Day 4959

Not a bad day, even though everything about it was very predictable. We started out with a nice early walk with Dawn. Why can't the weather stay this way all day? The temperature was in the high 70's and there was a nice breeze. It's amazing how quickly things warm up though. The temperature didn't reach 100 degrees today, but it was still a very hot day.

After another big weekend breakfast, I checked my messages and went to the mall. I go mall walking earlier now because the place is quieter and more peaceful. It's surprising how many people go mall walking. It often feels like a normal business day except that the stores aren't open. I've done this so many times that I'm familiar with all the window displays now. Some change weekly and others never change at all. There were quite a few changes today. Maybe stores are already transitioning from Summer to Fall merchandise. It's a mystery how many of the little stores can remain in business. Even when I go to the mall during the week, these stores never seem to have any customers.

It always takes me about an hour to complete my walk. On the way home I usually listen to Stephen Dubner's Freakonomics Radio. Most of what I know about economics comes from listening to this show. Even though I returned home earlier than usual, Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing. She knows our routine really well by now, especially when it involves her. It was too hot to take a long walk, but we took a shorter walk in the Sunday park to let her get outside for a bit.

We always end our Sunday outing with a trip to the ice cream store. Technically this stuff is called Frozen Custard, but it tastes like ice cream to me. How much ice cream we get depends on who is serving the cones. Today we got a lot. Dawn loves ice cream, but she is a messy eater. She'd probably love anything that she got to eat in the car.

As usual I didn't do much this afternoon. More bugs seem to be getting into the house this summer. It must be the heat. I had to chase down a wasp and a cricket this afternoon. There are still a ton of things that need attention around the house, but most are projects I've been trying to avoid for years. I hate to paint and sheet rock repairs are so messy. I may end up doing these things myself anyway, just because I hate having strangers around the house. Doing my own repairs will save a lot of money as well.

It's strange that I still haven't heard anything about the EchoStar Jupiter 3 launch. This thing is supposed to take place on Wednesday and credentialing notices still haven't gone out yet. I guess it doesn't matter anyway. I've decided not to go to this one. I really want to see the first Vulcan Centaur launch, but that has been postponed until the end of the year. Oh, well. Winter in Titusville is much more pleasant than Summer anyway.

I have no big plans for tomorrow. No little plans either. So far it looks like it's going to be a long, hot and very uneventful summer.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4598

Another day just like all the other days. If we haven't already set a record for consecutive one hundred degree days, we will soon. We see lots of people in the park on our sunrise walks now. The runners and cyclists have realized that this is the only time during the day when it is still enjoyable to be outdoors. The temperatures don't stay in the mid-80's for long. As soon as the sun comes up, it's off to the races.

I had my usual breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit and then headed straight for the gym. I went earlier than usual today because I knew we were going to visit the rescue Dalmatians in the afternoon. I'm getting better on the basketball court and occasionally can sink five or six baskets in a row. I'm worthless shooting from anywhere other than the free throw line though. No three point shots for me. Maybe I should broaden my horizons and try something new. Never mind. I'm content just shooting free throws.

I tried walking faster on the indoor track today and managed to match my outdoor speed. This was encouraging because I felt exactly the same after walking two miles as I did when walking slower. After getting my Fitbit steps, I spent a little time trying to strengthen my shoulder. Regaining any sort of flexibility won't be easy but it's worth a try. I really want to avoid any type of surgery. There are lots of older people at my gym and I frequently see them going through physical therapy after a knee replacement. No thank you. I'd rather keep the aging joints I already have.

The Dalmatians enjoyed seeing us today. None of them seemed to have their usual energy, but it was understandable since it was so hot. The kennel has air conditioning, but just about everybody's AC system is having trouble keeping things cool in these insanely high temperatures. I'm sure we'll see the dogs again, but this was the last time at this particular kennel. I'm sorry to see things change, but I shouldn't have been surprised. Things always change. You've just got to adapt and move on.

I noticed that Twitter doesn't work on my computer anymore. It now requires a newer browser than I use. I don't really care about Twitter and seldom use it, but this is still a somewhat troubling turn of events. All my computers run older operating systems so I can continue to use my legacy software. I hate the subscription services that Microsoft and Adobe use now and refuse to use them. My older versions of Microsoft Word and Photoshop work just fine. They don't expire or require a subscription either. Now that malware, computer viruses, and hacking has become such a problem, manufactures just don't like dealing with older software. Increasingly, they are refusing to support anything other than their latest releases. This is not good news for me. I have no interest in upgrading my computers, software, or phone again. 

