Day 3492

Occasionally I look back at old posts to see if anything has changed. I'd almost forgotten that on this day in 2014 Dot became very sick and had to go to the emergency vet. A few days later we learned that she had a golf ball sized tumor in her intestines and needed emergency surgery. The tumor turned out to be cancerous and we spent the rest of the year nursing her back to health. Dash was still recovering from cancer at that point as well. I guess things have changed a bit.

I don't miss all the medical emergencies, but I do miss the dogs. Life is very quiet now. I'm getting plenty of sleep these days but it's harder to find a reason to get up in the mornings. Keeping the dogs healthy and happy gave me a purpose, but it also wore me out. Maybe I'll discover a new purpose, but it may take a while. I'm in no hurry at this point.

Hot summer days have always had a slow monotony to them. When you wake up hot, all you really want to do is get through the day. This year I seem to be able to get through the day without really doing anything. Making the bed and fixing and drinking a rather large and somewhat complex fruit smoothie usually takes me to 10 AM. After checking my e-mail I take my first walk of the day. In theory I walk early to avoid the heat of the day. The problem is that I'm so slow that I'm never early. Usually by the time I've finished my three mile morning trek, it is almost noon.

I try to do a few chores during the middle of the day. Usually this just amounts to paying bills, doing laundry, picking up prescriptions, and going to the post office. Every once in a while I vacuum or go up on the roof, but not very often. Today I wrote a letter to my sister because I knew I had to go to the post office anyway. My second walk of the day is always shorter than the first. By the time 4 PM arrives I realize that there is no point in killing yourself.

I was a little disappointed with today's auction results, but at least my lot sold. I think I'm done with auctions for a while. I wish I could stay interested in downsizing because I've got a long way to go. Unfortunately, acquiring things is much more interesting to me than disposing of them. Some people seem to find real joy in lightening their load, but I'll probably always remain a pack rat at heart. It would be nice to clean out my office and start fresh, but when I look around it seems impossible. Probably the best I can do is just try to restrain myself from buying new useless stuff I don't really need.

Maybe I should go to Adult Space Camp after all. Some of the activities make me nervous, but that could be exactly what I need. It would certainly give me something interesting to write about. New experiences are easy to write about. It's much harder to write about nothing. I think I proved that again today.

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3490

I finally got some better pictures of Charlie when we visited the Dalmatian Rescue kennels today. He's a hard boy to photograph because he never stays still. I wanted a picture where his ears looked nice, his tongue wasn't hanging out, and there wasn't a ball in his mouth. Eventually I got one.

All the dogs have adjusted well to being in the kennel. They get a lot of attention, are well fed, and are recovering from the medical problems many of them had when they entered the program. They all seem so normal now that I don't think any of them will have any problems adjusting to life in the forever homes each of them will find soon.

We spend a lot of time at the boarding kennel so I don't take a morning walk on Monday's anymore. I still had time for a leisurely breakfast and a few errands before we left for the kennel, but that was about it. I had just enough time to pay some bills, go to the post office, and pick up a few things at Home Depot before we left.

I still had to take some sort of walk when we returned late in the afternoon. This was probably a mistake, but I'm addicted to those Fitbit steps. It was really hot and humid today. I had to stop several times to wet down my shirt and hat in a nearby water fountain. The Pelican has returned but the Egrets are gone. I guess these birds don't like to share the same water. There were water turtles basking on several semi-submerged logs. I guess they liked the sun better than I did.

I'm finally starting to get some bids for the last piece of art I put up for auction. I guess lowering the reserve made a difference. This is just an online auction so there is no drama. Maybe that's for the best. This piece got no attention at all when it was offered at a big auction in New York several months ago. I wish I had more art to unload. The bills for my trip to Florida are starting to come in and it is obvious that travel can be just as expensive as collecting things. I think travel is the way to go now though. When you collect memories they don't take up a lot of space.

I wish I didn't have problems with heartburn. I had some leftover pizza for dinner and I can already tell that it's going to be a long night. Pizza, spaghetti, and chili are just about the only things that give me problems. It's a shame because I love these things. We had steaks last night and a chicken casserole over the weekend and I had no problems at all. Whenever I eat vegetarian meals I don't have any problems either. It's clear that I shouldn't eat pizza, but I hate to give it up entirely. Every once in a while I just resign myself to heartburn.

A carpenter is coming over tomorrow to give me an estimate on repairing the greenhouse. If I like the guy I may get some bids on fixing other things around the house as well. There's certainly plenty of things that need to be fixed. It's hard to find an experienced carpenter who will work on small jobs. I don't know if this guy's any good, but one of my neighbors likes him a lot. I finally called the carpenter because I kept seeing his truck in front of the neighbor's house.

I'll add Charlie's new picture to the Dalmatian website tomorrow. I hope the carpenter shows up. You never know with these guys.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3450

I didn't plan well today. I knew that there was rain in the forecast, but thought I'd go from gazebo to gazebo on my morning walk like I had done on earlier rainy days. It didn't work. When I arrived at the shelters it wasn't raining. I impatiently thought I could make it to the next shelter before the rain started again, but I almost always got wet. Strangely, it didn't even seem to matter. It was a gentle rain and being wet seemed better than being hot and sweaty.

