Day 1702

So, what did I accomplish today? I misspelled a client's name on her own website. I replaced dozens of cat pictures on an animal rescue website with pictures of the same cats when they were a little older. I'm no expert on cats, but the two sets of pictures looked identical to me. I haven't been able to come up with an effective way to keep Dash's tail from bleeding, so I spent the day cleaning blood stains off walls and doors. It was that kind of day.

Dot's progress with incontinence has been erratic at best. She has good days and bad days. Today wasn't so good. Basically, she peed every time she took a nap. Dogs nap a lot, so I did a lot of laundry. I'm glad she's learned to sleep on the waterproof mats I've strategically placed around the house, because things would be much worse without this thin layer of protection. I can't figure out why she pees in her sleep so frequently, because she still does her business completely normally outdoors as well. Maybe she's just drinking too much water.

I'm beginning to feel like Sisyphus, or one of those hamsters on a spinning wheel. Every day there are more urine soaked pads and towels to wash. I though I'd managed to get Dash's bleeding tail to heal completely and now I'm starting all over again. Whenever I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I take Dot outside so she can go too. The water bowls get taken up and put on the kitchen counter at 8 PM every evening and refilled again at 6 AM the next morning. The protective vinyl and waterproof pads go on top of the bed every evening and come off again the next morning. It all blends in with my morning oatmeal and the noise of the washing machine and old Dr. Who episodes on BBC that I've seen ten times already. I'd like to think I'm making progress, but sometimes I wonder.

I called to confirm Dash's cancer recheck for next week and the receptionist at the cancer center said "Isn't he up here with us today?" "I don't think so," I told her, "He's standing right her next to me." Apparently, there had been a mix up and Dash's appointment was for today and not for next Wednesday. I wonder why they never called to remind me? The appointment was made months ago, so there was no way of telling who wrote it down wrong on their calendar. We just rescheduled for next Wednesday. I suspect the cancer center was wrong because Dash hasn't run out of Palladia pills yet and Janet thought the appointment was next week as well. I get dates mixed up all the time, but she seldom does.

Tomorrow Dot goes back for another water therapy session. Physically, I think she's making great progress. I'm more worried about the incontinence now. Maybe she has a problem that's totally unrelated to the surgery. I'm probably driving my vet crazy with questions about Cushing's Disease and failing kidneys, but you can't find answers unless you ask questions.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1463

There were moments today when I felt like things were being accomplished. I think I might have resolved a health insurance billing error that has been nagging me for months. The owner of the house down the street with the aggressive dogs has finally agreed to fix her deteriorating fence, so the dogs can't escape and kill me. I think all my missing UPS packages are now accounted for. This would all have been very satisfying if I wasn't left wondering at the end of the day whether anything had really happened at all.

You see, I've dealt with all these issues before. I've even thought that I'd resolved them before. These problems and many others keep coming back like a bad penny. I've come to the conclusion that it's virtually impossible to genuinely fix anything these day. All you can do is kick the can down the road like the politicians do.

I did manage to get back to the gym this afternoon. Now I know why you need to go to the gym on a regular basis. I've skipped my regular workouts for over a week and a half due to the ice storm and a host of work related deadlines. Today felt like I was starting over. How could I deteriorate so fast? Unfortunately, going to the gym is like everything else in life. You've got to be consistent and keep plugging away before you can reap the benefits.

When I don't write something every day, my writing deteriorates. If I don't clean every day, it doesn't take long before the house looks like shit. If I don't walk the dogs every day, I'm faced with some very angry dogs. Basically, just about everything in my life needs to be done every day. The only way you get good at something is to do it over, and over, and over again. I remember very early in my career when someone told me that the definition of a professional was the ability to do good work on a bad day. I never forgot those words of wisdom. They've gotten me through a lot of bad days.

I'm crossing my fingers in hope that this week's nice weather will continue through the end of the week. It was almost Springlike this afternoon. The dogs enjoyed sunning themselves on the back porch. I ran my errands without the need of a Winter coat. I think the roof is finally dry again. Against all odds, I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1461 - Blogiversary

The sun returned today. The bright blue sky and warmer temperatures were a welcome relief from last week's icy weather. I was so happy to see the sun that I got an enormous amount accomplished today. The big pile of equipment from our Santa Paws photo shoots has been put back in its proper place. The car has been washed. I even cleaned all the leaves and ice off the roof. Yes, there was still ice up there after an entire week of gradually warmer temperatures. That was quite an ice storm we had! I finally got up my nerve to talk to my neighbor about the tree of theirs that was still resting on my roof. They were actually quite nice and said they'd already contacted a tree service to remove it.

Fortunately, there was more to the day than an endless progression of weekend chores. Janet and I also went to photograph a very old German Shepard, so the owners could have a nice portrait to remember the dog by when it went to The Rainbow Bridge. The old dog was weak and couldn't walk anymore, since her rear legs had become paralyzed from the canine equivalent of ALS. She definitely hadn't given up yet, however. There was a dignity in the dog's eyes that I often see in older dogs. I hope my photos captured this dog's spirit. Sometimes I think that dogs cope with their short time on Earth much better than we humans do with our much longer block of time. We could learn a lot from the dignity of dogs.

It was hard getting out of bed this morning. I've been tired all week and even though it is getting warmer, I still don't think my body has completely recovered from last week's ice storm. I spent quite a bit of time on my knees photographing the old German Shepard and I felt like joining her on her comfy fleece dog bed. My legs weren't working all that well either at that point. After a long day filled with indoor and outdoor chores, I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.

I'm hoping that today's mild weather continues through next week. Even though I got a lot accomplished today, there's still a long list of chores on my to-do list. There are still Christmas gifts to buy, bills to pay, and an illusive UPS package to locate. Oh, I almost forgot. Today I begin my fifth full year as a blogger. It's my Blogiversary again. Can you believe it? Five years without missing a single day. I don't think I've been this consistent with anything before. It's been a lot of work, but it's been good for me to collect my thoughts like this at the end of each day. I see a rhythm and poetry to life that I never noticed before. Although I'm still a grumpy old man, I think this forced reflection has made me a better person in many subtle ways. Who knows how long this personal journey will continue, but as long as it does, I hope that each of you will continue to join me for a few minutes at the end of each day. I'll see you again tomorrow.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day