Day 4898

Since I had to fast for my physical exam this morning I couldn't have my morning coffee or breakfast. It showed. I felt like I had no energy for the rest of the day. Of course this might have been some sort of jet lag effect from my trip. I never get much sleep on these launch trips. The exam went well though. The doc thinks I'm in great shape for my age. Of course "for my age" probably just means that I can still move around without using a walker.

I wish now that I'd asked the doctor about all the bug bites I've got. They're horrible. I think Florida mosquitos are much worse than Texas mosquitos. I get bites like this every time I visit Kennedy Space Center because I'm outside a lot. Since the bites don't go away quickly and I'm a terrible hypochondriac, I always worry that I've caught some strange disease. Were there bedbugs in the hotel? Did I eat tainted food? Did I sit next to the wrong person on the plane? Of course not. These almost have to be mosquito or chigger bites because I've experienced the same thing every time I go to Florida. The bites usually go away in about a week.

On the way back from the doctor I had to stop at the bank and get some documents out of my safe deposit box for tomorrow's driver's license renewal. Something must have changed in the law because I've never needed so much documentation before. I used to just renew my license by mail. The weird thing is that I already have a Real ID, so DPS should know exactly who I am. The letter I got for my appointment said to bring two forms of ID to prove I'm a US citizen, two forms of ID to prove I'm a Texas resident, an original Social Security card, and the title to my car. I've had numerous background checks run on me since I visit military bases to watch launches. Seems very strange that it's easier to visit high security areas at Kennedy Space Center than it is to get a Texas driver's license. At any rate, I've got a pile of documents now and hope I have everything I need. I definitely don't want to have to do this again.

When I returned home I mowed the grass in the back yard and then I took my long walk. The yard looks much better now, although there are still a few dead spots where the roofers left pallets of material while they were working. The grass will grow back quickly and I'll have to mow again pretty quickly as well. At least the new batteries I bought for the mower worked. I'll try to mow the front yard tomorrow.

I finally threw away my worn out Hoka shoes and broke in a new pair on my long walk today. These shoes are comfortable and help with my foot pain, but I sure wish they lasted longer. I've had hiking boots that can be resoled for a lifetime, but any type of sneaker is basically a throw away item. If you're active, you're lucky if they last a year. I was exceptionally slow on my walk today. I got started late and the  weather was hotter than I expected. My feet bothered me as well, but mostly I was just tired. I mentioned to the doctor this morning that I don't have as much energy as I used to. He just laughed and told me I was getting old.

Maybe Dawn did miss me while I was gone. She seems a little friendlier toward me now. One of these days we'll finally be friends. Hopefully there will be no problems with my driver's license renewal tomorrow. I need that license to travel. I also need to get started on my Axiom-2 article soon. There is no rush deadline this time, but I promised my editor that I'd get him something by Friday. Right now I just need to get some sleep.

Willie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4716

Another physical exam is in the books. The doctor agreed that I appear to be in pretty good health. Hopefully today's blood test results won't prove him wrong. I've been debating for weeks about whether to get another Covid booster. I told the doctor that if I haven't gotten Covid by now, I probably wasn't going to get it. I've flown on lots of completely full planes and attended crowded events at the space center during the past several years and never caught Covid. 

When the whole pandemic started I was out at a McDonald Observatory star party where hundreds of strangers came up to look through my telescope. Little kids would cough on me as I attempted to explain what they were looking at. "Hey, I'm good," I told myself. The doctor told me that he felt exactly the same way until he finally caught Covid himself last month. He now feels like everyone in the world is eventually going to catch the disease.

I got the shot. I got a flu shot in one arm and the Covid booster in the other. Piece of cake I thought for most of the day, since I initially felt nothing. Now the arm with the flu shot is starting to hurt. I think I remember the same thing happening last year. At any rate, I'm done fretting about this for the moment. I've done what I could.

On November 22 I always used to go down to Dealey Plaza and listen to all the conspiracy theories about a second gunman on the grassy knoll. The place was a circus with lots of old timers who witnessed the event first hand hawking weird little self published books and pamphlets espousing their own personal theories. Most of these people are dead now. I don't think many people come down to Dealey Plaza anymore. For most younger people, November 22 is just something in a history book. Some of them don't even know who Kennedy was. I still remember the day vividly. I was going to high school in Alaska at the time. Someone came into my English class and told the teacher what had just happened. We were all stunned. Since there was no Internet or satellite broadcasts at the time, we didn't see video tapes of what had occurred until several weeks later.

Other than today's physical exam, it was just a normal day. I even ate my regular breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit when I returned from the doctor's office. I took another long walk in the park because I was too lazy to get in the car and go to the gym. I could do this walk in my sleep by now. Every day is exactly the same. I usually do pretty well for the first several miles and then my feet start to hurt. By the time I return home I'm wondering what I was thinking to attempt such a long walk. My doctor thinks walking is great exercise though and encourages me to keep it up.

I tried one more time to see if there had been any Thanksgiving cancellations at our favorite restaurant. No luck. They aren't even answering their phone anymore. Oh, well. We've still got a place to go that has decent reviews. I hope the weather isn't terrible. Now there are thunderstorms in the Thanksgiving forecast.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4529

I had my semi-annual physical today. It seemed exactly the same as every other physical exam I've ever had. What medications are you taking? Same as always. Do you have any questions or concerns? Not really. My doctor wants me to continue to take baby aspirin despite the negative press it has received lately. He asked if I wanted a second Covid booster. I told him I didn't think I needed one. A nurse gave me an EKG. Another nurse took my blood. I gave them a urine sample and I was done. It looks like I'm still in pretty good shape. The doctor probably made some notes about cognitive decline though. I couldn't remember the names some of the specialists I've been seeing. I couldn't even remember the names of most of the medications I'm corrently taking. In fairness, how can anyone remember these long incomprehensible names? I did remember the color and shape of each pill though.