I tried to make an appointment to take my car in for service when I got home, but my service adviser said I'd driven the car so little since my last service that it was unnecessary. I should have been glad to hear this, but it left me a little uneasy. I basically wanted the guy to bless the car and promise that nothing expensive would fall off or break during a trip to Florida. No Land Rover dealer in their right mind would ever promise anything like that. Stuff always breaks on these cars. "Don't I even need an oil change," I asked? The guy basically said that I could bring the car in if it made me feel better. I still can't get used to the longer oil change intervals with modern synthetic engine oil. I'm still used to getting the oil changed every 3,000 miles. I always did this with the Defender. Apparently nobody does this with modern cars.

I finally got in touch with my contact at the auction house and made arrangements to re-offer my last piece of unsold art at a lower price. At this point I just want all the things I've consigned to sell. If this stuff comes back to me, I'll have to get a bigger storage warehouse. That would defeat the whole purpose of moving to a smaller storage warehouse. I guess I'm in no hurry, but it would be nice to put this chapter behind me. The guitars still haven't sold and I haven't sold anything from the model train collection in several months. Maybe things will pick up this summer.

I noticed a new flower this morning. I've seen this one before, but I don't see it every year. I'm having trouble identifying this one. It kind of looks like a Blazing Star, but I'm not sure. Ironweed looks a bit like this as well. The weird looking plant seems like a cross between a Dahlia and a Texas Thistle. I'll figure out what it is eventually.

Space X still hasn't finalized a launch date for the Falcon Heavy rocket. I knew this would happen, but I still wish I could start making travel plans. Basically at this point, the launch could be any time this summer. I guess I've just got to be patient. Alternately, I could get so involved with something else that I forget about the launch. That's not going to happen. I'll just be patient.

It looks like there is no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week. I may be forced to mow the grass after all. As the weather grows warmer, I prefer little tasks I can do indoors. I took some satisfaction that the repairs I made to my boots worked. I wore them this morning and the soles are still firmly attached. Maybe I can find something equally insignificant to do tomorrow.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3448

Janet and I picked up Xander at the vet today and took him back to the rescue kennel. He wasn't very enthusiastic about wearing a cone, but it couldn't be helped. We took the cone off briefly to take a picture, but he's going to have to wear it for a while. Xander has just been neutered. I think this was the largest dog I've ever had in my car. It was hard to believe he was only one year old. He's a good looking boy who is very strong. I'm glad there weren't any squirrels nearby.

While we were at the kennel, we spent some quality time with each of the other dogs in the program. They are all getting to know us now. Some like to chase a ball. Others are like velcro and follow you everywhere. A few seem very receptive to training and we've already taught them to sit and stay. We even taught one dog to roll over. Nobody is shy anymore. They all look forward to seeing us.

I'm glad the kennel has large air conditioned play rooms. It was too hot to be outside for very long. The dogs would go outside to pee, but quickly returned to the cooler inside rooms to play and beg for treats. The dogs were a lot smarter than I was today, since I continued to ignore the weather and took my regular walks anyway. When I returned this morning, I was drenched in sweat and had to change my clothes. Even my hat was wet today. The weird thing is that summer is just getting started. There are going to be many days where the temperature is much hotter than this.

I did manage to go to the bank and take a few letters to the post office, but most of the day was consumed with walking in the park and visiting the rescue Dalmatians. I still find it strange that doing so little can take up the entire day. I guess this is what retirement is all about. Whatever you are doing expands to fill the time you have available.

I got a check from one of the auction houses today. I think this means that all the auctions are over. Everything sold with the exception of one piece of art that I'll need to get returned. The whole process was surprisingly easy and I don't miss anything. It was time to say goodbye to these things. I wish old electronic gear was as easy to sell as artwork and antiques. There's not much of a market for old, obsolete gear. Even the vintage guitars are taking a long time to sell. I have a feeling that not as many kids want to be rock stars anymore. Maybe they want to be DJ's or rappers, but not many seem to want to form a band like The Eagles or Pink Floyd.

The next thing on my list is to get the car serviced and buy new tires. NASA still hasn't set a firm launch date for the Falcon Heavy mission, but it can't be that far away. I'm still thinking that it makes more sense to drive. I have no schedule and can take as long as I want to make the trip. I can't say that I enjoy driving, but I don't really enjoy flying either. We'll see how this goes. I definitely would like to become a space blogger and get invited to more launches like this in the future.

There's nothing exotic planned for tomorrow. I'll drink my smoothie, take my walk, and probably turn off the TV in disgust after watching the morning news. I'm never happy with the weather. It won't take many more hot days before I'll be begging for rain.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3408

Every time we get a heavy rain my first thought is that this was the worse storm ever. I felt this way last night when the rain was pounding down, but when I took my walk today I had to acknowledge that I've seen higher water levels at the lake before. I think my tolerance for bad weather isn't what it used to be. The rain was pretty bad though. Especially since one of my pumps on the roof wasn't working. I'm really glad that I wasn't traveling. I saw on the news this morning that one of the parking garages at the airport had flooded and lots of cars were completely underwater. This was the same garage where I parked when I went to Houston recently. A lot of travelers are going to be really surprised when they return home.

I was surprised that I even got a chance to walk today. Basically, it rained all day. I saw a little break in the clouds around noon and took advantage of it. I almost finished my three mile trek, but the rain started again when I was about 100 yards from home. I got wet, but it didn't matter. The next thing on my list was taking a shower.

