should have made a vet appointment for Dash instead of getting a haircut, but it is much easier to get a haircut on short notice. I've already taken Dash to two different vets for this vomiting issue and nobody seems to have a solution. Give him a Pepsid. Change his food. Look for signs of a vestibular event. We've already tried all the obvious things.

I did get a response to the website proposal I sent out last week. The guy seems interested, but he wants a lot of complicated stuff that I know he doesn't have the budget for. I've either got to convince him to simplify his wish list or come up with more money. I'll put together a modified proposal tomorrow, but I'm not very confident that this project is ever going to happen.

I accidentally left out some ingredients in my smoothie this morning and it actually tasted better. Why did it take me three years to discover this?  I shouldn't have been surprised. I learn most things by accident.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2701

I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with dog problems. Dash threw up again today. Good grief. The dog had a complete physical exam yesterday and passed with flying colors. I don't know why he's throwing up. I don't think the vets do either. He doesn't seem nauseous. His appetite is still good. He wasn't even eating grass this morning. He just walked to the back door like he needed to pee and threw up instead. Since he's still acting normal, I'm not going to give him a Cerenia pill tonight. We'll see what happens.

Dot's new routine now includes a trip outside at 2 AM. After she pees or wanders around for a while in the dark, she seems fine for the rest of the night. I'm not wild about this nocturnal schedule, but it beats peeing in her bed like she used to. I wish Dot would eat in the morning. It would make it a lot easier to take her morning pills. Again, although this situation isn't ideal, it's OK. Dot seems to regain her appetite late in the afternoon and by the time we all go to bed, she has usually eaten a reasonable amount.

I paid some bills and took them to the post office this afternoon. On the way home I picked up prescriptions for Dot and Dash at two different locations. Our kitchen looks like a pharmacy now. There is a big box of pills for Dot, another box for Dash, and a third box for me. Janet is the lucky one. She only has to take a single prescription. It's hard to keep track of all these pills. It seems like I'm renewing something almost every day.

I spent about an hour trying to remove the scratch on my car with polishing compound. It looks much better now, but I can still see the scratch. Door dings and small scratches are inevitable when you live in a large city, but they still irritate me. I want the car to be perfect. I feel the same way about guitars, cameras, and electronic equipment. Sometimes I think I spend more time cleaning things than actually using them.

One thing that isn't clean is the house. It rained again last night and every time I take Dot outside, she tracks mud in the living room. I need a third hand. I used to wipe the dog's paws before they came in the house on rainy days, but now I'm using both hands to hold Dot's special harness. I guess it doesn't really matter. The rugs get cleaned often enough anyway when Dot pees on them. We really need the landscape guy to hurry up and put the new grass in the back yard. Grass would cut down on the mud tracked in the house considerably.

Dot is still very weak and can't stand without assistance, but she appears stable now. She's eating. She's barking. She's pooping. I don't know how long she has left, but for now she's a happy dog.

Susie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2309

I spent the morning trying to learning how to create rewrite rules within my website's .htaccess file. On the old web server I had somebody who could do this for me, but apparently now I have to do it myself. Why is this important? Well, part of my website isn't working correctly and the hosting company says it isn't their responsibility to fix it. This is usually how I learn to write code. Sheer necessity is always a good incentive to learn new things. That being said, using PHP, Perl, Javascript, or in this case, writing instructions for the Apache web server, has never come naturally to me. By lunchtime, I had a headache and still didn't really understand what I was doing.

This afternoon, I tackled a much easier task. I prepared my April invoices. Sending out monthly invoices used to take me the better part of a day, but now I can do everything in less than an hour. When you don't have many clients, you don't have many invoices. I took the invoices to the post office, hoping that Dot wouldn't poop in her bed while I was gone.  On the way home I stopped at a little tailor shop in the neighborhood to ask whether they could put a new lining in an old leather jacket I like. I should have picked a better day. The tailor wasn't open on Mondays.