Medical exams are one of many things that make me think of the Ground Hog Day movie. So many things in life are exactly the same no matter how many times we experience them. We repeat these things over and over again. Whenever I brush my teeth, load the dishwasher, go to the post office, or even take my daily walks, I feel a sense of déjà vu. I've been here before.

I had to fast before my medical exam this morning, but that didn't prevent me from having breakfast when I returned. It was almost lunch time, but I still had a big glass of orange juice and a bowl of shredded wheat topped with fresh fruit. My doctor seems to approve of my long walks, so I took another one after I finished my late breakfast. I completed my full six mile route, but it took me a while. There just isn't much joy in walking in hot weather. I should start going back to the gym, but it's so much easier to head out the back door and start walking instead of driving all the way to the gym. Even when I'm exercising, I'm basically lazy.

The batteries have gone bad again in the backup UPS for my computers. I'll have to take the heavy UPS to the battery store and get the batteries replaced this weekend. I might as well have the lawn mower batteries replaced while I'm there. I think all these people buying electric cars are forgetting some very basic things about batteries. They don't really last that long and they can be quite expensive to replace. If you forget to remove the batteries from an unused item, they can leak and ruin your expensive gear. Batteries have always been my nemesis.

I watched the livestream of the Boeing Starliner launch this afternoon. I kind of wish I'd been down there. United Launch Alliance lets you get a lot closer to the pad to place remote cameras than Space X does. This was a daytime launch too, so the bugs aren't so bad. I always get eaten alive by mosquitos on night launches. Don't think I'll be traveling any time soon though. I paid my remaining travel bills today. Ouch. This is getting ridiculous.

I took the trash out to the curb this evening. This always marks the end of the week for me. Tomorrow I'll think about going out for breakfast, but will probably just stay home and have another bowl of shredded wheat. It's time to mow the grass again. I should call a lawn service, but I'll probably just continue doing it myself. Hey, it's good exercise. My doctor would probably approve.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4528

Yay. The star tracker is working again. I'm not sure what the Benro people did, but apparently their third try was the charm. The first two patches they sent me to fix the connectcion problem didn't work, but the one they sent me yesterday worked perfectly. I'm still curious how a routine firmware upgrade rendered my camera useless and what the Benro engineers did to fix the problem. I'll probably never know the whole story though. Communication with my Chinese contacts has been rudimentary at best.

Now that the star tracker is working again, I'll have to turn my attention elsewhere. There are a ton of things that need attention around the house, but most of them are beyond my ability. I can't put on a new roof by myself. I'm not a good carpenter. And I'm certainly not a plumber. Sadly, I'm not very good at delegating things either. It would be easier if I could do everything myself, because I don't tend to trust people.

I went out and voted after breakfast this morning. When I arrived at the polling place, I was greeted by a poll watcher who told me that the power was out and asked if I was scared of the dark. Hey, no problem. I actually kind of like the dark. The room where the voting machines were was completely dark. All I could see were the glowing screens of the machines. I was surprised that the place was even open, but they said the voting machines were running on backup power. I was led to a machine by a lady with a flashlight and I cast my ballot. If there was even a time to be suspicious about whether your vote counted, this might be it. There must have been some people scared of the dark, because it appeared that I was the only one in the room voting. Voting in a dark room was certainly easier than getting the star tracker to take pictures on a dark sky.

It looked like it was going to rain this morning when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. The rain never came, but it did stay overcast for most of the day. The cloudy weather made it easier to take my long walk. I was able to complete my full six mile route, but it wasn't easy. My feet seem to be getting worse. The Hoka shoes help, but walking is still painful on some days. It's time for my physical exam tomorrow, so I'll ask my doctor if I'm doing anything stupid. My gut feeling is still that a little discomfort is better than becoming idle. I need to keep moving and walking is still a lot easier on my joints than most other forms of exercise.

I've got to remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow. I need to fast because they will be doing routine blood work again. At least I was able to get an early morning appointment. I hate going without food for very long. I got a call from the clinic while I was out walking reminding me to wear a mask. I have a feeling that my doctor's office will keep requiring masks forever. Not a problem. Whatever keeps you happy is my motto. I don't wear a mask very often these days, but I've got plenty of them. Most are unused. I just wear the same one over and over again.

Dawn won a ribbon at training class again tonight. She's got quite a collection now. Janet says Dawn really enjoys the training class. Like most Dalmatians, she forgets everything she's learned on our morning walks, but that's OK. I've forgotten almost everything I learned in school as well.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4325

I now have a flu shot in one arm and a covid booster in the other. The rest of my exam this morning was fairly routine. The doctor always asks what medications I am taking, even though he was the one who prescribed them in the first place. He listens to my breathing with a stethoscope, tests my reflexes, asks a few questions, and then a nurse comes in and draws my blood. The whole process doesn't take very long and it is always the same. I hope doing this every six months keeps me healthy, but life is full of surprises. 

The doctor never told me that I would need gallbladder surgery this year. He did ensure that I got excellent care while I was hospitalized though. You can't ask for more than that. I still believe in preventative medicine. That's probably why I have so many exams every Fall. I still need to see the eye doctor, the dermatologist, and the urologist. There's that Colonoscopy/EGD procedure coming up soon as well. I guess I'll have to add one more doctor to the growing list of people keeping me alive.

