Day 1859

It felt like the day before Superbowl Sunday today, but of course it wasn't. The stores were probably just crowded because it was the first weekend after a payday. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with full parking lots and long checkout lines. This congestion is becoming normal and I find it kind of sad. I still prefer the city as it was in 1977 when I initially moved here from Seattle. Truthfully, I'd probably prefer any city as it was in 1977. Technology has advanced a lot in thirty years, but manners and basic civility have actually gone backwards. I don't think many people realize how much more relaxing it was to live in a world without the Internet, smartphones, and a 24-hour news cycle.

A few days ago, I was bundling up in coats and sweaters to cope with sub-freezing temperatures. Today it was 70 degrees outside and I was considering wearing shorts. I don't know how long this unseasonal warmth will last, but people were certainly taking advantage of it today. Joggers and cyclists returned to the park in droves. There were lots of families having picnics while other people were walking their dogs. The park was almost as busy as the grocery store. It was all good though. For the first time in weeks, I didn't have to clean a lot of mud off my boots.

I did have to clean the bedding though. When I let Dot out to pee after I woke up this morning, I discovered that she'd left a little trail of poop pellets that led all the way from the back of the bed to the back door. It wasn't her fault. We've been adding pumpkin to her diet to soften her stools a bit so she doesn't have to strain as much when she squats with her weak back legs. It's difficult to get the recipe just right though. Too little pumpkin and her poop is too hard. Too much pumpkin and it just falls out of her as she's heading for the door to do her business.

I was planning on writing today, but I got sidetracked by weekend chores instead. By the time I'd finished fighting the crowds at the pharmacy, post office, grocery store and bank, I didn't feel like writing anymore. Luckily, you don't need a lot of brainpower to use the washing machine, so I got all the laundry done instead. I suppose I could catch up on writing assignments tomorrow, but I'll probably just wait until Monday. Monday is a holiday. Work holidays are always a good time to catch up on things.

I need to go to the gym tomorrow to spread the soreness equally around my body. Right now, just my right shoulder is sore from all the physical therapy. I like symmetry. Maybe I would feel better if the soreness was spread around equally. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? I don't have a plan yet. The dogs need a bath, but they'd much rather go to the dog park. The weather should be nice for a trip to the dog park, but the last two times we've been, there have been bad encounters with aggressive dogs. I need to take some stuff to the storage warehouse too, but I'd really rather have a long leisurely breakfast with lots of bacon.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1713

I highly recommend the occasional lazy day. Today was just what the doctor ordered. We slept in later than usual, but not too late to give the dogs a leisurely early morning walk while it was still cool outside. We had an equally leisurely breakfast and then I watched last night's Dr. Who Season 8 premiere while Janet went to the gym. I didn't realize the show was going to be two hours long when I taped it, but I didn't have anything better to do this morning anyway. Peter Capaldi was actually quite good as the doctor. I enjoyed the show and think I'll enjoy the new season as well.

Dot had a good day. Things aren't progressing in a predictable linear fashion, but it is clear that she is making progress. We almost made it through the night without an accident and probably would have if we hadn't forgotten to take up her water bowl early like we have been doing lately. Considering that she tanked up on water at 11 PM when we got home from the concert last night, she did pretty well.

I'm spending more time outside with the dogs lately. Mostly I go outside to warm up, since it is so cold inside. The temperature isn't that cold in the house, but I think my skin has grown sensitive to the cool air constantly blowing out of the air conditioning vents. It's weird. The temperature is usually 72 degrees when I wake up in the morning, but I feel warm since I've spent the night warming up under blankets. Later in the day, when the indoor temperature has risen to 77 degrees, I'm freezing. I don't think my body retains heat well. Maybe I'm a reptile.

When I'm outside watching the dogs, I usually lay on a bench and stare up at the canopy of trees over my head. It's amazing how much activity there is up in the tree canopy. In addition to the ubiquitous squirrels, there are large butterflies fluttering around, lizards climbing up and down the tree trunks, and at least ten different species of birds. I even saw hummingbirds the other day. There is hidden beauty high up in the trees, while down on the ground there is only the irritating possum, tearing up our lawn.