I was almost certain that the roof would leak again last night, but the living room is still dry. So far, so good. Maybe judicious use of the two sump pumps is helping. The second pump started working again this afternoon, so I didn't have to go up on the roof and fix it. I don't know why these things are so balky. Sometimes they become clogged with leaves. There might be a bad electrical connection too. All the extension cords are underwater when it rains.

My contact at the auction house wants to re-offer some of the art that didn't sell recently with a lower reserve. Sounds good to me. The only other alternative is to take the art back and wait until the artist dies. A lot of art spikes in value after the artist dies. This plan probably won't work though, since the artist is younger than I am.

I found out today that the training class where we used to take the dogs on Wednesday evening had made a donation in Dot and Dash's memory to Dalmatian Rescue. This was so nice. Dot and Dash hadn't gone to class since they became sick several years ago and I was surprised that anyone still remembered them. I've still got some dusty ribbons that Dash won sitting on my desk. I continue to be amazed that he won ribbons for obedience when he was young, because as he became older and more stubborn he wouldn't even come when you called. Both dogs enjoyed the class. They probably thought the exercises were silly, but the weekly class was their chance to make friends and socialize with other dogs.

I hope that the weather improves tomorrow. Rainy days give me a bad case of cabin fever. It's not that dry days are all that exciting, but at least I'm not fretting about water leaks. I'll see if I can do something useful when the skies clear again. The back yard could certainly use some work.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3401

Weather reports can be frustrating. Ever since I woke up this morning I've been waiting for the monster storm with baseball sized hail that was headed our way. Janet changed her plans and stayed home because her previous car was damaged during a hailstorm. I took my morning walk in a slow drizzle because I was convinced that the weather was going to get worse as the day progressed. The rain never arrived. Actually, the sun is shining right now. Go figure.

There is still rain in the forecast. Now it is supposed to arrive around midnight. We'll see what happens. Texas weather is often totally unpredictable. I just hope that the storm moves through town and is well to the East by morning. We need to pick up Dash at the cancer center early tomorrow morning and drive him to our cremation appointment. I definitely don't want to do this during a hailstorm.

It's been easier than I thought to keep taking 10,000 steps a day. There's always plenty of time to walk when there's nothing else to do. I don't think there's any danger of turning into Forest Gump or anything, but I might start taking much longer daily walks. Why not? Walking alone in the woods is a great way to collect your thoughts. There are people who think I need to find a hobby. Actually, daydreaming is a pretty good hobby.

More of my art sold at auction this weekend. These secondary auctions aren't nearly as exciting as the  big ones in New York last Fall, but at least things are selling. So far, I've only had one piece that didn't get any bids at all. I've replaced most of the art that used to hang on our walls with pictures of the dogs. These pictures make me happier anyway. It's been a long time since I was an avid art collector. I'd rather look at pictures of Spot, Petey, Greta, Dot and Dash.

When we were cleaning today we found a humongous pile of dead ants under the microwave. I wonder how many years it took for that pile to accumulate? When the house settled, it left a small crack near a window frame in the kitchen. Ants came through this hole every Spring. I always sprayed, but apparently the ants were tough. Most of them kept going until they reached the microwave.

One of Dash's vets sent us a lovely bouquet of fresh flowers. They smell wonderful and remind me that we always used to keep fresh flower in the house. That didn't last for long. As we both got busier with work, the flowers would often be dead for weeks before we even noticed. I think Spot ate some flowers too. That episode put an end to the flowers. It just became too much trouble to keep track of which plants were safe for dogs and which were dangerous. With Dalmatians it's better to assume that everything is unsafe unless the dogs are being supervised.

Now that I'm getting more sleep, I thought that my resting heart rate would go down. Surprisingly, the opposite has happened. Fitbit is full of mysteries. It tells you just enough to get you wondering, but not enough to do anything really useful. I probably was just as healthy before I started counting my steps.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3390

Lots of rain today. I picked a terrible time to go grocery shopping. It was overcast when I entered the store. When I was ready to leave, it was raining so hard I could hardly see my car. I got soaked taking the groceries to the car and the inside of the car got soaked when I was loading them inside. Driving home was a nightmare. The windshield wipers couldn't keep up with the rain and big trucks would send rooster tails of water cascading over your car whenever they passed you. Weather changes rapidly in Texas. If I had just waited two hours, I could have avoided the whole mess.

Luckily, the rain didn't start until about 10 AM so I was still able to give Dash his morning walk. He seemed a little stronger than yesterday, but he was still exhausted by the time we returned home. If we're lucky, Janet is still able to give Dash his morning meds before we leave for our walk, but our schedule has definitely changed. When Dash was younger he wanted breakfast as soon as he woke up. Lately, he won't touch his food until noon. He has trouble picking food out of his bowl, so we have to hand feed him now. At least he's still eating most of the time.

The art I had up for auction today failed to sell. There were no bids at all. I was definitely disappointed. I knew this work wouldn't do as well as some of the things I auctioned last Fall, but I did think it would sell. I always thought it was a lovely piece. Who knows what will happen now. Maybe it will wind up on my wall again.

Whenever we have a hard rain, I get worried about the roof leak. I don't trust the roof at all. I moved the furniture out of the way and got the buckets ready, but so far no water had come through the ceiling. One of the pumps seems to be clogged. Only a small amount of water was coming through the hose. The pumps clog easily at this time of year. The Oak and Elm trees are starting to bud and this means catkins are falling from the trees and littering the roof. These small cylindrical flower clusters are how Oak and many other trees pollinate and they are the perfect size to clog sump pumps.    The sticky yellow pollen also makes a mess of your car during the spring. You can add catkins to the list of things I hate.

