Day 4747

It was as just as cold and nasty as everyone predicted this morning. It was eleven degrees when we woke up, with a wind chill that was below zero. Not surprisingly, we did not take a morning walk with Dawn. Dawn is no fool. She ran out in the back yard and quickly did her business and then came right back inside again.

Considering the weather, I actually had a very busy day. After breakfast I went and had my annual eye exam. My cataracts are getting worse, but evidently my eyes are deteriorating very slowly. My doctor said that he wouldn't recommend doing anything yet and said that I could easily go another year without cataract surgery. I no longer have 20/20 vision unfortunately. I was given a prescription for glasses, but it is optional if I ever use it. I'm still OK to drive and I guess do anything else without glasses. I may fill the prescription if I ever drive back to McDonald Observatory. My eyes get tired on long car drives.

The car started fine in the cold weather. I was a little worried about that. The outside faucets that I set to drip are still dripping, so I guess that's good too. So far there are no problems related to the cold weather. The furnace is running constantly, but it is still working normally. Our house is not well insulated and you can see condensation on all the windows on days like this. The dehumidifiers help, but there is only so much you can do with large expanses of single pane glass. I just hope that this cold spell doesn't linger. With temperatures this low, I feel like we are under siege.

This afternoon I got a haircut. Either my hair is growing faster or it's been longer than I thought since my last haircut. Even my stylist thought it was growing fast. I guess Covid worries are largely over. I didn't need a mask at the eye doctor or at my hair appointment either. Janet was the only one worried about Covid since she is traveling soon and didn't want to go if I was infected. She worries about giving Covid to her relatives. I took another Covid test this morning and that one turned up negative too. I just have a head cold and even that seems to be getting better.

Since it was way too cold to go walking in the park today, I stopped by the gym on the way back from my hair appointment. I still had to get my steps. I was in street clothes, but that was fine for walking around the indoor track. Actually I fit right in. A lot of the old people who come to my gym just wear street clothes anyway. I got my 10,000 steps, closed all the rings on my Apple watch and headed home for dinner.

Janet fixed an early Christmas dinner for us tonight, since she will be gone on Christmas Day. I'm glad that Dawn doesn't know what's up yet, since she will be very upset. We made it through Janet's last vacation, and we'll make it through this one as well. I know how to get Dawn to eat and take her meds and she will go down to the field behind our house with me in the morning to poop and pee. We won't even try to take a walk while Janet is gone. That would be stressful for both of us. 

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4361

My eye exam was a pleasant surprise. I've been dreading this exam for weeks because last year my doctor told me that I would be needing cataract surgery soon. Well, it's not going to be this year. My eyes have actually improved. There were no signs of diabetic retinopathy. There were no signs that my cataracts had gotten worse. Actually my doctor said that there was less cloudness in my right eye this year. The left eye has never been a problem. I aced the eye chart this year. I could read everything on the bottom line and the doctor's assistant said that I still had 20/20 vision.

In fairness, I think I could read the eye chart better this year because it was closer. I mentioned this to the doctor's assistant and she said this didn't matter because the projection system ensured that the chart would appear the same size to the viewer even though the far wall in the other exam room was further away. "This may be true," I told her, "but the closer projected image is definitely brighter and brighter images are easier to see." She gave me a strange look. I know she knew I was right. I bet everyone who gets their eyes examined in the smaller exam room gets a better score.

I asked the doctor about different types of cataract lenses and he told me that the Crystalens system didn't work as advertised and that most people who opted to go this route ended up having serious problems. He didn't recommend bifocal or trifocal lenses either, saying that they felt strange to everyone not already wearing bifocal or trifocal glasses. When I asked him if drops were being developed that could just dissolve the cataracts, he just laughed. "It's not going to happen," he told me. "Cataract eyedrops would put me out of business." Hey, at least the guy was honest. I didn't want to argue, but they are already using eye drops to treat cataracts in dogs. The Lanosterol treatment has also proved to be effective with guinea pigs, horses, rabbits. I think it's only a matter of time before these eye drops, or something even better, is approved for use in humans. 

Sometimes it is better to wait. When I first discovered that I had Hepatitis C, there were several treatments available that had serious side effects and didn't even work for many people. Then Sovaldi was invented and this little pill revolutionized everything. My Hepatitis C was totally eliminated in twelve weeks with no side effects whatsoever. Cataract surgery is a safe and very common procedure. Lots of people I know have had the surgery and are very happy with it. Given a choice, I'd much rather keep my natural lens so I can continue to focus at all distances. I was happy that my doctor thought my eyes looked just fine today.