I made it back to the gym this afternoon. When I only go once a week, I feel like I'm tearing my muscles apart. It is only when I'm able to go at least three times a week that I can establish a rhythm and feel like I'm making serious progress toward building myself up again. Maybe now that both dogs are getting healthier, I might be able to visit the gym several times a week like I used to when I first joined. It's hard to believe I've been going to this gym over a year now. Time flies. I feel like I joined just a few weeks ago.

I wonder if I'm going to be busy next week. I don't get much advance warning about upcoming projects these days, so I never know. I do know that Dot has a birthday this Wednesday. We ought to have a big celebration. You wouldn't know by looking at her today, but just a little more than a month ago we weren't even sure if Dot was going to make it until her birthday. We've really come a long way.

Hero is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1524

Dash is a smart dog. When he was having his incontinence problems recently, he learned that if he scratched at the back door with his paw, we would come running to let him out. That little scratching noise would wake me from a sound sleep, because I knew that if I didn't get there in time, Dash would poop in the house. Now that Dash is completely better, he has remembered what a quick response he gets from scratching at the back door. Now he scratches at the back door whenever he wants anything. It's irritating. Since his bowels have been a bit unpredictable as long as he's been with us, I still come running, only to discover that Dash has cleverly gotten me out of bed for a dog treat or an early walk. He has become particularly bad with this behavior on weekends when the rest of the family likes to sleep in a little longer. Although Dash spends half his life sleeping, he apparently doesn't understand the concept of sleeping in. Sunday's are a great time to sleep in, but Dash was determined to get us out of bed and walking in the park by 6:30 AM. Eventually he won this battle.

It was a nice day, but Dash still should have cut us a little slack. Would it kill him to sleep a little longer on Sunday morning? Jeez, doesn't he know that he gets to go to the dog park on Sunday's anyway? At any rate, the day got off to an earlier start than I had hoped, but it wasn't a bad day. The dogs got their walk. Everybody had a nice breakfast. Janet and I did a few chores around the house. And then we all went to the dog park.

On days like these, you can be easily fooled into thinking that Spring has already arrived. Almost every year, there is a week in February when the weather is so nice that trees start to bud and a few hardy flowers begin to poke through the soil. Inevitably, just when things are starting to look green, there is a final Winter freeze that kills all the early growth. It happened last year, and it will probably happen again this year. That's just the way it is in Texas. Eventually, it all gets sorted out and by April the meadows behind our house are thick with wildflowers. April and May are usually wonderful, but by June I will be complaining again about how hot Texas gets in the Summer.

I made it back to the gym this afternoon and started doing some of my old routines again. It's amazing how quickly a few idle weeks can throw you off your stride. It hasn't been that long, but I can already tell that my strength and endurance aren't as good as they used to be. The shoulder still hurts a bit, but the inflamation is all gone, so I think it's time to start working on the muscles again. If I waited for my shoulder to feel completely normal again, I'd be waiting for a long, long time. It's never going to be completely normal again.

Janet has the day off tomorrow. I hope she decides it's a lazy day instead of a housecleaning day.

Joshua is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1517

I'm surprised that the city didn't close the dog park today. It was sure pretty muddy when we arrived after breakfast. I'm glad they left it open though, because Dot and Dash both had a great time. Dash even found a playmate, a little black dog who seemed determined to show Dash how fast he was. It was fun seeing Dash lose his fearfulness for a moment and race around the park with his new found companion. After about 45 minutes, both dogs were ready to come home again and they spent the rest of the day curled up on their dog beds.

I returned to the gym this afternoon for the first time since my shoulder injury. I didn't attempt to do any lifting or upper body exercises. All I wanted to do today was burn calories and the treadmill worked fine for that. I hadn't spent much time on the treadmill before, and discovered that all the dog walking I do has actually been keeping me in pretty good shape. Thirty minutes on the treadmill is a lot easier than twenty minutes on the hand bicycle. It was interesting to see that if you control your breathing, your heart rate actually goes down, even if you are moving along at a pretty good clip. I need to figure out how to return to doing upper body exercises without destroying my shoulder all over again. Endurance I've got. It's strength that I need. Muscle atrophy is real as you get older. Dot is experiencing it, and so am I.