I found a giant spider in the office this evening. I hope it wasn't poisonous. I managed to kill the thing with a fly swatter, but it was troubling to see something like this inside. Where there is one bug there are usually more. I'm seeing more bugs inside this summer. I'm sure it has something to do with the heat. There have even been a few wasps in the living room. They fly in the back door when we let Dawn out. We've got bug spray for every type of bug now. There's one can for ants. Another for spiders. And a third for wasps and hornets. I'd like to live someplace where there were no bugs. I don't know where that would be though. Bugs are everywhere.

Dawn did well at training class tonight and won a ribbon again. I thought it would be to hot for her class, but Janet says it cools down after sunset and there is usually a breeze. All the dogs were fine. Dawn has finally learned to drink water from a water bottle too. Dawn really enjoys this class but I bet she'll enjoy it even more when the weather gets nicer.

I'm sure tomorrow will be very similar to today. I'm surprised that I can find enough to say for a blog post these days.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4168

Dawn got her special outing today. It wasn't a clear day, but it wasn't raining either. We thought we'd take her someplace new, but the strange surroundings scared her and we got back in the car and went back to her usual Sunday park. What a dfifference. Dawn would hardly move at the new location, but she bounded out of the car and immediately began smelling things when we returned to our regular Sunday park. This park was new to Dawn at one point too, but I don't know how much new Dawn can handle. Of course we got ice cream cones on the way home. Even though it was a gray and somewhat dismal day, I think Dawn really enjoyed herself.

I took a short nap when we returned home and then I went walking again. I could be doing other things, but walking still seems the best way to fill an otherwise uneventful day. I daydream a lot when I walk. I seldom think about serious things. I plan future trips. I think about what kind of car I'd like to buy next. I count ducks, And I wonder what the neighbors are doing. Sometimes these walks are tiring. Other times they are boring. They always beat mowing the lawn though.

I had to do some website updates today and I couldn't figure out why my changes weren't showing up in my browser. I uploaded the new pages several times and still kept seeing the old site. It finally occurred to me that I needed to clear my cache files. When I refreshed my browser, it was just reloading the old site that was already in the browser cache. Problem solved. I vaguely wondered why I don't always have to do this. I probably used to know the answer, but my web development skills are fading fast.

I watched a YouTube tutorial titled "Getting started with PixInsight" this afternoon. I thought if I understood the basics of this complex program, I might actually get some use out of it. This video was supposed to be for beginners, but it still seemed very complex to me. It was hard for me to stay interested. Things that were easy and intuitive in Photoshop required ten mysterious steps here. I still don't even understand the PixInsight menu. It baffles me that a lot of people love this program. Maybe I picked the wrong hobby. I've been taking photographs for the better part of my life. You'd thing this would be easy, but astrophotography has been a struggle for me.

I'm getting bitten by mosquitos inside the house. Where did these things come from? Mosquitos seem unusually bad this year. It must be all the moisture. I'm starting to see lots of ants too. I guess it's that time of year. Where can you go where the weather is pleasant and there are no bugs? Bugs are everywhere. There were moths inside the Astronomer's Lodge. When I go to rocket launches in Florida I always get bitten by bugs. I always get the most powerful insect repellent I can find and the bugs don't even care.

I still haven't finished unpacking from my trip. The clothing has all been washed and put away, but there's still a lot of equipment I need to deal with. I took the star tracker apart and put it back in it's box today. That's a start. Now I've got a case I can use for pet photography again. Maybe I'll deal with the rest of the camera equipment next weekend. I doubt that I'm going to be using it any time soon.

Tomorrow we visit the rescue Dalmatians again. It only seems like a few days have passed since we saw them last week. Where has the time gone? We are almost halfway through 2021 and it still seems like the year is just getting started. Covid has changed everything. I'm so used to doing nothing that it's starting to seem normal.

Willie 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 3014

Near the top of my to-do list today was a trip to the store to get more dog treats for Dash. You don't ever want to run out of dog treats in this house. Since Dash is a picky eater, there is a particular brand of treats he likes. Of course you can't find this brand at the neighborhood pet store. I drive further to find things for Dash than I do for myself.