The weather continues to be wonderful. I took my long walk early this morning because I didn't want to walk in the bright sunlight after my eyes had been dilated. This was probably a good idea since it takes four or five hours for your eyes to completely return to normal after they've been dilated. I always hate driving home after an eye exam. Everything is fine now. I only have to see the dermatologist and the dentist now and then I'm done with the medical parade.

Dawn was good with me today. I took her outside after my long walk and then again after I returned from the eye doctor. Both times she came when I called and followed me to the door. I sat with her for about fifteen minutes while she sunned herself in her favorite spot and she appeared completely relaxed. She also followed me out to the kitchen when I fixed her dinner tonight. It's a slow process, but we're making progress.

Gretta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4307

It's unreal how quickly prices are going up. I essentially get the same things week after week and the price of everything I buy is higher than it was even a few weeks ago. I can understand why something like coffee might be more expensive, but why is water more expensive? I have a feeling that this will continue for quite some time. The global supply chain is broken and nobody appears to know how to fix it.

I felt like seafood today, so I picked up some fresh crab cakes and scallops for dinner. This is clearly not a great way to save money, but dinner was delicious. I wish fish were easier to cook. I could probably eat any fish I wanted without much danger of heartburn. It's almost always red meat that gives me problems.

Dawn felt adventurous again this morning, so we walked further than we usually do. I can never predict what Dawn is going to do next. She has probably just learned to live in the moment better than I do. Dawn was very confident about where she was going this morning, even though it was a completely new direction. I think she knows her way around the neighborhood now. 

There's only time to do one thing on Saturday before the weather gets too hot and the stores get too crowded. Today I chose to get my shopping done first. It's amazing how much easier grocery shopping is if you go before 10 AM. There wasn't even a line at the meat counter in Central Market this morning. Of course, early shopping meant that I missed the nice cool weather on my long walk. The temperature climbs from the mid sixties to the mid nineties very quickly. It still felt like Fall, but things were much nicer on Dawn's sunrise walk.

My task for the day was defrosting the little refrigerator. This small dorm room refrigerator was meant to be a temporary solution while we were waiting for repairs to our kitchen refrigerator, but somehow it has become permanent and essential. Both refrigerators are always full now. I had completely forgotten that refrigerators needed to be defrosted until we got this thing. Every couple of months I put all the perishables in the big refrigerator, open the door and unplug it. I stuff the inside with old bath towels and let the ice melt. Two of three hours later, we're back in business.

I didn't see any more dead ants today. Maybe they're gone. First it was the spiders and now it's the ants. I wonder what other critters are going to try to invade the house? I forget when the Crane Flies arrive, but they're a nuisance too. I still haven't made it up on the roof to check and see if there's a place where the ants are getting in. I may have missed my chance. It's still supposed to rain tomorrow. 

I need to make an appointment with my eye doctor. For the past several years he's been telling me that I have cataracts and it's only a matter of time before I'll need surgery. The time may have come. One eye is definitely fuzzier than the other now. I've made my income as a visual person for many years, so I've always dreaded having anyone messing with my eyes. I guess cataract surgery is very safe. I wonder how you focus with an artificial lens though. I don't even like the idea of wearing glasses.

These weeks go so quickly now. It's already time for Dawn's Sunday outing again. Hopefully we'll be able to take our walk and have ice cream cones before the weather turns bad.

Maverick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3994

Brrr. It was 34 degrees when we woke up this morning. We didn't let the cold deter us. We bundled up and took our walk anyway. I'm not sure that Dawn liked her hat, but it had to keep her head warmer and everybody we passed said she looked cute. We actually didn't pass many people at all on the trails. The park was virtually empty. You have to be dedicated or a little crazy to leave the house on a day like this.

I had my appointment with the eye doctor today.  This is basically just a yearly check up to make sure that I don't show any signs of diabetic retinopathy. I still think my eyes are fine because I have 20/20 distance vision. There are problems though. Too many years of staring at a computer screen have ruined my close up vision and  according to my doctor, I am developing cataracts. I still can't detect any obvious signs of the developing cataracts, but they are apparently getting worse. "When will I have to start thinking about surgery," I asked the doctor. "Probably next year," he replied. Yikes. I was hoping he'd say ten years from now, or something else in the distant future. " How can these cataracts be getting worse," I asked. "I don't notice any changes in my vision at all." "You will by next year," the doctor replied.