I'm still having to water the lawn every day, so the new St. Augustine grass will establish roots. The soggy lawn wouldn't be a problem if the dogs would stay on the grass. Inevitably, they head straight for the ground cover though and end up getting their paws muddy. Since I have to follow Dot around, holding up her rear legs, I get my shoes muddy as well. In and out we go over and over again. It's amazing how simple things like this can eat up your day.

The little LED lights on my activity tracker have quit working. I like these little Jawbone UP bands, but they sure don't last very long. The band still works and will sync with my phone, but I can't tell if it is in normal or sleep mode. I no longer get any warning when the battery is low either. The two little indicator lights don't work at all. I wonder if it is even worth the trouble to get another of these fitness bands. I've had three already and they all seem to last about a year.

My holy grail is something that will last forever. I haven't found it yet. I did find a place in Florida that still sells parts for my troublesome French toilet. Unfortunately, they don't sell fully assembled fill mechanisms. They just sell the component parts, which must be assembled. Since all these little threaded parts can leak water if they aren't assembled properly, this seems like a recipe for disaster. Maybe I could just buy the parts and have a plumber assemble them for me. I'll have to find a new plumber though. My current plumber hates these toilets and refuses to work on them.

I'd like to do something interesting tomorrow. I could learn a new song on the guitar. I could get out the sewing machine and try to fix the lining on my jacket myself. I could submit some more photos to my stock agency. None of these things seem all that interesting though. They just seem like chores. I
really don't know where the magic is anymore.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2302

The landscapers were here all day. Dot barked a lot, but it really wasn't as bad as I expected. We go through this ritual every year. The landscapers don't add anything new. They just replace the stuff that died during the Winter. This year we lost quite a few Liriope plants and of course all of our St. Augustine grass. I've become resigned to the fact that the grass is going to die, no matter what we do to take care of it. One year I thought seriously about putting in artificial turf, but I've see a few installations and they all look cheesy. Artificial turf also starts to smell after dogs pee on it for several years.

So here we are again. I feel like I'm paying way too much to have a small yard look nice for eight months out of the year. What's the alternative though? Years ago, I filled up my car with heavy squares of St. Augustine turf every Spring and installed the grass myself. It's just not worth the trouble anymore. I really didn't save that much money anyway. The landscaper gets a much better wholesale price on grass and plants than I could and this savings pays for a big chunk of his labor. I guess it's worth it.

Since I had to stay home all day, I actually got quite a bit of work done. I finished two new articles today and shipped them off to the client. There was even time left over to complete some minor website updates. The dogs were surprisingly good today. I was expecting total chaos, but Dash largely ignored the landscapers and Dot couldn't even hear them. It's sad that Dot is growing deaf, but it can be a blessing on days like this. She would bark whenever she saw the guys working out the living room window, but when I turned her around so she was facing the kitchen, she would immediately forget what she was barking about and start thinking about food again.

Since I upgraded the operating on my phone yesterday, I thought I'd upgrade the operating system on my watch today. The procedure took over an hour and the only difference I've noticed so far is that my maps app doesn't work anymore. This is par for the course with Apple upgrades. They add a bunch of features I'll never ever use, while quietly wrecking essential things I use everyday. You should never upgrade a computer operating system just because you're bored. It never ends well.

Now that there's new grass in the yard, I'll have to remember to water it everyday. For the next month or so the yard will be damp and soggy and the dogs will have muddy paws every time they go out to pee. Maybe that artificial grass wasn't such a bad idea after all. Even though it will involve some extra work on my part, I think today was a success. The yard looks great now. The lush green grass, trimmed hedges, and healthy ground cover probably won't last long, but at least we made an effort.