I had to fast this morning because of the blood work. No breakfast today. When I got home from the doctor I was hungry and fixed myself a ham sandwich. It's hard to believe that I used to eat lunch every day. When I worked at the ad agencies, lunch was a big deal and we ate a lot. It's amazing that I never gained weight. I'd certainly gain weight if I ate three meals a day now. Breakfast and dinner is plenty these days. Sometimes I don't even feel like dinner.

It rained a lot last night and there was a very small roof leak in the office. The pumps worked well, so hopefully there isn't still a ton of water on the roof. I need to get up there and sweep the remaining standing water away. Now that it's cooler, the water just isn't going to evaporate. I hate going up on the roof now. I'm getting older and it seems much harder to climb up the access wall than it used to be. I guess I've got an excuse for a few days. My arm hurts from the covid shot. I was wondering if both arms were going to hurt, but it's only the left arm. I feel nothing from the arm that got the flu shot.

Last night's rain must have brought a cold front along with it. It was much colder today. I had to wear a light jacket on my long walk. The leaves are starting to drop, but I don't think we're going to get much Fall color. The leaves that were turning red last year are only turning yellow this season. The pelicans certainly seems to know that the seasons are changing. They are on the move now. When they first arrived at the lake, they just sat on logs for weeks at a time. Now they are swimming and flying around. They move around in large groups and usually the double-crested cormorants follow them. The pelicans always seem to know where the fish are and the other birds take advantage of this.

I really need to decide on a roofer and go ahead and replace the roof. I've been disappointed in every roofer I've interviewed, but the situation is just going to get worse if I keep ignoring it. I'm really getting tired of these leaks. I wish I'd never bought a house with a flat roof. I guess I'll never learn though. Every house I've ever owned has had a flat roof. 

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4265

This will be short tonight. Literally nothing happened. The hospital drugs have worn off and I am feeling very tired and quite sore. There is nothing wrong. According to the 32 page post-op instructions I was given when I was released from the hospital, everything I am feeling is normal. The most noticible post-op complication is constipation. This is common after any type of surgery, but is almost inevitable when you've had abdoninal surgery. The intestines tend to stop working when your doctor has to move or shift your intestines during surgery. If the condition gets serious it is called ileus and can be quite serious. I don't think I have ileus because I can feel my stomach rumbling and have gas. Spot, our first Dalmatian, did have ileus after having a cancerous section of his intestines were removed and he almost died. He didn't poop for days. Maybe it was weeks. When he finally pooped, we felt like having a giant celebration.

I am following instructions and taking all my medications. Today I took two short walks and Janet is helping with any heavy lifting. The only medication I haven't take yet is the Tramadol. I don't know why they even gave me Tramadol. I have learned a lot about Tramadol over the years working with dogs and I am not a fan. Like any opioid, it is highly addictive and should never be given if there is a danger of paralytic ileus. I hope the over the counter laxatives I'm taking will work. They're safe and usually effective. It's going to be a long three days though. I"ve been told that almost nobody poops for at least three days after abdominal surgery.

I'm glad I like to walk. Walking is the one exercise that is actually encouraged after surgery. We took two short walks with Dawn today. One at sunrise and the other at sunset. Dawn likes the sunset walk, so we may add this to our regular schedule. It's the same little one mile loop, but the second walk doubles the amount of exercise she gets during the day. Dawn's early morning walks used to seem like nothing to me, buy now I feel them. It's amazing how rapidly your body can deteriorate after a week of lying in bed.

I may not feel normal yet, but I'm starting to look a little more normal. When I left the hospital I looked like the Michelin Man. My body was incredibly puffy after being pumped up on fluids all week. You gradually expel all these extra fluids, but it takes a while. I'm glad I can still pee normally. I have ugly bruises on my stomach, but this is considered normal as well. My arms look like I'm a heroin addict. At times I had three different drip tubes in me at once and I lost count of all the blood test I had. There were as many as four a day. I learned later that there was a reason for all these extra tests. The doctors had discovered bacteria in my blood and they were very worried about Pancreatitis and other infection risks. 

In the grand scheme of things, gallbladder removal is very minor surgery. I know so many people who have endured much worse. My sister once had an eight hour spinal surgery that took years to recover from. I don't think she ever fully recovered. Surgery is still very messy, despite all the high tech equipment in the operating room. We still depend a lot on the body's amazing ability to heal itself. I'm going to be fine, but I'm definitely not feeling 100% today. We'll see if I feel up to joining Dawn on her Sunday outing tomorrow. I think this slightly longer walk won't be a problem, but I'm taking things one day at a time.

Mandy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4212

We took Dawn to the vet today. She had some lab tests done and we came home with some new dog food. We didn't learn anything today, but hopefully when the lab results come back we might find the answer to why Dawn is not eating normally and continues to lick her feet. I'm still thinking that we have a smart and very stubborn dog. She was certainly eager to eat the new wet food we brought home today. Dawn might just be training us. Why are we even worried about a temporary loss of appetite? Well, when our other dogs stopped eating, they usually died. It is not unusual for a dog to get tired of what they are eating. We've had to change a dog's diet many times for a variety of reasons. You've got to take loss of appetite seriously though. Dogs love to eat and when they stop, it could mean that something is seriously wrong.

We got some scattered showers today, but if you blinked you probably missed it. I noticed that the grass was wet several times, but I never actually saw any rain fall. We were able to take Dawn on her morning walk without getting wet and there was no rain while we were at the vet either. I could see a lot of dark clouds when I went to the gym later in the afternoon, but the rain always seemed to be somewhere else. This was all fine by me. I didn't feel like washing the car and I certainly didn't feel like dealing with the roof leak again.