I really don't like going to the doctor during a pandemic. Even though half the chairs in most medical waiting rooms have been removed to keep people apart, I still keep looking at all the other people with suspicion. "All these other people have got to be sick," I think. "Get me out of here."

The worst thing about going to the eye doctor is driving home after your eyes have been dilated. Everything seems so bright and even sunglasses don't help that much. Dilation doesn't just make things brighter, it also makes it harder to focus on anything. I squinted to reduce the glare and tried to avoid all the fuzzy cars in front of me. When I made it home safely, I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in a darkened room waiting for my eyes to readjust.

If it was thirty degrees warmer, today would have been perfect. The sky was clear and seemed to be completely free of pollen. I had no allergy problems today at all. Since it may freeze tonight, I remembered to set some of the outside faucets to drip. Some of the faucets are insulated, but others freeze almost instantly when the temperature dips below freezing. Tonight would have been a good night to take the telescope out, but I really don't like the cold. The stars will still be there tomorrow. It isn't that surprising that I am a little more familiar with the Summer skies.

I guess I'll go back to the storage warehouse and get the rest of the photo gear tomorrow. I need to wash the backdrop as well. Maybe I washed it after the last of 2019's events but I can't remember. One of the main reasons I got this new 10' x 20' backdrop is that it is machine washable. You couldn't wash my older hand painted muslin backdrops and after a few years they all began to smell of dog pee.

Hard to believe it's going to be December tomorrow. This has been one of the weirdest years I can remember. Everybody I know can't wait to get back to normal, but I think what constitutes normal is changing. The world is never going to be the way is used to be. The virus will eventually disappear, but a lot of our new habits and routines will remain. I'm pretty adaptable, but I'm not really looking forward to what lies ahead.

Belle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3676

Another dismal day. I think it rained more today than it did yesterday. I wasn't that hungry, but I went out for breakfast anyway because I thought it would make the day go faster. Rainy days have a tendency to be long days. I wanted something cold but I didn't feel like cereal, so lox and bagels sounded good. This used to be my go to breakfast when I traveled a lot, but it's been a while. Lox and bagels turned out to be a good choice. It brought back memories and made me forget about the rain for a while.

After picking up something for dinner at the grocery store, I came back home and got the pumps working. I'm not sure the pumps on the roof even help that much, but seeing water exit through the garden hoses attached to the pumps makes me feel better. If the rain ever stops, I'll need to go up on the roof and finish the job.

A few days ago Janet got some solar powered pathway lights at the dollar store and to my surprise they actually worked. A dollar for a solar powered light is a pretty good price. Nothing lasts long at the dollar store, so I went back today and got some more of these lights. Like the rubber snakes I once found here to keep birds from pooping on my car, I knew I would never see these things again. During a break in the rain, I placed the lights along the gravel path leading to the alley. I don't expect them to last very long, but for now they are working and actually look pretty good. So much for landscaping on a rainy day.

During the next break in the rain, I decided to take my walk. This worked for a while, but it was a long walk on a rainy day. Before I returned home I was pretty wet. I was really on my own today. Even the joggers and dog walkers opted to stay dry this time. I don't know why it has become such a big deal to keep moving. Probably just because there is little else to do and it is easier than going to the gym.

When I woke up last night I noticed that I was seeing ghost images of the little LED lights on the network router through my left eye. I only saw a single point of light from each bulb with my right eye. My eye doctor warmed me this would happen when cataracts started to develop. I sometimes saw ghost images when I looked up at the moon, but this was more pronounced. When daylight returned, my vision seemed more or less normal, but double images are still not good. For several years my eye doctor has told me that I was developing cataracts. At some point I will need to deal with it. The doctor says I've got five years at best. Cataract surgery is pretty safe and is usually successful, but I'm not looking forward to the day when I need to make this decision. I depend on my eyes and hate to mess with them. I'm also seeing signs of keratosis on the skin under this eye. I guess I need to deal with this too. Jeez. I hate growing old.

I think the weather is going to clear up tomorrow. I certainly hope so. The sooner I get the water off the roof, the less I have to worry about leaks.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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