Janet had an event to attend this evening, so it was up to me to get Dash to eat his dinner. I got him to take his evening meds by rolling the pills in little strips of ham, but we didn't do so well with dinner. He wouldn't touch his regular meal. This mix of chicken, rice and vegetables is healthy, well balanced, and quite tasty. I'd eat it myself. The only thing I could get Dash to eat tonight were two small ground beef patties. This isn't really enough, but maybe Janet will have better luck when she gets home. Our refrigerator is so full of things we use to try and keep Dash eating that there is hardly room for our own food anymore.

I think the rain is supposed to continue tomorrow. Maybe the forecast will change overnight. I've had enough of this rain. I"d like to walk Dash in the morning and then go to the gym. I'm not looking forward to driving in a downpour again.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3389

I got up early this morning so I could walk Dash while it was still nice and cool outside. This seemed to help. Dash was still shaky on his feet and very slow, but he wasn't panting. Lately, each of his walks seems like it might be the last. Dash seems more confused and less coordinated with each passing day. I still think the walks are important because he seems to be at his best when he's outside smelling things. The smells seem to reconnect him with reality. There's a fine line between doing something that's beneficial and doing something that might cause further harm. Since Dash really seems to enjoy these walks even though they make him tired, we'll continue for a while, taking things as slowly as we can.

When I saw that Dash had settled in for his morning nap, I went out for breakfast. I'm starting to feel nervous about leaving him now. Usually he sleeps for a very long time after his morning walk, but you never know. There's always a chance that he'll wake up and be unable to stand up. There's always a chance that he'll poop on the floor too, but that's not a big deal anymore. I wasn't gone long this morning, but it was clear that Dash did get up while I was gone. He was in a different room when I returned.

I returned to the cool restaurant for Shrimp and Grits. The place is noisy and crowded, but the Shrimp and Grits are a winner. I'm not sure if this place is going to stay cool much longer. Old people have discovered the place. There were a lot of grandparents eating breakfast with their grandchildren today.

I have more art coming up for auction tomorrow in New York. There is a period of time before the auction starts where people can bid online. So far I have received no bids. There appears to be very little interest at all. Oh, well. Maybe things will improve at the live auction. Auctions are kind of nerve wracking. There are no guarantees and anything can happen. I think this is a great piece, but someone has to agree with me for it to sell.

I think I chipped a tooth. This sucks, because I was just at the dentist a few days ago. I'm tempted to ignore this because the damage seems very minor. The last time I ignored a chipped tooth though, I needed to get a crown. A crown is expensive and they don't feel natural to me. I don't want another crown

Dash has been very lethargic today. Janet says he's been lethargic for a very long time, but I've read so much about the Covenia controversy in the past several days that I can't help but wonder if the drug has something to do with it. Fatigue and lethargy are one of the most common side effects of taking this drug. Dash was already weak. Maybe the Covenia made him a little weaker. On a positive note, Dash's oral infection is already getting better. On the other hand, it's hard to ignore all those articles from people saying that Covenia killed their dog or cat.

We're supposed to have thunderstorms tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to that. I'd much rather have clear skies and a dog who felt like eating and walking again.

Angel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3388

I'm glad I never had a parent with Alzheimer's to take care of. Now that Dash is showing signs of dementia, it's easy to see what a monumental task this could be. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether Dash's problems are physical or mental. I suspect that is usually a combination of both. Dash gets confused on his walks and sometimes reverses direction for no apparent reason. We end up walking in circles occasionally. There are no regular mealtimes anymore. Breakfast can be at noon and dinner can be at midnight. Dogs are creatures of habit and I think it bothers Dash that he can't always remember his old habits. I wish I could help, but I can't always remember my old habits either. I do what I can. I make sure he takes his pills, gets enough food, and has a little exercise. Most of Dash's day is spent sleeping.

I never realized that half of my blog readers came from Google+. Now that the platform is gone, so are the readers. I guess it all makes sense. I had over 30,000 followers on Google+ at one time. Most of these people were photographers or loved photography, but some of them must have become blog readers. I'd almost forgotten what a great place Google+ was for photographers in the early days. You could actually have conversations with and get tips from some very well known photographers. I learned a lot.

I think the Covenia is working. The open sores on the underside of his muzzle are already starting to heal. I think the loose flaps of skin on the sides of a dogs mouth are called flews, but I keep wanting to call them lips. I guess dogs don't really have lips. Since Covenia targets bacteria on the skin, I'm not sure how well it will work with Dash's periodontal disease. Bacteria under the gum line, especially under the teeth can be very hart to eradicate.

I'm getting discouraged with my attempts to liquidate my collections. I've spent so much restoring my vintage synthesizers that I probably won't make any money at all when they eventually sell. The same thing is true for an Ellsworth Kelly print I had an art conservator restore. She did a fantastic job, but the print is expected to go under the hammer at auction for about the same price as I spent restoring it. I thought the vintage guitars would go quickly, but that hasn't been the case. One guitar sold quickly but the buyer changed his mind and convinced the dealer to let him exchange it for a different guitar. I'm still waiting for the guitar to sell. The main problem with the train collection is that nobody knows what a train is anymore. Old men still buy these things, but there are fewer and fewer of them left. I've consigned my collection with one of the best dealers in the entire country, but sales are still very slow.