My gym must be offering a special deal on personal trainers because almost everyone seemed to have one today. Maybe it just seemed that way because the gym was fairly empty. I think the city is still on vacation. Everything is open again, but the roads are still surprisingly empty. I wasn't even planning on going to the gym today, but the humidity was oppressively high. This didn't seem like a day to be walking six miles outdoors. As I circled around and around on the small indoor track, I kept watching the trainers pushing the people they were working with to go a little faster or work a little harder. I don't think I could work with a trainer. I can't deal with people telling me what to do, even if it might be in my best interest. It's hard enough for me to go to the gym as it is. If somebody was there pushing me to test my limits and improve myself, I'd probably stop going altogether.

Improving myself is not very high on my agenda these days. I still read articles about astrophotography, but I probably forget most of what I learn because you can't really see stars in Dallas. Setting up my gear and actually taking photographs several times a year out in West Texas probably isn't enough. In theory I could probably find some reasonably dark skies within easy driving distance, but I don't feel comfortable being out at night in the city anymore. Whenever I turn on the local news, the lead story is always about someone being shot late at night. Dallas isn't as bad as Chicago or Philadelphia, but it's a lot, lot worse than Fort Davis or Marfa.

I think that future historians will write about this period of time the same way we currently think about the fall of Rome. We're definitely on a downhill slope and the barbarians are already at the gates. It's such a shame because it didn't have to be this way. When I was growing up there wasn't a single murder in my town during my entire childhood. Parents let their kids roam around town on Halloween without any supervision. Nothing bad happened. It was kind of like growing up in Mayberry on that old Andy Griffith Show. 

Luckily, I'm still pretty confident when the sun is up. If the weather stays cool I'll take my long walk. If it gets hot, I'll go to the gym. Either way, tomorrow will be pretty much the same as today. I'm sure the telescopes will stay inside.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3515

Hank is a 50 pound puppy. You couldn't find a sweeter dog if you tried, but he knows nothing and tries to eat everything. We thought we'd dog proofed the house pretty well before we brought him home last night. Within a matter of minutes Hank had found things we didn't even know we had and was carrying them around in his mouth. After we retrieved a ball of lip balm, a rubber door stopper, and several shoes Hank had snatched, we methodically went room to room and placed everything loose on a high shelf. We had forgotten the primary rule of puppyhood: if you can chew it, you will chew it.

We don't know much about Hank's background. He's probably around two years old. He was picked up as a stray and clearly whoever owned him first never bothered to provide even the most rudimentary training or socialization. It's a shame that a beautiful, sweet dog like this has gotten off to such a bad start. Despite his lack of manners, Hank was good around the house. We weren't well prepared with gates and crates, so we just let him sleep on the bed with us. He did pretty well. For the most part he slept soundly, although he did wake me up once trying to pull the Fitbit off my arm and had an episode of the zoomies, chasing a rubber ball around the house at 3 AM. He also tried to drag the blanket off our bed. All of this was pretty normal for a young dog. We've had old, sick dogs for so long that we'd almost forgotten what a young Dalmatian is like.

Hank seemed healthy and happy while he was at our house, but after we took him up to the vet for evaluation, they reported a few hours later that he'd had bloody diarrhea again. He wasn't throwing up blood after all. The blood was in his stools. This will help the vet diagnose the problem, but we're still not sure what is going on. His blood work and lab tests look normal and an x-ray showed no obstructions in his stomach or intestines. There are many things that can cause bloody diarrhea. The fact that the blood is still red would indicate that the problem is probably in his colon instead of his stomach or upper intestines, but he will need further tests to determine what is wrong. Hank is still at the vet. He is eating a bland diet and taking medication that will help with any irritation he might have in his digestive system. Hopefully nothing is serious. Hank is young and deserves a long and healthy life.

I took Janet to one of my breakfast restaurants on the way home from the vet and then we both resumed our daily routines. It took a long time to get the dog hair out of the car. Hank sheds even more than Dot and Dash did. The cable guy came and hooked up the new buried fiber optic cable this afternoon, although I never saw him. When I came home from my morning walk, the old temporary cable was still attached. The next time I left the house, everything had been fixed. I never heard a thing. The technician must have come while I was taking a shower.

Taking Hank to the vet in rush hour traffic made me glad that I am retired. Drive time traffic in Dallas is horrible now. I don't know how people can stand to do this everyday. It's been so long since I've driven to work on a regular basis that I forget how much Dallas has grown. It feels like I'm driving in Los Angeles now. I'm glad I was able to work out of my house while I had my own company. It kept me sane.

If we have another dog emergency, we're going to have to assemble a dog emergency kit. It would have been good to be able to gate off a few rooms last night. We definitely need to retrieve some water and food bowls from the storage warehouse. Leashes, a sturdy harness, poop bags, a first aid kit, and a few indestructible Kongs are all necessities. I'm glad we were able to help Hank last night. It was nice to have a dog around the house again.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3392

I had my semi-annual physical today. The doctor ran all the usual tests and seemed pleased with the results. A nurse got a blood sample so they could compare it with my previous blood work. I got my prescriptions renewed and my parking validated. In less than an hour I was ready to go home again. There is no waiting with this new doctor. I get seen almost immediately.

Since my appointment was early, I didn't have time to walk Dash. This morning, I led the way to the park and Janet walked Dash. It all worked out pretty well. It was good to know that either of us can do these walks when necessary. Dash can be quite a handful. Janet said that Dash still got very tired and stumbled occasionally, but they had a good walk.