While I was out, I returned to the plumbing supply store. Surprisingly, they actually did have some of the parts I was looking for. I bought some of the easy to replace parts, but the water control assembly, which was the main thing I was trying to replace didn't look quite the same. The parts guy said to bring the old fill valve in and it would be easy to tell whether the two parts were the same. My idea was just to buy the part now in case it was unavailable in the future. I didn't actually have the nerve to try to remove the old part yet. It has frozen in place and there's a good chance I could break something trying to remove it. The guy who was helping me couldn't figure out why I wanted to buy the part if I wasn't going to use it. "If this part doesn't fit, you're going to have to buy a new toilet anyway," he told me. The guy had a point. "Just leave the part here until you really think you need it," He said. "Nobody else is going to buy this thing."

I decided to leave well enough alone. It would be nice to have all new parts, but the toilet is actually working now. There's a good chance I could break it again if I keep monkeying around. I should have thanked the parts guy. He saved me $75.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the stock market go up almost 700 points today. We're still down for the month, but they say this was the third largest gain in history. These wild market swings make me nervous. There was no fundamental reason for last weeks huge loss and no reason for today's big gain. I'm going to have to learn to live with this volatility though. I think it's here to stay. Computerized trading platforms make it possible to buy and sell huge quantities of stock in a fraction of a second. Humans like me are just along for the ride.

It was kind of hot this afternoon, so I wasn't entirely surprised that Dash refused to take his afternoon walk. I dutifully suited him up anyway, just in case. I still think that Dash needs a little more exercise, but like they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

Since we had a mild Winter, I'm already starting to see a lot of bugs. A lot of these bugs seem to find their way inside. When I'm out in the back yard it looks like an invading army is preparing to strike. There are cockroaches in the trees, ants crawling on the bricks, and crane flies hovering around the back door. The spiders haven't returned yet, but it won't be long. I hate the crane flies because every time I let Dash out, a few of them fly in the house. It's going to be an uphill battle to keep these critters outside this Summer.

I shouldn't complain about Spring, because Summer is so much worse. It was actually a beautiful day today. It's too bad that Dash thought it was too hot.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2654

The bugs are going to be terrible this Summer. I've already been bitten by mosquitoes and chiggers and its only March. I'm a magnet for bug bites while guiding Dot slowly through the back yard while waiting for her to pee. Long pants and socks provide more protection, but it sure gets hot in the Summer. So far, I've found fire ants in the front yard, little sweet ants in the bathrooms, crane flies lining up to get in the back door when I leave it open for Dot, and lots of mosquitoes every time it rains. I haven't seen any cockroaches yet, but they can't be far behind. Dot and Dash are both on a flea and tick preventative, but I found a tick on Dash's face just yesterday. The battle against bugs is relentless in Texas.

The back door is really going to be a problem this Summer. I have to open the door ahead of time before I attempt to take Dot out to pee. If I can't keep her moving swiftly from her bed to the door, she pees immediately. This morning, I stopped just for a second to open the door and she peed all over a large rug next to the door. Jeez, I just washed this rug yesterday. It's a mess. I kept a fly swatter nearby while I was eating breakfast this morning to kill the crane flies that had wandered inside while I had Dot out in the back yard.

Today was surprisingly busy. I had several websites to update, including one that required me to brush up on some tricky code designed to automatically resize the site for mobile devices. It's a shame that I learned to create mobile-ready websites just as my business was starting to wind down. Mobile sites are complex and I don't do enough of them to keep my skills in tip top shape. Every time I get a request to modify a mobile site, I inevitably have to relearn something.

I have no idea what made Dot throw up yesterday. She seemed fine today. Surprisingly, she seemed to have more energy as well, even though the weather was still quite warm. We only walk Dot at sunrise and sunset now. It seems to help. This new schedule has messed up my own eating habits though. I now have to eat my dinner very early.

My accountant wants me to pay online now. I called and asked if I could just write him a check like I have for the past twenty five years and he told me that their office was trying to go paperless. Jeez, could it really be that hard to take a check to the bank? I'm having the same problem with everybody. When AT&T lost my check recently, they tried to get me to switch to online payments too. I get a notice in all my utility bills urging me to go paperless. Paper checks are apparently a thing of the past.

I was an innovator and somewhat of a trend setter for most of my career. Now, I've become a Luddite. I can't stop change from happening, but I sure can complain about it. I liked cars a lot better before they became computers on wheels. I liked it when software was packaged in fancy boxes with detailed printed manuals. I liked shoes better when you could take them to a shoe repairman and have them resoled forever. I liked electronics with soldered components instead of integrated circuits. Everything is ruthlessly efficient and disposable now. It's hard to fix anything. Paper checks may mean nothing to you, but they represent a better world to me.