I tried to get a head start on my February invoices today. I'm so busy during the workweek now that's it's hard to find time for things like this. Invoices are important though. If I don't send them out, I don't get paid. It would be nice to go after some new, and possibly more interesting, business. This doesn't seem to be in the cards though. It's all I can do to keep up with the business I already have. Every day is more or less the same. I get up. I walk the dogs. I eat breakfast. I write an article. I feed the dogs lunch. I take a shower. I update my clients websites. I write another article. I feed the dogs dinner and walk them again. I eat my own dinner. I write my daily blog post. And I go to bed.

This is exactly what will happen tomorrow, with one small addition. We take the dogs to the vet early in the morning before they have their breakfast so they can both have blood tests. We need to to find out whether Dash has a vitamin-B deficiency and Dot just needs recent blood-work before we get her teeth cleaned. If the dogs aren't having a blood test, chances are that I am. My next test is on the 20th to see if the new Hepatitis-C medicine is working.

I was hoping for another sunny day today, but all I got was an absence of rain. The day started out pretty warm, but the temperature continued to drop as the day progressed. By morning, the chances are high that we will have returned to Winter again. Back and forth between the temperature extremes we go. I don't even think the ground hog could have predicted this.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1439

Two down. Three to go. We've been to today's Santa Paws location before. This venue always has the smallest amount of space to set up our backdrop, but always seems to attract the largest dogs. Our first dog today was a giant Great Dane. When the dog arrived on the set with Santa, there wasn't room for me, so I had to back off and take the photos through the doorway. Next was a woman who wanted all five of her dogs to sit on Santa's lap. That's the kind of day it was. I'd like to think I learn some kind of life lesson from these odd photo shoots, but I don't. People seem to like their pictures though and I guess that's all that matters.

The sleet and freezing rain that everyone was anticipating didn't materialize. The weather was still nasty, but at least there wasn't the worry of driving on icy roads. There are few things worse than driving on icy roads in Texas. Only about one driver in fifty has ever had any experience in driving on ice and when the roads get slick, the highways instantly turn into a demolition derby. I learned how to drive when I was going to high school in Alaska, and I can still remember the basics of driving on ice. Unfortunately, I've discovered that it doesn't really matter if I can keep my car going in a straight line if everyone else can't.

I'm looking forward to watching the new Fiftieth Anniversary episode of Dr. Who later this evening. The premiere was at an odd time during the afternoon, since the BBC simulcast the show in the US at the same time they aired it in the UK. I've got the show recorded however, if the DVR worked. I think I've finally figured out how to work the DVR on the cable box. Even if I didn't record the show properly, I'm sure the BBC will air it again and again for the next six months.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. There's standing water on the roof, but it's very cold and I'd rather stay inside. I still have unfinished articles to write, but I hate to work on weekends. The dogs need a trip to the dog park, but I suspect that the place is a mud pit and will probably be closed. I probably need to go back to the grocery store and get the things I forgot today. I should never go shopping without a list. Who knows what will happen. The entire day is completely up in the air right now. It might even snow.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1419

You never realize how many clocks there are in your house until the time changes. Everything seems to have a clock hidden away inside it these days. There's a clock inside the television. There's a clock in the answering machine. There's a clock in the stove. It's not surprising that there's a clock inside the clock radio, but it is surprising that almost all my cameras contain clocks. If that's not enough, there are plenty of clocks on the walls and in the halls.

The dogs seems to have a built-in clock as well. They did not want to fall back with the rest of us this morning. So much for getting that extra hour of sleep. Dot and Dash insisted on getting us out of bed the same time they got up yesterday. Clocks mean nothing to these guys. In their defense, it was a nice day for a walk. The weather was perfect.

The time may have changed today, but nothing else did. Our Sunday routine went like clockwork. Janet fixed a delicious breakfast, we took Dot and Dash to the dog park, and then I went to the gym. I'm pleased that a trip to the gym has become part of my Sunday routine. I'm not usually that busy on Sundays anyway, and this certainly seems like a better use of my time than watching old science fiction movies on Hulu. Basketball and hitting the heavy punching bag are still my favorite activities. I don't really like free weights that much, and the resistance machines are quite effective, but boring. Now that I'm starting to see some real results from my efforts, it all makes sense though. Exercise will become a permanent part of my personal health triangle, along with weight loss and a better diet.