Meals have been more of a problem than walks this week. Dash has become a very picky eater again and it's getting harder and harder to find anything that he'll touch. It was very difficult to give him his pills this morning. Nothing seemed to work as a pill pocket. Eventually, he took the pills and ate about half of his breakfast, but he definitely needs to eat more. Dash was trying to eat grass and leaves in the back yard today, so part of the problem seems to be an upset stomach. I'm hoping that he'll feel better tomorrow.

I didn't feel like making my smoothie after I returned from the doctor's office, so I ate cold cereal. I haven't done that for a while. It was surprising that we even had any cereal, but there was still a box of granola in the back of one of the cabinets. I wonder how old it was? Having cereal for breakfast is quick. I was done in no time. I've been making the smoothie for so long now that I've almost forgotten what a long and complicated ritual it is.

It must have rained a lot last night, because there was a ton of water on the roof. I removed as much as I could using the pumps and then swept the rest away with the big push broom that resides permanently on the roof. If I go to hell, I think my punishment will be pushing water off a flat roof for eternity. It's really a terrible job. Massive amounts of catkins falling from the Oak trees in the back yard make the job even slower and messier than usual. At least the forecast looks good. Hopefully, I won't have to go back up on the roof for a while.

The touring company of Hamilton is in town this month. I was amazed at how much tickets are. I remember seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway at the height of its popularity for far less. Ditto for Jersey Boys. What has happened with prices lately. I don't go to concerts anymore, but from what I've heard, top acts are outrageously expensive too. Maybe I'm just getting old. I just can't relate to today's prices. I read recently that the median home price in the United States is $300,000 now. Jeez. I bought my first house for $45,000. It was a nice house too. When I started working you could buy a new Porsche 911 for under $9,000. A Jaguar XKE was even less. No wonder I wish I had a time machine.

There's not much on the agenda for tomorrow. I'll probably spend most of the day trying to get Dash to eat.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3391

I stopped by REI on the way to the gym this morning. I had a coupon for 20% off anything in the store, plus my annual REI dividend. This was the day to get a bargain. I couldn't find anything that I wanted and walked away without buying a thing. This is happening more frequently now and I find it perplexing. I don't need anything. I don't need business equipment because there's no business. I don't need clothes because there's nobody to impress. Dash doesn't care what I wear. I don't need more cameras. I've got plenty of shoes. Anything I might buy will just add to the clutter that I'm trying to eliminate. Janet says she feels more or less that same way after she retired. Maybe this just happens as you grow older.

There is a huge storm in South Texas that's been heading our way all day. It must be really moving slowly because it's still not here yet. I've been prepared for rain since I got up this morning. I walked Dash early. Luckily he was in the mood to walk early. Sometimes he isn't. I cleaned the gunk out of the pumps on the roof and made sure they were working properly. I went to the gym about an hour earlier than I usually do. I'm glad that the storm never materialized, but I sure wish that weather was more predictable.

Grey, damp days are always a good time to do chores. I'm good at avoiding things, but eventually it all catches up with you. I reluctantly tried to unclog the large production printer this afternoon. I waited too long. I've lost interest in this thing, but realize that it's just a big pile of useless metal unless I can keep it running. Unfortunately, I ran out of ink before I could get the lines completely unclogged. Now I have to buy more expensive ink. Since I failed to get the printer running, I thought I'd try something easier. I replaced a broken latch on a cabinet door in the bathroom. I also replaced some rusted out screws in the glass shower door frame.

Although Dash took a good walk this morning, he's been very lethargic today. All he wants to do around the house is sleep. It's weird that he can still walk reasonably well in the park, but he can barely stand up at home. He seems to use up all his available energy on his walks and is exhausted when he returns. I'm glad that Janet is still pretty good at getting Dash to take his pills and eat his meals. I couldn't get him to eat anything today.

I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning for a semi-annual physical. Since they want to do new blood work, I won't be able to have breakfast. Do I have my smoothie when I return, or just skip breakfast? Such big decisions these days. I have nothing to complain about this time. I've actually felt pretty healthy during the past six months. I'm always tired, but that's all because of Dash. Anyone would be tired if their dog got them up three times a night. I still have heartburn, but it's very controllable. All I have to do is stop eating Italian food. I hope it's not time for a colonoscopy or anything else unpleasant. I'd just as soon forget about medical things for a while.

Looks like we're going to get some rain tonight. Hopefully, Dash will go outside and pee before the rain starts. I'll turn the pumps on before I go to bed. That's all you can do on a rainy day

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3261

Dash got a good report card today. Nobody said he was healthy, but he was very well behaved. I think the vet was as surprised as we were. Considering that Dash had to endure a number of procedures he normally hates, I was amazed. The vet was able to draw blood for a necessary test, give him a Bordetella shot, express his anal glands, and trim his nails without much of a fuss. The little guy made us proud.

I feel much better now that his nails have been trimmed. They grow rapidly since the protective boots keep them from being worn down on walks. I remember how much he bled the day he ripped his dew claw out and I don't ever want that to happen while he's taking blood thinners.

Now that Dash has survived his trip to the vet, I need to start thinking about this weekend's Santa Paws photos. I tested my back-up camera today and began charging batteries. I'll continue checking equipment for the rest of the week so everything will be ready by Saturday morning. My equipment is getting older now and I don't entirely trust it. I'd hate to have to replace something at the last minute, but hopefully everything will last for one more year.  I hope I last for one more year as well. I'm not very agile anymore and photographing pets is hard on my knees and shoulders.