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. I decided to go early in the morning, in hopes that Dot would stay asleep while I was gone. It's hard to predict what Dot is going to do though and the dentist doesn't make house calls. Hopefully, I won't have any cavities and Dot won't make a huge mess while I'm gone.

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2282

There are so many things piling up on my to-do list. They will all get done, but it will take a while. It's time to reinstall the battery in the lawn mower and see if it still works. I store the 24 volt battery in the house during the Winter to make sure it won't freeze, but that doesn't guarantee that it will still hold a charge the next Spring. If the battery doesn't work, I will need to get it re-celled again. I've done this twice already, but it's still a lot cheaper than buying a new lawn mower. I need to get the tree trimmer to remove a few dead limbs from the backyard Oak trees. I've been waiting until Spring, so I could make sure which limbs were really dead. Now, it's pretty obvious. It's time to plant new St. Augustine grass in the backyard. The grass never seems to last more than a single season. It's long past time to start working on my taxes. I also need to get the roofers to patch a few worn spots in the elastomer roof coating. This has to be done every year as well. I can't get excited about any of these things, but they all need my attention. While I'm at it, I might as well call the plumber. The washers have worn out in several faucets, making them almost impossible to turn off completely. One of the toilets runs as well. I used to do these type of repairs myself, but I've lost all desire to be a handyman.

Dot seemed very shaky today. She was slow on her morning walk and had more difficulty than usual standing without assistance. When she's wearing her harness, I can tell if she is supporting her own weight or not. She can usually support her own weight fairly well if she is on flat ground and moving forward. Today, she stumbled a lot and I had to keep her from falling. I'll be glad when we have our consultation with the oncologist on Friday. I'd like to know whether it is the cancer causing the weakness, the Palladia pills, or something else.

I like the warmer weather, but I'm not wild about all the bugs that announce the arrival of Spring. I've started seeing ants around the house again and the crane flies are everywhere. Crane flies look like giant mosquitoes except that they don't bite and they fly very slow. You can catch them with your hands, but you just give up after a while because there are so many. Every time I open the back door at night to let the dogs out, ten of these irritating bugs manage to get inside. They are everywhere this year.

When I wasn't chasing bugs, I was repeating everything I did yesterday. I paid a few more bills and stopped at the pharmacy on the way home from the post office to pick up a prescription that was on back order yesterday. I even had the same thing for dinner as I had yesterday, since we still have a lot of leftovers from the weekend. We did avoid walking in the dark this morning, since we made a point of starting twenty minutes later.

I have some major website repairs to make tomorrow. The client wants to remove a page that has always been an integral part of the main navigation menu. I hate when that happens. To remove this one page, I have to end up changing all the other pages. Oh, well. The client is always right. I certainly have time to do this cosmetic surgery tomorrow. The only other thing on the schedule is Dot's physical therapy session.

I hope Dot feels better in the morning. Sometimes it helps when she gets a good night's sleep. I hope I get some sleep tonight as well. Four to five hours a night just isn't enough.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1943

My accountant called and told me my taxes were done. My refund this year wasn't even large enough to cover the cost of preparing the tax return. Too bad you can't deduct pet expenses. I would have come out a lot better this year if I could have deducted all the vet bills for Dot and Dash. I would have come out better if I had remembered to send in my Quarterly Estimated Taxes too. Oh, well. At least I won't have to worry about taxes for another year.

I may have to worry about Tent Caterpillars though. When I was watering the lawn this afternoon, I noticed that we have a huge infestation of Tent Caterpillars. There must have been hundreds of the bugs on one tree alone.  The annual invasion of insects has begun. I never know what to expect. One year it will be bagworms. The next year it could be wasps. A few year ago we had to have beekeepers come out and remove a huge bee hive that appeared one Spring inside the roof of our house. We could hear the bees buzzing above us when we went to sleep at night. At this time of year there are tons of Crane Flies. These slow moving insects look like giant mosquitoes and are attracted to light. They gather around the back door and whenever I open the door to take Dot outside, they fly inside. The bugs are harmless and easy enough to catch, but they are a giant nuisance at this time of year. The house is full of them because when I help Dot outside using the Help 'Em Up Harness, I leave the door open so Dash can come out too. Dash takes his time, but the bugs are very quick.

I ran my Saturday errands early this morning, so Janet could do hers later. When I picked up a prescription at the pharmacy, I asked the pharmacist why the price of one particular drug kept changing every time I picked up a new bottle. "The price of this one just goes up and down," the pharmacist said. Why? I still have no earthly idea.