I took my evening meds this morning again. Now I need to remember to take my morning meds this evening before I go to bed. One of these days I'm going to end up taking the dogs pills by mistake and then I'll really be in trouble.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2296

The landscapers came out today. They think it's funny that I have to replace the grass every year. I think I'm their only customer where they have to do something like this. The turf is always installed properly and I water and feed it properly. The problem is that the roots from the large Oak trees in the back yard suck up all the water and the canopy of leaves blocks out direct sunlight. The yard just doesn't get enough sunlight for St. Augustine grass to thrive. Bermuda Grass needs even more sunlight and won't grow at all. I've planted most of the yard with ground cover that does well in shady areas, but the dogs like to sit out in the grass during the Summer, so we put in a small patch of grass every Spring for them. The yard looks great until August and then it gradually starts to die out. It's not an ideal solution, but it's better than nothing.

I added an SSL Certificate to my website this afternoon. The certificate is probably overkill, since I'm not selling anything on the site and have little need for security. Modern browsers increasingly expect a secure site though, so I guess it was worth the effort. The whole process was a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be. I had to add some code so that people who had already bookmarked the http: version of the site wouldn't get an error message and would go to the new https: version instead. The web hosting folks said that the SSL Certificate would improve my search rankings. I kind of doubt this is true, but we'll see what happens.

It was time to get more Allopurinol and Levothyroxine for Dash today. It seems like I'm always picking up pills for somebody. Dot takes meds to control her blood pressure and chemotherapy drugs to control her cancer. Dash takes Phenobarbital to control seizures, along with his daily thyroid and blood pressure meds. My own prescriptions are mostly to control high blood pressure and cholesterol, although there are a few for other things as well. I can't even remember why I'm taking some of them. There's a whole little area in the kitchen now just for pills. Dot takes her chemotherapy medication every third day, so we never end up taking the pills on the same day. I have to use a calendar to keep track of all this. It gets complicated.

It's ironic that I used to have to use a calendar to keep track of work deadlines. Now, I just use the calendar to keep track of prescriptions. Work is pretty easy to manage these days. When a job comes in, I usually just do it right away because I'm so bored. I haven't had a backlog of work in quite a while.

I finally got the forms working again on the new web server. This was a questionable use of my time, because nobody uses the forms anymore. Typically, they get filled out by spam-bots that randomly type gibberish in each of the form fields. I probably should have eliminated the forms instead of fixing them. They were fantastic in 1995. Now, they're just a nuisance.

Spring is when the Purple Martins return. Unfortunately, it's also when the cockroaches return as well. While I was writing this, I looked down and saw a huge roach sitting on my foot. This startled me and I flinched, flipping the bug up in the air. Lord knows where it landed, because I can't find the disgusting thing now. My office is so full of clutter that the bug could stay hidden for another month. Such is life in the South.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2262

Instead of lead grey skies and rain, we woke to see the sun again. Yesterday's nasty weather had moved Eastward to bother someone else. It must have really been windy yesterday, because most of the leaves in the backyard are gone. Janet noticed the difference first and asked if I'd been raking  leaves. Nope. The wind just blew them away. If we still had a lawn, this would have been a good thing, but the leaves served a purpose. Now there is a lot of exposed dirt, making it easier than ever for the dogs to get muddy. We have to replace the St. Augustine grass every year because something always kills it. Squirrels and possums dig holes in the grass looking for acorns. Grubs eat the roots. The large Oak trees suck up all the available water. It's still too early, but in March or April we'll plant new grass and start all over again.

Today was quiet. The dogs spent the day sleeping and I spent the day writing. I finished another article and sent it off to the client. I probably could have written more, but there were no hard deadlines to meet and I wanted to save something for tomorrow. I went to the vet to pick up some more Phenobarbital for Dash, but they were busier than I was today and hadn't had time to fill the prescription yet. The constant coughing has stopped and I'm finally starting to feel normal again. Hopefully, the next thing after feeling normal is feeling motivated. I haven't felt motivated for over a week.