The good news is that we're only doing two events this year. We used to do more, but the volunteers and I are all getting older. The Santa photos are still quite popular, so we should have a good turnout. In recent years people have started bringing their children as well as their pets because they say we are much better than the shopping mall Santas. It's amazing how long we have been doing this for Dalmatian Rescue. The team we've put together over the years is very good. I'm probably the only grumpy one in the bunch.

Christmas is definitely on the horizon. In addition to preparing for this weekend's Santa Paws events, I put our Christmas tree up this afternoon. We haven't bought any ornaments for quite a while, but luckily very few of the ornaments have broken. I don't think I broke anything today. Everything on the tree is a Dalmatian. We used to buy Dalmatian ornaments whenever we would see one, but we ran out of room on the tree a long time ago. If we break ornaments now, we can always get a smaller tree.

Our vet had never seen the slip-in bandages Dash wore to his exam before. She was interested in getting some for the clinic. It weird that Janet and I have inadvertently become experts at protecting a dog's feet. I guess necessity is still the mother of invention. It's too bad we haven't come up with a way to make Dash's legs stronger. If he could walk normally we wouldn't need all the protective gear. Amazingly, we may even need more gear in the future. The vet detected some instability in Dash's left knee today. He may need to wear a brace on both rear legs at some point.

I watched the latest episode of the National Geographic Mars series after I finished my chores today. The story arc is still pretty interesting, but I don't like the show's format. They continually switch back and forth between the present and the future in an effort to show that the Earth could wind up like Mars if we don't quit screwing up the planet. Everything they say is true, but the show is far too preachy for my taste. Dr. Who has become the same way. Can't we have a good old fashioned adventure without all the social justice and environmental lessons?

Janet said that we have to get up early tomorrow because she has to leave the house at 8 AM. Piece of cake. Dash has been waking me up early for months now. Just pick a time. I'll probably already be up cleaning up poop.

Scooter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3240

So I get in my car this morning to go to my doctor's appointment. I'm late as usual. I press the ignition button and immediately get a Low Coolant warning light on my dash. Do I ignore the warning and proceed to the doctor's office, or cancel my appointment and go looking for some antifreeze? This is how people wind up getting towed to the dealership. I decided to keep going and just make sure that the car didn't overheat. Everything turned out OK, but I hate situations like these.

As far as I can tell, my physical exam went OK. There were no surprises anyway. The phlebotomist was great today. I didn't feel a thing. It's still surprising that my new doctor and my old doctor seem so different. Each has their own priorities. Some tests that my old doctor routinely preformed are considered unnecessary by the new doctor. He's added some new tests that the old doctor never bothered with however. Who is right? I guess it's all a matter of who you trust. I'm screwed because I basically don't trust anybody.

After my appointment, I immediately drove to the Land Rover dealer to ask them about the coolest level. The warning light actually went out after the engine warmed up, so I didn't think the problem was serious. My service adviser topped up the reservoir with antifreeze and told me to give him a call if the warning light came on again. He said the sometimes an air bubble gets trapped in the cooling system and causes a false reading. He also said the coolant level actually was pretty low, so who knows what is going on. I'll keep an eye on things in case I have a leak. At any rate it was certainly easier to have the dealership take care of this for me than to go to Auto Zone and wonder which of twelve brands of antifreeze to buy.

I never ate breakfast at all today. By the time I returned home, it was way too late and I wasn't very hungry anyway. I'll return to my smoothie tomorrow. Dash did get a walk this morning, but he seemed kind of lost as soon as we got to the park. I had to return to the house and get Janet to walk with us so he'd have someone to follow. Lately, he's been very tentative about walking unless he has someone to follow. I think his vision has gotten much worse in the past several months.

Evidently, I need to worry about my own vision as well. My doctor made an appointment for me to see an ophthalmologist. He said it was important to see an eye doctor at least once a year since I was being treated for diabetes. I've always thought I was pre-diabetic but my doctor said to stop kidding myself. "If you're taking Metformin," he said. "you've got some form of diabetes." I'm a long, long way from needing to take insulin, but I do need to be careful. I probably need to go back to my rigorous, no sugar, no wheat diet too, but I do love bread, pasta, and dessert.

I'm glad I'm moving to the new storage warehouse. When I went back to the old warehouse today, the entry doors at the back of the building wouldn't accept my code and the manager didn't know when they'd be able to get things fixed. I had to carry my stuff all the way to the other side of the building to load the car. I hope the get the door fixed before the movers arrive. My move is going to be more expensive if the guys can't park their truck near my unit.

Dash had a cut on one of his paws this morning. Even though he wears a special sock under his protective rubber boots, his feet still manage to get scraped up. It's frustrating. He needs to stay active, but he also needs to stay protected. Any type of bleeding is not good at all.

It was really a long day. I should have no problem sleeping tonight. I hope that Dash feels the same way.

Chase is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3239 - Election Day

I decided that it was time to face reality and hire a mover. Even if I continue to move something every day, I just don't think I can get everything out of the old warehouse on my own by the middle of the month. It took me fifteen years to fill this place up. I guess it was unrealistic to think I could empty it out in a matter of weeks. Maybe if I extended my lease until December I could finish the job, but my body would be a wreck. It just isn't worth it. I've only moved about one third of the contents so far and I already feel like a cripple.

The movers arrive Friday. Hopefully, I'll never have to do this again. Jeez. What am I thinking? Of course I'll have to do this again someday. I still don't know what to do with this stuff and I know it's never coming back to the house. Hey, at least I'm getting rid of quite a few things. That's a start.