The dogs were good today. I was able to do several loads of laundry, wash the dishes, change the sheets on the bed, and kill a bunch of Tent Caterpillars while they were sleeping. Dot seems much more content now that she has a bit more freedom. She never liked being confined. Before her injury, she would spend most of her time sleeping under my desk, unless I was headed toward the kitchen where there was food. Now that she has to spend time in her pen, she always seems to have things to do and places to go. It certainly didn't take her long to learn that barking was the quickest way to get out of the pen and go somewhere else. Today was peaceful though. There was only one minor barking episode. When I looked at my watch I realized that the dogs were right and I was wrong. It was time for their dinner.

I wonder if I'll ever get back to the gym. It's time to mow the grass again and the car is looking dirty as well. I forgot to pick up more heartworm pills for Dot and Dash and I'm sure there are a number of other things I've forgotten too. Sunday is a time to remember what you forgot on Saturday. For a brief time right after I joined the gym, I went three times a week. How did I ever have that much free time?

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1924

I got quite a bit done today. My taxes are finally ready to go to the accountant. I finished writing two more articles and sent them off to the client. I made an appointment to resume Dot's physical therapy later this week. And I contacted the roofer and told him about the problems I've been having with the peeling elastomer. Considering that today is Monday, this was pretty good.

A small piece broke off the grinder component of my new single serve machine when I was making coffee this morning. This was actually a good thing, because it gave me an opportunity to take this worthless thing back to the store and exchange it for something else. I boxed up the coffee maker and as soon as Janet came home to watch Dot, I took it back to the store and got a Keurig instead. All I want is a nice cup of coffee in the morning without having to spend half an hour cleaning the machine. Who knows if the K-cup pods will be as tasty as the beans I'm currently grinding, but the whole process will certainly be easier. I don't think you have to clean these K-cup coffee makers at all.

Dot continues to get stronger with each passing day.  Today I attached an extension to her Help 'Em Up Harness that lets her support her own weight and just serves as a fail-safe device to keep her from falling if she starts to slip. I was pleased to see that Dot can walk without me holding up her rear legs. On the other hand, I was a bit alarmed to see how awkwardly she walked when I wasn't supporting her. Dot is definitely not ready to walk completely unassisted yet. I'm in no hurry. We'll just continue taking things one step at a time. The stronger she gets, the better she'll be able to walk.

It would be nice if the roofers could come out tomorrow. I'm not going to hold my breath though. They probably won't show up until it starts to rain again. Since there is currently no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, this would be an excellent time to get things repaired. The roof may be dry now, but it's going to take a lot longer before the park dries out. Dash's favorite routes seem to always traverse the soggiest and muddiest areas. I let hm walk wherever he wants though. He's been really good about dealing with all the extra attention I've been giving Dot, and I don't want to rock the boat. Peaceful, happy dogs make life a lot easier.

It's proving to be quite difficult to keep the house clean with a muddy yard and throw rugs all over the place. The vacuum cleaner doesn't deal with the little rugs very well and keeps trying to suck them up. It may be time for a new vacuum cleaner. For now, the house it just getting dirtier by the day. Dot has always been scared of the vacuum cleaner anyway and I don't have the heart to use it while she's trapped in her pen and unable to move. There are so many elements to this rehabilitation effort that catch me by surprise. I'm getting better at finding the dog poop but there's always something new to deal with. Since it's getting warmer, the wasps have returned and I can no longer just leave the back door open while I take Dot in and out to pee with the harness. The wasps are already starting to build nests under the eaves and if I leave the door open very long, they are sure to fly inside. The only good thing about Winter is that the bugs disappear for a while. Now, they're back again.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1664

I thought I'd do some painting preparation today by starting to scrape the loose paint off the exterior windows and trim. I should have done this a year ago, so today's prep work probably means that I'll actually start painting about this time next year. Progress is progress though and I was feeling good about what I'd accomplished. I decided to do a little more and remembered that there was still a light fixture on the back porch that needed to be re-wired. Unfortunately, when I got the ladder out and climbed up to dismantle the broken can light, I disturbed a hidden hornet's nest. So much for that little project. I went inside to get a can of Raid and decided I was finished with home improvements for the day.

The onslaught of mosquitoes this year is definitely starting to bug me, so I went to Home Depot looking for a solution. All I came home with were a couple of citronella candles. I don't even think these candles work, but they were all I could find that wasn't full of insecticide. There was an intriguing looking portable fogger, but the box was full of safety warning labels, so I took a pass on this potentially lethal solution. I've already established in previous years that bug zappers don't work and neither do those strange propane powered devices that pump a cloud of carbon dioxide over your yard. I think the only thing that works is just staying inside. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes are inside too. One flew out of the refrigerator yesterday.