I need to remember to find my early voting location before Friday. I think that's the last day for early voting in the Super Tuesday Primary. With all the attention these primary elections are getting, it would be a shame if I didn't cast my vote. I used to think that my vote didn't matter. Now, I'm inclined to think that the entire election doesn't matter. I always vote though. I don't want to be sitting here a year from now thinking that if only more people like me voted, then things might have turned out differently. The presidential candidates aren't the only ones on the ballot next Tuesday. The other candidates are mostly judges though. I think judges are picked by their lawyer friends. The rest of us never heard of these people. Half of the judges seem to run unopposed. Why to we vote for local judges and then let the congress and the president pick federal judges? I tend to vote for judges based on whether I like the sound of their name. If I've received a ton of junk mail or robocalls from a particular candidate, I'll almost never vote for them. Political junkies probably wish that people like me were never given the right to vote.

Dot's vet is still in Hawaii on vacation, but we'll go tomorrow for our water therapy appointment anyway. Only the vet can give Dot acupuncture, but several of the vet techs have been trained to operate the underwater treadmill. I've been watching Dot's water therapy for so long now that I could probably run the treadmill myself. So far, Dot seems to be handling the Palladia pills fairly well. Maybe she's a tiny bit weaker, but it's hard to tell. This will be the first therapy session since she's had a full week of chemotherapy, so I'm hoping that she'll still do well. On Friday, we'll determine whether to continue the Palladia for another month.

This week has been boring even by my low standards. Maybe I'll have something different for breakfast tomorrow. That ought to liven things up.

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1933

When I'm not busy enough, I notice things that I'm otherwise oblivious to. Today I noticed that we have carpenter ants in the house again. There were little piles of wood dust at various places that indicated the ants were active. We've had problems with carpenter ants before and they are difficult to get rid of. You cant ignore them though. In many ways they are just as bad as termites. Left unchecked, they will reduce your house to rubble.

I also noticed that our resident squirrels were eating the new St. Augustine grass. We've had problems with this before as well. Squirrels seem to love fresh green grass, and just about every time we've put in more St. Augustine, the squirrels immediately descend from the trees to eat it. In the Spring it's the squirrels who do the damage. In the Fall it's mostly possums and armadillos who are intent on destroying things. The birds do their part as well. The eat the berries off the Holly bushes and then poop them out again on my car.

Since Dot has her physical therapy session tomorrow, I reconfigured that car with her special hammock. This took longer than I thought, but I really don't have any other choices. I guess I'll just leave the hammock in place until Dash needs to go somewhere. I also watered the new lawn with a hose a couple of times. I don't know why a sprinkler wouldn't have worked just as well, but the landscapers said this was better. Although the yard looks great, it doesn't smell so great. I think there must be cow manure mixed in the mulch that was spread over the flower beds and ground cover. I should have been more specific instead of saying "just do what you did last year." Last year we needed mulch. This year we don't.

The dogs were pretty good today. There is always a frenzy of barking around dinner time, but for the most part, things were pretty peaceful today. I've got to watch Dot like a hawk. She can get up on her own now and will start walking drunkenly around the house if I'm not looking. I use to race to grab her harness when this happened, but now I just follow along behind her to provide support if she starts to slip. She needs to learn to keep her balance and walk with confidence. Constantly holding her up might actually hinder her progress. I still worry that she's going to fall, but she keeps getting stronger every day. Several times I have seen her sit normally, but she can't always do this when she's tired. I think the hardest thing for Dot to do on her own is poop. The way dogs typically squat takes a completely different set of muscles and hers aren't strong enough yet.

I read some instruction manuals for old audio gear in the studio this afternoon. I do this several times a month now for different types of equipment. There is so much I have already forgotten and I am determined not to forget it all. Most of my gear is obsolete now, but it certainly got the job done back in the day. I used to use this gear all the time, but now it mostly collects dust. I don't have many production jobs these days anyway and when I do get one, I don't need a rack full of equipment. I just use Pro Tools or Final Cut Pro. I like all this old equipment though. I really wish the world hadn't changed. There's an old multi-track recorder sitting in a corner that still has a mix-tape loaded in it. The tape is dated 1986. Jeez, that's 29 years ago.

