Day 2930 - New Year's Day

Dash seemed a bit out of sorts this morning. I felt the same way. Maybe I just can't handle alcohol anymore. Against all odds we managed to stay awake until midnight and opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate the New Year. You wouldn't think a couple of glasses of bubbly would bother me, but who knows. I sure felt strange this morning. I shouldn't be too quick to blame the champagne. For all I know, it might have been the chili we had for dinner last night.

It was way too cold to walk this morning and Dash and I didn't feel like eating. This didn't seem the best way to start the year, but it sure beat last year. If I remember correctly, we began 2017 with Dot throwing up at sunrise and throwing us into a panic since all the vets were closed for the holiday.

Eventually, Dash ate his breakfast and my stomach began to settle down. I kept waiting for it to warm up, but it never did. The temperature remained in the teens for most of the day. Janet went to the gym and I went back to bed for a while. When I got organized enough to take a shower, I noticed that the shower pan was leaking again and got the wet/dry vacuum to suck the water out that had gotten under the tiles. It wasn't much of an effort, but it was all I could muster.

My mid-afternoon it had warmed up enough for Dash to take a walk. It was still cold, but at least the temperature was in the twenties instead of the teens. I bundled Dash up, put on two warm coats and off we went. Dash wasn't bothered by the cold at all. It was just me that had gotten soft.

Several people on my Facebook feed said their New Year's resolution was to stay alive for another year. Sounds like a plan to me. I seldom make New Year's resolutions. A New Year's resolution would be a radical step for someone who doesn't even make grocery lists. I don't need to lose weight. I eat fairly healthy already. I guess I could become a kinder, more caring person, but why bother. Just staying alive for another year is probably as good as it gets.

There isn't much to photograph on cold days like this, but I did see a Downy Woodpecker. The little bird was very industrious, looking for food among the branches. Animals spend all their time eating in the Winter. Raptor sit on top of trees looking for mice. Squirrels dig up the nuts they hid earlier in the year. Egrets and herons look for fish. I just need to make sure the coyotes aren't looking for Dash.

I guess the new year starts in earnest tomorrow. I need to finish my website project. I'm way behind on this design which isn't like me at all. It's hard to get motivated when you know the end result doesn't really matter. Janet, who has always been a workaholic, is thinking about retiring again. She says her heart isn't in it anymore. I know how she feels. As the workforce continues to get younger and younger, it no longer feels familiar. The big question for us is what to do next.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1274

Today could be summed up in four words: more of the same. I added some new animals to a rescue website. I paid a few bills. I wrote an article or two. I also forgot to turn off the sprinklers in the front yard and managed to soak the street in front of the house. It must have been a forgetful day. My doctor forgot to renew the prescription I asked him about yesterday. Maybe it wasn't the doctor's fault though. The phone system at the pharmacy was out of commission all day yesterday. Nothing really seems to go smoothly anymore. I think most of us just muddle our way through the day and are happy when it's finally over. That's why I really miss drinking. Even the most fruitless of days seemed better after a couple of glasses of wine. Somehow, a cup of freshly brewed green tea doesn't seem to work nearly as well.

I climbed up on the roof today to see how quickly the water was evaporating and discovered that the roofers had walked off with my trusty push broom. They probably had to use it so often to get the rain off the roof while they were working that when the job was finished, they ended up thinking it was theirs. It doesn't really matter. The broom was pretty worn out anyway. A new roof definitely calls for a new broom.

Dash went to the vet today, but his favorite nurse was gone. The new nurse didn't know how to express a dog's anal glands, so he had to ask for help from someone else. I really ought to learn how to do this myself, but truthfully, I have no interest in sticking my hand up a dog's butt.  I do enough unpleasant things already.

There was a mosquito in the house today. I tried to swat it with a fly swatter, but it kept escaping and I gave up after a while. I guess this means that I'll have to worry about mosquitoes for the rest of the Summer. Last year Dallas had a huge mosquito problem and there were numerous cases of West Nile Virus in town. We've got ticks that can cause Lyme Disease, mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus, and huge brown roaches that are just disgusting. I always wonder how the roaches manage to get inside until I go outside and notice that they are everywhere. I guess things could be worse if we lived in Florida, but probably not much worse. This place is a bug paradise.

Dot's acupuncture vet has moved. We've got a longer drive now to her weekly appointment. We'll see how things go tomorrow. Hopefully, the negative effects of riding in the car won't completely negate the positive effects of the acupuncture treatments.

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1160

It was a good day to go to the dog park. The weather was nice and all the dogs were playful. We stayed quite a while at the park because it is much more enjoyable to watch dogs play than it is to clean the house. Since Janet and I both have the little activity wristlets now, we were probably looking for an excuse to boost our step count too. I feel compelled to walk 10,000 steps a day now. I've probably always walked that much, but now that I'm being measured, I hate to be a slacker.

When we got home from the park, the dogs did the smart thing and took a nap. I decided to clean the bathroom instead. I don't know why it's so hard to get soap scum off the shower tiles. In those Scrubbing Bubbles commercials, the tiles are glistening in just a few seconds. In real life, it never works that way. It's harder to clean shower tiles than it is to clean a barbecue grill.

It's supposed to be a holiday tomorrow, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get any time off. I've already got several jobs on tap that I need to work on in the morning and then I need to go over to Baylor and have an MRI done in the afternoon. I filled out a big stack of pre-admittance paperwork this afternoon, but I'll bet there's more paperwork for me tomorrow. An MRI is pretty painless. The only thing I don't like is when they inject you with dye. It leaves an odd metallic taste in your mouth for some reason.

I'm glad Janet approves of my new diet. It would be much harder to maintain my resolve if she wanted to continue eating cheeseburgers. Luckily, she's been eating healthy all along. All I have to do it eat the same things she does. Well, almost the same things anyway. I'll have to forgo the scotch and red wine.

Too bad I've had to give up alcohol. Drinking all that extra water I'm supposed to have would be a lot easier if I could add a little single malt scotch and a few ice cubes to every glass.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day