I could have done some website maintenance work this afternoon, but I decided to go to the gym again instead. This makes two days in a row, which is almost unheard of for me. I used a different group of machines today, but I'll probably still be sore tomorrow. I've been trying to find some exercises that will strengthen my shoulder, but anything that significantly increases my range of motion just pulls the shoulder out of joint again. I've already decided that I don't want surgery, so I guess I'm just going to have to live with what I've got.

I noticed that Dash was trying to get Dot to play with him this afternoon. When the dogs were younger they used to play in the yard a lot. Dot has lost all interest in playing now that she's older though, and Dash gets frustrated. Maybe I need to start taking him to doggie day care a few times a week. Finding the right place will be difficult though. Dash is still terrified of larger dogs and doesn't like to play rough. The cancer center was perfect, because all the dogs in treatment there were very gentle. I think he misses the cancer center.

I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I've had to reschedule Dot's acupuncture and physical therapy session again. Later in the week I have my quarterly meeting with my financial adviser. Hopefully, he'll have some good news to offset the total loss of one of my now defunct oil and gas investments. Janet fixed a great dinner tonight. Maybe if I keep going to the gym every day, I could eat more without gaining any weight.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1658

I looked at my calendar for July and it was already filled with vet appointments and doctor visits. When you add trips to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions, this is pretty much how I spend my time. In any given month, at least three of these appointments will need to be rescheduled because I'd forgotten that I already had another medical appointment at the same time. So far, the only non-medical things I see for July are a day of jury duty and a visit with my financial adviser to discover why I feel so poor.

It's frustrating to see so many of my investments doing poorly at a time when the market is near an all-time high. I have nobody to blame but myself, unfortunately. Nobody forced me to invest in these losers. One of the worst things I did was get excited about the natural gas industry after making a documentary about a pioneering shale gas producer. Natural gas seemed like a sure thing at the time. It wasn't. I discovered that investing in small energy companies can be a very risky business. Live and learn has always been my motto, but this was a very expensive lesson.

I discovered today that one of the first bloggers I ever started reading regularly passed away this weekend. If I hadn't seen some other bloggers talking about the woman's obituary on Facebook, I never would have known. This certainly wasn't the first time I got the news about someone's death on Facebook. I've learned about the passing of high school friends, former co-workers, distant relatives, and several other bloggers all in the course of reading my Facebook wall. I guess it's a sign of the times. I was trying to explain social media to a friend about my age a few weeks ago and when I got to Facebook I just said "Facebook is where you go to see who died this week."

I've got to come up with a better plan for defending myself from biting bugs. Every time I walk the dogs, I'm eaten alive by mosquitoes and chiggers. It's too hot to bundle up these days, so when you wear shorts or go shirtless, you become a target for the biting bugs. I hate to use insecticides around the dogs, and few of the home remedies actually work. Last year at this time, the city was already aggressively spraying to control mosquitoes. This year, the mosquitoes are even worse and the city is doing nothing. The aerial spraying was so controversial last Summer that I suspect the city just gave up and decided to let the citizens itch. I thought the spraying program made a lot more sense than Lyme Disease, but a lot of people disagreed. You just can't keep everybody happy these days.

Dot did really well in the underwater treadmill this afternoon. It's amazing how strong and confident she is, considering her age. I hope the car continues to do well as we go back and forth to these physical therapy sessions. It was over 100 degrees on our drive home today.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1286

I discovered why there were all the warnings about wearing gloves and protective eye wear on the can of expanding foam insulation I used to fill cracks in the house this morning. The stuff is nasty. Since I am growing increasingly clumsy, I followed all the directions on the can and dressed accordingly. I hate working with this stuff, but it's still the best way I know to fill the cracks and crevices where bugs can get into your house.

After sealing several dozen potential entry points, I accidentally discovered where the bees were coming from and successfully removed the small but growing hive.  It was a tiring, but successful morning.  I didn't get stung and only managed to get a small amount of the gooey foam on my arm.  The instructions said to let the foam dry on your skin and it would wear off.

The dogs loved their trip to the dog park, since they hadn't been in several weeks. The fun was short lived though, because it was just too hot outside. Even though we brought our own water with us, we only ended up staying about half as long as we usually do. The heat made the bath that came afterwards somewhat of a welcome relief. Dot and Dash usually hate getting a bath, but today they seemed to welcome the cool water flowing over them.