I'm curious what the vet will say when she sees Dot tomorrow. I think she's made a lot of progress since her last physical therapy session. I'm waiting for the day when the vet says it's perfectly safe to leave Dot alone in the house again. A month ago I though that this might never happen, but I think Dot has other ideas.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1932

Today was so much different than yesterday. Days like this serve to remind me that everything does get sorted out eventually. Despite yesterday's dubious start, the yard looks great. The huge piles of dead Winter leaves have been removed. A new St. Augustine turf has been installed. Patchy areas in the ground cover have been filled in. Even the dog poop seems to be gone. It's too bad we have to do this almost every year, but it's nice while it lasts.

There was no need for drugs today. I don't think the dogs even heard the landscapers. The crew didn't arrive until Dot and Dash had gone back to sleep after breakfast and since there were no loud leaf blowers to wake them, they continued to sleep for the rest of the morning. By the time their internal clocks informed Dot and Dash that it was lunchtime, the landscapers had finished and gone.

The FedEx guy arrived right on time, so I didn't have to waste half the day waiting to sign for the packages. Even work went smoothly. I finished two more new articles and shipped them off to the client before deciding to call it a day. If it weren't for the fact that I still have to hold on to the rear handle of the Help 'Em Up Harness whenever Dot goes somewhere, today seemed absolutely normal.

Dot continues to get stronger on her short walks down our street each morning. We walk her about 50 feet further each day, watching carefully to make sure she isn't getting too tired or dragging her feet. These short walks have really improved Dot's spirits. I think she sees the light at the end of the tunnel now. She may never be able to navigate slippery surfaces again, but at least she can walk. I don't think even Dot's surgeon thought she would do this well.

I still like my Keurig coffee maker. I even ordered some more coffee pods today. It's nice being able to have one variety of coffee for my first cup in the morning, and they try a completely different variety for my second cup. There needs to be more inventions like this. I get all the enjoyment of drinking good coffee with none of the preparation or cleanup. What I need now is a machine that I can put in a pod to fix breakfast or dinner in two minutes. You can kind of do this using a microwave, but microwave meals are terrible. I'm looking for gourmet food in a pod.

Until that day arrives, I can still fix omelets. Omelets are easy. Cast iron skillets are a snap to clean if they are well seasoned. This simple breakfast is also a great way to use up leftovers in the refrigerator. Just dump them in the omelet and you've got a whole new meal. This sounds so good, I think I'll have an omelet tomorrow.

It would be nice if tomorrow went as smoothly as today. Every day is different though. Something as small as a cat in the back yard, or a spider in the shower can change everything.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1712

I took my car to the Land Rover dealer to get a new safety inspection sticker after we ate breakfast this morning. I enjoy going to the dealership. They know me there, they have fresh coffee, and they always wash and vacuum the car, no matter what they are doing to it. The Land Rover dealer is kind of like the Apple Store or Design Within Reach. It's the absolute antithesis of Walmart.

Dot had a good day. She made it through the night without an accident and even though we were both too busy running errands to take her outside every two hours, there were very few accidents inside the house. It was virtually a pee free day. Dot has been making such good progress lately that we decided it was OK to leave the dogs for the evening and go to a concert. Dot was fine while we were away, but I don't think she approved of this plan. When we checked the nanny cam to see how she and Dash were doing, she apparently spent the first hour barking. When Dot is barking and Dash is still asleep, it usually just means that Dot is mad. It is only when they both are barking that I begin to worry.

We went and saw the Richtones at the Eisemann Center this evening. Janet has a friend who sings in the group, and we usually go to their Fall concert every year. I never thought that I'd like barbershop style music, but I've grown to like the group almost as much as Janet. A chorus of 120 women singing acapella Lady GaGa hits is actually pretty impressive.