I wish sleep would restore Dash's energy. He certainly sleeps a lot. Unfortunately, he still seems to be getting weaker. We had a real problem on our walk this morning. He was determined to keep going, but I could tell he was getting tired. I tried several times to cut the walk short and return to the house, but Dash refused to turn around. He is very stubborn. It was almost like his brain and his body weren't on the same page. When we eventually made it home, Dash was exhausted.

Somebody parked their car where I usually take my trash on Thursday night. Little things like this bother me. I'm superstitious about the garbage truck and always want to make sure that my trash is in exactly the same place so the driver will see it. One more thing to fret about tonight.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3380

The smallest change in Dash's routine can cause havoc. We definitely shouldn't have changed his diet. He had another bad case of diarrhea last night. I think the canned food we fed him was too rich, because the last time we tried this brand the same thing happened. Our options are getting smaller. Dash is getting extremely picky about food again and we've got to keep him eating.

Things are better today, but I feel like I've gotten no sleep for the past 48 hours. Life is beginning to seem like a perpetual boot camp. We were initially happy when Dash chose to sleep on the floor last night but it turned out to be a bad choice. He slipped off his dog bed which was protected and ended up pooping all over the carpet. It's a lot harder to clean the carpet than small things you can take outside and hose down. One of the things we hosed down last night was Dash. He was covered with poop.

Maybe I got a little sleep last night. It's hard to tell. There was lots of laundry to do and a liberal amount of Nature's Miracle was used to sanitize the carpet. Dash got another bath this afternoon and the carpet is drying out. Dash is eating the food he rejected a few days ago and we had a nice walk. Basically, all is well. I'm still tired though. Very tired.

One of Dash's vets recommended clindamycin as an antibiotic to treat his gum infection. I guess I failed to tell him about Dash's diarrhea problems. Clindamycin has an FDA black box warning saying that it can cause severe diarrhea and even colon damage. Hmm. Might not be the best drug to take at this time. There's got to be another alternative without all the side effects. For the time being we'll continue the oral rinse we use every evening. I'm not sure it works, but it's better than nothing.

I went up on the roof today and was pleased to discover that the warmer weather is causing the standing water to evaporate faster. It was fairly easy to clear away the remaining standing water from our recent rains. The only problem with Spring is that pollen from the trees mixes with the water and creates an ugly brown mess. The sticky brown water stains the elastomer coating, making it harder to find potential tears that could cause a leak. Nothing is easy these days.

I've got another auction coming up in early April. I was all excited about the first series of auctions in New York last year, but now I just wish the whole process was over. I can't decide whether to put a reserve on this lot. I don't want this stuff to sell for nothing, but I don't want it back either. The auction house has been encouraging me to tell my friends about the auction. Not very likely. It's been years since I've had any art buyer friends.

Dash has been sleeping like a baby all evening. This probably means he'll be awake later tonight when I'm trying to sleep. I'll be happy to take you outside to pee little buddy, but I'm not looking forward to cleaning up diarrhea again.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3347

I didn't go out for breakfast this morning. It took me way too long to get organized. Dash was out of sorts when he woke up and wouldn't take his morning meds. We tried hiding the food in ham, turkey, canned dog food and even cake. Nothing worked. I thought that maybe he'd be hungry after a walk, so we suited him up and off we went. It wasn't raining yet, but it was so foggy that my jacket was wet when we returned. Dash seemed to like the weather, but he still wasn't hungry when we got back to the house.

The pills Dash takes are essential, so I knew I wasn't going anywhere. One way or another, he needed to take his meds. I fixed myself an omelet while Dash took a nap. I added some ham, sausage, and smoked Gouda cheese to the eggs and the result was delicious. The smell enticed Dash to the kitchen and this time he was ready to take his pills. I rolled each pill in a small slice of the same ham I'd used for my omelet. Mission accomplished.

Dash didn't poop in the house this morning and it made me nervous. I heard his stomach rumbling while we were walking in the park and I kept expecting the volcano to blow. Dash always poops a lot in the morning. Today was different. He peed in the bed instead. By the time I finished cleaning up, doing the laundry, and washing the breakfast dishes, it was noon. I didn't mind. It was raining outside anyway and there was no place I wanted to go. My omelet tasted better than a restaurant omelet anyway.

After breakfast, I watched a webinar from one of the large auction houses about how to sell your collection. I learned a lot, but it was a little late. I've already sold or consigned most of my collection. The whole presentation seemed to be directed at people who have inherited art and don't know what to do with it. Maybe that's where most of the art at auction comes from. I can see how this happens, but hopefully I can unwind my collections and clean up my mess before I die. If you've ever had to deal with settling an estate, you quickly realize that it's not a pleasant task. Your heirs will enjoy getting a check someday. They probably won't enjoy sorting through a huge pile of your junk.

Dash seemed exceptionally tired today. He spent most of the day sleeping. When this happens, I worry that his walks are wearing him out. I always let Dash set the pace and we walk very slowly, but maybe even this mild exercise has become too much for him. He really enjoyed his walk this morning, but when we returned home, he seemed exhausted. There are no easy answers about aging. I wish Dash could talk so he could tell me whether I was walking for him, or if he was walking for me. I'm just guessing that Dash loves these daily walks. He seems to enjoy walking, but what if all his joints hurt and he's just walking to please me?