I made reservations for Thanksgiving Dinner today. As usual, I should have done this earlier. This particular Thanksgiving Brunch has become very popular and the restaurant is filling up fast. I couldn't get a table until 1:30 PM. I guess that's OK. We usually eat later on holidays anyway.

I've got to get up early tomorrow to walk Dash before going to my doctor's appointment. I won't be able to eat breakfast because they want to do fasting blood work again. I hope the phlebotomist can find a vein this time. I hate it when the vein rolls and they keep poking you. That's what happened last time. My veins used to be super easy to find. Now they seem to be hiding.

Dash made it outside both times last night. It's always a good night when Dash doesn't poop in the house. When I go to bed, I never know how things are going to turn out. Sometimes he makes it to the back door with time to spare and other times he can't even make it out of bed. I wish Dash would learn to sleep on the floor. We have nice dog beds, but he still prefers sleeping in the bed with us. I don't know how long this can continue because he's having increasing difficulty getting up at night. If I don't wake up first to help him off the bed, he frequently stumbles and falls.

Even though I have movers coming, I still went over to the storage warehouse and moved a few more things this afternoon. The more I'm able to move ahead of time, the less I'll have to pay. Today I moved a bunch of pictures that were left over from several gallery shows I had over a decade ago. I hadn't looked at these pictures for a while and I'll have to admit they were pretty good. It took a while to secure my first gallery show, but after only two shows I totally lost interest in the gallery world. Competition for gallery space was intense and you had to be an active member of the local artist's community to find opportunities to show your work. Like most other things in life, the art world turned out to be all about who you know. It seemed way too much like business to me.

I'll be asleep long before the election results are finally decided. I suspect that nobody will be happy. We are such a divided country that you can't really expect the results to bring any kind of unity. When I wake up tomorrow morning I expect that half the country will still be mad. At the moment, I just don't know which half.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3182

Sometimes I think going to the doctor is a waste of time. I'm rarely in a doctor's office because I'm sick. Most visits are routine checkups that were scheduled whenever I had my last checkup. The doctor mostly just asks how I've been feeling and if I need any prescriptions renewed. I keep hoping my doctor's will be proactive and discover something early that I am completely unaware of, but that rarely happens. I didn't learn anything new today with this particular doctor. I guess I'm good for another year.

I'm so slow these days that I barely had time to get ready for a 1:15 PM appointment. It takes at least an hour to walk Dash in the morning. It takes another hour to eat breakfast. Sometimes it feels like it takes an hour to just clean up the poop. I try to never schedule anything before noon unless it involves Dash. The daily routine just takes too long.

The doctor said I was well hydrated, which I've wondered about since I don't drink much water during the day. I guess drinking an entire blender container full of liquified fruit every morning gives me all the water I need. My blood pressure was a little high today, which was odd. I think the nurse just placed the cuff in the wrong place on my arm. The phlebotomist had trouble finding a vein too, which was even odder. My veins are like roadmaps on my arms and legs. They're super easy to find. Oh, well. At least I won't need to see this doctor for another year. He appears to think I'm in good shape.

We'll find out what kind of shape Dash is in tomorrow. Truthfully, I don't think we'll find out anything that we don't already know. If there was a cure for Dash's vestibular disease and leaking heart valve, someone would have told us by now. The most important thing that takes place tomorrow morning is getting Dash's nails trimmed. I'm always worried that he's going to rip a dewclaw out again and bleed to death. Maybe we'll find out something new about ending Dash's loose stools. We're tried just about everything, but I'm always open to suggestions.

I thought the weather was going to clear up today but we got more rain instead. At least a hurricane isn't headed our way. I feel sorry for those people on the East Coast. They seem to get hit almost every year. We always get a lot of rain at this time of year, but so far there has been no flooding. Knock on wood.

The art that I took to the conservator is ready to pick up. Now, what do I do with it? I shopped the piece around and the auction houses don't seem that interested. I definitely don't want to take it back to the storage warehouse because it will just get damaged by humidity again. Maybe I can delay picking up the art for a while until I come up with a plan.

Coming up with a plan is an ongoing problem these days. I really don't know what I want to do next.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3079

Our power went out again today. Once again there was no wind or rain. It was pretty hot though. Since the outage occurred around the evening rush hour, I suspect that everybody just came home from work and turned on their air conditioner at the same time. The power grid in our part of town is pretty old. I don't think it's up to the job anymore. When the newcomers start tearing down all the 2000 square foot homes and replacing them with 5000 square foot homes, something's got to give.

My doctor seems to think I'm in pretty good shape. I'm a borderline diabetic who needs to take statins, but other than that I'm good to go. The heart is good, there are no signs of cancer, my weight and blood pressure are under control. I just need to keep exercising and eating right. I got a pneumonia shot today and will probably get the new shingles vaccine at my next exam. Apparently, you can't take these two vaccines together. I was relieved to learn that I don't have peripheral neuropathy. The reason my fingers and toes sometimes feel numb right after I wake up is due to the way I sleep. There's a name for the condition, but basically it's just a pinched nerve.

I finally got a decent picture of a scissor-tailed-flycatcher. These birds are amazing to watch, but hard to photograph. They catch insects in mid air and can use their long forked tail to make abrupt turns and even hover like a helicopter. They are very territorial and will chase away larger hawks and other birds that invade their space. I don't know why this one was so still this morning, but now you know what they look like.

My doctor said the pneumonia shot might cause some soreness. He was right. My arm feels like someone hit me with a hammer. Oh, well. If I never get pneumonia, it was worth it. The soreness in my arm is nothing compared to all the chigger bites I've got anyway. These bites are driving me crazy. Chiggers are so small that you usually can't even see them. The bites pack a wallop though. They itch much worse than mosquito bites. The only thing worse are fire ants. We have those too. It's only a matter of time before I start getting fire ant bites.