The possum has been coming back almost every night this week to tear up a new patch of St. Augustine grass in the back yard. I think the possum is still looking for grubs, but he's not finding any. We did a pretty good job of treating the yard for grubs in the Spring, and I still haven't seen any signs of them. So far, the lack of available grubs hasn't deterred the possum at all. This irritating creature seems determined to tear up our lawn one square yard at a time until he finds something tasty to eat.

I hope I remembered how to set the DVR to record the new Dr. Who season premiere this evening. We were at the concert when the show initially ran, but if the DVR actually recorded anything, I'll get a chance to watch the premiere tomorrow. I always think I'm not going to like the show anymore when the doctor regenerates and a new doctor takes his place. Peter Capaldi is a lot older than all the other recent doctors, but I'm sure he'll suck me into watching the new season, just like all his predecessors have. Apparently, Jenna Coleman will be leaving the show soon, so there will be a new companion as well.

I can't think of a single good reason to avoid going to the gym tomorrow. The weather looks good. Dot is getting better. I'm more or less caught up on my work assignments. It looks like it's time for a good workout.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1543

I love my breakfast restaurant. It was crowded this morning and the barista brought me my coffee while I was standing in line to order. As two women swooped in to grab the last available table, the waiter shooed them away, pointing at me and saying that the table was mine. I paid for my meal and sat down at the table, all without saying a single word. Everyone already knows what I want, so no words are necessary. If only the rest of my day was this way. I have a couple of clients who trust me enough to forgo the usual talk and meetings. We've worked together for a long time and they've learned that they get more for their money when they leave me largely unsupervised. I'm consistent, I'm dependable, and I abhor the whole idea of collaboration. Leave me alone and I'm a pleasantly productive guy. Bother me and I'm a grumpy troublemaker. If the restaurant people have figured this out, why is it so hard for everyone else?

I have been researching dog harnesses and have discovered that several companies make what is called a "full body" harness. These harness are often used by avalanche rescue teams and other service dogs. They also seem to be favored by people like us who have a Houdini dog who can escape from normal harnesses. I think we'll get one of these and give it a try. Walking a dog using two leashes is just a stop-gap solution at best. It's amazing how quick and easy it is to find offbeat things like this on Google. What did we do before Google? The next thing I'm going to look for is a life size rubber bird to sit on my driver's side mirror while my car is in the driveway. I'll bet that troublesome bird won't poop on my car if another bird has already claimed it. Worth a try anyway.

Maybe I'll start on my taxes this weekend. I really can't put this task off too much longer. It's either taxes or painting more water damaged window trim. I don't know which is worse at this point. At least I've got a few more weeks before I'll have to start mowing the grass again. The thought of mowing grass reminds me that I still need to call the landscaping guy and get an estimate for putting new St. Augustine turf in the back yard. All the grass he put in last year is dead. As things stand now, there is nothing to mow.

I have this long list of things I need to do when "things get back to normal." Things are never going to get back to normal though, are they?  As soon as one crisis is averted, another one seems to creep up out of nowhere to take it's place. Maybe that's just the nature of life. I know people who find this constant chaos exhilarating. Personally, I prefer calm. Here's hoping for a calm, uneventful weekend.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 963

The heat is relentless. Since today was one of my two official weekly "watering days," I turned on the sprinklers before breakfast this morning. I gave the yard a good soak, but within a few hours it was bone dry again. It's going to be an uphill battle keeping the remaining vegetation  alive for the rest of the Summer. Lack of rain isn't the only problem the yard is facing either. Yesterday, I noticed a huge flock of small birds descend on the back yard and begin carefully pecking at something. At first I though the birds were eating bugs, but then I noticed that they were eating seeds. They were eating all the Rye grass seed I had sowed just one day earlier! No wonder I'm having trouble filling in the dead spots in the St. Augustine grass. The birds are eating all the seeds before they even have a chance to sprout.  Why couldn't the birds have gone after all the spiders in the yard? We have enough spiders to feed a small army of hungry birds.