I was happy to see the Dow close above 26,000 today. I'd have been even happier if I'd seen the sun.  It was such a dismal day that all I could find to photograph was an ugly weed with water drops on it. Who knows. Maybe the weekend will be nice. As long as I'm wishing, maybe Dash will be stronger tomorrow as well. Maybe I'll even get some sleep.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3330

I spent the day trying to come up with a plan B for Dash. The dog can barely move, but he certainly hasn't given up. I've seen dogs go downhill very quickly when they become immobile so Janet and I were determined to give him some options. Dogs can become depressed as easily as humans. As long as we can keep Dash happy and engaged, I think he's still got some quality time.

The first step was making sure that his new Help 'Em Up Harness was adjusted correctly. It's surprisingly difficult to get all the adjustable straps the correct length when your dog keeps wanting to lie down. A properly fitted harness can make a big difference. After he'd had a long nap I started practicing walking Dash around the house with the harness. It took a while, but Dash eventually started to get the hang of things. With just the right amount of support, he began moving his rear legs again.

Janet found some extra light weight boots and after another nap, we thought we'd try a short walk. We didn't walk far, but things went better than I expected. Dash loves smelling things in the park and I could tell he was eager to walk. You have to move slowly and carefully, always making sure that his rear legs are moving along with the font ones. Dash's rear legs also have a tendency to become crisscrossed. The lightweight boots seemed to make it a little easier for Dash to move, but we'll have to replace them after almost every walk. One of the boots had a hole in the toe after a single walk. Dash's paws didn't bleed though, so this just might work.

I'm still considering water therapy, but given a choice, I'm sure that Dash would much rather smell things in the park. Dash hates water and doesn't like riding in the car, so if we can figure out how to keep him walking, he's going to be a happier dog. Knowing when to quit is critical. It's important to keep Dash moving, but it is equally important that he doesn't become exhausted. We'll have good days and bad days, but considering that yesterday I thought that he might never walk again, today was pretty good.

My first batch of auctions has concluded. I received my final payment today. One thing I learned is that it is impossible to predict what is going to be popular fifty years in the future. I never bought art as an investment. I just bought things that made me happy. A lot of these things ended up being practically worthless, but a few pieces became desirable. Back in the day, I never would have guessed what the people of 2019 would be wanting. I wish I'd bought more art back in the 1970's, but of course I had no money back then. That's always the way it works.

Thanks to my Facebook friends for suggesting a decongestant that doesn't make me feel horrible. The runny nose hasn't stopped entirely, but it is much better. For the record, Allegra seems to work a lot better than Sudafed.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3319

I thought a place that could make delicious Shrimp Grits would be even better at making Eggs Benedict. Wrong. I was disappointed this morning. Damn. I should have had the Shrimp Grits again. This is the problem with being adventurous. Often things don't turn out as planned.

I'm not that interested in being adventurous, but I do realize that you can't spend your entire life doing the same thing over and over again. I'll admit that I come closer to monotony than most people, but everyone needs a little variety. I once found a restaurant that served absolutely perfect Migas. I ordered this dish for breakfast every Friday for three years. One day my breakfast tasted terrible and two months later the restaurant went out of business. I never really discovered what happened, but I've been looking for perfection ever since.

I do think I've found the perfect French Toast, but I don't always feel like something sweet. Oh, well. I guess the search for perfection continues. This odd quest does make Friday a little different than the other days of the week, so I guess all is good. I have a feeling that I'll go back to having French Toast at the hotel next week.

I need to remember that morning walks are for Dash and not for me. It takes a lot of patience to walk Dash these days. It's difficult to take photographs along the way like I used to because I'm spending all my time making sure that Dash stays upright. A small twig can make him stumble and fall. He can't seem to walk in a straight line anymore. We meander all over the place. Dash will often backtrack and return to smell something he forgot. Sometimes he refuses to leave a smell and starts sneezing when the odor becomes too strong. It's almost like he is getting high on the things he smells. I wonder how well he can see, because it seems like he is just traveling from one smell to the next without really looking where he is going. I have to be real careful when we come to gullies and ravines. Dash seems to have no depth perception anymore. If I wasn't holding tightly to his harness today, he would have fallen into a gully. All he cared about was a smell right on the edge.

The buyer for one of the items I auctioned in New York has missed their payment deadline. The payment is not just a few days late, it's almost a full month late. Unfortunately, I don't get paid until the auction house get paid so I'm starting to get frustrated. Auction houses never provide personal information about buyers. I'm starting to have fears that the buyer is a Russian oligarch who just had all his funds frozen. My contact at the auction house says not to worry. Easy for her to say.

The weather is still very cold, but the skies are clear and the humidity is low. Everything is starting to dry out again. I was going to get up early and look for Jupiter and Venus in the predawn sky. When the time arrived, I chose to sleep for another twenty minutes instead. Dash was restless last night and I didn't get much sleep. Janet thinks the new waterproof dropcloth I got recently is making the bed too slippery for him. Who knows. Maybe it is. I guess I'll be looking for another bed protection alternative this weekend.

We had pizza for dinner tonight. A good New York style thin crust pizza is hard to beat. I'm almost certain that this meal will give me heartburn, but somehow a little heartburn seems a fitting way to end a less than perfect day.

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3308

We tried using the new left side leg brace by itself today. Dash didn't approve. Even though both rear legs are weak, a brace on the left leg doesn't seem to provide any additional stability. The brace actually made it harder for Dash to walk, so we quickly took it off and went back to using the other brace made for his right leg. Dash probably hates all this experimenting, but we're really trying our best to make life better for him.