I thought I might see a nice sunset on our evening walk, now that the time has changed. I even charged up the batteries in the lightweight digital camera that I used to frequently take with me on dog walks. Unfortunately, it was cloudy this evening. It was a lot colder too. I think a front is moving through. There is rain in the forecast now, but that's OK. I have a dry roof these days and I don't think I need to drive or take the dogs anywhere tomorrow. Hey, let it rain.

Wolfgang is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1398

Who would have thought that Sunday would be a good day to go to the gym? I've been avoided going anywhere near the place on weekends because I though it would be a zoo. Everything else in Dallas is crowded on weekends, so I just assumed that the gym would be as well. Against my better judgement, I decided to give the place a try this afternoon. It was a rainy day, and there wasn't anything better to do anyway.

I was surprised to discover that the gym was virtually empty. I need to remember this, because I like places that are virtually empty. I wish every place I went was virtually empty. I guess people don't' like to exercise on Sunday. The nearby Cheesecake Factory was full. The shopping malls were full. The gym was empty though.

Since it looked like it was going to be a rainy day, we thought we'd try to take the dogs to the dog park again before the rain started. We must have mistimed things, because there was already a light mist before we  even got out of the driveway. Since we might have been in the middle of a downpour before we could make it up to our favorite North Dallas dog park, we decided to go to the nearby neighborhood park instead. The light mist was actually pleasant. It reminded me of the days when I used to live in Seattle. Since there was no thunder and lightning to frighten them, the dogs didn't mind the light rain either. The weather was cool, there were plenty of new things to smell, and the other dogs in the park were all friendly. I think everybody had a good time.

I called my old framer and asked if they could do me a favor and quickly frame the print I was donating to Janet's charity event. Nobody remembered who I was. It's been so long since I've had a gallery show that I can't blame them. These guys used to treat me very well, back when I was framing dozens of very large prints at a time. I hope I don't get shuffled to the back of the line now. I still need this picture framed in two days.

I finally started reading the owners manual for my new car. I discovered a host of nifty things that I didn't even know existed and probably don't even need. It's nice to know these things are there though. Why do I have this feeling that some of these high tech gizmos will break before I even figure out how to use them? I sincerely hope I never have to change a flat tire. It took three pages in the book just to explain how to remove the spare from under the car.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

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Day 1244 - Mother's Day

I should have paid more attention to my Mom when I had the chance. It's way too late now. Both my parents have been dead for many years. Mom died way too soon. She would have loved the Internet and all the new opportunities it brought. Mom was a champion of lost causes and would have been delighted to discover that there were other folks who thought the same way as she did. The Internet is good for that sort of thing. As it was, she fought her battles more or less alone. Towards the end of her life, she took me aside and told me, "You're the writer in the family. You're going to have to tell my story, because nobody else will." I wonder why it slipped her mind that there was another, more celebrated writer in the family. I don't know whether Mom would have liked what I wrote. I was never good at reading her mind. She certainly had me pegged pretty well though. And she did make a difference. Thank you Mom.

Dot occupies the role of Mom in our house. She knows she's in charge and does an amazingly good job of keeping Janet and I punctual, while doing everything in the proper order. Dash never listens to me, but he does listen to Dot. All it takes is a stern look or a low growl to put an end to his bad behavior. Dash isn't scared of Dot, but he does respect her. The girl has an air of authority about her that every dog in the dog park understands. If Dot was a person, she'd have made a great Mom.

The dogs and I had a quiet day. I took them on an extra long walk this morning to compensate for missing their outing to the dog park. While they both took a snooze after we returned, I watched a movie on Hulu. I wonder if there's any way to turn off those irritating commercials on Hulu. One of the reasons I signed up for Hulu in the first place was to get away from commercials. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Whenever someone comes up with a good idea, the first thing they want to do is monetize it.

Later in the day, I went back to Central Market and got some more tasty food from the deli counter. I like to eat, but I really don't like to cook. I think I've got enough now to last until Janet gets back. Never mind that there's tons of food in the freezer. I never open the freezer. That's Janet's side of the fridge.

We slept in longer than usual this morning. The dogs aren't very good alarm clocks. They'll get up when the sun starts streaming through the bedroom window, or when they hear Janet making their breakfast. Whichever comes first.  We'll probably get up late tomorrow as well. I'm certainly not getting up before the sun starts streaming through the bedroom window.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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