Day 3298

While I was eating breakfast this morning, a man walked over to the chef after paying his bill and shook his hand. I heard him say, "I travel all over the world and I want to tell you that this is the best French Toast I've ever had in my life." I smiled and gave the chef a big thumbs up. So did several other people in the restaurant. The chef pointed over at me and said, "He agrees. He eats these every day." The encounter was over quickly, but the chef was smiling as he went back to work. I love little moments like this. The chef wasn't invisible as he quietly worked behind his counter and apparently neither was I. I don't know who the world traveler was, but he did have an eye for quality.

It was nice to see the sun again. A sunny day can dramatically improve my mood. I thought Dash would enjoy the nice weather too, but he seemed sluggish and disoriented on his walk this morning. Maybe the additional pain pill his doctor recommended was too much for him. We've seen this reaction before when we tried giving Dash Gabapentin. We're going to try going back to the original dose for a few days and see if Dash returns to normal. "Back to normal" is a strange concept with Dash because there is absolutely nothing normal about him. Too much pain medication makes me feel terrible. Maybe dogs can have the same reaction.

I wish I knew more about medicine. I think some of my own meds are unnecessary but I've learned not to self medicate. There is too much I don't know. For a long time I thought that Adequan might help Dash because it helped Spot when his rear legs got weak. Then I did some research and discovered that Adequan injections can inhibit blood clotting and should not be administered to dogs with a history of bleeding abnormalities. I'm sure the vets probably knew this all along.

I was really surprised when the roof started leaking again early this afternoon. The last time I looked the roof was dry. The leak was small this time but there was definitely a slow drip. The roof was still dry when I went up to investigate but I could tell that there was still some residual water trapped under the silicon coating in a few places. This water was probably still looking for a way out. Strangely, this mysterious leak only lasted a few hours during the warmest period of the day.

I had to use some of Dash's Shoe Goo to repair my own boots this afternoon. The soles are starting to come apart. I'm really hard on shoes but I was hoping that these boots would last forever. I've been wearing them for about five years and they are finally comfortable now.

I think I'll take the Christmas tree down tomorrow. The holidays are over. I wish it were Winter that was over. I'm afraid we've got a lot more rain to look forward to and maybe even some snow. One way or another, the leak will eventually get fixed. I just hope it doesn't take as long as it took to fix the refrigerator. With a little luck I can postpone putting on a new roof until Spring when the weather is nicer, but we'll have to see what happens. In my world it is best to take things one day at a time.

Hunter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2131

I got a letter from a friend today that got me thinking. I complain a lot, but I really shouldn't. My friend is facing huge medical bills while I am reasonably healthy. My house is paid for, while my friend's house has been on the market for six months and isn't selling. My dogs are old and frail, but my friend's dog has heartworms. Everything in life is relative. As bad as you think things are, there is always somebody else who can make your problems seem trivial by comparison. I've always thought of myself as a survivor, but I really need to be more appreciative of the simple fact that I've made it this far. There are so many things in life that can go horribly wrong.

I'm happy to report that nothing went wrong today at all. It was a nice Fall day. We got off to an early start and I think it was a good omen that I saw all four morning planets. Mercury is growing brighter and is higher in the sky now, so I can see it without binoculars. Dash continues to improve. He seemed to enjoy his walk this morning and I didn't see him limp at all. My breakfast restaurant raised prices a bit, but the small increase didn't bother me. I'm surprised they've been able to keep their prices so low for this long.

There were no accidents in the house today. This was probably just blind luck, but I'll take whatever I can get. I got my article assignments written while the dogs were sleeping and made a small alteration on a website that I had forgotten about yesterday. By the time the dogs started barking for their dinner, I had managed to get caught up on everything.

I think it is a good sign that novels have replaced Sweetwater and B&H catalogs as my preferred bathroom reading. I really don't need any more gear if I can't even keep the stuff I've already got running properly. So far, I'm reading about a book a week. I realize that this pace isn't exactly setting the world on fire, but it's still light years ahead of where I was this time last year. My current read is Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy. I recommend it highly.

I keep promising Janet that I'm going to clean out the office, but I don't even know where to begin. It's really time to unload some of the audio gear, but I don't trust eBay anymore. There are too many scammers and disreputable buyers. I rarely wear my vintage watches these days since I've gotten hooked on the Apple Watch, but I'm still fond of all of them. My closets are full of practically new, unworn clothes, since six days out of seven I still continue to wear jeans and a black t-shirt. Basically, I stopped dressing up when I stopped going to client meetings. It's hard to turn around an ocean liner. So far, any downsizing I've done has gone largely unnoticed.

I hope today's mild weather continues through the weekend. The dogs are much happier when the temperature is in the mid-70's. I keep telling Dot that the worst is over. It ought to be smooth sailing ahead at least until the rainy season starts.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 740 - Christmas

Dot woke up this morning limping on her left front leg. I'm not sure what's wrong, since she seemed fine when she went to bed last night. I think she just over exerted herself at our gift wrapping event yesterday. It's easy to forget she's getting older now. She spent most of the afternoon standing, instead of sleeping like she usually does. Maybe it was too much for her.

The furnace didn't come on this morning either, but by the end of the day we had heat again and Dot seemed to be walking more normally. It was a simple, but satisfying Christmas. I often feel lonely on Christmas. I don't have a lot of friends and am more or less estranged from family. I probably don't show my appreciation often enough, but I'm very grateful to have Janet and the dogs. They keep life normal.

It didn't snow this Christmas, but it certainly felt like Winter. I couldn't walk the dogs together this evening because of Dot's limp, but as Dash and I tramped through the woods, it was easy to imagine a coating of snow on everything. We returned to the smell of holiday cooking and an hour or so later everyone sat down to enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner. We had ham, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and a spicy stuffing. There weren't a lot of presents under the tree, but we don't need much at this point in our lives. I'm content.

I even managed to complete a few watch articles today. The month long writing marathon is almost over and it's not going to seem the same in January. I'll have to admit that I've learned a few things about watches and about writing this month. If I could only be this disciplined about personal projects. If I could work at the same pace on personal projects, I could have easily completed a novel by now. Personal projects are tough though. There just isn't a strong enough sense of desire pushing me onward. Maybe that's what I should have asked Santa for this year: a stronger sense of desire.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day