I waited to take my own shower until later, because there was still work to be done. I mowed the grass and sowed some new "deep shade" seed in an effort to fill the patchy areas are are already starting to appear in the grass we put in this Spring. When I had the landscape guys over last week to remove the large limb that had fallen, I asked them why the grass was looking so patchy. They looked genuinely puzzled. The grass should be growing well. The soil was prepared properly. The grass was watered and fertilized properly. There are no insects in the soil as of yet. It's just not growing well. I'm beginning to think that our yard is some kind of Bermuda triangle for horticulture.

This weekend really went quickly. Tomorrow, I'll go back with a serrated knife and cut the rough edges off the expanding foam after it has fully cured. Then, after I paint the stuff, you won't even know it was there. If I don't have a lot of writing work on Monday, I might go out and price some new tires for the Defender. I've started noticing that the slow leak in the rear tire is getting worse, and it's time for new tires anyway. Buying tires is right up there with putting on a new roof when it comes to satisfying ways to spend money. Oh, well. As Mick Jagger says, "You can't always get what you want..."

Dot and Dash have the right idea. They certainly didn't try to turn this weekend into a chore marathon. Right now, they're both taking a snooze on top of the bed's freshly laundered comforter. I'll think I'll join them.

Boo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1285

The first rule of home improvement should always be that after you buy the tools and supplies you need, you should never wait ten years to use them. I waited too long and none of the projects I started today turned out well as a result. I went back to Home Depot and got more supplies, but by then I was too tired to do the work. Oh, well. Probably these new supplies will suffer the same fate as the old ones I replaced.

Janet took me out for a birthday dinner tonight. She's been so busy that this was the first time she's had the time to go out in several weeks. We had a lovely, relaxed meal. It was probably as close as we've come to having an actual date for a long time. I had Wagyu Bavette with an arugula salad, asparagus, new potatoes and jalapeño cornbread. Wagyu Bavette is a lot like Japanese Kobe beef and is absolutely delicious. I drank sparkling water while Janet enjoyed a Cosmopolitan, but it was a small price to pay for having a functioning liver.

There are bees in our yard again. I don't know where the bees are coming from this time, but they sure seem to know how to find me. I've looked all over for the hive, but can't seem to find it anywhere. I wore long pants and a jacket in the 100 degree heat to avoid being stung while I was working on the house this morning, but the bees still hovered around, looking for an opportunity. Why is nature so adversarial? I always seem to be faced with stinging bees, grubs eating the grass roots, or poisonous snakes slithering through the yard. Oh, and then there are the cockroaches. I can't even begin to tell you how irritating the cockroaches are. When there are millions of them outside, there seems to be no way of preventing a certain percentage of them from getting inside.

From time to time I wonder about where I'd like to live next. I'd like a place filled with serene beauty, without being hassled by critters and bugs. Living on a beach would be nice, if it weren't for hurricanes. Living in the mountains would be nice, if it didn't get so cold. Living in a beautifully appointed high rise would be nice, if it weren't for the disagreeable homeowner's associations that come with these types of buildings. Been there, done that. I don't want a disagreeable homeowner's association questioning every move I make ever again. Maybe Shangri-La doesn't even exist. The sad truth is that I need to start seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty, and that's very, hard for me to do.

Tomorrow is dog park day. Dot and Dash have no problem enjoying simple pleasures like a trip to the dog park. Of course, they also have no problem abjectly hating simple chores like getting a bath. Maybe we aren't all that different. Life never gives you everything you want.

Kirby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1274

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

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

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

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

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

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1175

I got the indestructible TakTik Extreme iPhone case I ordered a while back in the mail today. It should come as no surprise that my Jawbone activity tracking wristlet won't fit in the earphone jack slot, so I can't sync it to the phone anymore. Why is this so common these days. Nobody even seems to care about compatibility. I've got a whole shoebox full of weird little adapters designed to hook incompatible devices together again after the manufacturers failed to standardize their connections. Now, I've got to find yet another adapter that will let me use this new case, or I'll have to send it back.

The inability of manufacturers to standardize electronic connections is just one tiny example of a world where virtually nothing is compatible anymore.  Congress and the president aren't compatible. Workers and their employers aren't compatible. There are literally hundreds of different sizes of watch batteries, when one would have done just fine if the manufacturers could have ever reached an agreement on battery sizes.