I was pleasantly surprised that I had no heartburn last night. I still can't figure out what the magic food groups are. Sometimes things that are mild give me heartburn and other times spicy things don't. We had a stuffed pork roast last night with mashed potatoes and root vegetables. I guess this is safer than chili, pizza, or spaghetti. Maybe my reflux problems have nothing to do with what I eat. I suspect they do though. Pizza always causes problems.

At least Dash's eating problems have vanished. He has a good appetite now and hasn't thrown up in months. I'm happy that we have one less thing to worry about, but I'm still not sure what happened. Nothing medically has changed. At some point we gave up on all the food that vets were recommending and Janet started cooking for Dash herself. He eats a cubed fresh chicken breast for breakfast and a mix of chicken, brown rice, and vegetables for dinner. He's even gaining a little weight again, which his doctors think is a good thing.

A roofer knocked on my door this morning and asked if I was having roof problems. How did he know? The guy came with no references and his business card said he specialized in installing gutters. Nope. I politely told him that I already had a roofer. The last thing I need are a bunch of random roofers knocking on my door. This happens occasionally after a big wind storm. Most of these roofers are worthless. I will need a new roof soon enough, but the person who gets the job will need good references. Even a great roofer is going to have problems with my roof.

I was supposed to receive a payment from one of the auction houses today, but it got delayed again. Auctions require a certain amount of patience. Nothing happens quickly. I started consigning things last Summer and we're still not done yet. So far, everything has sold though. That's a good thing even if there is a long wait.

I think the wait to get the house shipshape again is going to be endless. I've lost count of all the things that need to be fixed. Today I thought I'd clean the shower tiles to see if there were cracks that I'd overlooked. There were. If the tile guys had installed the shower pan properly in the first place I don't think I'd be having these problems. Water leaks into the shower pan from small cracks in the tiles, but it doesn't drain properly like it should. Water that finds it way into the shower pan should just go down the drain. Instead, it builds up in the pan and eventually starts flowing out of cracks where the shower walls meet the floor. Regrouting the tiles would be easy, but it won't prove anything unless the shower pan is fixed first. All my problems are like this. They're not as easy to fix as they might seem.

I've got an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. Maybe this will be more exciting than cleaning shower tiles. Hopefully, the weather will be warmer. I'm still freezing.

Kasey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3268

Every time I see one of these big state funerals I wonder about all the people who will never be remembered at all. So many good people are quickly forgotten. Hey, we all deserve to be remembered, but in a mobile society that is becoming increasingly detached, I wonder if we will be. I'll probably be quickly forgotten. I remember seeing a cartoon with a casket in front of a nearly empty church with three people sitting in the pews and the caption said "they say he had over a thousand Facebook friends." Often, people don't even realize you're dead anymore. I still see those Facebook birthday greetings appearing on the pages of friends who died five years ago. I hope I don't make this mistake and wish a Happy Birthday to a long dead classmate, but it could happen. We live in a world where celebrities are remembered but nobody knows their neighbors.

I'm old enough to remember George H.W. Bush before he became president. I'd be the first to agree that he was a good man, but I seem to remember a lot of the media folks who were singing his praises today were ridiculing him when he actually was president. Jeez. Dana Carvey made a career out of making fun of Bush. What changed? Back in the day, the elder Bush was criticized almost as much as George W. Now that the Bush family seems to have replaced the Kennedy family as America's only remaining political dynasty, they are back in favor again. I hope today's praise is genuine, but I suspect there are some who just thought that making Bush look good would make Trump look bad.

I watched the Space X live feed of the Dragon resupply mission launch today and was surprised when   the coverage of the first stage landing abruptly stopped when the booster appeared to go wonky. The commentators never missed a beat and continued their upbeat narrative about the overall success of the mission. Traditional news media would have focused on the booster failure, but the in-house Space X broadcasters totally ignored it. I can't decide how I feel about this. The mission actually was a success and the Dragon capsule is continuing it's journey toward the space station. I know the news  media would have focused on the booster landing failure though because it was more exciting. This is probably what is wrong with the news these days. Negative events are always given priority because they are usually more dramatic.

My third auction concluded today and I was a bit disappointed with the results. My items actually did sell but they only got a single bid each. Neither reached the auction house price estimate. I could have set a higher reserve on my lots, but I didn't. I always hope for a bidding war, but I don't want this stuff back either. I guess I can't complain. This is how auctions work. Sometimes you get lucky and other times you don't.

There was blood in Dash's bowl when he was eating his breakfast this morning. Yikes. I was worried about an infection or a bad tooth, but when I inspected Dash's mouth it appeared that he had bitten his lip while eating. I do this myself occasionally. I cleaned his mouth with a dental rinse and everything seems fine now. I hope dash doesn't continue biting his lip. He is beginning to have problems eating and drinking. You can tell he is not as coordinated as he used to be. Eventually, we may need to hand feed him. We needed to do this with Dot when she became very old.

This week has gone quickly. I hope that sanity has returned when the market opens again tomorrow. Another seven hundred point drop wouldn't be good. I hope it's a little warmer too. Most of all, I hope that Dash lets me get a good night's sleep.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3267

Brrr. It was really cold this morning. I couldn't clean off a poop stained dog blanket right away because the garden hose was frozen. Dash didn't want to wear his sweater this morning either. He's usually pretty patient when we suit him up for his walks, but I could tell that he was letting us know that enough is enough. I don't know how Northerners put up with this stuff. Everything takes longer in freezing weather.