When the power went out, I noticed that the UPS for my computer only had four minutes of back up power. It's supposed to have over an hour. I've already replaced the batteries on this uninterrupted power source once. It looks like I'm going to have to replace them again. Gasoline seems so reliable compared to batteries. I'm always replacing batteries. I've been fascinated with Tesla ever since they first appeared on the market. I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to buy one though. The car is basically a giant lithium-ion battery. What could possibly go wrong?

I hope we don't have another power outage tomorrow. It's going to be very hot. When the power went out this afternoon, the inside temperature went up ten degrees in less than an hour. A full day without power would be very hard on Dash. Years ago, we were without power for four days in the middle of July. We're all too old for that now. If it ever happened again, we'd have to move to a dog-friendly hotel.

Ollie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3078

There was blood in Dash's water bowl this morning. Where did this come from? His gums looked good and his mouth wasn't bleeding. The clump of blood in the bottom of the bowl looked more like something he had coughed up. This certainly wasn't normal. I've watched Dash all day and he seems absolutely fine, but now I've got one more question for the vet at his next exam.

I feel like things are slowly coming together around the house. The landscaper finally contacted me and made a commitment to clean up the yard and put in new grass next week. The tree guy is coming over this weekend to remove the dead limbs from the Oak trees. Now, all I've got to do is get the roofers to come back again and finish what they started several weeks ago.

It looks like I've got a new website project. This will keep me busy during the month of June. I have mixed feelings about work now. It's good to be busy and I like to feel needed, but work is still work. Truthfully, I'm getting used to doing nothing. The older I get, the harder it is to maintain the work ethic I've had for most of my adult life. I've got nothing to prove anymore and napping with the dog seems to make as much sense as anything else I might try.

I got a call from my doctor reminding me of my appointment tomorrow. I've got to fast so they can do new blood work. Ordinarily, I would have made an early appointment and stopped for breakfast on the way home. This won't work with Dash's new schedule. He doesn't like to walk before Janet goes to work anymore so we no longer walk at sunrise. We'll walk at our regular time and I'll just skip breakfast tomorrow. This is probably the only way I can lose weight anyway. I should try intermittent fasting sometime, but it's hard to skip a meal. Eating is my primary form of entertainment these days.

It's going to be a bad summer for bugs. This always happens after a warm Winter. I knocked down some wasp nests in the back yard this afternoon. As soon as the landscapers finish putting in the grass, I'm going to treat the yard for mosquitoes. I don't know know what I'm going to do about the chiggers. This has been the worst season for chiggers that I can remember.

I hope they don't find anything wrong with me tomorrow. I feel OK, but I've grown to expect surprises. Just when I think I'm home free, someone says I need another colonoscopy or adds a new prescription to my growing list of meds. I feel like I'm in better shape than my Mom or Dad was at my age, but that isn't saying much. Until I hear otherwise, I'll just keep eating healthy food and walking everyday.

I'm not looking forward to lab work tomorrow. Last time, the phlebotomist had trouble finding a vein.  Maybe she's gotten better in the past six months. It's not a big one deal one way or the other. At least there'll be a new episode of The Expanse to watch tomorrow evening.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2993

I went to the doctor today. No, I didn't go about my cold. This appointment had been scheduled months ago for some routine lab work. I've had my blood drawn so many times over the years that I feel like I could give reviews on the technician's technique. Phlebotomists tell me that I have unusually good veins for drawing blood. Supposedly, I'm an easy patient. When the technician is good at their job, I never feel a thing. That wasn't the case today. I couldn't believe that the phlebotomist was having trouble finding a vein. My veins are like freeways. I kind of felt sorry for the nurse. She eventually had to call in a co-worker to help her.

Hopefully, my test results are good. I'm tired of being a pincushion. On the way home from my appointment I stopped at our city's only authentic Italian grocery store and got some hot Italian sausage. I don't know how these guys make this stuff, but it is the without a doubt the best sausage in town. Whenever I can't think of anything to eat, Italian sausage always saves the day.

I'm feeling a little better today. I've still got a runny nose, but the constant sneezing has subsided. I don't think the doctor even realized I had a cold. I didn't cough or blow my nose at all during my appointment. Janet is already getting better, so maybe the bug we caught is very short lived. I think last night was the worst for me. I woke up twice in a cold sweat. At any rate, I don't have a fever and I feel better than I did yesterday, so things are headed in the right direction.

I can't figure out why Dash won't take an afternoon walk anymore. He is still eager to walk in the morning, but I can't get him outside in the afternoon. It's odd, because the weather is usually much nicer in the afternoon. This behavior is relatively new. As recently as a week ago he was walking fine in the afternoon. I'm sure this means something but the answer isn't obvious. Does he have arthritis and is painful after his first walk? Is he apprehensive about the increased number of dogs in the park in the afternoons? Maybe he's just started to wait for Janet to come home a little earlier than usual. I wish I knew what was going on, because I think that he and I both need to keep moving.

It was nice to see the market rebound a bit. I don't understand this new volatility. A little bit of bad news will cause things to drop three hundred points. Conversely, a little bit of good news can signal a three hundred point gain. I think I was more comfortable back in the days where a 25 point move was big news. One thing is certain. Whether the market goes up or down, I've still got to do my taxes. Maybe I'll get started tomorrow. I always seem to wait until the last possible minute.

I hope I can sleep tonight. Last night was no fun at all. I don't know how people with little kids deal with being sick all the time. It would drive me crazy.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day