I finally got around to calling for bids on replacing my roof. I'm hoping that the two roofers I'm getting estimates from will at least agree on what type of roof I need. There are so many alternatives, and all of them have their supporters and detractors. Asphalt, coal tar, sprayed on foam, EPDM synthetic rubber membrane, PVC membrane, modified bitumen? I have no idea which is best, because there are so many conflicting opinions. Once again, it would be nice if people could agree on things.

The bugs are returning again. I thought I put out enough poison to take care of the problem for at lest a year, but apparently not. I applied more poison and bait in areas that are not accessible to the dogs, but I'm not sure that this will solve the problem. These bugs are smart. I think they'll just move to other parts of the house that are accessible to the dogs.

I got a notice that I'll have to sign for a FedEx package tomorrow. This will be another wasted day. It is totally impossible to predict when the FedEx guy will show up. I can sit waiting for nine hours and then leave for five minutes to run to the post office. That five minute interval will inevitably be when the guy shows up for the signature.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1158

I kind of wish that the lawyers hadn't canceled my deposition today. It would have given me something to do. More importantly, it would have given me something to talk about. As it stands, there isn't much to talk about at all. The weather turned cold again. The work-front turned quiet. There weren't even any overheard conversations when I went out and had a veggie omelet at my favorite breakfast restaurant.

Out of boredom, I drove over to my nutritionist and asked him why my potassium levels continue to rise. Jeez, I like bananas, but I certainly haven't been eating that many bananas. He told me I wasn't drinking enough water. In fact, he told me that I should be drinking twice as much water as I am now. Damn! I really don't like water. I guess what has happened is that as I've been slowly been eliminating beer, wine, liquor, lemon aid, soda, and all sorts of other tasty beverages from my diet, I haven't been replacing the liquids with water. I never really noticed the change, since I am seldom thirsty, but it evidently made a difference. Now, I've got to drink a lot of water in addition to all the other stuff I'm doing. You'd think there'd be a least one vice that was actually good for you, So far, I haven't found any.

Wasn't it weird that the ten ton meteor that injured thousands in Russia arrived on the very same day as that asteroid that nearly hit us today. I wonder if the meteor was a chunk that fell off the asteroid? Maybe this is how it will all end someday. They say than an asteroid hitting the earth was what wiped out the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were pretty tough. I bet a much smaller asteroid could wipe us all out pretty handily. We probably won't need a stray asteroid to finish us off though. I'm sure we'll figure out how to totally screw up the planet all by ourselves. Here's something to think about. That Russian meteor came to earth only 60 miles away from a massive Russian nuclear facility that currently holds tons of weapons grade plutonium. In cosmic terms, that's almost a direct hit.

Enough about the end of the earth though. I'm more concerned about putting an end to the bugs that have invaded my house. I saw only one bug today, and that was a dead one. This is a dramatic improvement from this time last week. This is one battle I'm going to win. I think I'll eventually win the battle against diabetes and liver disease too. It just might take a little longer.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1157 - Valentines Day

I stood in a long line to get overpriced cupcakes at Sprinkles. I remembered to get extra doggie cupcakes for Dot and Dash. I went and got a pretty orchid to put on the coffee table in the living room. Yes, it's Valentines Day. I may not have the most original ideas in the world, but at least I don't forget. I'll miss drinking copious amounts of peach champagne this evening like we used to do on Valentines Day, but I think my drinking days are over.

I'm hoping the invasion of bugs we've been having this Winter is over as well. I've been seeing fewer of the critters since I started squirting the encapsulated power bait into every crack and crevice I could find. Since it was pleasantly warm outside this afternoon, I escalated my coordinated bug attack to phase two. I sprayed the exterior bricks with a solution that dries on the surface and can kill roaches for up to three months. I only applied the solution to parts of the house that the dogs don't have access to. Hopefully, this will be enough.

The deposition I was supposed to give tomorrow got canceled again. I think this is the third time it has been canceled or postponed. Hopefully, the two parties will just settle this thing and leave me alone now. Since I don't have to go to court tomorrow, I think I'll go and have another tasty veggie omelet for breakfast. My first experience eating an omelet without any meat was so delicious last week that I'm actually looking forward to having something similar this week. I think my dietary efforts are starting to show some results too. I got some blood work back in the mail today and was quite encouraged by the results. My liver enzyme levels were much closer to normal this time. My glucose levels actually were normal for the first time in many months. My cholesterol levels were a little high, but since I'm currently not taking any statins or cholesterol medication as part of a test, even these numbers were encouraging.

The dogs loved today's Springlike weather. They both wanted to go outside and roll in the grass. There was only one problem. There isn't any grass. They had to settle for taking a nap in a pile of leaves instead.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day