Today was much messier than yesterday. Maybe I just got lucky yesterday. While I was cleaning up poop on the porch, I didn't notice that Dash was near the back door and apparently needed to poop again. In warmer weather I would have just left the door open while I was working so he could come and go freely, but as I said, it was very cold this morning. Dash pooped on the floor next to the door while he was waiting for me, slipped and fell in the mess, and smeared it all over himself as he was struggling to get up again. I had to give him a bath to clean him up. Dash wasn't happy about that either. It took a while before the floor, the dog, and several assorted blankets were all clean again. This wasn't really how I wanted to spend my morning but I didn't have anything better to do anyway. By the time I finished breakfast it was almost time for a meeting I had scheduled at the bank.

The bank recently upgraded my account in an attempt to sell me more stuff. I like having an account with no fees, but I've never been interested in buying securities from a bank. To be polite I said I would listen to their proposals, but after today's meeting they probably wish they'd never given me the special account. To me a bank is a place to have a checking account. It's not a place to buy and sell stocks. Jeez. I've got a stock broker for that kind of stuff. After a long conversation I think they finally realized that I know more about the market than they do. I get to keep my no fee account though. That's all I wanted in the first place.

Today wasn't a good day to talk about the market anyway. Yesterday everybody was optimistic about a trade deal with China and the market went up. Today everybody was pessimistic about Trump's angry tweets about tariffs and the market went down. I hate this volatility. It would probably be safer to just bet on the NFL. Of course, I never would have guessed that the Cowboys would have beat the Saints last week, so a safe bet on anything probably doesn't exist these days.

I've finally gotten a few bids on my lots in the online auction. Maybe I should have put a reserve on my lots, because the bids are quite low. There's one day left before the auction concludes. Maybe there'll be some activity in the final hours. That's usually the way it works on eBay. People often don't start to bid on eBay items until the final seconds. We'll see how the auction goes. This online auction was an experiment anyway. I still think I like live auctions better.

What was I thinking? I had leftover pizza for dinner tonight and I've already got heartburn. I seem incapable of throwing away leftover food. This pizza was a leftover from dinner on Friday and I was determined to eat it before it went bad. There are still leftover sandwiches from last weekend's photo shoots too. Hey, they were good sandwiches from Panera Bread, so I'm sure I'll eat them as well. I think my stomach is in for a rough ride this week.

I'm glad now that I didn't apply to attend the Space X resupply mission launch that was supposed to take place today. The launch got postponed because some mouse food in the cargo had gotten moldy and needed to be replaced. What are they sending mice to the space station for anyway? At any rate, if I had gone to the launch, I would have had to reschedule my return flight and extend my hotel stay for at least another day. Watching a launch is complicated and it can get expensive quickly. Maybe I need to rethink my retirement hobbies. I really can't leave Dash right now anyway. I've got poop to clean up.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3262

I feel like I washed everything in the bedroom today. Dash pooped everywhere last night and made a huge mess. He's totally unpredictable. Some days are fine and others I'd just as soon forget. I don't think there's a solution. Dash has always moved around at night and as long as he's able, he's going to continue to do so. If you try to pen him in a safe area, he barks and gets very upset. When he gets upset, it can trigger a seizure. It's best to keep him happy and let him do what he wants.

As I predicted yesterday, there was no problem getting up early today. I was already doing wash, cleaning the floors, and remaking the bed at 5 AM. Getting up at night is a piece of cake. Getting any sleep at all is the problem. By the time I finished breakfast this morning I felt like I'd already done a full days work. I'm dreading this weekend's photo shoots. I have a feeling that Dash will continue to throw us a curve and I'll be worn out before I even arrive at the first location.

The cameras all check out OK, but I need to get some new batteries for the flash triggers. I should have ordered these batteries online because I couldn't find them at the grocery store and I didn't feel like driving all over town. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow. The trip to the store wasn't a total loss because I did come home with something for dinner. I'm starting to be alarmed that I appear to be the only one buying the flash frozen Cadence Kitchen meals I've grown to love. Why aren't more people trying these things? They're delicious. Flash freezing prepared meals with nitrogen does an amazing job of preserving the flavor. You just heat the frozen nuggets in a frying pan and ten minutes later you're done. This is so much easier than those Hello Fresh meal kits and the results are just as tasty. Like most things I like, this product will probably disappear within a year or two.

An online auction I'm participating in went live today. I think I like the live auctions a lot better. Maybe things will improve, but it didn't seem like my items were getting a lot of activity. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers. These second tier items weren't desirable enough to be included in a live auction. I guess if they sell at all, I'll be happy. I definitely don't want this stuff back.

Dash seemed lethargic today. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether he's tired, confused, or in pain. I think he was just tired, because he was happy enough to take a nap with me this afternoon. This worked out well, because I was tired too. Naps are good but I don't think they really make up for losing a lot of sleep at night.

Jeez. Dash just pooped in the house again. He was sleeping and didn't even wake up. Sleeping poop is easier to clean up because it's all on one place. Hey, I'm going to look on the bright side. Since it's already pretty late, maybe this means that he'll make it through the night.

I've already taken this week's trash to the curb. I think I'll go back to the hotel for breakfast tomorrow. The hotel is very peaceful. Peaceful sounds good right now.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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