When I was grocery shopping today, I couldn't resist picking up a 12-pack of Shiner beer. Yeah, I know. I can't drink any more. Although it was tempting, I didn't crack open a cold one when I got home. I just put the beer away for a special occasion. The times when I'm in a genuinely celebratory mood are so few and far between that I figure the occasional alcohol purchase couldn't possibly hurt my health. With the way things have been going lately, that little cache of beer should last me till Christmas.

Yesterday's U-verse repair seems to be working. The broadband signal hasn't gone down once since the technician installed the new gateway. Now, the only problem I have with AT&T is that they keep taking away my favorite channels and replacing them with programming that I wouldn't watch if you paid me. We've lost three or four channels already and just a few days ago, we lost another. When I tuned in today to watch one of my favorite shows, I was greeted by another Spanish language channel instead of the program I wanted to watch. Jeez, how many Spanish language channels do you need AT&T?  I would think 25 of these ridiculous channels would be enough. Maybe I just don't fit the demographic profile of the customer that U-verse is looking for. Oh, well. We could always switch back to Time Warner Cable I guess. It would certainly be easy enough. The cable guys didn't even bother to take down their wires when we switched services.

Tomorrow is dog park day. The grass up at the dog park is still nice and green. It's nice and green because the city doesn't think it needs to follow the same watering rules it imposes on everyone else. The dog park looks like it gets watered every day.

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 922

The dreaded white grubs have returned to our yard. Later in the Summer they will become June Bugs. Right now they are still in the larval stage, feasting on the roots of our new St. Augustine grass. These little beasties are hard to get rid of without harsh chemicals. Janet found something on the Internet today that was supposed to be effective at controlling the grubs while being completely harmless to dogs and other animals. My mission this afternoon was to go to garden stores and get some of this stuff. It didn't take me long to discover that Milky Spore, the grub eradicating bacteria that Janet found, wasn't effective on our kind of grub. Milky Spore was meant for controlling the grubs that turn into Japanese beetles. Since we don't have many Japanese beetles in Texas, the garden stores didn't carry any of the stuff.

I did discover that beneficial nematodes were the safest, most effective way to control grubs in Texas. Unfortunately, you are supposed to introduce the nematodes to your environment in February. It's too late in the season for them to do any good now. As so often happens, I acquired the right knowledge at the wrong time.

I've been trying to acquire the right knowledge at the right time before I buy a guitar. I've been learning all sorts of fascinating things about Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters. When you go into a music store, you will see a huge variety of Stratocasters at prices ranging from under $300 to well over $3,000 dollars. All of these guitars look identical. At first this odd pricing structure mystified me, but apparently Fender is determined to make something for everybody. The $300 Stratocaster Squire may look pretty much the same as the $3,000 Custom Shop Stratocaster, but there are a myriad of subtle differences.

If Land Rover followed this kind of marketing strategy, you could buy a very inexpensive Range Rover that had vinyl covered seats, a Honda Civic engine, and no four wheel drive at all. For a little more you could get a car that looked the same, but had a better engine and leather seats. Pay yet a bit more and you could get the normal Range Rover you buy today. At the top of the scale would be a Range Rover that was hand assembled using titanium screws by technicians with a minimum of thirty years experience. I can't decide whether Fender's pricing strategy is brilliant or idiotic. It does allow a kid just learning to play to have a guitar that looks essentially the same as the customized rarity that some rich collector just paid $10,000 for.

It's getting hotter at the dog park. This means that there are a lot of clean, well groomed dogs that head straight for the nearest mud puddle to cool off. Labs and Goldens seem to be the first to occupy these mud puddles that appear near all the park water fountains. Luckily, Dot and Dash won't get anywhere near these muddy areas. They won't even drink out of the doggie water fountains. We have to take their own water bowl along with us and fill it up for them before they will drink anything. You may think the Dalmatians are spoiled, but I suspect they are just trying to avoid all the dog spit left behind in the common bowls by the messy Labs.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day